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as is well known , ingress interfaces at ip routers are implemented by way of respective line cards , with each line card being configured with a routing or forwarding table . a typical router is illustrated in fig3 and comprises a hardware component 1 and a software component 2 . the software component is arranged to determine routing tables based upon preconfigured data and dynamic updates , e . g . based upon link availability . the hardware component comprises a plurality of ingress interfaces 3 and a plurality of egress interfaces 4 . each ingress interface is couple to a line card 5 , and each line card stores a routing table provided by the software component . the line card selectively couples the ingress interfaces to the egress interfaces . a separate failure detection module 6 monitors link availability at the ingress and egress interfaces , and reports to the software and hardware modules . the ipfrr based procedure described here is referred to as loop - free failure insensitive routing ( lfir ) and relies upon the identification of paths from each router ( within an ip network ) to each other destination router ( within that same network ) in such a way that when a router receives a packet from a specific ingress interface , the router can always decide , based upon the configured routing table , if either the default path was used or the packet is on a detour due to a failed link . if the ( onward ) detour also fails , the packet must be dropped . there is no requirement for tunneling or additional flags as the path ( default or detour ) can be determined solely from the ingress interface on which a packet is received , and the packet &# 39 ; s destination . an examination of graph theory is helpful in arriving at a solution . in particular , the theorem presented in reference [ 6 ] teaches that a branching ( spanning arborescence ) rooted at vertex d in digraph g is a spanning tree directed in such a way that each vertex x ≠ d has one edge going out . ( note that branchings are usually defined in the reverse direction .). a 2 - edge - connected digraph is one in which the cutting of two ( or more ) edges will disconnect at least one vertex from all other vertices . it is trivial to observe that , in the case of a 2 - edge - connected digraph , it is possible to find two edge - disjoint branchings in this graph rooted at any d ∈ n ( g ). one may observe that a branching is equivalent to a routing path for a given destination d ; if a packet can follow the directed edges of a branching rooted at d it reaches the destination . for the purposes of a theoretical analysis , the bidirectional links of real networks must be considered as two directed links . that is , if link { i , j } is part of the real network , then the algorithm will work with two directed links : ( i , j ) and ( j , i ). it can be easily proven that the so constructed graph is also 2 - edge - connected . considering further a 2 - edge - connected network , network set - up involves the following pre - computation steps : 1 . convert the undirected graph of the original network g to a digraph g ′ 2 . find two edge - disjoint branchings in g ′ rooted at d for all d ∈ n ( g ′). 3 . for each destination , label the two branchings ( 1 and 2 ). once set - up , packets arriving at a router are handled as follows : 1 . when sending a packet from a source ( first hop ), use the first branching if possible . 2 . when a packet arrives at a router , determine the next hop from the incoming interface and the destination address . 3 . if the next - hop is reachable , forward it to that next hop . 4 . if the next - hop is not reachable , determine whether that next hop follows branching 1 or 2 , then : 5 . if the next hop follows branching 1 , forward the packet to the next hop following branching 2 , or 6 . if the next hop follows branching 2 , drop the packet . fig4 is a flow diagram illustrating the routing process implemented at each ip network router . it should be apparent from the above discussion that the key to lfir is an effective algorithm for finding branchings , i . e . the alternative routes . [ note that the required branchings are directed towards the destination , not away from it . this may require the reversal of known branching determination algorithms .] a known fast algorithm has been proposed by tarjan , see reference [ 7 ]. this requires o ( eα ( e , n )) time , where e =| e ( g )|, n =| n ( g )|, and α ( e , n ) is a very slowly growing function related to the inverse of ackerman &# 39 ; s function . an alternative algorithm has been proposed by lovász , see reference [ 8 ]. this algorithm is simpler and also fast , it takes only o ( e 2 ) steps to find two branchings with breadth first search . more importantly however , lovász &# 39 ; s algorithm allows application of a heuristic to decrease the length of the paths in the primary branching ( used as the default path , i . e ., when there are no errors ): the directed edge from the set of edges that can be added to the arborescence is always chosen , as this provides the shortest path to the target of this edge . using binary heap with this heuristic , o ( e 2 log e ) time is needed . an undirected graph can be partitioned into z disjunct “ components ”, such that these components are 2 - edge - connected . naturally , it is possible that some components contain only one vertex . if the removal of a link causes the network to split into two parts , it means that this link is a “ bridge ” between two 2 - edge - connected components . a bridge cannot be protected against failure ; if it fails , there is no alternative link it is also true that if vertices s and d are not in the same 2 - edge - connected component , there is only one edge - disjoint path between them . using this idea it is possible to improve the lfir procedure by duplicating the bridges virtually in the graph of the network . this new graph is 2 - edge - connected , so after the transformation to a directed graph there will be at least two edge - disjoint branchings . packets can follow these branchings as before . if a packet following a branching crosses a bridge , then the node after the bridge cannot decide which branching was used , so it should assume branching 1 for the next forwarding . this improved method can correct all link failures except for a bridge failure . if it is not sure that the network is at least 2 - edge - connected , it is needed to find the bridges . bridges can be found as described in reference [ 7 ] in a time o ( eα ( e , n )). using ospf or is - is link state database , every router has a consistent view of the network topology but every router must find the same two branchings . lovász &# 39 ; s branching search algorithm is deterministic except for the case when there is more than one edge with the same distance from the root during the edge selection . in this case , each router must possess the same tie breaking rule to determine which edge will be chosen . the generic way to solve this is to give a unique priority to all links , and to always choose the link with the highest priority . in this way the construction of a branching is fully deterministic , so if routers have the same information about the network the same routing will be calculated . link priorities can be administratively set priorities , or they can correspond to the addresses of interfaces connected to links , with the higher or lower address having the higher priority . implementation of the forwarding tables in real routers relies on a capability to assign different forwarding tables to different interfaces . the process is as follows . if an edge { i , j } is part of branching 1 , then the forwarding table of the corresponding incoming interface of node j contains the primary next - hop based on branching 1 , and a backup entry based on branching 2 . if a link { i , j } is part of branching 2 , then the forwarding table of the corresponding incoming interface of node j contains only the primary next - hop based on branching 2 , and there will be no backup entries installed . like other ipfrr solution , the present proposal assumes that routers possess some means to quickly detect the unreachability of a next - hop , i . e . the down state of an outgoing interface . in practice this is solved by lower layer triggers or by dedicated hello protocols , like bfd . when a neighbour or outgoing interface is found to be down , a process has to quickly invalidate all entries in the routing tables pointing to this interface . if the link was part of branching 1 , then removing it will still leave the backup entry in the forwarding table . if it was part of branching 2 for a destination , the only route entry will be removed from the table and packets following branching 2 will be dropped . if a network is more than 2 - edge - connected , i . e . n - edge connected ( where n & gt ; 2 ), lfir can also be used . naturally an n - edge - connected network is 2 - edge - connected as well , so ( at least ) two branchings can be found . if a link fails , lfir can correct this error as described above , so the network can still transport the traffic and all the nodes have sufficient time to recognise the error . if the new topology is known in all the nodes , the two branchings can be computed again — because the network is still at least 2 - edge - connected — and the system is ready to correct further failures . some links in a network may be broadcast links instead of point - to - point links . for example , an ethernet “ segment ” may connect more than two routers . in this case the incoming interface cannot be mapped to a specific router . to resolve this situation , it is possible to set up for each pair of routers , a separate virtual lan ( vlan ) which needs virtual interfaces in both routers . in this way , the virtual interfaces can be directly mapped to a neighbouring router . another option is not to make a differentiation based on the local incoming interface id but on the lower layer source address of the neighbour , e . g ., on the mac address of the neighbouring router in case of an ethernet segment , i . e . : in traditional shortest path routing , equal cost multi paths ( ecmp ) are often used for load sharing purposes . if , after finding the two disjoint branchings , there are some ( directed ) links that have not been used by either branching , it is possible to add these links for load sharing purposes to the primary branching given that it will not violate the dag ( directed acyclic graph ) property of the primary branching , i . e . if it will not cause a routing loop . if there still remain some links that are not added to either branching , they can be added to the secondary branching for load sharing purposes given that this will not violate the dag ( directed acyclic graph ) property of the secondary branching . this addition of multiple paths to the primary and secondary branchings is illustrated in fig5 . as will be apparent from fig5 , if in a traditional network a router has n available ecmp paths to a destination , i . e ., n outgoing alternative links , at least one of these links will be used by the primary branching , and another one for the secondary branching . the remaining ( n − 2 ) alternatives can be added to the primary branching as these will not violate the dag property . this way , the proposed forwarding mechanism can also chose among at least ( n − 1 ) outgoing interfaces if there are no link failures . of course , the proposal is advantageous over ecmp as not only the shortest alternative paths can be added to the primary branching , but also each link which does not cause a loop . the teachings in this invention disclosure are to be used for fast re - route in case of transient link failures . if the link failure is subsequently corrected , the system can again use the primary branching . in some cases however , the topology changes by administrative input ( e . g . addition a new node ) or the failure is persistent requiring global re - convergence . network wide re - convergence , i . e ., when routers one - by - one recalculate their forwarding tables , may cause transient routing loops . the proposed forwarding mechanism does not change this in any respect and it may still occur . fig6 shows a simple seven router network represented as a graph . routers a to e are two edge connected , i . e . having bi - directional links to two neighbouring routers . routers s and f have bidirectional connections to only a single neighbouring router . the respective links therefore represent bridges as described above . in order to determine a default and a detour branching ( for each destination router ) it is therefore necessary to create for each of s and f a second virtual bridge , as illustrated . application of graph theory allows the default and detour branchings to be identified within the network of fig6 , although in this example the process is trivial . considering router d as the destination router , the two branchings are shown in fig7 , with the default branching being shown with solid lines and the detour branching being shown with dashed lines . it can be seen that every other router can reach router d by either the default branching or the detour branching . to illustrate the loop prevention afforded by lfir , assume that router s is sending packets to router d , initially via the default branching . packets will follow the path s → b → c → d . in the event that the link c - d fails , router c will detect this and will begin returning packets received from d , to d , according to the detour branching . thus , packets will now follow the route s → b → c ( default branching )→ b → a → e → d ( detour branching ). assume further that the link e - d now fails . the routing table at e associated with the ingress interface from a will record that , for packets destined for d , that ingress interface belongs to the detour path . no fallback route is contained within the routing table and the packets arriving from a will be dropped , i . e . the packets are not returned to a and no loop results . of course , packets sent by s will not reach d until such time as one of the failed links , c - d and e - d , recovers . it will be appreciated by the person of skill in the art that various modifications may be made to the above described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention . for example , whilst the invention has been exemplified above with reference to ip networks , the invention is also applicable to ethernet networks in which packet forwarding is handled by ethernet switches . 1 . d . thaler : multipath issues in unicast and multicast next - hop selection . internet engineering task force : rfc 2991 ( november 2000 ) 2 . alia atlas : loop - free alternates for ip / ldp local protection . internet draft , available online : http :// tools . ietf . org / html / draft - ietf - rtgwg - ipfrr - spec - base - 00 ( march 2005 ) 3 . s . bryant , c . filsfils , s . previdi , m . shand : ip fast - reroute using tunnels . internet draft , available online : http :// tools . ietf . org / html / draft - bryant - ipfrr - tunnels - 02 ( april 2005 ) 4 . s . bryant , m . shand , s . previdi : ip fast reroute using not - via addresses . internet draft , available online : http :// www . ietf . org / internet - drafts / draft - ietf - rtgwg - ipfrr - notvia - addresses - 00 . txt ( december 2006 ) 5 . s . nelakuditi , s . lee , y . yu , z .- l . zhang , c - n . chuah : fast local rerouting for handling transient link failures . accepted for publication in ieee / acm transactions on networking , available online : http :// arena . cse . sc . edu / papers / fir . ton . pdf ( december 2006 ) 6 . j . edmonds : edge - disjoint branchings . combinatorial algorithms ( 1973 ) 91 - 96 7 . r . e . tarjan : edge - disjoint spanning trees and depth - first search . inf . proc . letters ( 1974 ) 51 - 53 8 . l . lovász : on two minimax theorems in graph theory , journal of combinatorial theory ( 1976 ) 96 - 103 | 7 |
the inventor has discovered that a motorized airgun can be manufactured in a simple and effective manner that substantially improve performance and assembly while reducing cost . most advantageously , the airguns contemplated herein comprise a barrel and a pneumatic cylinder that are in a non - coaxial and angled position relative to each other , wherein fluid coupling is achieved by an intermediate conduit . such configuration not only allow spatial separation of the barrel from the pneumatic cylinder , but also eliminate recoil effects otherwise observed with airguns in which the springs and plunger are coaxially oriented relative to the barrel and trajectory of the projectile . one exemplary motorized airgun is depicted in fig1 a in which the airgun 100 a is configured as a revolver . fig1 b schematically illustrates the airgun of fig1 a in a opened configuration . here , airgun 100 b has a plastic housing 102 b with a barrel portion 104 b and a handle portion 105 b . within the handle portion 105 b is the electric motor 110 b , which is mechanically coupled to gear set 120 b . pneumatic assembly 130 b ( comprising among other elements pneumatic cylinder and piston ) is actuated by the gear set 120 b and release of an air blast from the pneumatic cylinder is triggered by trigger assembly 132 b . the air blast is then routed to the barrel 150 b via the intermediate conduit 140 b . battery 160 b provides electricity for the electric motor 110 b . in such configuration , pushing of the trigger actuates the trigger lever , resulting in formation of an electrical contact of the circuitry to thereby power the electric motor in the handle portion . as a consequence , the gear set will move the piston in the pneumatic assembly and produce a high pressure air blast , which then ejects the bullet out of the barrel . most typically , the bullets are fed from a spring - loaded magazine in the handle portion in a position directly adjacent of the outlet of the intermediary conduit . in one relatively simple configuration , the sequence will continue for every pushing of the trigger . fig2 schematically depicts an exemplary propulsion assembly that comprises electric motor 210 to which the gear set 220 is operatively coupled . here , motor pinion 211 drives dual gear 221 and 222 , which in turn drives single gear 223 that turns transmission gear 224 . the transmission gear 224 has an inner continuous portion that engages with gear 223 and an outer teethed sector that engages with the rack gear on the rack portion 236 of the piston in the pneumatic assembly 230 . here , counterclockwise actuation of the transmission gear 224 results in a downwards movement of the piston in the pneumatic cylinder 232 , which results in a downwards motion of the plunger portion 234 . upon reaching the lower dead point , the piston is arrested by retainer mechanism 260 to maintain the gun in the cocked state . spring 238 stores the kinetic energy provided by the motor . trigger assembly ( not shown ) cooperates with the retainer mechanism 260 to unlock the piston from the cocked state and thereby deliver an air blast via unwinding of the spring 238 . the air exits the pneumatic cylinder 232 via an opening in the pneumatic cylinder and travels into the intermediate conduit 240 via corresponding opening 242 a . intermediate conduit 240 has a second opening 242 b that delivers the air blast to the end of barrel 250 , which is fluidly coupled to the conduit 240 . here , the intermediate conduit is configured such that the angle 270 that is formed between the longitudinal axis of the barrel and the longitudinal axis of the piston is approximately 70 degrees , which is substantially identical ( i . e ., ± 5 degrees ) with the angle of the longitudinal axis of the barrel relative to the longitudinal axis of the handle . it should be particularly appreciated that in preferred aspects of the inventive subject matter the recoil of the spring in the handle portion will only insignificantly affect the targeting . moreover , as the upper dead point of the plunger need not sealingly engage with the opening in the pneumatic cylinder , an impact of the plunger with the cylinder wall is avoided and less resilient materials can be employed for construction . it is generally contemplated that the motorized airgun according to the inventive subject matter may be configured in numerous ways so long as the motorized airgun retains at least one barrel , the intermediate conduit and the motorized pneumatic assembly . for example , suitable airguns may be configured as multi - barrel machine guns , as futuristic looking weapons , as rifles , automatic handguns , etc . however , it is typically preferred that the airgun has the outward appearance of a revolver . to that end , all methods of manufacture are deemed suitable and preferably include formation of a divided and preformed ( cast , injection molded , etc .) plastic shell into which the barrel and other components are inserted . similarly , the barrel may be produced from various materials , but metallic materials are typically preferred . for example , especially preferred materials for the barrel include light - weight materials ( e . g ., predominantly comprising (& gt ; 50 %) aluminum , metal reinforced fiberglass , etc . ), while alternative materials include hard plastics and even glass . in preferred aspects , the barrel will extend throughout the entire length of the barrel portion and may have two or more grooves . typically , the barrel will be coupled to a projectile feeding mechanism and the choice of feeding mechanism will typically depend at least in part on the particular projectile . most preferably , the projectile is a small round plastic bullet or bb , but other projectiles are also deemed suitable . the projectile feeding mechanism may be coupled to either end of the barrel , and all known projectile feeding mechanisms are deemed suitable for use herein . for example , where the projectile feeding mechanism is coupled to the front end of the barrel , the projectile feeding mechanism may be configured and coupled to the barrel as described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 564 , 788 , which is incorporated by reference herein . similarly , and especially where only single projectiles are launched , the projectile may be manually and individually inserted to the front end of the barrel . on the other hand , where the projectile feeding mechanism is coupled to the back end of the barrel ( e . g ., between the barrel end and the intermediate conduit or directly to the intermediate conduit ), as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 261 , 384 , incorporated by reference herein . alternatively , the projectile may also be manually be inserted into the back end of the barrel as in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 899 , 717 , which is also incorporated by reference herein . with respect to the electric motor it should be appreciated that numerous electric motors are deemed suitable for use herein and suitable motors include simple dc motors as well stepper motors . generally , the power requirements and / or output of the motor will determine the muzzle velocity to a large degree and a person of ordinary skill in the art will readily determine suitable motor parameters for a particular velocity . for example , where a relatively high muzzle velocity is desired , a high - torque electric motor may be selected and disposed in a separate housing ( or butt of a rifle ). on the other hand , where muzzle velocity is adapted for use of the gun as a toy gun , relatively small electric motors may be used . where desirable , the motor will be disposed within the handle of the gun . however , alternative locations for the motor are also deemed suitable herein ( e . g ., in simulated magazine , body of the gun , or other compartment ). typically dc electric motors will operate at a voltage of between 3 - 9 volt , which can commonly be provided by one or more batteries . where the motor is a stepper motor , suitable circuitry must be included , which is well known in the art . in such case , the control circuitry is preferably set to cause a single and complete turn of the transmission gear . if a regular dc motor is used , suitable interrupt switches may be provided to achieve the same purpose ( see e . g ., u . s . pat . no . 6 , 564 , 788 ). most typically , the trigger and the retention mechanism will cooperate with the interrupt switches in the control of the electric motor . depending on the location of the electric motor , the mechanical coupling of the motor with the gear set may vary considerably , and appropriate couplings include direct coupling via a motor pinion as depicted in fig2 , or an optionally flexible axle , and / or even hydraulic fluid . however , it is generally preferred that the coupling is mechanical , and especially via one or more gears . in especially suitable gear sets , high rotational velocity of the motor pinion is translated into high torque and low velocity of the rack gear . alternatively , a high - output motor may also be employed with a gear that provides high torque and optionally fast velocity of the rack gear . consequently , the gear set may vary considerably , and all known gear sets are deemed suitable for use herein . it should therefore be noted that the particular choice of gear set will predominantly depend on the location of the motor relative to the piston , the desired force translation , and speed of the piston . most preferably , the piston is actuated via a rack gear and / or a hydraulic arrangement against a counteracting force . in particularly preferred aspects , the counteracting force comprises a spring that is compressed when the gear set is actuated by the electric motor . however , in other contemplated aspects , the counter active force need not be limited to a spring , but may also include other resilient members , including rubber bands , elastic deformation of a deforming member ( which may or may not be part of the piston ), etc . with respect to the piston , it is generally preferred that the piston is a continuous structure having a plunger portion and a rack portion . depending on the particular type of pneumatic cylinder , the plunger and / or rack portion may include one or more gasket or other seal to provide desirable compression . furthermore , the dimensions of the plunger portion and the piston portion will vary depending on numerous factors . for example , where high torque output is provided by the transmission gear , the rack portion may be relatively short . on the other hand , where the pneumatic cylinder is relatively tall and / or has a relatively small diameter , or where the motor is relatively weak , the rack portion may be relatively long . preferred pistons will have a relatively large plunger area relative to the cross section of the barrel to provide a strong and / or voluminous blast with moderate plunger movement . viewed from another perspective , the piston will have a first area that moves air from the pneumatic cylinder to the intermediate conduit , and wherein a cross section of the one end of the barrel ( e . g ., manufactured from a metal or hard plastic ) has a second area , and wherein the second area is smaller than the first area . it is further generally preferred that the motor , and at least part of the gear set and / or piston are configured to be at least partially , and more preferably entirely disposed within the handle portion . therefore , the pneumatic cylinder will also be at least partially disposed within the handle portion . depending on the desired volume of the plunger stroke ( i . e ., volume of air per shot ), the volume of the pneumatic cylinder may vary . however , it is generally preferred that the volume is between 1 and 20 cm 3 , more preferably between 2 and 10 cm 3 , and most preferably between 2 and 5 cm 3 . it is still further generally preferred ( but not necessarily required ) that the airgun includes a retaining mechanism that retains the piston in the cocked position . there are numerous retaining mechanisms known in the art ( see e . g ., u . s . pat . no . 6 , 564 , 788 or 4 , 899 , 717 ), and all of such mechanisms are deemed suitable for use herein . however , it is typically preferred that the retainer mechanism releasably retains the piston in the cocked position , and that the trigger mechanism will interact with the piston and / or retainer mechanism to release the piston from the cocked position to the upper deadpoint of the plunger . in alternative aspects of the inventive subject matter , the retaining mechanism may also include an electromagnet that cooperates with a metallic or paramagnetic element on the piston ( typically at the end of the rack portion ). a trigger assembly may then be employed to release the piston from the cocked position . there are numerous trigger mechanisms known in the art and all of those are deemed suitable for use herein . thus , trigger assemblies typically preferred for use in contemplated airguns will be mechanical triggers that cooperate with the retaining mechanism and / or the piston to thereby trigger the release of the piston from the cocked position . in further particularly preferred aspects , the trigger assembly will also be configured to include or be coupled to an electronic control device that controls operation of the electric motor in response to actuation of the trigger assembly . therefore , pulling of the trigger will not only release the piston from the cocked position , but also provide an electrical signal / electricity to the motor to reposition the piston back into the cocked position via the gear set . depending on the particular type of the motor and the configuration , the electronic control device may be relatively complex ( e . g ., includes electronics to drive stepper motor ) or more simple ( e . g ., using a timer and / or interrupter to control on - time of the motor ). the motor is typically driven by an optionally rechargeable battery ( preferably coupled to or at least partially retained within the housing ), but external power sources are also deemed suitable . with respect to the intermediate conduit it is preferred that the intermediate conduit has a fixed geometry with an input opening through which the air is received from the pneumatic cylinder and an output opening through which the air is delivered to the barrel . most typically , the intermediate conduit is manufactured from plastic and is relatively rigid . however , in less preferred aspects , the intermediate conduit may also be flexible ( e . g ., in form of a tubing or hose ). regardless of the particular configuration of the intermediate conduit , it is contemplated that the conduit is configured to transmit an air blast from the pneumatic cylinder to one end of the barrel along a curved or angled path . most typically , the curved or angled path will have substantially the same angle or curve ( e . g ., ± 5 degrees ) as the angle / curvature between the handle portion and the barrel portion of the airgun , and the opening of the pneumatic cylinder and the one end of the barrel are permanently open . for example , the longitudinal axis of the barrel and the longitudinal axis of the piston have an angle of between 30 degrees and 80 degrees relative to each other . while it is generally preferred that the pneumatic cylinder and the barrel are directly coupled to each other via the intermediate conduit , additional conduits may also be included . typically , the volume of the intermediate conduit is smaller than the blast of air that is provided by the piston / pneumatic cylinder . for example , typical volumes for the intermediate conduit are between 0 . 1 to 0 . 5 times the blast volume , and less typically between 0 . 5 - 0 . 9 times the blast volume . in still further aspects , however , volumes of between about 0 . 9 and 1 . 5 times the blast volume are also contemplated . in additional aspects , and especially where the airgun is configured to provide multiple air blasts , the volume of the intermediate conduit may also be significantly larger than the blast of air . in such configurations , the intermediate conduit may act as a reservoir for compressed air ( the motor may then operate continuously or may be stopped at a predetermined pressure in the conduit ). for ease of manufacture , it is typically preferred that the gear set , the piston , and the intermediate conduit are manufactured from a plastic ( e . g ., polystyrene , polyethylene , polycarbonate , polyvinyl chloride , etc .). thus , specific embodiments and applications of motorized airguns have been disclosed . it should be apparent , however , to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein . the inventive subject matter , therefore , is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims . moreover , in interpreting both the specification and the claims , all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context . in particular , the terms “ comprises ” and “ comprising ” should be interpreted as referring to elements , components , or steps in a non - exclusive manner , indicating that the referenced elements , components , or steps may be present , or utilized , or combined with other elements , components , or steps that are not expressly referenced . furthermore , where a definition or use of a term in a reference , which is incorporated by reference herein is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein , the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply . | 5 |
the present invention is a bone targeting compound having an affinity for the extracellular inorganic matrix of bone such that it is useful for delivering bone active agents to bone for interaction therewith . r 1 and r 2 are independently hydrogen , lower alkyl , aryl lower alkyl , or aryl , r 3 is hydrogen or lower alkyl , r 4 is hydrogen , lower alkyl , aryl lower alkyl or aryl , r 5 and r 6 are independently hydrogen or lower alkyl , or r 5 and r 6 taken together with the carbon atoms to which they are attached form a ring containing up to about 10 ring carbon atoms and up to a total of about 18 carbon atoms , and r 7 is hydroxy , lower alkoxy or nr 8 r 9 , wherein r 8 and r 9 are independently hydrogen or lower alkyl . for example , an embodiment of the present invention , r 1 may be hydrogen or lower alkyl . for another example , in certain embodiments , r 2 may be hydrogen . for another example , r 3 may be hydrogen or an alkyl group containing 1 to about 3 carbon atoms or aryl lower alkyl , such as benzyl . for another example , r 4 , r 5 , and r 6 may each be hydrogen . for another example , in an embodiment of the present invention , r 5 and r 6 taken together may form a ring containing about 6 to about 14 ring carbon atoms . this ring system may be monocyclic , bicyclic or tricyclic . in addition , the cyclic moiety may be saturated , partially unsaturated or aromatic . for another example , r 7 may be nr 8 r 9 , wherein r 8 and r 9 are each hydrogen . the compound of formula i is prepared by using methods known to a person of ordinary skill in the art . for example , the compound of formula i may be prepared as follows : wherein r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r 6 , r 7 , r 8 , r 9 are as defined hereinabove and r 11 is lower alkyl or aryl and hal is halide ( e . g ., br , 1 , or cl ) and t is hal , especially bromides and iodides . the starting material for this synthesis may be obtained commercially or prepared easily from a commercially available material . is to convert the acid functionality to the corresponding amide . if neither r 3 nor r 4 are hydrogen , then one method is to convert the acid to the corresponding acyl halides utilizing halogenating reagents , such as thionyl chloride , pz 3 , pz 5 , ( wherein z is cl or br ), ph 3 p in ccl 4 , cyanuric fluoride , and the like , and the acid chloride is reacted with nhr 8 r 9 to form the corresponding amide . however , if r 3 or r 4 are hydrogen , the hydroxy group is reactive with many of these reagents , e . g ., socl 2 , pz 3 and pz 5 , and this route cannot be taken . in this case , the hydroxy group may be protected using protecting groups described in “ protective groups in organic synthesis ” by t . w . greene , john willey & amp ; sons , inc ., n . y ., 1981 , (“ greene ”), the contents of which are incorporated by reference , such as converting the alcohol to methoxymethyl ( mom ) or 2 - methoxyethoxymethyl ( mem ). alternatively , the acid functionality is converted to an ester under fischer esterification conditions , which is then reacted with the amine to form the amide . in the method illustrated , the carboxylic acid , is reacted with a base , such as hydroxide and then the corresponding salt is reacted with an alkyl halide ( r 11 t ), such as a bromide or an iodide , to form the corresponding ester , which in turn is reacted with the amine nhr 8 r 9 in base ( such as , hydroxide ) to form in the corresponding amide , which is in the illustrated example . this product in turn is reacted with nitric acid to form the corresponding nitro compound , which is reduced by reducing agents known in the art , such as zn , sn or fe and acid , and pd / c and the like to form the primary amine , ( i . e ., the compound of formula i when r 1 and r 2 are both hydrogen . this product in turn may be reacted with r 1 r 2 hal , if an alkylamine or dialkylamine is desired . the bone active agent being delivered to bone by the compound of the present invention may be chemically bonded thereto . additionally , the bone active agent may be bonded at the compound in the place of either r 1 , r 2 , r 6 or r 7 . as described hereinabove , the compound of the present invention is characterized by its bone seeking affinity , which may be described as having the capability to bind to calcium salts with a tendency to accumulate in bone and to incorporate into its crystal lattice . the compound of the present invention has been found to exhibit bone seeking affinity . without wishing to be bound by theory or mechanism , it is believed that the compound of the present invention interacts with calcium in the bone in the manner illustrated below using an embodiment of the compound of the present invention : as shown by the example , three positions of the benzamide moiety interact with the calcium resulting in the compound of the present invention localizing in the bone . more specifically , the r 2 moiety ( e , g ., the oh ), the acyl group of cor 6 moiety , and the acyl group bonded to nhr 1 , bind to the calcium of the bone . the compound of the present invention may contain one or more asymmetric carbon atoms and may exist in racemic and optically active forms . depending upon the substituents , the present compounds may form additional salts as well . all of these other forms are contemplated to be within the scope of the present invention . the compound of the present invention may exist in stereoisomeric forms and the products obtained can be mixtures of the isomers . a pharmaceutical form of the active compound may be administered in a number of manners . the compound may be orally administered , for example , with an inert diluent or with an assimilable edible carrier , or it may be enclosed in hard or soft shell gelatin capsule , or it may be compressed into tablets , or it may be incorporated directly with the food of the diet . for oral therapeutic administration , the active compound may be incorporated with excipients and used in the form of ingestible tablets , buccal tablets , troches , capsules , elixirs , suspensions , syrups , wafers , and the like . the tablets , troches , pills , capsules and the like may also contain the following : a binder such as gum tragacanth , acacia , corn starch or gelatin ; excipients ; disintegrating agents such as corn starch , potato starch , alginic acid and the like ; lubricants ; and a sweetening agent such as sucrose , lactose or saccharin may be added or a flavoring agent such as peppermint , oil of wintergreen , or cherry flavoring . when the dosage unit form is a capsule , it may contain , in addition to materials of the type , a liquid carrier . various other materials may be present as coatings or to otherwise modify the physical form of the dosage unit . for instance , tablets , pills , or capsules may be coated with shellac , sugar or both . a syrup or elixir may contain the active compound , sucrose as a sweetening agent , methyl and propylparabens as preservatives , a dye and flavoring such as cherry or orange flavor . of course , any material used in preparing any dosage unit form should be pharmaceutically pure and substantially non toxic in the amounts employed . in addition , the active compound may be incorporated into sustained release preparations and formulations . the active compound may also be administered parenterally or intraperitoneally . dispersions can also be prepared in glycerol , liquid polyethylene glycols , and mixtures thereof and in oils . under ordinary conditions of storage and use , these preparations contain a preservative to prevent the growth of microorganisms . the pharmaceutical forms suitable for injectable use include sterile aqueous solutions or dispersions and sterile powders for the extemporaneous preparation of sterile injectable solutions or dispersions . the form should be sterile and fluid to the extent that easy syringability exists . it should be stable under the conditions of manufacture and storage and should be preserved against the contaminating action of microorganisms , such as bacteria and fungi . the carrier can be a solvent or dispersion medium containing , for example , water , ethanol , polyol ( for example , glycerol , propylene glycol , and liquid polyethylene glycol , and the like ), suitable mixtures thereof , and vegetable oils . the proper fluidity can be maintained , for example , by the use of a coating such as lecithin , by the maintenance of the required particle size in the case of dispersion and by the use of surfactants . the prevention of the action of microorganisms can be brought about by various antibacterial and antifungal agents , for example , parabens , chlorobutanol , phenol , sorbic acid , thimerosal , and the like . in many cases , the inclusion of isotonic agents may be desirable , for example , sugars or sodium chloride . prolonged absorption of the injectable compositions can be brought about by the use in the compositions of agents , delaying absorption , for example , aluminum monostearate and gelatin . sterile injectable solutions may be prepared by incorporating the active compound in the required amount in the appropriate solvent with various of the other ingredients enumerated above , followed by filtered sterilization . generally , dispersions may be prepared by incorporating the various sterilized active ingredient into a sterile vehicle containing the basic dispersion medium and the required other ingredients from those enumerated above . in the case of sterile powders for the preparation of sterile injectable solutions , methods of preparation include vacuum drying and freeze drying techniques , which yield a powder of the active ingredient plus any additional desired ingredient from previously sterile filtered solution thereof . as used herein , “ pharmaceutically acceptable carrier ” includes any and all solvents , dispersion media , coatings , antibacterial and antifungal agents , isotonic and absorption delaying agents , and the like . the use of such media and agents for pharmaceutical active substances is well known in the art . except insofar as any conventional media or agent is incompatible with the active ingredient , its use in the therapeutic compositions is contemplated . supplementary active ingredients can also be incorporated into the compositions . the ability of the compounds of the present invention to target bone is estimated by determination of the ability of the compounds to be bound to microcrystalline hydroxyapatite [ ca 10 ( po 4 ) 6 . oh 2 ] ( ha ) from a dilute aqueous solution . solutions of test compounds are constructed in 99 : 1 , v / v , h 2 o : dimethylsulfoxide ( dmso ) at 10 − 5 m . these solutions are taken for determination of electronic photometric absorption , with spectral scanning from λ = 500 - 190 nm . absorption maxima ( λ max ) and extinction coefficients ( ε ) are determined using the beer - lambert law . for binding determinations , 1 ml of each solution is taken and added to 0 . 1 ml of trishydroxymethylaminomethane ( 50 mm ) in 1 % dmso ( aq ) that contained either 0 or 0 . 5 % ( w / v ) of slurried ha . these solutions and slurries are mixed for 4 minutes , then centrifuged for 3 minutes at 10 , 000 × g . supernatants are taken for uv absorption spectrometry at previously determined λ max , concentrations of test compound are determined and the extent of binding is calculated . tetracycline is included as a positive control compound . the compound of the present invention has been found to have a strong affinity for hydroxyapatite , similar to that of tetracycline , which is known to have a strong binding affinity to bone . for example , with reference to fig1 , the hydroxyanatite binding index of embodiments of the compound of the present invention are expressed as a percentage of tetracycline binding , which binding indexes illustrate the bone - seeking affinity of the compound of the present invention . other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed in this application . it is intended that the specification be considered as exemplary only , and not intended to limit the scope and spirit of the invention . unless otherwise indicated , all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients , properties such as reaction conditions , and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “ about .” accordingly , unless indicated to the contrary , the numerical parameters set forth are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be determined by the present invention . notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the invention are approximations , the numerical values set forth in the examples are reported as precisely as possible . any numerical value , however , inherently contain certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements . any publication referenced in this application is incorporated herein by reference . | 2 |
embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings . an image forming apparatus 20 shown in fig1 has ordinary ( public ) fax function ( g3 fax or g4 fax ) and i - fax function . in order to realize the foregoing functions , the image forming apparatus 20 includes main controller 1 , image scanner ( reader ) 2 , image recorder 3 , display unit 4 , and operation unit ( control panel ) 5 . the image forming apparatus 20 further includes rom 6 , sram 7 , hdd 8 fax modem 10 , ncu 11 , interface ( network interface card ) 12 , bus 13 and image processor 14 . the main controller 1 comprises a cpu , and is connected with various devices via the bus 13 to control these devices . the image scanner 2 includes a ccd , and scans a document image using the ccd . the image scanner 2 further includes an image processor 2 a , which executes image processing such as density conversion , resolution conversion and binarization to output a binary or multi - level image data . the image recorder 3 is an electro - photographic printer . the image recorder 3 further includes an image processor 3 a . the image processor 3 a executes necessary image processing with respect to image data transmitted from external devices ( ordinary fax or i - fax ) to print out an image based on the image - processed image data . the display unit 4 is a display device such as liquid crystal display ( lcd ) or crt display . the display unit 4 displays the operation state of the image forming apparatus 20 , image data of a document to be transmitted and received image data . the operation unit ( control panel ) 5 accepts instruction input ( operation designation ) to operate the image forming apparatus 20 . the operation unit 5 includes character key , dial numeric keypad , abbreviated dial key , speed - dial key and various function keys . incidentally , the display unit 4 may be made into a touch panel ( display and input unit ). the display unit ( touch panel ) 4 may accept instruction input accepted by the operation unit 5 . the operation unit 5 accepts instruction input relevant to ordinary fax function and i - fax function . for example , the operation unit 5 accepts the following designations . one is ordinary fax function single designation ( ordinary fax destination ( address ) designation ). another is i - fax function single designation ( i - fax destination ( address ) designation ). another is both ordinary fax and i - fax function designations ( ordinary fax and i - fax destination ( address ) designation ). the operation unit 5 further accepts the following modes . one is a first mode of scanning an image at a first resolution ( e . g ., 400 dpi ) to transmit image data having the first resolution . another is a second mode of scanning an image at a second resolution ( e . g ., 200 dpi or 100 dpi ) to transmit image data having the second resolution . the instruction input accepted by the operation unit 5 is supplied to the main controller 1 . then , the main controller 1 controls various operations of the image forming apparatus 20 according to the supplied instruction input . moreover , the main controller analyzes the content of the instruction input accepted by the operation unit 5 not to accept the content of inhibited instruction input or not to display it . the rom 6 previously stores various software programs , which are necessary for the operation of the image forming apparatus 20 , and executed by the main controller 1 . for example , the rom 6 stores transmission / reception processing programs of ordinary fax and i - fax . the sram 7 is used as a main memory of the main controller , and records temporary data generated when a program is executed . the hdd 8 performs a memory function as a so - called image memory , program recording medium and table recording medium . for example , the hdd 8 records inch / millimeter scale in image processor 14 and image recorder 3 , resolution , document size in the image recorder 3 , coding method in the image processor 14 , multi - level / binary , etc . the fax modem 10 is connected to a public telephone network via a public telephone line . in other words , the fax modem 10 has a public fax modem function for ordinary fax . the ncu ( network control unit ) 11 is a hardware circuit , which controls the operation of closing and releasing direct - current loop of an analog public telephone line , and has an auto - dialing function . the ncu 11 connects the public fax modem 10 to a public telephone circuit as the need arises . the foregoing fax modem 10 and ncu 11 support an ordinary fax function ( g3 or g4 fax ). the ordinary fax function of the image forming apparatus supports the following two modes . one is a first mode of scanning an image at a first resolution ( e . g ., 400 dpi ) to transmit image data having the first resolution . another is a second mode of scanning an image at a second resolution ( e . g ., 200 dpi or 100 dpi ) lower than the first resolution to transmit image data having the second resolution . the interface 12 is an interface circuit , which converts signal , data and protocol to connect the image forming apparatus 20 to a lan 30 such as ethernet ( trademark ). the interface 12 supports an i - fax function . the i - fax function of the image forming apparatus 20 supports a mode of scanning an image at a second resolution ( e . g ., 200 dpi or 100 dpi ) to transmit image data having the second resolution . the lan 30 is connected with electronic mail server 31 , router 32 and client personal computers 60 . the router 32 is connected to a partner mail server ( not shown ) via internet ( ip network ) 40 . if the image forming apparatus 20 transmits an electronic mail attached with image data to a transmission partner ( i - fax ), the electronic mail is temporarily transmitted to the electronic mail server 31 via interface 12 and lan 30 . thereafter , the electronic mail server 31 transmits the electronic mail to the transmission partner ( i - fax ) via lan 30 , router 32 , internet 40 and partner mail server ( not shown ). moreover , the image forming apparatus 20 is able to receive an electronic mail via a path reverse to above . in this case , the method of receiving the electronic mail from the mail server 31 is not limited to pop 3 , and smtp may be used . incidentally , circuit - switching connection to the internet 40 is not limited to a private ( leased ) line , dial - up connection using a public line 50 may be used . the data format of image data transmitted from the i - fax supported by the image forming apparatus 20 is limited to a tiff ( tag image file format ) file of profile s ( simple mode : rfc 2305 ). specifically , the data format of the image data transmitted from the i - fax is based on the regulations given below . when the ordinary fax function supported by the image forming apparatus 20 is executed , dot image data scanned by the image scanner 2 is determined based on public fax regulations . conversely , the image forming apparatus 20 decodes encoded data received from a partner apparatus ( fax 62 ) into image data using software , and outputs it as a hard copy via the image recorder 3 . the operation unit 5 of the image forming apparatus 20 accepts i - fax or ordinary fax destination designation . moreover , when a certain document is transmitted , the operation unit 5 can simultaneously designate both i - fax and ordinary fax destinations . in this case , the image quality ( resolution ) of the transmitted document is singly designated . for example , user designates broadcast transmission of designating the maximum resolution , that is , super fine mode ( 15 . 4 mm × 16 ≈ 400 dpi ) and simultaneously designating both i - fax and ordinary fax destinations . in this case , an image is scanned one - time only . in other words , the image is scanned at the designated maximum resolution , and the image having the maximum resolution is intactly transmitted via the ordinary fax function . on the other hand , the resolution of the image having the maximum resolution is converted ( reduced ), and thereafter , the image having the converted resolution is transmitted via the i - fax function . it is impossible to transmit a high - resolution image ( 400 dpi ) to a partner apparatus , which supports a simple mode ( 200 dpi ) only in fax communication protocol . thus , if high - resolution image ( 400 dpi ) transmission is designated , the following image processing must be carried out . specifically , the high - resolution image is subjected to image processing ( simple reduction ) using software so that it is converted into a low - resolution image ( 200 dpi ), and then , the low - resolution image is transmitted . however , image density reproduction is lost due to the foregoing image processing ( simple reduction ) using software . as a result , the image quality is degraded ( roughness occurs , or gradation is worsened ). the problem of the image quality degradation remarkably appears in the case where resolution conversion by binary error diffusion shown in fig4 using error diffusion algorithm shown in fig2 and fig3 is made . specifically , if binary error diffusion is simply converted in resolution based on sampling , image density is not reproduced ; as a result , image degradation such as roughness occurs . the image forming apparatus solve the foregoing problem in the following manner . ( 1 ) if i - fax destination is designated , image scanning is inhibited ( limited ) at high resolution ( e . g ., 400 dpi higher than 200 dpi ). moreover , if both i - fax and ordinary fax destinations are designated ( broadcast transmission ), image scanning is inhibited ( limited ) at high resolution ( e . g ., 400 dpi higher than 200 dpi ). the main controller 1 detects i - fax destination designation accepted via the operation unit 5 , and then , inhibits image scanning at high resolution . moreover , the main controller 1 detects i - fax and ordinary fax destination designations accepted via the operation unit 5 ( detects broadcast transmission ), and then , inhibits image scanning at high resolution . the operation unit 5 does not accept image scanning at high resolution based on the instruction to inhibit image scanning at high resolution from the main controller 1 . as shown in fig5 , the operation unit 5 makes invalid display ( darkened display ) with respect to a high - resolution scan designation button . specifically , the high - resolution scan designation button is displayed darker than the display of other buttons functioning validly . moreover , if it is deeply desired to designate high resolution , it is possible to simply reset the destination using a destination setting button ( to simply delete i - fax destination ). by doing so , high - resolution setting is possible . ( 2 ) if an image is scanned at high resolution ( e . g ., 400 dpi higher than 200 dpi ), i - fax destination designation is inhibited ( limited ). in other words , if an image is scanned at high resolution , ordinary fax destination designation is allowable ; however , i - fax destination designation is inhibited ( broadcast transmission is inhibited ). the main controller 1 detects image scan designation at high resolution accepted via the operation unit 5 , and then , inhibits i - fax destination designation . the operation unit 5 does not accept i - fax destination designation based on the instruction to inhibit i - fax destination designation from the main controller 1 . moreover , the operation unit 5 makes invalid display ( darkened display ) with respect to an i - fax destination designation button , as shown in fig6 . specifically , the i - fax destination designation button is displayed darker than the display of other buttons functioning validly . moreover , if it is deeply desired to designate i - fax destination , it is possible to simply reset the resolution using a resolution setting button ( to simply set low resolution ). by doing so , i - fax destination setting is possible . ( 3 ) the resolution of a transmitted image is limited less than the maximum resolution supported by a receiver machine . specifically , if the resolution of the scanned image exceeds the maximum resolution supported by the receiver machine , the scanned image is transmitted after the resolution is reduced . if the resolution of the gradated image is reduced , the foregoing problem of degrading the image quality arises . for example , an image is scanned at high resolution ( e . g ., 400 dpi ) to generate multi - level image data having high resolution , and thereafter , saved in the hdd 8 . in this case , the multi - level image data may be compressed , and thereafter , saved in the hdd 8 . if the maximum resolution supported by the receiver machine ( i - fax ) is low resolution ( e . g ., 200 dpi ), image processing by the image processor 14 is carried out . according to the image processing , the multi - level image data having high resolution ( image data before gradating ) is converted into binary image data having low resolution , and thereafter , the binary image data having low resolution is transmitted . specifically , the multi - level image data having high resolution saved in the hdd 8 is converted into multi - level image data having low resolution . further , the multi - level image data having low resolution is converted into binary image data having low resolution ( resolution conversion , filtering , density conversion , binary error diffusion ). then , the binary image data having low resolution is transmitted using the i - fax function . by doing so , it is possible to prevent the image quality from degrading . on the other hand , if the maximum resolution supported by the receiver machine ( i - fax ) is high resolution ( e . g ., 400 dpi ), image processing by the image processor 14 is carried out . according to the image processing , the multi - level image data having high resolution ( image data before gradating ) is converted into binary image data having high resolution , and thereafter , the binary image data having high resolution is transmitted . specifically , the multi - level image data having high resolution saved in the hdd 8 is converted into binary image data having high resolution . further , the binary image data having high resolution is encoded according to encoding methods such as mh , mr and mmr determined by public fax regulations . then , image data encoded by the ordinary fax function is transmitted . in other words , if 400 - dpi ordinary fax function ( ordinary fax destination ) and 200 - dpi i - fax function ( i - fax destination ) are simultaneously designated , an image is scanned at resolution of 400 dpi to acquire 400 - dpi multi - level image data . thereafter , in image data transmission according to the ordinary fax function , the acquired 400 - dpi multi - level image data is converted into 400 - dpi binary image data , and then , the 400 - dpi binary image data is transmitted . in image data transmission according to the i - fax function , the acquired 400 - dpi multi - level image data is converted into 200 - dpi multi - level image data . thereafter , the converted 200 - dpi multi - level image data is transmitted . namely , resolution conversion is not made with respect to multi - level image data , and not binary image data ; therefore , image data is transmitted without reducing the image quality . in order to prevent degradation of gradated image data as much as possible , half tone picture , that is , resolution conversion for saving the image density of binary error diffusion image may be made . in order to save the image density of binary error diffusion image , a binary image is once converted into multi - level image data , and thereafter , resolution conversion is made . further , the binary image is again binarized ( subjected to 2ed processing ), and then , data is transmitted . by doing so , it is possible to prevent image degradation . for example , an image is scanned at high resolution ( e . g ., 400 dpi ) to generate binary image data having high resolution , and thereafter , saved in the hdd 8 . if the maximum resolution supported by the receiver machine ( i - fax ) is low resolution ( e . g ., 200 dpi ), image processing by the image processor 14 is carried out . according to the image processing , the binary image data having high resolution is converted into multi - level image data having high resolution . thereafter , the multi - level image data having high resolution is converted into binary image data having high resolution , and then , the binary image data having high resolution is transmitted . specifically , the binary image data having high resolution saved in the hdd 8 is converted into multi - level image data having high resolution . further , the multi - level image data having high resolution is converted into multi - level image data having low resolution . further , the multi - level image data having low resolution is converted into binary image data having low resolution . then , the binary image data having low resolution is transmitted using the i - fax function . by doing so , it is possible to prevent the image quality from degrading . on the other hand , if the maximum resolution supported by the receiver machine ( i - fax ) is high resolution ( e . g ., 400 dpi ), the following image processing is carried out . according to the image processing , the binary image data having high resolution saved in the hdd 8 is encoded according to encoding methods such as mh , mr and mmr determined by public fax regulations . then , image data encoded by the ordinary fax function is transmitted . additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art . therefore , the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein . accordingly , various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents . | 7 |
referring now to the drawing in detail , and first to fig1 thereof , it may be seen that the reference numeral 1 has been used to identify a traffic control or guidance device , here illustrated as a roadside marker , in its entirety . it should be appreciated that the use of the arrangement of the present invention in a roadside marker post ( that is , a post situated at the outer edge of the roadway or of the shoulder , especially in a curve , and making the driver aware , especially at night , of the fact that his or her vehicle is approaching the curve or , generally speaking , about the limits of the highway ) is exemplary only and that the arrangement of the present invention can be used , for the same purposes and with the same advantages , in other traffic signs or traffic control or guidance devices . as illustrated , the roadside marker post 1 is constructed as a hollow housing of a substantially triangular cross section , the housing being closed at its upper end . advantageously , the road marker post 1 is made of synthetic plastic material . when this road side marker 1 is mounted at its location of use , that is , at the outer edge of the roadway or of the shoulder , it assumes an upright orientation corresponding to that shown in fig1 and in such a manner that the side visible to the observer of fig1 faces the road . as illustrated , the post 1 is intended for use in countries adhering to the right - hand driving convention . the post 1 includes a rectangular reflector 2 which is arranged behind a rectangular opening 3 of the post 1 , this reflector 2 facing opposite the direction of travel of vehicles in the lane closest to the post 1 . the roadside marker post 1 further includes two circular reflectors 4 and 5 which face in the direction of travel of vehicles in the closest lane . the reflectors 4 and 5 are arranged behind correspondingly circular openings 6 and 7 of the roadside marker post 1 , the reflectors 4 and 5 and the openings 6 and 7 being arranged above one another . as shown , for instance , in fig2 the reflectors 2 , 4 and 5 are formed by light - reflecting surfaces 9 of respective light - reflecting plates 15 . as will be explained in detail below , the light - reflecting plates 15 are automatically substituted for one another by means of a substituting arrangement which is concealed in the enterior of the post 1 and is not visible in fig1 the substituting arrangement being so operated as to replace the respective plate 15 which may have become soiled while assuming its operative position behind the respective opening 3 , 6 or 7 , by a clean light - reflecting plate 15 , so that the reflectors 2 , 4 and 5 will reflect light impinging thereon over an extended period of time . as shown particularly in fig2 and 3 , the reference numeral 10 identifies that portion of the roadside marker post 1 which accommodates the light - reflecting arrangement of the present invention which constitutes any one of the reflectors 3 , 4 or 5 , while the corresponding opening 3 , 6 or 7 has been indicated in fig2 and 3 by the reference numeral 11 constituting . the arrangement according to the present invention has been generally identified in fig2 by the reference numeral 12 . the arrangement 12 is accommodated in the interior of the portion 10 of the post 1 , and is loaded with a stack 13 of clean light - reflecting plates 15 . as illustrated in fig2 some of the light - reflecting plates 15 have already been previously used , and such used light - reflecting plates 15 are illustrated as being collected in another stack 14 . as illustrated particularly in fig . 4 , each of the light - reflecting plates 15 is a stiff or rigid rectangular plate having two perforations 16 , 17 arranged in the vicinity of the lower edge of the respective light - reflecting plate 15 . the plates 15 are so mounted on respective mounting members or brackets 20 and 21 that respective straight upper portions 18 , 19 of these brackets 20 , 21 extend through associated perforations 16 , 17 of the light - reflecting plates 15 of the stack 13 . the brackets 20 , 21 further include straight lower portions 22 , 23 which extend through the associated perforations 16 , 17 of those plates 15 which accumulate in the stack 14 of used light - reflecting plates . the portions 18 and 22 of the bracket 20 , and the portions 19 and 23 of the bracket 21 are respectively connected to one another by arcuate transition portions 24 , 25 which guide the light - reflecting plates 15 during their travel from the stack 13 toward the stack 14 . the two bracket 20 , 21 are inserted into a housing of a drive 26 of the substituting arrangement 12 and can be pulled out of and reintroduced into the housing of the drive 26 by hand . when the brackets 20 and 21 are dissociated from the housing of the drive 26 and removed from the interior of the portion 10 of the post 1 through the opening 11 , the stack 14 of used light - reflecting plates 15 can be removed from the lower portions 22 , 23 of the brackets 20 , 21 and a fresh stack 13 of the light - reflecting plates 15 can be placed onto the upper portions 18 , 19 of the brackets 20 , 21 . thereafter , the free ends of the portions 18 , 22 , 19 , 23 of the brackets 20 , 21 are reintroduced into the housing of the drive 26 to assume the positions illustrated in fig2 and 3 . a pusher 28 engages the backside of a trailing or rearmost light - reflecting plate 27 of the stack 13 . the pusher 28 is movable by the drive 26 in and opposite to the direction indicated by an arrow 29 . the pusher 28 is moved or advanced in the direction of the arrow 29 in a stepwise or gradual manner by the drive 26 which may be a conventional construction or which may be constructed as will be described below . as a result of the action of the drive 26 , the pusher 28 advances the stack 13 in the direction of the arrow 29 until the respective leading light - reflecting plate 15 indicated in fig2 at 31 overcomes the holding action of an elastic holding member 32 engaging the leading plate 31 at its upper margin and bypasses the holding member 32 to descend by gravity , as illustrated in fig2 for a light - reflecting plate 33 , to join the lower stack 14 of used light - reflecting plates 15 , as a rearmost plate 8 of the stack 14 . the operation of the drive 26 is controlled by a control unit cu of conventional construction which has not been illustrated in any detail . suffice it to say that the control unit may be constructed , for instance , as an escape mechanism in the event that the drive 26 is constituted by a spring - energized clockwork mechanism , in which event the light - reflecting plates 15 will be substituted for one another at predetermined time intervals . however , it is also contemplated to construct the control unit cu as a time of conventional construction which then controls the operation of the drive 26 in accordance with a predetermined program . the advancement of the pusher 28 by the drive 26 may be gradual , or stepwise . during the reloading of the arrangement 12 , that is , after the mounting of a new stack 13 on the brackets 20 , 21 the pusher 28 is manually displaced opposite to the direction of the arrow 29 into its retracted position which is illustrated in phantom lines in fig2 . as illustrated in fig4 the respective light - reflecting plate 15 has the light - reflecting surface 9 on its front side as viewed in the direction of advancement of the plate 15 of the stack 13 along the upper portions 18 and 19 of the brackets 20 and 21 . under these circumstances , the leading light - reflecting plate 31 of the stack 13 assumes its operative position and reflects the light which passes through the upper half of the opening 11 . instead , each of the light - reflecting plates 15 can be provided with the light - reflecting surface 9 on its rear side , that is , that side which faces away from the observer of fig4 . then , the last light - reflecting plate 8 of the stack 14 assumes the operative position and reflects the light which passes through the lower half of the opening 11 . however , it is also possible to provide both sides of each of the light - reflecting plates 15 with respective light - reflecting surfaces or layers 9 . when this expedient is resorted to , two light - reflecting plates 15 , that is , the leading plate 31 of the stack 13 and the last plate 8 of the stack 14 as shown in fig2 assume their operative positions , in that the front - side light - reflecting surface of the plate 31 and the rear - side light - reflecting surface 9 of the plate 8 are exposed to view . turning now to fig5 and 6 , it may be seen that the reference number 40 has been used to denote that portion of the roadside marker post 1 which accommodates a modified arrangement according to the present invention , here designated in general as 41 . the substituting arrangement 41 is equipped with two stacks 42 and 43 of clean light - reflecting plates 36 . a respective leading plate 44 of the stack 42 assumes its operative position in which it is situated behind two openings 45 , 46 which correspond to the openings 6 and 7 of fig1 and are arranged above one another . on the other hand , a leading light - reflecting plate 47 of the stack 43 assumes its operative position behind a rectangular opening 48 which corresponds to the opening 3 of fig1 . all of the light - reflecting plates 36 are provided with registering threaded bores 37 , 38 . the arrangement 41 includes threaded portions 50 and 51 which are rotably mounted , in a cantilevered fashion , on a bearing or support member 52 which is stationarily mounted on the portion 40 of the post 1 , and they meshingly engage the respective threaded bores 37 , 38 of the light - reflecting plates 36 of the respective stacks 42 and 43 . the threaded portions 50 , 51 are driven , via individual bevel gears 53 , 54 meshing with a common bevel gear 55 , from a drive 56 , the sense of rotation of the threaded portions 50 , 51 being such that , depending on the pitch direction of the threaded portions 50 , 51 , the light - reflecting plates 36 are advanced forwardly toward the openings 45 or 46 during the rotation of the threaded portions 50 , 51 . the light - reflecting plates 36 are laterally engaged by guides or slide walls 36 or 35 which are stationarily mounted on the portion 40 of the post 1 and which serve to prevent the light - reflecting plates 36 of the stacks 42 and 43 from sharing in the rotation of the threaded portions 50 or 51 . the respective light - reflecting plate 36 which constitutes the leading plate 44 or 47 of the respective stack 42 or 43 and which assumes its operative position advances , during the further rotation of the respective threaded portion 50 , 51 , beyond the free end of the respective threaded portion 50 , 51 into an end position from which it descends by gravity as illustrated in fig5 for a light - reflecting plate 58 . during its gravity descent , the light - reflecting plate 58 contacts a reflector 59 which causes the plate 58 to travel , in a predetermined orientation , into a plate - collecting receptacle 60 arranged at the lower end of the portion 40 of the post 1 . herein , the reflection surfaces or layers 9 are arranged at those sides of the light - reflecting plates 36 which face the openings 45 , 46 , 48 . the end faces of the threaded portions 50 , 51 can also be made light - reflecting by being coated by a layer of light - reflecting material . however , it is also possible , in an alternative differing from the construction illustrated in fig5 that the threaded portions 50 and 51 can be so arranged that they are not aligned with the respective openings 45 , 46 or 48 , in which event the light - reflecting plates 36 may have correspondingly larger dimensions . in the modification illustrated in fig5 and 6 , the leading or foremost light - reflecting plate 44 or 47 of the respective stack 42 or 43 is in its operative position and reflects any light impinging upon the same . however , it is also possible , for instance , as illustrated in fig7 to deprive the respective leading light - reflecting plate 45 or 47 of the respective stack 42 or 44 of its reflecting function for the time being , and use the light - reflecting properties of the light - reflecting plates 36 only after they have descended from the respective stacks 42 , 44 and have been captured and held in their operative positions as illustrated in fig7 at 62 . in fig7 that portion of the roadside marker post 1 which accomodates the light - reflecting plate 62 in its operative position has been indicated at 66 , the portion 66 including an opening 62 which may constitute any one of the openings 3 , 6 or 7 of fig1 . the light - reflecting plate 62 which assumes the position illustrated in fig7 is so oriented that its light - reflecting surface or layer 9 faces the opening 61 . the light - reflecting plate 62 is supported on a movable holding element 63 which forms a component of a modified substituting arrangement of the present invention and is operatively connected to a drive of a conventional construction which has been omitted from fig7 . the holding element 63 is mounted on an actuating arm 64 which is periodically displaced , in a manner yet to be discussed , by the non - illustrated drive between the illustrated extended position and a retracted position . the arm 64 further carries a leaf spring 65 which engages the light - reflecting plate 62 from behind and presses the same against the sections of the portion 66 which surround the opening 61 , in the illustrated extended position of the arm 64 . during the substituting operation , the actuating arm 64 is retracted from its illustrated extended position into a retracted position in which the holding element 63 is withdrawn from the path of gravity descent of the plate 62 and the leaf spring 65 ceases to engage the plate 62 so that the latter is free to gravitationally descend toward and beyond the deflector 59 on its way toward the collecting receptacle 60 which is illustrated in fig5 . at the same time , or shortly thereafter , the leading light - reflecting plate 44 or 47 of the respective stack 42 or 43 dissociates itself from the respective stack 42 or 43 in the manner discussed above in connection with fig5 and 6 and descends by gravity into the operating range of the holding element 63 which , in the meantime , has been returned into its illustrated extended position so that it captures and holds the next - succeeding plate 44 or 47 which then asssumes the operative position previously assumed by the plate 62 . in this case , the openings 45 and 46 located at the elevation of the respective stacks 42 , 43 may be , and usually are , omitted , their function being performed by the opening 61 . the modification illustrated in fig7 can be used in conjunction with a single stack 42 , 43 , or with two stacks 42 and 43 corresponding to those shown in fig5 and 6 . under these circumstances , the same provisions are made for the other stack as discussed above so that even here the respective leading light - reflecting plate of this stack reaches its end position from which it descends toward its operating position in which it is captured and held until release for further descent into the collecting receptacle . as mentioned before , the substituting arrangements 12 or 41 , as well as the non - illustrated substituting arrangement of the modification of fig7 are equipped with respective drives , such as the drives 26 and 56 . such drives may be constituted by battery - energized electromotors , manually windable spring - loaded motors or the like . however , it is currently preferred to employ drives which will now be discussed in connection with fig8 and 9 . as may be seen in fig8 the reference numeral 80 indicates a manometer - type container , that is , an evacuated , air - tightly closed , otherwise hollow , container , the lower part of which is stationarily mounted and the upper part of which moves , as indicated by a double - headed arrow 81 , in response to ambient pressure fluctuations . an actuating rod 82 is connected to the upper part of the container 80 to share the pressure - caused movements of the upper part in dependence on the ambient pressure fluctuations , in the directions indicated by the arrow 81 . the pumping or oscillating movements of the rod 82 resulting from this shared movement of the latter are used to wind up a spring - energized motor 83 , substantially in accordance with the same principles as a spring - loaded clockwork of an automatic wrist watch is being wound up by a mechanically moved swinging anchor . the spring - energized motor 83 drives a clockwork 84 which , after the expiration of a respectively predetemined time interval , triggers the spring - loaded motor 83 which then causes the substituting arrangement 12 or 41 to perform the substituting operation . the arrangement illustrated in fig9 differs from that illustrated in fig8 only in that a bimetallic sensor or thermocouple 90 is being used instead of the manometer - type container 80 . the bimetallic sensor is stationarily mounted on one of its ends and acts , at its other , free , end on a rod 91 which , as to its function , corresponds to the rod 82 of fig8 . thus , the rod 91 shares in the movements of the free end of the bimetallic sensor 90 which are caused by temperature fluctuations and conducts movements as indicated by a double - headed arrow 92 , these movements driving a spring - loaded motor 93 which cooperates with a clockwork mechanism 94 corresponding to the clockwork mechanism 84 . thus , here again the substituting arrangement 12 or 41 is triggered for performing a substituting operation at pre - selected time intervals . in a further modification of the examples shown in fig8 and 9 , the manometer - type container 80 or the bimetallic thermal sensor 90 can be used to directly advance the pusher 28 or rotate the common bevel gear 55 , for instance , by means of a pawl cooperating with a ratchet wheel . when this expedient is resorted to , the ratchet is advanced or indexed by one tooth during each movement of the manometer - type container 80 or a bimetallic sensor 90 which exceeds a predetermined amplitude . this indexing motion , which occurs in a series of very small steps , can then be transmitted , for instance , via a reduction gear train , to the pusher 20 or to the common bevel gear 55 to drive the same . 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 claims . | 1 |
referring initially to fig1 and 2 , a brief description of an optical element ( e . g ., filter ) subassembly 10 is first presented . the invention is described and illustrated using an exemplary three - port filter device , however , the invention also applies to multiple - port devices such as six - port devices . for multiple - port devices , the number and position of fibers in ferrule 16 changes accordingly . the dual fiber collimating and filtering subassembly 10 includes an outer cylindrical metal housing 12 , which is bonded at 13 ( fig1 ) around input and reflection optical fibers 18 and 20 , respectively . housing 12 surrounds an insulating cylindrical boro - silicate or fused silica sleeve 14 ( fig2 ) within which there is mounted a dual capillary glass ferrule 16 receiving an input optical fiber 18 and a reflective optical fiber 20 . the ends of fibers 18 and 20 in ferrule 16 face a collimating lens 22 , such as , for example , a grin lens , which has polished facets on the input end , and ( as seen in fig2 ) which face and align with the ends of optical fibers 18 and 20 held in place by ferrule 16 . lens 22 collimates light from input fiber 18 into parallel rays , transmitting them to an optical element which may be a thin film filter 24 , a birefringent crystal , or other appropriate optical element . the end of the collimating lens 22 that is closest to the filter 24 is referred to as the output end of collimating lens 22 . a filter holder 26 is mounted to the end 21 of the collimating lens 22 according to the method of the present invention and includes an axial aperture 27 allowing light from lens 22 to impinge upon filter 24 and the reflective light to be directed to reflective optical fiber 20 . filter holder 26 also secures filter or crystal 24 in alignment with the collimating lens 22 with aperture 27 extending between the filter 24 and lens 22 . the fiber ferrule 16 , lens 22 , and insulating sleeve 14 are collectively referred to as an input collimating assembly 35 . collimating assembly 35 may also include cylindrical metal housing 12 . a similar single fiber collimating assembly structure is collectively referred to as an output collimating assembly 35 ′ and is shown in fig3 . before describing the manufacture of the subassembly 10 forming a part of an overall three - port filter , a three - port filter 30 is briefly described . fig3 is also representative of a multiple - port device , however , for a multiple - port device , the number and position of fibers in ferrules 16 and 39 changes accordingly . as shown in fig3 three - port filter 30 includes an outer cylindrical metal sleeve 32 into which subassembly 10 is mounted and secured by a cylindrical interface of solder and / or welding material 31 applied to the solder joint as seen in the schematic diagram of fig3 . solder and / or weld material 31 may be applied through suitable apertures 32 a in metal sleeve 32 . the output signal from filter 24 is received by an aligned collimating output lens 34 similarly secured within a boro - silicate or fused silica glass sleeve 36 surrounded by a metal sleeve 37 which , in turn , is mounted within the interior of outer protective sleeve 32 utilizing a cylindrical solder interface 33 . the output lens 34 , ferrule 39 , glass sleeve 36 , and metal sleeve 37 form the output collimating assembly 35 ′. an output optical fiber 38 couples to the desired wavelength output signal from three - port filter 30 to the communication link in which the three - port filter 30 is installed . thus , for example , the three - port filter 30 may be employed to receive a plurality of wavelengths from input optical fiber 18 , pass a single output wavelength to output fiber 38 , and return the remaining signal wavelengths to reflective optical fiber 20 . the method of assembling subassembly 10 and its structural elements are unique and described in detail below . further , the specific method of aligning output collimating assembly 35 ′ within sleeve 32 will also be described below . one problem associated with prior art ferrules is illustrated by fig4 showing a vertical schematic cross - sectional view of a prior art input ferrule 40 . ferrule 40 is made of a conventional glass material such as fused silica or boro - silicate glass and includes a pair of spaced - apart capillaries 42 and 44 having a diameter sufficient to receive the stripped input and reflective optical fibers 18 and 20 having a diameter of about 125 μm . the overall diameter , however , of optical fibers 18 and 20 includes a protective polymeric sheath and is approximately 250 μm . optical fibers 18 and 20 are cemented within the conical input section 46 of the prior art ferrule 40 utilizing a thermally curable epoxy adhesive providing a strain - relief connection of the coated fibers 18 and 20 within the glass ferrule . as the stripped optical fibers 18 and 20 exit the polymeric sheath and enter the capillary tubes 42 and 44 over the length of 1 . 2 mm of the conical input section 46 , they are bent at area 47 schematically shown in fig4 . this s - bending of the optical fibers interconnection to the ferrule 40 results in deflection of the fiber , which exceeds 50 % of the fiber diameter . this induced micro - bending of the fiber increases insertion loss of the signals applied to the lens 22 due to the geometry of ferrule 40 . capillaries 42 and 44 of ferrule 40 are spaced apart a distance “ d1 ,” as shown in fig4 a that , with the coned length provided by prior art ferrules as shown in fig4 results in such excessive micro - bending of the optical fibers and resultant insertion losses . the alternate ferrule construction in which a single elliptical capillary is provided for receiving adjacent optical fibers and having a similar input cone construction suffers even more from the bending problem . in order to greatly reduce the insertion loss due to the undesirable s - bending of input fibers , an improved ferrule 16 of the present invention , which forms part of the subassembly 10 as seen in fig1 and 2 , is employed and is described in fig5 and 5a . in fig5 a ferrule 16 is shown which has an input cone 17 with an axial length in the preferred embodiment in excess of 2 mm and preferably 2 . 4 mm or approximately twice the length of prior art input cones . the input diameter “ d2 ” of input cone 17 is approximately 0 . 8 mm to accommodate the 500 mm combined diameter of input fibers 18 and reflective fiber 20 and allow room for epoxy to bond the fibers within cone 17 . the exit diameter “ d3 ” of cone 17 adjacent capillaries 19 and 21 , which receive and secure the optical fibers 18 and 20 therein , is preferably determined as : where f d is the fiber diameter with the sheath material removed . this accommodates any spacing d1 between the fibers and the 125 μm diameters of each of the stripped input and reflective fibers , allowing also approximately a one μm gap at the input to capillary tubes 19 and 21 for epoxy to securely seat the input and reflective fibers within ferrule 16 . to obtain the best possible performance , the fibers should be selected for their geometric properties . three important properties and the preferred tolerances are outer cladding diameter of 125 μm +/− 0 . 2 μm , non - circularity of the cladding less than 0 . 2 %, and core to cladding concentricity is less than 0 . 2 μm . by expanding the axial length “ l ” of cone 17 to nearly twice that of prior art input ferrules , s - bending is substantially avoided , providing substantially a nearly equal optical path length for both the input and reflective fibers and reducing insertion losses . this technique is also applicable to ferrules having more than two optical fibers and to ferrules with single or multiple capillaries . the fibers are epoxied within the ferrule 16 with an epoxy adhesive such as , for example , 353 nd epo - tek epoxy adhesive available from epoxy technology , billerica , mass ., and cured at about 110 ° c . for one and one - half hours . it is preferable to post - cure the assembly at 125 - 130 ° c . for one - half hour to reduce moisture absorption . the end - face 28 of the ferrule with inserted and bonded optical fibers is ground and polished to produce approximately 8 ° angle elliptical facet to the axis of the ferrule . ferrule 16 is then cemented within the surrounding thermally insulating glass sleeve 14 ( fig2 ) to form input collimating assembly 35 . prior to the insertion of the ferrule 16 into sleeve 14 , the lens 22 has been installed and cemented in place . the ferrule is aligned with a gap “ g ” ( fig2 ) of about 1 to 1 . 5 μm between the ends of the lens 22 and the ferrule to allow the axial and rotational active alignment of the ferrule to the lens 22 by rotating the ferrule within sleeve 14 and axially positioning it to accommodate the surface angle of the lens 22 , which may run between 7 . 8 ° to 8 . 1 °. for a three - port assembly , a signal is applied to the input fiber 18 while monitoring the output of the grin lens within sleeve 14 . for a multiple - port assembly , such as used in a six - port device , the alignment process is similar ; however , signals are applied to each of the input fibers and the ferrule is axially and rotationally positioned to optimize the alignment for all of the signals . this assures the minimum insertion loss and maximum signal coupling between the optical fibers and the input collimating lens 22 , which subsequently receives the filter holder and filter therein as now described in connection with fig6 . referring now to fig6 the subsequent positioning of filter 24 and filter holder 26 onto end 21 of the lens 22 is described . matching the aoi of the filter 24 with the separation distance ( sd ) of the fibers 18 and 20 is important . a filter 24 with a desired aoi is selected for use in the assembly 10 . an input collimating assembly 10 is selected having a ferrule 16 which has an sd that corresponds to the aoi of filter 24 . the sd is accurately measured , preferably within 0 . 5 μm , and the filter holder 26 is mounted on the selected input collimator assembly 35 . the matching process in the case of the four - fiber ferrule , used in six - port devices , is preferably performed as follows . the sd of one of the pairs of fibers is matched to the filter aoi . the alignment match for the second pair of fibers is provided automatically when the structural tolerances described above for the capillaries and fibers have been satisfied . therefore , it is important for the sd for each pair of fibers to be approximately equal . preferably the sd tolerance for each pair of fibers is within 0 . 5 μm . the tolerances are further discussed below in discussion of fig1 and 15 . filter holder 26 has a cylindrical aperture 25 at its lower end , as seen in fig6 which overlies the cylindrical diameter of lens 22 . the diameter of the aperture 25 is large enough to provide a gap “ g1 ” of about 50 μm surrounding output end 21 of collimating lens 22 . this , as described below , allows the micro - tilting of the filter holder 26 with respect to lens 22 for precisely aligning the filter 24 and lens 22 while accommodating the bonding adhesive employed for securing the filter holder to the lens 22 . holder 26 is made of a material which has a coefficient of thermal expansion which is close to that of the lens and , in a preferred embodiment of the invention , is a unit made of ss17 - 4 - ph stainless steel . prior to assembling of filter holder 26 to lens 22 , the filter 24 is mounted within the filter holder 26 , which has a cylindrical aperture 29 with a seat 50 canted at an angle ∝ 1 fig6 ) of approximately 1 . 5 ° to 2 ° and preferably about 1 . 8 ° to accommodate the approximate 0 . 3 ° to 0 . 7 ° angular discrepancy between the front and rear surfaces of a typical filter chip 24 . the cant of seat 50 also has the favorable effect of reducing the tilt angle of holder 26 relative to lens 22 . the filter 24 is secured within cylindrical aperture 29 utilizing conventional epoxy or even silicone bonding adhesives , such as dc577 or cv3 2000 , and the filter chip 24 can be any commercially available thin - film filter . in the illustrated embodiment , a commercially available filter having dimension of , for example , 1 . 4 by 1 . 4 by 1 . 5 mm is used . such filters are available commercially from corning incorporated . the assembly and met hods of the invention can also be used with other optical devices in place of filter 24 , such as various crystal - based components . with filter 24 in place in filter holder 26 , the holder is clamped in a vertically ( as seen in fig6 ) movable clamp which can also be rotated such that filter holder 26 can be moved into and out of engagement with lens 22 as well as rotated and tilted for actively aligning the optical axis of the filter to the lateral surface of the lens 22 to minimize insertion loss . active alignment is the process of aligning the optical elements while applying input light signals to the device and monitoring an output signal . this is in contrast to passive alignment which is the process of aligning optical elements in the absence of a light signal . the active alignment in an embodiment of the invention is achieved , for example , by applying a signal at about 1530 nm to input fiber 18 ( fig1 - 3 ) while monitoring the reflected signal on fiber 20 . filter holder 26 is then micro - tilted in orthogonal directions and also rotated in increments of about 2 ° to 5 ° as necessary to achieve minimum insertion loss as determined by monitoring the input and reflected signals . there are six degrees of freedom in which the holder 26 may be moved relative to lens 22 . these include micro - tilting on the xz plane and yz plane of fig6 rotating about the z axis , moving lateral along the x and y axis , and raising and lowering the holder along the z axis . generally , only rotation and micro - tilting along the xz and yz plane are sufficient to align the elements . the preferred embodiment uses an automated iterative process in which the il for each pair of fibers is monitored for each tilt or rotation . the iterative process repetitively adjusts the filter holder and monitors the input and output signals and eventually locates an optimum alignment as defined by predetermined tolerances . the alignment process increases in complexity with increasing pairs of optical fibers in multiple - port systems . the preferred method of alignment comprises the steps of aligning each pair of fibers separately and then selecting an average alignment position or a median position . for six - port devices , the optimum alignment achieved for the first pair of the reflective and input fibers can be slightly lowered when aligning the second pair of the reflective and input fibers . also , in the case of six - port devices , the iterative process has been found to be unexpectedly short ( i . e ., few iterations ) because of the tolerances selected in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . when a first pair of fibers is optically aligned , the second pair of fibers may be close to alignment since the second pair of fibers have virtually the same separation distance as the first pair of fibers . during this alignment process , lens 22 and its sleeve 12 are mounted in an xyz micro - adjustable stage of conventional construction to hold the projecting end of lens 22 in cavity 25 of holder 26 . once the optimum angular position of the filter holder 26 to lens 22 is determined , the filter holder 26 is raised axially away from the lens ( while maintaining the angular relationship ) to allow access to the side wall of lens 22 . while separated , preferably four or more drops of bonding adhesive are positioned on the outer peripheral circumferential surface of the end 21 of lens 22 , with care being taken not to touch drops of the epoxy adhesive to the lens end face surface . the filter holder 26 is then lowered over the lens 22 , wiping the adhesive in the annular space between cavity 25 and lens 22 . next , the xz axis of the stage may be further adjusted while monitoring signals applied to the input and reflective optical fibers 18 and 20 to assure a minimum insertion loss . similarly , the yz axis of the stage may also be adjusted while monitoring the signals to assure proper alignment and a minimum reflected insertion loss of no greater than about 0 . 3 db . a variety of uv and thermally curable epoxies were tested , and it was determined that the bonding adhesive which worked unexpectedly well was commercially available emi - 3410 , which is a uv and thermally curable filled adhesive available from electronic materials , inc ., of breckenridge , colo . by providing a gap of approximately 50 μm between the inner surface of cylindrical aperture 25 of filter holder 26 and the outer diameter of lens 22 , the optical axis of the lens can be precisely aligned with the optical axis of filter 24 . filter holder 26 is adjustable within an angle ∝ 2 of less than about 1 . 0 °, as shown in fig6 . this active alignment of the lens 22 and filter holder 26 is achieved by the movement of the lens 22 in the xz and yz planes , as shown in fig6 utilizing a standard micro - stage ( i . e ., micropositioner ). in one embodiment of the invention , one or more sources of ultra violet radiation such as sources 60 and 61 are employed to expose the bonding adhesive at the interface between holder 26 and lens 22 to ultraviolet radiation to cure the bonding adhesive sufficiently such that the desired relationship between the lens 22 and filter 24 is fixed until the adhesive is finally thermally cured . as seen by the diagram of fig7 by injecting ultra violet radiation from source 60 into the exposed end of filter 24 , ultra violet radiation ( indicated as 63 ) is dispersed as the uv radiation propagates transversely through the filter and into the adhesive layer 55 ( fig6 ), causing frontal polymerization of the adhesive due to uv light propagating through the filter . in most instances , the uv radiation 63 from source 60 through filter 24 will , upon an exposure of about 20 seconds at a distance of about 2 . 5 cm between the source and the filter 24 , result in sufficient uv curing of the adhesive to fix the filter holder to the lens 22 . in addition to exposing the adhesive 55 through filter 24 utilizing a uv light source 60 , an additional uv light source 61 can be employed to direct uv radiation 63 through the gap g2 between the lower annular end of filter holder 26 and the top annular surface of sleeve 12 with 40 second exposures for a total exposure of about 100 seconds of uv radiation to cure the adhesive in the annular area of gap g1 at the lower end of filter holder 26 . after the uv curing , which tends to temporarily induce stresses typically of from 200 to 300 psi or higher in the subassembly , thermal cure stress release and curing is provided as described below . before such curing , however , input and output signals are monitored to assure that the reflected insertion loss ( il ) remains less than about 0 . 3 db and thermal change in il is below about 0 . 05 db . the uv from light source 61 can be rotated around the periphery of the subassembly during successive exposures . the uv light can be delivered also through slots or openings formed into the lateral sides of the filter holder 22 as described below . the uv sources 60 and 61 have spectral emissions , as illustrated in fig8 which show the spectrum of a mercury light source . fig9 illustrates the experimentally determined uv transmission spectrum of such a light source through a bulk filter chip of the kind used in the filter 24 illustrated in fig6 . the convolution of these spectra indicates that a sufficient portion of the uv light spectrum propagates to the bond layer through the filter 24 and that the duration of the uv cure cycle results in a nearly zero change of insertion loss over a period from 630 to 700 seconds . the uv initiated cure induces initial stresses due to polymerization shrinkage . for a typically highly filled epoxy adhesive with a limited volume of shrinkage ( on the order of 0 . 2 %), the induced stress can be as high as 300 to 600 psi . the stresses induced by the uv curing , which fix the alignment of the filter to the collimating lens 22 , are relieved and the bonding adhesive 55 further cured during thermal curing of the subassembly 10 in a conventional oven which is controlled to provide the stress relaxation and thermal cure cycles as illustrated in fig1 . the graph of fig1 illustrates an accelerated and thermally assisted stress relaxation phase in an oven which is controlled to provide several short thermal cycles at an elevated temperature preferably not exceeding 50 % of the minimum temperature of thermal cure . the cycle typically starts at room temperature , and the temperature is increased to cycle between about 40 ° and about 60 ° c . over ten to fifteen cycles per hour for a total period of approximately one and one - half to four hours . the thermal cycling induces the variable mismatch stresses in the glass , metal filter holder , and the adhesive . although the rate of stress relaxation in the adhesive increases with an increase in the mismatch stresses , this stress level is limited by the allowable elastic limits . these cyclic changes in temperature induce the creep in adhesive that leads to the additionally accelerated stress relaxation . by cycling the temperature as shown in fig1 , the typically 12 to 24 hour room temperature dark cure is reduced to about one to two hours . in this case , any thermally induced repositioning of optical components ( e . g ., filters ) is drastically reduced . as seen in fig1 after the thermally assisted stress relaxation phase ( tasr ), the assembly is subjected to a final thermal cure for about two to about two and one - half hours at a temperature of from about 85 ° to about 100 ° in the case of the preferred emi - 3410 adhesive . by utilizing the thermal curing cycle illustrated in fig1 , the elevated temperature induces a thermal mismatch stress in addition to the existing shrinkage stresses . when the combined stresses are less than the isochronous elastic limit of the adhesive material , the accelerated stress relaxation occurs with no irreversible deformation in the bond . this effect is substantially improved with increasing the number of thermal cycles during the tasr phase ( i . e ., initial ) portion of the thermal cure cycle . although the utilization of the uv light source 60 directing radiation 63 through filter 24 provides the desired initial uv curing of the adhesive bond between the filter holder and collimating lens , the filter holder can be modified , as seen in fig1 and 12 , to provide additional axial exposure ports for exposure by uv radiation from radial source 61 ( as seen in fig6 ) to improve the dispersion of uv radiation through the glass bonding adhesive layer 55 . as shown in fig1 , a filter holder 26 ′ is shown , which is substantially identical to filter holder 26 with respect to the provision of a cylindrical gap by its lower cylindrical aperture 25 ′ for adjustment of the filter holder to the lens ; however , the lower end of filter holder 26 ′ includes a plurality of apertures such as longitudinally extending , radially inwardly projecting slots 70 spaced around the periphery of the filter holder and communicating with cylindrical opening 25 ′ within the filter holder 26 ′. four to six slots 70 have been found acceptable . once a filter 24 is mounted in place as described above in connection with filter holder 26 , holder 26 ′ receives epoxy as in the previously described embodiment , and the lens is raised and adjusted with respect to filter 24 contained within filter holder 26 ′ in the same manner as in the first embodiment . the light source 61 , however , is moved around the periphery of the filter holder 26 ′ directing uv radiation into slots 70 defining downwardly projecting , spaced apart legs 72 between such slots such that uv radiation is dithered into the cylindrical side walls of lens 22 which serves to further disperse the uv radiation uniformly within the annular space containing bonding adhesive 55 . by providing spaced radially extending elongated slots 70 or other suitably shaped apertures extending through the side wall of the lower section of filter holder 26 ′, a light path is provided for uv radiation to the inner cylindrical aperture 25 ′ receiving the end of lens 22 . in one embodiment , four slots 70 spaced at 90 ° intervals around the lower section of holder 26 ′ were provided . this results in improved uniform uv exposure to facilitate the uv curing of adhesive 55 . in this embodiment , it is unnecessary to expose the bonding adhesive utilizing a light source 60 through the filter since the bonding adhesive is uniformly exposed utilizing radiation from light source 61 . once the subassembly 10 ′, as shown in fig1 , is completed , it is assembled into the resultant three - port filter package 30 ′ in a conventional manner . the above description is generally applicable to optical devices ranging from three - port devices to five - port devices , and to higher port devices . the difficulty of manufacturing operational devices increases with the increased number of optical fibers and ports . discussed below are some of the features of the present invention which are directed to devices with five optical ports or more . the uses and applications for five , six and higher port - count embodiments of the invention are many . for example , possible configurations of multiple - port thin - film filters , splitters , circulators and isolators include : six - port devices that are formed from two - fiber and four - fiber ferrule assemblies , eight - port devices that are formed from two four - fiber ferrule assemblies , and five - port devices that are formed from a single - fiber ferrule assembly and a four - fiber ferrule assembly . one important aspect of a multiple - port device is the tolerance for the position of the optical fibers in the fiber ferrule 16 . the core of an optical fiber has a diameter of only about 9 . 5 μm . consequently , a 1 μm shift or error in the position of the fiber can cause the il to be unacceptable . therefore , great care must be taken to ensure the total tolerance in the positioning of the fibers . to achieve these tolerances , the fibers should be pre - selected to provide the core concentricity within a tolerance of preferably about 1 . 0 μm , and more preferably about 0 . 5 μm , and most preferably about 0 . 1 μm ; cladding diameter of 125 μm within a tolerance of preferably about 1 . 0 μm , and more preferably about 0 . 5 μm , and most preferably about 0 . 1 μm ; and the ovality tolerance of preferably less than about 0 . 8 %, and more preferably about 0 . 4 %, and most preferably about 0 . 12 %. concentricity is the deviation of the center of the optical fiber core from the center of the fiber . ovality is defined as the difference between the largest and smallest diameter of the fiber divided by the average diameter of the fiber ( i . e ., ( d1 − d2 )* 2 /( d1 + d2 ) where d1 and d2 are the largest and smallest diameter of the fiber ). the pre - screening and selection of the fibers for one or more of these characteristics have yielded the unexpected result of providing an assembly in which the fibers and other component parts can be assembled and aligned in a manner that can be reliably repeated and manufactured for commercial applications . prior to the realization of this unexpected result , there were no commercially available optical packages having greater than three ports , and no commercially available six port packages . regarding ferrule capillary tolerances , the simplest “ square ” capillary ferrule is preferably characterized by a tolerance of the output end of the capillary of 252 μm +/− 2 μm as the distance between two parallel sides and more preferably 251 μm +/− 1 μm and most preferably 250 . 5 μm +/− 0 . 5 μm . similar tolerances are preferred for the other capillary shapes and configurations . further , the tolerance of the fiber position must be maintained throughout the manufacturing , packaging , and environmental conditions the device must endure . the methods and apparatus to achieve these tolerances are a subject of the present invention and are discussed below . although some prior art devices may initially achieve the desired tolerances for the position of optical fibers , the prior art often fails when the device is subject to stresses , strains and environmental conditions that cause the fibers to shift sufficiently to exceed the tolerances . causes of these stresses include : 1 ) viscous flow of adhesive involving the fibers , 2 ) curing of the adhesives that bond the fibers to the ferrule , and 3 ) thermal stress due to the final packaging operations or environmental testing conditions . during manufacture , the devices are subject to heat such as from solder used to encase the devices in a protective metal sleeve 32 . in use , the devices are subject to environmental conditions and must remain operational over a qualification temperature range from − 40 ° c . to 85 ° c . ( an industry standard temperature range ). therefore , one aspect of the invention relates to a four - fiber ferrule that satisfies the above - mentioned tolerances . ferrules are generally cylindrical boro - silicate or fused silica components with one , two , three or more capillaries for receiving the optical fibers . ferrules 16 were discussed above in discussion of fig2 and 3 ; however , the capillaries for six - port devices are preferably different . the shape of the drawn capillaries and the illustrative fabricating techniques allow fibers to be not only symmetrically separated from the central axis of the ferrule , but be properly guided and constrained as well . this minimizes the repositioning caused by the adhesive flow and the thermally induced change in the separation distance between two pairs of the input and reflective fibers . the capillaries provide precision parallel positioning inside the ferrule and bonding of the fibers and thereby provide a reliable constraint of the fibers . preferably , the fibers touch the nearest adjacent fiber or have a gap between the fibers of not more than about 0 . 5 μm . this helps to fix the position of the fibers . it is also preferred that the fibers do not twist around each other over the first 10 to 15 mm before the fibers enter the ferrule to reduce stress and / or fiber repositioning . an illustrative assembly process includes the following steps . the fibers are stripped of the protective coating and cleaned for a length of about 5 cm of the fiber end . the fibers are dipped into adhesive ( e . g ., epo - tek 353 nd ). the stripped fiber ends are then fed through the capillary until the fiber coatings just reach into the cone end portion of the ferrule . additional adhesive is applied to the fibers if needed , and the adhesive is allowed to wick through the entire capillary . an adhesive such as 353 nd adhesive with viscosity ( at room temperature ) of about 3000 cps ( centipoise ), or other suitable adhesive , can be used . the predicted gaps in the capillaries shown correspond to this viscosity . a higher viscosity adhesive ( 5000 to 10000 cps ) may be used if the gaps are slightly larger . an increase in temperature when inserting the fibers inside the capillaries decreases the viscosity of the adhesive . thus , having various viscosities and temperatures , we can provide a better positioning of the fibers and minimize their repositioning after cure . in general , a suitable viscosity can be determined using the hagen - poiseuille equation modeling viscous flow in a capillary with optical fibers positioned in the capillary . the assembly is cured , an 8 - degree angle is polished into the ferrule , and antireflective coating is applied . the bond layers between the fibers and surrounding ferrule are extremely thin ( preferably less than about 1 - 1 . 5 μm ) to minimize thermal stress and movement . various embodiments of the ferrule capillaries of the present invention are illustrated in fig1 a to 13 h and fig1 a to 14 e . [ 0088 ] fig1 a shows a cross - sectional view of a ferrule 16 with a rounded square or rounded rectangular capillary 130 and closely packed optical fibers 131 a , 131 b , 131 c , and 131 d . the rounded square capillary provides a fixed sd , while the rounded rectangular capillary can make the sd variable . the rounded corners and closely packed fibers make this a good design for several reasons . the shape of the capillary along with the closely spaced fibers 131 effectively prevent movement of the fibers 131 prior to curing and also reduces thermal stress on the fibers after curing . the curvature of rounded corners 130 a preferably has a smaller radius than the outer surface of fibers 131 . more preferably , the corners 130 a are 90 - degree angles and thus form a true square or rectangle capillary . therefore , for purposes of this specification , “ substantially rectangular ” refers to a capillary cross section where the radius of the corners is less than or equal to the radius of the enclosed optical fibers . gap g4 is where the fiber comes closest to touching , or actually touches , the wall of capillary 130 . gap g4 is preferably less than about 0 . 5 μm , and more preferably less than about 0 . 1 μm , and most preferably zero ( i . e ., the fiber touching the wall of the capillary ). the gap g6 between the closely adjacent fibers 131 a and 131 b ( and also fibers 131 c and 131 d ) is similarly small ( i . e ., preferably less than about 1 . 0 μm , 0 . 5 μm , or zero μm ). the gap g5 is also preferably small ( i . e ., less than about 1 . 0 μm , 0 . 5 μm , or zero μm ); however , the gap g5 between the distant adjacent fibers 131 a and 131 d may be larger to achieve a desired sd as illustrated in the following figures . the closely packed fibers also provide a secondary advantage in that only a small amount of adhesive is required in the capillary 130 and therefore less thermal stress is exerted on the fibers 131 due to the unequal coefficient of thermal expansion ( cte ) between the fibers and the adhesive . even the adhesive in the larger gap g5 has been found to have minimal effect in causing stress or shifting of the optical fibers due to thermal expansion and contraction . this capillary design tends to prevent shifting of the fibers and prevents rotation of the fibers due to the flow of adhesive prior to cure ( e . g ., fiber 131 d is unlikely to rotate to the position of fiber 131 a , and fiber 131 a is unlikely to rotate to position 131 b , etc .). once the fibers are affixed in the capillary 130 , the selection of which optical fibers will form pairs ( i . e ., input and reflective ) may be made . generally , pairs of fibers will be positioned diagonally from one another . for example , referring to fig1 a , diagonally spaced fibers ( e . g ., 131 a and 131 c ) may be selected for pairing . light signals moving through diagonally spaced fibers may intersect at the same point at the center of the optical filter 24 . this may cause some interference between signals . if signal interference is a problem , then using the capillary designs with both fixed and variable sd designs for the fiber pairs may reduce the interference . several capillary configurations are possible and are discussed next . several other exemplary capillary designs include the dual - oval capillary ( fig1 b ), the clover - leaf or four - circular capillary ( fig1 c ), the six - fiber rectangular capillary ( fig1 d ), the two wafer - ferrule ( fig1 e and 13f ), the four - fiber rectangular capillary ( fig1 j ), the dual rectangular capillary ( fig1 k ), the variable dual rectangle capillary ( fig1 l ), the dual oval capillary ( fig1 m ), the mixed capillary ( fig1 n ) and the alignment washer design ( fig1 a and b ). for simplicity , the same reference numbers are used for corresponding features in each of the figures . a significant difference between the capillary designs is that some are useful for a “ fixed ” separation distance design while others are useful for a “ variable ” separation distance design . for example , fig1 a through 13d illustrate fixed sd designs ( i . e ., the sd cannot be changed ). however , fig1 e through 13h illustrate variable sd designs . generally , the variable sd designs are used when larger separation distances are desired . referring now to fig1 b , the shape of dual - oval capillary 132 resembles two adjacent ovals and the capillary 132 encloses the optical fibers 131 . portions of capillary 132 form a constraining arc 132 a of approximately 120 ° to 180 ° around fibers 131 . the gap g4 between the surface of the fibers 131 and the proximate wall of the capillary 132 is preferably less than about 1 . 5 μm , and more preferably less then about 1 . 0 μm , and most preferably less than about 0 . 5 μm . similarly , the gap between closely adjacent fibers g6 is also preferably less then about 1 . 5 μm , and more preferably less then 1 . 0 μm , and most preferably less then about 0 . 5 μm at the closest point . the gap g5 between the variably distant adjacent fibers g5 preferably ranges from 0 . 5 μm to about 300 μm depending on the position of the two oval capillaries . the diagonal pairs , such as fibers 131 a and 131 c , are formed into pairs of input and reflective optical fibers . the dual - oval capillary may be expanded to three or even four adjacent ovals , if desired , to form multi - oval capillaries . however , in the multi - oval capillaries , diagonal pairs of optical fibers are preferable . [ 0093 ] fig1 c illustrates a four - circular capillary 133 enclosing fibers 131 . portions of capillary 133 form a constraining arc 133 a of approximately 180 ° to 240 ° around fibers 131 . the gap g4 between the fiber and the proximate wall of the capillary is preferably less than about 1 . 5 μm , and more preferably less then about 1 . 0 μm , and most preferably less than about 0 . 5 μm . also , the gap g6 between closely adjacent fibers is similarly preferably less than about 1 . 5 μm , and more preferably less then about 1 . 0 μm , and most preferably less than about 0 . 5 μm . [ 0094 ] fig1 d illustrates a rectangular capillary 130 enclosing six fibers 131 . again , the gaps g4 , g5 , and g6 are preferably as small as possible to prevent movement of the fibers . the gaps are therefore preferably less than about 1 . 5 μm , and more preferably less then about 1 . 0 μm , and most preferably less than about 0 . 5 μm . in this embodiment , the fibers have two separation distances . the diagonal fiber pairs ( i . e ., 131 a , 131 c and 131 b , 131 d ) have matching separation distance . however , the fiber pair , 131 e and 131 f , has a smaller separation distance . while this configuration may be of less use with thin film filter assemblies , this configuration is useful for certain crystal based assemblies such as isolators . the ferrule and capillary designs described above are examples of fixed separation distance capillaries . the separation distance between the fibers is fixed and cannot be changed . however , it is desirable to be able to change or vary the separation distance . for example , if a thin film filter has a certain preferred angle of incidence , then it is useful to vary the separation distance of the fibers to correspond to the desired aoi . the following ferrule and capillary designs provide a method of achieving this desired separation distance while maintaining the same positioning accuracy of the prior designs . generally , these designs maintain a fixed vertical separation between fibers while varying the horizontal ( as seen in the figures ) distance . it has been found that the ability to vary the horizontal distance in a range of from 5 μm to 75 μm is most useful . one embodiment for a variable sd ferrule and capillary is illustrated in the two - wafer capillaries shown in fig1 e where a cross - sectional view of four fibers 131 ( two pairs ) are positioned inside of v - shaped capillaries 134 a and 134 b formed from matching grooves in two elongated silicon plates ( wafers ) 135 a and 135 b . the silicon wafers are etched with the v - grooves and accuracy of 0 . 5 μm is possible . crystallographic orientation provides excellent angle reproducibility . further , the wafers are easily mass - produced using current etching techniques . the wafers 135 are each provided with four , preferably symmetrical , grooves . the two center grooves ( i . e ., fiber grooves ) are used to form capillaries 134 a and 134 b when the wafers are mated together . a feature of this design is that the v - shaped grooves may be positioned as desired to achieve any required separation distance between the fibers 131 . the adjacent fibers in each capillary 134 preferably touch each other . adhesive is applied to the gaps to secure the fibers 131 in place . alignment grooves in wafers form two alignment capillaries 136 which are for aligning the wafers 135 . preferably , glass balls or rods 137 of about 300 μm diameter are inserted into alignment capillaries 136 of having dimensions of suitable size to contain rods 137 up to about 302 μm in diameter to maintain alignment . the rods 137 preferably have dimensional tolerance of 2 . 0 μm , and more preferably have a tolerance of 1 . 0 μm , and most preferably have a tolerance of 0 . 5 μm . if the rods are too large , the fibers may have excess room to move relative to their respective grooves . the glass rods , therefore , are preferably prescreened to verify dimensional tolerances . uv - curable tacking adhesives and thermally curable structural adhesives are applied for providing structural integrity of the assembly . a more preferable wafer ferrule is illustrated in fig1 f through 13h . the wafers in fig1 f use smaller v - shaped grooves 138 for supporting the fibers 131 and alignment rods / pins 137 . the smaller v - shaped grooves prevent the wafers from coming into contact . it is thought that this design will allow the fibers to touch adjacent fibers and thereby prevent movement or repositioning of the fibers 131 . in this embodiment , the large v - shaped grooves ( i . e ., alignment grooves ) 138 a support the alignment pins 137 and the smaller v - shaped grooves ( i . e ., fiber grooves ) 138 b support the fibers 131 . the large v - grooves 138 a preferably are 246 μm at their widest point . the smaller v - grooves 138 b are preferably 120 μm at their widest point . using this design , the v - grooves that support the fibers 131 can be positioned as desired to vary the separation distance of the fibers 131 . using known etching techniques , the v - grooves can be positioned with a tolerance of about 0 . 2 μm . this design is easily expanded to more fibers by merely etching more v - grooves for more fibers . even though the wafers do not touch , the channels formed by the matching grooves are still referred to as capillaries for this specification . the aligned and bonded wafer ferrule 16 may then be cut , etched , or machined ( e . g ., polished ) to a polygonal or cylindrical shape or other shape as desired so that ferrule may be inserted inside a protective glass sleeve 14 . this is illustrated in fig1 g . the end - face surface is processed the same as other ferrules , the end - face is ground to an 8 ° angle , polished , and coated with an anti - reflective ( ar ) material . one skilled in the art will understand from these examples that there are other similar capillary designs which will similarly support the positioning of optical fibers with tolerances of about 0 . 5 μm . generally , over - etching of the v - grooves is not a problem . if the v - grooves are over - etched , only a uniform vertical shift in the wafers is induced . of course , if the v - grooves are etched excessively , the fibers and alignment pins may have room to move or reposition . fig1 h illustrates the relative position of fibers and alignment pins and v - grooves . the v - groove on the left easily restrains the movement of the fiber . however , the v - groove on the right side provides very little restraint on the fiber and is therefore less desirable . while the wafer ferrule design has several advantages , the wafers and alignment rods can be expensive to manufacture and the process of aligning the fibers properly into the v - grooves can be time consuming . a technique to reduce the disadvantages while still taking advantage of the high accuracy of the v - grooves will now be shown . using this method , a convention ferrule and capillary may be used in combination with wafers to achieve a high degree of accuracy in positioning the fibers at a low cost . the process is as follows and is illustrated in fig1 i . a plurality of optical fibers 131 is inserted into a ferrule 16 . the fibers 131 are sufficiently long to extend out the end of the ferrule 16 . two silicon wafers are etched with v - grooves in the same manner as discussed above . the two wafers 139 are positioned around the fibers 131 such that the fibers 131 are accurately positioned in the v - grooves as discussed above . the wafers 139 are clamped together with a spring clamp or similar device . the fibers 131 are now accurately positioned and adhesive is applied to hold the fibers in place . using this technique , an inexpensive ferrule with a low tolerance capillary can be made to position fibers in a very high degree of accuracy which rivals the two - wafer designs discussed above . the preferred method of applying adhesive to all capillaries includes applying small portions of adhesive 144 a and 144 b to the fibers 131 just outside of the ferrule 16 to block the flow of subsequently applied liquid adhesive . this adhesive is cured before applying additional adhesive . additional adhesive 144 c is applied to the fibers and the end of the ferrule 16 and allowed to wick through the capillary 130 . the liquid adhesive is drawn through the capillary 130 presumably via the process of capillary action and emerges out the end of the ferrule where it is blocked by cured adhesive 144 b . the adhesive 144 c is cured and the wafers 139 are removed . the fibers 131 and ferrule 16 may then be cut and polished as desired . another technique for applying adhesive to the fibers is prior to inserting into the ferrule . this technique has the advantage that the fibers are held together by the liquid adhesive by capillary action . the liquid adhesive may be applied by dipping the fibers into the adhesive , or preferably by applying a small amount of adhesive to the fibers . another design for achieving variable separation distance is illustrated in fig1 j . in this design , a rectangular capillary 130 supports four fibers 131 . the fibers are positioned against the walls of the capillary 130 and therefore the separation distance is controlled by the width of the capillary 130 . the gaps , g4 and g6 , are preferably less than about 1 . 5 μm , and more preferably less then about 1 . 0 μm , and most preferably less than about 0 . 5 μm . however , the horizontal gap g5 between fibers may be as wide as desired . in other words , gap g5 is the shortest or minimum distance between the cladding of adjacent fibers 131 b and 131 c . yet another design is the dual - rectangle capillary illustrated in fig1 k . the capillaries 130 may be manufactured to tolerances of less than 1 . 0 μm using currently known techniques and therefore the separation distance between the fibers can be closely controlled . the dimensions of the capillaries 130 are specified to be 2 . 0 μm wider and taller than the dimensions of the fibers 131 . the tolerance for the capillaries 130 is 2 . 0 μm . therefore , there is room for inserting the fibers into the capillaries and while limiting the repositioning of the fibers . still yet another embodiment is illustrated in fig1 l . this embodiment allows variable positioning of the fibers 131 in both the horizontal and the vertical positions as seen in the figure . this embodiment is similar to fig1 k in both design and tolerances . although the design in fig1 l can be used to achieve large separation distances between the fibers 131 , the fibers can more easily be repositioned within the capillaries 130 due to stresses such as adhesive curing and thermal changes . it should be noted that some care must be taken to provide a reasonable separation between the capillaries 130 . it has been found that small separations lead to fractures and breaks in the glass between the capillaries . in this embodiment , gap g6 is the shortest or minimum distance between the surface of the cladding of the adjacent fibers 131 c and 131 d . [ 0106 ] fig1 m illustrates another dual capillary design similar to the design of fig1 k . however , in this instance , the capillaries are ovals instead of rectangles . the same fabrication techniques and tolerances apply to this embodiment . a hybrid of both fixed and variable separation distance fibers is illustrated in fig1 n . this hybrid design incorporates features of the various designs discussed above . an advantage of this design is the large number of fibers ( for example , 8 as shown in the illustrated embodiment ) that are fit into a single ferrule . however , the separation distance for the fibers is not equal . the four fibers 131 a - 131 d in the middle capillary have a small separation distance while the outer fibers 131 e - 131 h have larger separation distance . in this embodiment , it is preferred that the optical fibers are paired as follows : fiber 131 a with 131 c ; fiber 131 b with 131 d ; fiber 131 e with 131 g ; and fiber 131 f with 131 h . because of the two different separation distances , this design is generally not preferred for use with thin - film filters . this design is suitable for isolators and other optical elements which are not sensitive to aoi . yet another process and apparatus for positioning optical fibers inside of a ferrule uses alignment washers to precisely position the fibers . this process is illustrated in fig1 a and b . the process uses alignment washers 140 shown in fig1 a . washer 140 is shown having four apertures 141 for receiving optical fibers ; however , it is easily scalable to larger numbers of optical fibers . alignment washer 140 allows precision fiber placement into a ferrule 16 using simple and highly manufacturable components . photolithography technology may be used to manufacture the washers 140 with the precisely positioned apertures 141 and spacing between them . the diameter of apertures is preferably about 126 μm which provides approximately 0 . 5 μm gap between the fiber and the wall of the aperture . the tolerances for the location of the apertures are also preferably less than about 1 . 0 μm and more preferably less than about 0 . 5 μm for each pair of the input and reflective fibers . for example , the tolerance for the distance “ d4 ” between the apertures 141 d and 141 b is preferably 0 . 5 μm . the same is applicable to the distance “ d5 ” between apertures 141 a and 141 c . however , the tolerance for the distance “ d6 ” between adjacent apertures such as 141 a and 141 b is preferably less than about 1 . 0 μm and more preferably less than about 0 . 5 μm . a photo - resistive material is used to fabricate the washers 140 . any other technique may be used to form the washer as long as the necessary tolerances are achieved . the washers 140 are used as optical fiber - guiding and constraining devices . the capillaries described above generally result in restricting fiber movement or shifting to less than about 0 . 5 μm . turning to fig1 b there is shown a cross section view of the washers 140 , fibers 142 , and ferrule 16 . fibers 142 are inserted through first washer 140 a , through ferrule 16 , and through a second washer 140 b . ferrule 16 may have a conventional cylindrical capillary 130 . however , the invention may be adapted for use with most capillaries regardless of shape . at this step of the process , it may be helpful to pre - heat the assembly to aid in the installation and precise placement of the fibers 142 . the assembly may then be cooled to room temperature to hold the fibers 142 in position while adhesive is applied . washers 140 are bonded to the end - faces of ferrule 16 . in the case of a ferrule having a cone portion for receiving fibers ( see fig5 ), the washer 140 is preferably bonded at the base of the cone portion where the capillary 130 meets the cone portion . the ferrule capillary 130 is filled with a liquid adhesive via the gap created by the flat portion 143 of washer 140 and either uv cured or thermally cured . the flat portion 143 may also be used to align the fibers at each end of the ferrule prior to curing the adhesive . when both flat portions are aligned , then the fibers are also aligned . the completed assembly is processed the same as a conventional ferrule ; the end - face is ground to approximately an 8 ° angle , polished , and an ar coating is applied . filter aoi and fiber sd are discussed next . for all of the fiber capillaries discussed above , it is important to achieve accurate sd so that the sd can be accurately matched with a filter aoi as discussed in the next section . further , when manufacturing a fiber ferrule having multiple pairs of fibers , it is important for sd for all of the pairs to be approximately equal ( with a tolerance of about 0 . 5 μm ) since this tends to make the active alignment process easier and more successful . the next aspect of the invention is the relationship between the filter angle of incidence ( aoi ) and the optical fiber separation distance ( sd ). the tolerances for sd are precise so that light signals are directed to within about 0 . 5 μm of the center of a desired optical fiber core . it is helpful to define some terms prior to the general discussion of aoi and sd . filter aoi is well known in the art and does not require lengthy explanation . generally , filter aoi is useful in tuning a filter to a desired center wavelength ( cwl ). each filter is characterized according to its cwl and aoi . the aoi value represents the desired angle of incidence for optimal performance of the filter . for proper operation and low insertion loss , the filter should be matched to a pair of optical fibers having a corresponding sd . separation distance ( sd ) is defined , for purposes of this specification , as the distance between the center of the optical fiber cores of two optical fibers . the term generally refers to sd between pairs ( i . e ., an input fiber and a reflective fiber ) of optical fibers . in the preferred embodiment of the invention , sd ranges from about 125 μm to about 250 μm . this range of sd corresponds to an aoi range from about 2 ° to about 3 ° as discussed below ( see fig1 ). it has been found that a precise , cost effective and stable alignment of a filter assembly 10 can be achieved by selecting components having matching characteristics . for example , the components of a filter assembly include the fiber ferrule 16 , collimating lens 22 , and filter 24 . the characteristics , which need to be matched , include the filter aoi , the collimating lens aoi , and the optical fiber sd . the optics of grin lenses are understood and manufacturing a grin lens to match a desired aoi is known in the art . matching the filter aoi and optical fiber sd is not as easy . generally , matching of filter aoi and fiber sd is done by creating a database of measurements for the different sets of the filter chips and the ferrules . first , filters are tested and characterized according to cwl and aoi . the measurements may be performed as follows . a filter is assembled into a filter assembly 10 or similar device so that a light signal may be directed onto the filter . a light signal is transmitted into input optical fiber 18 , transmitted through the collimating lens 22 to filter 24 . the output of filter 24 is monitored and the pass frequency or cwl of the filter is determined . the angle of the light signal impacting relative to the filter is adjusted until the desired output signal from filter 24 is achieved . typically for the commercial thin film filters , the resulting aoi is between about 1 . 8 ° and 3 °. while the filter 24 is at the desired aoi , the corresponding sd may be determined by correlation with the sd data on the ferrule sets . repeated testing and measurement for various filters aoi yields an accurate database that relates filter aoi to a corresponding sd of the ferrule . those skilled in the art understand that these measurements will vary depending on the optical characteristics of a specific design of a filter assembly and therefore should be performed on the specific device for best results . after the measurements are made and the database created , tolerances may be generated for matching input collimating assemblies with filters for a given packaging tolerance accuracy . a table , as shown in fig1 , can be generated showing the range of sd that may be matched to a corresponding range of filter aoi . the components can be categorized and placed in labeled bins so that matching parts may be done quickly and efficiently . as can be seen in fig1 , the range of each sd category is preferably about 3 - 4 μm . this tolerance of 3 - 4 μm is satisfactory for achieving an ultimate tolerance of 0 . 5 μm since the filter 24 may be tilted a small amount to compensate for such small variances in sd without significantly changing the cwl of the filter . the table may also be arranged for tighter tolerances if desired . this may be desirable in some cases where cwl must be very precise since changes in filter aoi effect the cwl of the filter . ideally , the sds for each pair of fibers in an input assembly will be identical or within about 2 μm and therefore will place the input assembly into one of the predefined categories as shown in fig1 . once the matching input collimating assembly ( 4 - port or multiple - port ) 35 and the filter 24 are selected , they may be assembled as discussed above to form a filter assembly 10 . the four - port input and dual - fiber output collimating assemblies will be aligned for a maximum transmitted signal and then soldered with the outer sleeve 32 ( fig3 ) precisely retaining the interrelationships between these collimating assemblies . the assembly of the complete multiple - port device 30 is discussed next . input and output collimating and filtering assemblies are affixed inside protective sleeve 32 . output fiber ferrule collimating assembly 35 ′ is manufactured in nearly the same way as input collimating assembly 35 . however , depending on the application , fewer of the fiber pigtails 38 may be needed . also , it is preferred to use an aspheric collimating lens ( which may be a molded aspheric lens ) instead of a grin lens in the output collimating assembly 35 ′. aspheric lenses have advantages in application to 6 port and higher port devices as compared to grin lenses . first , aspheric lenses have a long working distance , defined as tbe distance from the front focal point to the front surface of the lens . for multiple - port devices , the input and output collimating assemblies should have their focal points coincide in order to optimize the insertion loss . this point should also coincide with the filter coating surface of the filter . for multiple - port collimating assemblies that are on the substrate side of the filter , the working distance must be large enough , or the filter must be thin enough , so that the focal point can be placed on the filter coating surface of the filter . if grin lenses alone are used , then the filter thin films and substrate would need to be very thin ( on the order of 240 times the refractive index of the substrate , in em ). at this thinness , the filter films and substrates would have limitations associated with film stress and also high susceptibility to breakage , cracking , etc . during manufacturing . aspherical lenses have working distance on the order of 2 mm which allows a standard filter and substrate thickness of about 1 . 5 mm ( and larger ) to be used . therefore , a preferred configuration includes a four fiber ferrule , a grin or asphere lens , a bandpass ( thin film filter ) coating , a substrate , an asphere , and a dual fiber ferrule . the following configuration is also possible while still optimizing insertion loss : a four fiber ferrule , an asphere lens , a substrate , a bandpass ( thin film filter ) coating , a grin or asphere , and a dual fiber ferrule . another advantage of aspheric lenses is the flexibility in focal length . in order to keep the angle of incidence to the filter low , a longer focal length of the lens is desirable . this is relatively easy to accomplish with an aspheric lens . molded asphere lenses are available with many different focal lengths at a low cost . for grin lenses , to make the focal length longer , the index profile must change , which represents a significant departure from the standard doping process . it is difficult and costly to obtain grin lenses at arbitrary focal lengths . all of the above makes aspherical lenses more attractive for this application . preferably , the output collimating assembly 35 ′ is manufactured in the same way and to the same tolerances as the input collimating assembly 35 . this is preferred so that the location of output optical fibers 38 will match with the corresponding reflective fiber 20 in the input collimating assembly 35 . also , it is easier to determine the sd characteristic . if pairs of optical fibers are not used in the output collimating assembly 35 ′, then an estimate of the sd is made . the output collimating assembly 35 ′ is optically aligned with filter 24 by micro - tilting , rotating , and axially adjusting the assembly 35 ′ for maximum transmission . this is possible because the interior dimension of protective sleeve 32 is substantially larger than the exterior dimensions of output assembly 35 ′. micro - tilting may be achieved by a micro - tilting device grasping both the protective sleeve 32 and the end of the output assembly 35 ′ that extends from the protective sleeve 32 . the preferred embodiment provides a gap of about 50 - 100 μm which is sufficient to permit micro - tilting of output assembly 35 ′ inside of sleeve 32 . once the active alignment of output collimating assembly 35 ′ is complete , output collimating assembly 35 ′ is affixed using a solder or adhesive 33 which is inserted into the gap between the exterior of collimating assembly 35 ′ and the protective sleeve 32 . the previous discussion has related to how to manufacture multiple - port devices such as four - fiber ferrules and six - and eight - port filtering packages . the following discussion relates to further applications of these devices and additional advantages of the invention . turning first to fig1 a , there is shown a schematic diagram of a four - port filtering assembly which includes a first input fiber 160 a , a first reflective fiber 160 b coupled to a second input fiber 160 c , and a second reflective fiber 160 d . also illustrated are ferrule 16 , lens 22 , and filter 24 . in operation , a light signal is input through first input fiber 160 a , collimated by lens 22 and partially reflected by filter 24 . the reflected signal is received by first reflective fiber 160 b and communicated to second input fiber 160 c . the signal is again collimated by lens 22 and partially reflected by filter 24 and finally received by second reflective fiber 160 d which can communicate the signal to an optical communications system , network or a desired destination . features of this device provide enhanced performance which is useful in optical communication systems . first , the same filter is used to reflect the signal each time . this is an advantage over devices that required two distinct filters to perform this function . further , the performance is enhanced because the filtering characteristic is identical for each reflection . in devices using two filters , the filters typically have filtering characteristics that are similar but not identical . therefore , this design may result in improved filtering characteristics such as , for example , sharper and steeper cut - off frequencies . an example of uses for such devices is a notch filter . typically one reflection from a thin - film notch filter will provide 12 to 15 db of separation . a second reflection from the same filter will yield a separation of 24 to 30 db . the device also has application to various other shaping filters . a second feature which improves performance is the coupling between the first reflective fiber 160 b and the second input fiber 160 c . both of these fibers may be formed from a single , unbroken optical fiber . this eliminates the requirement for an optical coupling device between two separate fibers . coupling devices typically have insertion loss associated with their use . elimination of the coupling device therefore improves the performance of the four - port filter 161 . another embodiment of the four - port filter 161 is suitable for gain flattening filters commonly associated with optical amplifiers . as illustrated in fig1 b , a signal is input by first input fiber 160 a , reflected by gain flattening filter 24 to first reflective fiber 160 b . the signal is amplified by amplifier 162 and communicated to second input fiber 160 c . the signal is again reflected by gain flattening filter 24 to second reflective fiber 160 d . in another embodiment , a single filter assembly 161 may be used to gain flatten the signals from two amplifiers 162 . fig1 c shows a schematic view of filtering assembly 161 coupled to two amplifiers 162 a and 162 b . a light signal is input through fist input fiber 160 a and reflected by gain - flattening filter 24 . the reflected signal travels through first reflective fiber 160 b to first amplifier 162 a . the amplified signal travels back to filter assembly 161 through second input fiber 160 c where it is again reflected by gain - flattening filter 24 and output through second reflective fiber 160 d to second amplifier 162 b . [ 0130 ] fig1 d is an opto - mechanical schematic of a five - port filter 163 . the operation of the filter is very similar to the assembly of fig1 a ; however , this five - port filter includes an output collimating assembly for receiving the signal transmitted through the filter 24 . filter 24 may be any of a variety of thin film filters , such as , for descriptive purposes , a narrow band - pass filter . a light signal is input by first input fiber 160 a , collimated by lens 22 and partially reflected by filter 24 . the selected narrow band portion of the signal is transmitted through the filter 24 to transmitted fiber 160 e . the reflected portion of the signal is communicated through first reflective fiber 160 b and second input fiber 160 c and reflected again by filter 24 . the twice reflected signal is then output by second reflective fiber 160 d and the isolation from the transmitted frequency is as high as 24 - 30 db . in yet another embodiment , the filtering package is coupled to heat sink ports or terminals 165 to dissipate excess signal energy . in this embodiment , illustrated in fig1 e , filter 24 may be any of a variety of thin film - type filters such as a band - pass filter or gain - flattening filter . a first input signal is transmitted through first input fiber 160 a , collimated by lens 22 and partially reflected and partially transmitted by filter 24 . the transmitted portion is transmitted through lens 34 to first transmitted fiber 160 e which is presumably coupled to a communications system . the reflected portion of the first input signal is reflected back through lens 22 to first reflective fiber 160 b which is coupled to a first terminal 165 a . terminals 165 are heat dissipation devices commonly known in the art which harmlessly dissipate the waste energy . a similar path is followed by a second light signal that is transmitted through second input fiber 160 c . the transmitted portion of the signal is transmitted to second transmitted fiber 160 f and the reflected waste energy portion is channeled to a second terminal 165 b via second reflective fiber 160 d . [ 0132 ] fig1 f illustrates another embodiment with integrated waste energy heat sink ports . however , in this embodiment , the heat sink terminals 165 are coupled to the transmitted fibers 160 e and 160 f . the reflected signals are output through first and second reflective fibers 160 b and 160 d and presumably connected to a communications system . [ 0133 ] fig1 g is a schematic diagram of an add / drop package using the instant invention . filter 24 is a thin - film band pass filter which passes light at wavelength λ1 and reflects all other wavelengths . lenses 22 and 34 are preferably collimating grin lenses . a first light signal enters via input fiber i 1 with wavelengths λ 1 . . . λ n . wavelength λ 1 is transmitted to fiber t 1 and wavelengths λ 2 . . . λ n are reflected to fiber r 1 , and thereby one channel or wavelength is dropped or de - multiplexed from the input signal . conversely , another signal is input to fiber i 2 with wavelengths λ 2 . . . λ n and a third signal is input to fiber i 3 with a wavelength of λ 1 . the wavelengths λ 2 . . . λ n are reflected by filter 24 to fiber r 2 . in addition , the wavelength λ 1 is transmitted through filter 24 to fiber r 2 . therefore fiber r 2 exits the package 171 with wavelengths λ 1 . . . λ n and thereby one channel or wavelength is added or multiplexed into the original signal from fiber i 2 . [ 0134 ] fig1 h is a schematic diagram of an eight - port package 166 . this embodiment includes four input fibers i 1 . . . i 4 that are coupled to four transmitted fibers t 1 . . . t 4 through an input collimating lens 22 , an optical element 24 , and an output collimating lens 34 . the optical element may be any of various shaping filters such as a gain - flattening filter or band - pass filter . however , this embodiment is particularly well - suited to be used with a crystal element , such as an isolator , as the optical element of choice . the final embodiment of an optical package is an eight - port add / drop device . fig1 i is a schematic diagram of the package which is capable of both adding and dropping a channel for two separate light signals . the operation is as follow . a first light signal with wavelengths λ 1 . . . λ n is input through fiber i 1 . filter 24 is a band pass filter which passes only light of wavelength λ 1 and reflects all other wavelengths . therefore , wavelength λ 1 is transmitted to fiber t 1 and the remaining wavelengths , λ 2 . . . λ n , are reflected to fiber r 1 . a second signal having a wavelength λ 1 is input through fiber i 2 . fiber i 2 is optically aligned with fiber r 1 and therefore the signal is passed through filter 24 and coupled to fiber r 1 and the resulting signal on fiber r 1 contains wavelengths λ 1 . . . λ n . thus , the original channel at wavelength λ 1 and a new channel at wavelength λ 1 has been added . the same operation is accomplished on fibers i 3 , i 4 , r 2 , and t 2 . in yet another embodiment , a compact dwdm module is created as schematically illustrated in fig1 . this figure illustrates a four - channel add / drop module useful in a communications system . concatenating four six - port filtering packages 171 ( such as described in relation to fig1 g ) together creates the module . beginning with the de - multiplex ( i . e ., drop function ), the demux signal containing wavelengths λ 1 . . . λ n enters the package via first input fiber i 1 of package 171 a and is collimated by input lens 22 . a portion of the signal , λ 1 , is transmitted through filter 24 a and transmitted out of the module via transmitted fiber t 1 . the remaining wavelengths λ 2 . . . λ n are reflected to reflective fiber r 1 and communicated to the first input fiber of package 171 b . filter 24 b in package 171 b transmits wavelength λ2 to transmitted fiber t 2 and reflects the remaining wavelengths λ 3 . . . λ n to reflective fiber r 2 which communicates the signal to the first input fiber of package 171 c . the process continues and wavelength λ 3 is transmitted to fiber t 3 in package 171 c . similarly , wavelength λ 4 is transmitted to fiber t 4 in package 171 d . the dwdm module 170 also multiplexes signals . starting with the second input fiber 12 of package 171 a , a signal of wavelength λ 1 is transmitted through filter 24 a to transmitted fiber t5 and coupled to package 171 b . in package 171 b , a signal of wavelength λ 2 is similarly input and transmitted through filter 24 b . filter 24 b reflects wavelength λ 1 and thereby causes both wavelengths to be multiplexed and communicated to package 171 c . in package 171 c , wavelength λ 3 is added to wavelengths λ 1 and λ 2 . the signal containing all three wavelengths is communicated to package 171 d where wavelength λ 4 is added . it will become apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications to the preferred embodiment of the invention as described herein can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . | 6 |
fig4 is a section through the arrangement shown in fig1 along b - b after rotation by 90 ° in the clockwise direction with the slide in the open position . fig1 shows a perspective view of an arrangement 1 for the vapor deposition on substrates of materials , for example organic materials , under vacuum . over the arrangement 1 a laminar substrate 38 is guided along b - b . if the substrate is a synthetic film , it can , as described in jp 2001 - 279425 , be moved over the arrangement 1 . to generate sharp - edged strips , the distance between substrate 38 and the arrangement 1 is most often very small . the arrangement 1 includes an oil pan 2 , in which is disposed oil to be evaporated . on this oil pan 2 lies an insulating layer 3 , on which a heating plate 4 is disposed . on the heating plate 4 is located a nozzle bar 5 , which has a gap 6 on its top edge . instead of a gap 6 , individual nozzles can also be provided . along line a - a is provided a slide 7 with bores , of which in fig1 only bore 10 is visible . the gap 6 is delimited by two regions 24 , 25 . the arrangement 1 comprises furthermore connecting elements 28 to 32 , which connect with one another the oil pan 2 , the insulating layer 3 , the heating plate 4 as well as the nozzle bar 5 resting thereon . the oil pan 2 includes at least one heating system , which is shown in fig1 as a rod heater 9 . this heater 9 is for example a resistance heater , which is preferably operated via an ac voltage source . through this rod heater 9 the oil in the oil pan 2 is evaporated . to prevent the condensation of the vapor in the central region of the arrangement 1 , the heating plate 4 includes at least one separate rod heater 8 . fig2 shows a perspective view of the arrangement 1 depicted in fig1 without the substrate 38 and without the nozzle bar 5 . again , the slide 7 can be seen , which is disposed in the heating plate 4 . as shown here , this slide 7 can assume the form of an elongated plate . the heating plate 4 is in contact on the insulating plate 3 which rests on the oil pan 2 , and the insulating plate 3 , the heating plate 4 and the oil pan 2 are connected with one another through the connecting elements 28 to 37 . the rod heaters 9 , 8 and 27 are moreover evident . the insulating plate 3 serves for the thermal decoupling of oil pan 2 and the plate 4 . with the separate heaters , the rod heater 8 and the heater 9 different temperatures can therewith be set in the plate 4 and in the oil pan 2 . the insulating plate 3 is comprised of a substantially flexible synthetic material , which serves simultaneously as a sealing material . the heating plate 4 has in its center along line a - a a recess into which the slide 7 is fitted . this slide 7 has several openings 10 to 14 disposed in a row , which are spaced substantially equidistantly from one another . the slide 7 is displaceable along a - a ( see arrow ). it must have at least as many openings 10 to 14 as the heating plate 4 — not visible in fig2 — has bores , the distance of the centers of two openings 10 to 14 corresponding to the distance of the centers of two bores in the heating plate 4 . the diameter of the bores of the heating plate 4 corresponds substantially to the diameter of the openings 10 to 14 of the slide 7 . consequently the slide 7 is of a length corresponding to the length of the heating plate 4 plus the distance of the center of two openings 10 to 14 . it becomes thereby possible that , for one , the centers of openings 10 to 14 can lie precisely over the centers of the bores and , for another , between the centers of the bores . if they are precisely above the bores , the vapor can escape from the interior of the oil pan 2 , however , if they lie between the bores , an escape of the vapor is prevented . it is understood that between these two extreme positions there are possible positions in which a reduced quantity of vapor can escape . it is understood that a greater number of , and also smaller sized , openings 10 to 14 can be provided , than is shown in fig2 . on both sides of the heating plate 4 , which extend along a - a , a sealing material 15 , 16 is disposed which prevents vapor from escaping from the oil pan 2 . this sealing material 15 , 16 contains preferably a rubber - type elastic material . fig3 depicts a segment of a longitudinal section through the arrangement according to fig1 along a - a . in the interior space 18 of the oil pan 2 can be seen the heating rod 9 , which is completely encompassed by oil . on the oil pan 2 is located the insulating plate 3 , on which the heating plate 4 is disposed . this heating plate 4 includes several bores 19 to 22 , out of which the vapor can rise through the openings 10 to 14 of the slide 7 into the interspace 26 . as can be seen in fig3 a portion of the slide 7 with opening 10 lies outside of the oil pan 2 . the slide 7 is so disposed on the heating plate 4 that a portion of the openings 12 to 14 of the slide is aligned with the bores 19 to 21 of the heating plate 4 . the rising vapor can consequently penetrate out of the arrangement 1 through the bores 19 to 21 and the openings 12 to 14 into the interspace 26 of the nozzle bar 5 and from there through the gap 6 . in this way the vapor reaches the substrate 38 which is moved over the arrangement 1 . if the slide 7 is slid further into the arrangement 1 it can be attained that the openings 10 to 12 now only partially lie above bores 19 to 22 . the slide 7 in this case acts like a throttle valve , since less vapor can penetrate out of the oil pan 2 . if the slide 7 is slid even further into the arrangement 1 , the coating process is completely interrupted , since none of the openings still lies over the bores 19 to 22 and it is no longer possible for vapor to escape from the oil pan 2 . fig4 shows a section through the arrangement 1 depicted in fig3 along b - b after rotation about 90 ° in the clockwise direction . a substrate 38 is moved over and past the arrangement 1 . in the interior 18 of the oil pan 2 extends the heating rod 9 , which is completely encompassed by oil 17 . on the oil pan 2 lies the insulating plate 3 as well as the heating plate 4 and the nozzle bar 5 . all of these elements 2 to 5 are held together with connecting pieces 29 , 34 , such that they are closely adjoining one another . it is thereby not possible for vapor to escape at the sides of the arrangement 1 . through the heating plate 4 extend the two heating rods 8 and 27 . visible are also the rubber - type elastic material 15 , 16 as well as the sealing material 23 which extends parallel to bore 19 . this bore 19 is consequently , as are the remaining bores 20 , 21 , 22 , also completely encompassed by sealing material . on the heating plate 4 rests the slide 7 with opening 12 , which lies directly over bore 19 . therewith the rising vapor can reach the interspace 26 . in order to attain uniform oil strips specifically in the case of nozzle bars with few nozzles , an equalization of the vapor pressure must be possible without marked flow resistances . therefore the interspace 26 beneath the nozzles must be as large as possible . the nozzle bar 5 has a gap 6 defined by the two regions 24 , 25 . through the gap 6 the vapor can leave the arrangement 1 and reach the substrate 38 moving past it , where it lastly condenses . the sliding of the slide 7 accomplishes that the opening 12 no longer , or only partially , lies over bore 19 . if it lies only partially over bore 19 , a throttle effect is obtained , in contrast , if the opening 12 is no longer over bore 19 , no vapor can escape . consequently the slide 7 acts as a seal - off valve . once the coating process has been completed and the arrangement 1 has cooled down , the connecting pieces 29 , 34 can be removed and the unit can readily be taken apart and cleaned . | 2 |
on the basis of fig1 which shows the state of the art , the friction stir welding procedure is first shortly explained , since the principle is basically used by the device 10 according to the invention as shown in fig3 and 4 . two workpieces 11 and 12 which are shown as plates are placed next to each other so as to abut each other along an area where they are to be joined by a butt weld seam 31 . at the ends to be joined , that is , in the connection area 13 , a small space is provided . the two workpieces 11 and 12 are pressed toward each other against support spacers , which are not shown in the figure so that they cannot move during the welding procedure . a shaft 14 , which can be rotated by drive means 28 as indicated by the arrow 30 is provided at its end 15 remote from the drive means 28 with a first shoulder 18 which forms a first stop 19 , see also fig2 . at the end 17 of the pin - like projection remote from the drive means 28 a second stop 21 is provided which forms a second shoulder 20 directed toward the pin - like projection 16 . the axial distance between the first and the second shoulders 18 , 20 is fixed in the device of the prior art . by rotating the shaft 14 , and together therewith the pin - like projection 16 , the material of the workpieces 11 and 12 is plasticized between the opposite shoulders 18 and 20 by friction heating when the pin - like projection is moved into the connection area 13 of the two workpieces . the plasticized materials of the two workpieces 11 and 12 intermix and form a weld seam 31 , see the completed weld seam at the left end of the seam shown in fig1 . the rotating pin - like projection 16 is moved in the direction of arrow 29 along the connection area 13 by suitable guide and drive means . this procedure is applicable generally also to the device according to the invention 10 as shown in fig3 and 4 . the device 10 according to the invention , in the embodiment as shown fig3 differs from the state of the art in that the second stop 21 and , together therewith , the shoulder 20 is movable axially back and forth with respect to the shoulder 18 ( arrow 32 ) in order to engage the workpieces with a predetermined force between the two shoulders 18 and 20 of the two stops 19 and 21 . for generating this engagement force , a housing 22 is provided in which the shaft 14 is rotatably supported by bearings 33 in an axially movable guide structure 25 . at the end 15 of the shaft 14 , a piston element 23 is provided which is axially movably supported in a cylinder chamber 24 , which is also formed in the housing 22 . the shaft 14 is provided with a pin - like projection 26 forming a welding tool . the piston element 23 is sealed in the walls of cylinder chamber 24 in a suitable manner so that no flow connection exists between the cylinder chambers 24 at opposite sides of the piston or between the chambers 24 and the rest of the housing 22 in which the guide structure 25 is disposed . by way of communication lines which are only indicated in the figures pressurized hydraulic fluid 34 is supplied selectively to the chambers 24 or removed therefrom whereby the housing 22 and together therewith the first stop 19 are moved back and forth , see arrow 32 . in this way , it is made sure that , depending on the pressurization of the hydraulic fluid chambers 24 , a suitable engagement pressure between the first and the second stop 19 and 21 can be established , or respectively , between the first and the second shoulder 18 , 20 , between which the two workpieces are disposed thereby providing for an engagement force of the two workpieces which is independent of the thickness of the workpieces . by support means which are not shown in the drawings , for example , by stops on a drive motor or on a manufacturing robot on which the device 10 is mounted the housing 22 is retained stationary that is non - rotating relative to the shaft 14 . the stop 19 provided on the housing 22 are then also stationary relative to the shaft 14 . in the embodiment according to fig4 parts essentially identical to those shown in fig3 are indicated by the same reference numerals . also in this embodiment , the outer housing 22 is stationary with respect to the shaft 14 . other than in the embodiment shown in fig3 the embodiment of fig4 includes in the housing 22 a guide element 26 , which is not axially movable relative to the housing 22 but which is rotatably supported in the housing 22 by bearings 33 and which is rotatable together with the shaft 14 . the guide element 26 includes a cylinder space 27 in which a piston 23 is disposed . the piston 23 is provided with a pin - like projection 16 and is movable back and forth by the admission or removal of hydraulic fluid to or from the cylinder chambers 27 formed at opposite sides of the piston 23 . the stop 19 forming the first shoulder 18 is provided on the guide element 26 . in the embodiment shown in fig4 the stop 19 is formed integrally with the guide element 26 , but it could be provided by a separate element . the cylinder chambers 27 and the piston 23 have both an essentially elliptical cross - section so that they are rotatable in unison . in this way , rotation of the shaft 14 in the direction as indicated by the arrow 30 is transmitted to the piston 23 and to the pin - like projection 16 , to which the second stop 21 is connected . it is pointed out that the connection between the end 17 of the pin - like projection 16 and the second stop 21 may be releasable . also , the pin - like projection 16 may be releasably connected to the end 15 of the shaft 14 remote from the drive means so that the pin - like projection 16 can be easily replaced if it is damaged or when it is worn by a new pin - like projection . the removability of the second stop 21 may further be advantageous when , for performing the welding procedure , the pin - like projection is to be moved into welding position in an axial direction of the pin that is when lateral positioning is not possible . it may be necessary to drill a hole into the connection area of the workpieces 11 , 12 which hole has a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the pin - like projection 16 and to insert the pin - like projection , with the second stop removed , through the hole and then to re - mount the second stop onto the pin - like projection . the second stop may be mounted onto the pin - like projection for example by a thread or by another suitable connection . in the embodiment of the device according to fig4 the first stop 19 with the first shoulder 18 and the second stop 21 with the second shoulder 20 both rotate during the welding procedure . with the embodiment according to fig3 the device may be arranged at an angle to the workpieces 11 , 12 , which is different from a normal 90 ° angle . such an angle may be provided by a corresponding form of the shoulder 18 . in contrast to the arrangements as known in the art , the device according to the invention permits a control of the forces with which the workpieces 11 , 12 are engaged between the stops 19 , 21 . during rotation of the shaft 14 , the force can be adjusted by a corresponding control of the hydraulic fluid admitted to the cylinder chambers 24 at opposite sides of the piston 23 . upon completion of the welding procedure , the two stops 19 , 21 can be moved apart by an appropriate control of the hydraulic fluid 34 providing for the appropriate movement of the piston 23 . then the pin - like projection is released or , in connection with the above mentioned example with the hole in the connection area of the workpieces 11 , 12 , the pin - like projection is pulled out of a target hole at the end of the welding seam 31 after the second stop 21 has been removed . it is finally pointed out that the material of which the pin - like projection 16 or the stops 19 , 21 consist can be selected depending on the material of which the workpieces 11 , 12 consist . the selection is to be made by an expert depending on the circumstances . | 1 |
a better understanding of various features and advantages of the present methods and devices may be obtained by reference to the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments of the invention and accompanying drawings . although these drawings depict embodiments of the contemplated methods and devices , they should not be construed as foreclosing alternative or equivalent embodiments apparent to those of ordinary skill in the subject art . referring to the drawings , and initially to fig1 , one form of liquid analysis apparatus , indicated generally by the reference number 10 , comprises a rotary analyzer , indicated generally by the reference number 12 and shown in more detail in fig2 , connected to a computer 14 . computer 14 may be a conventional personal computer or similar device suitably programmed , and may comprise , among other equipment , a processor or controller 16 , input and output devices such as a keyboard 18 and a monitor 20 , random access memory ( ram ) 22 , read - only memory ( rom ) 24 , magnetic disks or other long - term storage 26 , and an interface 28 to an external network 10 or other communications media . the interface 28 may also provide a connection from the computer 14 to the rotary analyzer 12 . referring , now also to fig2 , the rotary analyzer 12 comprises a base 50 defining a recess 52 in its upper surface , and a lid 54 hinged to base 50 and defining a generally cylindrical recess 56 in its lower surface . when the lid 54 is closed , it preferably fits into recess 52 . a spindle 58 projects through the lower surface of the recess 52 and is received in the recess 56 when the lid 54 is closed . the spindle 58 has a flat surface 60 on one side . below the bottom of the recess 52 , the spindle 58 is connected to and driven by a motor 62 , and is preferably connected to a rotary encoder 64 or similar device by which its rotational position can be monitored . however , as will become apparent after review of the following description , other well known mechanisms can be used to provide rotational position signals to the apparatus . in the embodiment shown , four light sources , preferably light emitting diodes ( leds ) 68 , 70 , 72 , 74 are mounted in the underside of the lid 54 in the top of recess 56 . the leds 68 , 70 , 72 , 74 may be of different colors , for example , respectively red , yellow , green , and blue . four light detectors , such as phowdiodes or other photoelectric transducers 76 , 78 , 80 , 82 , are mounted in the bottom of the recess 52 , each facing a respective one of leds 68 , 70 , 72 , 74 . each transducer 76 , 78 , 80 , 82 may be provided with a dichroic or other band - pass filter or otherwise optimized to be selectively sensitive to the light from its respective led . it is also contemplated that the light sources could be located on the same side as the detectors ( e . g ., the bottom of the recess ) with a reflective surface mounted on the opposite side of the recess ( e . g ., on the lid ). in other embodiments , more or fewer light sources , and / or light sources of different colors , which may include infrared and / or ultraviolet , may be used . in other embodiments , other sorts of light sources , which may include a broadband source such as an incandescent lamp , may be used . a first permanent magnet 84 is mounted in the underside of lid 54 between two of the leds . a second permanent magnet 86 is preferably mounted in the bottom of recess 52 , between two of the transducers , spaced apart from the first magnet 84 . the leds 68 , 70 , 72 , 74 , the transducers 76 , 78 , 80 , 82 , and the magnets 84 , 86 are preferably all at the same radius from the axis of rotation of spindle 58 , however it is contemplated that the magnets can be located to a different radius depending on the construction of the cartridge . an indicator lamp 88 may be provided on the exterior of the rotary analyzer 14 , in a position where it is easily visible even with lid 54 dosed . an interlock switch 90 may be provided to detect when lid 54 is closed . a processor or controller 94 suitably programmed is provided , and receives inputs from the transducers 76 , 78 , 80 , 82 , the rotary encoder 64 , and interlock switch 90 , and controls the leds 68 , 70 , 72 , 74 , the motor 62 , and the indicator light 88 . the interlock switch 90 is preferably configured to provide signal to the processor or controller 94 for detecting when the lid is closed in order to prevent activation of the spindle 58 when the lid is not in its closed position . the indicator light 88 preferably is illuminated when the analyzer is active or when the testing is complete . referring now also to fig3 , one form of cartridge , indicated generally by the reference number 100 , comprises a molded body with a generally flat lid or top surface 101 . cartridge 100 comprises a central opening 102 that is preferably d - shaped an configured to engage with the flat 60 on the spindle 58 , so that when the cartridge 100 is mounted on the spindle 58 the orientation of the cartridge 100 relative to the rotary encoder 64 is fixed and predetermined . it is contemplated that the opening 102 can be any suitable non - circular shape designed to mate with a complementary spindle shape . at least partially surrounding the central opening 102 is an annular filling chamber 104 , which in one embodiment extends around the opening about 330 ° of the circumference of the cartridge . at one end of the filling chamber 104 preferably includes a radially inward extension 106 , that includes a filling port 108 , which is the an opening through the lid of cartridge 100 . water can be injected through filling port 108 using a conventional syringe ( not shown ) into filling chamber 104 . visible indicia may be molded into or placed on the lid of the cartridge 100 , for example , to point out where the filling port 108 is located and / or to indicate a point to which the filling chamber 104 should be filled . at the end of the filling chamber 104 remote from the filling port 108 , a transfer passage 110 extends radially outward to a distribution gallery 112 , which in the illustrated embodiment almost completely encircles the cartridge 100 outside the filling chamber 100 . of course it is contemplated that multiple passages 100 can communicate with multiple galleys 112 . from the distribution gallery 112 , a plurality of spouts or channels 114 extend radially outward . from the end of the distribution gallery 112 furthest from the transfer passage 110 , there is preferably located an overflow passage 116 that extends radially inwards , and opens into the central opening 102 through the flat side of the d - shaped opening . outside the distribution gallery 112 are several analysis chambers 120 , each with an associated agitator chamber 122 , at least one comparison chamber 124 , and an overflow chamber 126 . the analysis chambers 120 , comparison chamber 124 and overflow chamber 126 are each connected to the distribution galley through one of the channels 114 . the analysis chambers 120 are located circumferentially on a circle with a radius that corresponds to the radial location of the leds 68 , 70 , 72 , 74 , the photoelectric transducers 76 , 78 , 80 , 82 , and preferably the magnets 84 , 86 . the analysis chambers 120 are preferably equally sized and evenly spaced , although that is not necessary in the present invention . in the cartridge 100 shown in fig3 , there are ten analysis chambers 120 , spaced at intervals of approximately 30 ° ( 1 / 12 of the circumference of the cartridge ). the comparison chamber 124 occupies an eleventh position , and in the illustrated embodiment is about the same size as an analysis chamber , but does not have an associated agitator chamber . the overflow chamber 126 occupies the twelfth position , and is larger than the analysis chambers . the overflow chamber 126 uses up the space that is available where the overflow and comparison chambers do not have agitator chambers . the overflow chamber 126 is at the same end of distribution gallery 112 as the overflow passage 116 . as shown in fig3 a . the analysis chambers 120 are elongated in the circumferential direction , and extend between the top and bottom of the cartridge 100 , dosed off by the lid 101 . the agitator chambers 122 are preferably generally circular in cross - section , and extend between the top and bottom of the cartridge 100 , closed off by the lid 101 . each agitator chamber 122 is connected to its associated analysis chamber 120 by a slot 128 preferably extending between the top and bottom of the cartridge . each agitator chamber 122 contains an agitator 130 preferably in the form of a magnetizable stainless steel ball bearing ( bb ) that is small enough to move freely along the agitator chamber 122 between the positions shown in fig3 a and fig3 b , but large enough to displace water like a piston when it does so , and too large to pass through the slot 128 . the top and bottom faces or surfaces of the cartridge 100 above and below the analysis chambers 120 are preferably made smooth , flat , and clear , so as to permit the transmission of light with minimal absorption and scattering . in a ready - for - use condition of the cartridge 100 , each analysis chamber 120 contains a predetermined amount of a selected reagent 121 . preferably , the reagents 121 are introduced into the analysis chambers 120 in liquid form and dried or allowed to dry onto the bottoms of the analysis chambers , thus immobilizing the reagents so that they do not move outside their respective chambers during shipping . alternatively , the reagents could be dried prior and then metered into the chambers . once the reagents and the agitators 130 have been introduced into the cartridge 100 , the lid 101 is attached , for example , by sonic welding . in one example of a cartridge for analyzing swimming - pool water , the reagents are suitable for measuring one or more of the following , preferably all : free chlorine / bromine ; total chlorine ; total alkalinity ; ph ; calcium and / or magnesium hardness ( at two different ranges ); copper ; iron ; borate ; and cyanuric acid . in another example , biguanide and biguanide shock measuring reagents are substituted for the chlorine and bromine tests , and the cyanuric acid test is omitted . in use , a measured amount of water or other liquid to be analyzed is injected into the filling chamber 104 through the filling port 108 . the amount may be measured by tilling the filling chamber 104 until the water reaches a visible filling mark , for example , until the boundary between the area of the chamber 104 furthest from the fill port 108 is filled and at a location underneath or between lines molded on the cartridge 100 . as liquid is injected in the filling chamber 104 , air in the chamber is displaced through the overflow passage 116 . other mechanisms for venting air can be provided , such as a vent port on the distribution gallery 112 . the cartridge 100 is then placed over the spindle 58 , with the flat surface 60 on the spindle 58 engaging the flat side of d - shaped opening 102 in the cartridge 100 . a cover 140 is then preferably placed over cartridge 100 . the cover 140 may he made from an opaque or black material or suitably coated to limit and absorb stray light from the leds 68 , 70 , 72 , 74 , and may be made of a strong plastic to protect the analyzer 12 if there is any failure of the cartridge 100 . the cover 140 may have openings aligned with the analysis chambers 120 , and a d - shaped central opening that engages the flat 60 of spindle 58 so that the openings in the cover 140 remain in alignment with the analysis chambers 120 . the cover 140 may be omitted . in an alternative embodiment , another provision may be made for reducing stray light . for example , the spindle 58 may be provided with a fat plate on which the cartridge 100 rests , and which has openings aligned with the analysis chambers 120 . once the cartridge is mounted , the lid 54 is closed , and the analyzer 12 is activated , either by a control on the analyzer itself or by a command signal from a computer 14 . the motor 62 rotates the spindle 58 , which rotates the cartridge 100 at a speed suitable for generating sufficient centrifugal force to cause the liquid to flow outward from the filling chamber 104 through the transfer passage 110 to the distribution gallery 112 . the liquid flows along the distribution gallery 112 , and outward , again by centrifugal three through the channels 114 to fill the analysis chambers 120 and the comparison chamber 124 . any excess liquid will pass through the whole length of the distribution gallery 112 into the overflow chamber 125 . any excess liquid should remain in filling , chamber 104 or distribution galley 112 , because the outlet of overflow passage 116 is radially inward from the distribution galley , closer to the center of rotation . once the liquid has been distributed to the analysis chambers 120 , the motor 62 continues to rotate the cartridge 100 . as each agitator chamber 122 passes the magnets 84 , 86 , the agitator 130 is attracted by the magnets and moves alternately up and down within the agitator chamber 122 , between the positions shown in fig3 a and 313 , depending on the magnet it passes . the movement of the agitator 130 causes an oscillating circulation of liquid within the agitator chamber 122 and its associated analysis chamber 120 . the circulation of liquid assists in the dissolving or suspension of the reagent 121 into the liquid , and facilitate the even mixing of the reagent 121 throughout the liquid in analysis chamber 120 . each reagent is preferably formulated using known techniques such that it forms an appearance such as hue , intensity of color , or opacity that is detectable or measurable by light , depending on the presence , absence , or concentration of the analyte that each reagent is intended to detect . in an embodiment , different reagents 121 in the different analysis chambers 120 from different colors , depending on the concentration of the analyte that each reagent is intended to detect . each color may be measured by the absorption of the light from one or more of the leds 68 , 70 , 72 , 74 before it reaches its respective transducer 76 , 78 , 80 , 82 , or alternatively , by the amount of light that passes through to the respective transducer . the colors may vary in hue , intensity , or both . for example , one standard reagent for measuring chlorine concentration produces a pink color that becomes darker as the chlorine concentration increases , and may be measured by the absorption of blue light from the led 74 . for example , one standard reagent for measuring ph varies in hue from yellow at low ph to red at high ph , and may be measured by the absorption of light from the yellow led 70 or the green led 72 . a reagent that varies it hue may also be measured by the difference between absorptions of light from light sources of two different colors . errors caused by variation in the intensity of the light emitted by the leds , and lack of transparency of the initial liquid samples , may be corrected by measuring the light transmitted through the reference chamber 124 . the light of each color transmitted by each chamber may be identified by synchronizing the time - varying output from the transducers 76 , 78 , 80 , 82 with the timing information from the rotary encoder 64 as the spindle 58 rotates . in an embodiment , the processor 94 repeatedly samples the measured light intensity data from the transducers 76 , 78 , 80 , 82 . the processor 94 discards readings that do not match one of the analysis chambers 120 or the reference chamber 124 . merely by way of example , the processor 94 may sample the transducers 400 times per revolution of the cartridge 100 , and extract 4 readings for each analysis chamber 120 per revolution . the readings are then averaged over several revolutions , and a matrix of 11 × 4 averaged readings is transmitted by the processor 94 to the computer 14 . the computer 14 is programmed with calibration data for the set of reagents 121 in the cartridge 100 , and converts the light intensity data into concentrations of the various analytes . programs for converting the light intensities into analyte concentrations , including databases of the characteristics of standard reagents , are commercially available and , in the interests of conciseness , need not be further described here . the computer 14 may display the concentrations on screen 20 . while the analyzer is shown having a processor 94 mounted within it , it is also contemplated that all the processing may occur at the computer . alternatively , the processor 94 can be programmed to provide all the analysis necessary and provide the results to the computer or other display device . instead , or in addition , where the liquid sample being analyzed has a desired or ideal condition ( as is the case , for example , with swimming pool water ) the computer 14 may be programmed with a data file of available treatments to adjust the condition . optionally , relevant properties of a source of the liquid sample being analyzed may also be stored on the computer 14 or input during the analysis , and the computer 14 may then generate a prescription for treatments to correct any problem detected by the analysis . for example , if the sample being analyzed is water from a swimming pool being analyzed at a pool supplies store , one important piece of information , is the size of the pool . if the analysis shows that the water is outside a desirable range for one or more analytes in the specific size pool , the computer 14 can then generate a list of specific quantities of select pool chemicals that are in stock in the store and needed to correct the results of the analysis . because different brands of chemicals may come in different formulations , container sizes , and concentrations , that typically may require at least a separate data file for each brand . as an example of suitable dimensions , for a water analyzing apparatus for swimming - pool water , a cartridge as shown in fig3 may be approximately 23 mm ( 15 / 16 inch ) in radius to the centers of the analysis chambers , and approximately 12 mm ( ½ inch ) high . the amount of water used may be from 2 . 7 to 2 . 9 ml . the cartridge may be rotated at around 2300 rpm to distribute the water to the analysis chambers 120 and the reference chamber 124 and to expel bubbles , and then at a maximum of 4500 rpm to ensure proper transfer of the water from the filling chamber to the reaction chambers , and at 300 rpm to obtain the optimum pumping action from the agitators . the rotation is continued for a period sufficient to allow the reagents to become dissolved in the water , to react with their respective analytes , and for the color or other measurable optical property to develop . it is presently believed that an analysis of swimming pool water of acceptable quality can be obtained in less than a minute from when rotation starts . it is contemplated that the cartridge my include indicia , such as a bar code , rfid tag , or other form of information that can be read , such as with a scanner or reader mounted in the analyzer , which determines the reagents that are stored in the cartridge being analyzed . this permits an analyzer to be used with multiple cartridges , without the user having to input anything . however , it is also contemplated that the user can select the sample being analyzed ( e . g ., pool water , water for beer brewing process , etc .) directly on the computer . the computer would use the information for purposes of selecting the appropriate data file for analyzing the sample data transmitted from the analyzer . referring now also to fig4 , an alternative embodiment of the cartridge 100 ′ is similar to that described above except that , in place of slot 128 , the analysis chamber 120 and the agitator chamber 122 are separated by a solid septum 132 , with apertures 134 , 136 , at both ends . the cartridge 100 ′ may be used in the same way as the cartridge 100 . in use , movement of agitator 130 up and down within agitator chamber 122 causes liquid to flow in and out through apertures 134 , 136 alternately , resulting in a reciprocating flow within analysis chamber 120 . the reciprocating flow causes turbulence within the analysis chamber 120 that assists in dissolution and distribution of the reagent . although specific embodiments have been described , various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims , and features of the different embodiments may be combined into one embodiment . for example , although the agitators have been described as stainless steel ball bearings that are attracted to the magnets 84 , 86 , the agitators could instead also be magnets . if the agitators are elongated so that they cannot rotate within their chambers , they could be magnetically polarized so as to be repelled , instead of attracted , by one or more of magnets 84 , 86 . it is presently preferred to provide two magnets 84 and 86 , so that agitators are positively driven both up and down once per revolution . however , more magnets could be provided , or in some circumstances there could be only a single magnet driving the agitators upwards , with the agitators being , returned by gravity . in the cartridges 100 , 100 ′ shown in the drawings , the analysis chambers 120 and the reference chamber 122 are evenly spaced in a circle around the circumference of the cartridge . other arrangements are possible . for example , there could be two concentric circles of analysis chambers . the cartridge shown in fig3 is intended to be disposable , and may be fabricated b gluing or welding a generally fiat lid on a molded body . however , the cartridge could instead be reusable , in which case the lid may be removable to permit cleaning and recharging of the reagents in the analysis chambers . it would be possible to omit the rotary encoder 64 , and use the signal from one or more of the leds and transducer pairs to provide a rotary encoder input to the processor 94 . however , because the reagents in the analysis chambers 120 will cause the signals from the transducers 76 , 78 , 80 , 82 to vary , a dedicated encoder 64 may give more reliable , and more easily interpreted signals . as shown in the drawings , the leds 68 , 70 , 72 , 74 , the photoelectric transducers 76 , 78 , 80 , 82 , the magnets 84 . 86 , the cartridge analysis chambers 120 , the cartridge agitator chambers 112 , and the cartridge reference chamber 124 are all centered on a single rotational cylindrical surface centered on the axis of spindle 58 . other arrangements are possible . for example the magnets and agitators could he on one cylinder , and the leds , analysis and reference chambers , and transducers could be on another cylinder of different radius . one or both of those cylindrical surfaces could instead be conical . the magnets 84 , 86 do not need to be exactly aligned with the agitator chambers 122 , provided they are near enough to produce the desired motion of the agitators 130 . while the analyzer is shown having a processor 94 mounted within it , it is also contemplated that all the processing may occur at the computer . alternatively , the processor 94 can be programmed to provide all the analysis necessary and provide the results to the computer or other display device . furthermore , while the figures show the analyzer connected directly to the computer , it is contemplated that the connection could be through an interact connection , thus permitting samples to be run in the analyzer at a location that is remote from the computer than analyzes the data and provides the results . accordingly , reference should be made to the appended claims , rather than to the foregoing specification , as indicating the scope of the invention . | 1 |
a wide variety of basis solutions can be used to form the plating solutions of the present invention . these include the following : fluoborate solutions : tin fluoborate plating baths are widely used for plating all types of metal substrates including both copper and iron . see for example , u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 431 , 805 ; 4 , 029 , 556 and 3 , 770 , 599 . these baths are preferred where plating speed is important and the fluoborate salts are very soluble . halide solutions : tin plating baths with the main electrolyte being a halide ion ( br , cl , f , i ) have been used for many decades . see for example , u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 628 , 893 and 5 , 538 , 617 . the primary halide ions in these baths have been chloride and fluoride . sulfate solutions : tin and tin alloys are commercially plated from solutions with sulfate as the primary anion . see for example u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 347 , 107 ; 4 , 331 , 518 and 3 , 616 , 306 . for example the steel industry has been tin plating steel for many years from sulfuric acid / tin sulfate baths where phenol sulfonic acid is used as a special electrolyte additive which improves both the oxidative stability of the tin as well as increasing its current density range . this process , known as the ferrostan process , is usable in the present invention but is not preferred because of environmental problems with phenol derivatives . other sulfate baths based on sulfuric acid but without environmentally undesirable additives are preferred . sulfonic acid solutions : in the last decade the commercial use of sulfonic acid metal plating baths has increased considerably because of a number of performance advantages . tin has been electroplated from sulfonic acid ( see for example u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 132 , 348 , 5 , 4 , 701 , 244 and 4 , 459 , 185 . the cost of the alkyl sulfonic acid is relatively high , so that the preferred sulfonic acid used has been methane sulfonic acid ( msa ) although the prior art includes examples of other alkyl and alkanol sulfonic acids . the performance advantages of alkyl sulfonic acid baths include low corrosivity , high solubility of salts , good conductivity , good oxidative stability of tin salts and complete biodegradability . these solutions can be used alone or in various mixtures . one of ordinary skill in the art can best select the most preferred acid or acid mixture for any particular plating application . alkali metal , alkaline earth metal , ammonium and substituted ammonium salts of one to five carbon alkyl and alkanol sulfonic acids have been found to improve the performance of these plating solutions . especially preferred are salts of 2 - hydroxy ethyl sulfonic acid , and particularly the sodium salt ( sodium isethionate or “ ise ”). these salts generally increase the plating range so that the solutions can be used at much higher current densities . the solutions can also be run at greater speeds . further improvements are seen in the quality of the deposits , as well as in the oxidative stability of the tin . the amount of tin ( as tin metal ) in the plating solutions of the present invention may be varied over a wide range such as from about 1 to about 120 grams of metal per liter of solution ( g / l ), or up to the solubility limit of the particular tin salt in the particular solution . in one embodiment , the tin is present in the range from about 5 g / l to about 80 g / l . in another embodiment , the tin is present in the range from about 10 g / l to about 50 g / l . in another embodiment , the tin is present in an amount from about 20 g / l to about 40 g / l . in another embodiment , the tin is present in an amount of about 30 g / l . in another embodiment , the tin is present in an amount of about 20 g / l . higher levels of tin may be included in the plating solutions , but economics suggest , and solubility may dictate , that the metal levels be maintained at lower levels . it should be understood that the foregoing quantities of tin in the plating solution are disclosed as metallic tin , but that the tin may be added to the solutions in the form of tin compounds . such compounds may include , for example , tin oxide , tin salts , or other soluble tin compounds , including formates , acetates , hydrochlorides and other halides , carbonates and the like . any one of a number of alloying elements can be added to the solution . these are primarily added in an amount such that less than 5 % of the alloying element is present in the deposit . preferred alloying elements include silver ( up to 3 . 5 % of the deposit ), bismuth ( up to 3 % of the deposit ), copper ( up to 0 . 7 % of the deposit ) and zinc ( up to 2 % of the deposit ). while other alloying elements can be used , it is generally not preferred to use those that may have an adverse effect on the environment , i . e ., antimony , cadmium , and particularly lead . a wide variety of specific crystal orientation surfactants may be used in the present invention . one suitable surfactant is an alkylene oxide condensation compound of an aromatic organic compound or solution soluble derivatives thereof , wherein the compound has 2 to 4 joined rings , a total of 6 to 24 ring members , and at least one oxygen or nitrogen atom present in or attached to at least one of the rings . this aromatic compound may preferably contain two or three fused rings , preferably containing between 10 and 12 carbon atoms and 2 to 4 oxygen or nitrogen atoms . also , the aromatic organic compound may include an alkyl moiety of six carbon atoms or less , and one or more hydroxyl groups . preferably , the aromatic organic compound includes rings of benzene , naphthalene , phenol , quinoline , toluene , bisphenol a , styrenated phenol , or an alkylated derivatives thereof . other surfactants , such as those based on block copolymers having a molecular weight between about 1000 and 4000 , can instead be used . the surfactant ( s ) to be added to the plating bath in accordance with the invention will not only improve the dispersibility of the components in the solution but will also ensure excellently adhesive , dense and smooth deposits . especially , it has also been found that a cationic surfactant is markedly effective in preventing the dendrite growth in the high current region , whereas a nonionic surfactant improves the throwing power of the plating solution in the low current region . preferred nonionic surfactants are selected from condensation products of ethylene oxide and / or propylene oxide with aryl ethers , alkyl ethers , quinolines , phenanthrolines , alkyl quinolines , alkyl phenanthrolines , phenols , styrenated phenols , alkyl phenols , naphthols , and alkyl naphthols . a combination of surfactants can be used depending on the current conditions to be adopted . for example , the combined use of the two different surfactants makes possible plating under a wide range of current conditions , rendering the invention applicable to all plating techniques , including the barrel , rack , through - hole , and high - speed continuous plating methods . the alkylene oxide compound may be ethylene oxide wherein between about four and 40 moles of ethylene oxide , and preferably between six and twenty - eight , are used to form the condensation compound . some of the moles of ethylene oxide , i . e ., up to 50 %, may be replaced with propylene oxide . one skilled in the art can easily determine the preferred amount of propylene oxide by routine testing . the most preferred surfactants for use in combination with a sulfuric acid solution that also contains ise in order to provide the preferred crystal orientation which hinders tin whisker growth are as follows : 2 , 2 ′- biquinoline — a heterocyclic compound 2 , 9 - dimethyl - 1 , 10 phenanthroline — a heterocyclic compound jeffox wl1400 — a eo / po copolymer having a molecular weight of 1400 noigen en — a polyoxyethylene aryl ether , or more generic ethoxylated aromatic ether ethoxylated beta - naphthol with 15 moles eo as noted above , compressive stress in tin deposits due to the formation of intermetallic compounds appears to generate tin whisker formation . in general , pure tin or tin alloys that contain small amounts of alloying elements generally exhibit a & lt ; 211 & gt ; crystal orientation when deposited upon a substrate from an msa solution that contains conventional additives . as is known to one of ordinary skill in the art , the & lt ; 211 & gt ; designation is that of a crystal plane with the numbers referring to miller indices . this particular orientation has been found to be one that is subject to high stress and from which whisker growth is facilitated . for that reason , this crystal orientation is not desirable . in contrast , tin deposits produced from mixed acid / non - msa electrolytes combined with the specific additives of the invention do not show an increase in compressive stress over time . the results shown in table i below were obtained for a 10 micron thick pure tin deposit over a brass substrate . further insight into the mechanistic behavior of this system can be found by examining the preferred crystal orientation of the deposits over copper alloy substrate by x - ray - diffraction ( xrd ) below : as these results indicate , tin deposits produced from the msa electrolyte and the non - msa electrolyte possess radically different preferred crystal orientations that essentially matches that of the underlying substrate , i . e ., & lt ; 211 & gt ; vs . & lt ; 220 & gt ; respectively , which may help to explain their fundamentally different tin whisker growth behavior . the tin deposits from the mixed acid / non - msa process with specific additives have a consistent & lt ; 220 & gt ; preferred crystal orientation which it shares in common with known base metals such as copper or a copper alloy ( e . g . brass ) as well as other known “ non - whiskering ” deposits such as tin - lead , tin - silver , and reflowed tin . additional investigations show that the preferred crystal orientation of the most commonly used copper alloy substrates in the electronics industry also have a preferred crystal orientation of & lt ; 220 & gt ;. thus , this orientation is preferred when minimization of tin whiskering is desired for tin deposits that are plated on copper or copper alloy substrates . in the present specification , the term “ essentially the same ” or “ essentially matches ” is used to include the crystal orientation of a deposit that is sufficiently close to that of the underlying substrate such that the degree of wiskering , if any , is less than that which would adversely affect the performance of the electroplated components . the most preferred orientations are those which are identical to that of the underlying metal . however , this is not always possible to achieve and improved performance can be obtained by providing crystal orientations that are as close as possible to the orientation of the underlying metal . in support of this finding , it is noted that the following prior art reference sources teach that tin whiskers grow from grains whose crystal orientation is different from the major orientation of the underlying grains : w c ellis , et al , “ growth and perfection of crystals ”, wiley & amp ; sons , ny , n . y . 1958 , p . 102 b d dunn , european space research & amp ; technology centre , esa str - 223 , september 1987 by correlation , the converse is expected to hold true , i . e ., tin whiskers do not grow from grains whose crystal orientation is essentially the same as or preferably is identical to the major orientation of the underlying grains . thus , by proper orientation of the crystal structure , tin whisker growth and formation can be minimized , reduced or even eliminated . the invention minimizes or reduces tin wisker growth or formation by matching the crystal orientation of the tin deposit to that of the underlying metal . as one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize , the underlying metal can be a base metal substrate or a metal deposit that is plated or otherwise provided upon the substrate . the important consideration of the invention is to match as close as possible the crystal orientation of the tin deposit to that of the underlying metal that it contacts . where multiple metal deposits are made upon a substrate , the crystal orientation of the upper most layer is that which should be considered . for example , in chip capacitors , a nickel deposit is routinely provided prior to tin , and the tin deposit should have a crystal orientation that matches that of the nickel deposit . the mixed acid / non - msa chemistry combined with specific additives consistently produces a preferred crystal orientation which is identical to that of the underlying substrate in all cases . it is believed that this phenomenon reduces stress in the deposit and therefore eliminates a major driving force for tin whisker growth . of course , one of ordinary skill in the art , having this disclosure before them , can conduct routine testing to determine the preferred solution chemistries and specific additives that will provide the preferred crystal orientations of the deposit during electroplating to avoid the tin whiskering problem . | 2 |
turning now to the drawings , and in particular to fig1 and 4 thereof , an automotive vehicle instrument panel 10 is shown having an aperture 12 adapted to receive a dual media assembly 14 . the dual media assembly 14 has a chassis 16 having a generally box - like configuration . disposed therein is a dual media mounting bracket 18 having audio components mounted thereon . exemplary of such components are a cassette tape player 20 and a compact disc player 22 . as shown in fig6 and 7 , the chassis 16 is a sheet metal stamping having a pair of side walls , 24 and 25 , generally parallel to a y and z axis , 26 and 28 respectively , a back wall 30 and a bezel mounting wall 32 , both parallel to a x and y axis , 34 and 26 respectively . the pair of side walls , 24 and 25 , back wall 30 , and bezel mounting wall 32 form an inner spaced region 31 adapted to receive the dual media mounting bracket 18 . projecting inwardly from a first side wall 24 are a pair of mechanical stop tabs 36 . the stop tabs 36 are planar surfaces , perpendicular to the y axis 26 , which function to locate the mounting bracket 18 along the y axis 26 . adjacent to the stop tabs , projecting inwardly of the first side wall 24 , are a first pair of locating ramps 38 . the locating ramps 38 each have a planar surface 40 , parallel to the first side wall 24 , with ramped surfaces 42 projecting therefrom toward and terminating at the first side wall 24 . each planar surface 40 has an aperture 44 therethrough adapted to receive a conventional fastener for fastening the mounting bracket 18 along the x axis 34 . the ramped surfaces 42 function to locate the mounting bracket 18 long the x and z axes , 34 and 28 respectively . disposed on an opposing second side wall 25 are a second pair of locating ramps 46 illustrated as being formed as mirror images of the first pair of locating ramps 38 . those skilled in the mechanical arts will appreciate that the mirrored components of the second locating ramps 46 are essentially structurally and functionally identical to those of the first pair of locating ramps 38 . adjacent the second locating ramps 46 are a pair of inwardly projecting mechanical locating stops 48 . the locating stops 48 are planar surfaces perpendicular to the y axis 26 each having a ramped portion 50 . the locating stops 48 function to locate the mounting bracket 18 along the y axis 26 and the ramped portions 50 locate the mounting bracket 18 along the x and z axes , 34 and 28 . an aperture 52 is formed in each locating stop 48 , each aperture 52 adapted to receive a conventional fastener for fastening the mounting bracket 18 in a direction along the y axis 26 . as shown in fig2 - 4 , a dual media mounting bracket 18 has opposing , substantially planer , rectangular first and second surfaces , 54 and 56 respectively . disposed on the opposing surfaces , 54 and 56 , is a raised webbing 58 to provide torsional rigidity to the mounting bracket 18 . projecting from the first surface 54 are four mounting posts 60 for mounting a media mechanism such as a compact disc player 22 . projecting from the second surface 56 are four mounting bosses 64 for mounting a media mechanism such as a cassette tape player 20 . projecting perpendicular to a peripheral edge 53 of the first surface 54 is a side wall 68 . projecting from the side wall 68 and outwardly from the first surface 54 are a pair of planar positioning platforms 70 for engaging the locating stops 48 of the chassis 16 . a hole 72 is formed in each positioning platform 70 and located to communicate with the apertures 52 formed in the locating stops 48 of the chassis 16 . projecting perpendicular to the positioning platforms 70 as well as the side wall 68 are a pair of tapered guide ribs 74 adapted to engage the ramped portions 50 of the locating stops 48 of the chassis 16 . adjacent the locating stops 48 and the guide ribs 74 , projecting perpendicular to the side wall 68 , are a pair of side wall mounting bosses 76 located to communicate with the apertures of the second pair of locating ramps 46 of the chassis 16 . disposed on the peripheral edge 53 and projecting outwardly of the first surface 54 are a pair of guide notches 78 . each notch 78 has opposing canted portions 80 adapted to engage the first locating ramps 38 of the chassis 16 . a chassis mounting hole 82 , the longitudinal axis of which is parallel to the first surface 54 , is formed intermediate the opposing canted portions 80 of each notch 78 and adapted to communicate with the apertures 44 of the first locating ramps 38 of the chassis 16 . media componentry can be highly sensitive to vibration , this is especially so with compact disc players 22 . the assembly must therefore be constructed with consideration given to the natural frequency of the overall environment , in this case the automobile and the subcomponentry surrounding the dual media assembly 14 . the natural frequency is a frequency value of a structural system such that when the external forcing frequency to the structure is equal to this value , the vibration amplitude of the structure becomes excessively large which is a condition to be avoided with such sensitive componentry . a structural system may possess one , two , or up to an infinite number of discrete natural frequencies . if an instrument panel 10 first natural frequency is approximately 30 hertz , and a compact disc player 62 second natural frequency is below 100 hertz , then the third natural frequency of the mounting bracket 18 and chassis 16 is preferably 200 hertz . the design of the mounting bracket 18 with raised webbing 58 as well as choosing a material for the bracket 18 with a high torsional rigidity are both instrumental in obtaining a high natural frequency for the media assembly 14 . a preferable method of manufacture and material for the bracket 18 is to cast the bracket out of magnesium . during assembly , the compact disc player 22 is rigidly mounted to the posts 60 of the first surface 54 using a conventional fastener . the cassette tape player 20 is rigidly mounted to the bosses 64 of the second surface 56 in a similar fashion . this subassembly 84 is shown in fig5 . as shown in fig9 the electrical interconnection is accomplished by , simultaneously with the mechanical connections , electrically connecting the cassette tape player 20 , or bottom component , to a floating board 90 . the compact disc player 22 , or top component , is electrically connected via a flex cable 92 to the floating board 90 . the subassembly 84 is thereupon inserted into the chassis 16 . insertion of the subassembly 84 into the chassis 16 causes the engagement of the guide ribs 74 of the bracket 18 with the corresponding locating stops 48 of the chassis 16 as well as the engagement of the guide notches 78 of the bracket 18 with the corresponding locating ramps 38 and 46 of the chassis 16 . after full insertion , the bracket 18 is located in a predetermined position so that the holes 72 , 76 , and 82 of the bracket 18 are aligned with a corresponding aperture 44 and 52 of the chassis 16 . simultaneous with the full insertion of the bracket 18 into the chassis 16 is the electrical connection of the floating board 90 to the main circuit board ( not shown ). the top and bottom components are thereby simultaneously electrically coupled to the main board . the bracket 18 is then rigidly mounted to the chassis 16 via the corresponding holes and apertures with a conventional fastener such as a screw , thereby completing a dual media assembly 14 , as best shown in fig8 . the dual media assembly 14 is then mounted in the compartment 12 of the instrument panel 10 in conventional fashion . only one embodiment of a method of interconnecting a dual media assembly for an automotive vehicle of the present invention has been described . those skilled in the automotive audio - mechanical arts will appreciate that others may be possible without departing from the scope of the following claims . | 8 |
the polyesters of the invention consist essentially of recurring structural units of the formulae : wherein about 0 . 1 to about 2 . 5 mole % of r is 4sp , an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salt of a 4 - sulfophthalic radical , up to about 40 mole % of r is a radical d selected from the group consisting of a chemical bond and one or more divalent , non - aromatic , c 1 - c 10 hydrocarbylene radicals , and the remainder of r is a divalent aromatic radical , with at least about 85 mole % of said remainder being p - phenylene ( t ), wherein g is up to about 30 mole % of a polyethylene ether radical e selected from the group consisting of deg and teg , and the remainder of g is selected from the group consisting of a radical f , being a polyalkylene ether of molecular weight at least about 250 , and of hydrocarbylene radicals --( ch 2 ) 2 -- ( i . e ., 2g ), --( ch 2 ) 3 -- ( i . e ., 3g ) and --( ch 2 ) 4 -- ( i . e ., 4g ), contain amounts of radicals d and / or e and / or f that are at least s , wherein s is the total of d + e + f , wherein d is the mole % of radical d , e is one quarter of the mole % of radical e , and f is the mole % of radical f , and wherein s is at least 5 mole %, where x is an integer , such hydroxy acid having a melting point at least 5 c below its decomposition temperature , and q is selected from the group consisting of a chemical bond and hydrocarbylene radicals --( ch 2 ) n --, where n is an integer from 1 to 5 , -- c ( r &# 39 ;) h --, and -- c ( r &# 39 ;) hch 2 --, wherein r &# 39 ; is selected from the group of -- ch 3 and -- ch 2 ch 3 , and wherein &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; are mole fractions of the polymer , and the mole fraction &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; may be 0 . 6 to 1 and , correspondingly , mole fraction &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; may be 0 to 0 . 4 . the acid component preferably includes about 1 . 5 to 2 mole % 4sp . this component is not only relatively costly but also excessively large amounts can render the polyesters water soluble and thus affect the fiber and film physical properties such as shrinkage . small amounts of 3 - sulfophthalic acid may be present as an impurity in 4sp , especially in commercial material . as little as 0 . 1 mole % of 4sp contributes significantly to the degradability characteristics of the resultant fibers and films . the metal ion is preferably an alkali metal such as sodium , potassium or lithium . however , alkaline earth metals such as magnesium are also useful . the sodium salt 4 - sulfophthalic acid has given very good results . up to about 40 mole % of the r radicals , and advantageously , about 5 to 40 mole %, may be an alkylene or other residue from an organic c 2 - c 12 non - aromatic dibasic acid . these are referred to as radicals d . of the remainder of r , at least about 85 mole % ( i . e ., about 60 to 95 mole % of r ) is preferably t ( para - phenylene ), with optional inclusion of up to about 15 mole % of i ( meta - phenylene ). polyesters in which at least about 97 . 5 mole % of r is p - phenylene and the remainder is 4sp are also preferred , as being economically attractive . of the g radicals , up to about 30 mole %, and advantageously about 20 to 30 mole %, may be deg and / or teg ( i . e ., polyethylene ether radicals --( ch 2 ) 2 -- o --( ch 2 ) 2 -- and --( ch 2 ) 2 -- o --( ch 2 ) 2 -- o --( ch 2 ) 2 --, respectively ). these are referred to as radicals e . optionally , if desired , some of the g may be pag ( a radical of a polyalkylene glycol of mw at least about 250 ). this is referred to as radical f . the remainder of g may be 2g , 3g and / or 4g ( i . e . c 2 - c 4 lower alkylene groups ). any q radicals are from an hydroxy acid , as indicated , for example , in application ser . no . 07 / 645 , 995 . the polyesters of the invention are not soluble in water ( in contrast to like polyesters derivable from the same constituents but with very much higher mole percentages of 4sp ). they also have relatively low glass transition temperatures , tg . this is why it is desirable that some of the r be a radical d and / or some of the g be a radical e and / or f . thus , desirably , at least 5 mole % of the r should be a radical d . or at least 5 mole % of the g should be peg or other radical f . however , at least 20 mole % of the g may desirably be a radical e ( deg and / or teg ). copolyesters having two or more of these types of radicals ( d , e and / or f ) may also be used . accordingly , this requirement is indicated as provision of these radicals in amount s , wherein s = d + e + f and is at least 5 &# 34 ; mole %, d [ e ] and f being , respectively , the mole % amounts of radicals d [ e ] and f , and e being one quarter of the mole % of radical e . inclusions of these radicals lower the tg and melting points , which is &# 34 ;. important with regard to compostability , and also ease of inclusion of q radicals , when desired . thus , advantageously the tg of the polyester articles , such as fibers , foams or films , should be no higher than approximately the temperature at which degradation will take place . since the temperatures in composting operations are often no higher than about 70 c ., it is desired that the tg of the polyester be no more than about 70 c ., preferably about 65 c . or below . commercial unmodified polyethylene terephthalate ( abbreviation 2gt ) polyester fibers have a higher tg of about 80 c . the replacement of some terephthalic acid with an aliphatic acid , such as azelaic , succinic , adipic , sebacic or glutaric acid , is advantageous in lowering the tg . such organic non - aromatic dibasic acid for radical d is preferably adipic and / or glutaric acid , but may be azelaic , succinic , sebacic or other acid , ranging from oxalic acid ( c 2 ) to dodecanoic acid ( c 12 ), as dibasic acids having larger numbers of carbon atoms are not yet commercially available . the more of such acid that is added , the more significant is the effect of such incorporation . it is not , however , desirable to lower the melting point of the polymer to such an extent as to impair its usefulness , depending on the desired end - use , and it is generally desirable to incorporate no more than about 40 mole % of such acid . preferred amounts are 10 - 30 mole %. the polyesters of the invention may be prepared by conventionally polycondensation techniques using , for example , as the glycol component , a combination of about 70 to 80 mole % of ethylene glycol with complementally about 20 to 30 mole % of diethylene glycol , and as the acid component , a combination of about 97 . 5 to 99 . 9 mole % of terephthalic acid with about 0 . 1 to 2 . 5 mole % of a metal salt of 4 - sulfophthalic acid . optionally as indicated , some of the glycol components or terephthalic acid can be replaced , respectively , by another glycol or by another acid , especially an aliphatic acid . in lieu of the mentioned dicarboxylic acids , ester forming derivatives such as the dimethyl esters of the acids may be used . it will be understood that with minor variations in composition , it is possible for the polyesters of the invention to have a further significant reduction in their tg values . for example , the replacement of some of the terephthalic acid with an aliphatic acid such as azelaic , succinic , adipic , sebacic or glutaric acid or the replacement of some of the ethylene glycol with another glycol such as triethylene glycol can lower the tg even below 65 c . the glycol component is preferably about 20 to 25 mole % deg or teg and about 75 - 80 mole % 2g , 3g or 4g , to achieve an optimum level of degradability without a major sacrifice to fiber and film physical properties such as tensile strength . above about 40 mole % deg such properties are adversely affected while with less than about 20 mole % deg , the degradability may become inadequate , unless peg ( radical f ) or an aliphatic acid ( such as for radical d ) is used instead or in addition . a relative viscosity of at least 16 , preferably at least about 18 , is generally acceptable for melt spinning performance . minor amounts of polyfunctional branching agents , such as trimellitic acid residues , may be incorporated to modify melt rheology and film processing , if desired . in the examples which follow , the various monomeric components are charged to a polymerization vessel along with an antimony or other catalyst and subjected to polycondensation conditions to produce a linear polyester in which the units are randomly distributed along the molecular chain . it will be understood that it is also possible , however , to first react two or more of the monomeric components to a prepolymer stage followed by addition of the remaining components and completion of the polymerization . the polyesters of the invention are very hydrolytically sensitive , having a higher equilibrium moisture content than 2g - t resin and a faster moisture regain rate . it is desirable that isolated flake be dried thoroughly , preferably to a moisture content below 400 ppm before reextrusion , and to maintain a nitrogen atmosphere around all possible air in leakage points , and to transfer polymer in warm condition ( e . g ., above about 50 c .) from the dryer to the extruder . the polyesters as isolated from the reactor usually have multiple melting points by dsc analysis . these are seen at temperatures which overlap those which might be used in drying 2g - t flake , making it difficult to dry these polymers without fusing the flake into a solid mass when they are rapidly heated to get fast economical drying rates . slower heating to allow crystallization , after which heating at higher temperatures for fast drying , is desirable . a desirable procedure for preparing high molecular weight resins from rapidly polymerized lower molecular weight ones may be to use solid phase polymerization of low molecular weight flake . this procedure may desirably be carried out after or in combination with the crystallization procedure mentioned above so that temperatures high enough for rapid polymerization can be attained without fusing of the flaked resin . in addition , as known from u . s . pat . no . 3 , 544 , 523 , anticaking agents may be useful to prevent sticking , such as cab - o - sil grade ms - 75d , or other finely divided inert solids , like tio 2 , talc , carbon black and clay . if it is desired , for environmental or other reasons , to avoid use of a catalyst that comprises antimony or another heavy metal , then this may be achieved , for instance , by using a crystalline sodium aluminosilicate molecular sieve such as linde molecular sieve 13x , type 9356 , with a nominal pore size of 10 å , obtained from union carbide corporation . such procedure is more fully described in commonly assigned u . s . application ser . no . 07 / 497 , 069 filed mar . 20 , 1990 in the name of jackson , but other methods of avoiding antimony may be used , if desired . in any event , the particular mole percentages of the aforementioned components are desirably selected to provide a polyester which in fiber or film form has a tg of 70 c . or less , preferably of about 65 c . or less . as will be understood , while the polyesters of the invention are well suited for use as fibers or filaments in nonwoven sheets , they can be used to particular advantage in the form of cast and blown films , foams , coatings , laminates , molded articles , or wherever polyesters with such properties are desired . an important aspect of the invention is , however , the production of fibers or filaments from the above - described polyesters . fibers and filaments herein are interchangeable terms in the general sense , but where a more specific acknowledgement of length is appropriate , the term &# 34 ; fibers &# 34 ; is intended to refer to short filaments as in &# 34 ; staple fibers &# 34 ;. hereafter only one of the terms may be used . the polyesters of the invention may be converted to fibers or filaments by conventional melt spinning techniques . deniers of 2 to 15 dpf are most common . the filaments may be used as - spun ( undrawn ) or in a stretched ( drawn or oriented ) condition . drawing to reduce denier or for increasing orientation can be accomplished by the usual procedures . the polymer compositions of the invention can be formed into nonwoven fabrics via a number of processes . these may be roughly divided into spunbonded fabrics and those fabrics using staple fibers . these are discussed in &# 34 ; encyclopedia of textiles , fibers and nonwoven fabrics &# 34 ;, ed . martin grayson , john wiley and sons , new york , 1984 , pp 252 - 304 . the compositions described herein can be used in many such products . spunbonded nonwovens can be prepared by spinning and laying down simultaneously into webs of continuous filaments using known methods of distributing the threadline in the desired orientation in the web plane . such webs can be thermally bonded under suitable conditions of time , temperature and pressure to strong fabrics with tensile properties which are usually superior to those obtained with staple webs . bonding can also be carried out by using suitable adhesives and both these methods may be used to make point bonded or area bonded fabrics . needle punching may also be used to give the webs stability and strength . spunbonded fabrics can also be made by melt blowing wherein a stream of molten polymer is extruded into a high velocity stream of heated air and a bonded web formed directly on a screen conveyor from the resultant fibers . nonwoven fabrics can also be made by direct extrusion through a rotating die into a netlike product ( u . s . pat . no . 3 , 959 , 057 j . j . smith ) or by stretching and drawing embossed films of the thermoplastic polymers ( british patent 914 , 489 and 1 , 548 , 865 to smith and nephew research ltd .). staple fibers can be made into nonwovens by several processes . most of these can be classified into ( 1 ) web preparation and ( 2 ) reinforcing (&# 34 ; manual of nonwovens &# 34 ;, dr . radko krcma , textile trade press , manchester , england , pp 74 - 76 , 1971 ). during web preparation , bales of staple fiber are opened and formed into a web having either a random orientation ( via air , water or electrostatic deposition ) or parallel or crosslaid orientation ( via carding and plying ). reinforcement to impart physical integrity and useful mechanical properties can be accomplished by mechanical means such as needlepunching or hydroentanglement ( where water jets move fibers out of the plane of the web and entangle them ) as in the spunlaced fabrics ( u . s . pat . no . 3 , 485 , 706 to du pont ) or by stitchbonding where a reinforcing thread is sewn through the web . ( see &# 34 ; principles of stitch through technology &# 34 ; nonwovens fabrics forum , clemson university , clemson , s . c . 1978 by j . d . singelyn ). reinforcement can also be accomplished by adhesive bonding which includes impregnation of the web by a water based resin binder solution or dispersion and subsequent evaporation of the water leaving a fabric which is composed typically of 60 - 70 % by weight fiber and 30 - 40 % by weight binder . dry adhesive powders may also be applied to the staple web prior to a heating step to produce a powder - bonded nonwoven . webs of thermoplastic staple fibers may also be reinforced by thermal bonding in which use is made of the ability of the fibers to soften and adhere to each other upon application of heat . as with the spunbonded fabrics these may be point bonded or area bonded . heat may be applied by hot air ( known as through air bonding ) or by a pair of patterned and / or flat heated rollers which form a nip through which the web passes to achieve bonding . this process may be carried out with 100 % thermoplastic fibers or with blends of thermoplastic fibers with fibers which do not thermally bond in the 100 % form , i . e ., cotton and rayon . in addition , useful articles can also be made by laminating , extrusion melt coating or adhesively combining the above types of nonwoven fabrics with each other , with films or with staple webs in such a way as to confer desired properties on the combined fabric . in particular , a fabric made by extrusion melt coating a thin , pinhole - free film of the compositions of this invention on a nonwoven , made by the spunbonded process or by thermally bonding staple from fibers of this invention alone or in combination with other compostable fibers such as cotton or rayon , is aesthetically pleasing and non - fluid permeable . the compostable polyester fibers described herein may be used in all these methods of preparing nonwovens to yield fabrics which when subjected to composting conditions will be substantially degraded . thus staple webs of the polyester fibers , as well as blends of these fibers with cotton and rayon , may be bonded by hydro entanglement , by needle punching , by wet resin bonding and by dry adhesive bonding . ( the adhesives used should be chosen to allow the desired degradation under composting conditions .) thermally bonded staple webs of the described compostable polyester fibers can be made in the 100 % form or webs containing a significant proportion of these fibers together with cotton and / or rayon may be thermally bonded to fabrics having useful mechanical properties . continuous or spun yarns prepared from the compositions described herein may be used to stitch bond webs of fibers such as cotton , rayon or blends of these fibers , or wood pulp , with the compostable polyester fibers of this invention resulting in fabrics which will degrade under composting conditions . spunbonded fabrics can be made by thermally bonding webs of continuous fibers prepared from the compostable polyester compositions described herein , and by blow spinning , direct extrusion to nets and drawing of embossed films . the compostable compositions described herein can be melt extruded as films to coat spunlaced nonwoven fabrics which themselves may be composed of compostable fibers alone or in combination with wood pulp , rayon or cotton . a process for preparing ultramicrocellular and plexifilamentary products is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 227 , 784 ( blades et al ) and durable plexifilamentary and microcellular products are described in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 227 , 664 ( blades et al ) and u . s . pat . no . 3 , 081 , 519 ( blades et al ). extrusion of foamed plastics has also been described , for example in modern plastics encyclopedia october 1990 vol 67 # 11 pp 291 - 2 . in foam extrusion , molten polymer is first mixed with a relatively small amount ( e . g . 1 to 15 wgt %) of a blowing agent . the blowing agent used does not have to be a true solvent for the polymer . when the mixture is extruded , the blowing agents expand due to depressurization and / or volatilization to form a microcellular structure . unlike in flash spinning , most of the blowing agents used do not leave but stay inside the foam . most commonly used blowing agents are : 1 ). gaseous materials such as nitrogen and carbon dioxide , 2 ). low boiling organic solvents such as hydrofluorocarbons ( e . g . hfc - 134a , 152a , 125 ), hydrochlorofluorocarbons ( e . g . hcfc - 22 , 123 , 141b , 142b , 124 ), and hydrocarbons ( e . g . isobutane , pentane ). in addition to these types of physical blowing agents , chemical blowing agents are also used to make foams . chemical blowing agents decompose at elevated temperatures or through chemical reaction to generate gases . nucleating agents which are finely divided powders such as fumed silica are usually added to encourage the formation of small uniform cells . nonwoven webs of the compostable compositions made by the melt blowing process may also be used as an adhesive layer between other nonwoven fabrics . it is apparent that the fiber , film , foam , and sheet products made from compositions described herein have a great number of applications in products which are disposed of or potentially may be disposed of in composting systems . in addition the compositions have utility in objects made by injection molding , injection blow molding , thermal forming of sheets , rotational molding of powder , extrusion , and pultrusion , which desirably can be disposed of and degraded in composting systems . the following is a nonexclusive list of such end uses : the invention can provide fluid impermeable sheets which are compostable in typical waste disposal facilities . preferably these sheets should not rattle or rustle objectionably and should have strength and toughness adequate for use in personal absorbent products , such as disposable diapers . the fibers , films , foams and nonwoven fabrics prepared from the compositions of the present invention are of particular utility in disposable diapers since in that use they have an enhanced capability of being degraded in a composting operation . typical examples of disposable diaper constructions are given in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 860 , 003 ( buell ) and 4 , 687 , 477 ( suzuki et al . ), the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference . items which can be made of the compostable compositions of this invention include : ( 1 ) the backsheet film , i . e ., the water - impermeable outside layer , which may be a film which is 100 % of the compostable composition or it may be a laminated sheet with a nonwoven or web of compostable fibers including cotton or rayon adhered to the film , or it may be a film adhered to a suitable grade of paper , ( 2 ) the topsheet , i . e ., the water permeable or inner layer , which is a film of a composition of the invention or a nonwoven fabric of the compostable fiber composition or a blend of the compostable fiber of this invention with cotton or rayon fiber , having a porosity suitable for passing urine quickly to the fluid absorbing pad between the topsheet and backsheet , ( 3 ) the fastening tapes which may optionally be made from films or nonwovens of the compositions of the invention ; the fastening tapes are typically coated with a pressure sensitive adhesive , ( 4 ) the frontal landing strip , which may be made from films of this invention ; the frontal landing strip is typically printed with a decorative design and coated with a pressure sensitive adhesive , ( 5 ) the flexible foam optionally inserted into the diaper under modest extension to gather the waist , leg openings , and / or barrier leg cuffs may be made from polymers of this invention , ( 6 ) hot melt adhesives used to bond the diaper components to one another may be formulated to incorporate polymers of this invention , ( 7 ) the leakage shield used at the diaper waist , in front and back , may be made from films of this invention , and may be glued , thermally bonded , or sonically bonded to the topsheet or the topsheet and backsheet , ( 8 ) additives to the absorbent cellulose pulp core , which may be short fibers , fibrids , synthetic pulp prepared by flash spinning , or some other mechanically dispersable and finely divided form made from polymers or fibers of this invention , and which serve to increase wet strength of the core , particularly when superabsorbent polymers have been incorporated and pulp content subsequently reduced , ( 9 ) other minor components of the diaper which require the combination of compostability and thermoplastic fabrication and / or processing , and ( 10 ) diaper packaging , which may comprise a bag made of film of compositions of this invention , or paper or cardboard coated with film of compositions of this invention . it will be apparent that the products of the invention may contain additives such as dyes , fillers , pigments , plasticizers , etc . indeed , use of appropriate fillers or other additives may be helpful , as an acceptable way to enhance disintegratability . use of starch is particularly helpful , as taught in application ( qp - 4850 ). the incorporation of finely divided particulates has likewise been found helpful , for instance incorporating similar amounts of calcium carbonate in similar compositions . as the incorporation of large amounts of such a filler may increase the tendency of articles to embrittle to an extent that could be undesirable for certain end uses , it may be desirable to take steps such as adding a plasticizer to counter such tendency . indeed , the addition of materials such as low molecular weight polyethylene adipate ( rucoflex mn = 2000 ) to particulate blends has been found to provide further advantage in accelerating disintegration of related compositions under composting conditions . also , in regard to such filled articles , microporous films are taught by moss in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 698 , 372 , and similar techniques may be followed with products of the present invention . advantageous results have been obtained by using blends of related compositions with tartarates and citrates , such as dibutyl tartarate and triethyl citrate . the addition of low molecular weight polyethylene adipate ( rucoflex mn = 2000 ) has also been shown to reduce rattle or rustle of films of related polymers . so incorporation of appropriate additives would be expected to be advantageous for the polymers of the present invention . polyester glass transition temperatures , tg , are obtained by using a du pont model 2910 differential scanning calorimeter . samples are heated under a nitrogen atmosphere at a rate of 20 c ./ min . to a temperature 10 - 20 c . above the melting point , then the melt is cooled using the rapid air quench capability of the instrument . the tg is determined from the second cycle scan done at 20 c ./ min . using the internal software to determine the inflection point of the baseline shift . polymer melting point , m . p ., is determined on the first heating cycle as described in tg determination . the temperature at which the highest endothermic peak occurs is reported as the polymer melting point . number average molecular weight , mn , is determined by gel permeation chromatography ( gpc ) versus a standard polyethylene terephthalate sample with an mn of 22000 and a weight average molecular weight of 44000 . polymers are dissolved in and the analysis is run using hfip ( hexafluoroisopropanol ) containing 0 . 01m sodium trifluoroacetate as the solvent . a waters model 150 calc / gpc instrument , or its equivalent , is used with two zorbax psm - s biomodal columns ( sold by e . i . du pont de nemours and company ) ( or equivalent ) in series at 30 c . a refractive index detector was used and data collected at 100 intervals and analyzed via software provided by the instrument supplier . carboxyl end groups are determined by titration of an o - cresol solution of the polymer at 115 c . with koh in benzyl alcohol to a colorimetric endpoint using bromophenol blue as the indicator . results are reported in eq ./ 10 6 grams of polymer . inherent viscosity is defined in &# 34 ; preparative methods of polymer chemistry &# 34 ;, w . r . sorenson and t . w . campbell , 1961 , p . 35 . it is determined at a concentration of 0 . 5 g / 100 ml of the indicated solvent at the indicated temperature , usually hfip at 30 c . tensile properties of fibers and yarns are sometimes coded as t / e / m / to for tenacity , elongation , initial modulus , and toughness and are reported in their conventional units of grams per denier , percent , grams per denier , and grams per denier . these are measured on conditioned ( 65 % rh , 70 f .) samples ( 3 inch gauge length ) in a commercial testing machine at the rate of extension of 50 % per minute ( unless otherwise indicated ). toughness ( to ) is measured as the integrated area under the stress - strain curve . relative viscosity is the ratio of the viscosity of a solution of 0 . 8 gram of polyester dissolved in 10 ml of hexafluoroisopropanol ( hfip ) containing 80 ppm h 2 so 4 to the viscosity of h 2 so 4 - containing hfip itself , both measured at 25 c . in a capillary viscometer and expressed in the same units . crimp index is measured by straightening a crimped tow by application of about 0 . 1 gpd load . then 0 . 5 gm clips 66 . 6 cm apart are attached to the extended tow . the tow is then cut 11 . 2 cm beyond each clip to give a sample of 90 cm extended length . the sample is suspended vertically , hanging freely from one of the clips to allow retraction to crimped length . after about 30 secs ., clip to clip distance is measured . ## equ1 ## where lc is the clip - to - clip distance in the free - hanging state . crystallinity index is measured by first obtaining a diffractogram as described by blades ( u . s . pat . no . 3 , 869 , 429 , col . 12 ) with some modifications . the high intensity x - ray source is a phillips xrg - 3100 with a long fine focus copper tube . diffraction is analyzed with a phillips single axis goniometer equipped with a thetacompensating slit and a quartz monochromator set to exclude copper k b radiation . diffracted radiation is collected in step scanning mode in 0 . 025 steps with a 1 . 5 sec . per step count time . the digital data so collected are analyzed by a computer and smoothed by a running fit to second order polynomial . the computer is programmed to define a straight base line which joins the diffractogram tangentially at about 113 and 343 . crystallinity index is defined as ## equ2 ## where a is the intensity of the 18 010 peak above this base line and b is the intensity of the 20 minimum above this base line . crystallinity index has been related to percent crystallinity determined by density ( see u . s . pat . no . 4 , 704 , 329 , col . 8 , 9 ). weight percent crystallinity = 0 . 676 x crystallinity index . the invention will be further illustrated by the following examples wherein , unless otherwise indicated , parts and percentages are by weight and the polymer compositions are mole %, using the same abbreviations . the &# 34 ; hydrolysis &# 34 ; results are generally after boiling in water at 100 c , as indicated , and generally show reductions in tenacity , and / or molecular weight ( mn ), as percentages . this example describes the preparation of the dimethyl ester of 4 - sulfophthalic acid ( 4sp ), its polymerization in a copolymer of the composition 2g / deg ( 80 / 20 )- t / 4sp ( 98 / 2 ), spinning this polymer to fibers and evaluation of the hydrolysis rate of this fiber vs . a control fiber without 4sp ) 50 g of a 50 % solution in water of 4 - sulfophthalic acid ( aldrich chemical co , containing some 3 - sulfophthalic acid ) was distilled to remove most of the water at a pressure of 0 . 3 mm hg . then a mixture of 200 ml methanol and 35 ml toluene were added and distillation carried out at atmospheric pressure over about 5 hours . addition of the same mixture followed by distillation was repeated a total of 3 times leaving about 150 ml of solution . 20 g of anhydrous sodium acetate were added , resulting in precipitation of a white solid . filtration of the solid and evaporation of about 1 / 3 of the filtrate gave more white precipitate . these products were then recrystallized ( from water or methanol before use .). in a reaction kettle fitted with a distillation head , a n 2 inlet and a stirrer were placed : this was heated to 160 c with stirring to dissolve the catalysts and the following were added : this mixture was heated slowly to 220 c ( bath temperature ) and methanol distillate was collected . the molten prepolmer was then transferred to a polymer tube with a side arm a finely drawn capillary n 2 tube inserted with the tip near the bottom of the tube . the polymer tube was immersed in a dimethyl phthalate vapor bath and polymerization was carried out by removing glycol vapor first at laboratory vacuum for 1 hour then at 0 . 3 mm hg pressure for 2 . 5 hours . the polymer was molded into a 7 / 8 inch diameter plug and spun from an electrically heated vessel in a press - spinning apparatus through 3 holes 0 . 009 inch diameter × 0 . 027 inches long , at a temperature of 245 c , a delivery rate of 0 . 7 cc / min ., and a windup speed of 27 m / min . these fibers were drawn 5 . 5x over a 100 c hot pin . t / e / m / to = 2 . 5 / 36 / 46 . 5 / 0 . 65 ( gpd /%/ gpd / gpd / gpd / gpd ) ( 19 dpf ) when tested on an instron at 3 inch gage length and an elongation rate of 50 %/ min . hydrolysis was carried out by boiling a sample of the fiber in deionized water , removing samples at the indicated times and determining mn via gpc . initial mn = 24530 . after 8 hrs , mn = 23090 . after 24 hrs , mn = 17100 ( 30 % reduction in mn ). a fiber with the composition 2g / deg ( 76 / 24 )- t made in a similar way ( without any 4sp ) had an initial mn = 33200 and after 24 hrs in boiling water mn = 30400 ( i . e ., only an 8 % reduction in mn ) this shows the preparation of a copolymer 2g - t / 6 / 4sp ( 78 . 4 / 20 / 1 . 6 ), preparation of fibers , and hydrolysis of the fibers . in a 500 ml reaction kettle fitted with a distillation head , a n 2 inlet and a stirrer were placed : this was heated to 160 c with stirring and the following added : this mixture was heated slowly to 220 c ( bath temperature ) and methanol distillate was collected . the molten prepolymer was then transferred to a polymer tube with a side arm and a finely drawn capillary n 2 inlet tube was inserted with its tip near the bottom of the tube . the polymer tube was immersed in a diphenyl ether vapor bath and polymerization was carried out by removing glycol vapor , first at laboratory vacuum for 1 . 5 hours , then at 0 . 3 mm hg pressure for 4 hours . the polymer had a reddish color . fiber spinning was carried out as follows . the ground polymer was dried overnight under laboratory vacuum at about 90 c ., then molded into a 7 / 8 inch diameter plug , which was placed in a press spinning apparatus and spun through a 5 hole spinneret with 0 . 015 inch dia × 0 . 045 inch long holes , at a spinneret temperature of 204 - 220 c . at a delivery of about 0 . 7 cc / min , taken up on a roll running at 40 m / min . and drawn 2x over a hot pin at 80 c . fiber properties were t / e / m / to = 0 . 5 / 317 / 11 / 0 . 92 . hydrolysis was carried out at 60 c . in water in a capped erlenmeyer flask shaken in an air thermostat . the mn was initially 20650 . after 3 days it was 5480 , i . e ., a 73 % reduction . in comparison , a film with the composition 2g -/ 6 ( 75 / 25 ) ( no 4sp ) having an initial mn of 38600 was hydrolyzed in boiling water ( 100 c .). the mn after 8 hours was 38000 ( 2 % reduction ). after 24 hours it was 34200 ( 11 % reduction ). the biodegradability of the ultimate product from hydrolysis of the sulfonated dicarboxylic acid monomer sodium 4 - sulfophthalic acid ( 4sp ) was determined by a co 2 production test designed to determine the rate and extent of conversion of the carbon content of the test material to co 2 by the microorganisms in an activated sludge acclimated by prior exposure to the test substance . the test was carried out on 2 liters of combined test medium , test substance , and inoculum in 4 l erlenmeyer flasks shaken at 110 rpm in a temperature range of 21 . 8 - 23 . 5 c . the test medium was water containing 1 ml 2 . 25 % magnesium sulfate solution , 1 ml 2 . 75 % calcium chloride solution , 2 ml ph 7 . 2 phosphate buffer solution ( fisher sp341 - 1 ), 4 ml 0 . 025 % ferric chloride solution and 1 ml 4 % ammonium sulfate solution per liter . the acclimated inoculum was prepared in individual semicontinuous activated sludge ( scas ) units using activated sludge from the avondale sewage sludge treatment plant , avondale , pa . the solids were adjusted to 2500 mg / l and the test substance gradually increased to 40 mg / l concentration . the units were maintained at 40 mg / l while being fed synthetic sewage daily until the sludges were used as a source of innoculum for the co 2 generation study . the innoculum was prepared by homogenizing 400 ml of liquor from the scas unit in a blender for 2 min , settling for 30 min . and decanting . 20 ml of inoculum was added to each test flask . the co 2 generation rate was determined by titration of attached traps containing ba ( oh ) 2 solution at 2 day intervals for 4 days and then at 3 day intervals to a total of 28 days . two concentrations of test substance ( 20 and 40 mg / l ) were run for each substance , i . e ., for 4sp and for the dimethyl ester of 5si , as well as an active control ( d - glucose , 20 mg / l ) and a blank . results are given in the table : table______________________________________ conc period % theosubstance mg / l days co . sub . 2______________________________________4sp 20 28 73 . 35si 20 24 6 . 74sp 40 28 72 . 15si 40 24 2 . 6d - glucose 20 28 76 . 2blank 28 -& lt ; 0 . 5______________________________________ the ratio of carbon incorporated in biomass to carbon released as co 2 will vary depending on the organic substrate , experimental conditions and the microorganisms metabolizing the substance . generally the amount of co 2 produced will not be 100 % of the total amount possible , even though 100 % of the carbon initially added may be metabolized . the near equivalence of theoretical co 2 generated for 4sp and glucose during the 28 day period is taken as indicating substantially complete biodegradation of 4sp . | 8 |
the detailed description which follows is represented largely in terms of processes and symbolic representations of operations performed by conventional computer components , including a central processing unit ( cpu ), memory storage devices for the cpu , and connected pixel - oriented display devices . these operations include the manipulation of data bits by the cpu , and the maintenance of these bits within data structures that reside in one or more of the memory storage devices . such data structures impose a physical organization upon the collection of data bits stored within computer memory and represent specific electrical or magnetic elements . these symbolic representations are the means used by those skilled in the art of computer programming and computer construction to most effectively convey teachings and discoveries to others skilled in the art . for the purposes of this discussion , a process is generally conceived to be a sequence of computer - executed steps leading to a desired result . these steps generally require physical manipulations of physical quantities . usually , though not necessarily , these quantities take the form of electrical , magnetic , or optical signals capable of being stored , transferred , combined , compared , or otherwise manipulated . it is conventional for those skilled in the art to refer to these signals as bits , values , elements , symbols , characters , terms , objects , numbers , records , files or the like . it should be kept in mind , however , that these and similar terms should be associated with appropriate physical quantities for computer operations , and that these terms are merely conventional labels applied to physical quantities that exist within and during operation of the computer . in addition , it should be understood that the programs , processes , methods , etc . described herein are not related or limited to any particular computer or apparatus . rather , various types of general purpose machines may be used with programs constructed in accordance with the teachings described herein . similarly , it may prove advantageous to construct specialized apparatus to perform the method steps described herein by way of dedicated computer systems with hard - wired logic or programs stored in nonvolatile memory , such as read only memory . the operating environment in which the exemplary embodiment is used encompasses general distributed computing systems wherein general purpose computers , work stations , or personal computers are connected via communication links of various types . in a client server arrangement , programs and data , many in the form of objects , are made available by various members of the system . turning now to the drawings , fig1 is a block diagram showing an example of a system 10 suitable for implementing the hardcopy protection and confirmation process described below . as shown in fig1 , a reference number 12 denotes an image processing device ( e . g ., a personal computer , workstation or the like ), 14 denotes any number of telecommunication lines , 16 denotes a telecommunications network connecting the system elements via the telecommunication lines 14 , 18 denotes an image formation device ( e . g ., a color printer , fax machine , photocopier , or other image formation device ), 20 denotes an image reproduction device ( e . g ., a facsimile machine , image scanner , photocopier , or other device , which reproduces images using electrophotographic , xerographic , or other technology to form a hard copy ), and 21 denotes a secure remote server . the image processing device 12 represents image data to be printed by the image formation device 18 and outputs it to the image formation device 18 via the telecommunication line 14 . the telecommunication lines 14 may also comprise a computer network such as lan and a public line or a wan and may also be directly connected by a cable . the image formation device 18 includes an image formation unit 22 , a local user interface 24 , a control unit 26 , a pdl conversion unit 28 , and other elements . the image formation unit 22 forms an image on suitable media ( e . g ., paper ), based upon output image data from the image processing device 12 . the control unit 26 controls the operation of the whole image formation device 18 . documents displayed on the image processing device 12 connected to a network are typically converted to a page description language ( pdl ), such as adobe postscript , adobe pdf , or hewlett - packard pcl ( printer command language ), before being sent to the image formation device 18 . the image formation device 18 connected to the network interprets sent pdl , generates raster data of resolution suitable for the resolution of the printer and finally prints an image on paper or other suitable media . the image processing device 12 typically includes a cpu 30 , a local user interface 32 , and a printer driver 34 , among other things . the printer driver 34 is a piece of software that converts the data to be printed to the form specific to the image formation device 16 . the purpose of the printer driver 34 is to allow applications to do printing without being aware of the technical details of each type of image formation device . for example , postscript printer drivers create a file that is accepted by postscript printers , hewlett - packard ( hp ) printer drivers create pcl files and so on . drivers for windows - only printers rasterize the pages ( rip function ) and send the actual bit patterns to the printer , which are applied to the drum by the laser or led array . as stated earlier , the printer driver 34 converts the image to a pdl , such as postscript or pcl . postscript is a page description language optimized for printing graphics and text ( whether on paper , film , or crt is immaterial ). the main purpose of postscript is to provide a convenient language in which to describe images in a device independent manner . this device independence means that the image is described without reference to any specific device features ( e . g . printer resolution ) so that the same description could be used on any postscript printer ( say , a laserwriter or a linotron ) without modification . the language itself , which is typically interpreted , is stack - based in the same manner as an rpn calculator . a program pushes arguments to an operator onto a stack and then invokes the operator . typically , the operator will have some result which is left at the top of the stack . pcl is the page description language for hp laserjet printers . it has become a de facto standard used in many printers and typesetters . the image reproduction device 20 reproduces a hard copy or otherwise tangible copy of the document . as used herein , the term “ hard copy ” refers to a permanent reproduction , on any media suitable for direct use by a person ( in particular paper ), of displayed or transmitted data . examples of hard copy include teleprinter pages , continuous printed tapes , facsimile pages , computer printouts , and radiophoto prints . the secure server 21 offers a single area for receiving all the protection data for all documents generated on all machines that support glyph protection technology . data on the server 21 may be stored in a database 36 and dynamically updated inline with copies made , e . g . copy count incremented with each copy made , and this data can then be used to refuse any copies beyond the selected maximum . with reference to fig2 , a method 100 for securing a printed document is illustrated . initially , a digital document is prepared and stored on the image processing device 12 ( 110 ). the digital document may be generated directly on the image processing device 12 by the user via the local user interface 32 or it may have been sent to the image processing device 12 via a local network or the internet ( e . g ., by email ). at this point , the user invokes the “ print ” function on the image processing device 12 ( 120 ). the user then establishes the parameters for creating a secure document ( 130 ). more particularly , the user would select a feature such as “ copy protection ” from among the print driver properties list on the local user interface 32 . the user would then customize the security of the digital document through a list of options . these options may include , for example , strength , copy count , password protection , and protect until , as listed below : strength — with this option , the user would be given the choice of possible security “ strengths .” copy count — this option allows the user to control the amount of copies that can be made of the original document . password protection — this option permits the user to add a password , which would then be required when creating one or more copies of the original . protect until xx / xx / xxxx — with this option , the user may enter a date until which the document is to be protected . after this date the document may be reproduced at will . after the user has selected all of the appropriate options in the print driver 34 and acknowledges that the digital document is now ready to be printed , the image processing device 12 generates the copy protection data related to the document ( 140 ) and sends the copy protection data to the secure server 21 ( 150 ). the secure server 21 receives the copy protection data for the document ( 160 ) and generates a unique , encrypted id to be stored in the glyph that links the printed document to the stored data ( 170 ). this encrypted id relates to the set of document properties established earlier . the copy protection data is then stored in the database 36 ( 180 ). turning now to fig3 , the database 36 includes any number of data sub - blocks . they are shown as a super block 181 , not all of whose fields are filled . the super block 181 , as known in the art , can be accessed from the identity of any one of several fields in the super block 181 . the super block 181 includes any number of data sub - blocks , each of which contains copy protection data . for example , data sub - block 182 contains copy strength data , data sub - block 183 contains copy count data , data sub - block 184 contains password protection data , data sub - block 185 contains “ protect until ” data , and additional sub - blocks 186 may be provided in the super block 181 for storing other types of data useful in implementing the copy protection and confirmation process described below . meanwhile , the encrypted id is sent back to the image processing device 12 to be stored on the hard copy of the document in an encoded format such as a data glyph ( 190 ). upon receiving the encrypted id ( 200 ), the image processing device 12 generates at least one glyph incorporating the encrypted id and adds it to the document ( 210 ). the technique of embedding encoded information into paper documents using data glyph technology has been widely practiced for more than twenty years . it is particularly advantageous for use in document applications that require a high density rate of embedded data and require the embedded data to be robust for decoding purposes . glyphs differ from watermarks in that the glyphs encode information via some numerical method , while watermarks represent the actual image . the glyphs may be machine readable by means of human invisible characteristics of the print materials , such as their infrared reflectivity , their high resolution spectral detail , their metameric spectral characteristics , or their magnetization . these machine detectable materials may be incorporated into the same printing process that is employed for printing the human readable rendering , such as by utilizing xerographic toners which have machine recognizable , human invisible characteristics , together with their usual visible characteristics of color , whiteness , blackness , transparency and opacity . thus , a stream of data can be represented by glyphs each line varying in orientation in order to provide an encoded view of the information . data glyph technology encodes digital information in the form of binary 1s and 0s that are then rendered in the form of distinguishable shaped marks such as very small , linear marks . generally , each small mark represents a digit of binary data ; whether the particular digit is a digital 1 or 0 depends on the linear orientation of the particular mark . for example , marks that are oriented from top left to bottom right may represent a “ 0 ,” while marks oriented from bottom left to top right may represent a “ 1 .” the individual marks are of such a small size relative to the maximum resolution of a black and white printing device so as to produce an overall visual effect to a casual observer of a uniformly gray halftone area when a large number of such marks are printed together in a black and white image on paper . when incorporated in an image border or graphic , this uniformly gray halftone area does not explicitly suggest that embedded data is present in the document . however , a viewer of the image could detect that the small dots forming the gray halftone area are a series of small marks that together bear binary information . some examples of u . s . patents on data glyph technology include u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 221 , 833 , 5 , 245 , 165 , and 5 , 315 , 098 , the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety . for example , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 221 , 833 , entitled “ methods and means for reducing error rates in reading self - clocking glyph codes ,” discloses a method for encoding n - bit long multi - bit digital values in a pre - ordered cyclical sequence based on their analytically or empirically determined probabilities of being confused with each other , such that each glyph is adjacent in that sequence to the two glyphs with which it is more likely to be confused during decoding . also , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 245 , 165 , entitled “ self - clocking glyph code for encoding dual bit digital values robustly ,” discloses a method for encoding dual bit digital values in the cardinal rotations ( 0 degrees , 90 degrees , 180 degrees , and 270 degrees ) of a logically ordered sequence of wedge - shaped glyphs ( essentially right triangles ) that are written , printed or otherwise recorded on a hardcopy recording medium with a predetermined spatial formatting rule . the widths of the glyphs vary unidirectionally as a function of their height , so they can be decoded reliably , even when they are degraded by scan errors , dropped scan lines and / or random noise patterns . a system and method for encoding digital data in halftone images is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 315 , 098 to tow , entitled “ methods and means for embedding machine readable digital data in halftone images .” in tow , digital data is encoded in the angular orientation of circularly asymmetric halftone dot patterns that are written into the halftone cells of digital halftone images . the sizes of the halftone dot patterns are modulated in accordance with grayscale data sample values that are provided to define the image . the patterns are modulated so that the average reflectance or transmittance of each of the halftone cells is modulated to provide a more or less standard halftone rendering of the image . by modulating the angular orientation of the halftone dot patterns , digital data is encoded within the halftone image . the digital data can then be scanned into a computer , decoded and later processed . tow sets aside crosshatched pixels to function as dedicated background pixels to simplify the task of discriminating between their different angular orientations . in addition to generating a glyph , the image processing device 12 generates a unique thumb print of the document contents and adds it to the document . fig4 helps illustrates the steps of adding the glyph and the thumb print . as shown in fig4 , during the printing of the original document 221 with document contents 222 , the image processing device 12 would physically mark each corner 223 of the document 221 . also , a glyph 224 containing the encrypted id would be added . within the marked area 225 it would generate an “ invisible ” grid 226 ( used in software , not printed ), which it would then use to create a “ thumb print ” of the document contents 222 . depending on the strength selected from among the copy protection preferences , the image processing device 12 would randomly select a selection of grid references 227 , the higher the strength the more grid references . before printing , the image processing device 12 would generate a code that represents the data in each of these selected grid locations . each location &# 39 ; s data and the grid reference it represents are then sent to the secure server 21 for storage . this data will act as a document “ thumb print ” that is unique to each printed document . each document that is printed with glyph protection will be watermarked by default ( 230 ). this watermark will enable the image reproduction device 20 to detect secure documents even if the glyph has been removed . if the image reproduction device 20 detects a secure document without a glyph , it will inform the user that the glyph has been removed or is unrecognized and refuse to replicate the document . finally , the document is printed by the image formation device 18 with the appropriate copy protection features included ( 240 ). a method 300 for confirming that a printed document may be copied is outlined in fig5 . initially , a document is scanned by the image reproduction device 20 ( 301 ). next , the document is identified as copy protected ( 302 ). if the image reproduction device 20 recognizes a secure watermark but no glyph , then the image reproduction device 20 informs the user that the glyph is missing or unrecognizable and refuses to duplicate the document . next , the image reproduction device 20 creates a secure connection to the remote server 21 ( 303 ), and sends the encrypted glyph data to the remote server 21 ( 304 ). the remote server 21 receives the encrypted glyph data and decrypts the data into an id ( 305 ). the remote server 21 then loads the document data from the database 36 using the id ( 306 ). the remote server 21 checks the current date against the “ protect until ” date ( 307 ). where the current date is after the protect until date , then the server 21 informs the image reproduction device 20 that any number of copies may be made of the document as it has passed its protect until date . the remote server 21 also checks the current document copy count against the maximum copy count ( 308 ). where the copy count has reached its maximum , the server 21 informs the image reproduction device 20 that no more copies may be made of the document and terminates the process . the remote server 21 sends the machine document password ( 309 ) and the machine grid reference data , i . e ., the document thumb print , to the image reproduction device 20 ( 310 ). the image reproduction device 20 cross - checks the scanned image with the thumb print received from the remote server 21 . if the scanned image does not matched the saved thumb print , then the image reproduction device 20 will inform the user that the scanned image and glyph id do not match and that is therefore unable to produce any copies of the document . meanwhile , the image reproduction device 20 requests a password from the user ( 312 ). if the password given by does not match the one received for the secure document , then the image reproduction device 20 refuses to copy the document and informs the user of the password mismatch . otherwise , the image reproduction device 20 prints the requested number of copies of the document ( 313 ). the image reproduction device 20 sends the server 21 an acknowledgement of the print action ( 314 ). upon receiving the acknowledgment from the image reproduction device 20 , the server 21 updates the copy count and stores the data in the database 36 ( 315 ). finally , the remote server 21 disconnects from the image reproduction device 20 ( 316 ). thus , when a copy is requested of a secure document , i . e ., when the user places a printed secure document into the scanner and requests a copy , the image reproduction device 20 will contact the server 21 , identify the document using the glyph id , download its “ thumb print ” and cross check it against the document scanned to verify its contents match the original . it will be appreciated that various of the above - disclosed and other features and functions , or alternatives thereof , may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications . also that various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives , modifications , variations or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims . | 6 |
possible embodiments will now be described with reference to the drawings and those skilled in the art will understand that alternative configurations and combinations of components may be substituted without subtracting from the invention . also , in some figures certain components are omitted to more clearly illustrate the invention . referring specifically to fig1 , an overview of a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes several components that are detailed in fig2 - 38 and discussed further , below . this first preferred embodiment of the present invention 10 , as fig1 illustrates , includes a compact foldable firearm with survival tools . the foldable firearm 10 includes a handle portion ( or carriage ) 14 that includes one or more foldable tools 16 . the handle portion pivotably mounts to a firearm frame member 12 . the frame 12 carries a cylinder 22 coupled to a barrel 20 . the cylinder 22 rotates open for loading by releasing the cylinder lock pin 28 , and its operation is conventional as would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art . the frame 12 further includes a block or carriage 13 ( of fig3 , for example ) including a dovetail feature 99 pressed on top member 25 of the frame 12 . the firearm sub frame 12 further carries a foldable trigger assembly 18 . the frame further includes a top strap 36 secured with screws , for example , for increased frame - strength , and it is further adapted to retain the cylinder 22 in place . a handle pin 38 ( of fig1 , for example ) is the pivot pin between the handle and the firearm and further serves as the axis of rotation of the handle relative to the barrel . fig1 and 6 illustrate the present invention 10 in an extended position , whereby the firearm and / or the foldable tool or tools are accessible for ordinary use . in contrast , fig2 and 5 illustrate the present invention in a collapsed or folded position . in the folded position , the firearm is rendered inoperable , but the foldable tools are available for normal use . of particular note , in the folded position , the trigger assembly 18 pivots forward from a generally vertical position to a substantially horizontal position , a hammer - strike plate extends between the hammer and the firing pin and this prevents the hammer from retracting and striking the firing pin , even if the device is dropped . an additional safeguard includes a child - safety locking mechanism 34 ( fig9 ), which is further described , below . one key difference of the present invention over known folding firearms includes a unique ratchet rack 94 as fig2 shows . rather than pivot the handle portion 14 relative to the frame 12 on a fixed radius and single pivot point ( pivot pin 38 , which fits in mounting hole 108 on the carriage — see fig3 , for example ) and adapt the handle to receive the cylinder and barrel 20 ( of fig7 , for example ) as taught in the prior art , the rack 94 enables this firearm 10 to fold in a compact position , encapsulating a portion of the frame 12 , yet leaving a portion of the handle for other tools ( such as a foldable tool 16 ). this rack 94 utilizes flat springs to enable the firearm to be compact and fold against the handle portion . with particular reference to fig2 , it will be appreciated that a glass - breaking device 30 is operable for use in the folded position as it extends beyond the frame and barrel . this glass - breaking device is also operable in the extended position ( as fig1 shows , for example ). fig1 further details the glass - breaking device 30 . this is a conventional glass - breaking tip as would be well understood in the art . one contemplated glass - breaking device suited for use with the present invention includes the glass - breaker model number 10105 ert - 1 available from benchmade of oregon city , oreg ., usa . referencing now fig3 , the firearm carrier sub - frame 12 includes carriage 13 consisting of a generally rectilinear cross section when viewed from the front and , in profile , resembles a square - u - shape with an open top portion including a press - fit top portion 25 adapted to receive the top strap 36 . the top portion 25 includes dovetail features 99 adapted to mate to the top strap 36 . the top strap 36 , as fig3 illustrates , is a simple design of a generally rectilinear shape with a top groove 100 running the long , fore - aft axis and having opposing tapered shoulders 98 at each end of the body 96 . thus screws pins vertically inserted through the top surface of the top strap couple the strap to the frame 12 , allowing economical manufacturing of the device 10 . additionally , the top groove 100 serves as a manual - sighting plane . still referencing fig3 , the firearm chassis assembly 12 includes a sub frame or carriage 13 including a hammer - pivot mounting hole 110 and a hammer block - pin mounting hole 108 ( for engaging pin 38 ). as will be appreciated from fig1 and 36 - 38 , as the trigger assembly 18 is pulled toward the handle when the invention 10 is in the open position , the hammer pin ratchets rearward about its pivot axis devised to align with the pin mounting hole 110 until it is limited in travel rearward by the block pin 109 inserted in mounting hole 108 . the hammer pin accelerates to the strike plate only when the hammer is at its full rearward , pivoted extension and the trigger 42 and safety 40 are pressed with sufficient force , as described in further detail herein . fig4 illustrates the block 24 , a cylinder - release button . of particular note , a cylinder release button includes a ball bearing and internal geometry to provide a constant pressure lock . another key feature of this first preferred embodiment includes the trigger assembly 18 . as fig6 , and 31 - 34 , and 36 detail , the trigger assembly includes a trigger pin 102 , which enables the trigger 42 and safety lever 40 to fold forward and upwards from a near vertical ( operable ) position to a horizontal ( closed position ). also , the trigger 42 includes a base 104 and two arms 106 . disposed intermediate to the arms 106 , the safety lever 40 ( or lever 102 in this figure ) shares a common rotation axis with the common pin 102 . the safety lever ( latch pin 84 ) mechanically couples to a hammer - block plate , pulling the normally closed plate ( by means of a biasing member , latch spring 86 ) away from the hammer by a 3 - lb force spring that results in a one - pound pull force due to the internal geometries and lever - affect . the hammer is physically pulled to the cock position where the trigger requires a 5 - lb pull force to release . and , only by having pressure on both the safety 40 and the trigger 42 will the firearm discharge . this design eliminates the conventional trigger guard as taught in the prior art , allowing for a more compact and foldable design in this preferred embodiment and — importantly — preventing misfire in the event the firearm is bumped or dropped as the trigger serves as a “ trigger guard ” relative to the safety lever . the safety lever 40 , moreover , requires a continuous positive force of 1 - lb pull and the firearm cannot be fired with out this intentional pressure on the safety . fig9 details a lock assembly 34 to render the firearm portion of the foldable survival tool “ safe ”. the lock assembly fits inside a portion of the handle as fig3 - 38 , for example , show . when the handle portion is in the folded position , a portion of the handle 14 covers the firearm sub - frame 12 and the foldable trigger assembly 18 pivots upward to attain a horizontal position and sits relatively flush with the carriage 13 . thus , when folded , the trigger cannot be accessed due to the handle portion covering the entire trigger and a lower portion of the carriage 13 . accordingly , the keyed lock assembly 34 includes a key plate 52 with a keyed opening , the keyed opening contains a police - grade or military - grade mechanism as would be well understood in the art . a shaft 50 couples the key plate to the locking plate 48 ; the shaft rotates as would be conventionally understood in the art . the locking plate 48 , therefore , selectively engages a portion of the carriage 13 so that when in the folded position and locked with a key , the foldable survival tool cannot be unfolded and thus cannot be fired as the hammer lock will be in the closed position ( as previously described ) and the trigger would not be accessible . as mentioned , the handle portion 14 includes space for one or more foldable tools 16 , or preferably two individual spaces , each with the capacity for one or more folding tools . in this first preferred embodiment the compact , folding firearm and survival tool includes a folding blade 44 mounted by a blade pin through opening 46 ( see fig8 , for example ), and its opening and closing is facilitated by one or more blade washers . the blade locks into the open position with a knife pin 72 of fig2 , for example . the operation and locking of the blade is well understood in the art . in other preferred embodiments one or more blades , or other foldable tools ( such as a saw blade , scissors , file , punch , awl , spoon , fork , spork , or other known implements would work equally well ). another key feature of the first preferred embodiment of the foldable firearm and survival tool 10 includes the child - lock safety mechanism assembly 34 . fig9 and 10 detail the assembly 34 including a cylinder body 50 with a latch plate 48 ( see fig2 , for example ) at one end and a lock - receiving opening at the opposite end . a key plate 52 ( see fig1 , for example ) fixably couples to the handle portion 14 . a standard law - enforcement lock fits in the body 50 and the cylinder resides in the handle portion . when the firearm is in the closed position , a turn of the key rotates the cylinder body 50 , pivoting the latch 48 into a mating feature on the frame 12 . fig2 and 23 detail the cylinder latch pin and cylinder latch spring , which provide unique geometry allowing positive cylinder latching and a compact device . fig2 details the child - safety lock roll pin , which centers the key and renders the lock difficult to pick . fig1 illustrates a cylinder 22 with five chambers 54 with robust design and improved inherent safety over conventional firearms . fig1 details the hammer 32 including the pull 56 and gear teeth 60 . the hammer pivotably mounts using pin 64 ( fig1 ) at opening 58 , the pivot point or the frame 12 and handle portion 14 . a hammer lock - pin 62 ( of fig1 , for example ) in a cam operation ramps inside handle and shifts the hammer locking pin into a locked position when moving from open to folded position . another key aspect of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention includes dual lasers for sighting and range finding . the dual lasers , one red , one green , mount in a laser holder 26 ( see fig2 , for example ). the laser holder is fixed or coupled to the frame 12 by means of screws ( or other suitable permanent or semi permanent fasteners ) through the base 76 into the frame 12 . a pronged laser frame arm 74 extending generally vertically from one distal end of a horizontal frame body base 76 . a laser housing 80 locates at the proximal end of the body 76 and includes openings for each laser 78 79 . operation and use of the laser was presented earlier in this document . one suitable and contemplated dual laser mechanism is disclosed in the present inventor &# 39 ; s co - pending provisional patent application no . 61 / 286 , 665 filed on 2009 - 12 - 15 titled “ munitions - specific , dual - laser sighting device ,” the entire disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein . accordingly , the laser holder consists of a housing and rail , machined from a solid block of 60 - 61 t6 aluminum , however , 70 - 75 t6 works as well . of course , other materials could be substituted including , but not limited to brass , platinum , silver , nickel , gold , stainless steel , steel , and carbon fiber . and the parts can be cast or forged in lieu of machining . suitable red and green lasers are available from creative tech lasers of walnut creek , calif ., usa . and include a [ green laser model ps - 3 - 5 with an output power of 4 . 5 mw and a current of 250 ma at 3 volts dc with a wavelength of 532 nm . the red laser model lmapcd - 650 - 01 uses apc ( auto power control ) and is rated at 3 mw at 3 volts dc and emits a wavelength of 650 nm . suitable switches for selective on / off operation of each red and green laser includes a single - pole , double - through 6a , 120 v rated switch available as part number 1101m2s2cq2e2 available from master distributors of santa monica , calif ., usa . fig2 shows the lock slide 90 whereby a key pushes up , out of contact with the latch plate 52 and allows 90 - degrees of rotation of the cylinder body 50 and latch plate 48 . fig2 and 28 detail the cylinder lock pin assembly 28 including pin 92 . a robust design provides constant latching pressure retaining the cylinder from being removed . pushing the cylinder latch button 24 allows the cylinder pin assembly 92 to be extracted allowing the cylinder 22 to be removed for reloading . the cylinder pin assembly can be used to push out bullet casings from the chamber 54 . although the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to certain embodiments , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 5 |
fig1 illustrates the front perspective view of a telephone answering device ( tad ) 25 according to the invention . the tad preferably includes a standard telephone handset 30 having a microphone and speaker for audio communication with a user . the remainder of the tad preferably includes a display / touch screen 32 and various keys 34 used to activate functions of the tad . some of the keys 34a are arranged as a numeric keypad , similar to standard touch - tone telephones . this allows the tad to be used as a standard telephone , as well as providing access to alphanumeric input by the user . another set of keys 34b below the numeric keypad includes other standard telephone functions , such as flash , redial , mute and speaker , which allows audio communication without the handset , as is known . a third set of keys 34c are used for access to a stored database within the tad that contains information about callers , as described more fully below . inputting the information to the database is accomplished similarly to the disclosure of the inventor &# 39 ; s above - mentioned u . s . pat . no . 4 , 304 , 968 or in any fashion known in the art . a fourth and fifth set of keys 34d , 34e are used for accessing identification data about recorded messages and then accessing and retrieving those messages . a key 36 for recording the outgoing message of the tad is included , as is a standard &# 34 ; on - off &# 34 ; key 38 . all of these keys 34a - e , 36 , 38 and their functions are described more fully below with respect to the preferred embodiment . of course , other arrangements of keys and input devices are contemplated by the invention . the display / touch screen 32 is shown in a state when several messages have been received and recorded by the tad . the display preferably indicates the identity 40 and phone number 42 of the callers who recorded the messages , the identity information preferably being retrieved from the database as described more fully below . through actuation of the touch screen 32 or keys 34d , 34e , it is possible to playback any of the voice messages left by the displayed callers , in any sequence , and to perform other functions , such as automatically dialing the particular caller &# 39 ; s number to return the call , as described more fully below . by creating an internal link between the recorded voice message and stored digital database data , an intelligent organized voice / data message ( iovdm ) is formed that can be displayed with alphanumeric information , played back as analog recorded voice , processed in a database , etc . fig2 illustrates the block diagram of the circuit elements comprising an embodiment of the present invention . the microcontroller 1 is preferably a 68hc11 , manufactured by motorola semiconductor . the microcontroller internally is comprised of memory 2 containing ram memory and eprom memory circuits that are known to those skilled in the art . the ram memory functions as read / write memory used for storing data and temporary system status events of the microcontroller . in the present invention , the ram memory of the microcontroller 1 is also used for the storage of telephone numbers , names , user identification codes , other information about callers , and voice messages . similarly , the eprom memory stores the program instructions for the control and operation of the microcontroller . these circuit elements are organized and connected in a data / address and control circuit bus structure 20 , the general structure of which is known in the art . the display controller 3 is a known circuit that converts data and control signals from the microcontroller unit into video signals that produce character and graphic information on the display unit 4 . the display controller 3 is preferably a circuit comprising the signetics 2670 , 2672 and 2673 crt controller integrated circuit set . the display controller 3 drives the display unit 4 to produce visual display output with character and / or graphic indicia to be presented to the user . the display unit 4 is overlaid with a touch screen 5 , such as that available from microtouch , wilmington , mass . the touch screen 5 is an input device that presents an x - y positional coordinate pair to the microcontroller 1 indicating the position touched on the screen 5 . through the use of software within the microcontroller memory , the touch screen is positionally mapped onto the underlying indicia , allowing the user to select or indicate information and functions displayed on the display unit 4 . the speech recorder / playback and dtmf transceiver circuit 6 is preferably comprised of the ds2271dk speech recorder / playback board manufactured by dallas semiconductor , dallas , tex . illustrated in fig2 is the microphone input 7 and the speaker output 8 interfaced to the speech recorder / playback circuit 6 which enables the user to record and playback voice messages . the function of the voice record / playback circuit 6 is to record voice messages into and from the memory 2 , and to later play back these voice messages . other functions of the circuit 6 include dtmf decoding , line status determination and dtmf generation . the messages are recorded either through the microphone unit 7 , which is intended for the recording of the outgoing message , or through the data access arrangement circuit ( daa ) 10 that interfaces tip and ring lines to a standard rj11 jack 11 , which is preferably connected to a line on the public telephone network . the voice playback function provides an output voice signal either through the speaker 8 or through the daa 10 connected to the telephone line . the daa 10 is preferably the ch1840 manufactured by cermetek microelectronic company , sunnyvale , calif . the daa 10 also provides a signal indicating the incoming ring signal status to the microcontroller 1 via wire connection 25 as illustrated . after a preprogrammed number of ring signals , which may be adjustable , the tad answers the call by providing a signal on line 26 to the daa 10 , which causes the daa 10 to put the telephone line in the off - hook state , thereby causing the tad to answer the call . voice signals are transmitted to and from the telephone line through the rj11 connector 11 and pass through the daa 10 to the voice recorder / playback circuit on rcv and xmit1 lines . voice signals are in analog form when inputted to the voice recorder / playback circuit 6 . as illustrated , these connections rcv and xmit1 are capacitively coupled between the daa 10 and the voice recorder / playback circuit . the voice signal is preferably digitized and stored in the voice memory section of the memory 2 by means of the recorder / playback circuit 6 , although other storage means , such as analog memory circuits , are possible . the microcontroller 1 controls the functioning of the voice / playback circuit such as with play , record , erase , and stop signals along with the signals corresponding to message numbers . the play , record , erase , and stop signals to the recorder / playback circuit 6 are received from the microcontroller via the output bus 13 as illustrated . these control functions are activated by means of the microcontroller toggling pins connected to bus 13 , and selecting the desired message number through an output port on the microcontroller 1 via the bus connection 14 as illustrated . the dtmf signals received from the telephone network are decoded as is known by the voice recorder / playback circuit 6 . through the same circuit , the energy level on the telephone line can be detected , indicating to the microcontroller if there is voice signals on the line ( varying energy level ), dtmf signals ( steady , known energy levels ), or a dial tone or silence on the line ( steady high or low energy level ). the determination of the status of the line , in conjunction with the user setup mode provides input to the decision of the next machine operation , as will be illustrated . fig3 is a flowchart illustrating the answer program mode of the present invention , in which the tad loops and checks for an incoming call on the telephone line or for the user to activate a key . as illustrated in fig3 the tad first determines if the user has pressed a key on the tad ( decision block 100 ). this is done by means of the microcontroller reading its rs232 serial data port connected to the touch screen 5 through connection 20 to determine if the screen has been touched . the microcontroller 1 is also connected to and monitors the other keys 34a - e on the tad . if an x - y coordinate pair is read and the parameters of the x - y pair map onto the boundaries of a known key , a true key has been depressed and the microcontroller 1 calls the user mode routine ( block 101 ). if no key has been pressed , the system next tests if a ring signal is available ( block 110 ). if a ring signal is available , determined by reading the state of the daa 10 , the microcontroller then proceeds to block 120 in which it reads the variable stored in memory indicating the number of rings to wait before answering the incoming call ( inc ). the microcontroller then preferably multiplies this number by 6 ( a standard ring is 2 seconds with a 4 second silence gap ) and counts down that number of seconds before answering . as illustrated , during this delay , the microcontroller checks every 6 seconds to determine if the ringing has stopped , if no ring is present , this indicates that the caller hung up . the microcontroller would then return to block 100 . if the timer successfully counts down , the system progresses into the outgoing message state ( block 150 ). the microcontroller causes the daa to create an off - hook state and then causes the voice / recorder playback circuit 6 to transmit the pre - recorded outgoing message ( ogm ) through the daa to the telephone line . the ogm is preferably stored as message # 1 in memory 2 . as described below , the ogm includes instructions for the caller to enter a home phone number or other caller identifying information . when the playing of the ogm is completed , the microcontroller preferably waits 5 seconds ( block 160 ). this 5 second grace period prevents malfunction of the tad due to silence by the natural pause or hesitation of a caller before or during enunciation of a message . at block 170 , the microcontroller determines if voice or dtmf signals are being transmitted . the microcontroller can distinguish three states during a call -- voice signals , dtmf signals , or dial tone / silence -- by reading the level and modulation of the signals on the telephone line . the ds2271dk voice recorder / playback unit can distinguish between the tones of dtmf signals and the signal level ranges associated with human speech detected on the telephone line . if voice signals are detected , the microcontroller immediately executes the voice record routine . if no voice is present on the line , but dtmf signals are being transmitted , the microcontroller executes the dtmf decode routine . if , however , there is dial tone / silence on the telephone line for 5 seconds , the microcontroller causes the daa to go into the on - hook mode ( block 240 ), which hangs up the phone and terminates the call . the tad now returns to its initial state in the answer mode routine of looping and checking for a user key touch and waiting for a ring signal . the process for determining line silence , voice energy or dtmf signaling is illustrated in blocks 180 , 190 and 200 . if block 190 is true ( voice energy levels present ), program execution follows to block 220 , the record routine . if , however , there is a dtmf tone present , execution follows to block 230 , the dtmf decode routine . block 220 , the record function , is illustrated in fig4 and begins with the allocation of voice memory and data memory at block 300 . this function increments a memory variable stored in eprom that points to the next memory position allocated in the voice memory and data memory stored in memory circuit 2 . this process is a preferred way to help organize the data and voice memory and link them together . memory organization of the tad is described more fully below . at block 310 , the voice message memory is accessed . the record function is then executed and voice recorder / playback circuit begins digitizing the analog voice and stores this data sequentially in the voice memory 2 . the record function is now in process and operating as a parallel task to the task of determining the line status . at block 320 , data is then analyzed at block 330 ( is there a dial tone ). if this test is false , the block 340 ( is there a dtmf tone ) is executed . if both these blocks ( 330 and 340 ) generate a false , then control is looped back to block 320 , input signal levels , and allows the voice record routine to continue . this looping back will compensate for momentary silence or gaps in the voice message . if block 330 is true , i . e ., there is a dial tone , then the voice recording routine is stopped at block 350 and the telephone line is put on - hook at block 370 . the tad then returns to answer mode ( shown in fig3 ) at block 390 . if block 340 is true , which means there is a dtmf signal , the record routine is stopped at block 360 and block 380 calls the dtmf decode routine shown in fig5 . this routine decodes the dtmf signals keyed into the telephone by the caller and stores the code in memory of the tad and links it to the voice memory if a voice message is recorded . operation is transferred to the dtmf decode routine when a dtmf signal is sensed on the telephone line , the routine begins at block 400 ( allocate voice and data memory ). this process sets up data memory for receiving the dtmf signaling and links the data memory to voice message memory if a voice message has already been recorded . if a voice message has not yet been recorded it allocates an available message number in case a voice message is left later . this allows the system to be flexible and will allow the caller to key in a dtmf i . d . code anytime during the message sequence . control proceeds to block 410 to read the levels of the telephone line . at block 420 , the microcontroller determines if there is still a dtmf signal on the line . if block 420 is true , control is looped back to input block 410 . this input and test loop continues until the dtmf signal stops indicating either the standard silent interval between dtmf digits or perhaps that the dtmf signaling has been completed and a voice message has been initiated . if decision block 420 generates a false , it is determined at block 430 if a voice signal is present . if a voice signal is present , block 440 passes control back to the record function routine of fig4 . if no voice signal is on the line , block 430 generates a false , and control passes to block 450 in which it is determined if silence or a dial tone is present on the line . silence indicates an inter - digit silence and control passes to block 470 , which stores the decoded dtmf digit and passes control back to block 410 to read the next dtmf digit . if , however , there is dial tone on the line , indicating that the caller has disconnected , block 450 instead passes control to block 460 , which puts the tad in the on - hook mode and proceeds to block 480 . block 480 passes control to the answer mode routine of fig3 . now , the tad is ready for a new incoming call or for the user to activate a key function by pressing the touch screen . the memory circuit block 2 ( fig2 ) connected to the microcontroller 1 as further illustrated in fig6 and 8 is the storage means where the user options , commands , data and voice messages are stored and interact with the microcontroller unit 1 and the voice record / playback circuit 6 in order to accomplish the features as taught in the present invention . the data entered by the user for the functioning of the present invention includes textual names of the callers as they would appear on the display 4 , for example , &# 34 ; sid ceaser ,&# 34 ; as well as user &# 39 ; s identification code , i . e ., 497 - 6201 , and additional related data . this data is stored in the memory and organized by the database portion of the programming in memory section 1 illustrated in fig6 . the address or relative position of this data in the memory section can change as new names are entered or deleted as controlled and organized by database functions in the microcontroller . the recorded messages which are entered by the caller can be composed either of 1 or 2 parts , a digital data part and a digitized analog part . the first part , which is the digital data portion , is composed of the data acquired by the dtmf decoding function as illustrated in the flowchart of fig4 and is stored as binary numbers in memory section 2 as illustrated in fig7 . as explained , this digital data , which is composed of the translated code as entered by the caller from dtmf keypad , preferably also contains an address link byte to the voice message if the user had also recorded a voice message along with this data message . the voice message memory as required by the voice record / playback circuit 6 is a separate section of the memory , i . e . memory section 3 as illustrated in fig8 . the voice recorder / playback circuit 6 preferably digitizes and compresses the voice message and presents it to the microcontroller which stores it in a specific format in a separate section ( section 3 ) of memory . the format is preferably composed of 128 byte speech records of which each voice message is composed of an integral number of records . the first byte of each record contains a number specifying which message number it is part of . the valid message numbers are preferably 1 to 254 although more , of course , are possible . therefore , a preferred maximum of 253 incoming messages exists with message 1 being the ogm . the message number in the record is used to link to the digital data message which contains the same message number . therefore , as explained , there are three sections of memory which can be linked together by the database program function to form an intelligent organized voice / data message ( iovdm ) as taught in the present invention , memory section 1 ) the database entry by the user of the names with the associated data , such as telephone number and address , and the caller &# 39 ; s i . d . which could be the caller &# 39 ; s home or business telephone number or any unique code . ( fig6 ) memory section 2 ) the message memory containing caller entered i . d . code data and linked message numbers . ( fig7 ) memory section 3 ) the message memory containing voice message data recorded by the caller . ( fig8 ) a message as recorded by the caller can be composed of any of the following types : 2 ) a data message alone as described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 304 , 968 by the inventors of the present invention . 3 ) a voice message as described in ( 1 ) linked to a data message as described in ( 2 ) that are linked together into an intelligent organized voice data message ( iovdm ) as taught by the present invention . the linking together of these separate data memory and voice memory elements in an iovdm is performed by the database function and displayed on the display . to perform this linking , a reserved byte of memory attached to the data message is stored which indicates the voice message number it is linked to . the database program code then searches the database entry section in which the user entered the data such as name , address and phone number . if a match is found between these , the information is presented to the user as an iovdm . other ways of linking the voice messages and data messages are possible . in one alternate configuration , each data message precedes its corresponding voice message in contiguous memory bytes . for proper functioning of the tad , it is preferred that database information , such as names , phone numbers and address , personal and / or business reference notes , etc . is entered by the user . using keys 34c for accessing the database , information , such as &# 34 ; regis lamb &# 34 ; and his associated phone number &# 34 ; 431 - 9762 &# 34 ; plus other additional information may be entered . as seen in fig6 several telephone numbers can be stored for an individual . preferably , they would be coded , for example , with an &# 34 ; o &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; h &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; m &# 34 ; or other letters , signifying &# 34 ; office &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; home &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; mobile &# 34 ;, etc . the database can have as many entries as the user desires and the specific memory size will allow . the user preferably also records the ogm , which would preferably include instructions for the caller to enter his home phone number or caller identifying number on a touch tone phone and then to record a voice message . it is to be understood that any incoming signals over the telephone line with a voice message that is recognizable by the tad and is generally unique to the caller may be used instead of dtmf tones . the unit is then left in the answer mode . upon receiving a call ( detecting rings ), the tad puts the telephone line in an off - hook state ( block 500 , fig1 ) and plays the outgoing message to the caller ( block 510 ). if , for example , regis lamb were the fourth caller since the messages were last cleared , he would enter his home phone number , as requested by the ogm ( block 520 ). the microcontroller records the decoded identifying information in memory section 2 , along with the available message number , in this case &# 34 ; 5 &# 34 ;, as shown in fig7 . the microcontroller then searches all of the phone numbers stored in the database and matches the received phone number to the stored data record and recalls mr . lamb &# 39 ; s for display as message 4 ( block 530 ). this is shown on the example display in fig9 . the microcontroller also records mr . lamb &# 39 ; s voice message as message number 5 ( fig8 ), linking that voice message with the recalled data record through the list in memory section 2 . later , the user would come home and press , for example , the &# 34 ; display new messages &# 34 ; key to see a list of the messages as shown in fig9 . by pressing on mr . lamb &# 39 ; s name on the touch screen or the corresponding keypad number , only the fourth message would be played back from the proper location in memory , avoiding having to hear any other unwanted messages ( block 540 , 550 ). simultaneously , the entire data record matching mr . lamb could also be displayed on the display while the voice message is being played back ( block 560 ), as shown in fig1 . by merely pressing , &# 34 ; return call ,&# 34 ; the microprocessor would retrieve the phone number from the data record and produce the dtmf tones on the telephone line to dial mr . lamb . if more than one phone number appears on mr . lamb &# 39 ; s data display , the touch screen or corresponding keypad number could be used to select and then dial any of the numbers ( block 570 , 580 ). if a caller does not enter any identifying code during the phone call , the tad will display &# 34 ; no id &# 34 ; or another message in place of the caller &# 39 ; s name on the display list . messages stored in the tad can be accessed from a remote telephone by using a portable remote access device ( rad ) 55 , which is hand held and not directly interfaced to a phone , and in which the same list of telephone numbers and names have preferably been stored as in the user &# 39 ; s base tad . the preferred embodiment of the rad 55 is shown in fig1 and 13 , in which it can be seen that the rad includes a display 4 &# 39 ;, selection keys 34 &# 39 ; and a telephone coupler 60 , such as an acoustic coupler or an induction coil coupler . the internal components of the rad are shown in fig1 , including the coupler 60 connected to a microcontroller 1 &# 39 ;. the microcontroller 1 &# 39 ; also receives input from the selection keys 34 &# 39 ;, as described in more detail below . memory circuits 2 &# 39 ; are also included that are similar to those described above in the tad , except there is preferably no memory section reserved for recorded voice messages , significantly decreasing the memory requirements . the display 4 &# 39 ; and display controller 3 &# 39 ; are similar to those described above . there is preferably no touch screen in the rad , although it is contemplated that it could be used similarly . the preferred remote operation using the rad 55 is shown schematically in fig1 . the user first dials the telephone number ( block 600 ) of the phone connected to the base tad , whether it be a home or other number , and waits for the base tad to pick up and play the ogm as described above . the user then preferably dials a code ( block 610 ), for instance &# 34 ; 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 ,&# 34 ; on the phone . the audio signal generated by his dialing is received by the base tad through the telephone line and converted by the microprocessor 1 into digital information , as discussed above . this particular code instructs the microprocessor 1 of the base tad to feed out in rapid succession all the stored phone numbers from memory section 2 as the appropriate touch - tone frequencies ( block 620 ), and outputs these frequencies through the telephone line to the phone the user is dialing from . the user places the hand - held rad on the phone receiver and , via the telephone coupler 60 , the dtmf tones outputted by the base tad are received into the microprocessor 1 &# 39 ; of the rad 55 and converted into digital form . in this manner , the identifying phone numbers of all the callers stored in the base tad are quickly transferred to the rad 55 via the telephone line . the microprocessor 1 &# 39 ; then preferably matches the received phone numbers with its internal database ( block 630 ) and displays the list of names and numbers of the callers ( see fig1 ), as described above with respect to the tad . alternatively , in accordance with another embodiment of the invention , if there is no stored database within the rad , the phone numbers alone are displayed . next to the names and / or numbers of the callers , the rad displays a linking code that corresponds to message numbers , as can be seen in fig1 . this alerts the user to and specifies the linked recorded voice messages stored in the base tad . it is also contemplated that the linking code might not be directly displayed , but would instead determine the order of display for the names , thus indicating the linking code for each message . the linking code is preferably transmitted indirectly by the base tad via the order in which the dtmf phone numbers are sent to the rad 55 , i . e ., the order itself being representative of the linking code . at this point , the user may now select the message or messages that he wants to hear from the displayed list . for example , if he chooses to hear mark brenner &# 39 ; s message first , he would merely press the number 4 on the telephone ( block 640 ). the base tad receives the dtmf signal , decode it , and proceed to playback voice message number 4 ( block 650 ). other messages may be played back by pressing other message numbers on the telephone . when the user is finished listening to the message , he can either press a code , such as &# 34 ;#&# 34 ; to cause the base tad to hang up , or hang up the telephone he has been using . the tad is preferably equipped with a timer that causes it to hang up after a predetermined period of silence during the message retrieval function . it is also contemplated that the linking codes could be completely internal to the rad and not displayed . the user selects the voice message to be played back with the selection keys 34 &# 39 ;, using the displayed list of names as a menu . the rad then outputs appropriate dtmf signals to the base tad to cause it to playback the voice message . the link between the voice message and the displayed names could also be completely within the base tad . then , for example , the rad could transmit entire dtmf phone numbers back to the base tad after the user selects a particular displayed name or number . the base tad would then play back the voice message linked to the phone number . in any case , it is important that the rad or the user be able to communicate with the base tad to select which voice messages it is to playback and the sequence of such playback . after hearing the messages , the user may wish to return the call of one or several of the callers . since the rad is preferably pre - stored with a complete database of names and phone numbers , a particular caller on the list could be selected with the arrow keys 34a &# 39 ; and the entire data record retrieved with the select button 34b &# 39 ;. a particular number in the record could then be similarly highlighted . by pressing the select button 34b &# 39 ; again , while holding the rad to the microphone of the telephone , the rad performs as an auto - dialer , outputting the dtmf frequencies for the selected number . other features , such as credit card calling , could also be incorporated into the rad . since the rad is separate from the base tad , it is possible that the databases may not always be completely identical . for example , if a phone number is transmitted by the tad to the rad , the name of a caller matching that number might not be stored . in this case , the rad simply displays the phone number on the screen , allowing for the possibility that the number might be recognized by the user . it is also contemplated that the features and components of the rad could be incorporated into existing pocket databank organizers that are known . the database for the rad system could be shared with the other organizer functions . in an alternate embodiment , the rad 55 &# 39 ; could be a detachable part of a modified base tad 64 as shown in fig1 and 17 . when mounted in the tad 64 , the rad 55 &# 39 ; is electrically connected to the tad 64 and serves as the display and database for the tad 64 . when the rad 55 &# 39 ; is removed for mobile use as shown in fig1 , the modified base tad 64 is only left with components sufficient to allow it to pick up the phone , play the ogm , record voice messages , decode and store dtmf signals , and link the dtmf signals to the voice messages . through the linking codes in the rad , the link between the caller &# 39 ; s identity and the voice messages could be entirely within the rad , such as if the linking code corresponded to the stored voice message number . additionally , the modified tad 64 has programming to allow it to interface with the rad 55 or 55 &# 39 ; as described above . communication between a rad and the modified tad 64 would be identical to communication with a full - feature tad . however , this modified base tad 64 has no display once the rad 55 &# 39 ; is removed , nor a duplicate database to that stored in the rad , and thus could not function identically to the preferred stand - alone tad . this combination of a modified tad and rad would be a less expensive alternative to a full - function tad and a separate rad . the modified tad 64 preferably includes other keys for inputting database information , etc ., although these are shown covered with cover 68 . in fig1 , a modified mobile telephone 80 , such as a cellular phone , is shown , which has a raid incorporated within . the rad functions as mentioned above , except the connection between the rad and the remote telephone ( now the cellular phone ) is electrical and the selection buttons may be shared between them . additionally , the telephone is constructed with a larger display 82 than is conventional to allow for the display of caller identities . in this construction , the voice message transmitted by the base unit may be heard over the cellular telephone simultaneously with display of the additional information for the caller in question . additionally , the mobile telephone could be programmed such that , through actuation of a single function key , the telephone would call the base tad , establish a telephone connection , and automatically interact with the base tad to retrieve the callers &# 39 ; identities for the stored messages . as seen in fig1 , the display 82 may also be used to display additional information for a selected caller . then , through selection of a displayed phone number , the cellular telephone automatically dials the number and provides a telephone connection . of course , several rads could be used to access a single tad , although preferably not simultaneously . while the embodiments shown and described are fully capable of achieving the objects of the invention , it is to be understood that these embodiments are shown only for the purpose of illustration and not for the purpose of limitation . | 7 |
the invention will now be described , by way of examples only : all alginate samples were kindly provided by technostics ( hull , uk and fmc biopolymer , norway ). the tris ( hydroxymethyl )- methylamine and calcium chloride were purchased from bdh ( poole , uk ). bile acids ( deoxycholic acid sodium salt and taurodeoxycholic acid sodium salt ) were both purchased from fluka ( buchs , switzerland ), whereas the 1 , 2 di - o - lauryl - rac - glycero - 3 -( glutaric acid 6 - methyl resorufin ester ) ( dggr ), sodium acetate , colipase , lipase and orlistat ( tetrahydrolipstatin ) were all purchased from sigma - aldrich ( poole , uk ). absorbance was measured at 580 nm using an ati unicam 8625 uv / vis spectrophotometer with semi - micro cuvettes ( 10 mm light path ) ( fisher , uk fb55147 ) or a 96 well microplate spectrophotometer using a 575 nm filter ( el808 biotek , bedfordshire uk ) the lipase activity assay is a modified version of the method developed by panteghini et al . [ 13 ]. the assay requires three solutions , solution 1 , solution 2 and the lipase solution . solution 1 contains 1 mg / l of colipase and 1 . 8 mmol / l deoxycholic acid sodium salt in tris buffer ( 50 mmol / l ph 8 . 4 at 25 ° c .). solution 2 contains 72 mmol / l taurodeoxycholic acid sodium salt , 0 . 1 mmol / l calcium chloride and 0 . 24 mmol / l dggr in acetate buffer ( 18 mmol / l , ph 4 . 0 at 25 ° c .). solution 2 was mixed on a magnetic stirrer at 500 rpm and 4 ° c . overnight . the lipase solution contains 1 g / l of porcine pancreatic lipase in deionised water , where 1 mg contains 60 u of lipase activity . for all alginate polymer samples , a stock solution containing 4 g / l polymer was prepared by slowly adding dry polymer powder to a vortexing mixture of solution 1 . the stock solution was then diluted with buffer to produce polymer test samples containing 0 . 25 , 1 and 4 g / l polymer . when the three polymer test samples were added to the reaction mixture , the alginate concentration in the reaction mixture was 0 . 21 , 0 . 86 and 3 . 43 g / l respectively . as a positive control , 0 . 025 g / l orlistat was added to solution 1 . all solutions were stored at 4 ° c . until use . the activity of lipase was assessed under three conditions . firstly , lipase activity was determined under optimum assay conditions where 100 % activity is achievable . these conditions are referred to as lipase control conditions . 1 . 5 ml of solution 1 was mixed with 100 μl of lipase solution and incubated at 37 ° c . for 60 minutes . in tandem , 150 μl of solution 2 was also incubated at 37 ° c . for 60 minutes before being combined with the solution 1 : lipase solution mixture and then incubated for a further 35 minutes . once solution 2 had been added to the enzyme mixture a two minute lag phase was observed and then the absorbance was read at five minute intervals for 35 minutes at either 575 nm for the plate assay or 580 nm for the cuvette assay . reagent blanks were also run to eliminate the effect that additional chemicals have on the absorbance . to achieve this 100 μl of deionised water replaced the 100 μl of lipase solution added to the test condition . the respective reagent blanks were subtracted from their control or test condition . the second condition under which lipase activity was assessed was in the presence of a known covalent inhibitor , tetrahydrolipstatin ( orlistat ). under these conditions 0 . 025 g / l of orlistat was added to solution 1 prior to incubation and the assay methodology above was followed . orlistat completely inhibits lipase and was used as a positive control for inhibition . these conditions are referred to as inhibition control conditions the final condition in which lipase activity was assessed was in the presence of alginate polymer . polymers were added to solution 1 ( 0 . 25 - 4 g / l ) prior to incubation and the assay methodology above followed . these conditions are referred to as test condition . to calculate the percentage of lipase inhibition by alginates , the absorbance values under test conditions , inhibition control conditions and lipase control conditions were used and the following formula applied . the absorbance values used for the enzyme inhibition calculation were measurements taken after solutions 1 , 2 and lipase solution has been incubated for 12 minutes . at this stage the reaction was still in its linear phase . lipase will cleave the dggr substrate to form 1 , 2 di - o - lauryl - rac - glycerol and glutaric acid a 6 - methyl resorufin ester compound . the ester will then spontaneously hydrolyses under alkaline conditions to glutaric acid and produce a purple chromophore ( methyl resorufin ). the increase in absorbance at 575 - 580 nm is a measure of lipase activity . the cuvette assay was adapted for a 96 well microplate assay . the procedure and method remained the same , however a tenfold reduction in volume was applied to allow the volumes to fit on a plate . all statistical analysis and graph drawing were performed using standard functions of the analysis software prism version 4 ( graphpad , san diego , usa ). the lipase activity assay is a modified version of the method developed by panteghini et al . [ 13 ]. the assay is comprised of three solutions , solution 1 , solution 2 and the lipase solution . solution 1 contains per litre of tris buffer ( 50 mmol / l ph 8 . 4 at 23 ° c . ), 1 mg of colipase and 1 . 8 mmol deoxycholic acid sodium salt . solution 2 contains per litre of acetate buffer ( 18 mmol / l , ph 4 . 0 at 23 ° c .) 72 mmol taurodeoxycholic acid sodium salt , 0 . 1 mmol calcium chloride , and 0 . 24 mmol dggr . solution 2 was mixed with a magnetic stirrer at 500 rpm and 4 ° c . overnight . the lipase solution contains 1 g / l of porcine pancreatic lipase in deionised water , where 1 mg contains 60 u of lipase activity . alginate polymer ( either xp3663 or lfr5 / 60 ) was added slowly to a vortexing solution 1 , achieving a concentration of 4 g / l which was in turn diluted to 1 g / l and 0 . 25 g / l . this achieved a concentration of 3 . 43 g / l , 0 . 86 g / l and 0 . 21 g / l respectively in the reaction mixture . to achieve 100 % inhibition in the assay system 0 . 025 g / l orlistat was added to solution 1 . all solutions were stored at 4 ° c . until use . 12 μl of lipase solution was added to either 180 μl solution 1 , 180 μl the test polymer in solution 1 or 180 μl orlistat in solution 1 . the test polymer in solution 1 ( either xp3663 and lfr5 / 60 ) was present at the following concentrations ( 4 , 1 , or 0 . 25 g / l ). once incubated for one hour at 37 ° c ., 160 μl of the above solutions were added to the substrate solution ( 15 μl of solution 2 ), thereby initiating the reaction . as a blank , the above procedure was repeated using 12 μl of deionised water instead of 12 μl of lipase solution . the absorbance of the reaction was measured at 575 nm every five minutes for 35 minutes after an initial two minute lag phase . to calculate the percentage of lipase inhibition , the reagent blanks were subtracted from the corresponding controls or samples and the following equation was applied : as an example , if biopolymer x achieved an absorbance measurement of 0 . 6 absorbance units , with its respective blank containing the biopolymer and no enzyme achieved 0 . 19 absorbance units , then the overall value used in the above equation would be 0 . 41 absorbance units . if the inhibition control achieved a reading of 0 . 3 absorbance units , with its blank achieving 0 . 25 absorbance units , then the value used in the equation above would be 0 . 05 absorbance units . the value that would be used for the lipase control would be 0 . 85 absorbance units after the blank of 0 . 12 had been subtracted if the reaction achieves an absorbance reading of 0 . 97 absorbance units . therefore the equation would read ; there were two biopolymers tested in this assay system , alginates xp3663 and lfr5 / 60 . the two alginates were tested at the same time on the same plate using the same solutions . the two alginates were tested six times using fresh solutions each time . fig1 illustrates how the activity of lipase ( shown as an increase in absorbance over time ) varied under the three conditions described above . under the lipase control conditions ( 100 % lipase activity ) absorbance increased linearly up to 12 minutes before plateauing to a maximal value . fig1 also shows that orlistat ( 0 . 025 mg / ml ), an effective inhibitor of lipase provided a positive control for inhibition in the assay . the orlistat positive control showed no inhibition and yielded the maximum rate of the reaction ( fig1 : inhibition control ). finally , fig1 highlights how a polymer ( alginate sf200 ) can inhibit lipase , as shown by a reduction in the level of absorbance with time compared to the lipase control conditions . fig2 , shows the percentage lipase inhibition achieved by eight brown seaweed alginates ( four extracted from laminaria and four extracted from lessonia ). all the alginates reduced the activity of lipase ; however , there was a significant difference in the level of inhibition dependent on the seaweed source of alginate . the alginates extracted from laminaria seaweed inhibited pancreatic lipase to a significantly higher degree ( p & gt ; 0 . 001 ) than the alginates extracted from lessonia . fig3 illustrates that the inhibition of lipase by alginates was concentration dependent . although fig3 only shows alginates from laminaria , for all alginates tested increasing the dose of alginate achieved a higher level of pancreatic lipase inhibition . fig2 and 3 both show that not all alginates inhibit lipase to the same extent , even those from the same genus . a possible explanation is there are variations in the chemical composition of alginates . more specifically , there are distinct differences in the content and arrangement of constituent guluronic and mannuronic acid blocks . the structural characteristics of alginates tested in this study are listed in table 1 . polymer 1 as listed in the table is a homopolymeric mannuronate alginate from a bacterial source , polymers 2 - 15 are from either a bacterial or seaweed source and have had their initial structure altered using one or a combination of epimerase enzymes . for example the bacterial alginate pab has been enzymatically altered from a homopolymeric m block alginate ( pag ) via incubation with an alternating epimerase enzyme until completion , creating a polymer of mainly alternating mg blocks . the alginate pat was only treated with the same epimerase enzyme for 2 hours , therefore only increasing the mg content from 0 to 17 %. polymers 16 - 19 are from the laminaria seaweed source whereas the final polymers listed ( 20 - 23 ) are from lessonia seaweed sources . fig4 and 5 show that the fraction of mannuronic ( m ) or guluronic ( g ) acid residues ( f ( m ) or f ( g )) in an alginate had an impact on the ability of that alginate to reduce the level of pancreatic lipase activity . the spearman rank correlation coefficient ( r ) in fig4 is 0 . 502 showing that there is a positive relationship between the fraction of guluronate in an alginate and its ability to inhibit lipase . this indicates that increasing the fraction of guluronate increases the level of lipase inhibition ( p = 0 . 01 ). conversely increasing the fraction of mannuronate in an alginate ( fig5 ) decreases the level of lipase inhibition ( r =− 0 . 506 and p = 0 . 01 ). this would be expected , because increasing the content of one uronic acid unit automatically decreases the fraction of the other . fig6 and 7 show that similar significant relationships are observed when comparing the fraction of guluronic acid dimers ( f ( gg )) or trimers ( f ( ggg )) with the level of inhibition . increasing the fraction of gg blocks ( fig6 ) and increasing the fraction of ggg blocks ( fig7 ) in an alginate increases the inhibition of lipase . the correlations in fig6 and 7 are positive and significant , confirmed with spearman r values of 0 . 583 and 0 . 578 and p values of 0 . 004 furthermore , fig8 identifies a correlation between the size of the guluronic acid block length ( n ( g & gt ; 1 )) and the ability of the alginate to inhibit lipase . it is clear that the larger the guluronic acid block length the greater the ability of alginate to inhibit lipase . the spearman r value is 0 . 586 and the p value for the correlation is 0 . 003 . fig9 shows a further relationship between alginate composition and lipase inhibition . there appears to be an inverse relationship between the fraction of mg or gm blocks in alginate and lipase inhibition . the correlation in fig9 is negative and has a spearman r value of − 0 . 505 and a p value of 0 . 01 . it would appear the correlation may be distorted by the value showing negative inhibition with a f ( mg ) of 0 . 47 . this value was generated from the unique bacterial alginate that is an almost entirely alternating m and g residue polymer after treatment with an epimerase enzyme . however , when this point is removed from the correlation calculation there is still a significant negative correlation with a spearman value of − 0 . 434 and a p value of 0 . 04 . similarly , fig1 shows that when the fraction of mgm blocks in the alginate polymer f ( mgm ) is compared to the percentage of lipase inhibition there is negative correlation . the correlation of f ( mgm ) to lipase inhibition has a spearman r value of − 0 . 494 and a p value of 0 . 017 . the correlation again may appear to be distorted by the extreme example of the poly - alternating bacterial alginate ( f ( mgm )= 0 . 47 ). however in this case , when the result of the unique bacterial alginate is removed from the correlation calculation there is no significant correlation . the fractions of mm blocks ( fig1 ) as well as mgg / ggm blocks ( fig1 ) in alginates were also compared against the level of lipase inhibition achieved . there was no statistically significant correlation between the values for either of the two block fractions . that is not to say , however , that there is no correlation in either of the figures , but that there are not enough data to suggest a significant correlation either positive or negative . in the two figures ( fig1 and 12 ) the general tendency of the lines of best fit follows the trend of the data outlined above . fig1 shows that alginate xp3663 was able to inhibit pancreatic lipase . the maximum level of lipase inhibition achieved by xp3663 was 56 . 6 % (± 6 . 4 ) at 3 . 43 g / l compared to lfr5 / 60 at the same concentration which achieved 47 . 6 % (± 11 . 4 ). at 0 . 86 g / l of alginate xp3663 achieved 31 . 0 % (± 6 . 4 ) whereas ′ lfr5 / 60 achieved 19 . 3 % (± 16 . 7 ) and at 0 . 21 g / l of alginate xp3663 and ′ lfr5 / 60 achieved 3 . 1 % (± 54 . 6 ) and 0 . 1 % (± 31 . 5 ) respectively . there is no significant difference between the two alginates at the same concentration using a two way anova test . 1 . penman , a . and g . sanderson , method for determination of uronic acid sequence in alginates . carbohydrate research , 1972 . 25 ( 2 ): p . 273 - 282 . 2 . smidsrod , o ., molecular - basis for some physical properties of alginates in gel state . faraday discussions , 1974 . 57 : p . 263 - 274 . 3 . grasdalen , h ., b . larsen , and o . smidsrod , c - 13 - nmr studies of alginate . carbohydrate research , 1977 . 56 ( 2 ): p . c11 - c15 . 4 . smidsrod , o . and g . skjak - braek , alginate as immobilization matrix for cells . trends in biotechnology , 1990 . 8 ( 3 ): p . 71 - 8 . 5 . hoidal , h . k ., et al ., the recombinant azotobacter vinelandii mannuronan c - 5 - epimerase alge 4 epimerizes alginate by a nonrandom attack mechanism . journal of biological chemistry , 1999 . 274 ( 18 ): p . 12316 - 12322 . 6 . gimmestad , m ., et al ., the pseudomonas fluorescens algg protein , but not its mannuronan c - 5 - epimerase activity , is needed for alginate polymer formation . journal of bacteriology , 2003 . 185 ( 12 ): p . 3515 - 3523 . 7 . cygler , m . a . s ., j . d ., lipases and alpha / beta hydrolase fold , in methods in enzymology , b . a . d . rubin , e . a ., editor . 1997 , academic press . p . 85 / 106 . 8 . winkler , f . k ., a . d &# 39 ; arcy , and w . hunziker , structure of human pancreatic lipase . nature , 1990 . 343 ( 6260 ): p . 771 - 774 . 9 . egloff , m . p ., et al ., the 2 . 46 - angstrom resolution structure of the pancreatic lipase - colipase complex inhibited by a c - 11 alkyl phosphonate . biochemistry , 1995 . 34 ( 9 ): p . 2751 - 2762 . 10 . cambillau , c ., bourne , y ., egloff , martinez , c ., and van tilbeurgh , h ., pancreatic lipases and their complexes with colipase and inhibitors : crystallization and crystal packing , in methods in enzymology , b . a . d . rubin , e . a ., editor . 1997 , academic press . p . 107 - 118 . 11 . hadvary , p ., h . lengsfeld , and h . wolfer , inhibition of pancreatic lipase in vitro by the covalent inhibitor tetrahydrolipstatin . biochemical journal , 1988 . 256 ( 2 ): p . 357 - 361 . 12 . drew , b . s ., a . f . dixon , and j . b . dixon , obesity management : update on orlistat . vasc health risk manag , 2007 . 3 ( 6 ): p . 817 - 21 . 13 . panteghini , m ., r . bonora , and f . pagani , measurement of pancreatic lipase activity in serum by a kinetic colorimetric assay using a new chromogenic substrate . annals of clinical biochemistry , 2001 . 38 : p . 365 - 370 . | 0 |
an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 is a block diagram of a computer system of the most popular hardware configuration such as a personal computer or a wordprocessor which uses a microprocessor . the computer system comprises microprocessor ( μcpu ) 1 , address latch ( al ) 2 , address decoder ( dec ) 3 , main memory ( ram ) 4 , memory ( rom ) 5 storing a control program , video memory ( v - ram ) 6 , display control unit ( vcu ) 7 , bus converter unit ( bcu ) 8 , direct memory access controller ( dmac ) 9 , interrupt controller ( pic ) 10 , timer controller ( pit ) 11 , display controller ( crtc ) 12a , address generator ( ag ) 12b , floppy disk controller ( fdc ) 13 , and serial input / output controller ( sio ) 14 . μcpu 1 is a 16 - bit microprocessor 8086 available from intel corp ., u . s . a . al 2 latches address data output by μcpu 1 through address data bus 15 and outputs the address data to dec 3 , ram 4 , rom 5 , v - ram 6 , and ag 12b through address bus 17 . dec 3 receives address data and generates enable signals 18 such as chip select signals for the respective units and controllers . rom 5 stores an initial program loader ( ipl ) program and a basic input / output system ( bios ) program and outputs the programs onto bus 15 upon being accessed . v - ram 6 exchanges data with bus 15 upon read / write access . bcu 8 performs conversion between a 16 - bit bus and an 8 - bit bus in order to transfer input / output data between address data bus 15 and i / o bus 16 . dmac 9 , pic 10 , pit 11 , crtc 12a , fdc 13 , and sio 14 transfer data through bus 16 . dmac 9 can be any chip equivalent to intel 8237 , pic 10 ca be any chip equivalent to intel 8259 , and pit 11 can be any chip equivalent to intel 8253 . when the hardware configurations of two different systems as in the computer system shown in fig1 a are compared , only the memory maps and the input / output port maps are often different . in addition to these differences , identical hardware configurations differ from each other due to different channel allocations of lsis ( e . g ., dmac 9 and pit 11 ) each having a plurality of channels , different allocations of pic 10 , and so on . generally , both a personal computer system and a wordprocessor system each using a microprocessor are designed by hardware of a block diagram in fig1 a . although the system components differ depending on the scale of the equipment , systems of the same scales can be provided with substantially the same constituent components . an embodiment of the present invention applied to systems a and b which are different in only memory maps and input / output ports will be described hereinafter with reference to fig2 and 3 . first , logical specifications of the memory maps and input / output port maps of systems a and b are given below : ## str1 ## the above specifications are summarized to obtain the following tables ( note that hexadecimal notation is employed ): table 1______________________________________comparison of memory maps system a system b______________________________________main memory ( ram ) 00000 - 7ffff 00000 - 3ffffextension memory ( option ) 80000 - bffff 40000 - 7ffffvideo - memory ( v - ram ) c0000 - dffff 80000 - bffffipl & amp ; bios ( rom ) fc000 - fffff f0000 - fffff______________________________________ table 2______________________________________comparison of input / output maps system a system b______________________________________dmax xx00f - xx00f xx000 - xx00fpic xx010 - xx011 xx020 - xx021sio xx030 - xx033 xx2a8 - xx2abpio xx038 - xx03b xx040 - xx043fdc xx048 - xx04b xx2f4 - xx2f7______________________________________ fig2 shows an embodiment wherein two systems having different memory and input / output maps as described above are provided . note that the same reference numerals in fig2 denote the same portions as in the system shown in fig1 a . a block denoted by reference numeral 20 is , e . g ., an lsi block obtained by the present invention , and is shown in detail in fig3 . address latch 2 has the same circuit configuration as in the lsi and receives external address signals . if a sufficient number of input / output pins are provided on the lsi , latch 2 is not needed . the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig3 . the system according to the embodiment comprises address registers ( ar ) 21 and 22 for latching address data ( ad 19 - 00 ) in response to an address latch enable signal ( ale ), ipl & amp ; bios memory 23 , memory address decoder ( mdec ) 24 , input / output port address decoder ( iodec ) 25 , and and gate 26 for controlling ipl & amp ; bios memory 23 . when both a memory read signal ( mrd ) and memory select signal msel4 are enabled , and gate 26 outputs a control signal to memory 23 . memory 23 outputs data ( program ) to address data bus ad 15 - 00 in response to the control signal . in this manner , custom lsi 20 shown in fig2 includes all the hardware specification differences of the systems a and b of the embodiment of the present invention . the systems a and b excluding circuits included in lsi 20 can be provided by single hardware . therefore , when this lsi is made as an ic socket , two different systems can be provided by single hardware by only exchanging the pair of software and the lsi . the embodiment of the present invention applied to a printer interface will be described with reference to fig4 to 7 . a interface printer complying with a standard provided by the centronics company is widely used as an interface for personal computers and wordprocessors . a control timing in this case will be described with reference to fig4 a to 4c . as shown in fig4 a , when signal busy from the printer goes low , print data is output to a data register as shown in fig4 c . sequentially , when signal strb is output as shown in fig4 b , data is supplied to the printer in response thereto . in this manner print data is transferred . fig5 shows an example of a printer interface of a small personal computer . the printer interface 69 comprises i / o address decoder 62 , gate 63 , command register 64 , data register 65 , and 8 - bit input / output bus 66 . decoder 62 enables signal 62 - 1 in response to $ prt ∩ al ∩ ao ∩ iow , signal 62 - 2 in response to $ prt ∩ al ∩ ao ∩ iow , and signal 62 - 3 in response to $ prt ∩ al ∩ ao ∩ ior . $ prt is also c5510 . gate 63 outputs a status signal from the printer onto bus 66 when signal 62 - 3 is enabled . register 64 generates signals strb and rst in response to an instruction from the processor and sets the state of bus 66 in response to signal 62 - 3 . register 65 latches data to be printed at a timing of signal 62 - 1 . the operation of the interface 69 shown in fig5 will be described with reference to fig6 . a processor ( not shown ) checks in step s1 if data has been transferred to a printer . if no in step s1 , step s2 is executed and the processor generates a signal input instruction . signal 62 - 3 is enabled , a busy pulse is fetched by the processor , and it checks in step s2 if the busy pulse goes low . if no in step s2 , the flow returns to step s1 . if yes in step s2 , in step s3 a data output instruction is generated , signal 62 - 1 is enabled , and data to be printed is supplied to register 65 . sequentially , in step s4 , a signal output instruction is generated , signal 62 - 2 is enabled , and a strb pulse is output from register 64 . the data is thus transferred to the printer . in step s5 , a signal output stop instruction is generated , signal 62 - 2 is reset , the strb pulse is cancelled , and a rst pulse is generated . in this manner , in a small computer , the printing operation is executed while time is monitored every one - byte transfer , so that the processor is overloaded , and the improvement on system performance cannot be expected . this scheme , however , is most commonly adopted by small personal computers . fig7 shows a block diagram of a printer interface of a large personal computer . in this case , the control timing pulses as shown in fig5 are generated by subprocessor ( one - chip microprocessor ) 71 . data from a main memory ( not shown ) is transferred by a dma controller and fetched by subprocessor 71 . subprocessor 71 is an equivalent to , e . g ., intel 8742 . with this scheme , the processor can transfer only a boot command to subprocessor 71 when the printing data is ready in the main memory . while the printer performs printing , the processor can execute other tasks ( program ), thereby improving the system performance . when the block diagrams of fig5 and 7 are compared , the signals in the printers are the same , and only signals dreq and dack ( not used in the system shown in fig5 ) and al ( not used in the system shown in fig7 ) in the systems are different . therefore , it is possible to prepare circuits 69 and 79 within the broken lines as lsis or ic cards using the same interface signals . when the common circuit portions are made as lsis in this manner , cartridges ( application software cartridges known as rom cartridges in personal computers and game machines ) as well as ic sockets can be employed . users can easily change the system configuration , thereby effectively utilizing hardware . low - profile mounting techniques represented by ic cards can be employed and the number of compatible systems can be increased easily . as a result , true oa equipment , which is not mere special - purpose equipment such as a personal computer or a wordprocessor , can be provided . | 6 |
exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . the , present invention may , however , be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein . rather , these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete , and will fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art . throughout the disclosure , reference numerals correspond directly to the like parts in the various figures and embodiments of the present invention . the drawings are not necessarily to scale and in some instances , proportions may have been exaggerated in order to clearly illustrate features of the embodiments . in this specification , specific terms have been used . the terms are used to describe the present invention , and are not used to qualify the sense or limit the scope of the present invention . it is also noted that in this specification , ‘ and / or ’ represents that one or more of components arranged before and after ‘ and / or ’ is included . furthermore , “ connected / coupled ” refers to one component not only directly coupling another component but also indirectly coupling another component through an intermediate component . in addition , a singular form may include a plural form as long as it is not specifically mentioned in a sentence . furthermore , ‘ include / comprise ’ or ‘ including / comprising ’ used in the specification represents that one or more components , steps , operations , and elements exists or are added . fig2 is a block diagram illustrating a semiconductor device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig2 , the semiconductor device includes a transmission error detection unit 210 and a signal change unit 220 . the transmission error detection unit 210 receives data and a crc code from an external device ( not shown ), and generates a detection signal det . herein , the detection signal det is a signal for detecting an error , which occurs in a data transmission . the signal change unit 220 changes a signal form of error information inf_err in response to a detection signal det . the signal change unit 220 includes a pulse generation unit 221 and a pulse control unit 222 . herein , a signal transmission environment may include a process , a voltage and a temperature , and may further include a loading value of a transmission line for transmitting data . the pulse generation unit 221 generates the error information inf_err in response to the detection signal det . herein , the error information inf_err may be a pulse signal having a predetermined pulse width , which is generated in response to the detection signal det . the pulse control unit 222 generates a control signal ctr based on the signal transmission environment . the control signal ctr is used in changing a signal form of the error information inf_err . that is , the control signal ctr is used in changing the pulse width of the error information inf_err . fig3 is a circuit diagram illustrating the pulse generation unit included in the signal change unit shown in fig2 . as shown in fig3 , the pulse generation unit 221 included in the signal change unit 220 includes an s - r latch 310 , a plurality of flip - flops 320 , and a multiplexer 330 . the s - r latch 310 generates the error information inf_err , which is set in response to the detection signal det and reset in response to an output signal mux_out of the multiplexer 330 . the flip - flops 320 shifts the error information inf_err in response to an internal clock signal iclk , and includes first to fourth flip - flops 320 - 1 , 320 - 2 , 320 - 3 , and 320 - 4 . the first flip - flop 320 - 1 receives the error information inf_err and the internal clock signal iclk , and generates a first output signal sr 1 by shifting the error information inf_err in synchronization with the internal clock signal iclk . the second flip - flop 320 - 2 receives the first output signal sr 1 and the internal clock signal iclk , and generates a second output signal sr 2 by shifting the first output signal sr 1 in synchronization with the internal clock signal iclk . the third flip - flop 320 - 3 receives the second output signal sr 2 and the internal clock signal iclk , and generates a third output signal sr 3 by shifting the second output : signal sr 2 in synchronization with the internal clock signal iclk . the fourth flip - flop 320 - 4 receives the third output signal sr 3 and the internal clock signal iclk , and generates a fourth output signal sr 4 by shifting the third output signal sr 3 in synchronization with the internal clock signal iclk . the multiplexer 330 selects one of the second and fourth output signals sr 2 and sr 4 from the second and fourth flip - flops 320 - 2 and 320 - 4 and outputs the output signal mux_out to the s - r latch 310 in response to the control signal ctr . fig4 is a timing diagram illustrating an operation of the pulse generation unit shown in fig3 . fig4 shows the internal clock signal iclk , the detection signal det , the first to fourth output signals sr 1 , sr 2 , sr 3 and sr 4 of the first to fourth flip - flops 320 - 1 to 320 - 4 , and the error information inf_err in response to the control signal ctr . as shown in fig4 , when the detection signal det is activated , the s - r latch 310 sets the error information inf_err , and the flip - flops 320 shift the error information inf_err in response to the internal clock signal iclk . in detail , the first flip - flop 320 - 1 shifts the error information inf_err in synchronization with the internal clock signal iclk and generates the first output signal sr 1 . the second flip - flop 320 - 2 shifts the first output signal sr 1 in synchronization with the internal clock signal iclk , and generates the second output signal sr 2 . the third flip - flop 320 - 3 shifts the second output signal sr 2 in synchronization with the internal clock signal iclk , and generates the third output signal sr 3 . the fourth flip - flop 320 - 4 shifts the third output signal sr 3 in synchronization with the internal clock signal iclk , and generates the fourth output signal sr 4 . subsequently , a pulse width of the error information inf_err is determined in response to the control signal ctr . herein , the control signal ctr of a logic low value (@ ctr ″ l ″) represents that the error information inf_err may be sufficiently transmitted . especially , if the control signal ctr has a logic low value (@ ctr ″ l ″), the multiplexer 330 selects the second output signal sr 2 . accordingly , the s - r latch 310 sets the error information inf_err in response to the detection signal det , and resets the error information inf_err in response to the second output signal sr 2 . further , the control signal ctr of a logic high value (@ ctr ″ h ″), represents that the error information inf_err may not be sufficiently transmitted . especially , if the control signal ctr has a logic high value (@ ctr ″ h ″), the multiplexer 330 selects the fourth output signal sr 4 . accordingly , the s - r latch 310 sets the error information inf_err in response to the detection signal det , and resets the error information inf_err in response to the fourth output signal sr 4 . as shown in fig4 , a pulse width w 1 of the error information inf_err in case of the control signal ctr having the logic high value (@ ctr ″ h ″) is wider than a pulse width w 2 of the error information inf_err in case of the control signal ctr having the logic low value (@ ctr ″ l ″). that is , in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the pulse width of the error information inf_err may be controlled in response to the control signal ctr based on a transmission environment . as shown in fig4 , two output signals of four flip - flops are used in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention . however , in another embodiment of the present invention , a pulse width of the error information inf_err may be variously adjusted . that is , the pulse width of the error information inf_err may be variously changed based on a signal transmission environment . in order to perform an above - mentioned variable operation , the control signal ctr for reflecting a state of the signal transmission environment is requested . the control signal ctr may be used to select output signals of a plurality of flip - flops . this may control a reset timing of the error information inf_err . that is the pulse width of the error information inf_err may be controlled based on the state of the signal transmission environment . as described above , the semiconductor device in accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may detect an error , which occur in a data transmission , and change a signal form of the error information inf_err based on a signal transmission environment . for example , if the error information inf_err has a signal having a pulse width , in the embodiment of the present invention , the semiconductor device may control the error information inf_err to be transmitted to a target circuit by increasing the pulse width of the error information inf_err . fig5 is a block diagram illustrating a semiconductor system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig5 , the semiconductor system in accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a controller 510 , a plurality of semiconductor devices 520 , and a loading value detection unit 530 . the controller 510 transmits data dta and a crc code to the semiconductor devices 520 . the semiconductor devices 520 receive the data dta and the crc code from the controller 510 , detect an error , which occur in a data transmission , and output error information inf_err . herein , the error information inf_err is transmitted to the controller 510 through a common transmission line coupled to the semiconductor devices 520 . the controller 510 determines a re - transmission based on the error information inf_err . herein , each of the semiconductor devices 520 may include the transmission error detection unit 210 and the pulse generation unit 221 included in the signal change unit 220 shown in fig2 and 3 , and the error information inf_err may be a pulse signal . especially , the pulse width of the error information inf_err may be adjusted using a control signal ctr generated by the loading value detection unit 530 . moreover since the semiconductor devices 520 are coupled to a common transmission line , the error information inf_err corresponding to each of the semiconductor devices 520 may be sequentially transmitted to the controller 510 without any conflict . the loading value detection unit 530 generates the control signal ctr by detecting a loading value of the common transmission line . the control signal ctr is inputted to the semiconductor devices 520 . the semiconductor devices 520 change a signal form of the error information inf_err in response to the control signal ctr . if the loading value of the common transmission line is greater than a predetermined loading value , the control signal ctr having this information is transmitted to the semiconductor devices 520 . each of the semiconductor devices 520 may adjust the pulse width of the error information inf_err in response to the control signal ctr . herein , a large loading value represents that the signal transmission environment is poor . the pulse width of the error information inf_err may be controlled to be widened in response to the control signal ctr . the semiconductor system in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention detects the loading value of the common transmission line and adjusts the pulse width of the error information inf_err based on a detected result . a correct information transmission may be performed by adjusting the pulse width of the error information inf_err . fig6 is a block diagram illustrating a multichip package in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . in fig6 , first to third semiconductor chips 610 , 620 and 630 coupled to each other through a through - silicon - via ( tsv ) are exemplarily described . as shown in fig6 , the multichip package in accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes the first to third semiconductor chips 610 , 620 and 630 . the first to third semiconductor chips 610 , 620 and 630 coupled to each other through a first tsv tsv 01 for transferring error information inf_err and a second tsv tsv 02 for transferring a control signal ctr . hereinafter , for the convenience of the descriptions , the first semiconductor chip 610 will be exemplarily described . the first semiconductor chip 610 is coupled to the second semiconductor chips 620 through the first tsv tsv 01 for transferring the error information inf_err and the second tsv tsv 02 for transferring the control signal ctr , and includes a first chip identification ( id ) generation unit 611 , a chip id comparison unit 612 , and a signal change unit 613 . the first chip id generation unit 611 allocates a chip id to the first semiconductor chip 610 . as shown in fig6 , in case that the first semiconductor chip 610 is arranged at a bottom and the third semiconductor chip 630 is arranged at a top , the first chip id generation unit 611 of the first semiconductor chip 610 allocates a first chip id corresponding to ‘ 1 ’ to the first semiconductor chip 610 . a second chip id generation unit 621 of the second semiconductor chip 620 receives the first chip id from the first chip id generation unit 611 through a third tsv tsv 03 , and allocates a second chip id corresponding to ‘ 2 ’ to the second semiconductor chip 620 . a third chip id generation unit 631 of the third semiconductor chip 630 receives the second chip id from the second chip id generation unit 621 through the third tsv tsv 03 , and allocates a third chip id corresponding to ‘ 3 ’ to the third semiconductor chip 630 . a chip id comparison unit 612 compares a predetermined chip id with the first chip id generated by the first chip id generation unit 611 , and generates the control signal ctr . herein , the control signal ctr is transmitted to the second semiconductor device 620 and the third semiconductor device 630 through the second tsv tsv 02 . the predetermined chip id is a reference for adjusting the pulse width of the error information inf_err . for example , if the predetermined chip id is set to ‘ 3 ’, the chip id comparison unit 612 compares the predetermined chip id corresponding to ‘ 3 ’ with the first chip id corresponding to ‘ 1 ’ generated by the first chip id generation unit 611 , and generates the control signal ctr based on a comparison result . the signal change unit 613 has substantially the same configuration as the pulse generation unit 221 of the signal change unit 220 shown in fig2 . thus , the signal change unit 613 may adjust a pulse width of the error information inf_err in response to the control signal ctr generated by the chip id comparison unit 612 . that is , the signal change unit 613 generates the error information inf_err having a predetermined pulse width based on a detection signal det , and controls the pulse width of the error information inf_err in response to the control signal ctr . herein , the control signal ctr is transferred to the first to third semiconductor chips 610 to 630 through the second tsv tsv 02 , and the detection signal det may be generated based on data and a crc code from an external device ( not shown ). hereinafter , the predetermined chip id will be described in details as below . a multichip package includes a plurality of stacked semiconductor chips , which are coupled to each other through a tsv . thus , as the number of stacked semiconductor chips increases , a loading of the tsv increases . the exemplary embodiment of the present invention shown in fig5 illustrates a case that the loading value of the common transmission line is directly detected . the exemplary embodiment of the present invention shown in fig6 illustrates a case that the loading value of the tsv is indirectly detected using the chip id . for example , if the loading value of the tsv in at least three stacked semiconductor chips is larger than a predetermined loading value , the predetermined chip id is set to ‘ 3 ’. that is , the predetermined chip id is set to ‘ 3 ’ in the chip id comparison unit of each of the first to third semiconductor chips 610 , 620 and 630 . subsequently , after the first to third semiconductor chips 610 , 620 and 630 are stacked , the first to third chip ids corresponding to the first to third semiconductor chips 610 , 620 and 630 are allocated by the first to third chip id generation unit 611 , 621 and 631 , respectively . as described above , the first chip id corresponding to ‘ 1 ’ is allocated to the first semiconductor chip 610 . the second chip id corresponding to ‘ 2 ’ is allocated to the second semiconductor chip 620 . the third chip id corresponding to ‘ 3 ’ is allocated to the third semiconductor chip 630 . meanwhile , the chip id comparison unit of the third semiconductor chip 630 compares the predetermined chip id having ‘ 3 ’ with the third chip id having ‘ 3 ’ allocated to the third semiconductor chip 630 , and outputs the control signal ctr based on a comparison result . the control signal ctr is transmitted to the signal change unit of each of the first to third semiconductor chips 610 , 620 and 630 . the pulse width of the error information inf_err is controlled to be widened more than a predetermined width in response to the control signal ctr . a multichip package in accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention detects a loading value of a tsv for transferring error information inf_err using a chip id , and adjusts a pulse width of the error information inf_err based on a detected result . as described above , in exemplary embodiments of the present invention , since the signal form of the error information inf_err may be changed based on a signal transmission environment , it is possible to prevent the error information inf_err from being lost . thus , a correction operation may be performed based on error information inf_err . in exemplary embodiments of the present invention , to change the signal form of the error information inf_err by adjusting the pulse width of the error information inf_err is exemplarily described however , the present invention may include a method for changing a signal &# 39 ; form of the error information by adjusting the drivability of a driving circuit , which outputs the error information inf_err . in exemplary embodiments of the present invention , the semiconductor device , the semiconductor system and the multichip package detect an error to be occurred in a signal transmission , and transmit a detected result to a target circuit or device , and may increase reliability of a complementary operation in the error detection . while the present invention has been described with respect to the specific embodiments , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims . | 6 |
as shown in fig1 and 2 , the thin bidirectional ratchet wrench , which refers to one detailed embodiment of the present disclosure , comprises a handle 20 and a working part 10 , the handle 20 is socketed to the working part 10 across a ring - shaped head 21 ( see fig3 ) through longitudinal extension . inside the working part 10 is main shaft 100 , outside is a holding ring 102 . one end of the main shaft is an output end 101 , which extends beyond the working part 10 and the head 21 of the handle 20 . the output end 101 can be a component , which is suitable to operate various fasteners like quoin screws , by mounting different sleeves . the thin bidirectional ratchet wrench of the present disclosure comprises a driving mechanism coupled to a reversing mechanism , the input torque from the handle 20 is transmitted to the main shaft 100 of the working part 10 through the driving mechanism , and the direction of the output torque from the output end 101 is in a first direction or a second direction , wherein the first direction and the second direction are opposite . such as , when the input torque of the working part 10 is a clockwise torque or a counterclockwise torque , the output torque of the output end 101 is a clockwise torque , or when the input torque of the working part 10 is a clockwise torque or a counterclockwise torque , the output torque of the output end 101 is a counterclockwise torque . the structure of the driving mechanism of the thin bidirectional ratchet wrench of the present disclosure is shown in fig3 , which comprises a first ratchet surface 311 , a capstan gear 312 , a second ratchet surface 321 , a follower gear 322 , a transmission seat 330 , and idle gears 331 , 332 . wherein the first ratchet surface 311 and the capstan gear 312 connect and are coaxial with each other ; in this embodiment , the first ratchet surface 311 is disposed in the inner circumference of the ring - shaped head 21 of the handle 20 , the driving engages with the head 21 of the handle 20 , thus the head 21 will drive driving gear to rotate when the handle 20 rotates . in another embodiment , the first ratchet surface 311 can be disposed in the inner circumference of capstan gear 312 ; the second ratchet surface 321 can be disposed in the inner circumference of follower gear 322 . the faces of the first ratchet surface 311 and the second ratchet surface 321 connect with the outer face of the main shaft 100 ; the capstan gear 312 and the follower gear 322 are face - gears , faces of the capstan gear 312 and the follower gear 322 are face - to - face . the first ratchet surface 311 , the second ratchet surface 321 , the capstan gear 312 and the follower gear 322 are coaxial and the central axes thereof overlap in that of the main shaft 100 . the transmission seat 330 and the holding ring 102 are fixed together . the idle gears 331 , 332 are mounted on the transmission seat 330 , which is perpendicular to the main shaft 100 . the idle gears 331 , 332 are matched between the capstan gear 312 and the follower gear 322 , their teeth engage with the teeth of the capstan gear 312 and the follower gear 322 , respectively . when the holding ring 102 is fixed or the transmission seat 330 is fixed , the capstan gear 312 will drive the follower gear 322 to rotate via the idle gears 331 , 332 . in this embodiment , the idle gears 331 , 332 are angle gears . the structure of the reversing mechanism of the thin bidirectional ratchet wrench of the present disclosure is shown in fig4 , comprises a newel 220 , a reversing switch comprising a first spring - loaded plunger 221 , a second spring - loaded plunger 222 , a first pawl element 211 , and a second pawl element 212 . the newel 220 is fixed in the main shaft 100 , spring 224 is arranged on the newel 220 , which is between the first end 2201 of the newel 220 and the main shaft 100 . the first spring - loaded plunger 221 and the second spring - loaded plunger 222 are fixed on the newel 220 and the first spring - loaded plunger 221 and the second spring - loaded plunger 222 are perpendicular to the main shaft 100 along the active direction . preferably , the first spring - loaded plunger 221 and the second spring - loaded plunger 222 have elastic elements such as a spring . the first pawl element 211 and second pawl element 212 are fixed on the main shaft 100 across a countershaft 210 , as shown in fig5 . the countershaft 210 is parallel to the central axis of the main shaft 100 but does not overlap it , the first pawl element 211 and the second pawl element 212 can rotate around the countershaft 210 . the first pawl element 211 and the second pawl element 212 have a similar structure , namely a first fan - shaped pawl , a second fan - shaped pawl and a fan - shaped space between them . take the first pawl element 211 for example , fig6 shows the top view of the first pawl element 211 ( direction towards the output end 101 along the main shaft 100 ), as can be seen from fig6 , the first pawl element 211 comprises the first fan - shaped pawl 2111 , the second fan - shaped pawl 2112 , and the fan - shaped space 2110 between them . the fan - shaped face of the first fan - shaped pawl 2111 , the fan - shaped space center section 2110 and the fan - shaped face of the second fan - shaped pawl 2112 constitute the first surface of the first pawl element 211 . the first pawl element 211 also has a second surface which is a special shaped surface and contains a concave section 2113 , which has a first side wall 2114 and a second side wall 2115 in this embodiment . the first side wall 2114 and the second side wall 2115 extend along the main shaft 100 . the first pawl element 211 has a hole 2101 , which is matched with the countershaft 210 , the countershaft 210 fixes the first pawl element 211 on the main shaft across the hole 2101 ( see fig5 ). in this embodiment , the hole 2101 is arranged on the fan - shaped center section 2110 of the first pawl element 211 , preferably , on the center of gravity of the first pawl element 211 . the structure of the second pawl element 212 is similar to the first pawl element 211 with a thickness less than that of the first pawl element 211 in this embodiment , but in other embodiments , the thickness of the second pawl element 212 can be equal to or more than that of the first pawl element 211 . the first surface of the first pawl element 211 and the second pawl element 212 face the first ratchet surface 311 and the second ratchet surface 321 , respectively . specifically , the teeth of the fan - shaped pawl ( which contains the first fan - shaped pawl 2111 and the second fan - shaped pawl 2112 ) of the first pawl element 211 face the teeth of the first ratchet surface 311 , the teeth of the fan - shaped pawl ( contains the first fan - shaped pawl and the second fan - shaped pawl ) of the second pawl element 212 face the teeth of the second ratchet surface 321 . the second surface of the first pawl element 211 and the second pawl element 212 face the surface of the newel 220 ; specifically , the second surface of the first pawl element 211 faces the ball - head section of the first spring - loaded plunger 221 and the second surface of the second pawl element 212 faces the ball - head section of the second spring - loaded plunger 222 . when the thin bidirectional ratchet wrench of the present disclosure is in the first working mode , the ball - head section of the first spring - loaded plunger 221 connects with the first side wall 2114 of the concave section 2113 of the first pawl element 211 , and the ball - head section of the second spring - loaded plunger 222 connects with the first side wall of the concave section of the second pawl element 212 . when the thin bidirectional ratchet wrench of the present disclosure is in the second working mode , the ball - head section of the first spring - loaded plunger 221 connects with the second side wall 2115 of the concave section 2113 of the first pawl element 211 , and the ball - head section of the second spring - loaded plunger 222 connects with the second side wall of the concave section of the second pawl element 212 . when the thin bidirectional ratchet wrench of the present disclosure is in the first working mode , see fig7 , the teeth of the first fan - shaped pawl 2111 of the first pawl element 211 connect with the teeth of the first ratchet surface 311 ; similarly , the teeth of the first fan - shaped pawl of the second pawl element 212 connect with the teeth of the second ratchet surface 321 . when the head 21 of the handle 20 drives the first ratchet surface 311 to rotate such that the moving direction of the first ratchet surface 311 beside the first fan - shaped pawl 2111 is from the first fan - shaped section 2111 to the second fan - shaped section 2112 , the first ratchet surface 311 rotates clockwise seen in the fig7 . with the clockwise moving direction , the ball - head section of the first spring - loaded plunger 221 connects with the first side wall 2114 of the concave section 2113 of the first pawl element 211 , and the first ratchet surface 311 can drive the first pawl element 211 to rotate because the teeth of the first fan - shaped pawl 2111 engage with the teeth of the first ratchet surface 311 , and rotation of the first pawl element 211 is transferred to the countershaft 210 through the main shaft 100 ; thus , driving the main shaft 100 to rotate . however , when the moving direction of the first ratchet surface 311 beside the first fan - shaped pawl 2111 is from the second fan - shaped section 2112 to the first fan - shaped section 2111 , the first ratchet surface 311 rotates counterclockwise seen in the fig7 . with the counterclockwise moving direction , the ball - head section of the first spring - loaded plunger 221 connects with the first side wall 2114 of the concave section 2113 of the first pawl element 211 and the first ratchet surface 311 cannot drive the first pawl element 211 to rotate because the teeth of the first fan - shaped pawl 2111 do not engage with the teeth of the first ratchet surface 311 . meanwhile , when the moving direction of the second ratchet surface 321 beside the first fan - shaped pawl of the second pawl element 212 is from the first fan - shaped section to the second fan - shaped section in the second pawl element 212 , the second ratchet surface 321 rotates clockwise . with the clockwise moving direction , the ball - head section of the second spring - loaded plunger 222 connects with the first side wall of the concave section of the second pawl element 212 , and the second ratchet surface 321 can drive the second pawl element 212 to rotate because the teeth of the first fan - shaped pawl of the second pawl element 212 engage with the teeth of the second ratchet surface 321 , and rotation of the second pawl element 212 is transferred to the countershaft 210 through the main shaft 100 , thus driving the main shaft 100 to rotate . however , when the moving direction of the second ratchet surface 321 beside the first fan - shaped pawl of the second pawl element 212 is from the second fan - shaped section to the first fan - shaped section in the second pawl element 212 , the second ratchet surface 321 rotates counterclockwise . with the counterclockwise moving direction , the ball - head section of the second spring - loaded plunger 222 connects with the first side wall of the concave section of the second pawl element 212 and the second ratchet surface 321 cannot drive the second pawl element 212 to rotate because the teeth of the first fan - shaped pawl of the second pawl element 212 do not engage with the teeth of the second ratchet surface 321 . because the drive among the idle gears 331 , 332 , the capstan gear 312 and the follower gear 322 when the holding ring 102 is fixed , the rotation direction of the second ratchet surface 321 is opposite to the first ratchet surface 311 . it can be seen from this , when the thin bidirectional ratchet wrench of the present disclosure is in the first working mode , the input torque from the working part 10 is a clockwise torque , the first ratchet surface 311 rotates clockwise and the second ratchet surface 321 rotates counterclockwise . the first pawl element 211 engages with the first ratchet surface 311 and the second pawl element 212 does not engage with the second ratchet surface 321 ; thus , the first pawl element 211 drives the main shaft 100 to rotate clockwise and the output torque is a clockwise torque . when the input torque from the working part 10 is a counterclockwise torque , the first ratchet surface 311 rotates counterclockwise and the second ratchet surface 321 rotates clockwise . the first pawl element 211 does not engage with the first ratchet surface 311 and the second pawl element 212 engages with the second ratchet surface 321 ; thus , the second pawl element 212 drives the main shaft 100 to rotate clockwise and the output torque is a clockwise torque . when the thin bidirectional ratchet wrench of the present disclosure is in the second working mode , the teeth of the second fan - shaped pawl 2112 of the first pawl element 211 connect with the teeth of the first ratchet surface 311 ; similarly , the teeth of the second fan - shaped pawl of the second pawl element 212 connect with the teeth of the second ratchet surface 321 . when the head 21 of the handle 20 drives the first ratchet surface 311 to rotate such that the moving direction of the first ratchet surface 311 beside the second fan - shaped pawl 2112 is from the first fan - shaped section 2111 to the second fan - shaped section 2112 , the first ratchet surface 311 rotates clockwise . because the ball - head section of the first spring - loaded plunger 221 connects with the second side wall 2115 of the concave section 2113 of the first pawl element 211 , the first ratchet surface 311 cannot drive the first pawl element 211 to rotate . the teeth of the second fan - shaped pawl 2112 do not engage with the teeth of the first ratchet surface 311 . however , when the moving direction of the first ratchet surface 311 beside the second fan - shaped pawl 2112 is from the second fan - shaped section 2112 to the first fan - shaped section 2111 , the first ratchet surface 311 rotates counterclockwise . because the ball - head section of the first spring - loaded plunger 221 connects with the second side wall 2115 of the concave section 2113 of the first pawl element 211 , the first ratchet surface 311 can drive the first pawl element 211 to rotate . the teeth of the second fan - shaped pawl 2112 engage with the teeth of the first ratchet surface 311 and the rotation of the first pawl element 211 is transferred to the main shaft 100 through the countershaft 210 , thus driving the main shaft 100 to rotate . meanwhile , when the moving direction of the second ratchet surface 321 beside the second fan - shaped pawl of the second pawl element 212 is from the first fan - shaped section to the second fan - shaped section in the second pawl element 212 , the second ratchet surface 321 rotates clockwise . because the ball - head section of the second spring - loaded plunger 222 connects with the second side wall of the concave section of the second pawl element 212 , the second ratchet surface 321 cannot drive the second pawl element 212 to rotate . specifically , the teeth of the second fan - shaped pawl of the second pawl element 212 do not engage with the teeth of the second ratchet surface 321 . however , when the moving direction of the second ratchet surface 321 beside the second fan - shaped pawl of the second pawl element 212 is from the second fan - shaped section to the first fan - shaped section in the second pawl element 212 , the second ratchet surface 321 rotates counterclockwise . because the ball - head section of the second spring - loaded plunger 222 connects with the second side wall of the concave section of the second pawl element 212 , the second ratchet surface 321 can drive the second pawl element 212 to rotate , and the teeth of the second fan - shaped pawl of the second pawl element 212 engage with the teeth of the second ratchet surface 321 , and the rotation of the second pawl element 212 is transferred to the main shaft 100 through the countershaft 210 , thus driving the main shaft 100 to rotate . because the drive among the idle gears 331 , 332 , the capstan gear 312 and the follower gear 322 when the holding ring 102 is fixed , the rotation direction of the second ratchet surface 321 is opposite to the first ratchet surface 311 . it can be seen from this , when the thin bidirectional ratchet wrench of the present disclosure is in the second working mode , the input torque from the working part 10 is a clockwise torque , the first ratchet surface 311 rotates clockwise and the second ratchet surface 321 rotates counterclockwise . the first pawl element 211 does not engage with the first ratchet surface 311 and the second pawl element 212 engages with the second ratchet surface 321 ; thus , the first pawl element 211 drives the main shaft 100 to rotate counterclockwise and the output torque is an anticlockwise torque . when the input torque from the working part 10 is a counterclockwise torque , the first ratchet surface 311 rotates counterclockwise and the second ratchet surface 321 rotates clockwise . the first pawl element 211 engages with the first ratchet surface 311 and the second pawl element 212 does not engage with the second ratchet surface 321 ; thus , the second pawl element 212 drives the main shaft 100 to rotate anticlockwise and the output torque is an anticlockwise torque . as previously mentioned , the first working mode and the second working mode of the thin bidirectional ratchet wrench of the present disclosure can be switched and selected via the newel 220 . to be convenient , in this embodiment , as shown in fig8 , a first end of the newel 220 has a knob 223 , which would be coupled to the newel 220 by embedding two ears ( ear 2201 in fig8 ) of the newel 220 into the knob 223 . in this way , the newel 220 will rotate when turning the knob 223 . in this embodiment , two spines protrude out of the surface of the knob 223 , such as spine 2231 , such that turning the knob 223 can be achieved by putting rotating torque on the two spines , including the spine 2231 . the thin bidirectional ratchet wrench of the present disclosure also contains a blocking device , which keeps the thin bidirectional ratchet wrench of the present disclosure on the selected working mode until the operator switches it to the other mode . in fig9 and 10 , the blocking device in this embodiment comprises of a spring 224 arranged on the newel 220 , a ball 400 disposed between the output end 101 and the second end of the newel 220 in a recess matched with the ball 400 on the second end of the newel 220 ; more specifically , a first recess 410 and a second recess 420 . the first recess 410 and the second recess 420 are parallel to each other and are separated by the smooth spine ; directions between the spine and the newel have an angle . the spring 224 keeps a force , which is from a second end 2202 of the newel 220 to a first end 2201 . on the newel 220 and the main shaft 100 , the ball 400 is in the first recess 410 or in the second recess 421 beside the second end 2202 . when turning the knob 223 , the spring 224 is compressed , the ball 400 is beside one end of the first recess 410 or in the second recess 420 . the ball 400 can move into the second recess 420 from the first recess 410 or vice versa , and reset the ball 400 back to the first recess 410 or the second recess 420 beside the second end 2202 . when the ball 400 is in the first recess 410 , the ball - head sections of the first spring - loaded plunger 221 and the second spring - loaded plunger 222 maintain contact with the first side wall of the concave section of the first pawl element 211 and the second pawl element 222 , respectively , and the thin bidirectional ratchet wrench of the present disclosure is in the first working mode . when the ball 400 is in the second recess 420 , the ball - head sections of the first spring - loaded plunger 221 and the second spring - loaded plunger 222 maintain contact with the second side wall of the concave section of the first pawl element 211 and the second pawl element 222 , respectively , and the bidirectional wrench of the present disclosure is in the second working mode . when turning the knob 223 to rotate the newel 220 to let the ball 400 move from the first recess 410 to the second recess 420 , the thin bidirectional ratchet wrench of the present disclosure turns from the first working mode to the second working mode . when turning the knob 223 to rotate the newel 220 to let the ball 400 move from the second recess 420 to the first recess 410 , the bidirectional wrench of the present disclosure turns from the second working mode to the first working mode . in this embodiment , the transmission seat 330 is in constant engagement with the holding ring 102 . the transmission seat 330 is fixed with respect to the holding ring 102 , thus when the working part 10 rotates with respect to the holding ring 102 , the idle gears 331 , 332 make the follower gear 322 and the capstan gear 312 rotate in opposite directions . in use , to keep the idle gears 331 , 332 working and ensure the second ratchet surface 321 and the first ratchet surface 311 rotate in opposite directions , the operator can orientate the transmission seat 330 by holding the holding ring 102 , thus the capstan gear 312 drives the idle gears 331 , 331 to rotate , and then drives the follower gear 322 to rotate , thereby making the second ratchet surface 321 and first ratchet surface 311 rotate in opposite directions . it should be noted that in other embodiments of the present disclosure , other methods can also be taken to position the transmission seat 330 and thus drive the idle gears 331 , 332 to work . in addition , as described previously , the output end 101 of the thin bidirectional ratchet wrench of the present disclosure can be a component , which is suitable to operate various fasteners such as quoin screws , by mounting various sleeves , and the ball 400 in the blocking device can also be used to block the various sleeves , which are mounted on the output end 101 at this moment . in this embodiment , the first pawl element 211 is made of high strength material ( such as injected powder metallurgy or no . 45 steel , etc .) whose strength is 30 - 40 % higher than that of the conventional powder metallurgy material . thickness ( along the extended direction of the main shaft 100 ) of the first pawl element 211 is preferably less than or equal to 6 . 5 mm . the thickness of the first ratchet surface 311 that engages with the first pawl element 211 is preferably equal to the thickness of the first pawl element 211 . thickness of the second pawl element 212 is preferably less than or equal to that of the first pawl element 211 . further , the thickness between a front surface 3301 and a back surface 3302 of the transmission seat is preferably less than or equals to 8 . 0 mm ; the modulus of the idle gears 331 , 332 is less than or equal to 1 . teeth of the capstan gear 312 and the follower gear 322 engage with the teeth of the idle gears 331 , 332 . therefore , thickness ( namely the distance between the front surface 103 of the holding ring 102 and the back surface 104 of the main shaft 100 along the extended direction of the main shaft 100 ) of the working part is preferably less than or equal to 30 . 0 mm . this embodiment reduces the thickness of all the parts in the working part ( along the extending direction of the main shaft 100 ) on the basis of satisfying the output torque needed , thereby reducing the whole thickness of the working part ; thus , it can be used in narrow spaces easily and still satisfy the torque needed to tighten fasteners . in another embodiment , the first pawl element 211 is made of injected powder metallurgy , the thickness of the first pawl element 211 is preferably less than or equal to 5 . 0 mm , the thickness of the second pawl element 212 is preferably less than or equal to that of the first pawl element 211 . further , the thickness of the transmission seat is preferably less than or equal to 6 . 0 mm ; the modulus of the idle gears 331 , 332 is less than or equal to 0 . 6 . teeth of the capstan gear 312 and the follower gear 322 engage with the teeth of the idle gears 331 , 332 . thickness of the working part is preferably 25 . 0 mm . in other embodiments , materials of pawl elements do not have to be high strength materials , by disposing the third and fourth pawl elements on the symmetrical position of the first pawl element and the second pawl element related to the main shaft , enough torque can be supplied at the same time reducing the thickness of the pawl element ; thus , achieving the purpose of reducing the thickness of the wrench . what stated above described the preferred embodiment in detail . it should be understood that one with ordinary skill in the art can make many modifications and variations according to the present disclosure without any creative work . therefore , any modification , equivalent replacement and improvement made to the present disclosure without going beyond the spirit and principle of the present disclosure shall be within the scope of the appended claims | 1 |
referring initially to fig1 , illustrated is an isometric view of one embodiment of a collapsible cargo carrier 100 constructed according to the principles of the present invention . the cargo carrier 100 comprises a draw bar 110 , a main frame 121 , a pivot frame 122 , a plurality of first extenders 130 , a plurality of second extenders 140 , and first and second end frames 151 , 152 . in one embodiment , the draw bar 110 has first and second ends 111 , 112 , respectively ; a draw pin aperture 113 ; a longitudinal axis 114 and a stop block 117 . in a preferred embodiment , the first end 111 is coupleable to a receiver of a towing vehicle ( not shown ) and secured in place with a draw pin 115 and a security pin 116 that fits through a security pin hole 116 a in the draw pin 115 . one who is of skill in the art is knowledgeable of how the collapsible cargo carrier 100 is coupled to the receiver of a towing vehicle . in a preferred embodiment , the main frame 121 and the pivot frame 122 are removeably coupleable to the draw bar 110 and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 114 . the main frame 121 and the pivot frame 122 have first and second opposing ends 123 a , 123 b , 124 a , 124 b , respectively . the collapsible cargo carrier 100 further comprises one or more primary support members 160 and a plurality of flop locks 170 . in the illustrated embodiment , two primary support members 160 are shown . however , one who is of skill in the art will recognize that the number of primary support members 160 may be varied to assure support of a load ( not shown ) to be carried in the collapsible cargo carrier 100 . referring now to fig2 , illustrated is an isometric view of the draw bar 110 of fig1 . in a preferred embodiment , the draw bar 110 comprises 2 - inch square aluminum tubing having first and second ends 111 , 112 , a top wall 211 , a bottom wall 212 , and the stop block 117 . the draw pin aperture 113 is proximate the first end 111 . the draw bar 110 further comprises first , second , third and fourth apertures 201 , 202 , 203 , 204 respectively , through both the top and bottom walls 211 , 212 , respectively . the fourth aperture 204 is proximate the second end 112 and has a keyway 205 also cut through the top and bottom walls 211 , 212 . the stop block 117 is welded to the top wall 211 proximate the first end 111 and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 114 . the inset shows the detail of the fourth aperture 204 and the keyway 205 . in one embodiment , the keyway 205 is offset by an angle α from the longitudinal axis 114 . in one embodiment , the angle a is about 20 °. in a preferred embodiment , the angle a is 22 . 5 °. referring now to fig3 a and 3b , illustrated are isometric views of the main frame 121 and the pivot frame 122 , respectively , of fig1 . in one embodiment , the main frame 121 and the pivot frame 122 comprise rectangular aluminum tubing . in a preferred embodiment , the main frame 121 and pivot frame 122 comprise 1 - inch square , 3 / 16 inch wall thickness , aluminum tubing having first and second ends 123 a , 123 b , 124 a , 124 b , respectively and a plurality of ball stop apertures 310 . the main frame 121 further comprises a centrally - located , main frame support pin 320 , while the pivot frame 122 further comprises a centrally - located , pivot frame support pin 325 . in a preferred embodiment , the main frame support pin 320 is a smooth , chamfered , aluminum pin of ¾ - inch diameter and the pivot frame support pin 321 is a smooth , chamfered , aluminum pin of ¾ - inch diameter having a key 322 located thereon proximate a lower end 323 of the pivot frame support pin 321 . referring now to fig3 c , illustrated is an isometric view of the primary support members 160 of fig1 . in one embodiment , the support members 160 comprise rectangular aluminum tubing . in a preferred embodiment , the primary support members 160 comprise 1 - inch square , ⅛ - inch wall thickness , aluminum tubing having first and second ends 331 , 332 , a top wall 333 , a bottom wall 334 , a support member pin 335 and a plurality of ball stop apertures 310 . the support member pin 335 is a smooth , chamfered , aluminum pin of ¾ - inch diameter . referring now to fig3 d , illustrated is an isometric view of the second extenders 140 of fig1 . in one embodiment , the second extenders 140 comprise rectangular aluminum tubing . in a preferred embodiment , the second extenders 140 comprise ¾ - inch square , ⅛ - inch wall thickness , aluminum tubing having first and second ends 336 , 337 , a ball stop 315 , and an end cap 340 . the ball stop 315 may be constructed from a ball plunger ( see first inset ) comprising a ½ - inch ball 316 and a spring 317 . alternatively , a single end , straight spring leg snap button 318 ( see second inset ) may also be used . the end cap 340 has a ½ - inch aperture 341 formed therethrough . referring now to fig3 e , illustrated is an isometric view of the first extenders 130 of fig1 . in a preferred embodiment , the first extenders 130 may comprise ½ - inch round , solid aluminum having first and second ends 338 , 339 , and a first cross pin 344 and a second cross pin 345 . the second cross pin 345 extends through the second end 339 and is substantially a length of the inside diagonal of the second extender 140 . each first extender 130 has a slot 342 in the first end 338 with the flop lock 170 held in the slot 342 by a pivot pin 343 . the flop locks 170 may be of a symmetric , oval shape but weighted in one of the long ends as shown in fig1 , or may be racetrack shape with a pivot hole off - center , creating two portions so that one portion is longer and therefore heavier than the other portion . the first cross pin 344 extends through the first extender 130 at a point approximately ¾ inch from the inboard end of the slot 342 . referring now to fig3 f , illustrated is a close up , plan view of one end frame 151 in relation to a first extender 130 . in a preferred embodiment , the end frames 151 , 152 comprise ¾ - inch square , ⅛ - inch wall thickness , aluminum tubing having a plurality of apertures 351 therethrough . the plurality of apertures 351 allow the flop locks 170 and the first end 338 of the first extenders 130 to pass through . referring now to fig3 g , illustrated is a close up plan view of the assembly of one end frame 151 , 152 to a first extender 130 . the relationship of the flop lock 170 , slot 342 , pivot pin 343 , aperture 351 , and first cross pin 344 is readily seen . the first cross pin 344 keeps the first and second end frames 151 , 152 trapped proximate the first end 338 of the first extenders 130 . referring now to fig3 a - 3g as required , assembly of the collapsible cargo carrier 100 will be discussed . only one collapsible member 130 , 140 will be discussed for the purposes of simplicity , it being obvious to one who is skilled in the art to repeat the assembly with the analogous parts . the flop lock 170 may be rotated to align with the centerline of the first extender 130 and then inserted into the second end 337 of the second extender 140 until the flop lock 170 passes through the aperture 341 in the second extender end cap 340 . the first extender 130 is prevented from being withdrawn from the second extenders 140 by the end cap 344 that conforms to the interior rectangular cross section of the second extenders 140 . the second end 337 of the second extender 140 as just assembled is inserted into the first end 123 b of the pivot frame 122 until the ball stop 315 encounters the pivot frame first end 123 b . the ball stop 315 is then depressed and the remainder of the second extender 140 is inserted into the pivot frame 122 . referring now to fig4 , illustrated is an isometric view of the collapsible cargo carrier 100 as it is bundled for shipping and for storage . the collapsible cargo carrier 100 in this configuration may be conveniently held together with straps 410 around the bundle and secured end to end with hook and pile fasteners 420 . the bundle may then be stowed into a storage bag 430 of similar size to those currently used for folding chairs . the bag 430 may then be closed with drawstrings 440 or zipper ( not shown ). this entire light weight , bagged assembly may be conveniently stored behind a seat of vehicles and readily assembled at any location when additional cargo space is needed . referring now to fig1 and 3 a - 3 f , assembly of the collapsible cargo carrier 100 will now be discussed . the first end 111 of the draw bar 110 is inserted into the vehicle receiver ( not shown ), a draw pin 115 is inserted through the receiver and through the draw pin aperture 113 . the security pin 116 is then inserted through the aperture 116 a in the draw pin 115 . the main frame 121 is then placed on the draw bar 110 with main frame support pin 320 inserted into first aperture 201 . the stop block 117 keeps the main frame 121 normal to the draw bar 110 . two primary support members 160 are placed on the draw bar 110 with support member pins 335 inserted into the second and third apertures 202 , 203 . pivot frame 122 is placed on the draw bar 110 at the fourth aperture 204 with the pivot frame 122 at an angle so as to align the key 322 of pivot frame support pin 321 with the keyway 205 . with the pivot frame support pin 321 all the way through the fourth aperture 204 , the pivot frame 121 is rotated clockwise to a position substantially normal to the draw bar 110 and substantially parallel to the primary support members 160 and the main frame 121 . this position for the pivot frame 122 causes the key 322 to be below the bottom wall 212 and out of alignment with the keyway 205 , thereby preventing removal of the pivot frame 122 . the first and second extenders 130 , 140 are withdrawn from the main frame 121 , pivot frame 122 and the primary support members 160 until the second cross pins 345 contact the end caps 340 and the ball stops 315 engage the apertures 351 . the flop locks 170 are substantially aligned with the first extenders 130 and inserted through apertures 351 of the end frames 151 , 152 and released . the flop locks 170 , with the assistance of gravity , lock the end frames 151 , 152 onto the first extenders 130 . with the end frames 151 , 152 in place , the pivot frame 122 is prevented from rotating thereby locking all of the parts together . the collapsible cargo carrier 100 is ready for use . if desired , cargo containers may be placed directly in and secured by tie downs to the expandable cargo carrier 100 . a panel ( not shown ) may be placed within the collapsible cargo carrier 100 and on the primary support members 160 . cargo containers may then be placed thereon and the cargo secured to the expandable cargo carrier 100 with tie downs ( not shown ). to break down the collapsible cargo carrier 100 , the above steps are reversed . referring now to fig5 , illustrated is a rear isometric view of the collapsible cargo carrier 100 of fig1 in its fully collapsed form . the collapsible cargo carrier 100 may be used in this configuration for reasonably small loads while retaining the opportunity to extend the first and second extenders 130 , 140 for additional capacity . thus , a collapsible cargo carrier 100 has been described for use with a conventional towing vehicle . the collapsible cargo carrier 100 is conveniently expanded to a size capable of carrying considerable cargo while enabling the breakdown and packaging of the cargo carrier 100 in a reasonably small , lightweight package . although the present invention has been described in detail , those skilled in the art should understand that they can make various changes , substitutions and alterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form . | 1 |
in fig1 a feed pump is shown in a longitudinal section , which is constructed here as a membrane pump 2 . the membrane pump 2 has a thin elastic molded membrane 3 that functions here as a piston , which is clamped at its perimeter affixed between a pump head 4 and a pump housing 5 . the molded membrane 3 of the membrane pump 2 , which is moved forward and backwards using a connecting rod 6 , defines a delivery chamber 7 between it and the pump head 4 . the pump head 4 of the membrane pump 2 is constructed essentially in two - parts and has an intermediate plate 8 as well as a cover plate 9 . in the pump head 4 of the membrane pump 2 , an intake 10 with a suction valve 11 and an outlet 12 with an exhaust valve 13 are provided . the suction valve 11 and the exhaust valve 13 of the feed pump 2 can be activated depending on the pressure that is prevalent in the delivery chamber 7 . the valves 11 , 13 have in addition a valve body 14 , which is constructed as a valve disc that is made out of elastomer . these valve discs can also be constructed , for example , in a tongue shape or round . the membrane pump 2 is a component of an otherwise not further shown conveyor device 1 , which functions for the conveyance of damp gases . these conveyor devices are , for example , used for the evacuation of vapor sterilization devices ( so - called autoclaves ) or in the field of gas drying . in order to condense the moisture contained in the gaseous conveyed medium , to reduce the conveyed volume and to be able to keep as low as possible the time necessary , for example , to evacuate a vapor sterilization chamber , the pump head 4 of the feed pump 2 is force - cooled . the pump head 4 can have for this purpose a water cooling system , for example , whose cooling channels are very near and parallel to the gas flow channels arranged located in the pump head . in a preferred embodiment , however , the pump head 4 has in particular on its cover plate 9 , in addition to or instead of a water cooling system , cooling ribs for a forced - air cooling that are not further depicted here . using this forced cooling , the feed pump 2 is force - cooled in such a way that it is cooled off in the area of its pump head below the existing vaporization or boiling temperature of the liquid contained in the gaseous conveyed medium , which corresponds to the evacuation pressure desired in the chamber to be evacuated . by the cooling off of the moist conveyed medium , the volume of the originally vaporous conveyed medium is simultaneously also reduced during condensation to a fraction of the original volume . through this volume reduction in the head area of the conveyor device , a condensation pump effect occurs , which supports the conveying capacity of the conveyor device 1 . since the water vapor contained in the conveyed medium is cooled in the area of the feed pump 2 and conducted in its liquid aggregate state , the feed pump only has to pump off a low volume of the conveyed medium , whereby the required pump operating time is considerably reduced . the cooling system of the feed pump 2 required for cooling off the feed pump 2 in the area of the delivery chamber 7 simultaneously results in a cool running of the conveyor device 1 , which promotes a long lifetime of the feed pump and long service intervals . in order to prevent the suction valve 11 and the exhaust valve 13 from sticking due to the liquid droplets contained in the conveyed medium and in order to prevent an accumulation of liquid in possible dead spaces of the feed pump 2 , which hinders a rapid evacuation , the delivery chamber 7 is ventilated in pulses at time intervals during the operation of the feed pump 2 . in the process , the time intervals can be controlled depending on the pressure levels and / or condensation times reached in the ( vapor sterilization ) chamber to be evacuated . the membrane pump 2 has , for this purpose , a ventilation device 15 with a ventilation channel 16 , which opens in the area of the delivery chamber . in the ventilation channel 16 , a ventilation valve 17 is intermediately connected , which is in constant controlled connection with a control device 22 . in order to be able to activate the ventilation device 15 in specified or preselectable time intervals , the control device 22 has a control clock or equivalent time element . in addition to , or instead of this , the control device 22 can also be connected to pressure sensor located , for example , in the vapor - sterilization chamber of an autoclave , if the ventilation valve 17 should be activated as a function of the prespecified pressure levels in the chamber to be evacuated . through the pulsating ventilation of the delivery chamber 7 , the liquid droplets that might remain in the delivery chamber 7 are blown out of the conveyor device 1 . the ventilation of the delivery chamber 7 can be done several times at time intervals during the operation of the feed pump 2 , for example , according to certain condensation times or pressure levels . since using the ventilation device 15 , a fast and targeted pump drying is achieved , the liquid contained in the conveyed medium can be condensed , the delivery chamber can be cooled and accordingly , an energy - consuming heating up of the pump head 4 can be omitted . as shown in fig1 the delivery chamber 7 is connected to the suction valve 11 via a suction channel 18 . in order to be able to blow out the delivery chamber as completely as possible , the ventilation chamber 16 of the ventilation device 15 opens in the flow direction of the pump intake 10 directly below the suction valve 11 in the suction channel 18 . during the ventilation of the delivery chamber 7 , the suction valve 11 of the membrane pump 2 closes instantaneously . in this way , the ventilation or drying gas can take only one direction and flow from the pump intake side via the delivery chamber 7 to the pump outlet side . the activation of the ventilation device 15 makes it so that in the feed pump 2 a targeted flow is constructed with very high flow speed , which entrains the liquid droplets remaining in the delivery chamber 7 . the liquid contained in the gaseous conveyed medium is conveyed in a defined manner out of the feed pump 2 after it condenses in the pump head 4 through a single or multiple cycling of the ventilation device 15 . if the conveyor device 1 is used for example , to evacuate the vapor sterilization chamber of an autoclave or a vacuum drying cabinet , the evacuation time can be shortened considerably using the ventilation device 15 and the final vacuum can be improved . the ventilation valve 17 , which can also be constructed as a manually activated valve , is constructed here as an electromagnetic valve and integrated directly in the intermediate cover 8 . this intermediate cover 8 is constructed as a plastic - injection molded part , which is characterized by a very smooth , liquid - repellent surface . since the intermediate cover 8 manufactured in a cost - effective manner out of plastic forms a very poor heat conductor , it can act as an effective heat insulation between the pump housing 5 and the cover plate 9 . the liquid contained in the gaseous conveyed medium can condense well in the intermediate cover 8 that is cooler in comparison to the cooled cover plate 9 . in contrast , a more intensive heat exchange is desired in the area of the force - cooled cover plate 9 , in order to quickly carry off the condensation heat that is released and to be able to cool the pump head . the cover plate 9 is thus preferably manufactured as a diecast part out of aluminum . in this aluminum diecast part , the gas flow channels provided for the conveyed medium are molded free of pocket holes . in this way , pockets and other dead spaces are for the most part prevented , which otherwise occur during the subsequent boring of these channels and in which the liquid can accumulate . in order to prevent an adhesion of the moisture in the pump intake and pump outlet , the pump head 4 also has non - metallic flow surfaces in the area of its cover plate 9 . these flow surfaces are formed by a plastic coating , in particular , a teflon coating , in the area of the cover plate 9 constructed as an aluminum diecast part . as shown in fig2 the feed pump 2 shown in fig1 can also be part of a multi - stage conveyor device 100 . in the two - stage conveyor device 100 formed from the membrane pumps 2 , 2 ′, the membrane pump 2 that has the ventilation device 15 is provided as the first pump stage , the pump outlet 12 of which is connected via a pipe - shaped channel section 19 to the pump intake 10 of the membrane pump 2 ′. this channel section 19 is held with its facing ends in connection openings 20 of the pumps 2 , 2 ′, whereby these facing ends of the channel section 19 are respectively connected to the adjacent partial area of the flow conduit via a sealing ring 21 without a joint and without a transition . also , in the channel section 19 of the two - stage conveyor device 100 , the channel cross - section of the flow channel is selected to be so small that an atmospheric volume flow of the feed pump 2 equipped with the ventilation device 15 generates an average flow speed greater than 10 m / sec . in the conveyor devices 1 , 100 shown here , the pump heads 4 of the feed pumps 2 , 2 ′ are cooled in such a way that the moisture contained in the gaseous conveyed medium can condense . the condensation is then achieved by a forced cooling system of the pump heads 4 , which is constructed , for example as an air - cooling and / or water - cooling system . the pump head can also include cooling ribs 23 , as shown in fig1 for forced air cooling . by coated flow conduits optimized for flow , the condensate is transported into the conveyor devices 1 , 100 in a manner free from adhesion . through the condensation , a drastic reduction in volume occurs , whereby fast pump times and high pump efficiencies can be obtained . using the ventilation device 15 provided in the feed pumps 2 , a fast and targeted drying of the conveyor devices 1 , 100 can be achieved , whereby a shortening of the evacuation time is favored even more and the final vacuum that can be achieved can be considerably reduced . since the ventilation channel 16 of the ventilation device 15 opens in the delivery chamber 7 of the feed pump 2 , the suction valve 11 operating depending on the pressure prevalent in the delivery chamber can simultaneously also act as a return valve , whereby a targeted drying of the conveyor devices 1 , 100 can be achieved . | 5 |
in the description unless otherwise indicated , all numbers expressing quantities of dimensions , physical characteristics , and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “ about ”. accordingly , unless indicated to the contrary , the numerical values set forth in the following specification and claims may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained in the present disclosure . at the very least , and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims , each numerical value should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques . moreover , all ranges disclosed herein are to be understood to encompass the beginning and ending range values and any and all sub - ranges subsumed therein . for example , a stated range of “ 1 to 10 ” should be considered to include any and all sub - ranges - between ( and inclusive of ) the minimum value of 1 and the maximum value of 10 ; that is , all sub - ranges beginning with a minimum value of 1 or more and ending with a maximum value of 10 or less , e . g ., 5 . 5 to 10 . also as used herein , spatial or directional terms in regards to the position such as “ left ”, “ right ”, “ inner ”, “ outer ”, “ above ”, “ below ”, “ top ”, “ bottom ” “ over ”, “ on ”, “ side ”, “ front ”, “ back ” and the like have their standard dictionary meanings . referring now to the drawings , wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure , fig1 a and 1b show a removable battery pack 10 for a powered device . the battery pack 10 includes a housing 12 and one or more batteries 14 ( fig8 a ) disposed within the housing 12 . the housing 12 can be formed of a first shell or member 12 a and a second shell or member 12 b , with the members 12 a , 12 b held together by suitable fasteners 12 c ( e . g ., screws ). as will be understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art upon reading the present disclosure , a lever 16 is pivotally mounted to the housing 12 for enabling removal of the battery pack 10 from a powered device in which it is received for powering thereof . in particular , as will be described in more detail below , a one end 18 of the lever 16 , which is spaced apart relative to a pivotal connection 20 of the lever 16 to the housing 12 ( see fig8 a - 9b ), is pullable to unlatch the battery pack 10 from a powered device in which it is received and / or to eject the battery pack 10 from the device in which it is received . the lever 16 can have a movement angle about the pivot point 20 of from greater than one degree to less than 180 degrees and more suitably from 5 to less than 90 degrees . as illustrated , the end 18 of the lever 16 can be formed as a raised portion adjacent a recess 22 , the raised formation of the end 18 and the recess 22 appropriately sized to receive a user &# 39 ; s finger for pivotal lifting of the lever 16 , particularly lifting of the end 18 thereof . as is known and understood by those skilled in the art , the battery pack 10 can include appropriate positive and negative terminal connections for electrically connecting the battery pack 10 , and specifically the one or more batteries 14 thereof , to suitable electrical components of a powered device . in one arrangement , as illustrated in fig4 and 5 , the electrical connections 24 , 26 can extend from a bottom side 28 of the battery pack housing 12 and be provided adjacent a supporting structure 30 of the housing 12 for providing structural protection to the terminal connections 24 , 26 . alternatively , as shown in fig7 a and 7b , the terminal electrical connections can be provided through an interface 36 that is slightly recessed within the housing 12 and thereby structurally protected or supported . with reference to fig2 , the removable battery pack 10 can be received on a charging base 32 for recharging of the one or more batteries 14 of the battery pack 10 . the recharging base 32 can be constructed as is well known by those of skill in the art so as to receive electrical power through a conventional power cord 34 and convert the same into appropriate dc power to be received and stored by the one or more batteries 14 for subsequent powering of a powered device . the removable battery pack 10 can be used with a variety of powering devices configured to receive the battery pack 10 and receive power therefrom . for example , with reference to fig3 a , 3 b , 10 and 11 , the battery pack 10 can be used in association with a powered device , such as an electrically powered cleaning device such as a vacuum cleaner 40 . as is conventional , the vacuum cleaner 40 includes a vacuum cleaner housing 42 having a suction inlet 44 . a suction source ( not shown ) is disposed within the vacuum cleaner housing 42 for creating a vacuum at the suction inlet 44 , as is known and understood by those skilled in the art . the vacuum cleaner 40 of the illustrated embodiment of fig3 a and 3b for a stick - type vacuum cleaner wherein the housing 42 includes a nozzle base portion 48 disposed at a lower end , pivotally connected to an elongated handle portion 50 . the nozzle portion 48 includes the suction inlet 44 defined therein and the handle portion 50 can house the motor / fan assembly forming the suction source . for a hand held vacuum cleaner as shown in fig1 and 11 the handle 50 is integrated into the unit but the nozzle 48 with nozzle inlet 44 , suction fan assembly and removable battery 10 can be arranged in the body or housing 42 . the battery pack 10 can be removably mounted to or within the vacuum cleaner 40 . in other words the battery pack 10 can be mounted either in the nozzle base 48 or in the handle portion 50 . the mounting in fig3 a can be in the opening and well 52 as shown in fig3 b . the one or more batteries 14 disposed within the battery pack housing 12 can be used for powering the suction source of the vacuum cleaner 40 . when the one or more batteries 14 have lost some or all of their charge , the battery pack 10 can be removed from the vacuum cleaner 40 and mounted on the recharging base 32 for recharging of the one or more batteries 14 . with reference now to fig4 - 9b , the battery pack 10 can include a latching mechanism comprised of the lever 16 pivotally mounted to the battery pack housing 12 , a push rod 62 movably mounted to the battery pack housing 12 and a latch 64 movably mounted to the battery pack housing 12 . as will be described in more detail below , the push rod 62 is adapted to be axially moved by the lever 16 and the latch 64 is adapted to be moved radially from a latched position to an unlatched position by the push rod 62 when the push rod is axially moved by the lever 16 . in the latched position , the latch 64 can lock the battery pack 10 within its power device ( e . g ., vacuum cleaner 40 ). the latch 64 is movable from its latched position ( fig9 a ) to its unlatched position ( fig9 b ) allowing the battery pack housing 12 to be removed from its powered device , when the push rod 62 is moved axially from a first position to a second position . in particular , the push rod 62 is movable from its first position to its second position upon stroking of the lever 16 ( i . e ., fully lifting the end 18 of the lever 16 .) with specific reference to fig9 a and 9b , lifting end 18 of the lever 16 causes the lever 16 to pivot about pivotal connection 20 . this , in turn , causes lever end 56 to point downwardly , contacting the upper end 58 of the push rod 62 and thereby driving the push rod axially downwardly . in one embodiment ( fig8 a , 8 b ) the lever 16 can include legs 74 depending from the end 18 . the legs 74 cooperate with the housing 12 to limit the stroke of the lever 16 . as best shown in fig6 , the latch 64 can be urged to its latched position wherein the latch 64 locks the battery pack 10 within its power device ( e . g ., to the vacuum cleaner 40 or vacuum cleaner housing 42 ). specifically , the latch 64 is urged by a biasing element , such as spring 66 , toward the latched position . axial movement of the push rod 64 , however , can force the latch 64 toward its unlatched position by overcoming the urging of the biasing element 66 . in particular , an engagement between the push rod 62 and the latch 64 can cause the latch 64 to move to the unlatched position ( shown in fig7 b ) from the latched position ( shown in fig7 a ) when the push rod 64 is sufficiently axially moved ( i . e ., fully stroked ) by the lever 16 . as shown in the illustrated embodiments , axial movement of the push rod 62 occurs along a first axis and movement of the latch 64 between the latched position and the unlatched position occurs along a second axis . the second axis can be oriented approximately normal relative to the first axis . as best shown in fig6 , the engagement between the push rod 62 and the latch 64 can be a tapered engagement which translates movement of the push rod 62 along the first axis to movement of the latch 64 along the second axis . to create this tapered engagement , the push rod 62 can include a tapered portion 68 that engages a cooperating tapered portion 70 of the latch 64 upon axial movement of the push rod 62 to thereby move the latch 64 from its latched position to the unlatched position . the first position of the push rod 62 ( shown in fig7 a and 9a ) can be referred to as a retracted position and the second position of the push rod 62 ( shown in fig7 b and 9b ) can be referred to as a protruding position . thus , the push rod 62 is movable between a first retracted position and a second protruding position . in the first retracted position , the push rod 62 is retracted within the housing 12 ( i . e ., it does protrude from the housing 12 ). in the second protruding position , the push rod 62 extends from the battery pack housing 12 through aperture 76 defined in the underside 28 of the housing 12 for ejecting the housing 12 from an associated device in which the housing is received for powering thereof . also , as already mentioned , movement of the push rod 62 from the first retracted position to the second protruding position moves the latch 64 from the latched position to the unlatched position . the push rod 62 can be urged toward its first retracted position by a biasing element , such as the illustrated spring 72 ( only schematically illustrated in fig4 and 5 ). thus , when the end 18 of the lever 16 is pulled , the push rod 62 is driven axially downward to move the latch 64 , against the bias of the spring , from its latched position inward into the housing 12 to its unlatched position . more specifically , a full stroke of the lever 16 causes the push rod 62 to move the latch 64 to the unlatched position and further causes the push rod 62 to protrude from the battery pack housing 12 , which can be used to assist in the ejection of the battery pack housing 12 from the housing of the powered device in which the battery pack is received ( e . g ., vacuum cleaner housing 42 ). by the foregoing arrangement , a method for removing a battery pack from a powered device can be described . first , the lever 16 that is pivotally mounted on the battery pack 10 can be pulled . pulling up one end of the lever 16 causes the other end to push down on the push rod 62 , causing it to axially advance . such axial advancement occurs as a result of the push rod 62 being slidably disposed on the battery pack 10 and mechanically arranged such that a rotating movement of the lever 16 is translated into axial movement of the push rod 62 . the advancing of the push rod 62 , as already described , causes the latch 64 to retract . retraction of the latch 64 results from the latch being slidably disposed on the battery pack 10 and the tapered engagement between the push rod 62 and the latch 64 . in the unlatched position , the latch 64 allows the battery pack 10 to be removed from its powered device . the battery pack 10 can also be ejected from its powered device via the push rod 62 protruding from the battery pack 10 upon axial advancement thereof . although in the illustrated embodiment , only a single latch 64 is illustrated , it will be appreciated by those with skill in the art that any number of latches 64 can be provided along the push rod 62 and within the housing 12 of the battery pack such that axial movement of the push rod 62 could slidably move any number of latches from respective latched positions to unlatched positions upon sufficient axial movement of the push rod . also , it should be appreciated that installation of the battery pack 10 into a powered device can operate to force the one or more latches ( e . g ., latch 64 ) inward against their respective biasing elements allowing the battery pack to be removably secured to a powered device . the configuration of the device and / or the latches can then allow the latches to be returned to their latched positions by the biasing mechanism when the battery pack is fully installed . it will be appreciated that various of the above - disclosed and other features and functions , or alternatives thereof , may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications . also it is to be appreciated that various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives , modifications , variations or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the present disclosure as recited in the claims and the equivalents thereof . | 0 |
in the figures of 3 , 4 and 5 a construction of the invention is illustrated wherein all parts similar to those just described in fig1 and 2 have similar numbers with the prefix 1 . in this form the hot gas trap 120 having an inverted l - shaped part 121 has a heater flue connection 126 , or 126 &# 39 ; a horizontal leg 125 and a vertical chimney leg 127 . the l - shaped part 121 as well as the leg 127 are of rectangular ( which may be either downstanding 126 or upstanding 126 &# 39 ;) shape . the flue connection 1 , is cylindrical in shape , as is a chimney connection 122 . the chimney connection duct 122 is assembled inside of the chimney leg duct 127 and terminates at 128 short of the terminal end of the chimney leg 127 , thus that part of the chimney leg 127 extending below the lower end 128 of duct 122 become a shroud portion 123 , equivalent to the shroud part 23 shown in fig1 and 2 . by virtue of the fact that duct 122 is mounted inside of the leg 127 it may be raised or lowered relative to the leg 127 by its fastenings 124 to cause its lower end 128 to change the height of the head h 2 to h 3 , as seen in fig3 . by the lowering of end 128 from the position of h 2 to h 3 the head h 2 as seen in fig1 is increased , to increase the choke effect of the trap 121 , while at the same time the head of h 1 is reduced . by raising the end 128 , the reverse is true , i . e ., h 2 would be decreased and h 1 would be increased . thus , this trap 121 can be matched to the heater it is used with , to obtain optimum performance and maximum retention of heat within the heater . in the forms of the invention just described in fig1 - 5 it must be clear that the trap assemblies 21 and 121 inherently have a heat transfer taking place , i . e ., heat transfer between the hot combustion gasses inside of them with the outside surrounding space air 30 . this heat might or might not be desirable in this space 30 , it might be more desirable , or more useful in some upper rooms of the home or establishment . to take advantage of this need another form of the invention will be described . a trap illustrated in fig6 shows in diagrammatic form a forced air furnace 210 such as that used in many homes today . in this form of the invention all numbers of similar parts thus far described , will bear the prefix 2 . a heat interchanger 211 having a burner 214 and a flue 212 heat the air in the furnace enclosure 210 , while a blower 50 circulates the warmed air throughout the home via a cold air return 51 and a warm air distribution duct system 52 . a thermostat 218 controls the on - off cycling of the furnace 210 to maintain a set temperature in the home . the hot gas trap and deflector assembly 220 is essentially the same as 20 shown in fig1 and 2 but is enclosed by a housing 260 . this housing 260 has one of its ends open to the room space 30 and another of its ends terminating in a pipe connection 61 which may be connected to the cold air return 51 of the furnace 210 by a pipe 63 . in this construction the operation is essentially the same as has been described for fig1 - 5 with the exception that when the furnace 210 is in operation with the burner 214 on and the furnace blower 60 running , low air pressure in the air return 51 causes ambient air from the room space 30 to be drawn into the open end of 260 and over the parts 222 , 227 , 225 and 226 all of which constitute the u - shaped part 221 . at this time all of these parts have hot combustion gasses inside of them flowing from the furnace flue 212 to the duct 222 and chimney 231 so that heat transfer between the hot combustion gasses and the ambient air takes place . this heated air is drawn through pipe connections 61 and 63 into the air return 51 of the furnace circulating system where it is heated further by the furnace and then distributed to places where heat is wanted . thus this hot gas trap and diverter or deflector in effect becomes not only a choke to prevent unnecessary loss of heat energy but also enhances the heat interchange of the furnace 210 to heat the air in the place it is used in . in fig7 and 9 is shown a modified construction of that just described in fig6 . similar parts have numbers with the prefix 3 . a housing 360 encloses a gas trap 320 which comprises a u - shaped assembly 321 having horizontal leg 325 , a heater flue connection 326 , and a vertical chimney leg 327 . the housing 360 surrounds a portion of duct 327 , all of duct 325 , part of duct 326 , has an open end 362 and a pipe connection 361 . the chimney connection 322 which connects with a chimney is mounted adjustably inside of the chimney leg 327 by fasteners 324 in the same manner and for the same reason , vertical adjustment , as in the form shown in fig3 and 5 . the open end 362 and openings at 363 , at duct 327 and duct 326 allow ambient air of the room space 30 to be drawn in as well as heated air lost by the walls of the heater when used with a furnace 210 as illustrated in fig6 . as indicated in dotted lines in fig7 the heater flue connection 326 may in some uses be reversed into the upstanding configuration of 326 &# 39 ; where vertical head room must be conserved . this then makes the u - shaped assembly 321 more nearly l - shaped . a further improved form of the invention shown in fig1 - 12 has features that facilitate the installation of the trap to many variable conditions confronted in the field of use . some variables are , the position of chimney connection both in horizontal and vertical directions as well as the connection to a cold air return . as shown in fig1 - 12 all similar parts previously described include the prefix 4 . a housing 460 encloses a gas trap 420 which comprises a u - shaped assembly 421 having a horizontal leg 425 , a heater connection 426 and a chimney leg 427 . the housing 460 completely surrounds the horizontal leg 425 except for its bottom base wall 504 . an air space 500 between the housing 460 and the leg 425 has access to a pair of opposed nipples 461 , which are separated , communication wise by a baffle 502 . either one or the other of the nipples 461 may be connected to the air return duct such as 51 , shown in fig6 . since both nipples are at opposite sides , but at one end of the housing 460 , a choice can be made for the most desirable direct connection to a duct 51 by either one of the nipples 461 as shown clearly in fig1 and 13 . if the installation is such that the connection is to the right in fig1 , the housing 460 can be placed on the horizontal duct 425 with the nipples 461 to the right as shown in dash double dot lines 461 &# 39 ;. thus it can be as in full lines 461 or in the dash lines 461 &# 39 ; of fig1 . this makes possible , four different orientations of connection to the nipples as well as the additional possibility of swiveling the trap 421 with the housing 460 about the center axis of connection 426 in a horizontal direction . either nipple 461 may be connected to the duct 51 since room air will then enter into the air space 500 through the unconnected nipple and air will flow all over the horizontal duct 425 because of the baffle 502 making it travel completely around it . also the unconnected nipple 461 could be piped to a remote source of air , outside fresh air for example . the horizontal duct 425 comprises an inverted pan resting upon a base plate 504 which has an inwardly bent over portion 506 which enfolds an outwardly extending periferal flange portion 508 formed on the vertical walls of the pan shaped duct 425 . housing 460 also has an inwardly bent periferal flange 510 which rests upon the periferal portion 506 and may be fastened by sheet metal screws 512 or equivalent fasteners . the heater connection 426 and the chimney leg 427 extend downwardly from the base plate 504 and may be fastened thereto as is usual in sheet metal craftsmanship or by screw fasteners 514 . in this form the shroud part 423 takes the form of a pipe t which also includes the chimney connections 422 and in this instance is horizontally disposed , instead of vertically as were the chimney connections 22 , 122 , 222 , and 322 in the previous forms . this arrangement makes possible a connection to the chimney at a lower elevation than could be made directly to the flue 412 of a heater 410 by an ordinary elbow . the advantage here is in installations where height is at a premium , since all flue pipes should be graded upwardly to the chimney for good flow of gasses . a further advantage gained with the t - shaped shroud 423 , is that it can be swiveled about its vertical axis for more convenient directional access , for piping to a chimney . the dash double dot lines 422 in fig1 and 13 illustrate the rotation of the chimney connection 422 &# 39 ; 90 ° in either direction from the full line position of 422 . the fastening means 514 if used are removed , the part is then rotated to the position desired and the fasteners replaced . it should now be clear that this form of the invention is most versatile in orientation to fit the needs of a particular installation for both connection to a chimney and an air return duct , while at the same time providing a lower head room installation of piping to a chimney for good gravity flow . as shown in fig1 the lower end 428 of the chimney leg 427 extends down below the heater flue connection 426 to give a choking head of h 2 as seen in fig1 . to make adjustment in this form , an increase in choke effect would necessitate a shortening of the duct 426 while a decrease in choke effect would require the lengthening of 426 by the insertion of a length of pipe between duct 426 and the appliance flue 412 . in an example such as a hot water heater like that shown in fig2 where the thermostat has turned the burner to an off condition , the typical temperature of air and gas at t 1 in the trap 20 at its hottest point would be around 100 °, just about 35 ° above an ambient room temperature of 65 °. this 100 ° represents the temperature of air warmed by convection from the walls of the flue 12 which has transfered heat from the hot water stored in the tank 11 to the air and it also includes the heat from combustion gasses of the pilot flame . very little warm air is being lost up the chimney 31 because the trap 20 has choked off the flow of gasses and its temperature t 2 is at the ambient room temperature of 65 °. when the hot water heater burner 14 is turned on by the thermostat as shown in fig1 the temperature t 1 in the trap 20 goes up to approximately 500 ° while the temperature in the chimney connection 22 goes up to approximately 375 °. the chimney connection 22 is now carrying a free flow of hot flue gasses from the heater as well as a portion of ambient room air at 65 ° and thus the 375 ° temperature is below the 500 ° trap temperature gas . also the trap assembly 20 is now hot and losing heat by radiation as well as losing heat through convectional heating of the room air as well . in the hot air furnace 210 illustrated in fig6 an example of temperatures when in on condition could be as follows . the trap 220 temperature t 1 might be 390 ° while the stack 222 temperature t 2 might be 130 °. this form of the invention which has the housing 260 enclosing the larger portion of the trap 220 , guides a flow of ambient air into the furnace cold air return 51 at the temperature t 3 of approximately 140 °. this warmed air t 3 is heated room air from space 30 , saved from loss at the heater and put back into the heater circulating system . at the same time , the temperature of flue gas going up the chimney , has been lowered meaning that heat has been retained from loss up the chimney . further a lower chimney temperature helps diminish the tendency of the chimney to remove warmed air from the space 30 . as illustrated in fig6 in the dash lines indicated as 223 &# 39 ; this shroud portion 223 &# 39 ; may be extended toward the floor of the space 30 if desired , where the ambient air temperature would be much lower than at the level of the open bottom of 223 shown in full , lines in fig6 . this extended shroud 223 &# 39 ; would further reduce the continuous heat loss up the chimney . with the vertical adjustability of the ducts 122 and 322 these forms of the invention can be custom fitted to each heater installed on , to increase their heating efficiency as well as to conserve the heat delivered to them . from the foregoing it will be apparent that the constructions just described function to accomplish fully the objects set forth in a reliable and fool - proof manner and can easily be used with present heaters to conserve heat energy . the terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation , and there is no intention , in the use of such terms and expressions , of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described , or portions thereof , it being recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed . | 5 |
before any embodiments of the invention are explained , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings . the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways . also , it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting . the use of including , comprising , or having and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items . fig1 illustrates an electrical device 20 embodying the invention . in the preferred embodiment , the device 20 is a self - contained , battery operated medical device such as a holter monitor , or telemetry - based patient monitoring transmitter . however , the invention is applicable to any battery operated electrical device . the electrical device 20 includes a generally rectangular housing 28 . the housing 28 includes at least one sidewall 30 defining a cavity 31 ( see fig3 ) for holding first , second , and third batteries 72 , 76 , and 80 ( see fig7 ), and for holding conducting members 33 a , 33 b , 33 c , 33 d , and 33 f ( see fig3 ) to electrically connect the batteries 72 , 76 , 80 in series , and transfer electrical power from the batteries 72 , 76 , 80 to an electrically powered machine or apparatus 82 ( shown schematically in fig8 ), also preferably enclosed within the housing 28 . contact members 33 b and 33 c are preferably formed from a single piece of metal or other electrically conductive material so that they are electrically connected to each other . referring to fig2 the sidewall 30 also defines a circular opening 32 extending through the sidewall 30 and communicating with the cavity 31 . the device 20 includes a sealing member 34 that fits within the circular opening 32 to close and seal the cavity 31 . in the preferred embodiment , the sidewall 30 defining the opening 32 is threaded , and the sealing member 34 is threaded into the opening 32 along an insertion axis 40 to seal the housing 28 . the sealing member 34 includes a spring contact 33 e and a contact member 35 connected to the spring contact 33 e so that when the sealing member 34 is inserted in place in opening 32 , contact member 33 d is electrically connected to spring contact 33 e . in other embodiments , the sealing member 34 can be inserted into the opening 32 along the axis 40 and frictionally engages the housing 28 surrounding the opening 32 to seal the housing 28 . in such a construction , a second sealing member ( not shown ), such as , for example , an o - ring or a gasket , mounts to the sealing member 34 and frictionally engages the housing 28 in a position between the sealing member 34 and the housing 28 to seal the housing 28 , such that liquid cannot penetrate past the second sealing member and enter into the housing 28 . in another embodiment , the second sealing member is mountable to the housing 28 in a position between the housing 28 and the sealing member 34 , such that liquid cannot penetrate past the second sealing member and enter into the housing 28 . referring to fig3 the electrical device 20 includes a base portion or support member 44 slidably supported by the housing 28 . as viewed in the orientation shown in fig3 the support member 44 has a generally upright portion 48 and a generally horizontal lip or support portion 52 that extends into the cavity 31 defined by the housing 28 . the electrical device 20 also includes a track 60 that is mounted to the housing 28 . the support member 44 is slidably mounted to the track 60 and can slide between a first position and a second position . in the preferred construction , the track 60 is angled , so that the support member 44 moves to the left ( as shown in fig3 ) as the support member 44 slides down and so that the support member 44 moves to the right ( as shown in fig3 ) as the support member 44 slides up . the support member 44 is in the first position at the top of the track 60 ( see fig3 ) and in the second position at the bottom of the track 60 ( see fig7 ). the electrical device 20 optionally includes a biasing member 64 supported between the housing 28 and the support member 44 . the biasing member 64 biases the support member 44 toward the first position ( as seen in fig3 ). the electrical device 20 also includes a battery stop 68 that is supported by the housing 28 and protrudes into the cavity 31 . the battery stop 68 limits the insertion of batteries 72 , 76 , 80 into the cavity 31 . referring to fig4 the electrical device 20 and the first battery 72 are illustrated . the first battery 72 inserts into the cavity 31 of the electrical device 20 through the opening 32 along the insertion axis 40 . the second and third batteries 76 and 80 are inserted likewise . after the batteries 72 , 76 , 80 are inserted into the cavity 31 , the sealing member 34 is threaded into the housing 28 to seal the housing 28 . referring to fig5 the electrical device 20 is illustrated with the first battery 72 inserted through the opening 32 and into the cavity 31 . the first battery 72 rests on the support portion 52 transverse to the insertion axis 40 and biases the support member 44 slightly downward along the track 60 . referring to fig6 the electrical device 20 is illustrated with the first and second batteries 72 and 76 inserted through the opening 32 and into the cavity 31 . the second battery 76 rests on top of the first battery 72 and biases the support member 44 downward along the track 60 , further than the first battery 72 alone . both the first and second batteries 72 and 76 rest transversely to the insertion axis 40 . as described above and illustrated in fig5 and 6 , the batteries 72 and 76 self - orient themselves as a result of gravity so that they rest upon the support portion 52 after insertion . if the electrical device 20 is in a different orientation with respect to the gravitational field , or is being used in a weightless environment such as outer space , the batteries 72 and 76 can be moved clear of the opening 32 and toward the support portion 52 by other means , such as , but not limited to shaking , accelerating , or jerking the electrical device 20 . referring to fig7 ., the electrical device 20 is illustrated with the first , second , and third batteries 72 , 76 , and 80 inserted through the opening 32 and into the cavity 31 . as the third battery 80 is inserted through the opening 32 and into the cavity 31 , the third battery 80 contacts the transversely aligned second battery 76 . the third battery 80 biases the first and second batteries 72 and 76 downward against the support member 44 and biasing member 64 . the biasing member 64 exerts a force on the support member 44 and is chosen such that the force exerted by the third battery 80 upon insertion into the cavity 31 , easily overcomes the force exerted by the biasing member 64 on the support member 44 . the force exerted by the biasing member 64 is also chosen to be light enough so that a pinch force exerted on the third battery 80 is easily overcome by gravity or a gentle tap when the batteries 72 , 76 , 80 are removed from the electrical device 20 . the pinch force is the force exerted by the biasing member 44 on the batteries 72 , 76 , 80 upon the insertion of the first , second , and third batteries 72 , 76 , and 80 into the cavity 31 . the third battery 80 is pushed into the cavity 31 until contact is made with the battery stop 68 , at which point , the first , second , and third batteries 72 , 76 , and 80 are aligned generally parallel to the insertion axis 40 and the support member 44 is at the bottom of the track 60 in the second position . the sealing member 34 is threaded into the housing 28 and seals the batteries 72 , 76 , 80 in the electrical device 20 . the embodiments described above and illustrated in the figures are presented by way of example only and not intended as a limitation upon the concepts and principles of the present invention . as such , it will be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art that various changes in the elements and their configuration and arrangement are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . various features of the invention are set forth in the following claims . | 7 |
although the process is particularly advantageous for removing hydrocarbons from soils , it is to be understood that other particulate mineral materials , such as sands , clays , dried drilling muds , pumice , etc . may be treated according to the invention to achieve substantially the same results . thus , the scope of the term &# 34 ; soil &# 34 ; as sometimes used herein is intended to include any particulate mineral materials and compositions having a range of particle sizes which include a fine particle size fraction that will escape from the drum in an exhaust gas stream mixture . moreover , the term &# 34 ; hydrocarbons &# 34 ; as used herein is intended to include not only compounds containing exclusively carbon and hydrogen but other organic compounds , for example , alcohols , phenols , ethers , acids , esters , aldehydes , ketones , waxes , fats , oils , amines , sulfides , phosphates , etc ., which can be volatilized from the particulate compositions in the drum by heating , and which can be burned or oxidized in furnace or afterburner , or otherwise treated for removal from a gas stream that may be safely exhausted to atmosphere . referring to the drawing , the process is carried out by introducing the hydrocarbon - contaminated particulate soil 21 into heating apparatus 10 via a conveyor 22 or other convenient means for introducing the composition into the drum . although the heating drum apparatus may be a conventional rotatable , cylindrical aggregate dryer well known to those skilled in art , a preferred drum is illustrated in the drawing and will be described hereinafter . the drum is tilted with respect to horizontal and the particulate composition is introduced at the elevated drum end 13 with burner 16 introducing flame and hot gases of combustion at the lower opposite end 11 . the contaminated soil composition introduced via hopper 20 and which comprises both coarse and fine particles , is gradually heated as the soil particles are exposed to the hot gases of combustion as they are gravitationally drawn toward end 11 and recovered at port 33 . flights or trays , known in the art , are provided along the drum interior for alternately lifting and dropping the particulate soil causing it to cascade through the hot gases thereby becoming gradually heated to a temperature at which the hydrocarbons are volatilized and evaporate from the solid particulate mass . at elevated drum end 13 , exhaust pipe 17 communicates with drum end cover 19 for directing a gaseous mixture of hot gases , hydrocarbon volatiles and particulate soil fines from the drum . although end cover 19 and exhaust pipe 17 are shown , other equivalent means for recovering and directing the mixture of gases and fine particles may be used . the exhaust system for treating the gas / fine particle mixture is driven by a blower or exhaust fan system creating a partial vacuum ( pressure drop ) at elevated end 13 of the drum relative to lower end 11 . the management of this exhaust system to provide for the proper flow rate or draft of the gaseous / particulate mixture may be adjusted by increasing the exhaust blower size and / or speed , or , for example incorporating a bleed valve 39 , or using other means . the desired temperature of the exhaust gas , the temperature of soil to be recovered , and the type of hydrocarbons or other volatilizable organic compounds present in the soil composition will also be considered in managing the drum temperature and the exhaust gas flow rate . in treating the exhaust gas mixture from the drum , the hot gases and hydrocarbon volatiles , which may also include some gaseous products resulting from burning volatilized hydrocarbons in the drum , are first separated from the particulate fines . the fines are returned to the drum for further processing , and ultimately recovered with the larger coarse particles which remain in the drum during the process . the term &# 34 ; particulate fines &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; fine &# 34 ; particles are used herein is intended to include the mineral particles which become airborne and mixed with the gaseous stream withdrawn from the drum . normally , the smallest of such fines are between about 1 and about 100 microns diameter , although the fines entrained into the gas stream may include particles up to about 1 / 8 inch diameter which pass into the gas treating portion of the apparatus . it is the treatment of such fines , regardless of specific size , that the present invention is particularly useful . although the amount of fines present in the gas / particle stream withdrawn from the drum may be relatively small in relation to the total volume or weight of the soil mass being treated , for example , commonly between about 10 % and 20 % of the total recoverable mass of treated material , the amount of hydrocarbon present in such fines is proportionately large because of the surface to mass ratio . thus , the treatment of this gas / fine particle mixture is particularly important to the invention . the gaseous stream recovered via conduit or pipe 17 is directed initially into a primary separator . in the embodiment shown , dual cyclone separators 25 and 26 are used , by way of example only . a dry cyclone separator is a very efficient primary means for separating the majority of particulate mass from the remainder of the gaseous stream . such a cyclone separator or collector may include multiple cyclone tubes in various arrangements and combinations , well known to those skilled in the art . in such a cyclone separator , the gas / particulate mixture is treated centrifugally with the solid particles settling at the bottom of the cyclones where they are discharged into a collector funnel 34 , and withdrawn into collector pipe 27 . the lower limit of the size of fines efficiently separated by the cyclone filter is generally between about 5 and about 10 microns . thus , for example , while over 50 % of the 10 micron particles will commonly be recovered by the cyclones , 20 % or less of the 5 micron fines are removed . the gas stream mixture , now comprising the hot gases , hydrocarbons and remaining smaller fine soil particulates , is then directed successively from the outlet of the cyclone assembly through a gas directing cover 41 , conduit 23 and into the secondary separator 28 . such a secondary separator is conveniently of a baghouse design , well known to those skilled in the art , for further separating the relatively small mass of particulate fines from the gases . for purposes of the invention , it has been found , for example , that a pulsating or pulsing cycle baghouse design is quite suitable and effective , although such an apparatus is by way of example only . the baghouse separators will normally recover between about 75 % and about 99 % of the smaller fines , having an average diameter between about 1 and about 10 microns . in earthen soil particles , these small recoverable fines normally account for between about 11 / 2 and about 3 % of the total particulate mass . however because of the relatively large surface / mass ratio of these smaller fines , this particulate fraction contains a substantial amount of the hydrocarbons to be removed in the process . the dust particles settle to the bottom of the baghouse and are directed via collector pipe 29 or similar conduit where they are combined with the particles obtained from the primary separator system and are directed back to the drum apparatus . the separated gas components are pulled from the baghouse with exhaust fan 32 into furnace 36 via pipe 31 . in the furnace , the hydrocarbons are oxidized and burned to achieve a gaseous mixture which is exhausted to atmosphere via exhaust pipe 40 . the primary and secondary separators will remove substantially all , or over 99 %, of the particulates in the exhaust gas stream . the recovered solid particle fines are preferably returned to the drum using any suitable means . a dust screw conveyor 24 is illustrated , well known in the art for moving such small solid particles . the particulate fines recovered from the separators are introduced into the drum between the drum ends , where they become mixed with the coarse particles gradually advancing toward the lower drum end 11 . the specific location between the drum ends is selected to prevent returning a large or significant volume of the fines to the gas separator system , which would occur if the particles are introduced too close to the elevated drum end 13 . on the other hand , if the fines are introduced too near the lower drum end 11 , they may not be heated substantially or completely enough to volatilize and remove the desired amount of hydrocarbons before discharge . a preferred location will be somewhere along the forward ( lower ) 50 %, and more preferably the forward third of the overall drum length , but back away from the burner far enough to allow sufficient heating and hydrocarbon volatilization as the particles advance to drum end 11 and are recovered . it has been found that depositing the fines at a location of between about one - fifth and about one - third of the drum length distance from the burner end is quite suitable . means for changing or varying the fines discharge location along the drum may also be used . a discharge chute or pipe 14 , as illustrated in the drawing , and preferably adjustable for changing the discharge location , may be used , as may other equivalent means , such as an extendable / retractable pipe or chute . by changing the discharge location , an operator may vary and control the dwell time and temperature of the fines exposed in the drum . in a preferred embodiment of the invention , a drum is used having two different successive sections , a first forward section having a larger diameter than the second rearward section and with the smaller diameter section of the drum longer than the larger diameter section . such a drum is illustrated in fig1 with a smaller diameter and longer second section 15 extending from the elevated end 13 of the drum toward lower end 11 , and first drum section 12 being of shorter length and larger diameter extending from the end of section 15 successively along the same axis to the lower end 11 of the drum . thus , in the single drum 10 , the two drum sections are arranged end to end , and in open relationship , so that composition advances continuously from the elevated input end 13 to lower , output end 11 . the advantage of such a drum is that in forward drum section 12 , the gas stream velocity or draft is less than in the smaller diameter section 15 resulting in a longer dwell or heating period for the soil particles in the hotter portion of the drum and the lower gas velocity avoiding drawing the larger fines into the hot gas stream . in the second section of the drum , the smaller diameter yields an increased exhaust gas velocity , and the longer length provides for additional heating of the particles due to the increased time the particles are exposed to the hot gas stream . an example of suitable relative drum sizes are illustrated in the drawing where the second drum section is approximately three times the length and 3 / 4 the diameter of the first drum section . however , other relative dimensions may also be selected to meet different volume and process parameters . a preferred drum has ratio of first section diameter : second section diameter of between about 1 : 2 : 1 and about 2 : 1 , respectively , and a first section length : second section length of between about 1 : 2 and about 1 : 5 respectively . in the drum shown , the fines from screw conveyor 24 are discharged into the forward drum section 12 via pipe 14 . such a pipe , which slopes downwardly from the point of conveyor discharge , gravitationally directs the fines to the desired discharge location in the drum . as shown , pipe 14 discharges the fines near the back end of forward drum section 12 . the discharge pipe , or other means may also be adjustable or movable so that the discharge location along the length of the first drum section may be changed to accommodate different heating or dwell times of the fines , if desired . alternatively , other means for discharging the fines into the drum may be used , for example , a scoop and through arrangement as disclosed , for example , in my u . s . pat . no . 4 , 555 , 182 , incorporated herein by reference . the flights within the two different drum portions may be selected to achieve optimized , preferred exposure times of the particles within the respective drum portions to recover the soil composition introduced into the system in which substantially all of the hydrocarbons have been removed . removal of &# 34 ; substantially all &# 34 ; of the hydrocarbons , as used herein , is intended to mean recovered soil having less than about 100 parts per million hydrocarbon . preferably less than about 50 parts per million and more preferably less than about 25 parts per million hydrocarbon remains in the recovered soil . if desired , substantially all , or over 99 . 5 % to practically 100 %, of the soil material introduced into the system may be recovered , also an important feature of the invention . the fines removed from the particle separators and returned to the heating drum are ultimately recovered in the product mixture with the coarse particles . moreover , because substantially all of the soil may be recovered in the process the need for &# 34 ; make - up &# 34 ; soil is minimized or eliminated . although recovery of substantially all of the particulate mass is preferred , there may be process conditions including the treatment of certain particulate materials in which removal of small fines from the process may be desired . for example , where the amount of hydrocarbon initially present in the soil is particularly great , and / or the hydrocarbon includes fractions or components which are difficult to remove , for example , having relatively high temperature boiling points , it may be desirable to pull out of the process all or a portion of the baghouse fines . these fines may then be handled and stored as hazardous materials in suitable repository , or otherwise disposed or discarded . moreover , where such fines to be disposed outside of the process can be identified by particle sizes , it may also be useful to separate fractions of particles recovered from the cyclone separators , and return a portion of the particles to the drum , while disposing or discarding other portions . in this manner , the process can be modified and tailored to selectively pull out certain particulate fine fractions while returning other fractions recovered to the drum for further heating , as described . the final or ultimate temperature to which the soil particles are heated and recovered will depend primarily on the nature of the hydrocarbons to be removed . where the hydrocarbons are quite volatile such as gasoline , heating the soil to between about 300 ° f . and about 600 ° f . will usually suffice . if only gasoline is present , the hydrocarbons in the mixture have boiling points ranging from about 140 °- 390 ° f . however , if heavier , higher boiling hydrocarbons are present , the burner output and filter equipment high temperature limitations will dictate the practical heating extremes . insulation of the drum , conduits and ducts provides for increased product temperatures and improves heating efficiency . thus , product temperatures of up to 1500 ° f . may be achieved , if desired or required . yet , regardless of the specific hydrocarbons or hydrocarbon mixtures present in the soil , according to the invention , the soil may be heated to the temperature and extent necessary to remove substantially all volatilizable hydrocarbons . the type and quantity of hydrocarbon ( organic compound ) present in the particulate composition to be treated may be identified by analysis and the burner output adjusted , if necessary , to achieve the desired heating temperature . the apparatus of the invention may include means for selectively monitoring and analyzing the hydrocarbons present in the particulate composition 21 fed to the heating drum and adjusting the output of burner 16 to achieve the desired and necessary heating . such analysis and adjustment of the burner may be accomplished automatically using control means including microprocessor or computer means , not shown . the final treatment of gaseous effluent to be discharged to atmosphere is an important feature . of course , if the hydrocarbon soil contaminants are relatively light , for example , where gasoline or the like is the only contaminant , and the location of effluent discharge is in an area where such light hydrocarbon emissions are permitted , afterburner requirements may be minimal , or at least diminished . however , in other locations where hydrocarbon discharge is not allowed , or strict emission standards are to be met , afterburner requirements will be most important . burner specifications , effluent dwell times , volumes , furnace and effluent temperatures and the like may be selected and tailored to meet specific requirements as will be understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art . where the chemicals which have been removed from the soil comprise compounds or mixtures which cannot be safely burned or oxidized and exhausted directly to atmosphere , the gases from afterburner 36 may be directed to suitable treatment equipment via exhaust stack 40 . other embodiments and modifications within the purview of the invention will be evident to those skilled in the art . | 5 |
embodiments of the present invention will be described . the present invention , however , is not restricted to these embodiments . fig4 is a control block diagram illustrating the overall and basic control system of a steering control device 200 according to a first embodiment . roughly similar to the steering control device 100 described above and the steering control device 900 described above , this steering control device 200 performs position control for the steering shaft 8 through the actions ( output of the instruction current i n ) of the pid control section 12 , an example of which is shown in fig2 described above . however , this steering control device 200 is also equipped with hysteresis characteristic generating means which is the most significant feature of the present invention . this is the major difference of the steering control device 200 from the steering control device 100 and the steering control device 900 . more specifically , the position control section 10 c - 1 of the steering control device 200 in fig4 calculates the instruction value x n for a turning instruction to the turning motor 6 using hysteresis characteristic generating means ( fig6 : turning instruction value calculating section 21 ). the series of control operations performed by the position control section 10 c - 1 to output the instruction value i n using θ , x a , and the like may hereinafter be referred to as “ position control c - 1 ” or simply “ turning motor control ” or the like . fig5 is a flowchart showing the overall and basic control operations performed by the steering control device 200 . in these steering control operations , first , step 610 performs system initialization . this initialization mainly involves initializing control variables , initializing timer interrupt control needed for periodic and repeated operations , and the like . next , at step 620 , various detection results ( e . g ., steering angle θ , steering torque τ , turning displacement x a , vehicle velocity v ) are received from sensors such as a steering angle sensor 2 , a steering torque sensor 3 , a turning displacement sensor 7 , and a vehicle velocity sensor and the like not shown in the drawings . at step 630 , a subroutine for performing turning motor control ( fig7 ) is called and executed . this subroutine implements the position control section 10 c - 1 , which executes the position control c - 1 , shown in fig4 . fig6 shows a control block diagram of the control system of the position control section 10 c - 1 , which performs turning motor control through hysteresis control . instead of the turning instruction calculation section 11 a shown in fig2 or the turning instruction calculation section 11 b shown in fig2 or the like , calculations are performed by the control block 11 c - 1 shown in fig6 to determine a variable y based on the following equation ( 1 ). for example , an equation such as this one where the value of the variable of y relative to the steering angle θ is expressed as a quadratic equation of θ can be used . in other words , by setting the variable y to a value that is symmetrical around the origin and approximates the following equation ( 2 ), a steering control device can be provided with relatively gradual turning responsiveness at positions near the midpoint . of course , the variable y described above can be implemented through mapping ( table data ) of a monotonically increasing function with interpolation or the like . other aspects in the turning instruction value calculating section 21 in fig6 will be described in detail later using fig8 and the like . fig7 shows an example of operations performed in the turning motor control operation ( the control operation called at step 630 ) in fig5 and fig6 . the flowchart in fig7 shows an overview of the position control c - 1 executed by the position control section 10 c - 1 shown in fig4 and fig6 . the hysteresis control and the like which are major characteristics of the present invention are executed also within a subroutine called at step 730 in fig7 . more specifically , in step 730 of this subroutine , the turning instruction value calculation section 21 ( fig6 ) implemented based on fig8 and the like , described later , determines a turning displacement instruction value x n . next , at step 750 , the execution results of step 620 , described above , and step 730 are used to determine a differential δx (= x n − x a ) between the turning displacement instruction value and measurement value . at step 770 , a predetermined proportional - plus - integral - plus - derivative control ( this is hereinafter referred to as pid control 1 ) relating to this differential δx is executed . in this proportional - plus - integral - plus - derivative control , a current instruction value i n for the turning motor 6 is calculated based on the well - known equation ( 3 ) below . in the equation , coefficients b 1 , b 2 , b 3 are constants that have been tuned to provide appropriate results . i n = b 1 δx + b 2 ∫ δxdt + b 3 d ( δ x )/ dt ( 3 ) then , at step 790 , the current instruction value i n calculated by this pid control 1 is output to a turning motor drive circuit not shown in the figures and the reaction control section 5 from fig5 . when this turning motor control operation ( fig7 ) is completed , control returns to the caller of this subroutine ( step 640 in fig5 ). then , at step 640 ( reaction motor control ) in fig5 , a predetermined proportional - plus - integral - plus - derivative control ( hereinafter referred to as pid control 2 ) operation is performed . this proportional - plus - integral - plus - derivative control operation ( pid control 2 ) will be described . in this proportional - plus - integral - plus - derivative control operation , a current instruction value i n (= i 1 ), which is a current instruction for the reaction motor 4 in fig4 , is calculated according to equation ( 4 ) below . in this equation , coefficients c 1 , c 2 , c 3 , c 4 , c 5 , c 6 are constants that have been tuned to provide appropriate results . i n = i 1 = - c 1 τ - c 2 ∫ τ ⅆ t - c 3 ⅆ τ / ⅆ t - c 4 i n - c 5 ∫ i n ⅆ t - c 6 ⅆ i n / ⅆ t ( 4 ) with this pid control 2 , the current instruction value i n (= i 1 ) for the reaction motor 4 is calculated . finally , at step 650 in fig5 , a timer interrupt reservation set - up operation or the like is performed and a timer interrupt standby state is entered so that the operations starting with step 620 are preformed periodically ( e . g ., at 0 . 5 ms intervals ). the turning instruction value calculation section 21 ( fig6 ) for the position control section 10 c - 1 , which is the most important characteristic of the present invention , will be described in further detail . fig8 is a flowchart showing control operations performed by the turning instruction calculation section 21 ( fig6 ) for the position control section 10 c - 1 , which is the most important characteristic of the present invention . step 610 in fig5 , described above , performs system start - up initialization for this subroutine , which calculates an instruction value x n for the turn displacement x . important initialization values include “ s = 0 ” and “ g = 1 ”. of course , the variable s represents “ the amount of steering after restore steering is begun with starting point at line x n =± x e ”, and the variable g indicates the correction gain . the method used for calculation ( updating ) of the variable s will be described in detail later using fig1 . in this program , step 810 first determines the value of variable y according to the equation ( 1 ) described above . at step 815 , the absolute value of the variable y and the upper limit x e of the turning displacement instruction value x n are compared . step 820 checks the turning amount s to see whether or not it is 0 . fig9 is a drawing for the purpose of describing the operations performed by the first embodiment in the flowchart in fig8 . the variable s , which is the steering amount originating at line x n =± x e and starting when restore steering was begun , has a value of 0 along path ( a ) and path ( b ). at step 825 , the sign of the product ω ∘ θ of the steering angle velocity ω and the steering angle θ is determined . the point at which the turning angle velocity ω is calculated is not critical . for example , in this first embodiment , the value of the steering angle velocity ω is determined using differential calculations performed immediately before the turning instruction value calculating section 21 begins its operations . the location of this operation is not indicated in the flowchart in fig5 but would correspond to a step between step 620 and step 630 in fig5 . at step 830 , the variable s is reset ( s = 0 ) and the turning angle θ is saved ( θ ′= θ ). at step 835 , the correction gain g is calculated according to the equation “ g = x e /| y |”. due to operations at step 815 , step 890 , and the like , the denominator | y | will never be 0 . at step 840 , the correction gain g is calculated based on the following equation ( 5 ). since ( y /| y |) is used simply to determine the sign of the variable y , the specific division operation of the variable y does not necessarily need to be performed in practice . with this operation , when the steering angle θ goes outside the tolerance range at path ( b ), boundary values ± x e are set up for the turning displacement instruction value x n . step 850 checks to see if the correction gain g has a value of 1 . if g = 1 , there is no need to perform hysteresis control at that point , e . g ., as can be seen from fig9 . thus , at step 865 , an instruction value is calculated using the conventional method according to the following equation ( 6 ). if , at step 850 , g is not 1 , then step 855 determines the magnitude of the absolute value | θ | of the steering angle θ . this evaluation is performed to determine if the steering angle is near the origin or not . c 0 is a constant suited for defining a range for the area near the origin . then , if θ is near the origin , step 860 forces the correction gain g back to 1 and resets the steering amount to 0 . as a result , the hysteresis loop reaches the endpoint p o , bringing the hysteresis loop to conclusion . this is the first condition for concluding the hysteresis loop . if the conditions described above do not apply , then the remaining cases must fall under the path ( c ) or the path ( d ). in these cases , the correction gain is updated as described later ( fig1 ). this updating operation provides dynamic optimization of the correction gain g . then , at step 885 , an instruction value is calculated according to the following equation ( 7 ). however , if this turning displacement instruction value x n is calculated and the absolute value of x n exceeds the upper limit x e , the operation at step 890 is performed and control is returned to step 830 , where the series of operations for path ( b ) are performed again . this case corresponds to when the path ( d ) is extended and reaches the line x n =± x e . with the evaluation and updating operations according to fig8 and fig9 as described above , categorization to paths ( a ), ( b ), ( c ), ( d ) on a hysteresis loop is performed and an instruction value x n for each path is calculated for each control interval . fig1 is a flowchart showing the control operations performed for the “ update g ” subroutine ( i . e ., asymptotic normalizing means and asymptotic rate varying means ) in fig8 of this first embodiment . in this subroutine , the value of correction gain g initially determined at step 835 in fig8 , described above , is monotonically increased to 1 . however , when the steering angle θ reaches to a range close to the origin , the operation at step 855 in fig8 , described above , results in g being set back to 1 at step 860 . in this “ update g ” subroutine , a steering amount increase δθ is calculated at step 1010 . this steering amount increase δθ is the increase in steering from the previous control interval executed at step 830 to the current control interval . alternatively , it is the increase from the previous control interval executed at step 1035 , described later , to the current control interval . step 1020 determines whether the absolute value of this increase δθ is at least a predetermined constant c 1 (& gt ; 0 ). this evaluation is included to eliminate negative factors such as fine vibrations caused by uneven road surfaces , the engine in the automobile , the motor , and the like , electromagnetic noise and the like , and calculation errors caused by steering angle θ detection precision , calculation methods , calculation precision , and the like . by selecting an appropriate constant c 1 , it is possible to avoid undesirable situations where the steering wheel is almost completely still but there continues to be an increase in the cumulative value s of the absolute value of the increase δθ . a suitable setting for the constant c 1 can be , for example , 1 °˜ 4 °. at step 1030 , the cumulative value s described above is calculated . this cumulative value s corresponds to the “ steering amount originating at line x n =± x e and starting when restore steering was begun ”. at step 1035 , the steering amount θ for this control interval is saved in the variable θ ′. at step 1040 , the symptotic rate a (≡ dg / ds ) described above is set up . in this embodiment , the constant c 2 (& gt ; 0 ) is substituted for the asymptotic rate a . a suitable setting can be , for example , a value of about 0 . 001 / degree . next , at step 1050 , the steering direction ( turning / restoring ) is determined . for example , referring to fig9 , if the θ ∘ δθ value is positive , the steering direction is determined to be in the turning direction ( path ( d )). otherwise , it is assumed to be in the ( path ( c )) direction . then , at step 1060 , the asymptotic rate a is multiplied by μ . at step 1065 , the asymptotic rate is multiplied by v and variable a is reset to this value ( asymptotic rate varying means ). a suitable setting for μ (≦ 0 ) can be , for example , around 1 ˜ 3 , and a suitable setting for v (≦ 0 ) can be , for example , around ½ ˜ 1 . asymptotic normalizing means of the present invention is implemented when either one of μ or v takes a positive value . if both μ and v are set to 0 , there is no need to execute step 1040 - step 1090 of this subroutine . the operations and advantages of the present invention described later are still provided , however , even when execution of step 1040 - step 1090 in fig1 is skipped ( omitted ). at step 1070 , the value of the correction gain g is increased by a ∘| δθ | ( asymptotic normalizing means ). however , if the value of the correction gain g reaches a value of at least 1 , g is forcibly set to 1 and s is forcibly set to 0 as in step 860 described previously . with this operation , the hysteresis loop reaches the endpoint p o , completing the hysteresis loop . this is the second condition for completing the hysteresis loop . with this hysteresis control , when the steering wheel is being restored , the a turning displacement roughly proportional to the steering amount can be immediately obtained even if the steering state is within the “ play ” regions at the left and right ends . even if the steering state has entered this type of “ play ” region , safety based on linear steerability is maintained . with the structure described above , linear steerability can be provided during steering wheel restoring even if the steering angle θ has entered this “ play ” region . furthermore , the steering state can be gradually and smoothly brought back to a normal state ( path ( a )). fig1 and fig1 are graphs demonstrating the operations and advantages of this first embodiment . fig1 shows the results from recording ( simulation ) the values of the shaft position ( turning displacement x ) relative to the steering angle θ when the coefficients μ and v were set to 2 and 0 respectively . also , fig1 shows the results from recording ( simulation ) the values of the shaft position ( turning displacement x ) relative to the steering angle θ when the coefficients μ and v were set to 2 and 1 respectively . these simulation results also demonstrate the advantages of the present invention described above . fig1 is a control block diagram illustrating the overall and basic control system used in a steering control device 300 according to a second embodiment of the present invention . the structure of this steering control device 300 is roughly similar to that of the steering control device 200 of the first embodiment described above , except a major characteristic is that the automotive velocity v from a speed meter , not shown in the figures , is sent to a position control section 10 c - 2 . as in the abbreviated expression used in the first embodiment , the position control operations for the turning shaft 8 performed by the position control section 10 c - 2 may be referred to below as “ position control c - 2 ”. fig1 is a control block diagram illustrating the control system ( position control c - 2 ) used by the position control section 10 c - 2 , which controls the turning motor through hysteresis control . this position control c - 2 performs roughly similar control operations as the first embodiment ( fig8 and the like ) described above , but the following differences are present . difference 1 : the variable y determined by the control block 11 c - 2 is a linear equation of the steering angle θ , and the coefficient a is dependent on the automobile velocity v . more specifically , the function y = f ( θ , v ) is a monotonically increasing function that is symmetrical around the origin and meets the conditions in equation 8 below . difference 2 : the hysteresis characteristic generating section 32 includes the following processing sections . allows setting a target coordinate τ along the horizontal axis ( θ coordinate ) of the endpoint p o . iv ) asymptotic rate varying section capable of tracking the target coordinate γ an optimal asymptotic rate a for the target coordinate γ can be calculated . fig1 is a sample flowchart of an implementation of endpoint setting means and asymptotic rate varying means according to this second embodiment . these operations ( the “ dynamically update a ” subroutine ) correspond to a step 1040 to be executed in place of and roughly the same manner as the step 1040 in the “ update g ” subroutine from fig1 of the first embodiment . in this “ dynamically update a ” subroutine in fig1 , the target coordinate γ described above is first set at step 1510 ( endpoint setting means ). the value of θ1 used here can be a suitable constant or can be a dynamically optimized variable , but in this second embodiment θ1 will be a constant . the operations involved in dynamic optimization of the target coordinate γ will be presented in more detail in the description of the third embodiment . next , at step 1540 , the variable q is assigned (| θ |— γ ). θ is , of course , the current steering angle . at step 1550 , the updated value of the variable q is compared to a predetermined constant ε (& gt ; 0 ). this evaluation is performed to avoid situations in which the calculated value of a at the following step 1560 could be illegal or indeterminate ( arithmetic exception ). next , at step 1560 , the asymptotic rate a is calculated according to the following equation ( 9 ). if the value of the asymptotic rate a determined at step 1560 exceeds a predetermined upper limit a max or if the evaluation at step 1550 does not find that q & gt ; ε , the asymptotic rate a is assigned the value of the upper limit a max at step 1580 . with the dynamic optimization of the asymptotic rate a as described in the example above , the correction gain g is updated to a value suitably closer to 1 at each control interval at step 1070 ( asymptotic normalizing means ). thus , with the operation described above , the control point ( θ , x n ) on the hysteresis loop will smoothly approach the desired endpoint p o before the hysteresis loop is closed . fig1 is a control block diagram illustrating the overall and basic control system used in a steering control device 400 according to a third embodiment of the present invention . this steering control device 400 has a hardware structure that is roughly similar to that of the steering control device 300 of the second embodiment described above . a major characteristic , however , is that the torque sensor 3 sends a steering torque τ applied by the driver to the steering wheel to the position control section 10 c - 3 . the position control for the turning shaft 8 provided through the position control section 10 c - 3 may be described as “ position control c - 3 ” in a manner similar to that of the second embodiment . fig1 is a control block diagram showing the control system of the position control section 10 c - 3 ( position control c - 3 ) that controls the turning motor through hysteresis control . difference 1 : the variable y determined by the control block 11 c - 3 is a quadratic equation of the steering angle θ that passes through the origin . the gear ratio (∂ y /∂ θ ) is dependent on the steering angle θ and the automobile velocity v . more specifically , the function y = f ( θ , v ) is a monotonically increasing function that is symmetrical around the origin and that meets the following equation ( 10 ). y = f ( θ , v ) = θ ∘ g ( θ , v ) , ∴ f ( o , ∀ v ) = 0 ( 10 ) difference 2 : the hysteresis characteristic generating section 33 includes the following processing sections . dynamically optimizes the target coordinate along the horizontal axis of the endpoint p 0 , which closes the hysteresis loop . fig1 shows an example of an implementation ( control procedure ) of target varying means according to this third embodiment . these operations ( the “ optimize target coordinates ” subroutine ) are executed in place of step 1510 of a “ dynamically change a ” subroutine shown in fig1 , which is executed in this third embodiment in a manner roughly similar to that of the second embodiment . however , in this case , step 1510 of fig1 is executed at the position of step 830 in fig8 rather than being executed at the start of the “ dynamically change a ” subroutine . in the “ optimize target coordinates ” subroutine in fig1 , the steering amount s , which is updated by step 1030 ( fig1 ) and the like described above , is determined at step 1810 . if this value is smaller than a predetermined constant c 3 (& gt ; 0 ), it is likely that a transition from turning to restoring has not taken place , and the absolute value of the steering velocity x is set to a value close to 0 . in this case , ( if s & lt ; c 3 ), the equation ( 11 ) below is used at step 1830 to set up variable φ . otherwise , the equation ( 12 ) below is used at step 1850 . angle θ1 is the same constant mentioned earlier that was set up as the initial value for the target coordinate γ at step 830 . also , constants α , β are positive constants that have been tuned to provide appropriate results . also , the steering torque τ and the steering velocity ω are positive for leftward rotations , as in the case with the steering angle θ . based on these settings , the status variables ( θ , τ , ω , and the like ) on the hysteresis loop are used to calculate a value for the variable φ , which can become a candidate value for the target coordinate τ . furthermore , at step 1870 , the current target coordinate τ is compared with the variable φ . the value of γ is updated to the variable φ at step 1890 only if φ & lt ; γ . these operations at step 1870 and step 1890 serve to monotonically decrease the value of the target coordinate γ as necessary . as can also be seen from the operations at step 1540 through step 1560 , the value of γ can be negative . since the value of the target coordinate γ is determined based on the status variables ( θ , τ , ω , and the like ) as described above , if there is an urgent avoidance maneuver or the like , the ∂ x n /∂ θ is kept relatively large according to the degree of urgency . otherwise , during normal operations , a normal state can be restored relatively quickly ( g = 1 : path ( a )). more specifically , for example , shortly after a turning operation changes to a restoring operation , the asymptotic rate a will be set according to the equation ( 11 ), resulting in smaller values for larger absolute values of the steering angle θ and the steering torque τ . as a result , the hysteresis loop path ( c ) and the like optimized in this manner can adjust to situations , including those where steering involves a high degree of urgency . also , when a driver is restoring the steering wheel , the asymptotic rate a based on the equation ( 12 ) is smaller when the work done to the steering wheel ( ω ∘ τ ) is larger . thus , the hysteresis loop path ( c ) and the like optimized in this manner can handle situations where the steering involves a high degree of urgency . also , there are two reasons for monotonically decreasing the value of γ . ( 1 ) to prevent instabilities in the control system resulting from vibrations in the target coordinate of the endpoint p o . ( 2 ) so that , when the degree of urgency is judged to be highest , the target coordinate γ or the asymptotic rate a is set in order to maintain a relatively large gear ratio (∂ x n /∂ θ ), thus giving priority to responsiveness in situations such as urgent avoidance maneuvers . if the function f ( θ ) providing the turning displacement reference value y , the upper limit x e of the turning displacement x , the upper limit θ e of the turning angle θ , or the like are dependent on the automobile velocity v or the like , it would be preferable to have the constants θ1 , α , β , and the like referenced at step 1830 and step 1850 changed ( made dependent to ) the automobile velocity v or the like as appropriate . by making these types of settings , the target coordinate of the endpoint p o can be optimized to match the function f ( θ ) providing the turning displacement reference value y , the upper limit x e of the turning displacement x , the upper limit θ e of the steering angle θ , and the like . the third embodiment described above discloses means for dynamically determining the target value γ for the horizontal axis coordinate of the hysteresis loop endpoint p o . similarly , it would also be possible to dynamically determine the target value for the vertical axis coordinate of the hysteresis loop endpoint p o . it would also be possible , for example , to provide a steering control device equipped with means for generating hysteresis characteristics roughly similar to that of the second embodiment or the third embodiment that is based on an asymptotic rate b (≡ dg / dz ) using , instead of the steering amount s , a turning amount z that can be defined in a similar manner . in the embodiments described above , the upper limit x e of the turning displacement can be a constant but does not necessarily have to be a constant . the same goes for the upper limit θ e of the steering angle . fig1 is a graph showing an example of operations performed for the instruction value x n for the turning displacement amount in the fourth embodiment ( v 1 & lt ; v 2 & lt ; v 3 ). in this graph , only the paths corresponding to path ( a ) and path ( b ) from fig3 are shown . for example , the upper limit θ e of the steering angle , the gear ratio (∂ x n /∂ θ ), and the like can made variable according to the automobile velocity v in this manner . with the settings indicated in fig1 , for example , the gear ratio (∂ x n /∂ θ ) decreases when the automobile velocity v increases , resulting in a relatively stable steering “ feel ” even at high speeds and the like . the graph in fig2 shows an example of a system for setting threshold values performed by means for varying steering angle threshold values according to the fourth embodiment . here , h is a function determining the upper limit θ e of the steering angle θ based on the step automobile velocity v . this type of function ( steering angle threshold varying means ) can , for example , be implemented through a map ( table data ), interpolation operations , or the like expressing the contents of fig2 . then , when the upper limit θ e is provided , the upper limit x e for the turning displacement instruction value can be obtained using the following equation 14 . the function f below is the same as the function f provided as an example in the second embodiment , the third embodiment , and the like . fig2 is a control block diagram showing the basic and overall control system for a steering control device 500 in the fourth embodiment . the steering control device 500 has roughly the same hardware structure as the steering control device 300 from the second embodiment described above , but a major characteristic is the further inclusion of an operation wherein a position control section 10 c - 2 ′ sends the reaction control section 5 the upper limit θ e of the steering angle θ using the equation ( 13 ) above . as in the expression used in the second embodiment , the position control operations for the turning shaft 8 performed by the position control section 10 c - 2 ′ may be referred to below as “ position control c - 2 ′”. also , the reaction control section 5 in this embodiment differs from that of the steering control device 300 from the second embodiment in the following ways : difference 1 : the automobile velocity v is also sent to the reaction control section 5 . difference 2 : the steering angle θ is sent to the reaction control section 5 . difference 3 : the upper limit θ e of the steering angle is sent from the reaction control section 5 to the position control section 10 c - 2 ′. in the position control c - 2 ′, the upper limit θ e of the steering angle is sent from the reaction control section 5 and used in order to determine , based on the equation ( 14 ) above , an optimal instruction value upper limit x e for the turning displacement suited for the automobile velocity v . other aspects ( control procedures and the like ) can be the same as the position control c - 2 shown as an example in the second embodiment . also , the calculations for the equation ( 14 ) can be performed , for example , immediately before or after step 810 in fig8 . since this calculation is performed within step 630 , it is performed based on the value of θ e from the previous control interval , but this timing difference ( one control interval ) is not a problem since the length of one control interval is short enough . the reasons the steering angle θ and the upper limit θ e thereof are used in the reaction control section 5 will be described . fig2 is a graph showing an example of an implementation of means for generating end reaction according to the fourth embodiment . the value of an end reaction generating current i 2 increases rapidly near predetermined threshold values (± θ e ). for example , if this type of current instruction ( end reaction generating current i 2 ) is included for the second term of the equation “ current instruction value i n = i 1 . . . ( 4 )”, it acts as resistance to the steering operation so that an abutment point ( endpoint ) can be simulated or emulated for any value of steering angle θ regardless of whether the turning position is near an end or not . this is why the steering angle θ and the upper limit θ e are used in the reaction control section 5 as well . at step 650 of fig5 described above , the fourth embodiment calls and executes the subroutine in fig2 , which is an implementation of “ reaction motor control ”. more specifically , fig2 is a flowchart showing an example of control operations for the reaction motor control used in the steering control device 500 of the fourth embodiment . in the “ reaction motor control ” subroutine in fig2 , step 6420 first uses the equation ( 4 ) described above to calculate , using “ pid control 2 ” described above , the first term i 1 of the instruction current i n , which will be the final output . next , at step 6430 , the upper limit θ e of the tolerance range for the steering angle θ is calculated using , for example , the automobile velocity v and a suitable function h implemented using a map ( table data ) as shown in fig2 . this upper limit θ e (& gt ; 0 ) can be set ( optimized ) to any value within a range where heat generation from the turning motor described above does not become a significant or apparent problem . next , at step 6440 , the end reaction generating current i 2 is calculated ( endpoint reaction generating means ), e . g ., using a map ( table data ), an example of which is shown in fig2 , described above . fig2 shows an example involving linear settings , but the sudden increase / decrease can be formed as a curve . for example , a curve can be defined with a quadratic , cubic , or quartic equation or the like . alternatively , an appropriate abutment “ feel ” can be implemented using a suitable map ( table data ) and interpolation operations . then , at step 6450 in fig2 , the current instruction value in for the reaction motor 4 is determined . then , at step 6460 , the current instruction value in calculated as described above is sent to a reaction motor drive circuit , not shown in the figures . this reaction motor drive circuit can be equipped within the reaction control section 5 or can be set up with the reaction motor 4 . finally , at step 6470 , the upper limit θ e of the steering angle is sent from the reaction control section 5 to the position control section 10 c - 2 ′. when the “ reaction motor control ” operations described above have been completed , control is restored to the calling source ( fig5 ) of this subroutine . by following the steering control procedure described above , a virtual abutment resistance ( steering reaction ) can be generated for a steering angle θ for which there are no physical restrictions ( endpoints or abutment points ) in the steering wheel rotation range . this can be done without leading to motor heat generation or the like . when generating this type of abutment resistance ( steering reaction ), steering that exceeds the threshold values (± θ e ) of the rotation range of the steering wheel becomes difficult . this is very convenient in terms of safety and operability . also , this type of action by endpoint reaction generating means almost completely prevents cases where the value of correction gain g becomes a value other than 1 , i . e ., cases where the point being controlled ( θ , x n ) diverges from the path ( a ). in cases such as when the driver applies a steering torque τ that exceeds the upper limit of the output torque of the reaction motor 4 , the actions of the hysteresis characteristic generating section ( 31 / 32 / 33 ) are very effective . more specifically , even if a steering control device includes endpoint reaction generating means as described above , hysteresis characteristic generating means of the present invention serves as a very effective fail - safe mechanism . in the examples of the embodiments described above , the present invention is implemented for steer - by - wire systems . however , the range of implementation of the present invention is not specifically restricted to steer - by - wire systems . for example , the problems described above , e . g ., as shown in fig2 , associated with “ play ” regions can also occur where turning control such as shown in fig1 is implemented for steering control devices and the like where , for example , position instruction ( position control ) can be provided directly to the actual steering angle of the steering wheel , the displacement of the turning axis , or the like , or , more generally , the steering mechanism and the turning mechanism are mechanically connected . more specifically , in steering control devices such as “ vgrs ” ( variable gear ratio system ) devices , where the gear ratio (∂ x n /∂ θ ) varies according to the automobile velocity or the like , a “ play ” region similar to when a heat build - up prevention system such as the one shown in fig2 is used is generated in the steering range of θ e1 & lt ;| θ | when automobile velocity v = v 1 , v 3 , and the like in fig1 . however , even in these more widely used steering control devices , implementing the present invention will adequately provide the advantages of the present invention , as can be clearly seen from the operations and the like of the present invention . also , in the embodiments described above , the embodiments of the present invention are applied only to cases where the turning displacement instruction value x n is set ( or corrected ) and output so that the origin is arranged on or outside the hysteresis loop on the θ − x n plane . however , in implementing the present invention , the origin of the θ − x n plane does not necessarily have to be on or outside the hysteresis loop . for example , the present invention can be implemented even if the turning displacement instruction value x n is output so that the origin is inside the hysteresis loop or the like on the θ − x n plane , thus adequately providing the advantages of the present invention . this is clear from the operations of the present invention and the like . of course , it would also be possible to take into account cases such as when the hysteresis loop is translated by a small amount on the θ − x n plane . in cases such as when the steering wheel is turned too much and is then steered quickly in the opposite direction , this steering operation can cause the steering wheel to pass the vicinity of the neutral point at a relatively high speed . possible times when this can occur include parking , parking the car in a garage , and emergency avoidance involving sudden steering wheel operation . such cases can be detected , estimated , or predicted by , for example , detecting through the settings at step 1850 and the like in fig1 when the variable φ becomes negative . by generating hysteresis loops wherein the origin is positioned inside or on the hysteresis loop ( path ( a ) or path ( c )) on the θ − x n plane , the maximum value of the slope of the steering path (∂ x n /∂ θ ) on the θ − x n plane can be kept relatively low in cases such as when , right after the driver turned the steering wheel too much , a large and fast turn that goes past the neutral point is needed in the opposite direction . this action has the advantage of restricting output of a position instruction that exceeds the ability of the turning motor to track the instruction value x n , i . e ., a position instruction that requests an extremely large ∂ x n /∂ t ( or differential δx ) rate of change over time . as a result , with this type of hysteresis loop generation , it is easy to form position instruction series ( instruction series ) that can be tracked in a relatively stable and reliable manner , thus providing advantages when cases such as the above take place . in such cases , the steering angle θ passes the vicinity of the neutral point of the steering wheel at a high speed so that the driver is not conscious of the position of the neutral point of the steering wheel . as a result , the need to keep the neutral point of the steering wheel steering angle aligned with the turning shaft neutral point as much as possible can be momentarily overridden as an exceptional case . the scope of the present invention takes into account the generation of hysteresis loops where the origin is positioned within a hysteresis loop on the θ − x n plane . as a result , the present invention can be implemented ( applied ) to these circumstances ( design conditions ), resulting in an invention that has a wide range of applications . in the embodiments described above , the correction gain g is used for hysteresis control . however , it would also be possible to implement a desired hysteresis control based on the present invention by , for example , directly controlling a localized gear ratio (∂ x n /∂ θ ). the focus of the present invention is to prevent the localized gear ratio (∂ x n /∂ θ ) from staying continuously at 0 in cases where the steering wheel is turned too much so that the steering angle θ exceeds the tolerance limit ( θ =± θ e ), and then the steering wheel is turned in the opposite direction . thus , the hysteresis control ( hysteresis characteristic generating means ) of the present invention that can avoid such situations can , of course , be implemented by directly controlling the localized gear ratio (∂ x n /∂ θ ). having described preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments , and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims . | 1 |
fig2 schematically illustrates a routing solution 200 of the prior art . the routing solution is represented by a directed graph such that each node ( circle ) in the graph represents an electrically equivalent wire segment and each arc ( line or line plus buffer ) in the graph corresponds to a pip . the arc direction corresponds to the direction of current flow . as shown in fig2 , both timing - critical loads , schematically represented by nodes 218 , 220 , and 228 ; and non - critical loads , schematically represented by nodes 230 , 232 , and 234 , are routed through large buffered nodes 204 , 206 , and 208 , and intermediate nodes 210 , 212 , 214 , 216 , 222 , 224 , and 226 . routing signals through large buffered nodes exposes the driver to multiple large capacitances , resulting in severe delay . fig3 and fig4 illustrate the sequential application of a branching penalty and a load balancing heuristic to the signal of fig2 . the use of buffered nodes involves a tradeoff . a large input capacitance is incurred ; but the subtree driven by the buffer , considered as a side branch , contributes delay only according to its input capacitance . the buffer has the effect of hiding all downstream wire and device capacitances in its sub - tree from the rest of the signal . the load - balancing heuristic exploits this property . fig3 schematically illustrates a routing solution 300 of the present invention . as illustrated in fig3 , the router reroutes the set of candidate signals by applying a branching penalty on the logic cell output wire segment 202 ( the source ). in essence , the router is discouraging any multiple segment fan - outs from the output wire segment , thus significantly reducing the exposure of the output wire segment to large input capacitances . the result is that the signal is routed out from wire segment 202 through only one large buffered wire segment , wire segment 304 . the signal is routed through intermediate wire segments 306 , 308 , 310 , 312 , 318 , 320 , and 322 to connect to both critical loads 218 , 220 , and 228 , and non - critical loads 230 , 232 , and 234 . after those signal loads have been rerouted using the branching penalty , the router can further optimize and reduce the parallel capacitances for critical loads . fig4 illustrates the results of applying a load balancing heuristic to solution 300 . the router performs a load balancing step , rerouting non - timing - critical loads 230 and 232 through a single buffered wire segment , wire segment 312 , shielding additional parallel capacitances from critical loads 218 , 220 , and 228 . the router begins this phase by identifying non - timing critical loads to be routed through a common buffer . the criteria used may differ in practice . in one embodiment , the router selects those loads that are not on any critical paths , i . e ., have a connection slack greater than a predetermined threshold . after the set of non - critical loads is selected , the router locates a single buffered wire segment , referred to as a balance node , that all non - critical loads are encouraged to route through . the technique used to select a balance node may vary in practice . in one embodiment , the router examines the list of non - critical loads and determines the load with the largest slack . here ; suppose that is load 234 . from that load , the routing trace to the driver is searched . a reasonable balance node is a buffered wire segment downstream from and close to a large buffer wire segment . here , suppose this balance node is wire segment 312 . after a balance node has been located , the router rips up routing to all non - critical loads ( here , 230 , 232 ) that are not routed through the balance node and tries to reroute through the balance node . in one embodiment , the router achieves this desired effect by applying additional branching penalties to all wire segments on route to the critical loads ( i . e ., 202 , 304 , 306 , 308 , 218 , 220 , 318 , and 228 ). in effect , the router makes the balance node the most attractive option to complete the routes for the remaining non - critical loads . in practice , the load - balancing algorithm is flexible and can be applied in various scenarios . as mentioned previously , the load - balancing algorithm can be applied during the normal course of routing , e . g ., during delay - based routing to all connections on timing - constrained paths . this application typically yields the best signal delays . however , if run time is a consideration , this algorithm can be applied as a separate delay optimization phase . for example , the load - balancing algorithm can be applied after a feasible routing solution has been found . this application brings a good trade - off between run - time and quality , since the algorithm focuses only on those signals with connections that are on critical paths . any improvements made to these signal delays can contribute directly to a design &# 39 ; s overall frequency . fig5 illustrates a method 500 of the invention . at step 502 , an initial set of routes is established . the set can be a preliminary routing of all connections , or can be an initial routing of a preselected subset of connections . unrouted connections can be assigned estimated delays , so that ( approximate ) slacks may be computed . ( because step 502 is optional , it is shown in dashed lines .) at step 504 , the initial routing is saved . at step 506 , slack at each connection in the set is computed . at step 508 , connections that are candidates for delay improvement are identified . at step 510 , all signals that contain those candidates are unrouted . at step 512 , load balancing is applied in rerouting those signals . at step 514 , all connections of those signals are protected during rip - up and retry . the method then loops back to step 504 , and the current routing is saved . fig6 is a more detailed illustration of the method of fig5 . in method 600 , a set of connections is ( optionally ) routed at step 602 . because step 602 is an optional step , it is shown in dashed lines . step 602 can route all , some , or none of the connections . any connection not routed is assigned an estimated delay . at step 604 , the current routing is saved . at step 606 , slack is computed . at step 608 , the method checks whether there are any candidate connections . if there are no candidate connections , the method is done . if there are candidates , at step 612 , the method unroutes signals containing these candidates . the method then proceeds to step 614 , where signals are rerouted using load balancing . at step 616 , slacks are recomputed . then , at step 618 , the method checks whether performance is improved . performance improvement can be taken as an increase of the minimum slack , total slack , or some weighted average of the two . if yes ( performance is improved ), the method proceeds to step 620 . step 620 marks all connections just routed as protected during rip - up and retry . the method then proceeds to step 622 , and checks whether one or more exit criteria are met . many exit criteria are known to those in the art . exit criteria can be one or more conditions . in one embodiment , an exit criterion can specify that the number of iterations be a predetermined maximum . another embodiment specifies that the improvement be less than a predetermined threshold . in another embodiment , the two previous examples are combined , and the exit criterion is met if either the number of iterations is a predetermined maximum or the performance improvement is less than a predetermined threshold . if exit conditions are met ( the response to step 622 is “ yes ”), the method proceeds to step 610 , and is finished . if exit conditions are not met , the method then loops back to step 604 and the current routing is saved . at step 618 , if performance is not improved , the method does not go on to step 620 . in one embodiment , at step 624 , if performance has deteriorated , previously saved routing solutions are restored . the method then ends at step 610 . fig7 illustrates the application of the load - balancing algorithm . in method 700 , at step 702 , a branching penalty is applied on all logic cell output wire segments . at step 704 , the signal is rerouted . at step 706 , non - critical loads are identified ( a non - critical load is one in which slack is greater than a predetermined threshold value ). at step 708 , a balance node ( b ) is identified . the balance node can be , for example , the first buffered wire segment downstream from the large buffered wire segment on the route to the load with maximum slack . at step 710 , all non - critical loads ( n ) that are not already routed through balance node b are identified and are un - routed . at step 712 , these loads “ n ” are encouraged to route through balance node b when they are rerouted . finally , at step 714 , the loads “ n ” are rerouted . this is achieved by applying a branching penalty on all wire segments from the source to each of the critical loads . other embodiments will be obvious to those skilled in the art in light of the above disclosure , including methods for determining delay limits useful for mask programmed devices and custom devices . such embodiments are intended to fall within the scope of the present invention , which is limited only by the following claims . | 6 |
referring initially to fig1 there may be seen an inking unit for use in a rotary printing machine in accordance with the subject invention . ink is applied to a rubber - covered inking cylinder 1 in a generally conventional manner and is then used to ink a printing plate 2 . plate 2 may be an offset printing plate and is secured to the surface of a forme cylinder 3 . the printing plate 2 transfers its ink to a rubber blanket 4 that is carried by a blanket cylinder 6 . the inking cylinder 1 , forme cylinder 3 , and blanket cylinder 6 are all preferably the same diameter and are driven at equal peripheral speeds in a known manner . inking cylinder 1 and printing plate 2 may be dampened by a damping unit generally at 7 . inking cylinder 1 receives its ink from an ink duct 8 that is preferably not equipped with ink zone adjusting screws . to provide a relatively even ink film , the film inking unit shown in fig1 or a vibrator inking unit can be used . these inking units are generally well known in the art , as may be seen in german pat . no . 901 , 057 and no detailed description thereof is believed necessary . printing ink supplied by ink duct 8 is conveyed by a duct roller 9 , whose speed of rotation can be varied , and by a train of intermediate cylinders 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 and 16 to first and second transfer cylinders 18 and 19 , respectively . both of the transfer cylinders 18 and 19 contact the surface of the inking cylinder 1 . duct roller 9 , intermediate cylinders 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 and 16 , and transfer cylinders 18 and 19 have diameters smaller than the diameter of the inking cylinder 1 . cylinders 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 16 , 18 and 19 also have peripheral speeds the same as that of inking cylinder 1 . cylinders 14 , 18 and 19 are constructed as oscillating ink distributing cylinders . as may be seen in fig1 a plurality of rotating ink relief equalizing cylinders such as the three cylinders 23 , 24 and 26 are spaced about the periphery of inking cylinder 1 . these are located preferably intermediate contact point 21 where inking cylinder 1 contacts forme cylinder 3 and contact point 22 where inking cylinder 1 contacts ink transfer cylinder 19 . the three ink relief equalizing cylinders 23 , 24 and 26 are spaced from each other at an angle α which , in the preferred embodiment is 30 °. they may have the same diameters as the first and second ink transfer cylinders 18 and 19 , and are provided with a hard oleophilic covering which accepts printing inks . this covering may be , for example , ceramic or copper . the ink relief equalizing cylinders 23 , 24 and 26 rotate under pressure against the surface of the inking cylinder 1 . turning now to fig2 and 3 in conjunction with fig1 one or more series of driven , endless ink equalizing belts 27 such as first and second series 30 and 35 , respectively , are mounted for cooperation with each of the ink relief equalizing cylinders 23 , 24 and 26 . each of the series 30 and 35 of belts 27 comprises , for example 20 such belts 27 with the exact number being dependent on the printing width . these belts are positioned adjacent each other and may either be spaced from each other or may be in edge abutting relationship . each of the belts 27 has a width of , in the preferred embodiment 40 mm , and each belt 27 has an outer surface 36 which carries an oleophilic layer 37 of , for example rubber , that accepts printing ink . one or more driving rollers 28 are suitably journaled in the side frames ( not shown ). each of these rollers acts as the drive means for a group of the belts 27 and may be driven either by the main drive for the printing machine in a conventional manner , or may be provided with suitable individual drive means such as , for example electric motors having speed regulation means . a support plate 29 is secured to the side frames at a distance &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; from the drive roller 28 . a plurality of stub axles or shafts 32 are welded or otherwise affixed to support plate 29 and extend out from plate 29 at an angle of generally 90 ° to the longitudinal axis of rotation 20 of driving roller 28 . these stub axles 32 are , as may be seen in fig2 staggered from each other in two horizontal rows with each axle being spaced a distance &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; from the adjacent axle in the same row . a guide pulley 33 is secured to each axle 32 in the lower row and an ink transfer roller 34 is carried by each axle 32 in the upper row . each guide pulley 33 supports one belt 27 which extends between the guide pulley 33 and the driving roller 28 . an ink transfer roller 34 contacts the outer surfaces 36 of two adjacent belts 27 as they pass over guide pulleys 33 . this presses the belts 27 against the guide pulleys 33 . in addition , since the ink transfer rollers 34 are provided with oleophilic coating or covering that may be , for example rubber , the printing ink carried by the surfaces 36 of the belts 27 is transferred from belt to belt by ink transfer rollers 34 . as was indicated previously , the axes of rotation 15 and 17 of the guide pulleys and the ink transfer rollers 33 and 34 , respectively extend parallel to each other . the axis of rotation 20 of the driven roller 28 and the axes of rotation 15 and 17 of the guide pulleys 33 and the ink transfer rollers 34 are located on separate levels which are parallel to each other . a vertical plane which is perpendicular to the axes of rotation 15 and 17 would be perpendicular to a horizontal plane extending along the axis of rotation 20 of the driving roller 28 . thus , as may be seen in fig2 and 3 , each of the belts 27 is given a twist as it passes between the driving roller 28 and the cooperating guide pulley 33 . it would also be possible to locate the ink transfer rollers 34 below and between the guide pulleys 33 in an orientation not shown in the drawings . in this array , two adjacent belts 27 would each be wound partially about the surface of a cooperating ink transfer roller 34 . in either situation , printing ink or an emulsion of printing ink and damping fluid is transported from the surface of the ink relief equalizing cylinder 23 by the surface 36 of a first belt 27 to the surface of an ink transfer roller 34 and then to the surface 36 of a second adjacent belt 27 and back onto the surface of the ink relief equalizing cylinder 23 . this accomplishes the equalization of the ink thickness on the surface of ink relief equalizing cylinder 23 and on the surface of the inking cylinder 1 . as may be seen in fig3 of the drawings , the second embodiment of the present invention utilizes an endless ink transport belt 38 instead of the ink transfer rollers 34 . ink transport belt 38 is carried by a plurality of pressure rollers 39 that are rotatably supported on stub axles 32 . the generally horizontal ink transport belt 38 engages the surfaces 36 of a plurality of the vertical belts 27 and transports the printing ink carried by the vertical belts 27 between adjacent belts . thus the ink transfer rollers 34 and the horizontal ink transfer belt 38 are generally analogous and form mobile transfer means whose purpose is to transfer the printing ink or ink and damping fluid emulsion from one vertical belt 27 to another . printing ink thickness equalization in the direction of the longitudinal axes of the ink relief equalizing cylinders 23 , 24 and 26 is accomplished by the placement of a plurality of the belts 27 in a side by side array along part of , or the entire length of the driving roller 28 . this equalization is accomplished by a transfer of ink from an area of increased ink thickness to an area of lesser ink thickness so that an ink film of uniform thickness is longitudinally formed along the length of the cylinder . the guide pulleys 33 can either all be driven in the same direction or can be driven in alternate direction with respect to each other depending on how the belts 27 are placed on the guide pulleys 33 . if the direction of rotation of adjacent guide pulleys 33 is the same , one or an odd number of ink transfer rollers 34 are used . each such transfer roller 34 contacts the surfaces 36 of two adjacent belts 27 . if the direction of rotation of adjacent guide pulleys 33 are different , two or an even number of ink transfer rollers 34 are used . in the situation in which a plurality of ink transfer rollers 34 are disposed between two belts 27 , the first and last ink transfer roller 34 are in contact through belts 27 with the guide pulley 33 coordinated to it . turning now to fig4 there may be seen an inking unit assembly intended for use to prevent printing ink splashing . in this mode , only the portion of the driving rollers 28 where ink splashing occurs are provided with belts 27 . only the portion of the surface of an inking unit roller 41 where the emulsion of printing ink and damping fluid is apt to occur is provided with belts 27 . thus , as seen in fig4 only two or three belts 27 may be provided at , for example the ends of the inking unit roller 41 . a slide ( not shown ) may be provided on support 29 so that the location of the guide pulleys 33 and ink transport rollers 34 may be shifted longitudinally with respect to the axis of rotation of the inking unit roller 41 so that the belts 27 can be positioned at the point where the ink splashing occurs . this slide is capable of being locked in place once it is properly positioned . as may be seen in fig1 an inking unit in accordance with the present invention may be used with a conventional damping unit 7 . this ensures that the damping fluid is applied to the surface of the inking cylinder 1 in a uniform thickness . fig5 shows the positioning of an inking unit in accordance with the present invention in cooperation with an inking unit roller 41 of a conventional inking unit . while preferred embodiments of an inking unit in accordance with the present invention has been fully and completely disclosed hereinabove , it will be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that a number of changes in , for example , the number of belts 27 used , the nature of their surface composition , the number of rotating ink relief equalizing cylinders and the like could be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention which is accordingly to be limited only by the following claims . | 8 |
the converter part 2 , consisting of rectifying diodes d1 - d4 and smoothing condenser c , converts the conventional alternating currents inputted from a terminal 1 to direct current . the inverter part 3 , consisting of power transistors q1 - q6 and diodes d5 - d10 , converts the direct current outputted from the said converter part 2 to three - phase alternating current which is supplied to compressor motor 4 for its driving the motor . meanwhile , certain widths of pulses are generated from the frequencies of each current phase ( u , v , w ) supplied to the compressor motor 4 at the pulse width modulation ( hereinafter referred to as &# 34 ; pwm &# 34 ;) waveform composite part i 62 in the outdoor microcomputer 6 . the inverter control part 61 outputs signals according to the pulses generated fromthe pwm waveform composite part 62 . the base driving part 5 drives each transistor q1 - q6 of the inverter part 3 by way of the control signals outputted from the inverter control part 61 in the outdoor microcomputer 6 , by which the speed of the compressor motor 4 is controlled . element 7 is an input current detecting part . elements 8 , 9 , 10 are thermistors installed at outdoor temperature , outdoor piping temperature and compressor respectively . element 11 is a microcomputer at the indoor side and element 12 is an interface circuit ., fig2 is a waveform drawing for pulse width modulated waveform which is a drawing for data generation used for computer simulation when the inverter part is used . in other words , by comparing the sine - waved voltages on u , v , w phases with triangular wave voltages of carrier signals , ( carrier signals come from the microcomputer ) and where the voltages on u , v and w are larger in size than triangular voltages , and by turning power transistors on ( u , v , w phases on the drawing ), the operation can be done through sine - waved regular currents being applied to each phase of the compressor . this is called as the pulse width modulation method and the operation of the compressor with its speed being changed can be driven by data generation that satisfies the ratio between the frequency and voltage at pwm . fig3 and fig4 are pwm waveform drawings for explanation of a pwm data generation method in accordance with the control method of the present invention . in the regular operation mode , pwm data is generated as shown in fig2 and the compressor is operated with the speeds being changed . meanwhile in case of a cooling operation , the compressor temperature is recognized by the compressor thermistor 10 in fig1 and under a certain temperature , for instance , below 0 ° c . the current is applied by the control of the pwm waveform composite part 62 in microcomputer 6 under the condition that the compressor is not working . this causes the compressor temperature to increase and smooths the mix with the refrigerant of the lubricating oil . in other words , the pwm waveform composite part i 62 controls the compressor motor 4 by conventional pwm control as in fig2 . below a certain temperature , the compressor motor 4 is not driven as in fig3 ; instead , the heating control ( hereinafter referred to as &# 34 ; stand - by control &# 34 ;) is performed by way of generating the heat according to the current applied to the coil . specifically , the outdoor side microcomputer 6 in fig3 has a special duty ( i . e ., 36 %) and generates a pulse u having a certain voltage and pulses v , w having 0 voltage , which are supplied to pwm waveform composite part ii 62 . then , the voltages on the u , v , w phases and the triangular wave of carrier voltage are compared at pwm waveform composite part ii 62 and the pulses u1 , v1 , w1 are generated . when the pulses u1 , v1 , w1 are generated at pwm waveform composite part 62 , the inverter control part 61 outputs the control signals by way of the pulses and inputs the control signals into the base driving part 5 . the base driving part 5 controls the inverter part 3 by the control signals outputted from the above inverter control part 61 . at this moment , the inverter part 3 controlled by the base driving part 5 activates two phases simultaneously out of the three - phase u , v , w alternating currents supplied to the compressor motor 4 , which generates heat by supplying currents only to the coil when the compressor motor 4 is not driven . thus , using this kind of stand - by control unlike the conventional compressor operation method , the compressor is heated by alternative on - off control of each set of power transistors q1 , q3 , q5 or power transistors q2 , q4 , q6 in an inverter 3 as in fig1 . this heat effect is accomplished on sections where u phase , v phase and w phase are simultaneously activated . for instance , when the compressor is operated under the current of 5a with 100 hz , ( not necessarily 100 hz , but the effect depends on the frequency the compressor temperature is under 20 ° c . below zero and if within an hour period after deactivation can be increased to over to a certain designated temperature of , e . g ., 0 ° c . in other words , fig4 is an enlarged drawing that shows data generation status up to 30 °, and the heat effect by the inductor components of a compressor motor stator is accomplished over section a where u , v , w phases are all simultaneously turned on . fig5 is a flow chart for a compressor drive control method according to the principles of the present invention . the compressor drive control method in accordance with the invention comprises the following steps . stand - by control is performed by which the compressor temperature is maintained above the lubricating oil freeze temperature following comparison of the compressor temperature with the lubricating oil temperature in a non - operation status ; stand - by control is performed which keeps reading whether or not the operation status is the operation - on status ; a temperature comparison is done which compares the compressor temperature with the lubricating oil freeze temperature by reading the operator &# 39 ; s instructions in case of operation - on status . operation - on stand - by control is performed wherein , in the case where the above temperature comparision stage shows that the compressor temperature is above the lubricating oil freeze temperature , the heating operation is performed and in the case where the compressor temperature is below the lubricating oil freeze temperature , the heating operation is performed following performance of stand - by control for a certain designated period . detailed explanation of the above is given as below in reference to the illustrated flow chart of fig5 . first , the input of operation - on signal is read ( step 101 ) to check whether or not the power supply is turned on . if the power supply is not on at step 101 , the compressor temperature ti inputted through the compressor thermistor 10 at the outdoor side microcomputer 6 is read in step 102 , compared at step 103 , ti is with the predetermined lubricating oil freeze temperature ta . if the comparison between the inputted compressor temperature ti and the lubricating oil freeze temperature ta shows that inputted temperature ti is higher than the lubrication oil freeze temperature ta ( about 0 ° c . ), steps 101 and 102 are continuously repeated at steps . if the inputted temperature ti is lower than or the same as the lubricating oil freeze temperature ta , the stand - by control as shown in fig3 and 4 is performed ( step 104 ). if the check in step 101 shows that the status is the operation - on status , the flag operation is set in step 105 and a check is executed in step 106 as to whether the operation is a cooling operation . if the cooling operation is found at step 106 , the stand - by control in accordance with this invention is not needed because the area is considered to be a hot place . so the cooling operation is started at once . if the operation is not the cooling operation , it is checked in step 107 whether the operation is the heating operation . if the heating operation at step 107 , the compressor temperature ti inputted from the compressor thermistor 10 located at the outdoor side microcomputer 6 is read at step 108 , and it is compared with the pre - set lubricating oil freeze temperature ta at step 109 . if the comparisan between the inputted compressor temperature ti and the lubricating oil freeze temperature ta shows that the inputted temperature ti is higher than the temperature ta of the lubricating oil , it is not necessary to perform the stand - by control operation of previously testing the compressor by current . so the cooling operation is performed at once . if the input temperature ti is lower than or the same as the lubricating oil freeze temperature ta , the stand - by control operation is performed . however , because the stand - by control cannot be performed for too long a time , even if the temperature is below -- therefor the lubricating freeze temperature an operation - on status , a time ts is pre - set . time t is counted at step 110 and the elapse of the pre - set time ts is discriminated at step 111 . after the elapse of the pre - set time ts has been detected , is ( t & gt ; ts ) in step 111 , if the heating operation is performed . if the pre - set time ts has not elapsed , the stand - by control operation of step 111 is performed ( step 112 ), and then the compressor temperature ti is again read at step 108 , and is compared with the predetermined lubricating oil freeze temperature ta at step 109 . the repeated processes of determining the pre - set time ts , counting the time t ( step 110 ), and the checking in step 111 are repeatedly performed . the check at step 107 shows that the heating operation is not taking place , checks on automatic operation are made at step 113 and if the result of the check is the automatic control being set , automatic control is performed . if the automatic control is not set , discrimination as to whether the operation - on signal is inputted is repeated at step 101 . as explained above in accordance with the principles of the present invention regarding the heat pump type cooling and heating dual - purpose air conditioner , though not in operation - on status , and under the lubricating oil freeze temperature wherein the compressor temperature increases the viscosity of the lubricating oil , two phases out of the three phases of three - phase alternating current supplied to the compressor are turned on , causing the heat to be generated inside the compressor , and the advantage that the initial drive of the compressor at the cooling operation stage can be smoothly performed is achieved . | 8 |
configurations herein present a centrally administered wireless network ( the alternate access network ) where wireless nodes are owned by individuals who contribute the node to the network in exchange for access to services . for example , by adding a node to the network , a subscriber receives free internet access and the right to purchase other premium communications services at very low prices . in a particular arrangement , the minimum node includes two or more wifi radios and a router . these may be integrated into one enclosure or may consist of separate products interconnected with off - the - shelf cat5e cables . the disclosed approach allows individuals to buy such equipment , potentially from any source , and join our network with an absolute minimum of hassle . in the simplest case , the steps are : power up the wireless node , connect to it over wi - fi using a pc or other web browsing device , visit the alternate access website ( or be taken there automatically ), see a welcome screen that asks if you want to join the alternate access network and then click on a specific membership plan . various scenarios are depicted below . in a particular arrangement , new subscriber equipment for providing a relay node ( two or more wifi radios and a router , possibly integrated in one package ) is shipped with startup logic that expects and initiates configuration with the specialized access medium . the disclosed arrangements strive to permit new user configuration with minimal action or effort ( i . e . “ clicks ”) on the part of the user , typically a “ one click ” approach , meaning that upon power up of the specialized access device , a single mouse click from a recognizing browser is all that is required of the user . in other cases , depicted below , there may be an extra step such as attaching an ethernet cable and an extra click to allow local execution of a program downloaded from the alternate access website . the difference between cases depends on whether the wireless equipment &# 39 ; s default power - up configuration is able to automatically connect to the internet and act as a repeater , i . e . an internet - connected local wifi access point , or whether the new node must be configured before it can participate in any network . in a particular arrangement , new connection equipment , such as a wireless router for connecting via the specialized access medium , includes startup logic for identifying an open ssid corresponding to the access medium . the following paragraphs describe particular configurations in the context of the alternate access network although our invention can be applied to the more general problem of simplifying the connection of new equipment to any network . fig1 is a context diagram of a wireless network environment suitable for use with configurations herein . referring to fig1 , a wireless network environment 100 includes a subscriber device 110 and an alternate access node 131 including at least a router 180 , a receiving radio 120 and a repeater radio / access point 182 . as part of the alternate access network architecture , the repeater radio 182 connects to a downstream or adjacent alternate access node 131 - 1 that also includes a router 180 - 1 , receiving radio 120 - 1 and repeater radio 182 - 1 for communication with alternate access subnetwork 132 - 1 , such as the next building or organization in the alternate access network . repeater radio 182 - 1 in turn , may connect to other alternate access nodes 131 . for purposes of example , the discussion herein will focus on alternate access node 131 and access point 182 , however other access points 182 - 1 may be defined in the network 100 . each alternate access node 131 provides both a relay function and a service connection for the user . typically a node incorporates multiple radios and a router , either as piece parts or in an integrated unit . this means a wireless node operating as a wireless access node 131 - n incorporates both an access point ( that the user can connect to ) and a “ station ” which connects to an access point 182 - n within the next relay node 131 - n upstream . the alternate access node 132 may take the form of individual off - the - shelf components configured as described above , or as an integrated device having the described capabilities . the access point 182 has at least two ssids 122 , 124 for providing wireless access to the internet 130 . in configurations disclosed herein , an initial connection is established via the open ssid 122 and transitions to the traffic ssid 124 supported by an alternate access point 134 . a local provider also supports an internet gateway of the alternate access network 132 via the alternate access point 134 , and provides wireless access using an alternate medium , such as the alternate access network accessible via nodes in adjacent or line - of - sight buildings , for example . upon initial connection and sign on , a user 108 identifies the open ssid 122 using a wireless interface of the subscriber device 110 . the open ssid is intended to alert the subscriber to availability of a wireless signal , and exchange login information for enabling relay node configuration and then full access via the traffic ssid 124 . a user 108 wishing to establish internet service via the local provider 132 initially becomes connected to the open ssid 122 , performs an identification and sign up procedure , followed by configuration to enable internet access from the subscriber device 110 via relay node 131 and alternate access point 134 . configuration , which may occur according to one of several sequences , depending on the location and hardware type of the relay node 131 . during configuration , the user device 110 exhibits a seamless transition while tearing down the connection with the open ssid 122 and reestablishing a connection via the traffic ssid 124 , without receiving user selection of a reconnection , ssid , or other menu or button response in order to obtain connectivity via the traffic ssid 124 . further , the display screen sequence 140 on the user device 110 shows a continuous gui application performing the configuration including the ssid changeover , without alluding to a temporary disconnect or loss of internet service . a user screen sequence 140 reflects the ssid transition . an initial connection 142 corresponds to an initial display 152 . during configuration , the subscriber device 110 displays screen 154 while transitioning from ssid 122 to ssid 124 , shown by dotted line 144 . upon establishment of a connection using ssid 124 , a full access screen 156 is supported by the connection 146 . in an example arrangement , the continuous appearance is employed by html5 and the associated web storage apis ( both the functions within the browser on the user &# 39 ; s subscriber device 110 ) to maintain the appearance of a continuous session . the configuration application 168 remotely logs into the newly installed relay node 131 devices ( 120 , 180 & amp ; 182 ) to obtain control and reprogram the device ( s ) so they become part of the alternate access network 132 . once the device ( s ) within the relay node 131 are reprogrammed by the configuration application 168 , the subscriber device 110 is able to see that it is once again connected to the internet and it can stop emulating the appearance of a continuous browser session . fig2 is a flowchart of connectivity in the environment of fig1 . referring to fig1 and 2 , the method of enrolling subscribers for a network service as defined herein includes scanning for an initialization token , as depicted at step 200 , and employing the initialization token to establish a first session and identify an operational token , as shown at step 201 . in the example arrangement , the initialization token is an open ssid available to any potential subscriber for establishing the welcome screen 152 , and the operational token is the traffic ssid for secure wireless access . alternatively , other tokens may be employed for providing initial general access for welcoming potential subscribers , and subsequently transitioning to a secure access mode once authentication , service selection and configuration are complete . the user access equipment 182 receives , via the first session 142 , a discovery script 162 for identifying the client device 110 and the components within relay node 131 associated with the initialization token 122 and for transmitting the network identity ( i . e . ip addresses ) of the identified devices in a discovery response 163 ( see fig3 ) for enabling a remote login to the devices within relay node 131 , configuration of those devices and then the establishment by the client device 110 of a second session 146 through the newly configured relay node 131 , as depicted at step 203 . the user device 110 employs the initialization token 122 and the discovery script 162 to maintain an appearance of a continuous session 152 , 154 , 156 while the remote login by script 168 is reconfiguring the components of relay node 131 and then disconnecting the user from the established first session 142 and reassigning 144 the user to the second session 146 based on the operational token 124 , as disclosed at step 203 . the relay node 131 represents an operational switching and access node within a switching fabric of the alternate access network ( 132 and connected nodes ). thus , a relay node refers to a combination of two or more radios and a router that alternate access network 132 members install , whether that combination is provided in one package , or as separate components connected by cat5e cables . within each relay node , radio 120 acts as a wifi “ station ” connected to an upstream access point 134 , while radio 182 acts a wifi “ access point ” for other nodes downstream ( like 131 - 1 ) and for the client device 110 . it should be noted that the terms access point and station are wifi terms , exemplifying operation according to ieee 802 . 11 standards . in alternate arrangements , using other radios ( or using laser links ), the receiving radio 120 may simply be referred to as an upstream device and the repeater / access point 182 operates as a downstream or relay device . in such a case , the relay node would have to include one wifi access point or one ethernet jack , so client device 110 may connect to the relay node . it should be noted that the relay node 131 ( or more specifically the devices 120 , 180 , 182 within it ) are configured for the alternate access network , while the client device 110 interacts with the user 108 and provides the appearance of a continuous session even when connection to either the alternate access network 132 or the internet 130 is lost during the configuration process . in each of the examples that follow , an initial connection 142 is made by various approaches , depending on the starting configuration of the components within the relay node 131 , and the configuration process completes as above . in each case , the initialization script 164 identifies the open ssid 122 or determines if none is available . the initialization script 164 also presents the screen displays 152 , 154 , 156 that define the predetermined gui observed by the user during the connection switchover from the open ssid 122 to the traffic ssid 124 . the discovery script 162 , which may accompany the initialization script 164 as a combined startup script 165 , sends the identity ( ip address ) of the user device 110 and of the components within relay node 131 . the response to the discovery script is the probe application 166 that examines the configuration of the user device 110 and any intervening nodes , contained in the probe response 163 . the configuration application 168 then performs a login to the alternate access node 131 including the router 180 , receiving radio 120 and repeater radio / access point 182 based on the previously gathered addresses to configure the alternate access network and enable the switchover to the traffic ssid 124 via the local provider network 132 ( the alternate access network ). fig3 is an example of configuration in the environment of fig1 . referring to fig1 and 3 , for the case where the newly powered up equipment ( radio ) 182 has startup logic 160 and is able to act as a relay and it initially connects to the internet 130 via the alternate access network , the radio 120 connects because it found the alternate access open ( unencrypted ) ssid 122 . in addition to alternate access &# 39 ; s secure wireless links , most nodes in the alternate access network advertise 1001 an open public ssid for attracting new subscribers . this open ssid 124 does not give access to the whole internet but rather redirects users to one or more pages 152 that advertise alternate access services , support alternate access enrollment and allow connections to the alternate access installation server 150 . for relay node equipment 131 that has been certified as compatible with the alternate access network 132 , the installation server 150 catalogs the equipment &# 39 ; s 131 initial startup behavior via a startup , or initialization script 164 , specifically including which urls it seeks to connect to . when the user device 110 connects to the alternate access open ssid 122 and requests a url or urls in a pattern that matches one of the cataloged initial startup behaviors , the web request is redirected to the alternate access installation server 150 , as shown by arrow 1002 . part of installation server &# 39 ; s 150 response is a discovery script 162 that causes the client device 110 to do a traceroute and report the results to the installation server 150 . the sent discovery script 162 ′ provides the installation server 150 with the ip addresses 163 of the newly connected equipment 131 , i . e . the ip addresses of the client and of those devices between the client and the known alternate access network elements 134 . a server - based application 166 in the installation server 150 can then probe 166 ′ these ip addresses for testing factory default login sequences for each of the different devices supported by the alternate access network in order to identify the device . while this is happening , the discovery script 162 ′ displays the welcome page 152 describing the alternate access network , describing what it means to join ( i . e . terms and conditions ) and offering one or more service plans . if the alternate access network confirms that the new equipment 131 is alternate access compatible , the installation server 150 updates the displayed welcome page 152 to inquire if the user 108 wants to subscribe to the alternate access by clicking on one of the “ join ” buttons 153 now displayed next to each of the plans . making this one click sends and invokes the initialization script 164 on the client 110 causes the client to display an hourglass and to poll the alternate access url every second or so waiting for an installation completion message . it also invokes a configuration process 168 on the installation server 150 which remotely logs into 168 ′ the device or devices that make up the new node 131 , verifies they have the latest software , downloads new software if they do not , and then reconfigures them to be secure elements of the alternate access network 132 . while this is happening the new relay node 131 will briefly lose connectivity but will eventually associate with a new secure alternate access ssid 124 and become part of the alternate access network 132 . at that point , the browser on the subscriber device 110 is able to once again connect to installation server 150 which returns the installation complete page 156 . it should be noted that from the user perspective , the local initialization script 164 ′ keeps a local configuration page 154 alive ( including a spinning hourglass or more detailed status updates ) while the devices within relay node 131 are reconfigured and network connectivity via ssid 122 is temporarily lost for transitioning to the traffic ssid 124 , as shown by arrow 144 . in further detail , once the configuration application 168 has gained remote access to the user &# 39 ; s newly installed node 131 , the application 168 updates the firmware to a latest release for the devices within node 131 as determined by the discovery response 163 , and then configures the devices ( 120 , 180 & amp ; 182 ) so the node becomes an alternate access node 131 in the alternate access network 132 . such reconfiguration is performed as part of confirming compatibility and maintaining the appearance of a continuous session for reprogramming and reconfiguring the user &# 39 ; s newly installed equipment so it can include a repeater radio 182 to further extend the alternate access network 132 - n . the configuration application 168 reestablishes a new connection 146 using the traffic ssid 124 , such that upon completion of the configuration application 168 , the new user device 110 is securely connected to the internet as a node of the alternate access network 132 . fig4 is an example of configuration as in fig3 but using any other available internet connection to reach the alternate access network &# 39 ; s isp &# 39 ; s website and installation server 150 . referring to fig3 and 4 , in another arrangement , startup logic 160 for automatically identifying an available ssid 122 and local provider 143 is not included in the components that will form relay node 131 . for the case where relay node 131 , as shipped by its manufacturer , can relay web connections , but does not have the startup logic 160 and hence , connects to the internet by some means other than the alternate access network , an extra step is required . the user wanting to join will have to explicitly type in the url 155 for direct access to a website including a configuration screen , as shown by arrow 1010 . once there , the process is as in fig3 with a distinction that , since the internet connection is not over the alternate access network , the radio 182 can &# 39 ; t identify with certainty whether the new node is just the second address in the traceroute or has several addresses . to compensate , the discovery script 162 performs a traceroute to probe the 2nd and subsequent addresses to automatically identify the new node equipment and the ip addresses ( if there are several ) associated with it . hence , a configuration with generic or off - the - shelf equipment not shipped with the startup logic 160 , requires the user to reach the configuration website , after which one - click configuration as above is all that is required . fig5 is an example of configuration as in fig3 using manual configuration for the initial connection to the website of the alternative access network . referring to fig3 and 5 , for the case where the relay node 131 equipment is not able to connect to any network without prior configuration , a proactive procedure allows the user to initiate the configuration and sign on by establishing an internet connection through any available gateway 136 . in this case , a potential network participant obtains an internet connection , connects their user device 110 or other browsing device , goes to the alternate access installation webpage 152 and downloads a manual configuration application 169 . however , even this exchange is automated by the welcome 152 and configuration screens 154 such that it appears to be just simple web browsing , rather than tearing down and establishing new connections . an initial user exchange occurs via the user device 110 and the gateway 136 , for receiving the manual configuration application 169 . the manual configuration application 169 , as described further below , modifies the user device 110 internet access default to switch over to either a wireless or wired connection to the local access point 182 . during the configuration of the device or devices ( e . g . 120 , 180 & amp ; 182 ) within relay node 131 , the manual configuration application 169 allows the user to appear to remain connected to the installation server 150 even when they are not connected to the web . the manual configuration application 169 employs the user device 110 native wifi api to programmatically change the wi - fi access point with which the user web browser device 110 associates . the initial connection 142 occurs by user initiation of accessing the website 150 , and concludes with a wired or wireless connection to the relay node 131 for wireless communication with the alternate access device 134 . when the user connects to the alternate access device 134 and installation server 150 but the installation server 150 is unable to discover an alternate access compatible wireless node in the path between the client and the server , the server delivers a page offering a list of alternate access compatible devices and asking the user to click on the one they &# 39 ; ve installed . based on their selection , appropriate material ( web pages , configuration images and the configuration applet ) is downloaded into local storage on the user device 110 . the configuration applet executes probe 166 on user device 110 and , if the probed devices appear compatible , then the user sees the welcome page 152 describing alternate access , describing what it means to join and offering one or more plans . as before , the user joins by clicking one of the “ join ” buttons displayed next to the plans . if the newly installed node 131 is one to which the user 108 will eventually connect via wi - fi , the probing and configuration applets use the native wifi api to replace the current wi - fi association with a new one based on the installed node &# 39 ; s default ssid . the newly installed node 131 is probed and confirmed to be useable . if there is a problem here or at any point in the configuration process , the manual configuration application 169 reconnects to the original wi - fi access point 136 and returns an error indication to the alternate access installation server so the alternate access server can lead the user through corrective measures . assuming the configuration succeeds , the equipment 131 will end up securely associated with the alternate access network 132 , the browser 110 reconnects to the installation server 150 over the local provider 132 network and then displays the installation complete page 156 . if the newly installed node is one to which the user will eventually connect via a fixed ethernet connection , then it is possible for the browsing device 110 to be simultaneously connected to the internet ( via wi - fi ) and to the newly installed wireless node ( via an ethernet cable ). in this case , the downloaded configuration application 169 is responsible for updating the local routing table on the browsing device 110 after the user is prompted to plug in the ethernet cable . this is necessary on many devices as some operating systems ( e . g . microsoft windows ®) automatically update the default route to the internet 130 to give priority to physical ethernet over wi - fi while we need to keep default internet access going via wi - fi and only use the physical ethernet for access to the new device ( at least until configuration is complete ). fig6 - 9 are a flowchart of configuration as in fig3 - 5 . referring to fig1 and 3 - 9 , at step 300 , the method of enrolling subscribers for the alternate access network service includes , at step 300 , identifying an available ssid 122 for wireless connection , and associating the user device 110 with a remote server 150 to initiate a session 142 based on the identified ssid 122 , as shown at step 301 . the initialization script 164 determines , based on the scanning , if the initialization token 122 is available for establishing the first session , and if not , receives the url for the remote server 150 from a user interface 155 , as disclosed at step 302 . a check is performed , at step 303 , to determine if the open ssid is available via preconfigured startup logic 160 , and if so , control passes to step 304 for the registration sequence of fig3 . otherwise , control passes to step 306 for considering the registration sequence of fig4 . at step 306 , a check is performed to determine if a url ( uniform resource locator ) associated with the remote server for establishing the first session can be entered by the user . if the user entered url can access the installation server 150 for establishing the initialization connection 142 , control passes to step 308 for pursuing the installation sequence of fig4 , otherwise the installation sequence of fig5 is pursued at step 318 . in the first case having alternate access enabled equipment 131 , at step 304 , the access device 182 invokes the startup logic 160 for identifying the initialization token 122 , in which , in the example arrangement shown , the initialization token is an ssid for wireless communication according to an established protocol . using the established connection 122 , relay node 131 identifies , via the ssid , a predetermined url for receiving the discovery script 162 , such that the discovery script further includes the initialization script 164 for providing a continuous display of preloaded screens 152 , 154 , 156 . continuing at step 318 , the user device 110 receives , via the initiated session 122 , the discovery script 162 for identifying at least one network identifier corresponding to the associated user device 110 . the identifier is typically expected to be an ip address , but could be any suitable identifier such as a mac address , for example . this includes receiving the discovery script 162 from the remote server 150 for maintaining an appearance of a continuous session ( via screens 152 , 154 , 156 ) during termination of the initiated session 142 and reestablishing a connection via the operational session 144 , as clarified at step 319 . upon execution , the user device 110 gathers , based on the initialization script 164 , network identifiers of the user device 110 and corresponding devices for receiving the network service 132 , such that the corresponding devices including intervening devices between user device and remote server employed in providing the network services from the remote server 150 , as depicted at step 320 . the user device 110 reports , via the discovery script 162 , the network identifiers corresponding to the association between the user device 110 and the remote server 150 , as disclosed at step 321 . in response , the remote server 150 probes each of the devices 110 corresponding to the reported network identifiers to determine if the corresponding devices are compatible with the remote server 150 by executing the probe application 166 for sending probes 166 ′, as shown at step 322 . in response , the remote server 150 receives a confirmation 163 to the probes 166 ′ to affiliate the associated user device 110 with the network service 132 provided by the remote server 150 , as depicted at step 323 . based on this confirmation 163 , the user device 110 receives , via the initiated session 142 , a login sequence for login into the user device 110 , and for establishing an operational session 144 to supercede the initiated session 142 , as depicted at step 324 . this includes , at step 325 , receiving a login request for the configuration application 168 based on the identified network address from the remote server 150 to log into the user device 110 , as shown at step 326 . the user device 110 accepts the login from the remote server 150 for configuring , using the configuration application 168 , the identified node 110 for receiving the network service via the second session 144 , as disclosed at step 326 , and confirming , via remote login to the identified nodes ( i . e . user device 110 ), compatibility with the remote server 150 providing the network service , as depicted at step 327 . the user display of the user device 110 presents , based on the discovery script 162 , an interface 152 for receiving a selection 153 to invoke the network service 132 , as shown at step 328 . this includes displaying preloaded screens 152 , 154 , 156 for maintaining the appearance of a continuous session , as depicted at step 329 , and reconfigures the relay node 131 for operation as part of the alternate access network 132 . the configuration application 168 , after logging in , updates the firmware to a latest release for the discovered devices that comprise relay node 131 , as well as any other devices determined by the discovery response 163 , and then configures the devices ( e . g . 120 , 180 & amp ; 182 ) so the node becomes an alternate access node 131 in the alternate access network 132 . as the configuration application 168 reconfigures and establishes the operational session 146 , the user device 110 continues executing , during the establishment of the operational session , the initialization script 164 for maintaining the appearance of the continuous session 152 , 154 , 156 on the user device 110 while the initiated session 142 is disconnected and the operational ssid 124 is invoked for association to the remote server 150 , as clarified at step 330 . in the example configuration shown , the second session 144 is an operational session based on an authenticated ssid 124 , such that the operational session is a secure session , as shown at step 331 . from the executing configuration application 168 , the user device 110 disconnects from the first session 142 such that connectivity is temporarily lost , as depicted at step 332 , and the configuration application 168 reconfigures the connective device 182 using the identity of the identified elements as intervening nodes , as disclosed at step 333 . the user device then reestablishing connectivity using the second token 124 for providing the user with controlled access to the alternate access network 132 , as depicted at step 334 . if the check at step 303 indicates that the new equipment does not have the startup logic 160 , then performing initial startup behavior includes connecting to a predetermined url 155 for receiving the discovery script , as depicted at step 308 and shown in the configuration example of fig4 . the user device 110 invokes the discovery script 162 , as depicted at step 309 , and performs a traceroute , or probe 166 ′, for identifying a network address of the newly connected equipment 110 , as disclosed at step 310 . the traceroute includes sending a series of traceroute messages with an increasing time to live for identifying network elements connected between the newly connected equipment and the predetermined url , as clarified at step 311 , and control returns to step 318 for configuration as above . if the check at step 307 indicates that the initialization token 122 is still unavailable , the sign - on sequence includes , in response to scanning for the initialization token , receiving a set of available initialization tokens visible to the user device , as shown at step 312 . these are generally available wifi signals propagated by devices within range . the user 108 selects , from a list of the available initialization tokens , an initialization token corresponding to the newly added device for receiving the network service , as depicted at step 313 . typically , it can be expected that the user would be able to identify a signal emanating from the newly connected access device 182 from observing either the name or signal strength and by knowing preexisting signals in proximity . in this scenario , the configuration application 168 replaces a current wireless access point employed by the user device with the identity of the newly added device 182 for providing wireless access to the user device 110 , as depicted at step 314 . depending on whether the user device 110 will employ wired or wireless access for the operational connection 144 , as depicted at step 315 , the user further establishing a physical connection between the user device 110 and the newly added device 182 for receiving the network service , as depicted at step 316 . since some operating systems route internet packets over wired interfaces by default , an extra step overrides this preferential treatment for wired external connections allowing simultaneous access to the node 131 devices via the newly connected cable and internet access via the existing wireless access point , as depicted at step 317 . control then passes to step 318 to continue configuration as above . those skilled in the art should readily appreciate that the programs and methods for seamless access to an alternate access medium as defined herein are deliverable to a user processing and rendering device in many forms , including but not limited to a ) information permanently stored on non - writeable storage media such as rom devices , b ) information alterably stored on writeable non - transitory storage media such as floppy disks , magnetic tapes , cds , ram devices , and other magnetic and optical media , or c ) information conveyed to a computer through communication media , as in an electronic network such as the internet or telephone modem lines . the operations and methods may be implemented in a software executable object or as a set of encoded instructions for execution by a processor responsive to the instructions . alternatively , the operations and methods disclosed herein may be embodied in whole or in part using hardware components , such as application specific integrated circuits ( asics ), field programmable gate arrays ( fpgas ), state machines , controllers or other hardware components or devices , or a combination of hardware , software , and firmware components . while the system and method of seamless access to an alternate access medium has been particularly shown and described with references to 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 scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims . | 7 |
in fig1 there is shown a pneumatic angle grinder , which comprises a housing 10 provided with two handles 11 , 12 , an output shaft ( not shown ) carrying a depressed centre type grinding wheel 13 , and a grinding wheel safety guard 14 . one of the handles 11 comprises the pressure air inlet passage 16 of the tool , an inlet valve ( not shown ) controlled by a lever 17 , and a conduit connection 18 for a pressure air supply conduit the tool further comprises a motor in the form of an action type air turbine 20 , a speed governor valve unit 21 , and a reduction gearing ( not shown ) coupling the turbine 20 to the output shaft . the turbine 20 consists of a turbine wheel 22 mounted on a shaft 23 and formed with a peripheral row of blades 24 , and a number of nozzles 25 for directing motive pressure air onto the turbine wheel blades 24 to rotate the turbine wheel 22 about an axis 26 . an air feed passage 27 extends between the speed governor valve 21 and the nozzles 25 , and a separate idle running nozzle 28 communicates directly with the inlet passage 16 upstream of the speed governor valve 21 via a passage 29 . see fig2 . an exhaust air passage 30 extends from the turbine wheel 22 to an outlet and silencing chamber 31 which communicates with the atmosphere through a number of openings 32 . opposite the idle running nozzle 28 and downstream the turbine wheel 22 , there is located a pressure sensing opening 34 which via a control pressure passage 35 communicates with the speed governor valve unit 21 . the speed governor valve unit 21 comprises a casing 36 which is sealingly inserted in the housing 20 and an end cover 37 with inlet openings 38 and a wire net screen 39 . the governor casing 36 is formed with two cylindrical bores 41 , 42 of different diameters which guidingly supports a valve element 43 and an activating piston 44 , respectively . a compression spring 45 acts between the governor casing 36 and a bias ring 46 which abuts against the activating piston 44 via an o - ring 47 . the latter covers a pressure relief opening 48 which extends through the piston 44 and acts as a safety valve in case of breakage of the spring 45 . the volume between the piston 44 and the casing 36 communicates with the atmosphere through an opening 40 . the bore 41 in the governor casing 36 has a number of lateral openings 49 which form parts of the air feed passage 27 and which are controlled by a tubular skirt portion 50 of the valve element 43 . this skirt portion has a number of radial openings 51 which are located at a distance from the outer end of the skirt portion 50 that is bigger than the axial extent of the openings 49 . this is to ensure that the openings 49 are fully covered by the skirt portion 50 as the valve element 43 occupies its closed position as illustrated in fig3 . in operation of the tool , pressure air is supplied through the inlet passage 16 at opening of the inlet valve by means of lever 17 . when having passed the screen 39 and the openings 38 , the air flow is divided into two separate paths , one entering the skirt portion 50 of the governor valve element 43 and another extending through the passage 29 past the governor valve 21 and further up to the idle running nozzle 28 . see fig2 . due to the action of spring 45 the valve element 43 occupies its closed position at the initial starting moment . however , the air flow leaving the idle running nozzle 28 passes through the turbine wheel blades 24 and makes the turbine wheel 22 start rotating . due to a low rotation speed the idle running flow hits the pressure sensing opening 34 and generates a control pressure in the passage 35 . see fig2 . this results in a force being built up on the activating piston 44 , a force that is large enough to move the valve element 43 to open position against the joint force of the spring 45 and the inlet air pressure acting on the valve element 43 . now , the main flow which enters the valve element skirt portion 50 passes through the radial openings 51 which are aligned with the openings 49 in the governor casing 36 , extends through the feed passage 27 and reaches the main nozzles 25 . this makes the turbine wheel 22 accelerate and very rapidly reach its intended operating speed level . as the rotation speed level of the turbine wheel 22 increases the idle flow through the turbine wheel blades 24 changes its direction such that most of it hits the exhaust passage 30 directly and the pressure in the pressure sensing opening 34 decreases . this means that the control pressure acting on the piston 44 no longer is able to maintain the fully open position of the valve element 43 against the joint force of the spring 45 and the inlet air pressure but allows the valve element 45 to move in its closing direction . thereby , the openings 51 on the valve element 43 move out of full alignment with the openings 49 in the governor casing 36 such that the air feed through passage 27 is restricted . it is to be understood that for the desired speed level there is obtained a balanced position of the valve element 43 such that the air feed flow to the main nozzles 25 is large enough just to maintain the turbine wheel rotation speed at the desired level . should the turbine speed tend to decrease due to an increased torque load on the output shaft of the tool , the flow from the idle running nozzle 28 would change direction and cause an increased pressure in the pressure sensing opening 34 which would generate an incresed control pressure load on the activation piston 44 as well as on the valve element 43 . the result would be a slight valve element movement in the opening direction of the latter and a subsequent increased flow to the main nozzles 25 . in fig5 there is illustrated the relationship between the rotation speed n and the obtained control pressure p c in the pressure sensing opening 34 . the desired operating speed level n m corresponds to a control pressure p c = p t . in fig6 there is illustrated the action of the valve loading spring 45 . it is of significant importance for obtaining a satisfactory operation of the governor valve unit 21 that there is a direct proportionality between the force exerted on the valve element 43 by the inlet pressure p i and the force accomplished by the control pressure p c acting on the piston 44 . the upper curve in the diagram shows a situation where no spring is employed , whereas the lower curve illustrates the situation when a spring is used . it is to be seen in the diagram that the main part of the lower curve illustrates a direct proportionality since the curve may be extrapolated through origo of the diagram . the difference between the two curves illustrates the force f exerted by the spring 45 onto the activation piston 44 . to increase safety against malfunction of the governor valve unit 21 in case of breakage of the spring 45 , the o - ring 47 is arranged to uncover the pressure relief opening 48 as a result of a discontinued contact pressure of bias ring 46 . as the opening 48 is uncovered the control pressure from the passage 35 is evacuated through the opening 40 and the piston 44 remains inactive . the valve element 43 will be kept in its fully closed position by the load of the inlet pressure prevailing in passage 16 , and the turbine 20 will be rotated by the idle running nozzle flow only . then , the rotation speed will not reach the intended operating speed . | 8 |
the principal components of the apparatus illustrated in fig2 and 3 are a shaft 1 which is rotatably journalled . a defiberizing rotor 2 is affixed to the shaft . an impeller 3 , defiberizing elements 4 and a pump housing 5 are provided . a screen drum 6 is fixed in the pump housing 5 and said housing is provided with a discharge pipe 7 for pulp and an exhaust orifice 8 for air . the interior surface of which the screen drum 6 is provided with sharp - edged ribs 10 . the screen drum 6 surrounds vanes 9 of the defiberizing rotor 2 . an end wall 11 is mounted at the end of the shaft 1 . the shaft 1 is used to rotate the impeller 3 and the machine elements 2 and 4 , which defiberize paper or cellulose . the rotating speed is normally 1500 to 5000 rpm , depending on the size of the apparatus . in high consistency pumping , the separated air is removed through the air exhaust orifice 8 . the defiberizing rotor 2 performs the final defiberizing of the pretreated pulp . in view of the controllability of the process , the defiberizing effect of the defiberizing rotor should be regulable , as presented in u . s . patent application ser . no . 551 , 870 , filed nov . 15 , 1983 , in the name of kaj olof henricson , now abandoned . the distance between the defiberizing rotor vanes 9 and the screen drum ribs 10 or the inside surface 12 of said drum is in the range of 2 to 30 mm , depending on the pulp grade . the screen drum 6 prevents large cellulose or paper pieces , metal wires and other scrap from getting into the defiberizing rotor 2 . this is necessary , since non - disintegrated material can damage the interior of the apparatus and disturb its operation . large paper pieces are not properly defiberized in the defiberizing rotor 2 during the short treatment time . the screen drum 6 is preferably provided with the ribs or counter blades 10 , although this is not always necessary . the diameter of the perforations in the screen drum 6 varies according to the pulp to be treated , and is normally from 10 to 30 mm . it is advisable to select a number of ribs 10 inside the screen drum 6 different from the number of defiberizing rotor vanes 9 . also the external defiberizing elements 4 keep the screen surface 13 clean . the defiberizing elements 4 preferably push the pulp towards the screen surface 13 while the distance between the elements and said screen surface is in the range of 20 to 80 mm . this may be accomplished by the positioning of the defiberizing elements 4 relative to the screen surface 13 . the rotating end wall 11 may be provided with vanes . the end wall , the vanes and the external defiberizing elements 4 form a system by which the pulp is kept moving close to the apparatus and in the pulper itself . the size and form of these devices can vary depending on the purpose for which the pulper is used . fig4 illustrates how the apparatus of fig2 is placed in a pulper . room for scrap and other non - disintegrated material is provided under the apparatus . this scrap can be removed in batches through an orifice 16 , although the pulper otherwise operates continuously . in normal cases , the apparatus of the invention is attached to a pulper provided with a cone breaker 17 , for example . some paper grades permit some pulpers to achieve adequate initial defibration via the external defiberizing elements 4 and the end wall 11 provided with vanes . usually , all the water required in the pulper is supplied with the pulp to the tank . if the screen 6 has to be cleaned , it may be necessary to use water for washing which dilutes the pulp between the tank and the pump . the consistency in the tank may then be 15 to 18 % and that in the pump approximately 8 to 12 %. dilution of this kind may also be necessary for the operation of the pump . it has been proven that some pulps are difficult to pump at a consistency greater than 12 to 14 %. in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in fig5 the screen member comprises stationary rings 18 and rotating discs 19 . the discs 19 are affixed to the rotor 2 . the rings 18 are connected to each other and affixed to the pump housing 5 through bars 20 . the side surfaces 21 of the rotating discs 19 and the side surfaces 22 of the stationary rings 18 form narrow slots 23 which function as screening slots and are kept open by said the rotating discs . the rotating discs 19 may have protrusions or recesses , or they can be replaced by pins disposed in the defiberizing rotor 2 . the advantages of the apparatus of the invention compared with conventional devices are obvious . the apparatus of the invention can be used for initial defibration , final defibration and pumping of pulp or recycled paper at a high consistency and for separating non - defiberized pulp or paper without intermediate dilution . this is significant particularly in paper machine reject circulation where broke can be returned straight to high consistency pulp towers . the method of the invention can be applied in a pulper operating continuously in the consistency range of 1 to 18 %. an example is assumed to be a broke pulper of a cellulose drying machine . the production of the machine is 1000 t / 24 h and the width is 6 m . the required defiberizing time in a pulper is approximately 5 min . at the defiberizing consistency of 10 %, the pulper volume is the machine width is approximately 6 m and the pulper height is 3 m , at the most . at the consistency of 10 %, the pulper width in the machine direction is 2 m . at the consistency of 4 %, the pulper width in the machine direction is 5 m . high defiberizing consistency thus considerably reduces the size of the pulper . at the same time , the energy consumption of the pulper decreases , since the power required by the pulper depends partly on the amount of the pulp to be defiberized and partly on the amount of the liquid moving in the pulper . fig4 illustrates schematically a high consistency machine pulper . when a conventional 4 % pulper is used , the defiberized broke is transported to a broke storage tank . broke cannot be returned to a 10 % consistency pulp tower from which fresh pulp has been brought to the drying machine , since the storage volume of the pulp increases when the consistency drops from 10 % to 4 %. high defiberizing consistency dispenses with the need for a broke storage tank . after defibration , the pulp has the same consistency and requires the same storage volume as fresh pulp . broke can thus be returned to the high consistency pulp tower . the method of the invention thus provides considerable investment savings . the energy consumption in the pulper itself is reduced , but also the amount of energy used in pumping decreases as smaller water volumes are to be pumped . the invention is not limited to the embodiment presented as an example , only , but may be modified within the scope of protection defined by the patent claims . the screen plate 6 and the defiberizing rotor 2 may be conical , for example . the vanes 9 of the defiberizing rotor 2 and the ribs of the screen plate 6 may be spiral and form an angle with each other . also , the screen surface 13 may be provided with protrusions . | 5 |
authentication protocols play a key role in modern communication systems . these protocols , and the devices that implement them , ensure that any two parties communicating over a network or via wireless transmission are communicating with the intended counterparty . attempts to fool one or both parties in order to obtain information or deceive a party into acting in a manner beneficial to the intruding party are common , so authentication protocols , and their implementations , are constantly tested . at the same time , many devices have severe constraints on battery or processor power that limit the computational complexity and hence security strength of authentication protocols . in these devices especially , achieving adequate security with economy is important . this disclosure will illustrate the devices used to implement novel authentication protocols based on password hash verification , devices implementing these protocols , and compare attack vectors against these protocols with attack vectors against other protocols . this disclosure will go on to illustrate different embodiments of this novel protocol , including authentication through both bitwise and piecewise password hash verification . this disclosure refers to several ideas known in the art . a diffie - hellman key exchange is a protocol that allows two parties to exchange information over an insecure channel to establish a shared secret . this shared secret can then be used to obfuscate information sent over that channel in a way that only those possessing the secret can reverse . a diffie - hellman key exchange protects against eavesdropping attacks provided that eavesdroppers never learn the information private to either party of the exchange . diffie - hellman offers no protection against a man - in - the - middle attack , where an attacker i impersonates party a to party b and party b to party a , fooling b into believing a is talking to b and fooling a into believing b is talking to a . diffie - hellman is not resistant to impersonation attack either , where an intruder impersonates a legitimate party to engage in an information exchange with another legitimate party . such attacks can be defeated by authenticating the two legitimate parties to each other through some private information , e . g . a password that is shared only between the two parties . a hash is a well - defined procedure which converts a variable - sized amount of data into an output datum , normally with a fixed size smaller than the input data . the output value for a given input need not be unique , and normally is not . however , the same input should always have the same output . for the protocols discussed in this disclosure , hashes which produce very dissimilar outputs for similar inputs are preferred because they make guessing the hashed value difficult . a nonce is a random number , typically generated once and used only for an instance of a protocol run . authentication and other security protocols typically hash combined random numbers and shared secrets to change output values from one protocol run to the next so as to thwart offline dictionary attacks . publicly known information , or public information , is information that is freely revealed . for example , a device &# 39 ; s public key is publicly known . during a run of an authentication protocol , it is normal to reveal the public keys of the two communicating parties for use in the protocol . these are considered public information because they are known by the two parties and any eavesdropping third parties before or during the protocol run . the protocols of this disclosure are performed by network devices . while the implementation of these network devices varies widely from one manufacturer or purpose to another , these devices share several basic characteristics . fig1 illustrates such a device . the device 100 is comprised of three essential components : a transceiver 110 , a processor 120 , and a machine - readable medium 130 . the transceiver 110 sends signals to and receives signals from other devices . these transceivers are well understood in the art . for wired devices , these transceivers 110 entail devices capable of sending and receiving signals over twisted pair copper wires , coaxial cable , or optical fiber . for wireless devices , these transceivers entail sending and receiving electromagnetic waves carrying desired signals without a wired medium . wireless devices generally operate between 3 khz and 300 ghz . wireless devices could also use higher frequency electromagnetic radiation , such as infra - red or visible light , under appropriate conditions . other signal types , such as sound waves , are also possible . a network device may have more than one transceiver . for example , wireless lan routers typically have both a wireless transceiver and a wired transceiver . the processor 120 interprets the signals received from the transceiver 110 , parsing them into a useful form . the processor 120 also formats signals to send to the transceiver 110 for transmission . the processor 120 further manipulates data to support a protocol run . the processor 120 typically has a local machine readable medium , such as random access memory ( ram ), which allows the temporary storage of signal data for later conversion and transmission . the processor may be an instruction based processing unit embedded into the device or a hardwired state machine designed to handle the specific tasks of a protocol . the transceiver 110 , processor 120 , and machine readable medium 130 may be directly connected with one another or the machine readable medium 130 may be connected to the processor which may then be connected to the transceiver . network devices may also have other components . for example , many network devices , such as personal computers and telephones , have input and output components distinct from the physical network device in the form of speakers , microphones , screens , keypads , keyboards , etc . network devices used as sensors may have other input components including , but not limited to , temperature , chemical , optical , electrical , and mechanical sensing units . this disclosure deals principally with novel authentication protocols based on password hash verification that are superior to prior authentication protocols based on password verification . in order to illustrate the superiority of the novel protocols , this disclosure will first review an exemplar prior authentication protocol . fig2 depicts two network devices using the bluetooth authentication protocol based on bitwise password verification . in this protocol 200 , for each bit of the shared password or secret between the two network devices , each device generates a random number , computes two hashes , and sends two messages . the two network devices , a 210 and b 220 , are attempting to authenticate each other by verifying that they share a secret , i . e ., that ra = rb , without directly revealing the secret . according to the protocol 200 , the initiating device 210 ( here a ) takes a bit from its secret , concatenates it with the public keys of device a 210 and device b 220 , and performs a keyed hash on the resulting number using its random number as the key ( 4 a ). device a 210 then sends hash result to device b and device b 220 performs its hash calculation and sends the result to device a ( 5 , 6 ). then device a 210 reveals its random number to device b 220 , which computes the hash computed and sent by device a 210 earlier ( 7 , 7 a ). if the computed and received hashes match , b 220 reveals its random number to device a 210 , which performs a similar check ( 8 , 8 a ). if a &# 39 ; s check succeeds , the process is repeated for the next bit of the password . this password based authentication protocol has a significant weakness . a third party can simply record the exchanges and find out each bit of the password by a single hash computation . for example , after device a 210 sent its random number in a particular round , the third party can compute a &# 39 ; s corresponding hash by assuming the corresponding password bit to be 0 . if this computed hash equals the corresponding recorded hash , that password bit is indeed 0 ; otherwise the password bit is 1 . thus , an adversary can readily extract the password without even having to mount an active attack by impersonating device a or b and engaging in a protocol run with the other device . it takes no special design for a device to be able to receive and store received data and then download the data to a home or office pc to calculate the hashes and hence obtain the bits of the password . once a third party has the password , it can impersonate a legitimate party to exchange forged information with , and extract desired information from , another legitimate party , breaching the security altogether . reduced computation protocol for mutual authentication through bitwise or piecewise password hash verification this disclosure introduces novel protocols for mutual authentication through password hash verification . the protocols are not subject to passive attacks and offer stronger security than the protocol discussed above while requiring fewer hash computations and message exchanges . this allows devices using these novel protocols to consume less power and achieve smaller pairing or association latency while achieving increased security . in turn , this allows for smaller , more efficient , and more reliable network devices . the novel authentication protocols discussed here will be discussed in two forms . first , this disclosure will discuss a bitwise protocol where two networked devices verify one bit of a password hash at a time . second , this disclosure will discuss a piecewise protocol where two networked devices verify one piece of the password hash at a time . the bitwise protocol is a special case of the piecewise protocol where the piece size is one bit . first , the initiating device (“ device a ”) 310 generates a random number and sends that random number , its address and public key for a diffie - hellman key exchange to a non - initiating device (“ device b ”) 320 . the non - initiating device ( device b 320 ) has its own random number , address , and public key . after device b 320 receives device a &# 39 ; s message , device b derives a shared secret , referred to as diffie - hellman key (“ dhkey ”) here , based on device a &# 39 ; s message , device b &# 39 ; s message , and device b &# 39 ; s own private key . device b 320 then uses the dhkey to key two hashes . the first hash operates on a concatenation of device a &# 39 ; s address , device b &# 39 ; s address , device a &# 39 ; s random number , device b &# 39 ; s random number , and their secret password . the second hash also operates on a concatenation of the same parameters , except with those parameters concatenated in a different order than for the first hash . when these two hash functions are completed , device b 320 sends to device a 310 its address , its random number , its public key , and a verification bit such as the least significant bit of one of its hashes . upon receiving device b &# 39 ; s message , device a 310 performs a counterpart process , deriving the dhkey and computing the hashes keyed by the dhkey on the addresses , random numbers , and password concatenated in the same order as the hashes computed by device b 320 . device a 310 then compares the verification bit sent by device b 320 to the corresponding verification bit from its own computed hash for that address , random number , and password order . if the bits match , device a 310 sends a verification bit such as the least significant bit of the other hash to device b 320 . if the bits fail to match , device a 310 aborts the authentication process . if device a 310 did send the message containing the verification bit from the second hash , device b 320 performs a check against the corresponding verification bit from its second hash . if that check fails then device b 320 aborts the authentication process . if that check succeeds device b 320 and device a 310 exchange another verification bit , such as the second least significant bit , from the first and second hashes , respectively , for another round of mutual checks . this process of exchanging verification bits from the two hashes continues until either one of the devices fails a check or all checks succeed , at which point the two devices are considered to have successfully authenticated each other . subsequently , the two devices each compute their shared master key based on their dhkey and their random numbers used in the earlier mutual verifications of the protocol run . preferably , a standardized one - way cryptographic hash function based on the dhkey will be used in the computation of the shared master key . the master key is then used directly or indirectly to secure data communications between the two devices . when used to secure data communication directly , the master key is used as the key to secure , i . e ., to encrypt and authenticate , the data communications . when used to secure data communication indirectly , the master key is used through a one - way cryptography hash function to create another shared secret key , often referred to as the session key in the security community , which is then used to encrypt and authenticate the data communications . a piecewise protocol , illustrated in fig4 , is similar to the bitwise protocol but instead of exchanging a single bit of each hash , the piecewise protocol sends a piece of each hash , where each piece comprises multiple bits of the hash . while the protocols illustrated in fig3 and fig4 depict each device computing two hashes and exchanging one hash while keeping the other hash secret , any two distinct complimentary sets derived from the hashes could be used . each device could even compute only one hash . for example , each of the devices could divide the computed hashes or hash in half , with one device exchanging the most significant half one bit or piece at a time while the other exchanges the least significant half one bit or piece at a time . the two devices could also , for example , alternate , with one device exchanging the odd hash bits and the other exchanging the even hash bits . the two devices need not equally apportion the exchanged bits . for example , one device may be required to disclose three hash bits for each its counterpart device discloses . any combination is permissible so long as each device is required to exchange at least one verification bit . in the novel protocols disclosed here , a third party cannot passively record the exchanged messages and then figure out the password shared between the two legitimate parties , because the third party would not know the dhkey which was needed to compute the two hashes but was known only to the two communicating parties . an active third party may impersonate a legitimate party to engage in an exchange with another legitimate party , but in each round of verification bit or piece exchange the third party can only find out a bit or a piece of one of the hashes but not a bit or piece of the password itself . therefore , these protocols are also more resistant to active attacks . moreover , these protocols require only two hash computations for each device for the entire authentication procedure , rather than two for each bit of the password , as proscribed by the bluetooth protocol . they also reduce the number of messages exchanged in each verification round from four to two , further saving the operational power and shortening the authentication latency . the essential steps of the protocol 500 are described in fig5 . at step 510 the devices generate and exchange nonces and public keys . the devices first engage in a diffie - hillman key exchange to derive a shared secret key 520 , and then use the resulting shared secret key to compute two distinct hashes 530 on a combination of publicly known values and the secret password . each device keeps one hash result private and sends the other , one bit or one piece at a time 540 , to the other device for verification 550 . if verification fails — bits do not match 555 — then the process is aborted 557 . if it succeeds due to bits match 552 , then the next bit or piece is sent if not final bit 555 . once all desired bits or pieces are verified — final bit 556 — the devices &# 39 ; identities are mutually authenticated 558 . fig6 shows the frame payload format for one embodiment of the protocol described in the present disclosure . in this embodiment , the devices are using an elliptical curve cryptography algorithm for diffie - hellman key exchange and are transmitting a single bit of verification hash in each round of mutual verification . the frames also keep track of which bit is being sent using the transaction sequence number field . while the protocol has been described here with reference to specific devices and using specific implementation details , those skilled in the art will appreciate that certain substitutions , alterations , or omissions may be made to the embodiments without departing from the spirit of the disclosure . accordingly , the foregoing description is meant to be exemplary only and should not limit the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims . | 7 |
in the following detailed description , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention . however , it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention may be practiced without these specific details . reference is made now to fig1 which is a schematic illustration of section or part of a flat antenna holder in accordance with some embodiments of the invention . it will be understood that although in the discussion below , element 10 is referred to as a flat antenna holder base , it will be understood there may be various configurations of a flat antenna holder in accordance with embodiments of the present invention ; for example , in some embodiments of the invention , element 10 may be a part of the apparatus to be used in connection with other parts ; in other embodiments , element 10 of fig1 may be an interior section view of a single - piece flat antenna holder , etc . flat antenna holder base 10 may be used to place or attach a flat antenna to a plain surface , e . g ., a table , a wall , a window or any other plain surface . according to some embodiments of the invention flat antenna holder base 10 may include holes 11 , 12 and 13 for attaching flat antenna holder base 10 to a surface plane of any orientation using screws , nails , bolts , or other connectors . flat antenna holder base 10 may include holes 14 , 15 and 16 , which may be key - shaped , for attaching flat antenna holder 10 to a smooth surface , e . g ., glass , metal , plastic , etc . which may be vertical , horizontal or otherwise inclined , by using suction devices , such as small suction cups , as described in detail below . in an embodiment of the invention shown in fig1 , set of holes 11 , 12 and 13 and set of holes 14 , 15 and 16 , may be spaced altematingly and uniformly around flat antenna holder base 10 . according to embodiments of the invention flat antenna holder base 10 may include a peg or stub 17 located in proximity to , but preferably not exactly at , center of flat antenna holder base 10 . stub 17 may be used to attach a weight or joint load element to flat antenna holder base 10 , as described in detail below . stub 17 may be raised from the surface of flat antenna holder base 10 in a direction orthogonal to the surface plane and may be molded with , or fixedly or removably attached to flat antenna holder base 10 . reference is made now to fig2 , which is a perspective view of a flat antenna holder attached to a smooth vertical surface in accordance with use of an exemplary embodiment of the invention . it will be noted that in the embodiment of the invention shown , the flat antenna holder is shown as a two - part apparatus , including both a base and a dome 28 . the based and dome may be attached by any suitable means , for example , by snaps , clips , adhesive , screws , etc . flat antenna holder base 20 and dome 28 may connect a flat antenna 21 to a smooth surface 27 , for example a vertical surface such as a window , a mirror , etc . according to some illustrative embodiments of the invention flat antenna holder base 20 may include three key - shaped holes 24 , 25 , and 26 similar to key - shaped holes shown in fig1 . flat . antenna holder 20 may be attached to surface 27 by inserting suction devices 23 into key - shaped holes 24 , 25 and 26 , and attaching suction devices 23 to smooth vertical surface 27 . suction devices 23 may also be sticky connectors or any other connectors suitable for attaching flat antenna holder base 20 to a smooth vertical surface . connectors 23 may have an external and internal diameter to fit first into the large part of key - shaped holes 24 , 25 and 26 and then slide the interior diameter of the connector into the narrow portion of the key - shaped holes . according to some embodiments of the invention , flat antenna holder base 20 may include a dome 28 and a joint member 29 for attaching to a flat antenna 21 . joint member 29 may allow flat antenna 21 to swivel rotationally around joint member 29 with reference to dome 28 . in addition , flat antenna 21 may include a hinge 22 which may be located at the bottom of flat antenna 21 and may be connected to joint member 29 . hinge 22 may permit pivoting the angle of the flat antenna with reference to dome 28 . flat antenna 21 may be fixedly or removably attached to flat antenna holder base 20 and / or dome 28 , e . g ., by screws , by glue , by a snap or by any other means . reference is made now to fig3 , which is a perspective view of a flat antenna holder attachment to a vertical surface in accordance with some exemplary embodiments of the invention . in the embodiment of the invention shown in fig3 , the flat antenna holder base 30 may connect a flat antenna 31 to a surface 37 e . g ., a vertical surface such as a wall , a door , or any other surface . according to some embodiments of the invention , flat antenna holder base 30 may include three round holes 34 , 35 and 36 . flat antenna holder 30 may be connected to surface 37 by screws or nails through holes 34 , 35 and 36 . reference is made now to fig4 , which is a perspective view of a flat antenna holder attached to a horizontal surface in accordance with some exemplary embodiments of the invention . flat antenna holder base 40 may be used to place a flat antenna 41 on a horizontal surface 47 e . g ., a desk , a shelf , or any other horizontal surface . according to some embodiments of the invention , the base of flat antenna holder base 40 may include a stub 42 , on which may be placed a weight or load item 50 . stub 42 may be located in proximity to flat antenna holder 40 center . in some embodiments of the invention , the location of stub 42 and the weight of weight or load item 50 may be calculated to provide a counterbalance for the weight of antenna 41 to prevent tipping . stub 17 may be molded with or fixedly or removably attached to flat antenna holder base 40 and may be raised from flat antenna holder base 40 surface . stub 42 may have the shape and size to fit smoothly into a cavity in the bottom of weight 50 . in some embodiments , dome 48 may have a peg 51 to fit into a cavity in the top of weight 50 . in some embodiments , weight 50 may have a cavity bored through its entirety to permit a screw to be placed from dome 48 , through weight 50 and attaching to stub 42 . stub 42 may be used to hold and stabilize flat antenna 41 to flat antenna holder base 40 . it will be noted for purposes of illustration that the positions of flat antennas shown in the embodiments of the invention in fig2 and 4 differ for example , in the pivot angle about hinge 22 shown in fig2 . while certain features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein , many modifications , substitutions , changes , and equivalents may occur to those skilled in the art . it is , therefore , to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the invention . | 7 |
referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first , particularly , to fig1 thereof , there is shown an exemplary embodiment of a device 100 for localizing a wheel electronics unit in a motor vehicle 102 . in this respect , the device 100 for performing localization is arranged in a motor vehicle 102 and includes a directional antenna 104 and also an evaluation device 105 connected to the directional antenna 104 . furthermore , the motor vehicle 102 includes a first wheel group 106 and a second wheel group 108 shifted with respect to the first wheel group 106 in a direction of travel 107 of the motor vehicle 102 . in this respect , each wheel group 106 , 108 can be regarded as an axle of the vehicle 102 ( for example a front axle 106 and a rear axle 108 ) which respectively displays , viewed in the direction of travel , a wheel 110 on the left side of the motor vehicle 102 and a wheel 112 on the right side of the motor vehicle 102 . furthermore , each left - hand wheel 110 and each right - hand wheel 112 of the first wheel group 104 and the second wheel group 108 displays a wheel electronics unit 114 for emitting an electromagnetic signal 116 to the directional antenna 104 . fig1 therefore shows a vehicle with a common receiver and four transmitting electronics units in the vehicle wheels . as already mentioned in the foregoing , the observation underlying the invention is that suitable shaping of a receiving antenna makes it possible to realize its receiving pattern anisotropically . fig2 a shows an embodiment by way of example of such a receiving antenna , where directionally sensitive antennas of this type are known under the keyword ‘ vivaldi antennas ’, for example , in the radio - frequency literature . such a vivaldi antenna is known , for example , from the article “ improved design of the vivaldian antenna ” by e . gazit , ieee proceedings , vol . 135 , no . 2 , april 1988 . in fig2 a , the hatched area 202 represents the sheet - metallized area of a conventional printed circuit board , for example . the schematically indicated electrical field lines 206 develop in the metal - free area 204 . the corresponding magnetic field lines run perpendicular to these and to the plane of the paper . a funnel - like geometrical embodiment 208 of the metallized surfaces results in the directionally dependent guidance of an electromagnetic wave and therefore to a schematically represented angular dependency of the antenna pattern of a vivaldi antenna 200 of this type , as represented by the directional pattern 210 in fig2 b . in principle , a vivaldi antenna , as represented in fig2 a , can be divided into two parts : the actual antenna 212 and a receiving unit 214 , or feed unit . the actual antenna 212 consists of a slotted line 216 broadening out like a funnel in the emitting or coupling direction , which is short - circuited on the rear side 217 ( that is to say on the side lying opposite to the actual antenna 212 ). in this respect , the broadening of the slotted line 216 can be structured in an exponential , linear or circular manner . the task of the feed unit 214 is to balance the signal applying at the coaxial connection for feeding the slotted line 216 . this is effected with a marchand - balun , which secures the transition from a microstrip line 218 on a lower side of the printed circuit board to the slotted line 216 on the upper side of the printed circuit board . in other words , this means that a vivaldi antenna can be realized by the simple realization of a metallized area on a printed circuit board , where the feed is effected from the lower side of the printed circuit board by means of a corresponding balun , while the vivaldi antenna is implemented on the upper side of the printed circuit board . the geometrical dimensioning of the antenna ( that is to say the proportions of the broadening , width and length of the slotted line or the microstrip line 218 , etc .) can be adapted in an application - related manner to a specific frequency and a desired directional pattern . a realization of the vivaldi antenna 200 with an extended slotted line 216 is indicated by way of example in fig2 c . the extension can be continued in a meandering manner in order to enable an adaptation to comparatively long wavelengths at comparatively low frequencies ( for example approx . 70 cm wavelength in the 433 megahertz band ) in a space - saving manner on the printed circuit board . in the first instance , for example , the antenna represented in fig2 c can be used on the basis of the frequencies released or employable for the localization of wheel electronics units , in order thereby to enable the assignment of a transmitting wheel electronics unit to one of two wheel groups . the intrinsically known method of using a locally installed antenna to be able to perform the assignment to an axle and the use of acceleration sensors in the wheel electronics units to obtain a side - related localization restricts the installation of the ( isotropically sensitive ) antenna to essentially two positions : markedly further forward than central , or markedly further rearward than central . an approximately central installation location is ruled out due to the thus absent difference in signal between the receiving field strengths of front and rear wheel electronics units . in order to keep the equipment effort as low as possible , antennas and receivers integrated into control units are used , wherever possible , which should often be available for further vehicle functions alongside the tire - pressure monitoring ( for example a remote control key function ). these further functions often rule out for the axle - based localization of the tire - pressure monitoring the aforementioned or required local installation either markedly further forward than central or markedly further rearward than central of a central axle of a motor vehicle running transversely to the direction of travel . as opposed to the approach of a locally installed antenna for axle assignment and the use of acceleration sensors for side - related localization , an antenna with a directional pattern is used in the approach according to the invention , as represented in fig2 c ( and the directional pattern in fig2 b ), for example . this expands the possible installation location of an antenna of this type to all locations in the vehicle which lie on a central line of the vehicle , within a margin of tolerance . the margin of tolerance can be selected in such a way that the directional antenna is preferably arranged centrally between the first and second wheel groups , that is to say that the directional antenna is arranged about a central line of the vehicle within a margin of tolerance of half the distance between the two wheel groups . this arrangement within the area between the two wheel groups should be observed since , in the event of an arrangement of the directional antenna outside this area , clear differentiation of the direction of incidence of the electromagnetic signals by the wheel electronics units of the wheel groups is no longer possible and this leads to a deterioration in the evaluation ability of corresponding electromagnetic signals . the directional pattern of the directional antenna then enables the assignment of a wheel electronics unit ( for example through the use of a simple discriminator circuit ) to the front wheel group , that is to say the front axle , if the antenna together with the direction of maximum sensitivity points forward and the received field strength is higher than a predetermined threshold . a similar situation also applies to the assignment to the rear axle . if the directional antenna is aligned in such a way , for example , that the maximum receiving sensitivity points in the direction of the rear axle , a comparison of the received field strength with the predetermined threshold makes it possible to establish whether the received signal originates from the rear axle or not . the advantage of using such a directional antenna with a directional pattern as is reproduced by means of the directional pattern represented in fig2 b lies in this case in the opening up of further installation locations in the vehicle . in particular , central installation locations ( for example in the area of the rear - view mirror or a roof control unit ) become possible through the use of a directional antenna of this type . central installation locations of this type are known as preferred installation locations for the receivers of radio remote control elements , for example . however , they have been unusable up to now for axle - based localization of wheel electronics units due to the lack of assignability of wheel electronics units in the case of the arrangement of a receiving antenna in center of the vehicle . in particular , a combination of a directional antenna ( for localization ) together with an isotropic antenna in one unit or on one printed circuit board in conjunction with a common receiver must be considered in order to enable secure reception of the radio remote control with a simultaneous localization function of the tire - pressure monitoring . in a further exemplary embodiment , a combination of four ( preferably identically constructed ) directional antennas can also be used as an antenna system 300 , for example as represented in fig3 . the preferred directions of the four antennas lie , for example , respectively in pairs at an angle of 90 ° to each other . in this respect , for example , the antenna system 300 can be arranged on a printed circuit board . the four directional antennas 200 can , for example , be connected via a multiplexer ( not shown here ) to a receiver or an evaluation device , for example as represented in fig1 with the symbol 106 , so that only one antenna is ever connected to the receiver . by means of sequential swapping of the receiving antennas , the receiver “ listens ” successively in one of the four preferred receiving directions of the arrangement ( that is to say in one of the four main receiving directions or the four directions with the maximum receiving sensitivity ). however , the precise alignment of the antennas 200 on the printed circuit board can also be coordinated in such a way to the subsequent installation location of the printed circuit board in the vehicle that following installation , one of the four antennas 200 respectively together with its direction of maximum sensitivity is aligned to exactly one wheel of the vehicle . in this respect , the geometric direction of the wheel ( viewed from the installation location of the printed circuit board ) does not necessarily need to be identical to the alignment of the maximum sensitivity of the assigned antenna . instead , this can be intentionally structured to be “ misoriented ” on the basis of vehicle measurements in order to be aligned to the direction of maximum field strength of a transmission from the assigned wheel . the reason for this is field distortions which can be brought about by the engine or body parts , for example , and to some extent can lead to considerable divergences in the direction of maximum field strength from the geometrical direction of the wheel ( that is to say the shortest distance between the wheel and the receiving antenna ). given suitable implementation of the antenna printed circuit board , an assignment of the received transmission to a specific wheel is possible by means of multiplexing of the four antennas 200 and evaluation , for example by way of a received signal level . in this respect , the comparison can be effected absolutely with a permanently prescribed receiving threshold ( for example in order to differentiate “ on - vehicle ” from “ off - vehicle ” wheel electronics units ) or relatively between the four different antennas . as the result , the received transmission ( that is to say the received electromagnetic signal ) is assigned to exactly one wheel and in the former case , additionally checked for association with the same vehicle . the methods arising from the state of the art ( that is to say the more exact field strength evaluation ; identification values ; comparison with prestored information ; evaluation of acceleration , pressure and temperature ; comparison with wheel speed sensors , etc .) can continue to be used and can verify the localization result . fig4 shows a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of the method according to the invention . in this respect , the reception 402 of an electromagnetic signal from the wheel electronics unit with the aid of the directional antenna is effected in a first stage . the evaluation 404 of the electromagnetic signal received from the directional antenna follows in a stage after this , after which the localization 406 of the wheel electronics unit as being arranged in a wheel of the first wheel group or in a wheel of the second wheel group is effected in a third stage . the localization 406 is preferably effected on the basis of the evaluation of the result of a comparison of a level of the received electromagnetic signal with a prescribed threshold value , in order to enable the identification of the wheel electronics unit in a first wheel of a first wheel group or in a wheel of the second wheel group on the basis of the result of the comparison to summarize , it can therefore be established that with a directional antenna , axle - based localization can be improved and at the same time a flexibility in the choice of possible installation locations for the directional antenna in the vehicle is possible . with regard to existing local installation locations , the signal distance between the reception levels of wheel electronics units of the two axles is improved , in order to enable an even more exact differentiation between front and rear . combination with an isotropic receiving antenna in one unit enables a centrally installed radio remote control receiver to be implemented , which at the same time is capable of localizing wheel electronics units with reference to their installation axle without any further external antenna . as a result of the fact , in particular , that the directional antenna can be implemented on a printed circuit board , for example of the radio remote control receiver , it is possible to save costs , space and effort by avoiding the need to install an additional directional antenna , something which contributes to a further flexibility and improvement in the employability of such a device for localizing a wheel electronics unit in a motor vehicle . the expansion to four directional antennas enables the implementation of complete radio - frequency localization ( rf localization ) without mechanical antenna correction at a central installation point ( given observance of a combination with a radio remote control ) and with little additional extra effort . the directional antenna , which is preferably to be realized as a printed circuit board antenna , can then be implemented very cost - effectively and can be integrated in a roof control unit , for example . the localization is effected during the preferable radio reception and has virtually no convergence time . the localization information is then available simultaneously with , for example , the demodulated data which can deliver information about a physical parameter of the wheel or the tire , such as the tire pressure , the tire temperature or the like , for example . this application claims the priority , under 35 u . s . c . § 119 , of german patent application no . 10 2004 034 875 . 8 , filed jul . 19 , 2004 ; the entire disclosure of the prior application is herewith incorporated by reference . | 1 |
the machine , as shown by way of example in fig1 comprises essentially a frame , an upper frame part 1 of which extends over a machining area and also a preparation point 12 . a pallet changer 9 is arranged between the machining area , i . e . a table 6 , and the preparation point 12 , the gripper 10 of which can grip the pallets 7 by means of the coupling elements 11 , so that a pallet at the preparation point and a pallet 7 on the machining table can be pivoted about a pivot axis 13 , whereby the respective devices 8 mounted on the pallets can change their positions . during pallet changing , the pallets are removed , for example downwards , after the loosening of connecting elements , so that they are released from their respective mountings and coupling elements . rotation about the axis 13 is followed by renewed raising and coupling . the coupling elements 11 may adapt to the shape of the pallets which they grip . a centring device 20 cooperates with the device 8 in the machining position . the couplings between the supporting means 19 , which also carries the centring device 20 , are designated by the reference numerals 21 and 22 . the elements 20 , 21 and 22 can be dispensed with or can be replaced by other suitable means . as will be clear in particular from fig1 the machine part 1 is supported at its projecting end . an additional strut 18 can also be used , supplementing the strut at the projecting end , as can be seen from fig2 . in fig2 the additional strut 18 forms a rigid triangle with the upper frame part 1 and a stand 28 which carries the upper frame part 1 . a further strut 30 is also shown , the pallet 7 being located between the additional strut 18 and the further strut 30 when in the machining position . the tool for machining the workpieces on the device 8 is designated by the reference numeral 5 . this tool is held on the slide 3 , which is displaceable in the vertical direction , the slide 2 allowing for displacement along the x - axis . the sleeve 4 carrying the tool provides for movement along the z - axis . the reference numeral 15 designates a plate serving to guide shavings into a trough 16 from where they can then be conveyed away through a discharge device 31 . the wall 14 closes the preparation point during changing . the invention can be put into effect by mounting the individual workpieces , e . g . on the devices 8 . however , the pallet at the tooling point can also be moved together with the associated apparatus and if necessary also the workpieces by an ancillary device , e . g . a truck 23 . this is then important , e . g . if other devices or workpieces are used . a truck of this kind may be designed as a fork - lift truck . the construction of the machine means that it is possible to pass under the preparation point so that the appropriate mechanical means can be inserted , for example when changing the apparatus 8 . although the invention preferably serves to bring the workpieces from a preparation point into the machining position , the same considerations can still be applied when a machine is arranged in a transfer line , as indicated by fig4 . it is assumed that a pallet with associated apparatus is brought on a guide 24 into the machining position , where the pallet is positioned in the conventional manner . after machining , the pallet with the workpieces or apparatus , is advanced in the same direction to the next machining station . a transfer rod 25 cooperating with a carrier 26 provides for transport . 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 . | 8 |
while various aspects and features of certain embodiments have been summarized above , the following detailed description illustrates a few exemplary embodiments in further detail to enable one of skill in the art to practice such embodiments . in the following description , for the purposes of explanation , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the described embodiments . it will be apparent , however , to one skilled in the art that other embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without some of these specific details . in other instances , well - known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form . several embodiments are described herein , and while various features are ascribed to different embodiments , it should be appreciated that the features described with respect to one embodiment may be incorporated into other embodiments as well . by the same token , however , no single feature or features of any described embodiment should be considered essential to every embodiment of the invention , as other embodiments of the invention may omit such features . a set of embodiments provides solutions ( including without limitation , devices , systems , methods , software programs , and the like ) for implementing a method for the interactive display of familial relationships on a touch - screen device . instead of displaying only a textual description of how two individuals in a genealogical tree are related to each other , aspects of the present invention improve the prior art by causing to be graphically displayed a view of the connecting relationships for each level in a generational hierarchy comprised of various familial lines . navigation along the familial lines may be accomplished by using various finger gestures on the touch - screen device that provide directional information that align with a direction of various relationship pathways . to begin , family relationships for genealogical research may be stored and displayed in one or more genealogical charts . fig1 illustrates an embodiment of a chart 100 that may be used to display family relationships . genealogical charts representing family trees may be displayed on the screen of a computer system . each node in the chart represents a person within a family , and a set of lines connecting the nodes may represent family relationships that connect the various family members to each other within the family structure . such relationships may consist of sibling , parent , or child relationships , and / or the like . by way of example , node 110 represents a single family member , and relationship 115 a represents a parent - child relationship between the parent node 120 a and a child node 110 . the view of the genealogical tree shown in fig1 displays details intended to convey information regarding a particular family line . however , the number of nodes added to the family line may increase as more individuals are added to the family , increasing the number of nodes that must be simultaneously displayed if the entire family line is to be viewed at once . consequently , a graphical representation of a genealogical chart may contain various levels or views that focus on particular subdivisions of the chart . a top - level view may depict the entire tree , and may include very few visible details related to the individual nodes . when the view is changed to the next lower level , for instance , the entire tree may no longer be visible in the display . instead , the view may zoom in to display a group of families within the chart . in some embodiments , these may correspond to groupings of family lines . as the display zooms in to the next lower level , for instance , a family level , the display may be limited to a single family or family line , such as the line depicted in fig1 . finally , the display may be zoomed in to an individual level , wherein a single individual is displayed with his / her immediate family . the individual view may also be called a “ detail ” view wherein all the stored information related to the individual may be displayed , such as dates , videos , documents , recordings , and / or the like . in accordance with embodiments of this invention , various methods have been developed that display an optimal amount of information for each node , while simultaneously displaying surrounding relationship information and allowing for convenient navigation around the tree . when the user chooses to zoom to another level , such as the family view , the display may zoom within the display level ( i . e . within the tree view or family view ) or in some embodiments zooming in or out may cause the display to switch between views . for example , zooming in from the tree view may cause the display to transition to the family view . zooming in further may cause the display to transition to a view focusing on a particular family line , and so forth . zooming between levels on a touch - screen device may be accomplished through the use of finger gestures . for example , pinching or spreading two fingers in contact with the touch screen may be received as a command to zoom in or out . in light of this disclosure , it will be understood that there are many different ways to display a genealogical chart . many of the examples discussed herein disclose an ancestral view of a genealogical chart , wherein the display is focused on an individual , and ancestral lines are arranged to radiate away from the individual . other views of a genealogical chart may also be used , such as a family view , a descendent view , an individual view , and / or a top - level , tree , or global view . each of these different views may correspond to one of the detail levels discussed above , or may focus on more than one individual . therefore , the examples used herein should be viewed as merely illustrative , and the methods for navigating through a genealogical chart are applicable to all forms of genealogical charts , displays , and views that include directional familial lines . if the genealogical chart is being displayed on a device that accepts finger gestures as an input , these may be used to provide zoom , pan , and rotate commands for manipulating a visual representation of the genealogical chart 100 . for example , on a tablet computer , e - reader , laptop computer with a pen input , and / or smart phone , it is possible to use a finger gesture such as dragging a finger across the screen to navigate around the genealogical tree . likewise , a user could place two fingers on the screen and rotate them in order to rotate the image , or in some embodiments , to rotate around a three - dimensional tree . to zoom the image in or out , two fingers could be pinched or spread apart . these finger gestures can also be performed on a touch pad input device instead of the screen of the display . in absence of a touch device , a device may still accept each type of input action used to zoom , pan , and rotate from another input device such as a mouse , keyboard , and / or the like . these various methods of navigating using a touch - screen device will be discussed in greater detail later in this disclosure . returning now to the way records are linked in the chart , the relationship between two records may be more complicated than the adjacent records in the parent - child relationship 115 . the relationship between two nodes may span multiple generations and may be comprised of myriad legal and familial bonds . in one embodiment , a genealogical tree structure may represent these more complicated relationships using multiple nodes and interconnecting relationships to form complicated topographies . a complicated relationship may be represented as the sum of a plurality of individual relationships . for example , the relationship between node 110 and node 130 a may be comprised of the nodes 110 and 120 a and the relationship 115 a between them ( a parent - child relationship ), nodes 120 a and 130 a and the relationship 125 a between them ( another parent - child relationship ). because complex genealogical trees may be comprised of multiple simple relationships , it may often be difficult to display all of the relevant information at the same time on a single display device , particularly a touch - screen device with a small screen . because a complex relationship may be constructed by multiple individual records and relationships , this relevant information may include biographical , pictorial , audio , video , documentary information , and / or the like for each of the individual nodes in the relationship pathway . therefore , in accordance with embodiments of the present invention , methods systems are herein discussed that may display an optimal amount of the genealogical tree in such a way that a user can understand its organization and easily navigate the tree on a touch - screen device . given this large amount of information that may be stored in a genealogical tree , it may be impractical to display the entire tree at once . as used herein , the term “ display ” refers to a graphical representation of various genealogical records . this is separate from the physical device used to make the display visible to a user . for example , in one computer system , the display would refer to the graphical information provided to a processor , to be displayed on a touch - screen device . fig2 a illustrates a display 200 for a record display program with an exemplary arrangement of icons corresponding to records that are interrelated . the display 200 provides an easy and convenient way to show the relationships between records ( i . e ., show how the records are connected ). specifically shown in display 200 is a plurality of icons related to genealogical records . display 200 may be arranged according to a “ relationship view ,” which simultaneously shows an individual &# 39 ; s progeny , ancestry , and siblings . in other words , the display 200 is not restricted to one type of view , such as an ancestral view that only shows a person &# 39 ; s ancestors , but the display 200 may show any and all relationships linked to an individual together in various combinations on a display device . the display 200 may include a plurality of icons or avatars , such as icon 220 a . each of the icons may be associated with a specific genealogical record in a database of genealogical records . a computing system may associate each of the records with a specific icon and / or a user can associate each record with an icon . the icon 220 a may include a figure that visually represents the associated record . for example , the icons displayed in fig2 a shows a profile of a woman &# 39 ; s head or a man &# 39 ; s head to visually represent the sex of the individual associated with the genealogical record . the icons may further be colored to show additional information , such as coloring icons representing females in pink and icons representing males in blue . the icons 210 may further include information about the record that they represent . for example , fig2 a illustrates icon 220 a as including the name 212 and the birth date 216 of the individual . the display 200 may include a docking field 202 ( shown in dashed lines ) that focuses the display 200 on a selected record and / or that displays relationship information for the selected genealogical record ( e . g ., displays a family relationship for the selected record ). the docking field 202 may be a predefined area of the display that is configured to receive an icon and display information for the record positioned in the docking field 202 . the display 200 may include a visually defined boundary for the docking field 202 or may generally include an area that a user may or may not recognize as being the docking field 202 . fig2 a illustrates icon 210 that represents a genealogical record for john tues as being positioned within the docking field 202 . since this icon 210 is positioned within the docking field 202 , the display 200 is focused on the record for john tues and the type of relationship or connectedness of other records linked to the record for john tues . thus , the other icons shown in display 200 are arranged according to their relationship or link with the icon 203 representing john tues . more specifically , the other icons are arranged according to the relationship or link between the records they represent and the record of john tues . the display 200 may include one or more progeny or descendant fields 260 that are linked to the docking field 202 . the progeny fields 260 may be configured to display the icons of genealogical records that are the progeny or descendants of the person associated with the record / icon 210 positioned in docking field 202 . for example , fig2 a illustrates the progeny fields 260 disposed to the left side of docking field 202 and including four icons that represent the children of john tues . the progeny icons in the progeny fields 260 may be arranged according to birth order with the icon for the oldest child vertically above the other icons and the icon for the youngest children vertically below the other icons . the display 200 may also include one or more spouse fields 250 linked to docking field 202 and configured to display the icon associated with the spouse ( s ) of the person represented by the icon 210 in docking field 202 . the spouse field may be positioned vertically below and slightly horizontally offset from icon 210 in docking field 202 . in some embodiments , display 200 may further include a plurality of sibling fields ( not shown ) that are linked to the docking field 202 . the sibling fields may be configured to display the icons of genealogical records that are the siblings of the person associated with the record / icon 210 positioned in docking field 202 . the sibling fields may be positioned vertically above and / or below the docking field 202 so that the icons displayed in the sibling fields 208 horizontally align with the icon in the docking field and are vertically offset from one another . the icons in the sibling fields may be arranged according to a birth order so that the icon for the oldest sibling is positioned above the other icons and the icon for the youngest child is positioned below the other icons . such an arrangement of siblings may visually illustrate where in the birth order the person represented by icon 210 fits within the family . display 200 may additionally include a plurality of ancestral fields 220 , 230 , and 240 that are likewise linked to docking field 202 . the ancestral fields 220 , 230 , and 240 may be configured to display the icons of genealogical records that are the ancestors of the person associated with the record / icon 210 positioned in docking field 202 . the ancestral fields 220 , 230 , and 240 may be positioned to the right of the docking field 202 so that the parent icons in each generation are horizontally offset from the corresponding child icon and vertically offset above and below the centerline of the child &# 39 ; s icon as shown in fig2 a . each of the icons , such as icon 220 b , may also include relationship information 214 that describes the relationship between the icon 220 b and the icon 210 positioned in the docking field 202 , or more specifically the relationship between the records represented by the icons , 210 and 220 b . as illustrated in display 200 , the icons in the progeny fields 240 indicate whether the individuals are sons or daughters of john tues , while the icon in the spouse field 250 indicates that the individual is the wife of john tues , and the ancestral fields 220 , 230 , and 240 indicate whether the individual is the father , mother , grandfather , grandmother , etc . of john tues . further , although fig2 a shows the ancestral fields 220 , 230 , and 240 running two generations deep and the progeny fields 260 running one generation deep , it should be realized that the fields and / or icons may be arranged in any configuration . for example , the ancestral field 220 may run one generation deep while the progeny fields 260 run three generations deep , or the ancestral fields 220 and 230 and progeny fields 260 may both run two or three generations deep . further , the docking field 202 may be repositionable on the display 200 so that a user may reconfigure the display 200 according to need and / or preference . for example , a user may enlarge the area defined for docking field 202 and or reposition it vertically and / or horizontally on the display 200 . from fig2 a , it should be clear that ancestral and progeny records may be organized into a generational hierarchy with sequential levels . for example , the parent fields 220 may represent a first level of the generational hierarchy , and the grandparent fields 230 may represent a second level of the generational hierarchy . because most genealogical tress may extend many generations , the display 200 may include a subset of the levels of the generational hierarchy simultaneously . therefore a determination must be made as to how many generations levels may be displayed at one time on the display 200 such that enough personal information for each record is displayed while maintaining the context within the larger genealogical tree . therefore , a display group 270 may be formed to include the graphical information for each record displayed in the touch - screen . in one embodiment , a predefined number of generational levels may be displayed . for example , a display group 270 having a predefined target number of three generational levels may be formed , comprising the selected record in the docking field 202 , the parent ancestral fields 220 and the grandparent ancestral fields 230 . the target value may be defined in hardware or software and / or changed by the user . it may also be calculated based on a hardware profile or characteristic , such as available memory , the size of the display , and / or the like . in another embodiment , instead of being a hard target , the predefined number may instead be a minimum value , a maximum value , or an approximate target . when the predefined target value is approximate or a minimum / maximum , the actual number of generational levels in the display group 270 may be influenced by other factors such as icon display size , total number of records in the relationship , and / or the like . merely by way of example , a user could decrease the amount of information to be displayed for a record , and this in turn could increase the number of generational levels displayed in each set up to a maximum target number of generational levels . alternatively , the user could increase the amount of information displayed in each node , and the number of nodes displayed could decrease down to a minimum target number of generational levels . in another embodiment , the number of generational levels in the display group 270 may depend on a minimum , maximum , or target relationship span . for example , fig2 a shows the display group 270 comprised of a number of generational levels wherein the relationship span between the first and last records in the display 200 is a grandparent - grandchild relationship . the relationship span may be a hard number , or it may be an approximate target that is used in conjunction with other display variables to calculate the actual number of nodes in the display group 270 . while the ancestral and progeny records may be organized into a generational hierarchy with sequential levels , they may also be organized into familial lines . for example , at least three familial lines may extend from the john tues &# 39 ; s icon in the docking field 202 . the paternal familial line would run through john tues &# 39 ; s father ( ralph tues jr .) in icon 220 a . the maternal familial line would run through john tues &# 39 ; s mother ( jamie jesperson ) in icon 220 b . finally , a third family line would run through john tues himself towards his children represented by his children &# 39 ; s icons 260 . when navigating around the display 200 , a user may typically navigate along these or other similar familial lines . in yet another embodiment , the number of generational levels in the display group 270 may change dynamically as the display parameters are changed . for example , the display group 270 containing three generational levels may be reorganized to contain more than three generational levels if a user provides a command to zoom out the display 200 . as another example , a user may set the display 200 to show a particular subset of the genealogical records simultaneously on the display screen . the number of generational levels in the display group 270 , the span of the relationships in the display 200 , or some other variable based on the user selection may be used as a basis for organizing or reorganizing the display group 270 . the same process for dynamically sizing the steps in the sequence described above could be used in response to any change in the display , such as panning , zooming , changes in resolution , changes in display size , and / or the like . it should be appreciated in light of this disclosure that these methods of determining a number of generational levels to include in the display group 270 are merely illustrative , and that other combinations and variations of these techniques for doing such may be used in other embodiments . as stated above , various finger gestures may be used to manipulate the display 200 and navigate around a genealogical chart . specifically , a finger gesture may be used to replace icon 210 in the docking field 202 with another icon , and rearrange the genealogical records in the display group 270 accordingly . finger gestures may be used to graphically move the display group 270 in fig2 a a number of generational levels to the left or right . in order to provide for a seamless , animated graphical transition between two successive display groups , the records in the next generational levels that are not in the current display group 270 may be prepared for display prior to receiving a user input requesting such . the display information for these groups may be prepared and stored , or “ pre - fetched ”, in a cache memory such that the as the records in the display group 270 are shifted in and out along familial lines , high latency memory operations may be eliminated . for example , if the display 200 is configured to advance one generational level in either the ancestral or progeny directions in response to a navigation and / or pan command , then the cached display groups 280 may be prepared for display and stored in a cache memory . if the display 200 is navigated in the paternal ancestral direction , then the cached display group 280 b could be incorporated into the display group 270 without requiring additional high - latency memory and / or display operations . fig2 b illustrates a transition between different display groups according to one embodiment . for example , if the display 200 received a finger gesture associated with navigating the display along the paternal ancestral line , then the display groups and the docking field could change accordingly . specifically , icon 220 a associated with the record for ralph tues jr . has been transferred from the ancestral field ( specifically the father field ) into docking field 202 . as icon 220 a transfers into docking field 202 , the other icons in display 200 may transfer into one or more fields based on the relationship between the records of these icons and the record of icon 220 a , which is now the focus of display 200 . for example , icons 240 a and 240 b , which represent the respective father and mother records of ralph tues jr . ( icon 220 a ) may transfer from grandfather and grandmother fields to father and mother fields based on a father and mother relationship with the record represented by icon 220 a . all moving icons may appear to move simultaneously with or near simultaneously with icon 220 a so that the context of the relationship is maintained . one way to keep the relationship context intact is to transition or transfer all the icons simultaneously or nearly simultaneously so that it appears to a user that all the icons transfer / shift at once while maintaining a linked arrangement . maintaining a linked arrangement may include maintaining spatial dimensions between icons so that it appears as if the icons are physically linked together . another way to keep the relationship context intact is to transfer , transition , or otherwise shift and move icons without refreshing or redrawing display 200 , which helps keep the focus and attention on the icons and relationships between icons / records . the transfer or replacement of an icon in docking field 202 changes the focus of the information and relationships in display 200 from the record for the transferred or replaced icon to the record for the new icon . for example , the sibling , ancestral , and / or progeny links may change to reflect the shift in focus to the new icon positioned in docking field 202 . if these fields were not previously in the display group 270 , they could be thereafter be included . similarly , any siblings fields and docking fields may transition to the progeny fields due to these icons representing the children of the ralph tues jr . ( represented by icon 220 a ). likewise , icon 210 representing john tues may transition out of the docking field 202 so that the focus of display 200 is shifted from the record of john tues to the record of ralph tues jr ., or any other record that is positioned within docking field 202 . as previously described any sibling icons may transfer or transition simultaneously with or nearly simultaneously with icon 220 a so that the transition is visually seamless or substantially visually seamless to a user and the context of the relationship is maintained . as the focus of display 200 shifts from the record of icon 210 to the record of icon 220 a , one or more records may be transitioned or transferred off display 200 . for example , the progeny icons 270 may be transferred from the progeny fields so that the icons are no longer visible on display 200 . this may be due to the user configuring display 200 to only display one generation of descendants . similarly , icons 230 c and 230 d , which represent the father - in - law and mother - in - law of the record of icon 220 a may be transferred from the ancestral fields so that these records are no longer displayed because there may be no ancestral relationship between these records and the record of icon 220 a . similarly , icons representing records that were not originally displayed in fig2 a may be transferred or transitioned into the display 200 . for example , the grandparent records 245 linked to the record of icon 220 a may be transferred onto display 200 so that the previously un - displayed grandparent icons of ralph tues jr . may be subsequently displayed . fig2 b illustrates the previously un - displayed icons repositioned in the grandparent fields replacing icons 240 . likewise , previously un - displayed sibling icons of ralph tues jr . ( not shown ) may be displayed as well , and may be transferred onto display 200 and subsequently populate the respective sibling fields based on their relationship to the record of icon 220 a . further , the replaced icons may transfer to new fields and / or on or off display 200 simultaneously or nearly simultaneously to provide a visually seamless transition and thereby keep the relationships between the records in context during the transition . additionally , display 200 may curve hyperbolically toward the edges of the display so that icons transferred on and / or off display 200 curve behind one another toward the edge of the display thereby enabling several generations of icons to be visible toward the display &# 39 ; s 200 edge . transferring icons to and from the docking port 202 may occur in a variety of ways , such as through scrolling , selecting and dragging an icon , moving an imaging device , etc . for example , a user may use a scroll button to scroll between records displayed in docking field 302 or may place a finger and / or mouse pointer on a display device ( e . g ., a selectable lcd screen ) and scroll through records displayed in docking field 202 by dragging the finger and / or mouse pointer across the display device . the user may move a finger and / or mouse pointer vertically as well as horizontally to navigate between records , such as by dragging a finger diagonally up and right to transfer icon 220 a to docking field 202 . in this manner , a user may quickly and conveniently scroll through numerous records and across multiple generations ( forward and backward ) by merely positioning a mouse pointer . if the record database is large , the user may further quickly and conveniently scroll horizontally through multiple generations and scroll vertically through multiple family lines so that the displayed record at the end of the scrolling session is tenuously related to the record displayed at the beginning of the scrolling session . in addition to scrolling , the user can position icons in the docking field 202 by selecting an icon from one of the fields and dragging the icon to the docking field 202 . for example , icon 230 a representing ralph tues sr . may be selected and dragged from the father field to the docking field 202 so that the focus of the display 200 is transferred to the record of icon 230 a . the transfer or transition of the icons between fields and / or on or off the display 200 may occur simultaneously or near simultaneously as described above . similarly , the display device may be configured to recognize a position change of the display device to allow a user to navigate between records by physically moving the display device . for example , if the display 200 is displayed on a hand - held device , a user may move the hand - held device vertically and / or horizontally to navigate between the icons positioned in the docking field 202 . the icons may appear fixed in space and / or the icons move on or off the display as the wireless device is moved . such a configuration is similar to moving a transparent piece of glass and viewing icons behind the glass , where the icons remain fixed in space , but they enter or exit the glass display as the glass is moved in relation to the icons . further , although fig2 b has been described as transferring or transitioning an icon from an ancestral field into the docking field 202 , it should be realized that an icon can be transferred into the docking field 202 from any field of display 200 and / or from an area off the display 200 . for example , an icon in a sibling field or progeny field may be transferred to the docking field 202 to focus the display 200 on the sibling record or descendant / progeny record . thus , display 200 is capable of moving in any direction ( horizontal , vertical , diagonal ) through a genealogical record . similarly , the docking field may be selected , which may open a browse window so that a user can select a record and icon to display in docking field 202 . in addition to relocating the various icons on the display 200 when the icon in the docking field 202 is changed , the various display groups 270 and 280 may also be repopulated . for example , in fig2 b , the transition from icon 210 to 220 a in the docking port 202 may render the original cached display groups 270 and 280 partially obsolete . ancestral cached display groups 280 b and 280 c may be repopulated with the great - grandparents of ralph tues jr ., which are represented by the great - grandparent icons 285 . similarly , the progeny cached display group 280 a may be repopulated with the previously docked icon 210 of john tues , along with john tues &# 39 ; s siblings icons 265 . the transition illustrated between fig2 a and fig2 b is merely illustrative , and in light of this disclosure , it will be understood that many variations on these transitions may be possible in other embodiments . for example , these figures show a transition between two consecutive generations ; however , other embodiments may include transitions between multiple generational levels , and may consequently require that the cached display groups 280 include more than a generational level . each movement up the paternal ancestral line in fig2 a may move two generational levels . thus , a single finger gesture , such as a swipe motion , may transfer a member of the grandparent generational level to the docking port 202 . in order to be prepared for a two - generation transition , the cached display groups 280 could contain two generational levels so that they could be pulled into the display group 270 at the transition without requiring high - latency memory operations . furthermore , the number of generational levels in the cached display groups 280 need not equal the number of generational levels that are moved during a transition . for example , if each transition spanned two generational levels , the cached display groups 280 could include three or four generational levels . in this case , the needed generational levels could be transitioned out of the cached display groups 280 and the next generational levels could be transitioned in , such that at least one generational level could persist in the group both before and after a transition . such a configuration could be advantageous to accommodate rapid transition commands , such as multiple successive finger swipe gestures . as stated earlier , navigation between records in the display 200 may take place in any direction . fig2 c illustrates a transition between genealogical records in the progeny direction of the genealogical chart . this processes is very similar to the transitions made down the ancestral line illustrated in fig2 b . here , john tues &# 39 ; s icon 210 is replaced in the docking port 202 with his daughter &# 39 ; s icon 260 b representing jamie tues . in turn , jamie tues &# 39 ; s spouse , charles gray , has his icon 255 placed in the spouse field below jaime tues &# 39 ; s icon 260 b . the icons 267 for the children of jamie and charles may be imported into the child fields , and the ancestral line of the mary zucker ( icon 25 ) may be included in the display 200 . as before , this transition may occur as a continuous , seamless animation such that the relationships between each of the records may be visually maintained . as stated earlier , there exists many ways to effect a transition between records . given the increasing prevalence and quality of mobile touch - screen devices , the portable touch - screen interface may become of increasing importance to genealogical research . consequently , in the future the use of finger gestures in conjunction with a touch screen may become an increasingly important means for transitioning between various genealogical records . fig3 a depicts the display of a portion of a genealogical chart on a touch - screen device 301 . the genealogical records displayed on the touch - screen 300 correspond to the display group 270 from fig2 a . accordingly , the icon 210 of john tues occupies the docking port 202 . note that in the display , the docking port 202 is not visible to a user . in this embodiment , the docking port 202 is simply an area on the screen wherein the genealogical record of focus will generally reside , in this case icon 210 . although this embodiment depicts a touch - screen device 301 that resembles an iphone ® or ipad ®, any touch - screen device may be used with various embodiments . in order to navigate around the genealogical chart and reveal genealogical records that are not currently depicted on the touch - screen display 300 , the touch - screen 300 may accept finger gestures received via the touch - screen 300 as user commands . specifically , finger gestures may be accepted that contain directional information . the directional information from the gesture may be correlated with the directions of the various ancestral , sibling , and / or progeny lines of the genealogical records being displayed . depending on the location , direction , and velocity of the finger gesture on the touch - screen display 300 , it may be determined that the gesture corresponds to a command to transition the genealogical records in a corresponding direction . fig3 b illustrates various examples of finger gestures that could be accepted from the touch - screen 300 . specifically , the display group 270 is depicted on the screen with three types of finger gestures . generally , there are a number of different types of finger gestures that may be used to pan a display . the most common are the scroll ( or drag ) and the swipe ( or fling ). the scroll / drag gesture occurs when a user places a finger in a first location on the touch - screen 300 and drags it to a second location while maintaining contact with the touch - screen 300 before , during , and after the drag . the measurements that are of consequence during a scroll / drag are the starting and ending locations . from these , the display may be moved a proportional distance on the touch - screen 300 . in contrast , a swipe / fling gesture corresponds to a user dragging a finger across the touch - screen 300 at or above a certain velocity and then lifting the finger from the touch - screen 300 at the end of the gesture . the measurements of interest in a swipe / fling are the starting and ending locations and the velocity of the gesture . from these , the display can be “ flung ” on the touch - screen farther than the proportional distance between the starting and ending points of the gesture . various embodiments may use these two types of finger gestures interchangeably to pan the display of the genealogical charts . it is important to note that various embodiments of this invention may use many different types of finger gestures . some embodiments may also use various different methods of deriving a directional component from a finger gesture and correlating the derived direction with a direction of a familial line in the genealogical chart . the appended figures show only a few examples of the possible gestures and how they may be analyzed to navigate around a genealogical chart . it will be understood in light of this disclosure that these examples are not limiting , but are instead one way of implementing this invention . therefore , the details provided below are described only to provide an enabling disclosure , and are thus only illustrative . for example , many different graphical arrangements of genealogical records on the touch screen 300 are possible , which could result in many different directional possibilities . also , many different types of gestures and inputs could be accepted and mapped as directional navigation commands . consequently , the left and right swipes described below could be replaced by other directions and gestures , and the graphical layout of the genealogical charts could be replaced with other layouts with multiple directional possibilities . in one example , shown in fig3 b there are at least three directions that the display may be panned . the first direction is towards additional progeny information towards the left side of the touch - screen 300 using a right swipe 310 . any swipe with a vector angle of between about 0 ° and 90 °, and between 270 ° and 360 ° would qualify as a right swipe 310 . in other words , any swipe with a horizontal component towards the right side of the touch - screen 300 could be considered the right swipe 310 . also , a fling , scroll , or drag gesture as described above , or any other directional finger gesture with a rightward component , could be considered the right swipe 310 . the magnitude of the vectors 312 , 314 , and 316 emanating from the right swipe 310 have been drawn to be graphically proportional to the resulting magnitude of the rightward horizontal component of a swipe in that direction . for example , vector 312 is the longest because substantially all of the magnitude of a rightward swipe will translate into the horizontal component . therefore , a swipe that is substantially in the rightward direction will result in a motion on the touch - screen that is proportional to the overall swipe magnitude . in contrast , a swipe in the direction of vector 316 would have a relatively small horizontal component , and the resulting rightward magnitude would be small compared to that of vector 312 . again , this is merely an illustrative example illustrating only navigation in a purely horizontal direction to the left . other configurations may incorporate both the horizontal and vertical components of the swipe motion . when a right swipe 310 with sufficient velocity and / or distance has been detected , the display 200 that is displayed on the touch - screen 300 may add and / or remove genealogical records according to the direction of the swipe . for the right swipe 310 , the display may add the cached display group 280 a , comprised of the children of john tues ( icons 260 a - 260 d ). additionally , icons 230 a - 230 d displaying the grandparents of john tues could be removed from the display . following the right swipe 310 , the display group 270 could resemble the display group 270 in fig2 b . in some embodiments , the transition could be a seamless animation that visually preserves the connecting relationship information . also , the grandparent records in icons 230 a - 230 d could be shifted into a cached display group , and the next generational level in the progeny of john tues could be shifted into the cached display group 280 a . the left swipes 320 and 330 in fig3 b illustrate a more complex example of extracting directional swipe information for multiple ancestral lines extending off the touch - screen 300 . in the embodiment shown , there are two familial lines that extend off of the right side of the touch screen 300 : the paternal family line , and the maternal family line . because these extend off of the right side of the screen rather than the top or bottom , the leftward horizontal motion vectors from a finger gesture may be extracted in the same manner as they were in the case of the right swipe 310 . in order to determine whether the paternal or maternal family lines are followed , the starting point of the swipe may be determinative . for example , the touch - screen may be divided into two vertical sections by line 350 . if the left swipe 330 begins above line 350 , then the paternal line through ralph tues jr . in icon 230 a may be followed , cached display group 280 b comprising icons 240 a - 240 d may be imported into the display group 270 , and john tues and his siblings in icons 265 a - 265 c may be shifted into cached display group 280 a . on the other hand , if the left swipe 320 begins below line 350 , then the maternal line through jamie jesperson in icon 230 b may be followed , cached display group 280 c comprising icons 240 e - 240 h may be imported into the display group 270 , and john tues and his siblings in icons 265 a - 265 c may be shifted into cached display group 280 a . using the line 350 in the center of the screen to distinguish between a finger gesture intended to follow either the paternal or maternal line is only one method of extracting directional information from a gesture and correlating it with a familial line . in other embodiments , the horizontal and vertical components may be used to determine a direction . for example , a substantially diagonal gesture aimed towards the top right side of the screen could follow the paternal line , while a substantially horizontal gesture towards the right side of the touch screen 300 could follow both the maternal and paternal lines and incorporate all of the grandparent icons 230 into the display 200 . it will be understood in light of this disclosure that a gesture may be accepted in any direction , and that the genealogical chart may extend off of the touch screen 300 in any direction . this may include diagonal and vertical orientations that represent complex familial and legal relationships between genealogical records . it will also be understood that the terms “ left ”, “ right ”, “ top ”, “ bottom ”, “ above ”, and “ below ” are all relative and used to describe the touch screen 300 orientation in fig3 b . as the touch - screen device 301 is rotated or the layout of the display 270 is changed , the relative motions and directions may change as well . fig4 a illustrates one of many alternative configurations for the display 200 on the touch - screen 300 . in this embodiment , the display 200 on the touch - screen 300 is divided by a vertical separator 410 . both progeny line icons 260 and ancestral icons 230 are displayed together . progeny icon 260 b designated as the progeny line to follow if the touch - screen accepts a directional finger gesture correlated with leftward navigation through the genealogical chart . the designated progeny icon 260 b may be highlighted by color , border , graphic , and / or the like . however , in this configuration , finger gestures can also be used to move the progeny icons 260 up and down in order to select amongst the different children &# 39 ; s lines . various other commands and gestures can be used in combination with directional navigation commands to increase the responsiveness and functionality of the interface . fig4 b illustrates a subset of the possible finger gestures that may be used to manipulate and navigate the genealogical chart that from fig4 a . in this embodiment , directional swipe 420 may be used to navigate the display to both the left and the right . as before , the horizontal component of the directional swipe 420 may be extracted and used to determine the direction of the navigation . although not shown in this embodiment , a vertical component could also be used if there were familial lines that extended vertically off of the touch - screen 300 . of importance here is the starting point of the swipe gesture . if the starting point of the swipe is to the right of the dividing line 410 ( like directional swipe 420 ) then the any swipe that is substantially non - vertical may have the horizontal components mapped to a horizontal navigation through the genealogical chart . however , if the starting point of directional swipe , such as swipes 430 and 440 , is located on the left side of the vertical separator 410 , then the vertical components may also be considered . in the embodiment shown in fig4 b , a critical angle 450 may be used to determine whether a swipe gesture beginning to the left of the vertical separator 410 should be considered a horizontal navigation command , or a vertical command to scroll up and down through the progeny icons 260 . for example , directional swipe 440 includes only swipes that are less than the critical angle 450 ( about 45 °) and therefore the horizontal components of the directional swipe 440 could be used as a horizontal navigation command . on the other hand , directional swipe 430 includes swipes that begin to the left of the vertical separator 410 that are greater than the critical angle 450 . here , the vertical component of the directional swipe 430 may be used as a scrolling command to move the progeny icons 260 up and down . additionally , the touch screen 300 may include various navigational buttons . these might include a back button 460 and a forward button 470 . if a back button 460 command were accepted , then the display could revert back to a previous version . after one or more back button 460 commands , a forward button 470 command could revert back to the previous version of the display prior to the last back button 460 command . the embodiments in fig3 and fig4 are merely illustrative . other embodiments may combine elements of these configurations to capture diagonal and vertical navigation in all directions . they could also include many different graphical representations and arrangements of genealogical charts . fig5 illustrates a flowchart 500 for using touch - screen finger gestures to navigate through a genealogical chart . at process block 510 , a first genealogical record may be selected from a plurality of genealogical records stored in a memory of a computer system . the first genealogical record may be selected by any input means on a touch - screen device , the means including a finger gesture , a finger tap , a keyboard input , a voice input , and / or another software process . based on the selected first record , a set of familial records that are related to the first record along familial lines may be selected from the plurality of genealogical records . in some embodiments , this would preclude parallel relationships such as cousins , aunts , and uncles , while other embodiments may include such records . from these familial records , process block 520 may create a display group made up of at least the selected record and the most immediate familial records along one or more of the familial lines extending from the selected record . in one embodiment , the display group may comprise maternal and paternal family lines extending two generations to include the selected record &# 39 ; s grandparents . another embodiment also includes a progeny line including the selected record &# 39 ; s children . the size of the display group may be determined statically based on a user input or saved target number , or it may be sized dynamically according to the techniques described elsewhere in this disclosure . in process block 530 , a second display group may be determined to include at least the next familial record in each of the familial lines in the first display group . this second display group may be created so that the display information for these records , i . e ., the display icons and connecting relationships , may be prepared and possibly stored in a low - latency cache memory . in process block 540 , the icons for the first display group may be displayed on the touch screen device . in one embodiment , the selected first record may occupy a docking field in the display that focuses the display on the selected first record and causes the rest of the icons in the display group to be positioned relative to the docking field according to familial relationships . in process block 550 , a finger gesture on the touch screen device may be received , and a direction of the finger gesture may be determined . the direction may be based on the direction of the gesture , the directional vector components of the gesture , the velocity of the gesture , the stating and / or ending points of the gesture , and / or the like . in process block 560 , the direction of the gesture may be matched with a direction associated with one of the familial lines in the first display group . for example , in one embodiment , a finger gesture direction oriented to the upper right - hand corner of the touch screen may be matched , associated , or correlated with the direction of the paternal line of the first selected record . after the direction is matched , the records in the second , or cached , display group may be associated with the display group in process block 570 . this need not involve the actual movement of data between various memory locations , but rather it may include only conceptually including certain records from the second display group in the display group . for example , all the records in the display group and the second display group may be stored in the same contiguous cache memory block . on the other hand , the two display groups may occupy separate blocks in separated memories , such as a processor cache or register bank , and a level i memory cache . in process block 580 , the actual display may be panned along the familial line designated by the direction of the finger gesture . the pan of the display may be as a continuous animation that appears seamless to a user without a noticeable refreshing or reloading of the touch - screen contents . the pan of the display may also cause any visible relationship indicators to persist throughout the animation such that a user may be able to continuously view the relationship during the transition . for example , a line connecting the selected record &# 39 ; s father to its grandfather may alter its route while maintaining the connection after a finger gesture in the direction of the paternal familial line . thus , the connection line would always connect the father and grandfather as the father &# 39 ; s icon was repositioned in the docking field and the great - grandparent &# 39 ; s icons were shifted into the display . finally , in process block 590 , the display groups may be updated such that records in certain family lines may move from the display group to the second display group , and certain records that were not stored in either the display group or the second display group may be included therein . this may allow a touch - screen device to rapidly accept finger gestures to pan the display back and forth along various familial lines without a visibly noticeable delay in displaying records that were previously off the screen . fig6 provides a schematic illustration of one embodiment of a computer system 600 that can perform the methods of the invention , as described herein . it should be noted that fig6 is meant only to provide a generalized illustration of various components , any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate . fig6 , therefore , broadly illustrates how individual system elements may be implemented in a relatively separated or relatively more integrated manner . the computer system 600 is shown comprising hardware elements that can be electrically coupled via a bus 605 ( or may otherwise be in communication , as appropriate ). the hardware elements can include one or more processors 610 , including without limitation , one or more general purpose processors and / or one or more special purpose processors ( such as digital signal processing chips , math co - processors , floating - point units , graphics acceleration chips , and / or the like ); one or more input devices 615 , which may include without limitation a mouse , a keyboard and / or the like ; and one or more output devices 620 , which can include without limitation a display device , a printer , multi - touch ( e . g ., apple ™ iphone , apple ™ ipad , microsoft ™ surface ™, etc .) and / or the like . the computer system 600 may further include ( and / or be in communication with ) one or more storage devices 625 , which can comprise , without limitation , local and / or network accessible storage and / or can include , without limitation , a disk drive , a drive array , an optical storage device , a solid state storage device such as a random access memory (“ ram ”) and / or a read - only memory (“ rom ”), which can be programmable , flash updateable and / or the like . the computer system 600 might also include a communications subsystem 630 , which can include without limitation a modem , a network card ( wireless or wired ), an infrared communication device , a wireless communication device and / or chipset ( such as a bluetooth ™ device , an 902 . 11 device , a wifi device , a wimax device , cellular communication facilities , etc . ), and / or the like . the communications subsystem 630 may permit data to be exchanged with a network ( such as the network described below , to name one example ), and / or any other devices described herein . in many embodiments , the computer system 600 will further comprise a working memory 635 , which can include a ram or rom device ( as described above ), a cache memory , registers , and / or the like . the computer system 600 also can comprise software elements , shown as being currently located within the working memory 635 , including an operating system 640 and / or other code , such as one or more application programs 645 , which may comprise computer programs of the invention , and / or may be designed to implement methods of the invention and / or configure systems of the invention , as described herein . merely by way of example , one or more procedures described with respect to the method ( s ) discussed above might be implemented as code and / or instructions executable by a computer ( and / or a processor within a computer ). a set of these instructions and / or codes might be stored on a computer - readable storage medium , such as the storage device ( s ) 625 described above . in some cases , the storage medium might be incorporated within a computer system , such as the system 600 . in other embodiments , the storage medium might be separate from a computer system ( i . e ., a removable medium , such as a compact disc , etc . ), and is provided in an installation package , such that the storage medium can be used to program a general purpose computer with the instructions / code stored thereon . these instructions might take the form of executable code , which is executable by the computer system 600 and / or might take the form of source and / or installable code , which , upon compilation and / or installation on the computer system 600 ( e . g ., using any of a variety of generally available compilers , installation programs , compression / decompression utilities , etc . ), then takes the form of executable code . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that substantial variations may be made in accordance with specific requirements . for example , customized hardware might also be used , and / or particular elements might be implemented in hardware , software ( including portable software , such as applets , etc . ), or both . further , connection to other computing devices such as network input / output devices may be employed . in one aspect , the invention employs a computer system ( such as the computer system 600 ) to perform methods of the invention . according to a set of embodiments , some or all of the procedures of such methods are performed by the computer system 600 in response to processor ( s ) 610 executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions ( which might be incorporated into the operating system 640 and / or other code , such as an application program 645 ) contained in the working memory 635 . such instructions may be read into the working memory 635 from another machine - readable medium , such as one or more of the storage device ( s ) 625 . merely by way of example , execution of the sequences of instructions contained in the working memory 635 might cause the processor ( s ) 610 to perform one or more procedures of the methods described herein . the terms “ machine - readable medium ” and “ computer readable medium ,” as used herein , refer to any medium that participates in providing data that causes a machine to operate in a specific fashion . in an embodiment implemented using the computer system 600 , various machine - readable media might be involved in providing instructions / code to processor ( s ) 610 for execution and / or might be used to store and / or carry such instructions / code ( e . g ., as signals ). in many implementations , a computer - readable medium is a physical and / or tangible storage medium . such a medium may take many forms , including but not limited to , non - volatile media , volatile media , and transmission media . non - volatile media may include , for example , optical or magnetic disks , such as the storage device ( s ) 625 . volatile media may include , without limitation , dynamic memory , such as the working memory 635 . transmission media may include coaxial cables , copper wire and fiber optics , including the wires that comprise the bus 605 , as well as the various components of the communications subsystem 630 ( and / or the media by which the communications subsystem 630 provides communication with other devices ). hence , transmission media can also take the form of waves ( including without limitation radio , acoustic and / or light waves , such as those generated during radio wave and infrared data communications ). common forms of physical and / or tangible computer - readable media include , for example , a floppy disk , a flexible disk , a hard disk , magnetic tape , or any other magnetic medium , a cd - rom , any other optical medium , punchcards , papertape , any other physical medium with patterns of holes , a ram , a prom , an eprom , a flash - eprom , any other memory chip or cartridge , a carrier wave as described hereinafter , or any other medium from which a computer can read instructions and / or code . various forms of machine - readable media may be involved in carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions to the processor ( s ) 610 for execution . merely by way of example , the instructions may initially be carried on a magnetic disk and / or optical disc of a remote computer . a remote computer might load the instructions into its dynamic memory and send the instructions as signals over a transmission medium to be received and / or executed by the computer system 600 . these signals , which might be in the form of electromagnetic signals , acoustic signals , optical signals and / and / or the like , are all examples of carrier waves on which instructions can be encoded , in accordance with various embodiments of the invention . the communications subsystem 630 ( and / or components thereof ) generally will receive the signals , and the bus 605 then might carry the signals ( and / or the data , instructions , etc ., carried by the signals ) to the working memory 635 , from which the processor ( s ) 610 retrieves and executes the instructions . the instructions received by the working memory 635 may optionally be stored on a storage device 625 either before or after execution by the processor ( s ) 610 . merely by way of example , fig7 illustrates a schematic diagram of a system 700 that can be used in accordance with one set of embodiments . the system 700 can include one or more user computers 705 . the user computers 705 can be general purpose personal computers ( including , merely by way of example , personal computers , tablet computers , and / or laptop computers running any appropriate flavor of microsoft corp .&# 39 ; s windows ™ and / or apple corp .&# 39 ; s macintosh ™ operating systems ) and / or workstation computers running any of a variety of commercially available unix ™ or unix - like operating systems . these user computers 705 can also have any of a variety of applications , including one or more applications configured to perform methods of the invention , as well as one or more office applications , database client and / or server applications , and web browser applications . alternatively , the user computers 705 can be any other electronic device , such as a thin - client computer , internet - enabled mobile telephone , smart phone , cellular phone , digital music player , and / or personal digital assistant ( pda ), capable of communicating via a network ( e . g ., the network 710 described below ) and / or displaying and navigating web pages or other types of electronic documents . although the exemplary system 700 is shown with three user computers 705 , any number of user computers can be supported . certain embodiments of the invention operate in a networked environment , which can include a network 710 . the network 710 can be any type of network familiar to those skilled in the art that can support data communications using any of a variety of commercially available protocols , including without limitation tcp / ip , sna , ipx , appletalk , and the like . merely by way of example , the network 710 can be a local area network (“ lan ”), including without limitation an ethernet network , a token - ring network and / or the like ; a wide - area network ( wan ); a virtual network , including without limitation a virtual private network (“ vpn ”); the internet ; an intranet ; an extranet ; a public switched telephone network (“ pstn ”); an infrared network ; a wireless network , including without limitation a network operating under any of the ieee 802 . 11 suite of protocols , the bluetooth ™ protocol known in the art , and / or any other wireless protocol ; and / or any combination of these and / or other networks . embodiments of the invention can include one or more server computers 715 . each of the server computers 715 may be configured with an operating system , including without limitation any of those discussed above , as well as any commercially ( or freely ) available server operating systems . each of the servers 715 may also be running one or more applications , which can be configured to provide services to one or more clients 705 and / or other servers 715 . merely by way of example , one of the servers 715 may be a web server , which can be used , merely by way of example , to process requests for web pages or other electronic documents from user computers 705 . the web server can also run a variety of server applications , including http servers , ftp servers , cgi servers , database servers , java tm servers , and the like . in some embodiments of the invention , the web server may be configured to serve web pages that can be operated within a web browser on one or more of the user computers 705 to perform methods of the invention . the server computers 715 , in some embodiments , might include one or more application servers , which can include one or more applications accessible by a client running on one or more of the client computers 705 and / or other servers 715 . merely by way of example , the server ( s ) 715 can be one or more general purpose computers capable of executing programs or scripts in response to the user computers 705 and / or other servers 715 , including without limitation web applications ( which might , in some cases , be configured to perform methods of the invention ). merely by way of example , a web application can be implemented as one or more scripts or programs written in any suitable programming language , such as java ™, c , c #™ or c ++, and / or any scripting language , such as perl , python , ruby , or tcl , as well as combinations of any programming / scripting languages . the application server ( s ) can also include database servers , including without limitation those commercially available from oracle ™, microsoft ™, sybase ™, ibm ™ and the like , which can process requests from clients ( including , depending on the configuration , database clients , api clients , web browsers , etc .) running on a user computer 705 and / or another server 715 . in some embodiments , an application server can create web pages dynamically for displaying the information in accordance with embodiments of the invention . data provided by an application server may be formatted as web pages ( comprising html , javascript , etc ., for example ) and / or may be forwarded to a user computer 705 via a web server ( as described above , for example ). similarly , a web server might receive web page requests and / or input data from a user computer 705 and / or forward the web page requests and / or input data to an application server . in some cases a web server may be integrated with an application server . in accordance with further embodiments , one or more servers 715 can function as a file server and / or can include one or more of the files ( e . g ., application code , data files , etc .) necessary to implement methods of the invention incorporated by an application running on a user computer 705 and / or another server 715 . alternatively , as those skilled in the art will appreciate , a file server can include all necessary files , allowing such an application to be invoked remotely by a user computer 705 and / or server 715 . it should be noted that the functions described with respect to various servers herein ( e . g ., application server , database server , web server , file server , etc .) can be performed by a single server and / or a plurality of specialized servers , depending on implementation - specific needs and parameters . in certain embodiments , the system can include one or more databases 720 . the location of the database ( s ) 720 is discretionary . merely by way of example , a database 720 a might reside on a storage medium local to ( and / or resident in ) a server 715 a ( and / or a user computer 705 ). alternatively , a database 720 b can be remote from any or all of the computers 705 , 715 , so long as the database can be in communication ( e . g ., via the network 710 ) with one or more of these . in a particular set of embodiments , a database 720 can reside in a storage - area network (“ san ”) familiar to those skilled in the art . ( likewise , any necessary files for performing the functions attributed to the computers 705 , 715 can be stored locally on the respective computer and / or remotely , as appropriate .) in one set of embodiments , the database 720 can be a relational database , such as an oracle ™ database , that is adapted to store , update , and retrieve data in response to sql - formatted commands . the database might be controlled and / or maintained by a database server , as described above , for example . it should be noted that the methods , systems , and devices discussed above are intended merely to be examples . it must be stressed that various embodiments may omit , substitute , or add various procedures or components as appropriate . for instance , it should be appreciated that , in alternative embodiments , the methods may be performed in an order different from that described , and that various steps may be added , omitted , or combined . also , features described with respect to certain embodiments may be combined in various other embodiments . different aspects and elements of the embodiments may be combined in a similar manner . also , it should be emphasized that technology evolves and , thus , many of the elements are examples and should not be interpreted to limit the scope of the invention . specific details are given in the description to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments . however , it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details . for example , well - known circuits , processes , algorithms , structures , and techniques have been shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments . this description provides example embodiments only , and is not intended to limit the scope , applicability , or configuration of the invention . rather , the preceding description of the embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing embodiments of the invention . various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . also , it is noted that the embodiments may be described as a process that is depicted as a flow diagram or block diagram . although each may describe the operations as a sequential process , many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently . in addition , the order of the operations may be rearranged . a process may have additional steps not included in the figure . furthermore , embodiments of the methods may be implemented by hardware , software , firmware , middleware , microcode , hardware description languages , or any combination thereof . when implemented in software , firmware , middleware , or microcode , the program code or code segments to perform the necessary tasks may be stored in a computer - readable medium such as a storage medium . processors may perform the necessary tasks . having described several embodiments , it will be recognized by those of skill in the art that various modifications , alternative constructions , and equivalents may be used without departing from the spirit of the invention . for example , the above elements may merely be a component of a larger system , wherein other rules may take precedence over or otherwise modify the application of the invention . also , a number of steps may be undertaken before , during , or after the above elements are considered . accordingly , the above description should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention . | 6 |
the electron microscope and the observation method according to an embodiment will be explained with reference to fig1 to 7 . fig1 and 2 are schematic diagrams illustrating the structure of the electron microscope according to the present embodiment . fig3 is a graph of an energy loss spectrum of the electron beams transmitted through a sample . fig4 is a graph of relationships between the thickness of the sample and the electron energy of the electron beams transmitted through the sample . fig5 a and 5b are graphs of energy loss spectrum with and without a voltage corresponding to a lost energy to the acceleration voltage . fig6 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a model of the sample to be measured . fig7 a and 7b are diagrammatic views illustrating examples of the measurement of the sample of fig6 . first , the structure of the electron microscope according to the present embodiment will be explained with reference to fig1 and 2 . as illustrated in fig1 , a tube 10 forming an electron beam optical system includes , for example , an electron gun 12 for generating electron beam , an acceleration voltage controller 14 for controlling the acceleration voltage of the electron beam generated by the electron gun , a convergent lens system controller 16 for converging the electron beam to apply the electron beam to a sample , a scanning lens controller 18 for scanning the electron beam to be applied to the sample , an image formation lens system controller 20 for controlling the image formation lens system for forming an image of the electron beam transmitted through the sample , a sample table controller 22 for controlling the position of the sample with respect to the electron beam , and an electric prism 24 for dispersing the electron beam transmitted through the sample corresponding to energies thereof . the convergent lens system controller 16 and the image forming lens system controller 20 may be connected to an input device for lens system control 26 for inputting information for controlling the respective lens systems . the sample table controller 22 may be connected to an input device for sample table control 28 for inputting information for controlling the sample table . on the output side of the electric prism 24 , a detector 32 , such as a ccd camera , an stem detector or others , is disposed via an energy selective diaphragm 30 . the energy selective diaphragm 30 selectively transmits to the detector 32 the electron beam of energies in a prescribed range , which have passed the electric prism 24 . in this specification , the electric prism 24 and the energy selective diaphragm 30 are called a spectroscope as a whole in some cases . a processor 34 may be connected to the acceleration voltage controller 14 , the energy selective diaphragm 30 and the detector 32 . the processor 34 may function as a controller for controlling the acceleration voltage controller 14 , the convergent lens system controller 16 , the image forming lens system controller 20 , the sample table controller 22 , the energy selective diaphragm 30 , etc . and also as an analyzer for analyzing measured data inputted by the detector 32 . to the processor 34 , an input device 36 for inputting from the outside information necessary for the measurement , etc ., an external storage 38 for storing data base , etc . to be used in the measured data , a display 40 for displaying the analysis results , etc ., and others may be connected . as described above , the electron microscope according to the preset embodiment is an electron microscope basically having the stem function . the electron microscope according to the present embodiment includes the electric prism 24 for spectroscoping the electron beam which have passed a sample , the energy selective diaphragm 30 which selectively transmits electron beam of the electron beam spectroscoped by the electric prism 24 , which are in a prescribed energy range are disposed before the detector 32 . the basic structure of the electron microscope may be stem or tem . in this case , the scanning lens system ( the scanning lens controller 18 , etc .) is unnecessary . next , the observation method using the electron microscope according to the present embodiment will be explained with reference to fig1 and 2 . a sample 42 to be evaluated is prepared and is mounted on the sample table 44 in the tube 10 . in the observation method according to the present embodiment , the sample 42 can have a film thickness of not less than 1 μm , which is acknowledged to be too thick for the measurement of the ordinary tem and stem , e . g ., about 1 . 5 μm . then , the electrons emitted from the electron gun 12 are accelerated by the acceleration voltage controller 14 with the acceleration voltage used in the universal tem or stem , e . g ., 100 - 200 kv to prepare electron beam . to suppress damages to the sample 42 , preferably , the acceleration voltage is not more than about 200 kv , which is used in the universal tem , etc . an acceleration voltage of more than about 200 kv , e . g ., about 1 mv may be also used . next , the position of the sample table 44 is controlled via the input device for sample table control 28 and the sample table controller 22 to adjust the inclination angle and the eucentric of the sample 42 with respect to the electron beam . thus , the conditions that a bright ( dark ) field stem image or a bright ( dark ) field tem image of a concerned region of the sample 42 can be given is prepared . next , the electron beam is applied to the sample 42 . the electron beam transmitted through the sample 42 pass through the electric prism 24 , and an energy loss spectra is given . the electron beam transmitted through the sample 42 have been variously scattered in the sample 42 and have various energies . such electrons are generally called here energy lost electrons . an electric field is applied to the electron beam , whereby the electrons are influenced by the lorenz force and are deflected corresponding to the energies of the respective electrons . that is , the electrons having larger energy losses have large deflection angles , and the electrons having smaller energy losses have smaller deflection angels ( see fig2 ). the device for energy - spectroscoping the electron beam by applying electric field has such principle , which is very similar to the prism which deviates wavelengths of light , and is called an electric prism . fig3 is a graph of one example of the relationships between the electron intensity and the electron energy of the electron beam spectroscoped by the electric prism 24 ( energy loss spectrum ). the horizontal axis indicates the energies given by subtracting lost energies from the incident energy ( acceleration energy ), i . e ., electron energies transmitted through the sample 42 . next , the electron beam which have passed the electric prism 24 is introduced into the energy selective diaphragm 30 ( see fig2 ). the electron beam spectroscoped by the electric prism 24 have larger deflection angles as they have larger energy losses and have smaller deflection angles as they have smaller energy losses . accordingly , a diaphragm having a slit ( the energy selective diaphragm 30 ) at a position corresponding to a prescribed deflection angle is disposed , whereby electron beam of an arbitrary energy can be selectively taken out . then , the electron beam of the arbitrary energies , which have passed the energy selective diaphragm 30 is detected by the detector 32 . the defocus of tem and stem is due to energy shifts , i . e ., chromatic aberration . the defocus can be reduced by narrowing the range of the electron energies contributing to focusing . this effect is more conspicuous in tem than in stem . this is because in tem , even after electrons have passed a sample , magnifying operation is made by multistage lens block , which makes the chromatic aberration influential . when electrons are incident on the support films , the packing materials for increasing the strength of a sample , or the cover films , etc . used in many of the device structures , the electron energy have the correlationships with the film thickness as exemplified in fig4 . that is , the horizontal axis of the spectrum of fig4 is the function of the thickness of a sample . the thickness of a sample here means an intrusion distance of electrons from the sample surface . accordingly , the electron beam of an arbitrary energy band is selected by the energy selective diaphragm 30 , whereby a focus position can be set at an arbitrary depth of a sample . that is , an energy band corresponding to a depth of the sample 42 to be observed is selected by the energy selective diaphragm 30 to make image observation , whereby sharp image which is less defocused at the arbitrary depth of the sample 42 can be obtained . as a sample is thicker , the electrons tend to have interactions , and the intensity of energy lost electrons is increased . accompanying this , electron signals to be applied to the detector of tem or stem are increased , which resultantly is advantageous for the observation and analysis of thick samples . in the universal electron microscope , the lens conditions are designed so that the optical performance of electrons of a specific acceleration energy of , e . g ., 120 kev , 200 kev or others can be given to the max . the acceleration energy is specific to each electron microscope and is called a rated acceleration energy . the rated acceleration energy is , in other words , an acceleration energy which can draw out to the max the optical performance of the electron microscope . accordingly , all the electrons whose lost energy quantity is not zero are not optimum to the lens conditions in terms of the energy . also the energy lost electrons transmitted through a sample can be condensed by a multistage lens . the lens conditions , however , are not optimum , and the resolving power does not reach the resolving power given by the electron beam of the rated acceleration energy . impractically , every time the acceleration energy is changed , the lens conditions are adjusted , which takes time . then , in the observation method according to the present embodiment , a voltage corresponding to a lost energy quantity is supplied to the acceleration energy , whereby optimum lens conditions can be maintained . specifically , an acceleration energy of the electron beam is given by adding a voltage corresponding to a lost energy of the transmitted electron beam so that the electron energy of the transmitted electron beam which have lost an energy corresponding to a depth of an object - to - be - observed becomes the rated acceleration energy of the microscope . for example , in the electron microscope whose rated acceleration voltage is 200 kv , when the electron energy of the transmitted electron beam corresponding to a position - to - be - focused ( an intrusion depth in the sample 42 ) has been lost by 199 . 97 kev ( the electrons have lost the energy by 0 . 03 kev in the sample 42 ) as exemplified in fig5 a ), the energy of 0 . 03 kev corresponding to the loss due to the sample 42 is added to thereby raise the acceleration voltage to 200 . 03 kv . the addition to the acceleration energy here means the energy loss spectrum of fig3 is shifted to the high energy side . thus , the electron energy of the transmitted electron beam corresponding to a position - to - be - focused is 200 . 0 kev as exemplified in fig5 b , and the image observation can be made under the optimum lens conditions for the electron microscope without adjusting the lens system . the energy selective diaphragm 30 at this time may have a selected energy band set so as to pass selectively the electron beam whose lost energy is near zero ( the electron beam whose acceleration energy agrees with the rated acceleration energy of the microscope ). that is , when the structure of the sample 42 is observed depth - wise , the energy band of the electron beam selectively passed by the energy selective diaphragm 30 is set near the rated acceleration energy of the electron microscope , and the acceleration energy of the electron beam is increased by the acceleration voltage controller 14 corresponding to a depth of the sample 42 , which is to be observed . the sample 42 is thus observed , whereby sharp images which are little defocused can be obtained at arbitrary depth of the sample 42 . the focus position in the sample 42 may be controlled by an objective lens . in this case , the lens conditions are not optimum in terms of the energy , the resolving power is inferior to the resolving power given by controlling the acceleration voltage . fig6 is a diagrammatic view illustrating one example of the sample 42 . the sample 42 illustrated in fig6 , includes rectangular parallelepiped structures 52 formed at a position of a depth a , and cylindrical structures 54 formed at a position of a depth b . for the sample illustrated in fig6 , when electron beam 50 is incident , and the acceleration energy of the electron beam is controlled so that the electron energy of the transmitted electron beam corresponding to the depth a becomes a rated acceleration energy of the electron microscope , the image exemplified in fig7 a is given . that is , the image of the sharp images of the structures 52 and the blurred images of the structures 54 overlapping each other can be given . when the acceleration energy of the electron beam is controlled so that the electron energy of the transmitted electron beam corresponding to the depth b becomes the rated acceleration energy of the electron microscope , the image exemplified in fig7 b is given . that is , the image of the sharp image of the structures 54 and the blurred images of the structures 52 overlapping each other can be given . the image processing for extracting the sharp images out of these images is made to thereby separate the depth - wise information of the sample 42 . as described above , according to the present embodiment , the electron beam of an arbitrary energy band are selected to form images , whereby sharp image of the sample , which are less defocused can be given at arbitrary depths - to - be - observed . the acceleration energy of electron beam to be applied to the sample is approximated to the rated acceleration energy of the microscope by increasing the acceleration energy by a lost energy of the electron beam transmitted through the sample , whereby the image observation can be made under optimum lens conditions . thus , sharp images which are less defocused can be given . for example , in the above - described embodiment , the electron beam transmitted through the sample 42 is introduced into the detector 32 via the electric prism 24 and the energy selective diaphragm 30 . however , the electric prism 24 and the energy selective diaphragm 30 are not essential . in stem , in which no magnifying lens is disposed after electron beam has been transmitted by the sample 42 , as is in tem , the chromatic aberration is less influential in comparison with the chromatic aberration in tem . accordingly , even when the electron beam transmitted through the sample 42 are detected directly by the detector 32 , better images than images given by tem can be obtained . in stem as well , an energy band of the electron beam is focused with the electric prism 24 and the energy selective diaphragm 30 as described in the above - described embodiment , whereby the effect of removing blur of images is higher . the electron microscope which does not include the electric prism 24 and the energy selective diaphragm 30 can have the structure exemplified in fig8 . the voltage boost width of the acceleration energy of the electron beam is made small , whereby a shift of the focus position is decreased . the focus position is thus shifted continuously to thereby obtain slice images of different thicknesses under the respective conditions , and the slice images are subjected to inter - computation by known techniques to thereby obtain three dimensional images . the above - described embodiment has been explained by means of a thick sample of an above 1 μm - thickness . however , the observation method according to the embodiment is applicable to the measurement of not more than about 0 . 3 μm thickness - samples , which are used in the ordinary tem and stem . when a sample is so thin , the probability of the energy loss lowers , and in comparison with thick samples , the energy dispersion width becomes smaller with respect to an energy selected width . the observation method according to the embodiment is applied to such case , whereby focusing is enabled at all thicknesses . electrons tend to lose energy as a sample is thicker , but a small number of electrons do not lose energy for a thickness of , e . g ., not more than 0 . 3 μm . when a selected energy value is the rated 200 kv , focusing can be made in all regions from the sample surface to the underside . the signal - to - noise ( s / n ) ratio is better toward the surface and worse toward the underside . similarly , when the energy other than 200 kev is selected , focusing can be made in all regions . the selected energy is varied , whereby the maximum value of the s / n ratio can be controlled depth - wise . when a sample has a thickness of not less than 1 μm , the energy dispersion width becomes sufficiently large with respect to a selected energy width , whereby focusing may not be made in a sample anywhere . all examples and conditional language recited herein are intended for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the invention and the concepts contributed by the inventor to furthering the art , and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions , nor does the organization of such examples in the specification relate to a showing of the superiority and inferiority of the invention . although the embodiments of the present inventions have been described in detail , it should be understood that the various changes , substitutions , and alterations could be made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 7 |
reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention , one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings . each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention , not limitation of the invention . in fact , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention . for instance , features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment . thus , it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents . reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the subject home occupancy detection switches . referring now to the drawings , fig1 illustrates an exemplary occupancy detecting and power conservation system 100 in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter . as illustrated , the present subject matter addresses power conservation goals by providing methods and devices for detecting when individuals enter or leave a home 102 . in an exemplary configuration , when and individual leaves a home 102 , for example , by driving away in a vehicle 104 , equipment that may already be installed in vehicle 104 may be employed to determine occupancy information . for example , signals transmitted from a bluetooth enable audio system 106 installed in vehicle 104 may be employed to provide occupancy information . this occupancy information may then be used to control devices within or proximate home 102 including , without limitation , appliances , lights , hvac systems , and other power consuming equipment . in an exemplary configuration , a detected absence from home 102 may resulting in changes including adjustments in hvac thermostat temperature settings as well as the turning off of certain lighting devices . it should be appreciated that alternative changes may be made upon detecting that an individual has entered home 102 after being away . for example , the present technology may also be used to automatically turn on lighting or to adjust the thermostat settings of an hvac system upon detecting home occupancy following a period where home 102 has remained unoccupied . with further respect to fig1 , in accordance with present technology , any bluetooth device , representatively bluetooth device 106 installed in vehicle 104 , may be detected by , for example , a utility meter 108 associated with home 102 . as previously noted , such bluetooth device 106 may correspond to a bluetooth enabled audio system installed in vehicle 104 . alternatively , the bluetooth device may correspond to other bluetooth enabled devices that may be carried by an individual and would normally be removed from the area of home 102 with the departure of the individual . in accordance with present technology , utility meter 108 may be associated with and in communications with additional unillustrated equipment within home 102 to provide switching functions for various controllable devices associated with home 102 . alternatively , switching equipment may be provided as an operational feature of utility meter 108 itself . such equipment may correspond to a centralized control device , for example , an energy service interface ( esi ), as a portion of a home area network that may employ yet additional equipment to control energy consumption of various energy consuming devices via power line control using the home wiring for communications with a controllable switch , for example , or by separate direct wiring or by wireless control . in such instances the meter may function as the esi and , upon receipt of occupancy signals , generate control programming to adjust operations of home devices . controlled devices may include , without limitation , lighting , hvac systems , entertainment equipment including such as radios , televisions , tape and cd players , electronic games , and other such energy consuming equipment . in particular , emphasis may be directed to controlling operation of energy consuming devices that may , for energy conservation considerations , be turned off or at least controlled to lower energy consumption levels when home 102 is unoccupied or differently occupied . it should be recognized that there are many methods to deliver the messages between the meter and the devices to be controlled . these networks may include proprietary networks and protocols , or standards based methods . for example , home automation networks based on x10 , sub ghz radios , power line carrier , ethernet , or similar types of networks may be deployed . smart energy profile ( sep ) is another possible network . sep can be deployed in the meters , and load control devices . a signal would be passed to the meter that the home appliances should be put in low power mode . the meter would then generate a demand response / load control event , which then is passed to the appliances , hvac , or pool pump . with further reverence to fig1 , it will be seen that additional sensor devices may be incorporated within the present technology as further mechanisms for occupancy detection . for example , infrared sensors 112 , 114 may detect the presence of a vehicle at a particular location , for example , parked in a particular driveway or garage location as illustrated by sensor 112 or in front of home 102 as illustrated by sensor 114 . these sensors may include transmitter components to wireless transmit a signal to utility meter 108 that may then be passed to additional control equipment within home 102 either by wired or wireless communications techniques , to control selected energy consuming devices . alternatively , sensors 112 , 114 may be coupled to utility meter 108 by wired connections or , alternatively yet , may communicate with utility meter 108 via associated separate means including wired and wireless communications methodologies . with reference to fig2 , a number of additional occupancy detection devices 200 may also be used in combination with or without vehicle related devices to determine occupancy of a home . such devices may include , without limitation , a keychain device 204 , a smart phone 210 or any phone with bluetooth capability , and a bluetooth headset 212 . similarly , devices employing other technologies such as , without limitation , rfid technologies may also be used to establish occupancy of a home or a particular area within a home or other structure where it may be desirable to control energy usage based on occupancy . such devices may include , without limitation , an identification card 206 as might be issued to an individual as a work id badge or a parking pass that provides access authorization for a holder to an area or building . key chain device 204 may , instead of the previously mentioned bluetooth capability , be configured to employ rfid technology . in such instance , home occupancy might be detected as an individual hangs the key chain device on a hook proximate an rfid sensor . in a residential environment , such devices may correspond to an rfid chip embedded under the skin of a family pet 208 . such rfid chips are commonly used to identify the owner of a lost pet . rfid pet tags may be employed with the present technology to determine when a pet enters and leaves a home by incorporating an animal door rfid reader in association with a pet door 202 . detection of a pet entering or leaving home 102 may be employed within the present technology to address concerns such as lighting and providing food or water for the pet . in certain embodiments of the present technology , there may be additional potential to identify a particular individual &# 39 ; s presence and to provided for selective control of energy usage device based on such an identification . for example , with reference again to fig1 , a particular individual may normally park their vehicle in a driveway such that the vehicle may be detected by infrared detector 112 . another individual may normally park their vehicle on the street in front of home 102 . such individual may also be identified via the signal from sensor 114 . in such embodiments , diverse energy consumption functionality may be activated depending on which one or both of the individuals identified are present , or have recently arrived at or departed from home 102 . in accordance with still further embodiments of the present technology , pushbutton switches 116 , 118 may be provided at entry points of home 102 which may be operated by an individual entering or leaving home 102 . in this embodiment , different pre - programmed energy controlling operations may be initiated based on identification of which switch 116 , 118 is operated . in some embodiments of the present technology , switches 116 , 118 may correspond to switches that may already be present at the home or installed with alternative primary goals . for example , switches 116 , 118 may correspond to a separately purposed keypad type switch normally used for entry access to the home . in these instances , proper activation of the keypad switches to gain access to the home may also provide a signal to utility meter 108 indicative of occupancy . in this embodiment also , as well as the other embodiments of the present technology disclosed herein , additional condition signals may be employed so that the equipment associated with utility meter 108 may intelligently decide or select from different operational options . to this end , energy controlling functions , in addition to being based on occupancy , may also be based on such conditions as time of day , outside and / or inside temperature , meteorological conditions including without limitation , light levels , the presence of rain , wind , or other adverse conditions , and other conditions extending to such as season of the year and day of week . further still , alternative energy controlling functions may be initiated upon detection of entrance or exit of an individual from a home while the home remains occupied . for example , the system , in accordance with present technology , may keep track of the number of individuals within home 102 and adjust responses accordingly . in other embodiments , the individual identified by id card 206 of fig2 may be uniquely identified while in other instances one pet 208 may be differentiated from a second pet so that individualized operation of energy consuming devices may be provided . this written description uses examples to disclose the invention , including the best mode , and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention , including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods . the patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims , and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art . such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims , or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims . | 6 |
a simplified three - dimensional sectional view of a single - chamber apparatus of the present invention for precision cleaning and drying of flat objects , such as semiconductor substrates , is shown in fig1 . fig2 is a three - dimensional view of the rear side of the apparatus with the showerhead removed , illustrating external and internal parts of the mechanism for rotating the wafer - driving rollers . although the invention relates more specifically to a mechanism for precision drying , it would be useful first to describe the single - chamber cleaning and drying apparatus of the invention as a whole with all the driving , loading , and unloading mechanisms , as well as other mechanisms and devices , which , in general , have been described in earlier pending u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 490 , 950 , filed jul . 24 , 2006 , and which are almost entirely incorporated into the apparatus of the present invention . the apparatus , which as a whole is designated by reference numeral 10 , is shown in fig1 with a drying - fluid unit ( which is described later ) removed from the top of the apparatus for simplicity in the drawing . fig1 is a simplified three - dimensional view of the apparatus 10 , which shows the mechanical driving mechanisms of the apparatus . more specifically , the apparatus 10 contains a driving mechanism 20 of the invention for rotating wafer - driving rollers 52 , 58 , and 60 . the mechanism 20 is either attached to or is formed on the rear wall 25 of a cleaning - drying chamber 29 ( fig1 and 2 ) that has a through - closable slot 24 in its side wall 26 for insertion of a flat round object , e . g ., a semiconductor wafer w , into the cleaning - drying chamber 29 . a wafer w can be inserted into the cleaning - drying chamber 29 or removed therefrom in a conventional manner , e . g ., by means of an end effector on the mechanical arm of an industrial robot ( not shown ), which can be inserted into a closable slot 24 . a mechanism for closing the slot 24 is not shown . the apparatus 10 shown in fig1 and 2 is intended for cleaning and drying semiconductor wafers or similar objects with vertical orientation of the latter . the mechanism 20 for holding and driving semiconductor substrates , wafers , or the like , consists of three outer shafts 31 , 33 , and 34 circumferentially spaced from each other at equal distances ( fig2 ). since all of these outer shafts are identical , only one of them , e . g ., the outer shaft 34 will be described . the outer shaft 34 is rotatingly installed in the rear wall 25 of the drive mechanism or the cleaning chamber housing . the outer shaft 34 may be installed in sliding or roller bearings , or may , per se , have a sliding fit in the wall 25 or the chamber housing since rotation of this shaft is not critical and is needed only for slightly moving apart the contact rollers of the wafer drive mechanism , which is described below . the front end of the outer shaft 34 projects into the cleaning - drying chamber 29 and has a reduced diameter so that it does not occupy useful space of the cleaning - drying chamber 29 . furthermore , the parts of the outer shafts 31 , 33 , and 34 that project into the cleaning - drying chamber have smooth and streamlined surfaces . as shown in fig2 , the outer shafts 31 , 33 , and 34 have through openings that are parallel to the axes of rotation of the outer shafts 31 , 33 , and 34 but are eccentrically offset therefrom for a certain distance . the outer shafts 31 , 33 , and 34 support inner shafts of smaller diameters ( not seen in fig1 and 2 ), which are supported by ball bearings . thus , the inner shafts are arranged eccentrically with respect to the axes of rotation of the outer shafts 31 , 33 , and 34 . the front ends of the inner shafts that project into the cleaning - drying chamber 29 ( fig1 and 2 ) rigidly support aforementioned wafer - driving rollers 52 , 58 , and 60 . the wafer - driving rollers are arranged circumferentially at equal distances from each other , and when a wafer w is inserted into the cleaning - drying chamber 29 or is removed from the cleaning - drying chamber 29 , the rollers 52 , 58 , and 60 can be moved away from the wafer periphery . on their rear ends , the inner shafts rigidly support gear wheels 62 , 64 , and 66 , respectively , which engage an endless synchronous belt 68 that is guided over the gear wheels 62 , 64 , and 66 ( fig2 ). the mechanism also contains an additional gear wheel 70 ( fig1 ), which is attached to the output shaft of a rotary motor 72 and which also serves as a driving gear wheel for the synchronous belt 68 and , hence , for the gear wheels 62 , 64 , and 66 with their respective inner shafts and wafer - driving rollers 52 , 58 , and 60 . the device of the invention has a mechanism that constantly maintains the belt 68 in a tensioned state . for this purpose , a rear end of the rotary motor 72 is guided in a slot ( not shown ) in the rear wall 25 of the apparatus . the slot is arranged radially with respect to the belt so that when the rear end of the rotary motor 72 slides in the guide slot in the direction toward the inner shafts , the belt is tensioned . in fact , the synchronous belt 68 is constantly maintained in a stretched state , i . e ., without loosening , since the additional gear wheel attached to the output shaft of the motor 72 constantly urges the belt 68 in the direction of tensioning under the effect of a compression spring 78 ( fig1 ) that pulls the motor 72 in the radial and outward direction of the belt 68 . the wafer - driving rollers 52 , 58 , and 60 may be in friction contact with the periphery of the wafer w , or , if the wafer has to be removed from the cleaning chamber 29 , the contact rollers 52 , 58 , and 60 may be moved away from the periphery of the wafer w . this is achieved when the outer shafts 31 , 33 , and 34 are turned around their axes . such movements toward and away from the edges of the wafer are performed by rotating the outer shafts 31 , 33 , and 34 by means of an eccentric shaft - turning mechanism 82 , which is described in more detail in aforementioned u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 490 , 950 , filed jul . 24 , 2006 . when the wafer w is held between the rollers 52 , 58 , and 60 that frictionally engage the wafer periphery , rotation of the rollers is positively transmitted to the wafer w by means of friction engagement with the rollers . the speed of the motor 72 can be adjusted so that it can be rotated slowly with a first speed ( e . g ., 60 to 80 rpm ) during wet cleaning , or it can be rotated with a second speed that is one to twenty times higher than the first speed , e . g ., 400 to 600 rpm , during drying . all above - described movements are synchronized and controlled by a computer ( not shown ), which is beyond the scope of the present invention . the chamber also contains stationary nozzle arrays 152 and 154 , which are shown in fig3 , and the rear ends of which are shown in fig4 , which is a three - dimensional view of the apparatus 10 . in fig4 , reference numeral 208 designates a drying medium supply system . the stationary nozzle arrays 152 and 154 are positioned on both sides of the vertical wafer w diametrically across the wafer w to clean front and back surfaces of the wafer in a simultaneous process . in the illustrated embodiment , each of the nozzle arrays contains a plurality of nozzles . thus , the nozzle array 152 contains nozzles 152 a through 152 n , while the nozzle array 154 contains nozzles 154 a through 154 n . the nozzles are intended for emitting a washing liquid , e . g ., de - ionized water . furthermore , each nozzle array 152 and 154 has a nozzle 152 n and 154 n , respectively , for supply of nitrogen substantially to the center of the rotating wafer w . the liquid - supply nozzles operate in so - called rapid - pulse harmonic spray mode described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 269 , 250 , filed nov . 9 , 2005 . in this mode , the nozzles inject discrete droplets of pulsed fluid streams of specific size selected to match a specific application . the nozzles 152 a through 152 n and 154 a through 154 n use streams of discreet droplets of fluid ( de - ionized water or another liquid ) that are fired in rapid succession using a harmonic pulsed system ( rapid pulse clean system , rpc ). ultra - pure chemicals also can be sprayed in the chamber , depending on the cleaning step requirement . acids as well as bases can be sprayed to clean the front and backside of a wafer . planar semiconductor &# 39 ; s water - soluble pad - series chemistries can also be sprayed for a variety of back - end and front - end wafer - cleaning applications . planar &# 39 ; s pad - series chemistries offer an environmentally friendly alternative to the cleaning chemistries of rca . the jets 152 a 1 and 152 b 1 , as well as the jets 154 a 1 and 154 b 1 ( fig3 ), are created by means of an electrical three - diaphragm short piston pump ( not shown ). cleaning is carried out with the use of predetermined ultra - pure chemistries along with de - ionized - water rinsing of the wafer surface . rapid - pulsed streams of chemistry and de - ionized water are fired in timed succession to clean and rinse the wafer surface , front and back , although it is not a requisite to clean the backside if not desired . until this point , the parts of the apparatus 10 described and shown in fig1 to 3 ( except for the nitrogen - supplies nozzles 152 n and 154 n and the manifold 206 for the supply of the drying medium ) were the same as those disclosed in the aforementioned patent application . a distinguishing feature of the apparatus 10 of the present invention is that drying of the wafer substrate after pulse jet cleaning with a cleaning liquid , e . g ., di water , is carried out in a dynamic mode , i . e ., with rotation , in the same chamber as that in which cleaning was carried out without removal of the wafer substrate from the wafer - driving rollers 52 , 58 , and 60 but at a higher rotation speed than that during cleaning ; drying is carried out with the use of a mixture of ipa and di water with the supply of ipa ( or a mixture thereof with nitrogen ) through the same nozzles 152 a to 152 n and 154 a to 154 n ( fig3 ) used for the di water . in fact , the aforementioned mixture of ipa and nitrogen comprises small droplets of ipa in a gaseous flow of nitrogen . when this “ mixture ” interacts with residual di water on the surface of the wafer , an aqueous solution of ipa is formed . this solution possesses a number of properties , such as low viscosity , high volatility , etc . provision of these properties facilitates removal of the aqueous solution of ipa from the surface of the wafer . this removal is facilitated by the supply of nitrogen through the central nozzles 152 n and 154 n ( fig3 ) that are fed to the surface of the wafer directly after the formation of the aforementioned aqueous solution of ipa . the time interval between the supply of the ipa - nitrogen “ mixture ” through nozzles 152 a through 152 n and 154 a through 154 n and initiation of the supply of nitrogen through the central nozzles 152 n and 154 n ( fig3 ) ranges from fractions of a second to several seconds . the supply of the drying media is accompanied by evacuation of the vapors that comprise a mixture of water with alcohol and nitrogen from the cleaning - drying chamber 29 ( fig1 , 2 , and 4 ). according to another embodiment , which is described in more detail below with reference to fig5 , the ipa - nitrogen “ mixture ” can be supplied from above through the drying - medium supply showerhead 208 located at the top of the chamber 29 along with the supply of nitrogen through the central nozzles . it should be noted , however , that in both cases the drying stage can be initiated without stopping rotation of the wafer after discontinuing the supply of di water . the drying process is accompanied by evacuation of the vapors from the cleaning - drying chamber , which constantly decreases the content of water and ipa while supply of nitrogen is continued . since water is gradually removed , the process results in obtaining a completely dry wafer without any visible traces of water droplets . as shown in fig5 , the apparatus of the invention is provided with a fluid distribution and supply system 200 used for cleaning and drying . the system consists of a reservoir 202 that contains a low - boiling - point liquid such as ipa , which is connected by means of a pipeline 204 a or 204 b ( fig5 ) with a manifold 206 of a showerhead 208 ( fig4 and 5 ) that is located at the top of the cleaning - drying chamber 29 above the upper edge of the wafer w rotated by the driving rollers 2 , 58 , and 60 , only two of which ( 52 and 60 ) are shown in fig4 and 5 . reference numeral 202 a designates an ipa heater . the wafer w is located between the two nozzle arrays 152 and 154 ( fig3 and 5 ). a di water source 162 is connected by branched pipes 160 a and 160 b to respective nozzle arrays 152 and 154 . the pipes 160 a and 160 b contain respective shut - off valves 160 a 1 and 160 b 1 which are closed and opened for discontinuing or initiating the supply of di water under control of a central processing unit ( cpu ) connected to the shut - off valves 160 a 1 and 160 b 1 by lines 160 c 1 and 160 c 2 . the cpu is connected through a controller 190 to the ipa heater 202 a and through a line 177 to a shut - off valve 178 installed in the pipeline 204 a or 204 b that connects the ipa reservoir 202 with the showerhead 208 . reference numeral 166 a designates a first source of gaseous nitrogen that provides a flow of nitrogen to the manifold 206 by means of pipeline 166 a 1 , and reference numeral 166 b designates a second source of gaseous nitrogen that supplies nitrogen to central nozzles 152 n and 154 n by means of pipelines 152 n 1 and 154 n 1 , respectively . it is understood that the nitrogen sources 166 a and 166 b can be combined into a single nitrogen source and that the pipelines 152 n 1 and 154 n 1 can be guided to the valves 152 n and 154 n through the tubular housings of the nozzle arrays 152 and 154 together with the branched pipes 160 a and 160 b for the supply of di water . reference numeral 166 a 2 designates a shut - off valve installed in the pipeline 166 a 1 and connected to the cpu by means of a line 166 a 3 . reference numerals 166 b 1 and 166 b 2 designate shut - off valves built into the respective pipelines 152 n 1 and 154 n 1 . the shut - off valves 166 b 1 and 166 b 2 are controlled by the cpu via lines 166 b 1 a and 166 b 2 a . the bottom of the working chamber 29 has a drainage opening 164 that may be connected to a vacuum pump ( not shown ) through a shut - off valve 170 . fig6 is a vertical sectional view that illustrates the structure of the showerhead 208 . the showerhead 208 contains the aforementioned manifold ( fig5 and 6 ) which has a common ipa collector chamber 206 a connected from above to the ipa supply pipeline 204 and from below to a plurality of ipa supply channels 206 a 1 and 206 a 2 through 206 am . in order to form a bernoulli - type diffuser that facilitates suction of nitrogen into the jet flows of the ipa emitted through the exits of the ipa supply channels 206 a 1 and 206 a 2 through 206 am , the exit ends of the aforementioned ipa supply channels 206 a 1 and 206 a 2 through 206 am are converged to ipa exit nozzles 206 b 1 through 206 bm . the aforementioned ipa exit nozzles 206 b 1 and 206 b 2 through 206 bm are separated by a gap 207 from shower output channels 209 a and 209 b through 209 m , which are coaxial with the ipa exit nozzles 206 b 1 and 206 b 2 through 206 bm . the inputs of the shower output channels 209 a and 209 b through 209 m are made in the form of converged funnels ( not designated in fig6 ). in fact , the ipa exit nozzles 206 b 1 and 206 b 2 through 206 bm and shower output channels 209 a and 209 b through 209 m form coaxial matrices of micro - diffusers that suck nitrogen into the flow of ipa and emit jets of ipa / n 2 in the form of a fog or mist into the chamber 29 . the upper surface 29 a of the cleaning - drying chamber 29 has a spherical , cylindrical , or curvilinear shape optimized for preventing accumulation of liquid condensates on the surface and thus preventing undesired dripping of liquid onto the wafer w . thus , it has been shown that the present invention provides a single - chamber apparatus for cleaning and sequentially drying a vertically oriented semiconductor wafer substrate to high precision in a single working chamber without changing the position of the substrate during transfer from cleaning to drying . the apparatus performs cleaning in a jet - pulse mode of emission of cleaning liquid with rotation of the wafer substrate and continues drying with substrate rotation and without interruption of rotation during transfer to drying . drying is carried out with the use of ipa . the apparatus is provided with means for supplying ipa and n 2 in the form of a mist for more efficient interaction with residual water on the surface of the rotating wafer . the showerhead 208 may operate in two modes : one in which nitrogen is sucked into the flow of ipa and the other in which the flow of ipa is sucked into the flow of nitrogen . this is shown in fig6 , wherein each input 204 a and 204 b of the drying medium to the showerhead can be used either for ipa or for nitrogen . although the invention has been shown and described with reference to specific embodiments , it is understood that these embodiments should not be construed as limiting the areas of application of the invention and that any changes and modifications are possible , provided that these changes and modifications do not depart from the scope of the attached patent claims . for example , the number of nozzles may be different from those shown in the drawings . the cleaning and drying nozzles can be located only on one side of the wafer . the cleaning nozzles 152 a and 152 b through 152 n and 154 a and 154 b through 154 n can be used also for the supply of nitrogen . the showerhead 208 may have a structure different from the one shown in fig6 . volatile liquids other than ipa and neutral gases other than nitrogen can be used for the drying process performed in the apparatus 10 . the nozzles are not necessarily arranged in a line and may have cross - sections different from round and slit - like cross - sections . objects other than semiconductor wafers can be cleaned with the device and by the method of the invention . a common single pump may supply a cleaning liquid to a group of simultaneously working nozzles . mechanisms of other types can be used for rotating the object . the object may be stationary , and the head with nozzles may rotate relative to the object . different pulse modes can be used and selected in accordance with specific operational conditions . the apparatus and method apply to the cleaning not only flat of objects but also to vertically oriented objects of three - dimensional configurations , and the nozzles may be shifted axially to provide optimal distances to the areas to be cleaned . | 7 |
traffic information and guiding systems for expressways and other main highways have been known for a long time . in one known system of this sort which has been made available to the public under the designation ali , induction loops are built into the roadways . these induction loops are located either in the surface of the highway or else in parking areas and expressway entrance ramps . a process computer is connected in each case to the induction loop and is itself connected by data connections to a central computer . in this way the flow of traffic can be optimized by accumulating and distributing traffic information and thereby influencing the flow of traffic . contact with the automobile driver is completed through a vehicle - mounted device to which the output information is communicated through the induction loop . information flows in both possible direction . the driver must before going into the system enter his destination in the form of a decimal number into the vehicle - mounted apparatus . when he drives over an induction loop the vehicle mounted apparatus is activated and these data are transmitted to the process computer which acts as a satellite or peripheral device for the central computer . the process computer then makes available for the individual case how the driver of the vehicle can reach his particular destination by the way which is shortest in time . the principle of interactive transmission is based on the fact that with a transmitter , receiver , destination entry keyboard and optical display field , as well as a vehicle equipped with a special antenna ( typically or ferrite rod ), a vehicle can automatically announce its presence and destination when it enters the operating region of the system . the information is first picked up in an induction loop and then transmitted by wire to an apparatus located adjacent to the roadway ( which may be referred to as the road apparatus ). the road apparatus has a microcomputer equipped with a store , from which the prescribed directional recommendation corresponding to the particular intended destination of the vehicle are obtained and transmitted back to the vehicle over the same induction loop . the directional recommendations also contain speed recommendations as well as announcements and warnings regarding traffic accumulation or jams and any risks of fog and / or ice . complete details about the practical construction of the vehicle equipment as well as the roadway loops and roadside computer installations are obtainable in the publications already mentioned above and also in the bmft report ( bericht ) &# 34 ; felderprobung eines zielfuhrungs - und tionssystems fur autofahrer ( ali )&# 34 ;. building on the base of such a system it ought to be possible in principle to receive and to send data other than information relating to traffic by means of the transmitting and receiving unit in the motor vehicle . this is the starting point of the invention , leading to the possibility of modifying the data transmitting and receiving unit for traffic information so that it can also be used for transmitting telephone conversations or other information . whereas the traffic information takes place , and to some extent must take place , during travel of the vehicle past particular places , it is possible to make a wireless connection to the public telephone network by means of loops that are located under marked parking places or on paved shoulder strips of a roadway or other publicly accessible areas , so that telephone conversations may be possible from a motionless vehicle . the stationary telephone and data station , accordingly , instead of having a telephone booth into which a person would have to go after leaving his car , consists of a loop disposed under the roadway or parking space surface and supplementary equipment for transmitting speech communication . the vehicle - mounted equipment includes supplementary equipment making possible speech transmission through the vehicle equipment . these respectively fixed and mobile installations convert the usual signals of speech transmissions on both sides of the inductive link into a form that assures reliable transmission through the traffic information system . to complete the equipment , as already mentioned , it is convenient to provide enablement of the speech communication equipment only when the vehicle is stationary and to equip the vehicle with a paging receiver so that the vehicle drive can also be &# 34 ; paged &# 34 ; as he travels on the road and asked to call a particular place or number . the driver then drives to the nearest parking space that is designated as a telephone loop parking space . displacing the telephone instrument in the vehicle initiates the search for a free channel , where , as soon as correct and reliable signal transmission has been found to have been established , the usual dial tone or other indication of readiness is provided . then the conventional dialing of the called party is performed , the conversation carried on in the usual way and then terminated . the necessary toll information is generated in the apparatus associated with the loop , or , if the pulse method of charging for calls which is prevalent in europe is in effect , the number of toll units used can be registered in the vehicular equipment , in the roadway equipment , or both . the vehicle on - board equipment can include , in addition to the telephone , all devices which have already been introduced into stationary telephony ( e . g . picture screen text apparatus ). the system is extendable to all apparatus which can be connected to the public telephone network . fig1 shows equipment built into a vehicle which can function for the transmission of telephone conversation as well as for the reception and transmission of traffic information . the normal traffic information vehicle equipment contains a microprocessor 1 that is provided with stores both for its program and for data . this microprocessor 1 has access over a control bus to a display and input unit 3 , to a transmitter - receiver 4 readily switchable from transmission to reception and back , to input / output units 2 , 10 and 11 , to clock pulse preparation circuits 9 , to a transmitter 7 and a receiver 8 . the component groups just named are connected with the data bus 13 of the microcomputer through input / output units 2 , 10 and 11 . the transmitters and receivers 4 , 7 and 8 are also connected to a ferrite antenna 5 which serves for data transport between it and the loop of the roadway equipment set in the roadway . in addition , a travel path transmitter 6 which produces signals from which the vehicle motion can be measured is connected with the input / output unit 11 . apart from the components 7 , 8 and 9 the various components shown are contained in every traffic information apparatus of the ali type and are described in detail in the publications cited above . the transmitter 8 and the receiver 7 are additions to the system which are necessary for connection of a telephone to a traffic information loop apparatus . this transmitter and this receiver utilize the same ferrite antenna as is used by the transmitter / receiver unit 4 of the traffic information apparatus . fig2 shows the roadway apparatus for connection of the vehicular telephone with the public telephone network . the microcomputer 20 of the loop apparatus is connected through a control bus 28 with the input / output unit 21 , the transmitter / receiver 22 , a transmitter 24 , a receiver 25 , a timing pulse preparation unit 31 and a selecting device ( dial or tone - pad ) 27 . the data bus 29 is connected with the selector 27 , the clock pulse preparation unit 31 and , through the input / output unit 28 with the transmitter / receiver 22 . the transmitter / receiver 22 corresponds to a normal traffic information loop apparatus . the transmitter / receiver 22 is connected with the loop 23 . for telephone connections , the transmitter 24 , the receiver 25 and the pulse preparation circuit 31 are necessary just as in the case of the vehicular equipment . the transmitter 24 and the receiver 25 are interconnected by a 4 - wire terminating set 26 that provides a conventional transition from a two - wire circuit to a four - wire circuit . the four - wire terminating circuit provides the necessary split into the output and return channels necessary for talking back and forth . such circuits are well known in telephone practice and have been developed in a large variety of well - known circuits . they make possible avoidance of voice - operated or manual directional switching and are balanced to avoid the generation of oscillations or echoes . the selection device 27 is also necessary for effective connection of the system to telephone lines . the generation of the dial pulses is performed by the microcomputer 20 of the loop - connected equipment and for this purpose that equipment is connected over the control bus 28 and the data bus 29 to the selector 27 . a telephone connection takes place as follows . if the automobile driver intends to make a telephone call , he drives into the next parking place that has a built - in telephone loop . as soon as the vehicle comes to a stop , as is recognized by the travel path transmitter 6 , the microcomputer 20 of the stationary loop equipment sends out call pulses such as are normal in the operation of a traffic information system which has been approached by a vehicle . the number of these &# 34 ; stepping &# 34 ; pulses can be greatly reduced compared to the usual traffic information system practice . it is enough to have about one call step pulse per second . when the driver is located on a recognized loop position and has come to a stop with his vehicle , he picks up the telephone handset 14 of the vehicle equipment , which is in turn connected to the transmitter 8 and the receiver 7 . the microcomputer 1 of the vehicle equipment now answers to the next call step pulse of the loop - connected equipment , with a data &# 34 ; telegram &# 34 ; such as is known from traffic information system transmission practice . only the key word , for example in byte 1 of the telegram , is altered . the vehicle number and the private telephone number of the driver can now be transmitted for toll charging purposes in the normal traffic information system mode of operation . for additional security , it is possible , for example , to transmit a code word in the form of a multispace decimal number . the microprocessor 20 of the loop - connected equipment now awaits the dial tone of the central office which it will receive through the selector 27 that is connected through the line 30 to the public telephone network . the dial tone is now transmitted to the vehicle over the data channel of the traffic information system . the vehicle driver can now enter the desired called party telephone number by means of the keyboard of the unit 3 . it is also possible to provide frequently called numbers in a store of the microprocessor 1 , from which they can be called out to increase the ease of operation of the vehicular telephone . the desired called party number is then transmitted over the traffic information channel to the microcomputer 20 of the loop - connected equipment . the latter then starts the normal dialing or tone calling process in the selector 27 . it is useful to incorporate an automatic redialing procedure in the event that a busy signal is received during or after the selection operation . when the call recognition is sent from the central office , the microcomputer 20 of the roadway loop equipment provides this information over a data channel of the traffic information system to the vehicular equipment . then the microcomputer 1 of the vehicular equipment and the microcomputer 20 of the loop equipment switch out the traffic information transmitter / receiver 4 and 22 and switch in the transmitters 8 and 24 and the receivers 7 and 25 . a direct connection to the telephone instrument is thereby established from the telephone line , through the selector 27 , over the four - wire terminating circuit 26 and over the transmitter and receiver . what follows is the same as in the case of a normal telephone conversation . the microcomputers of the vehicular equipment 1 and of the loop equipment 20 respectively check through their receivers 7 and 25 whether the connection still exists . if the automobile driver or passenger puts the telephone instrument back in its resting place , the vehicle microcomputer 1 switches the transmitter 8 off and the microcomputer 20 of the loop equipment recognizes by a missing reception signal the termination of the telephone conversation and goes back into the mode for data exchange for traffic information . at the same time it interrupts the connection to the telephone line through the selector apparatus 27 . in the case of termination of the telephone conversation by the remote party , the microcomputer 20 of the loop equipment recognizes the termination of the telephone conversation through the selector 27 . it switches the transmitter 27 off and switches on the transmitter / receiver component group 22 . the microcomputer 1 of the vehicle equipment now recognizes the breaking off of the telephone connection by the absence of the reception signal . the vehicle driver or passenger is then urged to replace the telephone instrument on its stand or hook by the provision of an optical and / or an acoustic signal . after the telephone connection is broken off , the loop - connected equipment goes back into the call step mode and the loop is free for other telephone connections . instead of the analog transmission of the telephone conversation , it is also possible to provide digital transmission of speech . fig3 shows an example of the vehicular equipment in such a case . the combined vehicular equipment for telephone communication and traffic information transmission again contains the microprocessor 40 necessary for the normal traffic information transmission . the microprocessor 40 is connected by a control bus 53 with input / output units 41 , 42 and 43 . the control bus 53 continues on to an analog - to - digital converter 49 , a digital - to - analog converter 50 , a register 51 , a register 52 and to input / output units 44 and 45 . the data bus 54 leads from the microprocessor 40 through the input / output unit 41 to a keyboard and display unit 46 and to the input / output units 42 , 43 , 44 and 45 . a transmitter / receiver 47 has a transmitter output and receiver input connected to a ferrite antenna 51 and is controlled by the input / output unit 42 . the travel path transducer 6 is connected to the input / output unit 43 . a telephone handset 48 is connected to the a / d converter 49 and the d / a converter 50 . the digital converter groups 49 and 50 and the registers 51 and 52 now take the place of the component groups necessary for the analog connection in the first embodiment shown in fig1 . the analog - to - digital converter 49 includes a microphone amplifier , a low - pass filter with a cut - off frequency of 3 . 4 khz and a sample - and - hold circuit for 8 khz . it processes a signal 8 - bit wide in accordance with the ccitt standard . the digital values formed to correspond to the analog signal are supplied to the register 51 . the digital - to - analog converter 50 includes , in addition to a digital - to - analog converter according to the ccitt standard , a low - pass filter of 3 . 4 khz cut - off frequency and an amplifier for driving the telephone receiver . the manner of operation of this collection of circuits will presently be described in connection with the loop - connected equipment shown in fig4 . the microprocessor 60 is connected to its control bus 61 and its data bus 62 and with the other component groups of the loop - connected equipment . registers 67 and 68 are controlled through input / output circuits 63 , 64 and 65 . these registers are respectively connected with an analog - to - digital converter 69 and a digital - to - analog converter 70 . a four - wire terminating circuit 71 is connected to the converters 69 and 70 . a telephone line 73 leads from the selector device 72 over to a telephone central office not shown . a transmitter / receiver 66 is provided , to the output of which the loop 74 is connected . the setting up of a telephone connection takes place with reference to the selection operation as already described . when the call signal is recognized over the telephone line by the selector 72 , the microcomputer 60 of the loop - connected equipment provides to the vehicular equipment a special code word over the traffic information channel . the microcomputers 40 and 60 of the vehicular equipment and of the loop - connected equipment now switch over the transmitter / receiver groups 47 and 72 to ffsk ( fast frequency shift keying ). in consequence , 8 - bit words are alternately exchanged over the transmitter / receiver component groups 47 and 72 between vehicle and roadway loop , the 8 - bit words being exchanged alternately from the register 51 to the register 68 and from the register 67 to the register 52 . since the data rates in the ffsk mode can reach as much as 96 k bits per second and an 8 - bit wide word is intermediately stored in each of the registers , a quasi continuous data transport in both directions in each case of 48 k bits per second , takes place , which corresponds to the ccitt recommendatons . the transmission of speech thus takes place over the data transmission channels that otherwise are used for transmitting the traffic information . separate apparatus modulated in an analog manner are therefore not necessary in this embodiment . although the invention has been described with reference to particular illustrative examples , it will be understood that modifications and variations are possible within the inventive concept . for example , the vehicle speedometer may be equipped to indicate when the vehicle is standing still , instead of the vehicle travel measurement device usually included in an &# 34 ; ali &# 34 ; traffic information system . | 6 |
for the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the disclosure , reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated herein and specific language will be used to describe the same . it will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended . as used herein , a therapeutically effective dosage or amount of a compound is an amount sufficient to affect a positive effect on a given medical condition . the affect , if not immediately , may , over period of time , provide a noticeable or measurable effect on a patient &# 39 ; s health and well being . according to one aspect of the present disclosure , it has been found that when ascs are cultured in vitro , the ascs secrete a combination of angiogenic and antiapoptotic factors and / or additional compounds ( either as single factors , or in combination with one another ) in relative concentrations and combinations that have been shown to exert effective neuroprotection in a variety of mechanistically distinct neuronal death pathways . as a result , according to one embodiment , a therapeutically effective dose of asc secretions from in vitro culture is administered to prevent or counteract a chronic or acute neural injury or insult . in particular , according to at least one embodiment , it was found that media used to culture and / or maintain ascs in vitro has the unexpected characteristic of protecting neural tissue and / or encouraging regeneration from stimuli - induced damage when administered to a patient in a therapeutically effective dosage . this media , or extracts thereof , appears to inhibit critical neuronal death pathways due to the presence of several complementary neuroprotective factors which combine to limit neuronal death and / or stimulate regeneration of neural cells in vitro as well as in vivo in the context of neural insult , although the mechanism is not entirely understood . further , fractions of media conditioned by ascs are a source of various factors that either alone or in combination with one another have shown an ability to affect neuronal cells that are subject to acute or chronic injury . accordingly , the asc conditioned media has been shown to be an excellent source of material useful for producing , concentrating , and isolating a broad spectrum combination of compounds in relative percentages and forms that effect a therapeutic effect when administered to an individual suffering from a neural insult , including central nervous system or peripheral nervous system injuries that may be chronic or acute in nature . further , asc conditioned media has been shown to be an excellent source of material useful for producing , concentrating , and isolating individual compounds , or groups of compounds , that have been shown to protect neuronal cells from death , damage and insult and / or to cause regeneration thereof . for example , the asc conditioned media and / or fractions and concentrations thereof have proven effective to treat or prevent various disorders that involve hypoxia - ischemia ( h - i ) of the brain including neonatal or adult h - i - induced encephalopathy , stroke and neurodegenerative disorders , and such treatments do not carry the same risk of rejection as that shown by injecting foreign stem cells into a patient , since at least one embodiment does not inject any cells whatsoever into a patient . further , application of asc conditioned media and / or fractions and concentrations thereof can be used to treat chronic or acute injuries in the peripheral nervous system , central nervous system , and / or spinal cord in either neonatal individuals , children , or adults . it will be appreciated that other stem cells or pluripotent cells may be utilized , such as other mesenchymal stem cells ( msc ), which are found in the stroma of different tissues throughout the body . human mscs ( including ascs ) are characterized by the surface marker profile of lin −/ cd45 −/ c - kit −/ cd90 +. further , in one embodiment , appropriate stem cells display the cd34 + positive at the time of isolation , but lose this marker during culturing . therefore the full marker profile for one stem cell type that may be used according to the present application is lin −/ cd45 −/ c - kit −/ cd90 +/ cd34 . in another embodiment utilizing mouse stem cells , the stem cells are characterized by the sca - 1 marker , instead of cd34 , to define what appears to be a homologue to the human cells described above , with the remaining markers remaining the same . it will be appreciated that other stem cells with similar marker profiles could be used , such as the pluripotent stem cell from skeletal muscle that was identified by case et al ( annals of ny acad sci . vol . 1044 : 183 - 200 ). case indicates that these cells appear to exist in the adipose and brain theorize that these are the same stem cell that resides in many different organs . they have termed these cells common pluripotent stem cells ( copsc ), but other stem cells could be used , with the exception of hematopoietic stem cells . this would also include progenitor cells that derive from mscs . the process for producing the asc conditioned media is further outlined below , as is the method for using the media or its fractions or distillates to treat nervous system insults or neurodegenerative conditions . while the term “ asc conditioned media ” is used throughout , it is understood that the same processes will apply to production of similar media through other stem cells , but that adipose stem cells are used for exemplary purposes . to isolate human ascs , lipoaspirates ( 250 - 500 ml ) were obtained from patients undergoing elective liposuction procedures and processed essentially according to zuk et al . ascs were plated at 1 , 000 - 10 , 000 cells / cm 2 . most ascs attach to the flask and , when cultured in egm2mv media for example , can be multiplied 50 - fold in 8 days ( fig1 and 2 ) with their growth rate decreasing when they reach confluency . fig2 b demonstrates the expansion of murine ascs following their isolation using similar protocols . similar growth data has been obtained with rat ascs as shown in fig1 c ). these experiments demonstrate that ascs are readily isolated and rapidly expanded ex vivo from relatively small amounts of adipose tissue , thus laying the groundwork for using autologous ascs in research and clinical settings . as discussed further below , neuroprotective studies suggest that 30 % of culture media replaced by the culture media from 10 8 to 10 9 autologous cells exerts significant neuroprotective effects on different neurodegenerative models . the ascs were cultured in egm2mv medium to confluence , and then switched into growth - factor free basal media ( ebm - 2 , clonetics ) for conditioning in either normoxic or hypoxic conditions for 72 hours . cell supernatants were collected and subsequently assayed for cytokines using a raybio array vi and vii . fig3 displays the findings of array vii , and indicate that in addition to the pluripotency of ascs , the endocrine or paracrine potential of ascs may have significant therapeutic relevance . testing as shown that ascs delivered to the cns in the setting of degeneration as a result of ischemia due to stroke in this case may be able to protect neurons from death processes as well as enhance angiogenesis by both differentiating into vascular phenotypes , and by recruiting resident mature vascular endothelial cells to integrate into the nascent vascular network . more importantly , in experiments directed to determining the overall biological effect of the asc conditioned media , human microvascular endothelial cells were exposed to the media conditioned by ascs incubated in ( 1 ) normoxic conditions , ( 2 ) hypoxic conditions , and ( 3 ) unconditioned media as a control . as shown in fig4 , after 4 days , exposure to asc - normoxic media resulted in an 80 % increase in hmvec number , while the asc - hypoxic media resulted in a 160 % increase in hmvec number as compared to the control . these significant increases confirm the potential of asc conditioned media to promote growth or survival of other cells in their vicinity . our studies illustrate that ascs conditioned media during culture plays a critical role in protecting neurons from injurious stimuli . defined protein fractions (& lt ; 10 k , 10 - 30 k , 30 - 50 k , and & gt ; 50 k ) from the conditioned media have been evaluated with respect to their ability to block neuronal death in specific , well - defined in vitro models . data shows that the passage number of the ascs as well as various environmental stimuli influence the level and composition of factor secreted into the media and the resulting neuroprotective efficacy of conditioned media . neuronal death is mediated by complementary neuronal death pathways in distinct neurodegenerative models , and may be limited in each model by distinct trophic factor ( s ) by ascs within the conditioned media . neuroprotective factors the conditioned medium , such as vegf and hgf , can be selected for by selectively altering the activity of present factors through the addition of inactivating antibodies , or conversely , by adding purified recombinant proteins to fractionated supernatants . evaluation of the neuroprotective capacity of different fractions of media from ascs in different in vitro neuronal death models . factors secreted into the media during culture of ascs potently protect neurons from injury stimuli associated with specific neuronal death pathways . defined fractions of conditioned media from human , murine and rat ascs , at different passages and subjected to hypoxia or normoxia , have been enriched by & gt ; 50 - fold in order to evaluate increase the potency of neuroprotection and to enable detection of low abundance proteins by proteomic assays . once the conditioned medium is enriched , it is optionally fractionated by , for example , size exclusion and then can be concentrated . optionally , asc conditioned media is simply concentrated and / or fractionated . in this manner , concentrations of the asc conditioned media can be manipulated . according to another embodiment , ascs derived from human , mouse or rat adipose tissue , as described above are evaluated by flow cytometry to confirm that they are cd34 +, cd90 , c - kit −, cd31 −, cd45 − and , in the case of murine cells , sca1 +. the cells are then plated in dmem / f12 with 10 % fbs with no additional growth factors added ; and egm / 2mv ( cambrex ) is used . the resulting asc conditioned media is thereafter applied for treatment or prevention of neural injury . asc conditioned media is enriched and size fractionated supernatants can be further fractionated using a centrifugal filter device ( 10k , 30k , and 50k centriplus , amicon , mass .). centriplus molecular weight filters can provide an 100 - fold sample enrichment and can easily be used to enrich samples by 50 to 250 - fold using a 10 kda . neuroprotective factors in different fractions of the supernatant are likely to be predominantly within the ranges of & lt ; 10 kda , 10 - 30 kda , 30 - 50 kda , and & gt ; 50 kda . it is known that growth factors , for example , have a large size difference ( such as gcsf 20 kda bdnf 27 kda epo 34 kda vegf 45 kda , and ngf 116 kda ) based on size separation and will segregate in different molecular weight fractions . optional steps include collecting and fractionating supernatants from fresh or passaged ascs grown under normoxic or hypoxic conditions , and using these fractions for neuroprotection in lk / hk , glutamate , h2o2 , odg , 6ohda , and mpp + cgn models . unlike cell therapies that inject stem cells at the point of injury , the process for treatment of injured nervous system cells , or cells prone to injury or neurodegenerative diseases does not require localized injection . rather , it will be appreciated that since no living cells , which may die if used systemically , are being utilized , that a wide array of delivery systems may be used to ensure that the asc conditioned media , its fractions , concentrations , or distillations may be delivered systemically , via injection , intravenously , or otherwise . optionally , the asc conditioned media may be delivered locally at the site of injury . for example , the asc conditioned media may be delivered interarterially , intravenously intraparenchemally , intrathecally , or interperitonally . in certain models , such as in the h - i model , that at 24 h following induction of hypoxia , the blood brain barrier (“ bbb ”) is disrupted , allowing peptide penetration . additionally , some growth factors , such as gcsf and igf - 1 , can penetrate into the brain immediately after h - i treatment . identifying key factors for neuroprotection , initially concentrated conditioned asc conditioned media were used . 7 day old pups underwent will undergo h - i , followed by iv injections of 1 - 10 μl of 250 - fold concentrated rat asc conditioned supernatant fractions or a cocktail with defined growth factors at 2 , 8 and 24 hours post surgery . as a control , animals were injected with the same amount of bme media . the first few hours following h - i are believed to be the most critical for neuronal death resulting from direct effects of the insult . secondary damage , triggered by inflammation , occurs after 48 hours . given the prolonged period in which damage occurs , it may be beneficial to repeat dosing in order to effectively block neuronal death . additionally , the asc conditioned media or fraction thereof may have function to regenerate neurons derived from stem cells . accordingly , the asc conditioned media or fraction thereof is optionally administered at an optimized concentrate at least once daily for at least one day , at least 2 days , or at least 3 days following insult ( such as h - i insult , onset of neurodegeneration , or surgery ). further optionally , due to the neural protection shown when asc conditioned media or a fraction thereof is administered prior to insult , the asc conditioned media may be optionally administered at least one day , at least 2 days , or at least 3 days prior to the insult or surgery . according to one aspect of the present application , a therapeutic dose of the asc conditioned is delivered to an individual . in one embodiment , a defining characteristics of the asc conditioned media are naturally - derived factors secreted into the medium during fermentation of ascs . this conditioned medium ( cm ) possesses the qualities of being able to prevent damage to neurons due ( a ) ischemic events , ( b ) induction of cell - death processes ( apoptosis ), ( c ) exocitotoxity , ( d ) oxidation , or ( e ) neuron - specific damaging agents . in vitro assays for each would be ( a ) oxygen - glucose deprivation ( ogd ), ( b ) low k model , ( c ) glutamate exocitoxicity , ( d ) hydrogen peroxide , and ( e ) 6 - hydroxy - dopamine toxicity of dopaminergic neurons at a therapeutic dose . according to one embodiment , the asc - cm is concentrated at least 50 fold , at least 100 - fold , at least 200 fold , or at least 1000 - fold . optionally , the concentrated asc - cm is fractionated through a size exclusion resin or membrane to remove substances less than 5 kda , less than 10 kda , less than 20 kda , less than 30 kda , less than 40 , kda , or less than 50 kda . the concentrated asc - cm is then optionally stabilized to protect degradation or loss of components . according to one exemplary embodiment of dosing , 800 microliters / kg and up to 4000 microliters / kg have demonstrated efficacy in animal models when delivered as a single bolus to the jugular vein , either before or after carotid artery ligation . however , according to alternative embodiments , dosing of about 200 to 10 , 000 microliters per kg , about 600 to 2 , 000 microliters per kg , and about 1 , 000 to 1 , 200 microliters per kg may be delivered as a single bolus as a therapeutic dose . turning to fig1 , according to another embodiment of the present disclosure , pc12 cells were cultured in dmem containing 10 % fbs for 3 days , then starved in bme medium without fbs for 24 hours . various percentages of the medium was exchanged for an equivalent volume of asc conditioned media , as indicated on the figure above . the cells were cultured for 8 days in these media , which were replaced with freshly made equivalent media every second day . the number of cells that formed a neuronal phenotypes were quantitated using a phase - contrast microscope . the results are expressed as the mean percentage of neurite - bearing cells ± sd , indicating that the asc conditioned media induces differentiation to neurite - bearing cells . it will be appreciated that treatment of neural tissue according to certain embodiments disclosed in the present application were evaluated against several in vitro neuronal degenerative models to demonstrate the effectiveness of the treatment and composition with regard to multiple and varying types of damage that can induce neuronal death . these models are well established tools for the study of the cns and peripheral nervous system related diseases , disorders and injuries . ( ni , 1997 ; du , 1997a ; du , 1997b ; dodel , 1998 ; dodel , 1999 ; du , 2001 ; lin , 2001 ; lin , 2003 ). the use of these various models , which produce reasonable similes of prevalent human diseases , are particularly powerful tools for the study of the broad range of effectiveness of the asc conditioned media because each model is defined by distinct mechanisms involving varied pathways of degeneration . furthermore , it is well known to those knowledgeable in the art that interference of the distinct mechanisms involved in cellular degeneration is limited to discrete factors and , furthermore , that individual factors that act on one mechanism have no effect on others . individual trophic factors can modify only discrete degenerative pathways or mechanisms . therefore , a specific factor would be expected to protect neurons from degenerative mechanisms involved in specific neuronal death models , but would not provide any protection in models involving damaging agents that induce unrelated mechanism . therefore , a single factor is unable to protect neurons from all neuronal death mechanisms . however , a mixture of factors , as is present in asc conditioned media , would provide the full complement of factors , acting individually or in combination , necessary to block all degenerative mechanisms causing cell death . in fig1 it is shown that asc conditioned media possesses a factor ( bdnf ) that protects neurons from glutamate - induced death . neutralization of this factor greatly , but not totally , reduces cell death in this model . conversely , tests in an in the mechanistically distinct lk / hk death model demonstrated by neutralization of bdnf that this factor is not important for modifying mechanisms leading to neuron death in this model . therefore , bdnf as an individual factor , as example , would not protect neurons from all mechanisms causing neuron death . detailed descriptions of the major neuronal death pathways , the involvement of each pathway in the models used in this study and the relevance of each model to human disorders is described in greater detail as follows below . mitogen - activated protein ( map ) kinases are widely expressed serine - threonine kinases that mediate important regulatory signals in cells . three major groups of map kinases exist : the extracellular signal - regulated ( erk ) kinase family , the c - jun nh 2 - terminal kinase ( jnk ) family , and the p38 map kinase ( p38 ) family . the members of the different map kinase groups participate in the generation of various cellular responses including gene transcription , induction of cell death , maintenance of cell survival , malignant transformation , and regulation of cell - cycle progression ( widmann , 1999 ). the erk - pathway is activated in response to several cytokines and growth factors and primarily mediates mitogenic and anti - apoptotic signals ( chang , 2001 ). there are three isoforms of jnk . at least one of the jnk 1 - 3 map kinases is activated in response to stress and growth factors and similarly mediates signals that regulate apoptosis , cytokine production ( inflammation ), and cell - cycle progression ( davis , 2000 ). jnk signaling has been shown to be involved in transient hypoxia - induced apoptosis in developing brain neurons ( chihab , 1998 ) and targeted deletion of jnk 3 protected adult mice from brain injury after cerebral ischemia - hypoxia ( kuan , 2003 ). additionally , blockade of jnk rescues neurons against potassium deprivation - induced cgn death ( xifro , 2005 ) and glutamate - induced neurotoxicity ( munemasa , 2005 ). p38 map kinase was discovered as a major protein activated by lps in macrophages and has been characterized as the target for anti - inflammatory drugs that inhibit il - 1 and tnf biosynthesis in monocytes ( lee , 1994 ; han , 1994 ). members of the p38 map kinase group are primarily activated by stress stimuli , but also during engagement of various cytokine receptors by their ligands ( lee , 1994 ; lu , 1999 ; rincon , 1998 ; wysk , 1999 ). the function of p38 kinases is required for the generation of various activities including regulation of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest , induction of cell differentiation , as well as cytokine production and inflammation ( dong , 2002 ). p38 map kinase also phosphorylates and / or modulates the activity of a number of transcriptional factors involved in cytokine responses including stat1 , ifnγ regulatory factor - 1 , and nf - κb ( beyaert , 1996 ; vanden berghe , 1998 ). recently , it has been reported that inhibition of p38 map kinase significantly inhibits no -( ghatan , 2000 ; oh - hashi , 1999 ; du , 2001 ), glutamate -( kawasaki , 1997 ) and possibly hypoxia - ischemia - induced neuronal death ( hee , 2002 ). many of the genes responsible for apoptotic cell death , including those underlying neuronal apoptosis , have now been identified and named as caspases ( du , 1997a ). apoptotic cell death is often mediated by a caspase cascade . although many stimuli exist , the final phases of apoptosis are executed by a few common effector caspases . mitochondria appear to provide a link between the initiator caspases and the downstream effector caspases . in non - neuronal cells , mitochondria have been shown to accelerate activation of caspases by releasing pro - apoptotic molecules , such as cytochrome c ( yang , 1997 ). map kinases such as jnk and p38 have been reported to regulate caspase 3 - mediated cell death ( harada , 1999 ; cheng , 2001 ). however , it has also been reported that c - jun and p38 map kinases do not induce neuronal death through the caspase - 3 pathway ( sang , 2002 ; roth , 2000 ). we have identified the involvement of caspase 3 in cytochrome c - mediated , glutamate -( du , 1997a ), mpp -( du , 1997b ), 6 - hydroxdopamine -( dodel , 1999 ), and potassium - deprivation - induced neurotoxicity ( ni , 1997 ). additionally , it has been suggested that caspase 3 plays a role in the rat h - i model ( turmel , 2001 ). further , it has been documented that cytochrome c and caspase 3 have more important function in the premature brain than the mature brain ( xu , 2004 ). to induce apoptosis under the lk cgn model disclosed by ni in 1997 , cgn maintained in bme with 25 mm potassium are switched to regular bme ( 5 mm potassium ) without serum and cgn (& gt ; 50 %), which induces apoptosis within 24 h ( ni , 1997 ). this model was one of the first to be established , and is still widely used in studies of neuronal apoptosis in the primary cerebellar granule neuron ( cgn ) culture system , although its precise relevance to the disease remains unclear ( d &# 39 ; mello , 1993 ; dudek , 1997 , ni , 1997 ). in the developing rodent cerebellum , granule neurons undergo developmentally regulated apoptosis peaking at the end of the first week of postnatal life ( wood , 1993 ). granule neurons cultured from rats or mice around this time of development undergo cell death in culture unless they are provided with extrinsic survival factors . maximal survival is produced by the combination of growth factors typically provided by serum together with neuronal activity which is induced by high extracellular concentrations of potassium chloride that depolarize the membrane and induce activation of voltage - sensitive calcium channels ( d &# 39 ; mello , 1997 ; padmanabhan , 1999 ; miller , 1996 ; catterall , 2000 ). the signaling mechanisms by which growth factors and neuronal activity promote the survival of cgn are beginning to be characterized . protein kinase cascades figure prominently in the control of neuronal survival . the erk1 / 2 - rsk , phosphatidylinositol 3 - kinase - akt , and erk5 protein kinase signaling pathways play critical roles in mediating the survival of cgn upon exposure to the neurotrophin brain - derived neurotrophic factor ( bonni , 1999 ; shalizi , 2003 ). the phosphatidylinositol 3 - kinase - akt signaling pathway plays a central role in mediating insulin - like growth factor 1 - mediated neuronal survival ( brunet , 2001 ). removal of survival factors promotes neuronal apoptosis in part because of inactivity of pro - survival protein kinases . however , deprivation of survival factors also leads to stimulation of other protein kinases that impart an apoptotic signal in neurons . these protein kinases include jnk , p38 , cdc2 , and gsk3 ( harada , 1999 , estus , 1994 ; xia , 1995 ; watson , 1998 ; yang , 1997 ; donovan , 2002 ; konishi , 2002 ; konishi , 2003 ; mora , 2001 ). according to testing protocol for the glutamate induced neuronal death model , neuronal apoptosis or necrosis is induced in cgn with 30 - 100 μm glutamate or cortical neurons ( cn ) with 100 μm of nmda . glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter used throughout the central nervous system and is associated with various brain functions , such as synaptic plasticity , learning , and long - term potentiation ( collingridge , 1989 ). its physiological and pathological effects in the cns are mediated mainly via two types of ionotropic glutamate receptors , the nmda receptor and the non - nmda receptor . when present in excessive concentrations glutamate has the potential to induce serious damage and even death of neurons ( lucas , 1957 ), with n - methyl - d - aspartate ( nmda ) receptors located on neuronal cell bodies playing a major role in this excitotoxicity ( rothman , 1987 ). nmda receptor activation allows an influx of calcium through both glutamate - activated cationic channels ( nmda ) and voltage - gated ca 2 + channels activated by a prolonged depolarization ( choi , 1987 ; coulter , 1992 ; olney , 1971 ). although increases in intracellular calcium concentrations are a necessary component of many normal signal transduction pathways , excessive and prolonged rises of ca 2 + can lead to mitochondrial membrane dysfunction and cell death ( farber , 1981 ; sombati , 1991 ), induced in part by ca 2 + - mediated excitotoxicity ( wahlestedt , 1993 ) and / or failure to regulate cell volume ( pasantes - morales , 2000 ). cell death associated with glutamate neurotoxicity has been suggested to contribute to the devastating effects of a number of serious medical conditions including stroke , persistent seizures of status epilepticus , and neurodegenerative disorders such as alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease , amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , multiple sclerosis , spinal cord injury and huntington &# 39 ; s disease ( choi , 1988 ; choi , 1990 ; kandel , 1991 ). it has been reported that reactive oxygen species ( ros ) are generated by activation of the glutamate receptor ( campisi , 2004 ). additionally , map kinases including jnk and p38 are also implicated in glutamate - induced neuronal apoptosis ( xia , 1995 ; chen , 2003 ). furthermore , caspase 3 activation appears to play an important role in glutamate neurotoxicity ( du , 1997 ). according to the hydrogen peroxide induced death model , we treated cgn with 10 μm of h 2 o 2 to induced neuronal death ( lin , 2003 ). it has been suggested that hydrogen peroxide leads to apoptotic neuronal death by involving pro - apoptotic molecules ( wei , 2000 ), like initiator caspases ( see , 2001 ). superoxide anions seem to be responsible for the apoptotic cell death of trophic factor - deprived sympathetic neurons ( greenlund , 1995a ; b ), glutamate - treated cerebellar neurons ( ishikawa , 1999 ; satoh , 1998 ; and patel , 1996 ), and hippocampal neurons incubated with xanthine oxidase ( guo , 1999 ; ishikawa , 1999 ). singlet oxygen has also been involved in apoptotic death in nonneuronal cells mediated by bid and some members of the mapk family ( zhuang , 1998 ). in addition , singlet oxygen has been related to the alterations in the mitochondrial permeability transition pore that occur in several apoptotic death models ( salet , 1997 ; moreno , 2001 ). ros contributes to the production of peroxynitrites and could also have relevance in induction of apoptotic cell death ( virag , 1998 ). treatment of cgn with 50 μm of sodium nitroprusside ( snp , a no donor ) induces neuronal death ( lin , 2001 ). nitric oxide ( no ) generated from neuronal nitric oxide synthase ( nnos ) and inflammatory inducible isoform of nitric oxide synthase ( inos ) inhibits the mitochondrial respiratory chain in vitro ( clementi , 1998 ), stimulates neurotransmitter release from synaptosomes ( meffert , 1994 ) and can cause autocrine excitotoxicity in neuronal cultures ( leist , 1997 ). no plays a critical role in neurodegenerative diseases and cerebral ischemia . it has been suggested that excessive production of no causes these diseases by destroying neurons . the mechanisms proposed for no - mediated neurotoxicity include inactivation of the mitochondrial respiratory chain ( heales , 1994 ), s - nitrosylation of glyceraldehyde - 3 - phosphate dehydrogenase ( mcdonald and j . moss , 1993 ), inhibition of cis - aconitase ( drapier , 1993 ), activation of poly ( adp - ribose ) synthase , and dna damage ( zhang , 1994 ), most of which can be mediated by the formation of nitrosocompounds by cellular components . additionally , p38 map kinase and cgmp - dependent protein kinase ( pkg ) have been implicated in no — induced neuronal apoptosis ( ghatan , 2000 ; lin , 2001 ; bonthius , 2004 ). treatment of cgn or dopaminergic neurons ( da ) with 6 - hydroxydopamine (“ 6 - ohda ”) induces neuronal death ( dodel , 1999 ). 6 - ohda is a neurotoxin that is specific for catecholamine / dopaminergic neurons ( dn ) in both the central and peripheral nervous systems . this neurotoxin has been widely used for the parkinson disease ( pd ) research . it has been hypothesized that 6 - ohda induces neuronal death possibly via uncoupling mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation resulting in energy deprivation ( glinka , 1996 ). alternatively , 6 - ohda - induced neurotoxicity has been associated with its rapid auto - oxidation at neutral ph , thus producing hydrogen peroxide , hydroxyl and superoxide radicals ( kumar , 1995 ; tiffany - castiglinoi , 1982 ). quinones formed during the auto - oxidation of 6 - ohda may undergo covalent binding with nucleophilic groups of macromolecules such as — sh , — nh 2 , — oh , possibly further enhancing 6 - ohda - induced neurotoxicity ( izumi , 2005 ). furthermore , peroxynitrite ( onoo − ), which is a potent oxidant formed during the nearly instantaneous reaction of nitric oxide with superoxide anion , has also been found to be involved in 6 - ohda - induced neurochemical effects ( ferger , 2001 ) and neurotoxicity ( mihm , 2001 ). peroxynitrite - mediated protein nitration has been well documented in neurodegenerative disorders including parkinson &# 39 ; s disease ( beckman , 1993 ; good , 1996 , 1998 ). we used cgn since cgn undergo cell death as do dopaminergic neurons when exposed to 6 - ohda and mpp ( dodel , 1999 ; du , 1997a ). importantly , neuronal death pathways have been better characterized in cgn since this system provides a pure neuronal culture ( dodel , 1999 ). treatment of cgn or dopaminergic neurons ( da ) with mpp + induces neuronal death ( du , 2001 ). mptp / mpp + - induced neurodegeneration of dan and cgn is widely used to investigate and characterize the pathogenesis of pd ( du 2001 ). mpp is incorporated into cells via the dopamine transporters and the main targets of mpp are the mitochondria , where it inhibits complex i in the respiratory chain and abolishes oxidative phosphorylation ( tipton , 1993 ). although the cerebellum has not been extensively studied as a target for mpp neurotoxicity , cgcs are quite sensitive to the toxic effects of mpp in vitro ( du , 1997a ; gonzalez - polo , 2003 ). the neurotoxic action of this compound is known that mpp binds to complex - i of the mitochondrial respiratory chain , causing the inhibition of nad - linked mitochondrial respiration ( javitch , 1985 ), the increase in the generation of reactive oxygen species ( akaneya , 1995 ) and caspase - 3 activation ( du , 1997a ). it has been also suggested the regulatory effects of mpp on the n - methyl - d - aspartate ( nmda )- receptor , inducing the ca 2 + entry into the cell ( robinson and coyle , 1987 ). hypoxic - ischemic ( h - i ) encephalopathy during the prenatal and perinatal period is a major cause of damage to the fetal and neonatal brain resulting in considerable morbidity and mortality ( wei , 2004 ). however , currently , there is no effective treatment to prevent the consequences of neonatal h - i in humans . both rat and mouse in vitro and in vivo models of neonatal h - i have been established for mechanistic study . hypoxic - ischemic insults can trigger both apoptosis ( delayed programmed cell death ) and necrosis . it has been reported that young neurons die of necrosis and delayed apoptosis ( northington , 2001 ), whereas adult neurons usually die of necrosis only ( walton , 1999 ). this difference is mainly due to the upregulation of nmda receptors and increased caspase - 3 activity in the young brain and these two factors make young neurons particularly vulnerable to h - i injury ( johnston , 2002 ). mitochondria appear to play an essential role in determining the fate of cells subjected to hypoxia - ischemia ( gilland , 1998 ). disrupted mitochondrial function during h - i can lead to cytochrome c protein release and trigger an activation of caspase 3 / other caspase - related apoptotic pathways ( cheng , 1998 ). additionally , calpain and neuroinflammation may also be involved in h - 1 - induced neuronal injury ( arvin , 2002 , wei , 2004 ). the prominence of both apoptosis and necrosis in neurodegeneration after h - i in the immature brain suggests that it will be important to better understand the roles and relationships of these processes to develop effective neuroprotective strategies . the in vitro oxygen and glucose deprivation ( ogd ) model highly correlates to mechanisms of action in the in vivo h - i model . we culture cortical ( cn ) or hippocampal ( hn ) neurons from 1 - d pups and after 7 - d subject neurons to two hours of hypoxia in media without glucose ( see method for details ). this model can be used for mechanistic study of in vivo hypoxia - ischemia - induced neuronal injury . in summary , the table below lists some of the major neuronal death pathways that are involved in the above - mentioned models . the in vitro and in vivo neuronal death models were used to quantify the neuroprotective effect exerted by ascs conditioned media . these methods were further used to show the efficacy of using various fractions and component of asc conditioned media to produce significant neuroprotective effects on different neuronal death pathways . these techniques can also be used in vivo neonatal h - i model to examine whether the conditioned medium or factors identified therein can be systemically delivered to exert neuroprotection in vivo . when the following neurodegenerative models were used by incorporating asc - cm into in vitro cultures , or according to protocol set forth herein , the following results were noted . glutamate induces both neuronal necrosis and apoptosis and this in vitro model has been widely used for research of stroke , parkinson &# 39 ; s disease , and alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease ( du , 1997 ). in order to understand the physiological relevance of asc conditioned media , in the glutamate model was used to test neural cells cultured on media containing asc conditioned media . as shown in fig6 , the conditioned medium from ascs significantly protected neurons against glutamate neurotoxicity . furthermore , fig7 demonstrates that ascs which had not been previously cultured (“ fresh ”) produce an asc conditioned media that possesses a higher potency in neuroprotection than ascs that are not fresh . further , fig8 indicates that asc conditioned media that still retains the protective / regenerative characteristics fractionate by size exclusion chromatography at apparent molecular weights in excess of 10 kda . b . human asc - conditioned media protects cgn against glutamate - induced rat neuronal death . human asc conditioned media was tested in a rat glutamate toxicity model . the results indicate that human asc conditioned media , like that of rat , significantly attenuated glutamate neurotoxicity in rat cgn , suggesting that asc conditioned media induce activity in rat cells . thus , the rodent model can be useful for assaying the neuroprotective properties of human ascs . c . asc conditioned media protects cgn against h 2 o 2 - induced neuronal death . the h 2 o 2 - induced neuronal death model shows the role of free radicals in neurodegeneration . free radicals have been implicated in almost all types of neurodegenerative processes . test results shown in fig1 demonstrate that asc conditioned media exerted potent anti - oxidant activity , thereby protecting cgn from oxidative damage and death . the oxygen and glucose deprivation ( ogd ) model highly correlates to mechanisms in action in the in vivo h - i model . the protective effect of asc conditioned media was tested when added to primary mouse cortical neurons from 1 - d old pups . the cultured neurons were placed in hanks buffer without glucose and incubated for 2 hours in a hypoxic chamber ( form a scientific ) that was preset at 37 ° c . and 1 % o 2 . neurons were then switched back to serum - free dmem medium in the presence or absence of asc conditioned media . 24 hours later , neurons were assayed by an ldh kit . as a control , neurons without ogd treatments were also switched into serum - free dmem media in the presence or absence of asc conditioned media to eliminate ldh effects from asc conditioned media . test results shown in fig1 indicate that asc conditioned media markedly protects neurons against ogd - induced neuronal injury . e . 250 × enriched asc conditioned media protects neurons against h - i - induced hippocampal neuronal death in vivo . to investigate asc conditioned media function in h - i - induced neuronal death in vivo , 7 - d old sprague dawley rat pups were anesthetized with 2 . 5 % halothane and the left carotid artery was permanently ligated . hypoxic exposure was then achieved by placing pups in a 2 . 0 - l airtight plastic chamber submerged in a 37 . 0 ° c . water bath and flushed for 2 h with a humidified mixture of 7 % oxygen and 93 % nitrogen . pups were then returned to their dams until sacrifice . pups ( 2 per group ) received intravenous ( i . v .) injections of 10 μl of 250 - fold concentrated rat asc conditioned media 24 h after the hypoxic insult . the time period between h - i induction and asc conditioned media injection was chosen because maximal disruption of the blood - brain barrier occurs at this time , allowing maximal penetration of large polypeptides into brain tissues ( ikeda , 1999 ; mclean 2004 . seven days following h - i injury , the brains were histologically analyzed to quantify the amount of damage to the hippocampus . in the hippocampus , h - i injury resulted in approximately 27 % tissue loss when mice were exposed to hypoxia for 2 hours , as compared to non - injured controls . conversely , fig1 shows that mice treated with asc conditioned media showed almost completely blocked brain damage . as discussed above , asc conditioned media effectively blocks neuronal death in models that involve different molecular mechanisms . these mechanisms include at least one of the following three pathways : jnk , p38 , and caspase 3 . these three pathways have been widely investigated and it is known that in addition to interacting each other , these pathways may also induce neuronal death independently ( see table i ). using these models , it is possible to determine if asc - conditioned media ( acasc conditioned media ) inhibits injury stimuli - induced activation by phosphorylation of jnk and p38 and cleavage of caspase 3 in those models where they are actively involved ( table 1 ). according to our embodiment , a asc conditioned media prepared as described protects neurons from neuronal death in these models via inhibition of enk , jnk , p38 , and / or caspase 3 activation . the adipose tissue is minced ( mouse and rat ) then digested in collagenase type i solution ( worthington biochemical , lakewood , n . j .) under gentle agitation for 1 hour at 37 ° c ., filtered with 500 μm and 250 μm nitex filters , and centrifuged at 200 g for 5 minutes to separate the stromal cell fraction ( pellet ) from adipocytes . the asc fraction is treated with red blood cell lysis buffer for 5 min at 37 ° c ., then centrifuged at 300 g for 5 minutes . the supernatant is discarded and the cell pellet resuspended in the appropriate medium . asc - cm protects neurons against 6 - hydroxydopamine ( 6 - ohda )- mediated death , as shown in fig1 . the asc conditioned medium ( asc - cm ) was collected and subsequently added to the cultured rat cerebellar granule neurons ( cgn ). neuronal viability was quantified by either counting fluorescein positive neurons or staining living neurons with mtt . since neurotoxicity induced by 6 - ohda was believed to be due , at least in part , to the production of reactive oxygen species ( ros ). also investigated were the levels of free radical generation in our model by using dihydroethidium ( dhe ) and dihydrorhodamine 123 ( dhr ). as shown in fig1 , exposure of cgn to 50 mm 6 - ohda resulted in significant increases in free radical production and cgn neuronal death . g . asc - cm preserves the cognitive function of rats following hypoxia - ischemia injury . the ability of asc - cm to provide long - term protection following hypoxia - ischemia ( hi ) injury was determined as follows . hi injury was induced in 7 day old rat pups as described above . asc - cm was administered at the time of surgery ( pre - treatment ) or 24 hours after hi injury ( post treatment ). controls were uninjured rats ( positive control ) of the same age and rats receiving an equivalent volume of carrier ( negative control ). after 7 weeks the cognitive function of all rats was determined using the morris water maze test . the test system consisted of a swimming pool containing a number of visual cues to facilitate orientation , including counters and decals . a 168 cm diameter , 41 cm high tank was filled to a depth of 30 cm with 15 ° c . water . a round transparent plastic platform , 11 cm in diameter , was placed in the pool so that the top of the platform was located 1 cm below the surface of the water , where it was not visible to a viewer on the surface of the water . for the visible platform test , a flag was placed on the platform . after performing the visible platform test , the flag was removed , making the platform not visible from the surface of the water ( invisible test ). animals were individually placed at the same location in the water to begin the test . the time taken for the rats to reach the platform by swimming was recorded . each animal was tested 3 times with 15 second intervals between repeats . data are presented as mean ± sem . the results were compared using a paired student &# 39 ; s t - test as shown on fig1 , for the visible platform test the time taken by the rats to first swim to the platform and then crawl out of the water onto the platform was much shorter for both asc - pretreatment ( n = 3 ) and asc - posttreatment ( n = 4 ) groups than for the control bme - treatment group ( n = 5 ) (** p & lt ; 0 . 01 ). similarly , asc - cm treated rats performed better than bme control - treated rats in the invisible platform test (* p & lt ; 0 . 05 ) ( fig2 ). these results demonstrate that asc - cm treated rats have a higher level of cognitive function than control treated animals ; thus , providing further evidence that asc - cm provides protection against neurodegeneration . a . preparation of mouse and rat cgn neuronal cultures and analysis method cgn is prepared from 8 - day - old rat or mouse pups as previously described ( du , 1997 and 2001 ). preliminary data showed that mouse cgn behaves similarly to rat cgn . briefly , freshly dissected cerebella is dissociated and the cells seeded at a density of 1 . 2 to 1 . 5 × 10 6 cells / ml on poly - l - lysine coated dishes in basal medium eagle ( invirogen ) supplemented with 10 % fbs ( invirogen ), 25 mm kcl , and gentamicin ( 0 . 1 mg / ml , invitrogen ). cytosine arabinoside ( 10 μm , sigma ) is added to the culture medium 24 h after initial plating . all experiments utilize neurons after 7 - 8 days in vitro ( div ). the lk , glutamate , h2o2 , mpp +, 6ohda treatments follow methods that were previously described ( ni , 1997 ; du , 1997a ; lin , 2003 ; du , 1997b ; dodel , 1999 ). viable neurons are quantified by counting fluorescein ( green ) positive cells which result from the de - esterification of fluorescein diacetate ( fda , sigma ) by living cells . briefly , cultures are incubated with fda ( 10 μg / ml ) for 5 min , examined and photographed using uv light microscopy and the number of neurons from representative low power fields are counted as previously described ( du , 1997 ). propidium iodide ( pi , sigma ), which interacts with nuclear dna producing a red fluorescence , is used to identify dead neurons . for pi staining , cultures are incubated with pi ( 5 μg / ml ), examined and photographed using uv light microscopy as previously described ( du , 1997a ). primary cultures of rostral mesencephalic tegmentum ( rmt ) dissected from e15 rat or e12 mouse embryos ( harlan ) are performed using a modified method as previously described ( dodel , 1998 ). preliminary studies show that mouse mdn behaves similarly to rat mdn . briefly , rmt is dissociated using trypsin and dnase ( sigma ) and the cells are be suspended in dulbeccos modified eagle medium ( invitrogen ) supplemented with ham f12 nutrient mixture ( 1 : 1 ; invitrogen ), glucose , 1 % penicillin - streptomycin ( invitrogen ) and 10 % fetal bovine serum ( invitrogen ). the cells are plated onto poly - l - lysine ( 10 μg / ml ; sigma ) precoated 10 mm coverslips in 24 - well plates at a density of 10 5 cells / cm 2 and incubated for 72 hr . following 24 h the medium is supplemented with 10 μm cytosine arabinoside ( sigma ) to inhibit glial cell proliferation . neuronal cultures are used for experiments 7 days after preparation . dopaminergic ( da ) neurons in primary cultures are visualized by th - immunohistochemistry using a primary monoclonal antibody against rat th ( instar ) following by an anti - mouse igg cy3 conjugate ( sigma ) ( dodel , 1998 ), and the number of th - immunoreactive neurons is assessed using a leitz inverted microscope (× 200 ). values are usually expressed as a % of control cultures for each experiment and the data are displayed as the mean ± standard error of duplicate experiments , which are repeated about four times . the cell counts are statistically evaluated using analysis of variance . neurotoxicity is also examined by using methods of tunel ( apoptag , oncor ) and ldh ( roche ) following manufacturers &# 39 ; instructions ( dodel , 1998 ). cortices are collected from newborn rat or mice pups and minced . an aliquot of ice - cold pbs is added into the minced tissues , which are then centrifuged at 1000 rpm at 4 ° c . and the supernatants are discarded . an aliquot of 0 . 25 % trypsin is added and incubated at 37 ° c . for 15 min to produce a single cell suspension ( shaken once every 5 min ). the precipitates are discarded and the supernatants are centrifuged again at 1000 rpm at 4 ° c . for 5 min . the cell pellets are diluted to an appropriate concentration with neurobasal in 2 % b27 ( invitrogen , carlsbad , calif ., u . s . a .) and plated into poly - d - lysine - coated dishes ( bd biosciences , franklin lakes , n . j ., u . s . a .). usually , the cells are used between 4 - 6 days after plating . before each treatment , cells are rinsed and then incubated in serum - free dulbecco &# 39 ; s modified eagle &# 39 ; s medium ( dmem ) with or without high glucose ( invitrogen ). all experiments are conducted under serum - free conditions . to induce ogd , neurons are placed in a hypoxic chamber ( form a scientific ) which is preset at 37 ° c . and 1 % o 2 . neurons are incubated with serum - free dmem media containing no glucose . control neurons are incubated in the regular incubation chamber ( 37 ° c . and 21 % o 2 ) in deme containing high glucose . four hours later , neurons are placed back to regular co 2 incubator for another 20 h and then assayed using a ldh kit . for nmda toxicity study , the neuronal culture is supplemented with 100 mm for 24 h and assayed using a ldh kit . cell viability assays are performed in accordance with the protocol provided by r & amp ; d systems ( minneapolis , minn ., u . s . a .). briefly , cortical neurons from newborn rats are cultured in flat - bottomed , poly - d - lysine - coated , 96 - well tissue culture plates ( biocoat , bd biosciences ). after each treatment , 100 μl of media is removed for the ldh assay and mtt is added to the cultures at 37 ° c . for 2 . 5 h . dmso is then added to the cells . cells are held for another 3 h at 37 ° c . in the dark since mtt is reduced by metabolically active cells into insoluble purple formazan dye crystals that are soluble in the dmso . the absorption is read by a plate reader at 570 nm using a reference wavelength of 650 nm . about 100 μl of the culture media is monitored for the release of lactate dehydrogenase ( ldh ) to measure cell death , using a ldh kit from roche , indianapolis by following the manufacturer &# 39 ; s instructions ( du , 1998 ). each experiment is performed in triplicate ; the data from a representative experiment carried out three times with similar results . the data is expressed as the mean od ± sd . dna strand breaks are detected using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase - mediated biotinylated utp nick end - labeling ( tunel ) according to the manufacturer &# 39 ; s procedure ( apoptag , oncor ). briefly , cultures are fixed for 30 min with 1 % paraformaldehyde and then washed with pbs . 200 μl of equilibration buffer is added to each well , followed by addition of 120 μl / well of working strength tdt cells are , then incubated for 30 min at 37 ° c . after adding 1 ml of working strength stop / wash buffer twice , 100 μl of working strength antibody solution ( anti - digoxigenin - fluorescein ) is added the mixture is held for 1 hr . the cells are visualized under phase - contrast microscopy . apoptotic cells are discriminated morphologically by the presence of condensed , bright green nuclei in neurons . western blot analysis of erk , jnk , p38 , and active caspase is performed as previously described ( wei , 2004 , wei , 2005 ). detection of caspase activity is also performed as described in 1997 ( du , 1997a , b ). neuronal extracts are prepared by lysing cgn at 1 . 5 and 3 h ( for jnk and p38 ), 0 , 3 and 6 h ( erk ), and 20 h ( for caspase 3 ) following insult treatments . h . proteomic profiling of neuroprotective factors in fractions from asc - conditioned media neuroprotective factors secreted by ascs , are characterized using antibody arrays to identify specific factors present in fractions of conditioned medium . this information is used to assess the contribution of each factor to neuroprotective activity . an antibody array is used for initial characterization over other proteomics analyses because this method is sensitive ( can detect pg level ) and can directly measure the protein in media . in contrast , nucleic acid microarrays ( superarray , affymetrix , agilent ) can only detect mrna changes and may not provide accurate data on protein production and secretion in to the media . other methods for detecting proteins are much more powerful and can be used . our data demonstrates that conditioned media from human ascs potently protects rat neurons , suggesting that cross - species analyses and protection occurs . active fractions from human and mouse asc antibody can be identified using array membranes provided by raybiotech . detailed methodology is described in the company protocol ; it is similar to western blot protocols . in brief : step 1 . incubate the array membrane with 250 - fold enriched ascs supernatants . step 2 . incubate the factor - bound membrane with a cocktail of biotin - labeled antibodies . the presence of any proteins detected by the array analyses can be confirmed in rat or murine ( if not proved to be negative through probing the mouse array ) conditioned media using antibodies or rt - pcr analyses , and the identified proteins can be manufactured using cdna or other methods . because of the larger array of human antibodies , and conditions available it is more effective to probe for human proteins than it is to probe for specific proteins in rats , mice and other animals . however , mouse and rat ascs may have unique properties that are not conserved across species . we do not believe that this is the case since our data demonstrate that human asc conditioned media is a potent protector of rat neurons . however , the number of proteins detected by the arrays is still a fraction of the total number of proteins present in the media . it is possible that important factors in the conditioned media could go undetected . accordingly , it may be necessary to use methods other than antibody detection to screen for factors in acasc conditioned media produced by rat or mice cells . one such method is to use oligonucleotide array to identify components produced by ascs . commercially available oligonucleotide arrays include superarray , affymetrix , or agilent . the other arrays can be used to probe for factors that do not react with antibody assay . this technique provides information in the absence of antibodies and can be used directly with mouse and rat cells . if necessary , these two methodologies can be combined to overcome these inherit deficiencies of each separate method . all references , patients , patient applications and the like cited herein and not otherwise specifically incorporated by references in their entirety , are hereby incorporated by references in their entirety as if each were separately incorporated by reference in their entirety . an abstract is included to aid in searching the contents of the application it is not intended to be read as explaining , summarizing or otherwise characterizing or limiting the disclosure in any way . the present disclosure contemplates modifications as would occur to those skilled in the art . it is also contemplated that processes embodied in the present disclosure can be altered , duplicated , combined , or added to other processes as would occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure . further , any theory of operation , proof , or finding stated herein is meant to further enhance understanding of the present disclosure and is not intended to make the scope of the present disclosure dependent upon such theory , proof , or finding . while the disclosure has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description , the same is considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in character , it is understood that only the preferred embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the disclosure are desired to be protected . | 0 |
exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a wireless communication apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig1 , the wireless communication apparatus 100 , according to this embodiment , may include a communication unit 110 and a wake - up unit 120 . the communication unit 110 forms a wireless network with a server , and performs predetermined wireless communications with the server . here , the wireless communication apparatus , according to the present invention , may be a zigbee wireless communication apparatus , which performs wireless communication according to the zigbee specification . thus , the communication unit 110 may perform zigbee wireless communications and operate in sleep mode at preset intervals , corresponding to the characteristics of the zigbee specifications of reducing power use . when the communication unit 110 is in sleep mode , the wake - up unit 120 may wake up the communication unit 110 under the control of the server so that the communication unit 110 operates normally . in addition , the wake - up unit 120 may utilize a reflection signal , a signal reflected after being output from the communication unit 110 , to perform a sensing operation for detecting an object without using a separate sensor . that is , when a signal output from the communication unit 110 is transmitted to the wake up unit 120 after being reflected by an object ‘ a ’, the wake - up unit 120 may detect the object ‘ a ’ by sensing whether the signal level of the reflection signal transmitted to the wake - up unit 120 is higher than a preset level or by counting the time or number of times that the signal level of the reflection signal is higher than the preset level . accordingly , the wireless communication apparatus 100 , according to this embodiment , may be utilized in networks to sense , for example , the opening and closing of front doors or windows , or the presence of container boxes without using any separate sensor . that is , the wake - up unit 120 sends a result of the sensing based on the signal level of the reflection signal . then , the communication unit 110 may inform a network server of the opening and closing of front doors or windows or of the presence of metallic materials such as containers . the wake - up unit 120 may sense the presence of the object ‘ a ’ according to the signal level of the reflection signal sent as a wireless communication signal transmitted between the communication unit 110 and the server is reflected by the object ‘ a ’. however , the reflection signal may not be transferred smoothly in the case that the object ‘ a ’ is partially formed of a metallic material such as a window , in comparison with a smoothly transmitted reflection signal when the object ‘ a ’ is formed entirely of a metallic material like a front door or a container box . in this regard , a wireless communication apparatus , according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention , will now be described with reference to fig2 . fig2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a wireless communication apparatus according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention . in the wireless communication apparatus 200 according to this embodiment of fig2 , a communication unit 210 may include a first directional antenna 211 . the first directional antenna 211 may transfer a signal in a preset direction . the first directional antenna 211 may be used to transfer a sensing signal for the detection of an object , apart from an antenna used for wireless communication with a network server . thus , if the opening and closing or the presence of an object ‘ a ’, which contains just a small amount of metallic material such as a window , is sensed , the direction in which a sensing signal is output from the first directional antenna 211 is set toward the metallic material of the object ‘ a ’. furthermore , the sensing signal from a communication unit 210 may be a signal modulated using on - off keying method . thus , a wake - up unit 220 may include a second directional antenna 221 . the sensing signal output from the first directional antenna 211 of the communication unit 210 is reflected by the metal in the object ‘ a ’ and then input to the second directional antenna 221 . therefore , the second directional antenna 221 may be directed such that a reflection signal is smoothly transferred . here , the reflection signal refers to the sensing signal reflected by the metal in the object after being output from the first directional antenna 211 . fig3 is a diagram illustrating the detailed configuration and signal processing of the wake - up unit used in the wireless communication apparatus of fig1 . referring to fig1 and 3 , the wake - up unit 120 used in the wireless communication apparatus of fig1 may include a signal converter 121 and a detector 122 . the wake - up unit 220 of fig2 may also have the same configuration as that illustrated in fig3 . the signal converter 121 of the wake - up unit 120 converts the reflection signal , an rf signal , into a direct current ( dc ) signal . the converted dc signal is transmitted to the detector 122 , and the detector 122 senses the level of the converted dc signal . the detector 122 may sense whether or not the level of the dc signal is higher than a preset signal level , or count the number of dc signals above or below a preset signal level for more precise detection . thereafter , the detector 122 sends an alarm signal to the communication unit 110 . the communication unit 110 may inform a network server of information indicating , for example , whether or not a front door or a window is open or whether a container box has moved , based on the result of the detection contained in the alarm signal . accordingly , the server may provide a user with alarms warning of housebreaking , movement of household items or the like . according to the embodiment of the present invention , the wake - up unit is utilized in the wireless communication system so as to sense , for example , the opening of a front door or window or the presence of a container box without using a separate sensor . consequently , costs can be saved and space can be utilized more efficiently because no separate sensor is used . as set forth above , according to exemplary embodiments of the invention , an object is detected by use of a wake - up function without using a separate sensor , so that cost increases and spatial limitations may be prevented from occurring due to the use of the sensor . while the present invention has been shown and described in connection with the exemplary embodiments , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . | 7 |
preferred embodiments of x - ray computed tomography apparatuses according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing . computed tomography apparatuses are classified into various types of apparatuses such as a rotate / rotate - type apparatus for integrally rotating an x - ray tube and x - ray detector around a subject and a stationary / rotate - type apparatus for rotating only an x - ray tube around a subject while a large number of detection elements are arranged in a ring . the present invention is applicable to any type and will be explained using the most popular rotate / rate - type apparatus as an example . to reconstruct one tomographic image , a projection data set around the subject , i . e ., through about 360 ° is generally required . even in a half - scan method , a projection data set of 180 °+ α ( α is the view angle ) is required . the present invention is applicable to either scheme . the former method of reconstructing one tomographic image from the projection data set of about 360 ° is employed hereinafter . fig1 shows the arrangement of the main part of a computed tomography apparatus according to the first embodiment . this computed tomography apparatus is comprised of a gantry unit 100 and computer unit 200 . the gantry 100 is made up of an x - ray tube 101 and a plurality of constituent components necessary for acquiring projection data . the x - ray tube 101 is mounted on a rotary ring 102 . the x - ray tube 101 has a plurality of types of sensors necessary for monitoring various operating states , such as a voltmeter 115 for sensing a tube voltage , an ammeter 116 for sensing a tube current , and a temperature sensor 117 for sensing the internal temperature of the x - ray tube 101 . a multichannel type x - ray detector 103 , data acquisition system 104 , and the like are attached to the rotary ring 102 in addition to the x - ray tube 101 . the x - ray detector 103 opposes the x - ray tube 101 through a photographic area . in projection data acquisition ( scanning ), a subject lying on a bed is located in the photographic area . projection data acquired by the data acquisition system 104 is temporarily stored in a storage unit 201 in the computer unit 200 . in addition to the storage unit 201 , the computer unit 200 is comprised of a host controller 206 , an interpolation unit 202 for generating projection data ( interpolated data ), instead of projection data exhibiting an error value upon generation of an arc , on the basis of actually acquired projection data ( real data ), a reconstruction unit 203 for reconstructing tomographic image data on the basis of the real data of 360 ° or a combination of 360 ° real data and interpolated data , a display 205 for displaying the resultant tomographic image data , and an input device 204 having the function of allowing the operator to select an operation mode of an interlock unit 113 ( to be described later ). as is known well , discharge is normal operation , while an arc generation is an error . referring back to fig1 in addition to the x - ray tube and the like , the gantry unit 100 is comprised of a high - voltage generator 105 for impressing a tube voltage ( high voltage ) to the x - ray tube 101 , a rotor controller 107 for rotating and driving the rotary anode of the x - ray tube 101 , a cool pump unit 108 for cooling the x - ray tube 101 , a ring controller 109 for rotating and driving the rotary ring 102 , a bed controller 110 for moving the top plate of the bed , and a das controller 111 for controlling the operation of the data acquisition system 104 . the gantry unit 100 further comprises a filament current controller 106 for supplying a filament current to the x - ray tube 101 . this filament current controller 106 has the feedback function of adjusting the filament current on the basis of the tube current sensed by the ammeter 116 in order to relatively stabilize the tube current to a predetermined value . a scan controller 112 controls the high - voltage generator 105 , filament current controller 106 , rotor controller 107 , cool pump unit 108 , ring controller 109 , bed controller 110 , and das controller 111 to scan the subject . the scan controller 112 is connected to the interlock unit 113 . the interlock unit 112 receives a sensing signal from the voltmeter 115 , a sensing signal from the ammeter 116 , a sensing signal from the temperature sensor 117 , and sensing signals from sensors arranged in the cool pump unit 108 to sense various operating states , e . g ., the temperature and pressure of cooling oil . the interlock unit 113 monitors the operating state of the x - ray tube 101 on the basis of these sensing signals from various viewpoints . when an error occurs in the x - ray tube 101 , the interlock unit 113 outputs an interlock signal for emergency stop of scan to the scan controller 112 . in addition to this original interlock function , the interlock unit 113 has the x - ray suspend function , as a characteristic feature , of outputting a suspend signal in place of the interlock signal to the scan controller 112 when the x - ray tube 101 is set in a specific state . upon receiving the interlock signal from the interlock unit 113 , the scan controller 112 urgently stops all motions pertaining to scan operation for acquiring the projection data . more specifically , tube voltage impression from the high - voltage generator 105 to the x - ray tube 101 is stopped to stop emitting x - rays . filament current supply from the filament current controller 106 to the x - ray tube 101 is stopped . the rotary anode and rotary ring 102 stop rotating , the top plate of the bed stops moving , and the das 104 stops data acquisition operation . upon receiving the suspend signal from the interlock unit 113 , the scan controller 112 only stops impressing the tube voltage from the high - voltage generator 105 to the x - ray tube 101 . the scan controller 112 , however , outputs control signals to the high - voltage generator 105 , filament current controller 106 , ring controller 109 , bed controller 110 , cool pump unit 108 , and das controller 111 so as not to stop , i . e ., so as to continue all other operations pertaining to scan , i . e ., filament current supply from the filament current controller 106 to the x - ray tube 101 , rotation of the rotary anode and rotary ring 102 , movement of the top plate of the bed , operation of the cool pump , and data acquisition operation of the das 104 . when a predetermined period of time , e . g ., 100 ms , has elapsed from generation of the suspend signal , the interlock unit 113 stops generating the suspend signal . when the supply of the suspend signal is stopped , the scan controller 112 restarts impressing the tube voltage from the high - voltage generator 105 to the x - ray tube 101 and controls the high - voltage generator 105 to restart x - ray emission . of a plurality of operations pertaining to scan , operations except x - ray emission continue . when x - ray emission is restarted , normal scan can be immediately restarted . the situation in which a suspend signal is generated , i . e ., the specific state of the x - ray tube 101 is a state in which only an arc is generated . that is , any state other than that in which an arc is generated and overheat or the like occurs is normal . this arc is generated due to dust or fine particles in the x - ray tube 101 or a decrease in vacuum degree . the above - mentioned arc generation is caused by dust , fine particles , or the decrease in vacuum degree , and is not an apparatus failure . no special repair is required , and the arc phenomenon often naturally disappears . to recover the normal state from the arc phenomenon earlier than natural disappearance , x - ray emission is stopped for a predetermined period of time ( 100 ms ). when the predetermined period of time has elapsed upon generating the arc , x - ray emission is restarted . at the time of this restart , the arc phenomenon is often eliminated . if the arc is still being generated , all the operations pertaining to scan including x - ray emission are stopped . if the arc has disappeared , scan is continued . the data acquired for the period in which x - rays are kept stopped are errors . the error data acquired in this period are replaced with interpolated data generated from the projection data ( real data ) actually acquired before and after the period . fig2 shows changes in tube current and voltage as a function of time . when an arc is generated , the tube current abruptly increases while the tube voltage abruptly decreases . to determine arc generation with high precision , arc generation is determined when the following three conditions are satisfied : ( 1 ) the tube current is larger than a first threshold value th 1 ; ( 2 ) the tube voltage is lower than a second threshold value th 2 ; and ( 3 ) the descending gradient of the tube voltage is larger ( steeper ) than a threshold value . when the operation error of the x - ray tube 101 is determined to be caused by only an arc on the basis of the above determination criteria , the interlock unit 113 generates a suspend signal . the high - voltage generator 105 stops impressing the tube voltage to the x - ray tube 101 . however , filament current supply from the filament current controller 106 to the x - ray tube 101 , rotation of the rotary anode and rotary ring 102 , movement of the top plate of the bed , operation of the cool pump , and data acquisition operation of the das 104 continue without any stop . when the predetermined period of time ( 100 ms ) has elapsed from generation of the suspend signal , the interlock unit 113 stops generating the suspend signal . this makes it possible to restart x - ray emission and restore a scan enable state . the actual time from the stop of impressing the tube voltage to the restart of impressing the tube voltage is not limited to 100 ms . the stop time should be set in consideration of an arc disappearance possibility and interpolation accuracy . that is , the longer the stop time , the higher the arc disappearance possibility and the lower the interpolation accuracy . in consideration of both the arc disappearance possibility and interpolation accuracy , the stop time is preferably 100 ms . the interlock signal and suspend signal are also supplied to the host controller 206 . in accordance with the interlock signal , the host controller 206 supplies to the display 205 a signal for displaying a message representing the stop of scan . a message displayed on the display 205 may represent an errored unit ( e . g ., an x - ray tube ) or information ( e . g ., an arc ) representing the cause of the error . alternatively , the message representing the errored unit or information representing the cause of the error may be stored and so displayed as to allow a serviceman to confirm the message at the time of inspection or repair . a function of transferring to a business office or maker the message representing the errored unit or the information representing the cause of the error may be provided . this makes it possible for a serviceman to check and repair only the errored unit at the time of inspection and repair , thereby shortening the work time . in accordance with the suspend signal , the host controller 206 supplies to the display 205 a signal for displaying a message representing the stop of x - ray emission . the interlock unit 113 has the function of stopping scan as follows . when an arc is generated by the x - ray tube 101 at a relatively high frequency , for example , when an arc is generated three times in 10 sec , the interlock unit 113 determines a high possibility of an arc being generated due to an apparatus failure . when the third arc is detected , the interlock unit 113 generates an interlock signal in place of a suspend signal , thereby stopping scan of the subject . as described above , according to this embodiment , when the x - ray tube generates an arc , only x - ray emission is stopped , and other operations pertaining to scan continue . when the predetermined period of time has elapsed , x - ray emission is automatically restarted . by this time , the arc phenomenon often disappears . since the operations except x - ray emission have continued , the restart of x - ray generation allows the immediate restart of scan and the restart of acquiring projection data . although projection data acquisition operation continues during the x - ray stop period , data output from the detector 103 during this period are errors . for example , a slice position for reconstructing a tomographic image can be arbitrarily designated in helical scan . however , some of 360 ° projection data corresponding to the slice position are missing . the interpolation unit 201 must interpolate the missing projection data on the basis of the projection data actually acquired at a position near this slice position or a combination of the actually acquired projection data and their opposing data . as a typical example of the interpolation method , missing data are calculated on the basis of the projection data ( real data ) acquired in the previous rotation and the projection data ( real data ) acquired in the next rotation while the angle ( view ) of the x - ray tube 101 remains the same . when the x - ray stop period is set relatively long , one of the projection data ( real data ) acquired in the previous rotation and the projection data ( real data ) acquired in the next rotation may be missing . the interpolation unit 202 has the function of , when data to be used for interpolation is unfortunately missing , calculating the missing data using projection data ( normal value ) acquired for a period except the stop period of the tube voltage at a position closest to the missing data position . by this function , when scan is restarted , including the tube voltage impression stop and restart , projection data acquired between the stop and restart of tube voltage impression exhibit error values . when interpolation and reconstruction are performed using these error values , an artifact occurs in the reconstructed tomographic image . however , when the projection data exhibiting the error values are replaced with the projection data exhibiting normal values , and interpolation is performed , no artifact occurs . to prevent this artifact , the interpolation unit 202 must detect the stop period of the tube voltage . this detection method is not limited to any specific method . fig3 a , 3 b , and 3 c show three variations of the detection method . in the method of fig3 a , one - or several - channel reference detector ( x - ray detector ) 50 is arranged between the x - ray tube 101 and the subject . data ( reference data ) from the reference detector 50 is acquired by the data acquisition system 104 together with the projection data . the reference data exhibits almost zero level when no x - rays are emitted and a large value when x - rays are emitted . the interpolation unit 202 compares the value of the reference data with a threshold value . the interpolation unit 202 detects a period in which the value of the reference data is smaller than the threshold value , as the period from the tube voltage impression stop to the tube voltage impression restart . alternatively , the projection data accompanying reference data smaller than the threshold value is detected as projection data exhibiting an error value acquired for the x - ray stop period . based on the same idea as described above , as shown in fig3 b , since no x - rays are emitted during the tube voltage stop period , the projection data value of the x - ray detector 101 exhibits almost zero . the data acquisition system 104 compares the acquired projection data with the threshold value to allow detection of the tube voltage stop period . as shown in fig3 c , a time code ( attached to the projection data ) corresponding to the tube voltage impression stop and a time code corresponding to the tube voltage impression restart are received from the interlock unit 113 . the period from the tube voltage impression stop to the tube voltage impression restart may be detected , or the projection data accompanying the reference data having a value smaller than the threshold value may be detected as projection data exhibiting an error value acquired during the tube voltage stop period . in so - called 180 ° interpolation , i . e ., interpolation for interpolating projection data of a designated slice on the basis of projection data actually acquired in the 180 ° range ( hatched portion ) centered on the designated slice and its opposing data ( e . g ., data on the same route in the opposite x - ray direction , and data obtained by interpolating data on a close route in the opposite x - ray direction ), as shown in fig4 projection data p 0 at a given tube angle is interpolated from adjacent projection data p 1 and p 2 . if the projection data p 2 is projection data having an error value and acquired from the tube voltage impression stop to the tube voltage impression restart , the projection data p 2 is replaced with projection data ( opposing data in this case ) p 3 acquired at a position closest to the acquisition position of the projection data p 2 . interpolation may be performed using the following method as well . as shown in fig5 a , in place of using the opposing data , so - called 360 ° interpolation is used . the 360 ° interpolation performs interpolation using only the projection data actually acquired in the 360 ° range ( hatched portion ) centered on the designated slice . when the period from the tube voltage impression stop to the tube voltage impression restart partially overlaps the above range , the interpolation method is switched to the 180 ° interpolation method shown in fig5 b . the 180 ° interpolation method has a narrow range ( range in the body axis direction ) of data to be used for interpolation , i . e ., about ½ the range of the 360 ° interpolation method . the possibility that the period from the tube voltage impression stop to the tube voltage impression restart partially overlaps the range is low . if the period from the tube voltage impression stop to the tube voltage impression restart partially overlaps the range of the 180 ° interpolation method , the projection data representing the error value and acquired for the period from the tube voltage impression stop to the tube voltage impression restart is replaced with the projection data acquired at a position closest to the acquisition position of the projection data having the error value , as shown in fig4 . note that the present invention is not limited to switching between the 360 ° and 180 ° interpolation methods , but can employ any interpolation method if an appropriate interpolation method can be selected from a variety of interpolation methods . in the above description , the missing projection data during the x - ray stop period is interpolated . in helical scan , as shown in fig6 a , it is preferable that the top plate be returned from a position corresponding to the arc generation time by a total distance of the distance required for data interpolation and the approach distance of the top plate , and scan be restarted from the return position . in this case , missing of projection data does not occur , and no data interpolation is required . as shown in fig6 b , even if an arc is generated , scan may be continued to the end except the x - ray suspend period . upon completion of the scan , the top plate may be returned from a position corresponding to the arc generation time by the total distance of the distance required for data interpolation and the approach distance of the top plate , and scan in the range corresponding to the x - ray suspend period may be restarted from the return position . the on / off mode of the method in fig6 a can be selected by an operator &# 39 ; s instruction . similarly , the on / off mode of the method in fig6 b can be selected by an operator &# 39 ; s instruction . the on / off mode of the x - ray suspend function described above can be selected by an operator &# 39 ; s instruction . as described above , according to this embodiment , it is highly probable that an arc generation as an abnormal phenomenon which abruptly increases the tube current and abruptly decreases the tube voltage as the main cause of vacuum degree degradation in the x - ray tube be naturally recovered . in such case , when impression of the tube current is restarted , often the abnormal phenomenon is naturally recovered and scan can be continued . even if the interlock function is effected in helical scan or contrast examination , scan may not be restarted from the beginning . the arrangement of an x - ray computed tomography apparatus according to the second embodiment is the same as that in fig1 except a control mechanism of an interlock unit 113 and scan controller 112 upon generating an arc . the difference will be described below . fig7 shows a tube voltage curve , tube current curve , and filament current curve as a function of time under the control mechanism of the second embodiment . most causes of arc generation are dust , fine particles , and degradation of the vacuum degree , but are not an apparatus failure . the arc phenomenon may often be naturally eliminated with a lapse of time . in the conventional monitoring function , when an arc is generated , the interlock function is effected to stop all operations pertaining to scan including x - ray emission . to the contrary , in this embodiment , even if an arc is detected , all operations pertaining to scan including x - ray emission continue . the operations include conventional feedback control for monitoring the tube current and adjusting the filament current in accordance with the monitoring result in order to stabilize the tube current . the interlock unit 113 monitors the tube current , and when an arc is generated , generates a suspend signal . when the arc disappears , the interlock unit 113 stops outputting the suspend signal . arc generation can be detected by an abrupt increase in tube current . arc disappearance can be detected when variations in tube current converge to less than a predetermined value . the interlock unit 113 keeps generating the suspend signal for a period from arc generation to arc disappearance . unlike in the first embodiment , the scan controller 112 continues all operations pertaining to scan including x - ray emission even if the controller 112 receives a suspend signal from the interlock unit 113 . the scan controller 112 transfers the suspend signal from the interlock unit 113 to a host computer 206 . the host computer 206 detects as an arc generating period a given period in which it receives the suspend signal . the host computer 206 instructs an interpolation unit 202 to interpolate the projection data of the given period using the projection data ( real data ) actually acquired during a period before or after the given period . the host computer 206 also instructs a reconstruction unit 203 to reconstruct a tomographic image using the resultant interpolated data and the real data . in this embodiment , even if an arc is generated , scan continues . the data acquired for a period elapsed until the arc naturally disappears are not used . by this operation , even if an arc is generated , the frequency of restarting scan can be reduced . the arrangement of an x - ray computed tomography apparatus according to the third embodiment is the same as that in fig1 except the control mechanism of an interlock unit 113 and scan controller 112 upon generating an arc . the difference will be described below . fig8 shows a tube voltage curve , tube current curve , and filament current curve as a function of time under the control mechanism of the second embodiment . the second embodiment utilizes natural disappearance of the arc phenomenon . the third embodiment employs an implementation for positively eliminating the arc phenomenon . as described above , according to the conventional monitoring function , when an arc is generated , the interlock function is effected to stop all operations pertaining to scan including x - ray emission . to the contrary , according to the third embodiment , when arc generation is detected , of all the operations pertaining to scan including x - ray emission , only feedback control for monitoring the tube current and adjusting the filament current in accordance with the tube current value in order to stabilize the tube current is stopped . the interlock unit 113 monitors the tube current and when an arc is generated , generates a suspend signal . when the arc disappears , the interlock unit 113 stops outputting the suspend signal . unlike in the second embodiment , upon receiving the suspend signal from the interlock unit 113 , the scan controller 112 continues all operations pertaining to scan including x - ray emission except the feedback control for stabilizing the tube current . that is , upon receiving the suspend signal , the scan controller 112 outputs a control signal for stopping feedback control to a filament current controller 106 and outputs no control signals to other constituent components pertaining to scan . although all the scan operations including the feedback function continue in the arc generation period as in the normal period in the second embodiment , only the feedback function is stopped and other scanning operations continue in the third embodiment . the feedback function is the function of decreasing the filament current when the tube current becomes larger than a predetermined value and increasing it when the tube current becomes smaller than the predetermined value , thereby stabilizing the tube current . by this function , when the tube current abruptly increases due to an arc , the filament current is abruptly decreased to decrease the tube current . the tube current abruptly decreases . when the tube current abruptly decreases , the filament current abruptly increases to abruptly increase the tube current . the tube current abruptly increases . as described above , the feedback function is effective in normal operation , but may cause instability of the tube current in an abnormality such as arc generation . that is , the feedback function may prolong the period from the time when the tube current becomes unstable due to arc generation to the time when the arc disappears and the tube current returns to a relatively stable state . according to this embodiment , the feedback function is stopped in synchronism with arc generation . the feedback function is restarted after the tube current recovers a relatively stable state . the period from the time when the tube current becomes unstable due to arc generation to the time when the arc disappears and the tube current returns to a relatively stable state can be shortened . additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art . therefore , the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein . accordingly , various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents . | 0 |
an x - ray crystal device as shown in fig1 consists of a thin doubly curved crystal lamella 10 , a thick bonding layer 12 , and a backing plate 14 . in this device , the bonding layer 12 having a thickness typically 10 to 50 times the thickness of the crystal constrains and holds the crystal to a preselected geometry . the crystal can be one of a number of crystals used in x - ray diffraction , such as mica , silicon , germanium , quartz , etc . the bonding layer consists of a material that has a high viscosity in its initial state and can be transformed by polymerization , or by a temperature change to a solid . suitable bonding materials are thermoplastic materials , various thermosetting plastics , epoxy , low melting point glass , wax , etc . the most important property of the bonding layer is a viscosity of the order of 10 8 - 10 10 poise ( c . g . s . units ) before it reaches its final state . a particularly useful epoxy resin called “ torr seal ” is used in one preferred embodiment of the invention . this initially has a paste - like consistency , a viscosity of the order of 10 3 poise , and a pot life of 30 - 60 minutes . furthermore , the low vapor pressure of this material in its cured state is desirable it the crystal device is used in a vacuum environment . other paste types of epoxy that could be used include “ plumber &# 39 ; s epoxy ” and “ milliput ” epoxy putty which have physical properties similar to torr seal except for the low vapor pressure . a thin plastic separator sheet 16 between a portion of the surface of the crystal near its edges lies between the crystal 10 and the bonding layer 12 . this prevents the bonding material from sticking to the mold or flowing under the crystal during fabrication as will be described subsequently . thin plastic strip with pressure sensitive adhesive coating such as “ scotch tape ” or “ transparent mending tape ” have been successfully used for the plastic sheet with the adhesive side facing the crystal . the plastic separator sheet is omitted in an alternative form of the invention shown in fig2 . this form of the invention is simpler than the structure shown in fig1 and is feasible if the epoxy has a sufficiently high viscosity that it cannot flow under the crystal lamella . in this case , the bonding layer 12 ′ does not extend as far beyond the crystal lamella 101 , in order to minimize its sticking on the mold . the backing plate 14 in fig1 and 14 ′ in fig2 is selected of a material to which the bonding material adheres , which is dimensionally stable , and which has a coefficient of thermal expansion similar to the crystal . if the crystal to be used is transparent to light ( e . g . quartz , alkali halides , etc .) it is desirable to use a transparent material for the backing plate and the bonding material so that optical interferometry can provide a means for quality control . the backing plate can be flat as indicated by reference no . 18 in fig1 or it can have a concave surface as indicated by 19 in fig2 . the exact shape of the surface in usually not critical as will be seen in the fabrication method for a preferred embodiment that will be described . it will be noted generally , it is best to use a convex mold for bending the crystals as in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 807 , 268 . this allows for the mold to be reused and for the crystal to be conformed directly to the surface of the mold without any intervening layer , yielding high accuracy . in most cages , it is important that the crystal be properly located relative to the mold both in position and in angular orientation . in the present invention this is done with a preferred embodiment as shown in fig3 a and fig3 b . a mold 20 with polished surface 22 having two radii of curvature r 1 and r 2 in mutually perpendicular directions has an attached rigid frame 4 . the frame has a liner 5 made of a substance to which the material used for bonding the crystal will not adhere . one such material is ptfe ( polytetrafluoroethene ), most commonly known as “ teflon ”. while the frame 4 and liner 5 are shown here and in the subsequent figures as rectangular , they could also have an elliptical or circular shape at the line of attachment with the mold 20 . the mold liner has one or more channels , e . g . 6 , to permit the escape of excess bonding material during fabrication as will subsequently be shown ( re : fig4 c ). the channels are preferably located as far as possible from the center of the surface 22 , of the mold . this means that for a rectangular frame , they would be near the corners of the liner but still essentially within the liner material . [ 0036 ] fig3 b shows an enlarged view of the details concerning an alternative form of the channel . liner 5 consists of separate segments , two of which are shown as 5 and 5 ′, to facilitate removal of the liner from the completed assembly ( re : fig4 c ). a vertical channel 6 ′ is formed by grooves in adjacent segments . a horizontal hole 8 connects this vertical channel 61 with the lowest level that the bonding agent reaches during assembly of the x - ray optic . since the channel 6 ′ is isolated for the most part from the interior of the liner , the bonding agent is prevented from coming into contact with the sides of the crystal backing plate . this allows for the excess bonding agent to move into the channel in a manner that does not cause undue difficulty in removing the completed optic assembly from the frame liner . it will be noted that the position and orientation of the crystal according to the present invention depends on utilizing a crystal lamella that fits closely inside the liner 5 , 5 ′, etc . since the crystal lamella always requires cutting to shape , typically with a diamond saw , accurately defining its size requires no additional steps — unlike the alignment method described in the previous application . moreover , if one or more edges of the crystal are initially in contact with the liner , the forces on the crystal during the initial bending process that would tend to break it are minimal due to the low coefficient of friction of ptfe with virtually any other material . the fabrication method for the x - ray optic is shown in fig4 a through fig4 d . a convex mold 20 having a surface 22 of the desired shape is prepared by single point machining or by a numerically controlled milling machine . single point machining ( e . g . with a diamond tool ) is particularly suited to toroidal surfaces , i . e . surfaces of revolution having one radius of curvature in a plane perpendicular to the axis and a second radius in the plane passing through the axis . the mold surface 22 is polished to a mirror finish ; hence , materials such as stainless steel , glass , or hard aluminum alloys may be used . a glass or transparent mold can also be used and would facilitate the use of interference fringes for quality control . after the mold is prepared ( by steps that are not shown here ), a crystal lamella is prepared . this lamella may be flat as shown by 11 and 13 in fig5 a and 5b , or cylindrical as shown by 15 and 17 in fig5 c and 5d . in these figures and also fig6 a through fig6 b the thickness of the lamella is exaggerated for clarity . the actual thickness is very small and is somewhat critical in order to avoid excess strain during bending . it should preferably be no more than { fraction ( 1 / 5 , 000 )} of the smallest radius of curvature , but it can be as large as { fraction ( 1 / 1000 )} of this radius for crystal materials with high tensile strength . for mica , the crystal surfaces as cleaved are satisfactory , but for brittle crystals without such pronounced cleavage planes ( e . g . quartz and silicon ), it is important that the surfaces be damage free . this may be accomplished by etching or by chemical polishing after cutting and mechanical polishing . after the crystal lamella is prepared , this crystal lamella 10 is assembled together with a blob of bonding material 7 , a backing plate 14 and a rectangular piston 28 in this order as shown in fig4 a . the actual assembly is performed inside a pressing fixture which is mounted on top of the mold shown in fig4 b . this pressing fixture incorporates a micrometer screw head including spindle 34 having an internal screw ( not shown ), scale 35 , and knob 36 , mounted on a removable cover plate 32 and a frame 4 with liner 5 , constructed like the ones shown in fig3 a or fig3 b . this liner is preferably made in several separate pieces of ptfe ( polytetrafluoroethene ), to form a rectangular cavity into which the crystal fits closely . in the first step of the assembly , placing the crystal lamella on top of the mold , it is very important to avoid the presence of even the smallest dust particles which would adversely affect the performance of the optic . if epoxy is used for the bonding agent , a blob of epoxy 7 is placed on top of the crystal 10 . the backing plate 14 is attached to a piston 28 by means of a screw 33 which threads into part of the piston and pulls the projecting surface 30 on the back side of the backing plate against a mating surface 31 on the piston ( refer to fig4 a ) due to of the slope of the surface 30 , the backing plate &# 39 ; s surface 40 is pulled snugly against surface 41 of the piston . the piston has a rectangular cross section ( except for a projection into which screw 33 fits ) and closely matches the rectangular cavity in the liner of the backing plate . these two components are then placed on top of the epoxy blob so that the components are in the order shown in fig4 a . because of the close fit of the crystal inside the liner of the pressing fixture , the close fit of the backing plate in this liner , and the close fit of the liner in the frame of the pressing fixture , the crystal is indexed in position relative to the mold via the backing plates &# 39 ; s lateral surfaces ( e . g . 38 and 40 ). the assembly is compressed lightly by turning knob 36 attached to micrometer spindle 34 thereby pressing on a ball 37 resting in a depression in the piston ; this causes the blob of epoxy to flatten and forces the crystal into better contact with the surface of the mold as shown in fig4 b . after the epoxy has partly polymerized , the pressure on the backing plate 14 is gradually increased by further moving of the micrometer spindle 34 so as to force the lower surface 24 of the crystal 10 into intimate contact with the upper surface 22 of the mold 20 as shown in fig4 b . during this process , if the backing plate and the crystal are transparent , contact between the crystals surface 24 and the mold surface 22 can be monitored by observing interference fringes with illumination by light through the surface 26 of the backing plate 14 . alternatively , such fringes can also be observed by light passing through the mold if it is transparent . dust particles , or undesirable penetration of the bonding material between the crystal and the mold can be observed by optical interference fringes in this case . in addition it will be possible to observe cracking of brittle crystals if this happens to occur . however , it should be noted that as long as the pieces of the crystal remain in the proper position , cracking of the crystal will not affect the performance of the device significantly . the present method of orienting and bending the crystal increases the probability that the pieces of a broken crystal will remain in the correct position . when the epoxy completely fills the space between the crystal and the backing plate , and before the epoxy hardens completely , the knob 36 of the micrometer spindle 34 is moved to a predetermined setting as gauged by the micrometer scale 35 and then held at this setting . if a quantity of epoxy used was slightly more than that required , the excess bonding epoxy would be squeezed into the channels 6 . in this way , the crystal &# 39 ; s surface is positioned as close as possible to a predetermined distance from the backing plate . this procedure gives greater accuracy because it provides for a margin of error which would not be present with other methods of determining the crystal to backing plate distance , for example , by trying to use a precise quantity of bonding material . after the epoxy hardens completely , the assembly is removed from the mold , from the liner of the pressing fixture and from the pressing fixture . finally the backing plate with crystal attached is removed from the piston , yielding the result shown in fig4 d . it should be noted that use of parting agents to prevent adhesion of the bonding material to the mold is not desirable because the presence of these agents will reduce the accuracy with which the crystal conforms to the desired shape . however , parting agents may be used to prevent the epoxy from sticking to the pressing fixture or the sides of the backing plate . it should also be noted that , while the forgoing procedure involves a single micrometer screw , three micrometer screws could be used instead . in some cases this might be preferable , because if the epoxy blob is initially off center , the asymmetric forces would tend to tilt the backing plate . but if three screws were used , moving each screw sequently and by a small amount would allow the crystal backing plate to be moved along a line parallel to a normal to the surface 22 without significant tilting . finally , because of the use of the micrometer screw ( s ) and the resulting positioning accuracy , the final x - ray optic requires less in situ adjustments when it is used in x - ray optical instruments . detailed description of one application will elucidate this point . one of the most important applications of this invention is that of focusing x - rays of a particular wavelength from a source to form an x - ray microprobe . thin type of device with point - to - point focusing property is illustrated in fig7 a . the crystal in this device has a toroidal shape such that the crystal satisfies either the johann or johansson geometry in the plane of the rowland circle and also has axial symmetry over its lateral extent about the line joining the source s and the image i . if a crystal lamella like the one shown in fig5 a is used , having crystal planes 21 parallel to the surface 11 and the mold has a radius of 2 r 1 in the plane of the focal circle having a radius r 1 , the result after bending will be as shown in fig6 a and the geometry in the plane of the focal circle after alignment will be the johann geometry . in this case , the crystal device will be in the usual symmetric position a relative to the source s and the image i shown in fig7 b . on the other hand , if the crystal lamella of fig5 b is used with the crystal planes 23 making an angle with respect to the large surface 13 of the lamella , and the mold has a radius of 2 r 1 in the plane of the focal circle of radius r 1 , the result after bending will be as shown in fig6 b . then , the geometry in the plane of the focal circle after alignment with respect to the source s and the image i will be similar to the johann geometry but with the crystal device offset from the symmetric position as shown by position b in fig7 b . two different johansson geometries are obtained if the crystal lamella is curved to a radius 2 r 1 as shown in fig5 c and fig5 d . like their 2 - dimensional analog , johansson - based point - to - point focusing devices will provide greater solid angle of collection and also more exact focusing than johann - based devices . they are particularly advantageous when used with crystals having a small rocking curve width . when the crystal planes 25 are parallel to the surface 15 of the crystal at its mid - line as shown in fig5 c , the result after bending to a mold with radius r 1 is shown in fig6 c . this crystal device when aligned with respect to source s and image i will be in the symmetric position c shown in fig7 c . but if the crystal planes 27 make an angle with respect to the surface 17 as shown in fig5 d , the result after bending to a mold with radius r 1 would be as shown in fig6 d . then , when the crystal device is properly aligned , it will be asymmetric relative to s and i , as shown by position d in fig7 c . the alignment of the crystal devices relative to the source s and image i can be accomplished by a device similar to one described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 892 , 809 which is hereby incorporated by reference . for this purpose , it is important to have indexing features on the crystal device so that its position relative to the source and image can be roughly preset and also only adjustments that are absolutely necessary need to be accommodated . the initial positioning is facilitated by the mounting fixture 50 of fig7 a having a u shape with the space between the arms of the u configured to match the backing plate . the backing plate with crystal is attached to fixture 50 by screw 33 like it had been previously attached to the piston . a leaf spring 47 maintains contact of surface 38 of the backing plate with surface 39 of 50 before 33 is fully tightened and contact of surface 40 of the backing plate and 41 ′ of 50 is maintained when 33 is fully tightened . thus , the position of the crystal is now fixed relative to the fixture 50 , as it was previously fixed relative to the mold 20 . details of the degrees of freedom for which adjustments might be provided as well as a simple mechanism for adjustment of the others are given in the reference cited . while the asymmetric cases shown in fig7 b and 7d show the crystal device closer to the source than to the image , clearly the opposite situation case could be achieved ( i . e . crystal device closer to the image than to the source ). the asymmetric cases are sometimes useful to provide additional space in the x - ray source region or image region . an x - ray crystal device according to this invention provides a doubly bent crystal that accurately conforms to a theoretically optimum shape and provides better performance than similar crystal devices made according to the prior art . moreover , the methods of fabrication allow for the production of many identical crystal devices from the same mold , thus reducing the cost of the each device . the first monochromatic x - ray microprobe that had sufficient intensity for trace element determination in x - ray fluorescence analysis and was based on a laboratory source was developed using an x - ray crystal device similar to the one described herein ( re : papers by z . w . chen and d . b . wittry , “ monochromatic microprobe x - ray fluorescence — . . . j . appl . phys . vol . 84 , pp . 1064 - 73 , 1998 , and “ microprobe x - ray fluorescence . . . appl . phys . lett . vol . 71 , 1997 , pp . 1884 - 6 ). the device used in the cited work was based on a johann geometry with focal circle radius of about 125 mm with a mica crystal having an effective area of approximately 8 m × 28 mm and produced an x - ray spot size of about 50 μm with an x - ray source of about 20 μm . an indication of the advantages of some of the features of the present invention can be obtained by comparing the theoretical performance of some examples of specific crystal devices with the johann - based mica diffractor used by chen and wittry . if a silicon ( 111 ) crystal were used and the values of the rocking curve width of 8 . 7 × 10 − 5 radian ( instead of 30 × 10 − 5 ) and peak reflectivity of 0 . 7 ( instead of 0 . 2 for mica ) are assumed , then , with the johann - based geometry , the broadening of the focal spot due to the crystal &# 39 ; s rocking curve would be about 8 . 7 μm instead of 30 μm as it was for the mica crystal . the effective crystal width would be 8 ×( 8 . 7 / 30 ) 0 . 5 = 4 . 31 mm for the johann - based geometry — but we must note that for copper k alpha radiation and a si crystal , the penetration of the rays into the crystal is sufficient that there would be little distinction between this geometry and the johansson geometry . this distinction becomes more evident if we consider wider crystals , for example 16 mm , or more strongly absorbed radiation . the peak reflectivity for the si crystal is about 3 . 5 times higher than that of mica , so , if equal widths are considered , the total flux of the focused probe could be the same if the gaussian image size were smaller by ( 1 / 3 . 5 ) 0 . 5 =( 1 / 1 . 87 ), yielding a spot size of ( 20 / 1 . 87 )+ 8 . 7 = 19 . 4 μm vs ( 20 + 30 )= 50 μm . but , if a johansson - based crystal were used having a width of 16 mm the corresponding gaussian image would be 7 . 6 μm , yielding a spot size of 7 . 6 + 8 . 7 = 16 . 3 μm and then the number of photons / sec / cm 2 would be greater than that which was obtained with mica by a factor of approximately ( 50 / 16 ) 2 = 9 . 76 . in order to make smaller spots , it is important to reduce the broadening due to the rocking curve width . but as this gets smaller , it is no longer possible to utilize all of the characteristic line &# 39 ; s natural width . the intensity loss resulting from focusing only part of the characteristic line can be estimated as follows : bragg &# 39 ; s law is : nλ = 2 d sinθ where θ is the bragg angle . differentiating bragg &# 39 ; s law on both sides and dividing by bragg &# 39 ; s law , we obtain : where δθ is the rocking curve width . assuming that the characteristic line has ( δλ / λ ) l = 2 × 10 − 4 and assuming values for cu k radiation and the ( 111 ) reflection from silicon , we obtain : thus the rocking curve width for the si ( 111 ) crystal would appear to be reasonably well matched to focus nearly all the characteristic x - ray line . one can calculate similarly the results of using a crystal with even narrower rocking curve width e . g . a quartz ( 2243 ) with a rocking curve of about 5 × 10 − 6 radian . this would yield image broadening due to the rocking curve width of only about 0 . 5 μm . then , the loss of intensity due to not using all of the natural line width is more serious . for this case and copper k radiation we would obtain : in order to offset this effect , it is clearly desirable to use the johansson - based geometry and wider crystals . also one should use higher voltage for the x - ray source since the intensity of characteristic lines increases as the 1 . 63 power of the voltage above the critical excitation voltage ( for copper k radiation this would be approximately 3 × if 50 kv instead of 30 kv were used ). for this case the total number of photons / sec in a 10 μm spot formed by the quartz crystal would be lower than that obtained in a 16 μm spot with a si crystal by a factor of ( 9 . 5 / 74 ) 2 ×( 3 / 46 )≈ 0 . 1 . thus , by using all available techniques , it should be possible to obtain focal spot sizes significantly less than 10 μm with adequate intensity for x - ray fluorescence analysis , although the detection limits would be lower for a given measurement time than these obtained for larger spot sizes . note that in our calculations we have assumed for simplicity that the number of photons / sec in the gaussian image is proportional to the square of its diameter , which would be the case for an aperture of fixed size in the electron beam forming the x - ray source . it is well known that if the aperture size is optimized , the current on a spot of diameter d is proportional to d 8 / 3 . we should also note that while it might appear that rocking curves as small as 5 × 10 − 6 would make it seem hopeless to align a doubly curved diffractor properly , the natural width of the characteristic x - ray line would in fact allow such an alignment to be done . in any case , it is important that it be possible to preset the position and orientation of the crystal device to as high a degree as possible — otherwise obtaining proper alignment not only requires a costly alignment fixture and a lot of time , but could be like looking for the proverbial “ needle in a haystack ”. the features of the present invention including the possibility of fabricating johansson - based doubly curved crystal devices and prepositioning them relative to a source and image position are vitally important for future developments in x - ray microprobe technology . | 6 |
referring to fig1 a and 1b , there are shown side and end views , respectively , of an embodiment of a fabric fluid - powered cylinder ( hereinafter “ cylinder ”) 100 for displacing an object . cylinder 100 includes two end cap assemblies 105 , 110 with a pressure sleeve 115 extending therebetween . in some embodiments , pressure sleeve 115 has a generally cylindrical and preferably seamless shape . the dimensions of pressure sleeve 115 , such as its diameter and length , are selected depending on the environment in which cylinder 100 is to be used and / or the weight and size of objects to be displaced by cylinder 100 . for particular applications where minimal space exists for placement of cylinder 100 , for example , its diameter may be relatively small . on the other hand , for applications where large , heavy objects are to be displaced , the diameter of cylinder 100 may be significantly larger . pressure sleeve 115 is preferably made of a braided fabric 120 . alternatively , fabric 120 of pressure sleeve 115 may be woven , knitted or constructed by other fabric - forming methods known in the industry . fabric 120 is high - strength , while at the same time , lightweight . thus , pressure sleeve 115 has the structural capacity to contain high - pressure fluids , both liquids and gases . the thickness and other properties of fabric 120 may be tailored as a function of the weight of the fluid pressure to be contained within cylinder 100 . pressure sleeve 115 has minimal weight , which facilitates handling and reduces transportation costs for moving cylinder 100 between storage and usage locations . fabric 120 of pressure sleeve 115 is tear - resistant . as such , cylinder 100 may be stowed in virtually any orientation , including on its side , without risk of damage . fabric 120 is flexible or pliable and allows cylinder 100 to collapse when empty , thereby occupying only a fraction of the storage space required when cylinder 100 is extended to displace an object . as best viewed in fig1 c , pressure sleeve 115 includes an outer surface 125 and an inner surface 130 , both of which are coated inner surface 130 is coated with a material 135 to form a bladder 140 . alternatively , bladder 140 may be formed by a separate sleeve inserted into pressure sleeve 115 and secured therein . bladder 140 enables pressure sleeve 115 to be impermeable to materials disposed therein and enables pressure sleeve 115 to contain fluid , either gas or liquid , including pressurized gases or inert gases . further , material 135 of bladder 140 may be selected such that it adheres well to the fibers of fabric 120 and is compatible with the expected range of fluids to be introduced to cylinder 100 . outer surface 125 of pressure sleeve 115 is coated with a material 145 to form a coating 150 . coating 150 prevents environmental damage to pressure sleeve 115 from ultraviolet light radiation , ozone in the atmosphere , weather in general , and abrasion during handling of cylinder 100 . in some embodiments , material 135 of bladder 140 over inner surface 130 may be different than material 145 of coating 150 over outer surface 125 . however , in preferred embodiments , materials 135 , 145 both include polyurethane . a suitable polyurethane has an adhesive property which enables it to adhere to fabric 120 of pressure sleeve 115 . further , polyurethane can stretch and deform without cracking . thus , pressure sleeve 115 may be extended and collapsed repeatedly without damage to either bladder 140 , resulting in loss of or diminished pressure - containment ability of cylinder 100 , or coating 150 , leaving pressure sleeve 115 susceptible to damage from environmental sources . other materials having functionally equivalent properties to polyurethane may be alternatively used . fabric 120 of pressure sleeve 115 preferably includes braided vectran ® made by kuraray or high performance polyaramids , such as kevlar ®, with axially - oriented fibers of grade e fiberglass , or e - glass . vectran ® is a manufactured fiber spun from a liquid crystal polymer . vectran ® is noted for its high strength , thermal stability at high temperatures , abrasion resistance , low density , low creep , low electrical conductivity and chemical stability . vectran ® has a tensile strength as high as 3 . 2 gpa , which is generally five times the strength of typical steel and ten times the strength of aluminum . the abrasion resistance of vectran ® is ten times more than that of competing aramid fibers , as measured by cordage institute test method ci - 1503 . vectran ® has a density approximately equal to 1 . 4 gm / cc . by comparison , the approximate densities of aluminum and stainless steel are 2 . 8 gm / cc and 7 . 4 gm / cc , respectively . further , vectran ® is resistant to moisture and ultraviolet radiation . when combined , e . g ., interwoven , with braided or woven vectran ®, e - glass stablizes the vectran ® and prevents the vectran ® from unraveling . also , like vectran ®, e - glass has high strength and is lightweight . while fabric 120 of pressure sleeve 115 preferably includes vectran ® and e - glass , other materials , either individually or in combination , having functionally equivalent properties may be used instead . turning now to fig2 a and 2b , end cap assemblies 105 , 110 are substantially identical in this exemplary embodiment . for the sake of brevity , end cap assembly 110 is now described . however , this description also applies to end cap assembly 105 . end cap assembly 110 includes a collet collar 160 , a collet plug 165 inserted therein , a cap 170 , one or more compressible biasing members 175 , for example , springs , disposed between plug 165 and cap 170 , an inner clamping ring 185 , and an clamping outer ring 180 . referring next to fig3 a - 3c , collet collar 160 is generally tubular in shape , having a central bore 300 extending between a first end 305 and a second , flanged end 310 . the inner diameter of collet collar 160 at first end 305 is less than the inner diameter of collet collar 160 at flanged end 310 . thus , collet collar 160 has a tapered , conical shaped inner surface 315 . collet collar 160 further includes a fluid port 330 , a plurality of threaded bores 320 spaced circumferentially about an outer surface 325 of flanged end 310 , and a shoulder 335 disposed in inner surface 315 formed by a counterbore portion 360 proximate flanged end 310 . as will be described below , threaded bores 320 enable coupling of cap 170 to collet collar 160 . fluid port 330 extends through flanged end 310 of collet collar 160 and enables injection of fluid into and / or flow of fluid from cylinder 100 . turning to fig4 a - 4c , collet plug 165 is also conical in shape , having a body 400 disposed between an open end 405 and a closed end 410 . the outer diameter of plug 165 at open end 405 is less than the outer diameter of plug 165 at closed end 410 . thus , body 400 has a tapered outer surface 415 . closed end 410 of plug 165 includes one or more extensions 420 projecting in a substantially normal direction therefrom and one or more flowbores 425 through end 410 between extensions 420 . each extension 420 is configured to receive a biasing member 175 ( fig1 a ), such as a spring , thereon , and in this exemplary embodiment , are generally cylindrical in shape . flowbores 425 permit fluid flow therethrough . referring now to fig5 a and 5b , inner clamping ring 185 is circular in shape , having an inner diameter 500 , an outer diameter 505 , and a plurality of threaded bores 515 azimuthally spaced around its periphery . outer diameter 505 is selected to enable insertion of inner clamping ring 185 into central bore 300 of collet collar 160 , as shown in fig2 a and 2b inner diameter 500 is selected to enable cap 170 to be inserted at least partially therein , also as shown in fig2 a and 2b . threaded bores 515 enable the coupling of inner and outer clamping rings 185 , 180 with pressure sleeve 115 secured therebetween , as shown in fig2 b and described in more detail below . turning to fig6 a and 6b , outer clamping ring 180 is also circular in shape , having an inner diameter 600 , an outer diameter 605 , and a plurality of throughbores 615 azimuthally spaced around its inner diameter 600 . outer diameter 605 is selected to enable outer clamping ring 180 to be inserted into counterbore 360 of flanged end 310 of collet collar 160 and seated on shoulder 335 of collet collar 160 , as shown in fig2 a and 2b inner diameter 600 is selected to enable cap 170 to be inserted at least partially therein , also as shown in fig2 a and 2b . throughbores 615 of outer clamping ring 180 align with threaded bores 515 of inner clamping ring 185 when clamping rings 180 , 185 are assembled within collet collar 160 . when so aligned , a plurality of threaded bolts 195 ( fig2 a ) are inserted through bores 615 of outer clamping ring 180 , an end of pressure sleeve 115 , sandwiched between outer and inner clamping rings 180 , 185 , and threaded into bores 515 , as shown in fig2 b . referring to fig7 a - 7c , cap 170 includes a circular plate 700 having an inner surface 705 , an outer surface 710 , a plurality of stiffening members or ribs 715 coupled , such as by welding , to inner surface 705 and extending substantially normal therefrom , and a plurality of threaded bores 720 azimuthally spaced around its circumference . ribs 715 are configured to promote the structural integrity of plate 700 and prevent plate 700 from bending or flexing when assembled with the remaining components of end cap assembly 110 . threaded bores 720 of cap 170 align with threaded bores 320 ( fig3 a ) of collet collar 160 when cap 170 is assembled with collet collar 160 , as shown in fig2 b . when so aligned , a plurality of threaded bolts 200 are inserted through bores 720 and threaded into bores 320 to couple cap 170 to collet collar 160 . the assembly of cylinder 100 is best described with initial reference to fig8 a and 8b , which are exploded , side views of cylinder 100 , the latter in cross - section . pressure sleeve 115 is first coated prior to assembly of cylinder 100 in order to protect outer surface 125 and form bladder 140 along inner surface 130 . to assemble cylinder 100 , end cap assembly 110 is coupled to pressure sleeve 115 . an end 800 of pressure sleeve 115 is inserted through end 305 of collet collar 160 such that end 800 extends from throughbore 300 beyond flanged end 310 . collet plug 165 is then inserted into the pressure sleeve 115 . inner clamping ring 185 is then inserted within end 800 of pressure sleeve 115 , as shown in fig8 b and 2b . turning now to fig2 b , end 800 is folded over inner clamping ring 185 . outer clamping ring 180 is then positioned over folded end 800 of pressure sleeve 115 against inner clamping ring 185 such that bores 615 ( fig6 a ) of outer clamping ring 180 align with threaded bores 515 ( fig5 a ) of inner clamping ring 185 . apertures 805 ( fig2 b ) are made in end 800 of pressure sleeve 115 to receive bolts 195 ( fig2 b ). when outer clamping ring 180 is aligned with inner clamping ring 185 in this manner , bolts 195 are then inserted through bores 615 of outer clamping ring 180 and end 800 of pressure sleeve 115 and threaded into bores 515 of inner clamping ring 185 . once bolts 195 are installed in this manner , end 800 of pressure sleeve 115 is securely sandwiched between clamping rings 180 , 185 and may not come loose from this coupling . outer clamping ring 180 , with pressure sleeve 115 and inner clamping ring 185 coupled thereto , is then seated on shoulder 335 of collet collar 160 . collet plug 165 is then positioned in pressure sleeve 115 and collet collar 160 , as shown in fig2 a . tapered inner surface 315 of collet collar 160 limits the depth to which plug 165 is insertable within collet collar 160 and enables a snug fit of plug 165 with collar 160 with pressure sleeve 115 sandwiched therebetween . next , cap 170 is assembled to collet collar 160 over collet plug 165 . springs 175 are installed over extensions 420 of plug 165 , and cap 170 is positioned against flanged end 310 of collet collar 160 , such that ribs 715 of cap 170 are disposed between extensions 420 , bores 720 of cap 170 are aligned with threaded bores 320 on flanged end 310 , and springs 175 are compressed between plug 165 and cap 170 . cap screws 200 are then inserted through bore 720 and threaded into bores 320 to couple cap 170 to collet collar 160 . lastly , end cap assembly 105 is coupled to pressure sleeve 115 following substantially the same steps to complete assembly of cylinder 100 . once installed , springs 175 expand against plug 165 , and thus provide a continual load against plug 165 in the absence of an internal pressure load from fluid within cylinder 100 . during operation of cylinder 100 , fluid is injected through port 330 of collet collar 160 into the inner chamber of cylinder 100 . as fluid pressure within cylinder 100 increases , pressure sleeve 115 is gripped along two interfaces , one between tapered collet collar 160 and collet plug 165 and the other between clamping rings 180 , 185 . thus , end cap assembly 110 is prevented from disengaging pressure sleeve 115 as the pressure rises . due to the tapered nature of collet collar 160 and collet plug 165 , end cap assembly 110 grips pressure sleeve 115 increasingly tighter as fluid pressure within cylinder 100 increases . at the same time , end 800 of pressure sleeve 115 is gripped between clamping rings 180 , 185 . by securing pressure sleeve 115 to end cap assembly 110 at two interfaces , the load on pressure sleeve 115 is distributed and assembly 110 is prevented from crushing fabric 120 of pressure sleeve 115 and causing failure of pressure sleeve 115 . in alternative embodiments of cylinder 100 , pressure sleeve 115 is coupled to collet collar 160 and collet plug 165 via bonding . in such embodiments , clamping rings 180 , 185 and bolts 195 are not needed . aside from these differences , cylinder 100 , and its assembly , is essentially the same as described above . to couple end cap assembly 110 to pressure sleeve 115 via bonding , as illustrated by fig9 a and 9b , a layer of bonding material 900 is applied to inner surface 315 of collet collar 160 , including shoulder 335 and outer surface 325 . end 800 of pressure sleeve 115 is inserted through end 305 ( fig3 c ) of collet collar 160 and central bore 300 to flanged end 310 . pressure sleeve 115 is then pressed against inner surface 315 to allow material 900 to adhere to pressure sleeve 115 and collet collar 160 . when material 900 dries , a bond 905 is formed between collet collar 160 and pressure sleeve 115 at this interface . next , collet plug 165 is installed within end 800 of pressure sleeve 115 and collet collar 160 . a layer of bonding material 910 is applied to outer surface 415 of collet plug 165 . end 405 of plug 165 is then inserted into flanged end 310 of collet collar 160 and end 800 of pressure sleeve 115 , such that outer surface 415 substantially aligns with inner surface 315 of collet collar 160 and in contact with end 800 of pressure sleeve 115 disposed therebetween . when material 910 dries , a bond 915 is formed between plug 165 and pressure sleeve 115 at this interface . the length of collet collar 160 from end 305 to end 310 and the length of plug 165 from end 405 to end 410 are selected such that the shear loads at bonds 905 , 915 do not cause these bonds 905 , 915 to fail during operation of cylinder 100 . in other words , these lengths are chosen such that the shear load resulting from pressurized fluid contained within cylinder 100 is distributed over sufficient area to prevent failure of bonds 905 , 915 . in some embodiments , these lengths are approximately four inches . cylinder 100 is extendable longitudinally in virtually any direction to displace an object . for instance , as shown in fig1 , cylinder 100 may be positioned on its side and supported by a fixed surface 950 with end cap assembly 110 positioned against a fixed surface 955 . when a fluid is injected into cylinder 100 through fluid port 330 , cylinder 100 inflates and extends laterally or horizontally , defined relative to surface 950 , thereby displacing an object 960 positioned adjacent end cap assembly 105 over surface 950 . alternatively , as shown in fig1 , cylinder 100 may be positioned on a fixed surface 950 such that when inflated , cylinder 100 extends vertically upward to displace an object 960 . in such applications , cylinder 100 may further include a guide 965 disposed within cylinder 100 . guide 965 has a height slightly less than the relaxed or deflated height of cylinder 100 and is made of a rigid material , such as but not limited to plastic . in some embodiments , guide 965 includes a cylindrical body 970 with a hemispherical end cap 975 coupled thereto . body 970 of guide 965 is coupled to end cap assembly 110 , for example , by one or more bolts or other equivalent fastening means , to limit lateral movement of guide 965 relative to end cap assembly 110 . guide 965 enables extension of cylinder 100 substantially in the vertical direction and prevents cylinder 100 from collapsing to one side or another due to the flexibility of fabric 120 of pressure sleeve 115 , the weight of object 960 , and the initial low pressure within pressure sleeve 115 at the onset of inflation . further , the curved nature of hemispherical end cap 975 of guide 965 enables retraction of cylinder 100 in the substantially vertical direction as well . as fluid is vented from cylinder 100 , the fabric 120 of pressure sleeve 115 slides downward over end cap 975 and cylinder 100 retracts about or around guide 965 . in the exemplary embodiments illustrated by fig1 and 11 , the extended length of cylinder 100 is limited solely by the overall length of cylinder 100 . however , in some instances , it may be desirable to inflate or extend cylinder 100 to only a fraction of its overall length . for example , it may be desirable to displace object 960 to a height of 20 feet , even though cylinder 100 is capable of extending to a length of 100 feet . in such applications , illustrated by fig1 , cylinder 100 further includes a length adjustment means that extends between the ends of cylinder 100 to control the longitudinal expansion of cylinder 100 . one such means is a winch system 980 disposed within pressure sleeve 115 and coupled to end cap assembly 110 , for example , by one or more bolts or other equivalent fastening means . winch system 980 includes a winch 985 and a cable or line 990 extending therefrom and coupled to end cap assembly 105 . winch 985 is configured to limit the length of cable 990 which may be dispensed therefrom , and thus the extended length of cylinder 100 when inflated . for example , winch 985 may be configured to allow only 20 feet of cable 990 to dispense . as a result , when cylinder 100 is inflated , the extended length of cylinder 100 is limited to the length of cable 990 allowed to be dispensed from winch 985 , or 20 feet in the above example . when the length of cable 990 dispensed from winch 985 reaches its preset limit , cylinder 100 is prevented from further extension despite any continued injection of fluid into cylinder 100 . thus , the extended length of cylinder 100 is limited to 20 feet , for example , although cylinder 100 may be capable of extending further , such as to 100 feet . in these embodiments , a relief valve , such as relief valve 925 described in reference to fig1 , may be coupled to fluid port 330 to enable fluid pressure relief and prevent over - pressurization of cylinder 100 . winch 985 may be further configured to allow cable 990 to extend therefrom only when the pressure of fluid within cylinder 100 exceeds a minimum level . as such , the pressure within cylinder 100 may be controlled and remain substantially constant as cylinder 100 extends to its preset limit . by controlling the pressure within cylinder 100 in this manner , cylinder 100 both displaces and supports object 960 . further , winch 985 eliminates the need for guide 965 , described with reference to fig1 . to operate cylinder 100 , as illustrated by fig1 , cylinder 100 is moved from its storage location to a location where an object 960 is to be displaced . at the site of operation , cylinder 100 is positioned such that end cap assembly 110 , which includes fluid port 330 , is coupled to a fixed surface 950 . this orientation provides easy access to fluid port 330 , allowing cylinder 100 to be conveniently filled and emptied through port 330 . in some embodiments , including those illustrated by fig1 , fixed surface 950 is the ground , and cylinder 100 is positioned within a bucket - shaped device 995 which is secured to the ground 950 by a spear 945 extending from bucket 995 into the ground 950 , or other equivalent means . bucket 995 limits translational movement of cylinder 100 relative to ground 950 and prevents toppling of cylinder 100 , perhaps due to wind , as cylinder 100 is operated . object 960 is then positioned on end cap assembly 105 and may be coupled thereto to prevent movement of object 960 as cylinder 100 is inflated and extended . cylinder 100 may in some embodiments include a lateral support member that extends from the cylinder 100 to the ground 950 to secure the cylinder laterally . one such means is a plurality of guy wires 940 coupled between cylinder 100 and the ground 950 . in order to avoid coupling such guy wires 940 directly to pressure sleeve 115 of cylinder 100 , cylinder 100 includes a fabric loop 935 extending at least in part around its circumference . one or more of guy wires 940 are coupled between fabric loop 935 and ground 950 . a fluid source 930 is coupled to fluid port 330 . fluid source 930 provides fluid to cylinder 100 to inflate and extend cylinder 100 , thereby displacing object 960 to a desired height . in some embodiments , fluid source 930 is an air pump . a check valve and / or pressure relief valve 925 may be disposed between fluid source 930 and fluid port 330 to control fluid flow into / out of cylinder 100 and the pressure of fluid contained therein . once positioned and coupled to fluid source 930 , fluid source 930 may then be activated to fill cylinder 100 . fluid then flows through fluid port 330 and flowbores 425 ( fig4 b ) of collet plug 165 into pressure sleeve 115 . as cylinder 100 is filled , end cap assembly 105 , with object 960 coupled thereto , is displaced . when object 960 is displaced to the desired location or height , filling of cylinder 100 is discontinued . due to the fluid - tight nature of bladder 140 ( fig1 c ) and the ability to add fluid through port 330 as desired or when needed , cylinder 100 may remain in this extended configuration , and object 960 in this displaced position , indefinitely . when it is desired to lower object 960 , fluid port 330 is opened . pressurized fluid contained within cylinder 100 is exhausted from cylinder 100 through port 330 and valve 925 to the atmosphere or to a reclamation system ( not shown ) coupled thereto for subsequent reuse . due to the flexible nature of fabric 120 of pressure sleeve 115 , cylinder 100 gradually collapses under its own weight as fluid is exhausted from cylinder 100 . to assist cylinder 100 as it collapses , a pump ( not shown ) may be coupled to valve 925 . the pump may then be activated to provide a partial vacuum on cylinder 100 and thereby assist the collapse of cylinder 100 . once collapsed and empty , cylinder 100 may be stored in a storage space that is only a fraction of the space occupied by cylinder 100 when filled . alternatively or additionally , a cord or line may be coupled to cylinder 100 prior to expanding cylinder 100 to displace object 960 . when cylinder 100 is collapsed to lower object 960 , a tension load may be applied to the cord to assist the collapse of cylinder 100 . although pressure sleeve 115 is shown in the figures and described as cylindrically shaped , pressure sleeve 115 may assume other shapes having noncircular cross - sections , such as but not limited to rectangular , square , or oval . aside from having a noncircular cross - section , construction , assembly and operation of cylinder 100 remains substantially the same as described above . further , while operation of cylinder 100 is described in the context of displacing an object using a single cylinder 100 , more than one cylinder 100 may be arranged to displace an object . for instance , two or more cylinders 100 may be oriented in series , for example , one stacked on top of the other . the uppermost cylinder 100 would then be inflated to displace the object . when that cylinder 100 is inflated to its maximum length , the adjacent cylinder 100 is next inflated to its maximum length , and so on until the object is displaced to the desired height . further , two or more cylinders 100 may be arranged side by side to displace a single relatively large and / or heavy object , the size and / or weight of which is beyond the capacity of a single cylinder 100 . in such applications , the two or more cylinders 100 would preferably be inflated at approximately the same rate to uniformly displace the object . while various preferred embodiments have been shown and described , modifications thereof can be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and teachings herein . the embodiments herein are exemplary only , and are not limiting . many variations and modifications of the apparatus disclosed herein are possible and within the scope of the invention . accordingly , the scope of protection is not limited by the description set out above , but is only limited by the claims which follow , that scope including all equivalents of the subject matter of the claims . | 5 |
the present invention relates to maintaining two or more versions of some or all reference images , or portions thereof , in storage in a video decoder . for any given region of image data to be predicted , the decision regarding which version of a reference image to be used is based on a measure of the size of the motion vector to be applied . in one embodiment , a first version of a reference image is a full resolution image produced by the decoder . a second version of the reference image is obtained by downsampling the decoded image by a factor of two in both the vertical and horizontal directions . more generally , the second version of a reference image may be obtained by applying some form of lossy data reduction . examples of lossy data reduction include downsampling and quantized transform coding . for predictions with small motion vectors , the full resolution version of the reference image is used . for predictions whose motion vectors are larger than a predetermined , threshold , the downsampled version of the reference image is used . in this way , a relatively small cache of full resolution pictures could be maintained as a means to reduce the required external memory bandwidth . an example of an external memory is a dynamic random access memory ( dram ) component , which could be on the same chip as the video decoder , in a separate chip but in the same integrated package as the video decoder chip , or in a separate chip . fig2 is a flowchart of a method 200 for decoding images including downsampling the reference image . a decoder receives a full resolution reference image ( step 202 ), decodes the reference image ( step 204 ), and stores the decoded full resolution reference image as reference image 1 ( step 206 ). it is noted that the identifier “ reference image 1 ” is for discussion purposes only and that one skilled in the art can find other ways of identifying the full resolution reference image . the decoder downsamples reference image 1 ( step 208 ) and stores the downsampled version of the image as reference image 2 ( step 210 ). image downsampling is well known to one of skill in the art , and may be accomplished by , for example , low pass filtering followed by decimation . in one embodiment , downsampling by a factor of two in both the vertical and horizontal directions is applied , which can effectively reduce the bandwidth to almost one quarter of what it would be without the downsampling . downsampling the reference image at a different level depends on the nature of the reference image ( i . e ., it is content dependent ). if the reference image has a high level of detail , then downsampling is not going to provide good reference images because the detail could be lost during downsampling . but if the reference image is noisy and / or has a lower level of detail , then downsampling can provide a pod reference image at a reduced memory bandwidth . the decoder receives motion vectors for each of the macroblocks in a new image ( step 212 ). the motion vector for the first macroblock in the new image is decoded ( step 214 ). a measure of the size of the decoded motion vector is compared to a threshold ( step 216 ). one example of a threshold is a magnitude of eight pixels and one example of a measure of motion vector size is the euclidean length ( l 1 norm ). if the measure of the size of the motion vector is sufficiently large ( e . g ., greater than eight pixels per frame ), there is typically some visible amount of motion blur . in areas represented with large motion vectors , the motion blur may be sufficient such that downsampling would not introduce noticeable distortion . if the measure of the size of the motion vector is less than the threshold , then reference image 1 ( the full resolution version ) is selected for motion prediction ( step 218 ). if the measure of the size of the motion vector is greater than the threshold , then reference image 2 ( the downsampled version ) is selected for motion prediction ( step 220 ). in the event that the measure of the size of the motion vector is equal to the threshold , then either reference image 1 or reference image 2 could be selected , depending on the implementation . in one alternative , reference image 1 could be selected if the measure of the size of the motion vector is less than or equal to the threshold . it is noted that the correspondence between the threshold and the identified reference image described herein is exemplary , and that one skilled in the art may derive other correspondences that could be applied to the method 200 . for large motion vectors ( e . g ., a motion vector with a magnitude greater than the threshold ), a smaller cache can be maintained , due to the use of lossy data reduction . by making the choice of reference pictures dependent on the size of the motion vector , an implementation is possible where there is a relatively small cache of full resolution reference images . with a 2 × 2 vertical / horizontal downsampling , the amount of cache storage required can be reduced by almost a factor of four , such that all accesses can be cached rather than randomly fetched from an external memory unit , e . g ., dram . the caching could , in turn , result in a bandwidth reduction of 10 : 1 or greater . the decoder uses the motion vector and the corresponding macroblock in the selected reference image to derive a predicted macroblock for the new image ( step 222 ). a cheek is made whether there are more macroblocks for the new image that need to be decoded ( step 224 ). if there are no more macroblocks for the new image , then the method terminates ( step 226 ). if there are more macroblocks for the new image , then the motion vector for the next macroblock is decoded ( step 228 ) and is evaluated as described above ( step 216 ). in an alternate embodiment , there could also be side information ( i . e ., information transmitted outside of the image stream ) which indicates the reference image to be used . another alternate embodiment includes indicating the reference image to be used in the bit stream . a further alternative includes maintaining the reference images at a reduced resolution . for example , with high definition television , downsampling the reference images and storing the downsampled versions does not typically result in a large loss of clarity and could provide a reduction in memory bandwidth and / or required cache size . fig3 is a block diagram of a decoder 300 configured to implement the method 200 . the decoder 300 receives inputs 302 including a reference image and a motion vector at a receiver 304 . the reference image 306 is passed to a reference image decoder 308 , where it is decoded . the decoded reference image 310 is stored in a memory 312 and is passed to a reference image downsampler 314 . the reference image downsampler 314 downsamples the reference image according to a predetermined downsampling factor , which in one embodiment is a 2 × 2 vertical / horizontal downsampling . the downsampled reference image 316 is stored in the memory 312 . the motion vector 320 is passed from the receiver 304 to a motion vector magnitude comparator 322 and a motion predictor 332 . the motion vector magnitude comparator 322 determines a measure of the size of the motion vector and compares it to a predetermined threshold . in one embodiment , the threshold is a magnitude of eight pixels per frame . the comparison result 324 , indicating whether the measure of the size of the motion vector is less than the threshold or greater than the threshold , is passed to a reference image selector 326 . the reference image selector sends a request 328 to the memory 312 for the reference image indicated by the comparison result 324 . in one embodiment , if the measure of the size of the motion vector is less than the threshold , then the full resolution reference image is selected , and if the measure of the size of the motion vector is greater than the threshold , then the downsampled reference image is selected . the selected reference image 330 is sent from the memory 312 to the reference image selector 326 ( where a cache for the reference images may be maintained ), where it is passed to the motion predictor 332 . the motion predictor 332 uses the motion vector 320 and the reference image 330 along with decoded residual data to generate a new image 334 as output . it is understood that the motion predictor 332 operates on each macroblock in the image . the new image 334 is the end result of applying all of the motion vectors 320 to the reference image 330 . another embodiment ( not shown in the figures ) involves imposing a lower bound on the block size used by the encoder as a function of a measure of the size of the motion vectors . by limiting the fineness of granularity of random cache accesses , the effective memory bandwidth can be reduced . the amount of bandwidth reduction that may be achieved via this embodiment depends on how efficiently information is fetched from the cache . if only fine motion vectors are used , then only information outside the cache that can be relatively efficiently fetched is retrieved . a general problem with caching is that , in the worst case , the effective bandwidth of a dynamic random access memory ( dram ) subsystem is approximately one twentieth of its best case bandwidth depending on how the memory is accessed . if the cache is accessed regularly , there could be a 20 × performance gain in terms of useful data transferred from the dram than could be achieved if all dram accesses were random accesses . when utilizing a dram subsystem , it is more efficient to fetch a large contiguous chunk of data . the actual performance gain may be on the order of 10 : 1 or 4 : 1 , which still provides performance benefits . fig4 is a block diagram of an encoder 400 configured to utilize downsampling . the encoder 400 includes an embedded decoder 402 . an input picture 410 is supplied to the encoder 400 and is sent to a motion estimation block 412 and a subtractor 420 . the motion estimation block 412 compares the input picture 410 to a reference image to generate a motion vector 414 . the motion vector 414 is passed to a motion compensation block 416 which generates predicted picture data 418 . the predicted picture data 418 is supplied to the subtractor 420 , where it is combined with the input picture 410 to produce residual data 422 . residual data is the difference between the input picture 410 and the predicted picture data 418 . the residual data 422 is added to the predicted picture data 418 during decoding to obtain the final image . the residual data 422 is passed to a transform block 424 . typically , the transform block 424 performs a discrete cosine transform on the residual data 422 . the transformed data is passed to a quantize block 426 and then to an entropy encoder 428 . the entropy encoder 428 encodes the residual data 422 with the motion vector 414 generated by the motion estimation block 412 to produce an output signal 430 . in order to accurately produce motion vectors 414 and residual data 422 , the encoder 400 needs to use the same information that will be used by a decoder that receives the output signal 430 . this is why the decoder 402 is embedded within the encoder 400 . in the decoder 402 , an inverse quantize block 432 receives the quantized residual data 422 from the quantize block 426 and dequantizes the residual data . an inverse transform block 434 performs an inverse transform operation ( typically an inverse discrete cosine transform ) on the residual data 422 which is then passed to an adder 436 . the adder 436 combines the residual data 422 with the predicted picture data 418 from the motion compensation block 416 to produce reconstructed picture data 438 . the reconstructed picture data 438 is stored in a temporary decoded picture storage 440 . the reconstructed picture data 438 may also be downsampled by a downsampler 442 and the downsampled picture data is stored in the picture storage 440 . the motion estimation block 412 and the motion compensation block 41 $ use the reconstructed picture data 438 and the downsampled picture data to generate subsequent motion vectors 414 and predicted picture data 418 , respectively . the present invention can be implemented in a computer program tangibly embodied in a computer - readable storage medium containing a set of instructions for execution by a processor or a general purpose computer ; and method steps can be performed by a processor executing a program of instructions by operating on input data and generating output data . suitable processors include , by way of example , both general and special purpose processors . typically , a processor will receive instructions and data from a read - only memory ( rom ), a random access memory ( ram ), and / or a storage device . storage devices suitable for embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of non - volatile memory , including by way of example semiconductor memory devices , magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removable disks , magneto - optical media , and optical media such as cd - rom disks and digital versatile disks ( dvds ). in addition , while the illustrative embodiments may be implemented in computer software , the functions within the illustrative embodiments may alternatively be embodied in part or in whole using hardware components such as application specific integrated circuits ( asics ), field programmable gate arrays ( fpgas ), or other hardware , or in some combination of hardware components and software components . while specific embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described , many modifications and variations could be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention . the above description serves to illustrate and not limit the particular invention in any way . | 7 |
the following definitions of the general terms used in the present description apply irrespective of whether the terms in question appear alone or in combination . it must be noted that , as used in the specification and the appended claims , the singular forms “ a ”, “ an ,” and “ the ” include plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . as used herein , the term “ lower alkyl ” denotes a straight - or branched - chain hydrocarbon group containing from 1 - 8 carbon atoms , for example , methyl , ethyl , propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl , i - butyl , t - butyl and the like . preferred lower alkyl groups are groups with 1 - 4 carbon atoms . the term “ lower alkyl substituted by halogen ” denotes a lower alkyl group as defined above , wherein at least one hydrogen atom is replaced by halogen , for example — cf 3 , — chf 2 , — ch 2 f , — ch 2 cf 3 , — ch 2 ch 2 cf 3 , — ch 2 cf 2 cf 3 and the like . preferred lower alkyl substituted by halogen groups are groups having 1 - 4 carbon atoms . the term “ lower alkoxy ” denotes a group — o — r wherein r is a lower alkyl group as defined above , preferably methoxy . the term “ lower alkoxy substituted by halogen ” denotes a lower alkoxy group as defined above , wherein at least one hydrogen atom on the lower alkyl group is replaced by halogen , for example — ocf 3 , — ochf 2 , — och 2 f , — och 2 cf 3 , — och 2 ch 2 cf 3 , — och 2 cf 2 cf 3 and the like . the term “ lower cycloalkyl ” denotes a saturated carbon ring containing from 3 - 7 carbon atoms , for example , cyclopropyl , cyclobutyl , cyclopentyl , cyclohexyl , cycloheptyl , and the like . the term “ aryl ” denotes a cyclic aromatic hydrocarbon radical consisting of one or more fused rings containing 6 - 14 carbon atoms in which at least one ring is aromatic in nature , for example phenyl , benzyl , naphthyl or indanyl . preferred is the phenyl group . the term “ heteroaryl ” denotes a cyclic aromatic radical consisting of one or more fused rings containing 5 - 14 ring atoms , preferably containing 5 - 10 ring atoms , in which at least one ring is aromatic in nature , and which contains at least one heteroatom , selected from n , o and s , for example quinoxalinyl , dihydroisoquinolinyl , pyrazin - 2 - yl , pyrazol - 1 - yl , 2 , 4 - dihydro - pyrazol - 3 - one , pyridinyl , isoxazolyl , benzo [ 1 , 3 ] dioxol , pyridyl , pyrimidin - 4 - yl , pyrimidin - 5 - yl , benzotriazol - 5 - yl , benzoimidazol - 5 - yl , [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]- oxadiazol - 2 - yl , [ 1 , 2 , 4 ] triazol - 1 - yl , [ 1 , 6 ] naphthyridin - 2 - yl , imidazo [ 4 , 5 - b ] pyridine - 6 - yl , tetrazolyl , thiazolyl , thiadiazolyl , thienyl , furyl , imidazol - 1 - yl , or benzofuranyl . preferred heteroaryl group is pyridine - 2 , 3 or 4 - yl . the term heterocyclyl denotes a five or six membered nonaromatic ring system , containing one or two heteroatoms selected from n , s and o , for example the following groups : morpholinyl , [ 1 , 4 ] diazepam - 1 - yl , piperazinyl , pyrrolidin - 1 - yl , piperidin - 1 - yl , piperidin - 4 - yl or 1 , 1 - dioxo - λ 6 - thiomorpholinyl . “ pharmaceutically acceptable ,” such as pharmaceutically acceptable carrier , excipient , etc ., means pharmacologically acceptable and substantially non - toxic to the subject to which the particular compound is administered . the terms “ pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts ” and “ pharmaceutically active salts ” are synonymous and embrace salts with inorganic and organic acids , such as hydrochloric acid , nitric acid , sulfuric acid , phosphoric acid , citric acid , formic acid , fumaric acid , maleic acid , acetic acid , succinic acid , tartaric acid , methanesulfonic acid , p - toluenesulfonic acid and the like . “ therapeutically effective amount ” means an amount that is effective to prevent , alleviate or ameliorate symptoms of disease or prolong the survival of the subject being treated . compounds of formula i , wherein r 3 is optionally substituted —( ch 2 ) p - heterocyclyl . preferred compounds of formula i are those , wherein r 3 is unsubstituted —( ch 2 ) p - heterocyclyl , for example the following compounds : 1 -{( 3sr , 4rs )- 3 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- 4 -[( 3 - fluoro - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methyl - amino ]- pyrrolidin - 1 - yl }- 5 - morpholin - 4 - yl - pentan - 1 - one ; 1 -{( 3sr , 4rs )- 3 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- 4 -[ methyl -( 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- amino ]- pyrrolidin - 1 - yl }- 5 - morpholin - 4 - yl - pentan - 1 - one ; 1 -{( 3sr , 4rs )- 3 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- 4 -[( 3 - fluoro - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methyl - amino ]- pyrrolidin - 1 - yl }- 5 - piperazin - 1 - yl - pentan - 1 - one ; 1 -{( 3sr , 4rs )- 3 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- 4 -[( 3 - fluoro - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methyl - amino ]- pyrrolidin - 1 - yl }- 5 - pyrrolidin - 1 - yl - pentan - 1 - one ; 1 -{( 3sr , 4rs )- 3 -( 3 - chloro - phenyl )- 4 -[( 3 - fluoro - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methyl - amino ]- pyrrolidin - 1 - yl }- 5 - morpholin - 4 - yl - pentan - 1 - one ; 1 -{( 3s , 4r )- 3 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- 4 -[( 3 - fluoro - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methyl - amino ]- pyrrolidin - 1 - yl }- 3 - morpholin - 4 - yl - propan - 1 - one ; 1 -{( 3sr , 4rs )- 3 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- 4 -[( 3 - fluoro - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methyl - amino ]- pyrrolidin - 1 - yl }- 2 - morpholin - 4 - yl - ethanone ; 1 -{( 3sr , 4rs )- 3 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- 4 -[( 3 - fluoro - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methyl - amino ]- pyrrolidin - 1 - yl }- 2 - piperazin - 1 - yl - ethanone ; and 1 -{( 3s , 4r )- 3 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- 4 -[( 3 - fluoro - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methyl - amino ]- pyrrolidin - 1 - yl }- 2 -( 1 , 1 - dioxo - λ 6 - thiomorpholin - 4 - yl )- ethanone . preferred compounds of formula i are further those , wherein r 3 is —( ch 2 ) p - heterocyclyl , substituted by one or two substituents r 4 . preferred compounds of formula i are those , wherein r 4 is — s ( o ) 2 - lower alkyl , for example the following compounds : {( 3rs , 4sr )- 3 -[( 3 - fluoro - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methyl - amino ]- 4 - phenyl - pyrrolidin - 1 - yl }-( 4 - methanesulfonyl - piperazin - 1 - yl )- methanone ; {( 3sr , 4rs )- 3 -( 4 - chloro - phenyl )- 4 -[( 3 , 4 - dichloro - benzyl )- methyl - amino ]- pyrrolidin - 1 - yl }-( 4 - methanesulfonyl - piperazin - 1 - yl )- methanone ; [( 3rs , 4sr )- 3 -( biphenyl - 4 - ylmethyl - methyl - amino )- 4 -( 4 - chloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 1 - yl ]-( 4 - methanesulfonyl - piperazin - 1 - yl )- methanone ; [( 3rs , 4 sr )- 3 -[( 4 - chloro - 3 - fluoro - benzyl )- methyl - amino ]- 4 -( 4 - chloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 1 - yl ]-( 4 - methanesulfonyl - piperazin - 1 - yl )- methanone ; {( 3sr , 4rs )- 3 -( 4 - chloro - phenyl )- 4 -[( 3 - fluoro - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methyl - amino ]- pyrrolidin - 1 - yl }-( 4 - methanesulfonyl - piperazin - 1 - yl )- methanone ; {( 3sr , 4rs )- 3 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- 4 -[( 3 - fluoro - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methyl - amino ]- pyrrolidin - 1 - yl }-( 4 - methanesulfonyl - piperazin - 1 - yl )- methanone ; [( 3rs , 4sr )- 3 -[( 3 , 4 - dichloro - benzyl )- methyl - amino ]- 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 1 - yl ]-( 4 - methanesulfonyl - piperazin - 1 - yl )- methanone ; [( 3rs , 4sr )- 3 -[( 4 - chloro - benzyl )- methyl - amino ]- 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 1 - yl ]-( 4 - methanesulfonyl - piperazin - 1 - yl )- methanone ; 4 -({[( 3rs , 4sr )- 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- 1 -( 4 - methanesulfonyl - piperazine - 1 - carbonyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]- methyl - amino }- methyl )- benzonitrile ; {( 3sr , 4rs )- 3 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- 4 -[( 3 , 4 - difluoro - benzyl )- methyl - amino ]- pyrrolidin - 1 - yl }-( 4 - methanesulfonyl - piperazin - 1 - yl )- methanone ; {( 3sr , 4rs )- 3 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- 4 -[( 2 , 3 - dihydro - benzofuran - 6 - ylmethyl )- methyl - amino ]- pyrrolidin - 1 - yl }-( 4 - methanesulfonyl - piperazin - 1 - yl )- methanone ; {( 3sr , 4rs )- 3 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- 4 -[( 4 - fluoro - 3 - methyl - benzyl )- methyl - amino ]- pyrrolidin - 1 - yl }-( 4 - methanesulfonyl - piperazin - 1 - yl )- methanone ; {( 3sr , 4rs )- 3 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- 4 -[( 1h - indol - 6 - ylmethyl )- methyl - amino ]- pyrrolidin - 1 - yl }-( 4 - methanesulfonyl - piperazin - 1 - yl )- methanone ; 4 -({[( 3rs , 4sr )- 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- 1 -( 4 - methanesulfonyl - piperazine - 1 - carbonyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]- methyl - amino }- methyl )- 2 - fluoro - benzonitrile ; {( 3sr , 4rs )- 3 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- 4 -[( 3 - fluoro - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methyl - amino ]- pyrrolidin - 1 - yl }-(( s )- 4 - methanesulfonyl - 3 - methyl - piperazin - 1 - yl )- methanone ; {( 3sr , 4rs )- 3 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- 4 -[( 3 - fluoro - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methyl - amino ]- pyrrolidin - 1 - yl }-(( r )- 4 - methanesulfonyl - 3 - methyl - piperazin - 1 - yl )- methanone ; {( 3sr , 4rs )- 3 -( 4 - chloro - 3 - fluoro - phenyl )- 4 -[( 3 - fluoro - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methyl - amino ]- pyrrolidin - 1 - yl }-( 4 - methanesulfonyl - piperazin - 1 - yl )- methanone ; {( 3sr , 4rs )- 3 -( 4 - chloro - 3 - fluoro - phenyl )- 4 -[( 3 - fluoro - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methyl - amino ]- pyrrolidin - 1 - yl }-( 4 - methanesulfonyl -[ 1 , 4 ] diazepan - 1 - yl )- methanone ; {( 3sr , 4rs )- 3 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- 4 -[ methyl -( 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- amino ]- pyrrolidin - 1 - yl }-( 4 - methanesulfonyl - piperazin - 1 - yl )- methanone ; and 1 -{( 3sr , 4rs )- 3 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- 4 -[( 3 - fluoro - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methyl - amino ]- pyrrolidin - 1 - yl }- 2 -( 4 - methanesulfonyl - piperazin - 1 - yl )- ethanone . preferred compounds of formula i are those , wherein r 4 is lower alkyl , for example the following compounds : preferred compounds of formula i are those , wherein r 4 is — s ( o ) 2 — nr ′ r ″, for example the following compounds : preferred compounds of formula i are those , wherein r 4 is — nr ′— s ( o ) 2 - lower alkyl , for example the following compounds : preferred compounds of formula i are those , wherein r 4 is — c ( o )- lower alkyl , for example the following compounds : preferred compounds of formula i are those , wherein r 4 is — nr ′— c ( o )- lower alkyl , for example the following compounds : preferred compounds of formula i are those , wherein r 4 is —( ch 2 ) p — nr ′ r ″—, for example the following compounds : preferred compounds of formula i are those , wherein r 4 is heteroaryl , optionally substituted by alkoxy or cyano , for example the following compounds : preferred compounds of formula i are those , wherein r 4 is aryl , optionally substituted by alkoxy or cyano , for example the following compounds : preferred compounds of formula i are those , wherein r 4 is —( ch 2 ) p oh —, for example the following compounds : preferred compounds of formula i are those , wherein r 4 is — c ( o )— nr ′ r ″, for example the following compound : preferred compounds of formula i are those , wherein r 4 is —( ch 2 ) p cn —, for example the following compounds : preferred compounds of formula i are those , wherein r 4 is heterocyclyl , optionally substituted by ═ o , for example the following compounds : preferred compounds of formula i are those , wherein r 4 is 2 - oxa - 5 - aza - bicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 1 ] hept - 5 - yl , for example the following compound : preferred compounds of formula i are those , wherein r 4 is — c ( o )- lower cycloalkyl , substituted by lower alkyl , for example the following compound : preferred compounds of formula i are those , wherein r 3 is —( ch 2 ) p nr ′ r ″, for example the following compounds : preferred compounds of formula i are those , wherein r 3 is —( ch 2 ) p - heteroaryl , for example the following compound : preferred compounds of formula i are those , wherein r 3 is —( ch 2 ) p — c ( o )- heteroaryl , for example the following compounds : preferred compounds of formula i are those , wherein r 3 is —( ch 2 ) p — c ( o )— nr ′ r ″, for example the following compound : preferred compounds of formula i are those , wherein r 3 is —( ch 2 ) p — o - lower alkyl , for example the following compound : preferred compounds of formula i are those , wherein r 3 is —( ch 2 ) p — cn , for example the following compound : preferred compounds of formula i are those , wherein r 3 is —( ch 2 ) p — nr ′—( ch 2 ) p ′ nr ′ r ″, for example the following compounds : preferred compounds of formula i are those , wherein r 3 is —( ch 2 ) p — nr ′—( ch 2 ) p ′- cn , for example the following compounds : the preparation of compounds of formula i of the present invention can be carried out in sequential or convergent synthetic routes . syntheses of the compounds of the invention are shown in the following schemes . the skills required for carrying out the reaction and purification of the resulting products are known to those skilled in the art . the substituents and indices used in the following description of the processes have the significance given herein before unless indicated to the contrary . the compounds of formula i can be manufactured by the methods given below , by the methods given in the examples or by analogous methods . appropriate reaction conditions for the individual reaction steps are known to a person skilled in the art . the reaction sequence is not limited to the one displayed in the schemes , and , depending on the starting materials and their respective reactivity , the sequence of reaction steps can be freely altered . starting materials are either commercially available or can be prepared by methods analogous to the methods given below , by methods described in references cited in the description or in the examples , or by methods known in the art . the present compounds of formula i and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts can be prepared by methods , known in the art , for example by the process variants described below , which process comprises wherein the groups ar , r 1 , r 2 and r 3 and the definitions o and n are described above , or wherein the groups ar , r 1 , r 2 and r 3 and the definitions o and n are described above , and , if desired , converting the compounds obtained into pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts . the preparation of compounds of formula i is further described in more detail in general schemes i - 4 , in general procedures i - viii and in examples 1 - 149 . as mentioned earlier , the compounds of formula i and their pharmaceutically usable addition salts possess valuable pharmacological properties . compounds of the present invention are antagonists of neurokinin 3 ( nk - 3 ) receptors . the compounds were investigated in accordance with the tests given hereinafter . the compounds were investigated in accordance with the tests given hereinafter . the pyrrolidines iv were prepared via a stereo specific 1 , 3 - dipolar cycloaddition between 2 - nitrostyrene derivatives ii and the azomethine ylide generated in situ from the n -( methoxymethyl )- n -( phenylmethyl )- n -( trimethylsilyl ) methylamine iii in the presence of a catalytic amount of acid , such as trifluoroacetic acid ( tfa ). reduction of the nitro moiety using standard conditions for example sncl 2 . h 2 o yielded v . the amino moiety was subsequently methylated in a two step sequence , involving first the preparation of the ethyl carbamate followed by its reduction with borane to produce vi . reductive amination reaction between vi and an aldehyde yielded vii . alternatively , vii could be prepared by alkylation . selective n - debenzylation was then carried out using several known procedures which are compatible with the substitution patterns of the aromatic rings to afford viii . finally derivatives i were prepared via a coupling with a corresponding acid chloride or carboxylic acid . alternatively , the pyrrolidine derivatives i , were also prepared via the route highlighted scheme 2 . the secondary amine of the intermediate vi can be boc - protected to afford ix . selective n - debenzylation was then carried out using several known procedures which are compatible with the substitution patterns of the aromatic rings to afford x . standard coupling reaction with an acid chloride or carboxylic acid gave xi , which could then undergo a deprotection with , for instance tfa , to give xii . the secondary amine was then alkylated via a standard reductive amination or via an alkylation with an alkyl - halide to afford the derivatives i . alternatively , intermediates viii could be converted in a two step sequence into final compound i - a or i - b . for instance , the treatment of derivatives viii with triphosgene in the presence of a base , preferably pyridine , and at low temperature yielded pyrrolidine - 1 - carbonyl chloride derivatives xiii . the coupling between compounds xiii and a primary or secondary amine gave access to urea of formula i - a . the treatment of derivatives viii with bromo - acetyl chloride in the presence of a base yielded intermediates xiv . a nucleophilic substitution reaction between xiv and a primary or secondary amine gave access to amide of formula i - b . alternatively , intermediates viii could be converted in a two step sequence into final compound i - c or i - d . for instance , the treatment of derivatives viii with 5 - bromo - pentanoyl chloride yielded pyrrolidine derivatives of general formula xv . a nucleophilc substitution reaction yielded final derivatives of the types i - c . the treatment of derivatives viii with 3 - chloropropyl chloroformate in the presence of a base yielded intermediates xvi . a nucleophilic substitution reaction yielded pyrrolidine derivatives of the types i - d . nucleophiles could be a primary or secondary amine . to a stirred solution of a carboxylic acid derivative ( commercially available or known in the literature ) ( 1 mmol ) in 10 ml of ch 2 cl 2 was added ( 1 . 3 mmol ) of edc , ( 1 . 3 mmol ) of hobt and et 3 n ( 1 . 3 mmol ). after one hour at rt , was added a pyrrolidine intermediate of general formula ( viii or x ). the mixture was stirred at rt overnight and then poured onto water and extracted with ch 2 cl 2 . the combined organic phases were dried over na 2 so 4 and concentrated under vacuo . flash chromatography or preparative hplc afforded the title compound . to a stirred solution of a pyrrolidine intermediate viii ( 1 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 15 ml ) at rt were added ethyl - diisopropyl - amine ( 2 mmol ) and an acid chloride or carbamoyl chloride or chloroformate derivative of formula rcocl ( 1 . 1 mmol ). stirring was continued until completion of the reaction . the reaction mixture was then concentrated under vacuo and purified by flash chromatography on sio 2 or by preparative hplc . to a stirred solution of a pyrrolidine intermediate xii ( 1 . 00 mmol ) in meoh ( 6 ml ) was added the aldehyde ( 1 . 20 mmol ). then a solution of nabh 3 cn ( 1 . 3 mol ) in meoh ( 1 . 5 ml ) and acoh ( 0 . 01 ml ) were added . the reaction mixture was stirred overnight at rt , concentrated under vacuo , diluted with etoac , washed with h 2 o . the organic phases were dried over na 2 so 4 and the product purified by flash chromatography ( sio 2 ) or by preparative hplc to afford the desired compound . to a stirred solution of a pyrrolidine intermediate xii ( 1 . 00 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 6 ml ) was added a substituted benzyl bromide derivative ( 1 . 20 mmol ) and n , n - diisopropylethylamine ( 1 . 50 mmol ). the reaction mixture was stirred at 45 ° c . overnight , washed with h 2 o . the organic phases were dried over na 2 so 4 and the product purified by flash chromatography ( sio 2 ) or by preparative hplc to afford the desired compound . to a stirred solution of a pyrrolidine carbonyl chloride intermediate xiii ( 1 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 15 ml ) at rt were added ethyl - diisopropyl - amine ( 1 . 2 mmol ) and a primary or secondary amine ( 1 . 1 mmol ). stirring was continued until completion of the reaction . the reaction mixture was then concentrated under vacuo and purified by flash chromatography on sio 2 or by preparative hplc to yield i - a . to a stirred solution of a pyrrolidine acetyl bromid intermediate xiv ( 1 mmol ) in thf ( 15 ml ) at rt were added ethyl - diisopropyl - amine ( 1 . 2 mmol ) and a primary or secondary amine ( 4 mmol ). stirring was continued until completion of the reaction . the reaction mixture was then concentrated under vacuo and purified by flash chromatography on sio 2 or by preparative hplc to yield i - b . to a stirred solution of a pyrrolidine intermediate xv ( 1 mmol ) in thf ( 15 ml ) at rt were added ethyl - diisopropyl - amine ( 1 . 2 mmol ) and a primary or secondary amine ( 4 mmol ). stirring was continued until completion of the reaction . the reaction mixture was then concentrated under vacuo and purified by flash chromatography on sio 2 or by preparative hplc to yield i - c . to a stirred solution of a pyrrolidine intermediate xvi ( 1 mmol ) in thf ( 15 ml ) at rt were added ethyl - diisopropyl - amine ( 1 . 2 mmol ) and a primary or secondary amine ( 4 mmol ). stirring was continued until completion of the reaction . the reaction mixture was then concentrated under vacuo and purified by flash chromatography on sio 2 or by preparative hplc to yield i - d . a solution of n -( methoxymethyl )- n -( phenylmethyl )- n -( trimethylsilyl ) methylamine ( 1 . 96 g , 8 . 2 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 10 ml ) was added drop wise , over a 30 minutes period , to a stirred solution of 1 , 2 - dichloro - 4 -(( e )- 2 - nitro - vinyl )- benzene ( 1 . 0 g , 4 . 58 mmol ) and trifluoroacetic acid ( 52 mg , 4 . 45 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 5 ml ) at 0 ° c . the ice bath was removed , and the solution was stirred at 25 ° c . for an additional 48 h . it was then concentrated and purification by flash chromatography ( sio 2 , etoac / h 1 : 4 ) afforded 1 . 00 g ( 62 %) of the title compound as a colorless oil . es - ms m / e : 351 . 4 ( m + h + ). to a stirred solution of ( 3sr , 4rs )- 1 - benzyl - 3 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- 4 - nitro - pyrrolidine ( 15 . 0 g , 0 . 0427 mol ) in etoac ( 200 ml ) was added portionwise sncl 2 . 2h 2 o ( 43 . 36 g , 0 . 192 mol ). the reaction mixture was then heated at reflux for 4 hours , cooled down to rt and a saturated aqueous solution of nahco 3 ( 500 ml ) was added . the salts were filtered off and the product extracted with etoac . the organic phases were then dried over na 2 so 4 , and concentration under vacuum gave 9 . 30 g ( 75 %) of the title compound as a light yellow oil . the product was then used in the next step without further purification . es - ms m / e : 321 . 1 ( m + h + ). to a solution of ( 3rs , 4sr )- 1 - benzyl - 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - ylamine ( 9 . 2 g , 0 . 028 mol ) in thf ( 100 ml ) was added a solution of k 2 co 3 ( 7 . 91 g , 0 . 057 mol ) in h 2 o ( 35 ml ). after 10 minutes , ethyl chloroformate ( 2 . 86 ml , 0 . 030 mol ) was added and stirring was continued at rt for an additional 4 h . the intermediate carbamate was then extracted with et 2 o , dried over na 2 so 4 and concentrated under vacuo to give viscous oil . the oil was taken up in thf ( 100 ml ) and a solution of borane in thf ( 1m ) was added ( 114 . 5 ml ). the reaction mixture was then heated at 65 ° c . over night , cooled to rt and carefully quenched with conc . hcl ( 100 ml ). the mixture was then heated at 80 ° c . for 2 h , cooled to rt , concentrated under vacuo , diluted with et 2 o ( 100 ml ) and neutralized with an aqueous solution of nahco 3 . the organic phases were dried over na 2 so 4 and the product purified by flash chromatography ( sio 2 , ch 2 cl 2 / meoh 9 : 1 ) to afford 7 . 31 g ( 76 %) of the title compound as a colorless oil . es - ms m / e : 335 . 3 ( m + h + ). to a stirred solution of [ 3rs , 4sr )- 1 - benzyl - 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]- methyl - amine ( 3 . 5 g , 0 . 010 mol ) in meoh ( 60 ml ) was added 3 - fluoro - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzaldehyde ( 2 . 10 g , 0 . 0109 mol ). then a solution of nabh 3 cn ( 0 . 79 g , 0 . 012 mol ) in meoh ( 15 ml ) and acoh ( 0 . 1 ml ) were added . the reaction mixture was stirred overnight at rt , concentrated under vacuo , diluted with etoac , washed with h 2 o . the organic phases were dried over na 2 so 4 and the product purified by flash chromatography ( sio 2 , etoac / heptane 1 : 4 ) to afford 3 . 31 g ( 62 %) of the title compound as a colorless oil . to a stirred solution of [( 3rs , 4sr )- 1 - benzyl - 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]-( 3 - fluoro - 4trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methyl - amine ( 3 . 30 g , 6 . 45 mmol ) in ch 3 cn ( 45 ml ) at rt , was added 2 , 2 , 2 - trichloroethyl chloroformate ( 1 . 30 ml , 9 . 67 mmol ). the reaction mixture was stirred at rt for 3 hours , concentrated under vacuo . the residue was dissolved in acoh ( 10 ml ) and zinc dust ( 1 . 0 g ) was added portion wise over 3 hours . the solvent was evaporated , the residue diluted in etoac and the organic phase was washed with an aqueous solution of nahco 3 . the organic phase was dried over na 2 so 4 , concentrated under vacuo to afford 1 . 43 g ( 53 %) of the tile compound as a colorless oil . es - ms m / e : 421 . 0 ( m + h + ). a solution of n -( methoxymethyl )- n -( phenylmethyl )- n -( trimethylsilyl ) methylamine ( 1 . 00 g , 4 . 2 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 5 ml ) was added drop wise , over a 30 minutes period , to a stirred solution of 1 - chloro - 2 - fluoro - 4 -(( e )- 2 - nitro - vinyl )- benzene ( 0 . 68 g , 3 . 37 mmol ) and trifluoroacetic acid ( 30 ul ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 5 ml ) at 0 ° c . the ice bath was removed , and the solution was stirred at 25 ° c . for an additional 48 h . it was then concentrated and purification by flash chromatography ( sio 2 , etoac / h 1 : 4 ) afforded 0 . 78 g ( 55 %) of the title compound as a colorless oil . es - ms m / e : 335 . 2 ( m + h + ). to a stirred solution of ( 3sr , 4rs )- 1 - benzyl - 3 -( 4 - chloro - 3 - fluoro - phenyl )- 4 - nitro - pyrrolidine ( 0 . 78 g , 2 . 33 mmol ) in etoac ( 15 ml ) was added portion wise sncl 2 . 2h 2 o ( 2 . 63 g , 11 . 6 mmol ). the reaction mixture was then heated at reflux for 4 hours , cooled down to rt and a saturated aqueous solution of nahco 3 ( 500 ml ) was added . the salts were filtered off and the product extracted with etoac . the organic phases were then dried over na 2 so 4 , and concentration under vacuum . a column chromatography ( ch 2 cl 2 / meoh 95 / 5 ) gave 0 . 46 g ( 65 %) of the title compound as a light brown oil . es - ms m / e : 305 . 1 ( m + h + ). to a solution of ( 3rs , 4sr )- 1 - benzyl - 4 -( 4 - chloro - 3 - fluoro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - ylamine ( 0 . 46 g , 1 . 51 mmol ) in thf ( 5 ml ) was added a solution of k 2 co 3 ( 0 . 419 g , 3 . 0 mmol ) in h 2 o ( 2 ml ). after 10 minutes , ethyl chloroformate ( 0 . 3 ml , 3 . 0 mmol ) was added and stirring was continued at rt for an additional 4 h . the intermediate carbamate was then extracted with et 2 o , dried over na 2 so 4 and concentrated under vacuo to give viscous oil . the oil was taken up in thf ( 10 ml ) and a solution of borane in thf ( 1m ) was added ( 6 . 0 ml ). the reaction mixture was then heated at 65 ° c . over night , cooled to rt and carefully quenched with conc . hcl ( 5 ml ). the mixture was then heated at 80 ° c . for 2 h , cooled to rt , concentrated under vacuo , diluted with et 2 o ( 10 ml ) and neutralized with an aqueous solution of nahco 3 . the organic phases were dried over na 2 so 4 and the product purified by flash chromatography ( sio 2 , ch 2 cl 2 / meoh 9 : 1 ) to afford 0 . 34 g ( 70 %) of the title compound as a colorless oil . es - ms m / e : 319 . 1 ( m + h + ). to a stirred solution of [( 3rs , 4sr )- 1 - benzyl - 4 -( 4 - chloro - 3 - fluoro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]- methyl - amine ( 340 mg , 1 . 06 mmol ) in meoh ( 6 ml ) was added 3 - fluoro - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzaldehyde ( 230 mg , 1 . 20 mmol ). then a solution of nabh 3 cn ( 85 mg , 1 . 3 mol ) in meoh ( 1 . 5 ml ) and acoh ( 0 . 01 ml ) were added . the reaction mixture was stirred overnight at rt , concentrated under vacuo , diluted with etoac , washed with h 2 o . the organic phases were dried over na 2 so 4 and the product purified by flash chromatography ( sio 2 , etoac / heptane 1 : 4 ) to afford 145 mg ( 28 %) of the title compound as a colorless oil . to a stirred solution of [( 3rs , 4sr )- 1 - benzyl - 4 -( 4 - chloro - 3 - fluoro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]-( 3 - fluoro - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methyl - amine ( 145 mg , 0 . 29 mmol ) in ch 3 cn ( 2 ml ) at rt , was added 2 , 2 , 2 - trichloroethyl chloroformate ( 0 . 06 ml , 0 . 44 mmol ). the reaction mixture was stirred at rt for 3 hours , concentrated under vacuo . the residue was dissolved in acoh ( 3 ml ) and zinc dust ( 60 mg ) was added portion wise over 3 hours . the solvent was evaporated , the residue diluted in etoac and the organic phase was washed with an aqueous solution of nahco 3 . the organic phase was dried over na 2 so 4 , concentrated under vacuo to afford 80 mg ( 67 %) of the tile compound as a colorless oil . es - ms m / e : 405 . 3 ( m + h + ). to a stirred solution of [( 3rs , 4sr )- 1 - benzyl - 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]- methyl - amine ( 0 . 35 g , 1 . 04 mmol ) in thf ( 6 ml ) was added 1 - bromomethyl - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzene ( 0 . 27 g , 1 . 15 mmol ) and et 3 n ( 0 . 148 ml , 1 . 45 mmol ). the reaction mixture was stirred overnight at rt and concentrated under vacuo . the product purified by flash chromatography ( sio 2 , etoac / heptane 1 : 4 ) to afford 130 mg ( 29 %) of the title compound as a colorless oil . es - ms m / e : 492 . 9 ( m + h + ). to a stirred solution of [( 3rs , 4sr )- 1 - benzyl - 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]- methyl -( 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- amine ( 160 mg , 0 . 32 mmol ) in ch 3 cn ( 5 ml ) at rt , was added 2 , 2 , 2 - trichloroethyl chloroformate ( 0 . 070 ml , 0 . 48 mmol ). the reaction mixture was stirred at rt for 3 hours , concentrated under vacuo . the residue was dissolved in acoh ( 3 ml ) and zinc dust ( 80 mg ) was added portion wise over 1 hours . the solvent was evaporated , the residue diluted in etoac and the organic phase was washed with an aqueous solution of nahco 3 . the organic phase was dried over na 2 so 4 and concentrated under vacuo . the product was purified by column chromatography ( ch 2 cl 2 / meoh : 9 / 1 ) to afford 85 mg ( 65 %) of the tile compound as a colorless oil . es - ms m / e : 403 . 4 ( m + h + ). a solution of n -( methoxymethyl )- n -( phenylmethyl )- n -( trimethylsilyl ) methylamine ( 9 . 69 g , 41 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 40 ml ) was added drop wise , over a 30 minutes period , to a stirred solution of 1 - chloro - 3 -(( e )- 2 - nitro - vinyl )- benzene ( 0 . 68 g , 3 . 37 mmol ) and trifluoroacetic acid ( 0 . 21 ml ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 40 ml ) at 0 ° c . the ice bath was removed , and the solution was stirred at 25 ° c . for an additional 48 h . it was then concentrated and purification by flash chromatography ( sio 2 , etoac / h 1 : 4 ) afforded 6 . 30 g ( 73 %) of the title compound as a colorless oil . es - ms m / e : 317 . 1 ( m + h + ). to a stirred solution of ( 3sr , 4rs )- 1 - benzyl - 3 -( 3 - chloro - phenyl )- 4 - nitro - pyrrolidine ( 6 . 30 g , 19 . 8 mmol ) in etoac ( 150 ml ) was added portion wise sncl 2 . 2h 2 o ( 22 . 43 g , 99 mmol ). the reaction mixture was then heated at reflux for 4 hours , cooled down to rt and a saturated aqueous solution of nahco 3 ( 500 ml ) was added . the salts were filtered off and the product extracted with etoac . the organic phases were then dried over na 2 so 4 , and concentration under vacuum . a column chromatography ( ch 2 cl 2 / meoh 95 / 5 ) gave 4 . 47 g ( 78 %) of the title compound as a light yellow oil . es - ms m / e : 287 . 0 ( m + h + ). to a solution of ( 3rs , 4sr )- 1 - benzyl - 4 -( 3 - chloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - ylamine ( 4 . 47 g , 16 . 0 mmol ) in thf ( 50 ml ) was added a solution of k 2 co 3 ( 4 . 31 g , 31 mmol ) in h 2 o ( 35 ml ). after 10 minutes , ethyl chloroformate ( 2 . 97 ml , 31 mmol ) was added and stirring was continued at rt for an additional 4 h . the intermediate carbamate was then extracted with et 2 o , dried over na 2 so 4 and concentrated under vacuo to give viscous oil . the oil was taken up in thf ( 10 ml ) and a solution of borane in thf ( 1m ) was added ( 62 ml ). the reaction mixture was then heated at 65 ° c . over night , cooled to rt and carefully quenched with cone . hcl ( 5 ml ). the mixture was then heated at 80 ° c . for 2 h , cooled to rt , concentrated under vacuo , diluted with et 2 o ( 50 ml ) and neutralized with an aqueous solution of nahco 3 . the organic phases were dried over na 2 so 4 and the product purified by flash chromatography ( sio 2 , ch 2 cl 2 / meoh 9 : 1 ) to afford 2 . 68 g ( 57 %) of the title compound as a colorless oil . es - ms m / e : 301 . 2 ( m + h + ). to a stirred solution of [( 3rs , 4sr )- 1 - benzyl - 4 -( 3 - chloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]- methyl - amine ( 2 . 20 g , 7 . 31 mmol ) in thf ( 70 ml ) was added 4 - bromomethyl - 2 - fluoro - 1 - trifluoromethyl - benzene ( 2 . 25 g , 8 . 75 mmol ) and et 3 n ( 1 . 21 ml , 8 . 75 mmol ). the reaction mixture was stirred overnight at 40 ° c ., concentrated under vacuo , diluted with etoac , washed with h 2 o . the organic phase was dried over na 2 so 4 and the product purified by flash chromatography ( sio 2 , etoac / heptane 1 : 3 ) to afford 2 . 0 g ( 57 %) of the title compound as a colorless oil . to a stirred solution of [( 3rs , 4sr )- 1 - benzyl - 4 -( 3 - chloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]-( 3 - fluoro - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methyl - amine ( 2 . 0 g , 4 . 19 mmol ) in ch 3 cn ( 28 ml ) at rt , was added 2 , 2 , 2 - trichloroethyl chloroformate ( 0 . 85 ml , 6 . 3 mmol ). the reaction mixture was stirred at rt for 3 hours , concentrated under vacuo . the residue was dissolved in acoh ( 25 ml ) and zinc dust ( 800 mg ) was added portion wise over 3 hours . the solvent was evaporated , the residue diluted in etoac and the organic phase was washed with an aqueous solution of nahco 3 . the organic phase was dried over na 2 so 4 , concentrated under vacuo to afford 0 . 90 g ( 44 %) of the tile compound as a light brown oil . es - ms m / e : 387 . 2 ( m + h + ). to a stirred solution of [( 3rs , 4sr )- 1 - benzyl - 4 -( 3 - chloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]- methyl - amine ( 0 . 46 g , 1 . 59 mmol ) in thf ( 15 ml ) was added 1 - bromomethyl - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzene ( 0 . 44 g , 1 . 86 mmol ) and et 3 n ( 0 . 155 ml , 1 . 59 mmol ). the reaction mixture was stirred overnight at rt and concentrated under vacuo . the product purified by flash chromatography ( sio 2 , etoac / heptane 1 : 4 ) to afford 500 mg ( 71 %) of the title compound as a colorless oil . es - ms m / e : 459 . 3 ( m + h + ). to a stirred solution of [( 3rs , 4sr )- 1 - benzyl - 4 -( 3 - chloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]- methyl -( 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- amine ( 500 mg , 1 . 09 mmol ) in ch 3 cn ( 7 ml ) at rt , was added 2 , 2 , 2 - trichloroethyl chloroformate ( 0 . 22 ml , 1 . 63 mmol ). the reaction mixture was stirred at rt for 3 hours , concentrated under vacuo . the residue was dissolved in acoh ( 5 ml ) and zinc dust ( 200 mg ) was added portion wise over 1 hours . the solvent was evaporated , the residue diluted in etoac and the organic phase was washed with an aqueous solution of nahco 3 . the organic phase was dried over na 2 so 4 and concentrated under vacuo . the product was purified by column chromatography ( ch 2 cl 2 / meoh : 9 / 1 ) to afford 305 mg ( 76 %) of the tile compound as a colorless oil . es - ms m / e : 369 . 2 ( m + h + ). a solution of n -( methoxymethyl )- n -( phenylmethyl )- n -( trimethylsilyl ) methylamine ( 0 . 50 g , 2 . 02 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 15 ml ) was added drop wise , over a 30 minutes period , to a stirred solution of (( e )- 2 - nitro - vinyl )- benzene ( 0 . 30 g , 2 . 02 mmol ) and trifluoroacetic acid ( 0 . 17 ml , 0 . 2 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 10 ml ) at 0 ° c . the ice bath was removed , and the solution was stirred at 25 ° c . for an additional 48 h . it was then concentrated and purification by flash chromatography ( sio 2 , etoac / h 1 : 6 ) afforded 0 . 38 g ( 68 %) of the title compound as a colorless oil . es - ms m / e : 283 ( m + h + ). to a stirred solution of ( 3rs , 4sr )- 1 - benzyl - 3 - nitro - 4 - phenyl - pyrrolidine ( 1 . 0 g , 3 . 54 mmol ) in etoac ( 50 ml ) was added in one portion sncl 2 . 2h 2 o ( 3 . 99 g , 17 . 70 mmol ). the reaction mixture was then heated at reflux for 2 hours , cooled down to rt and a saturated aqueous solution of nahco 3 ( 100 ml ) was added . the salts were filtered off and the product extracted with etoac . the organic phases were then dried over na 2 so 4 , and concentration under vacuum gave 0 . 72 g ( 80 %) of ( 3rs , 4sr )- 1 - benzyl - 4 - phenyl - pyrrolidin - 3 - ylamine as a light yellow oil . the product was then used in the next step without further purification . to a solution of ( 3rs , 4sr )- 1 - benzyl - 4 - phenyl - pyrrolidin - 3 - ylamine ( 0 . 25 g , 1 . 0 mmol ) in thf ( 5 ml ) was added a solution of k 2 co 3 ( 0 . 25 g , 1 . 8 mmol ) in h 2 o ( 2 ml ). after 10 minutes , ethyl chloroformate ( 0 . 119 g , 1 . 1 mmol ) was added and stirring was continued at rt for an additional 4 h . the intermediate carbamate was then extracted with et 2 o , dried over na 2 so 4 and concentrated under vacuo to give viscous oil . the oil was taken up in thf ( 5 ml ) and a solution of borane in thf ( 1m ) was added ( 3 . 5 ml ). the reaction mixture was then heated at 65 ° c . over night , cooled to rt and carefully quenched with conc . hcl ( 0 . 5 ml ). the mixture was then heated at 80 ° c . for 2 h , cooled to rt , concentrated under vacuo , diluted with et 2 o ( 20 ml ) and neutralized with an aqueous solution of nahco 3 . the organic phases were dried over na 2 so 4 and the product purified by flash chromatography ( sio 2 , ch 2 cl 2 / meoh 9 : 1 ) to afford 0 . 21 g ( 82 %) of rac -(( 3s , 4r )- 1 - benzyl - 4 - phenyl - pyrrolidin - 3 - yl )- methyl - amine as a colorless oil . to a stirred solution of [( 3rs , 4sr )- 1 - benzyl - 4 - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]- methyl - amine ( 2 . 00 g , 7 . 55 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 20 ml ) was added et 3 n ( 1 . 80 ml , 15 . 1 mmol ), dmap ( 81 mg , 0 . 66 mmol ) and ( boc ) 2 o ( 1 . 75 g , 8 . 02 mmol ). after one hour at rt , the organic phase was washed with h 2 o , then dried over na 2 so 4 . column chromatography ( heptane / etoac : 3 / 1 ) afforded 2 . 04 g ( 74 %) of the title compound as a yellow oil . to a stirred solution of (( 3rs , 4sr )- 1 - benzyl - 4 - phenyl - pyrrolidin - 3 - yl )- methyl - carbamic acid tert - butyl ester ( 2 . 03 g , 5 . 56 mmol ) in meoh ( 20 ml ) at rt , was added ammonium formate ( 1 . 60 g , 25 . 4 mmol ) and palladium on charcoal ( 0 . 40 g , 10 %) the reaction mixture was stirred for 2 hours , filtrate on celite and concentrated under vacuo . the residue was purified by column chromatography ( ch 2 cl 2 / meoh , 9 / 1 ) to give 0 . 57 g ( 41 %) of the title product as a waxy solid . using the general procedure ii for the preparation of urea , 640 mg of the title compound was produce from methyl -(( 3rs , 4sr )- 4 - phenyl - pyrrolidin - 3 - yl )- carbamic acid tert - butyl ester and 4 - methanesulfonyl - piperazine - 1 - carbonyl chloride as a white solid . es - ms m / e : 467 . 3 ( m + h + ). to a stirred solution of carbonic acid ditrichloromethyl ester ( triphosgene ) ( 1 . 81 g , 6 . 09 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 30 ml ) at 0 ° c ., was added a solution of 1 - methanesulfonyl - piperazine ( 2 . 0 g , 12 . 2 mmol ) and pyridine ( 1 . 08 ml , 13 . 4 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 5 ml ) over 30 minutes . the temperature was raised to rt , and stirring was continued over night . the organic phase was washed with h 2 o , dried over na 2 so 4 . purification by flash chromatography ( sio 2 , etoac ) yielded 2 . 20 g ( 79 %) of the title compound as white solid . to a stirred solution of [( 3rs , 4sr )- 1 -( 4 - methanesulfonyl - piperazine - 1 - carbonyl )- 4 - phenyl - pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]- methyl - carbamic acid tert - butyl ester ( 640 mg , 1 . 37 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 10 ml ) was added tfa ( 2 ml ). the reaction mixture was stirred at rt for 2 hours , aqueous nahco 3 was added until ph = 8 and the product was extracted with ch 2 cl 2 . the combined organic phase were dried over na 2 so 4 . concentration under vacuo gave 500 mg ( 99 %) of the title product as a white solid . es - ms m / e : 367 . 1 ( m + h + ). a solution of n -( methoxymethyl )- n -( phenylmethyl )- n -( trimethylsilyl ) methylamine ( 6 . 70 g , 28 . 2 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 100 ml ) was added drop wise , over a 30 minutes period , to a stirred solution of 1 - chloro - 4 -(( e )- 2 - nitro - vinyl )- benzene ( 4 . 97 g , 27 . 1 mmol ) and trifluoroacetic acid ( 0 . 31 g , 2 . 7 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 150 ml ) at 0 ° c . the ice bath was removed , and the solution was stirred at 25 ° c . for an additional 48 h . it was then concentrated and purification by flash chromatography ( sio 2 , etoac / h 1 : 4 ) afforded 6 . 75 g ( 79 %) of the title compound as a colorless oil . titanium ( iv ) chloride ( 0 . 36 g , 1 . 89 mmol ) was added drop wise to a suspension of zinc powder ( 0 . 25 g , 3 . 78 mmol ) in thf ( 3 ml ). this solution was heated at 68 ° c . for one hour , then cooled to rt before ( 3sr , 4rs )- 1 - benzyl - 3 -( 4 - chloro - phenyl )- 4 - nitro - pyrrolidine ( 0 . 20 g , 0 . 63 mmol ) in thf ( 2 ml ) was added . the reaction mixture was then stirred at reflux over night . the reaction was cooled to rt , diluted with 300 ml of et 2 o , washed with an aqueous solution of nahco 3 and the organic phases were dried over na 2 so 4 . flash chromatography ( sio 2 , ch 2 cl 2 / meoh , 9 : 1 ) yielded 0 . 10 g ( 57 %) of ( 3rs , 4sr )- 1 - benzyl - 4 -( 4 - chloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - ylamine as a light yellow oil . to a solution of ( 3rs , 4sr )- 1 - benzyl - 4 -( 4 - chloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - ylamine ( 1 . 86 g , 6 . 51 mmol ) in thf ( 20 ml ) was added a solution of k 2 co 3 ( 1 . 80 g , 13 . 02 mmol ) in h 2 o ( 15 ml ). after 10 minutes , ethyl chloroformate ( 0 . 68 ml , 7 . 16 mmol ) was added and stirring was continued at rt for an additional 4 h . the intermediate carbamate was then extracted with et 2 o , dried over na 2 so 4 and concentrated under vacuo to give viscous oil . the oil was taken up in thf ( 20 ml ) and a solution of borane in thf ( 1m ) was added ( 26 ml ). the reaction mixture was then heated at 65 ° c . over night , cooled to rt and carefully quenched with conc . hcl ( 5 ml ). the mixture was then heated at 80 ° c . for 2 h , cooled to rt , concentrated under vacuo , diluted with et 2 o ( 100 ml ) and neutralized with an aqueous solution of nahco 3 . the organic phases were dried over na 2 so 4 and the product purified by flash chromatography ( sio 2 , ch 2 cl 2 / meoh 9 : 1 ) to afford 1 . 51 g ( 77 %) of rac -[( 3s , 4r )- 1 - benzyl - 4 -( 4 - chloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]- methyl - amine as a colorless oil . to a stirred solution of [( 3rs , 4sr )- 1 - benzyl - 4 -( 4 - chloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]- methyl - amine ( 2 . 75 g , 9 . 14 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 25 ml ) was added et 3 n ( 2 . 50 ml , 18 . 2 mmol ), dmap ( 112 mg , 0 . 91 mmol ) and ( boc ) 2 o ( 2 . 39 g , 10 . 95 mmol ). after one hour at rt , the organic phase was washed with h 2 o , then dried over na 2 so 4 . column chromatography ( heptane / etoac : 3 / 1 ) afforded 2 . 60 g ( 71 %) of the title compound as a yellow oil . es - ms m / e : 401 . 3 ( m + h + ). to a stirred solution of [( 3rs , 4sr )- 1 - benzyl - 4 -( 4 - chloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]- methyl - carbamic acid tert - butyl ester ( 1 . 30 g , 3 . 20 mmol ) in toluene ( 30 ml ) at rt , was added 1 - chloroethyl chloroformate ( 0 . 53 ml , 4 . 80 mmol ). the reaction mixture was stirred at 90 ° c . overnight and concentrated under vacuo . the residue was dissolved in meoh ( 30 ml ) and the reaction mixture was heated at 80 ° c . for 2 hours . the solvent was evaporated and the crude product was directly used in the next step without further purification . using the general procedure ii for the preparation of urea , 871 mg of the title compound was produce from 765 mg of [( 3rs , 4sr )- 4 -( 4 - chloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]- methyl - carbamic acid tert - butyl ester and 4 - methanesulfonyl - piperazine - 1 - carbonyl chloride as a white solid . es - ms m / e : 501 . 43 ( m + h + ). to a stirred solution of [( 3rs , 4sr )- 4 -( 4 - chloro - phenyl )- 1 -( 4 - methanesulfonyl - piperazine - 1 - carbonyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]- methyl - carbamic acid tert - butyl ester ( 860 mg , 1 . 72 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 8 ml ) was added tfa ( 2 ml ). the reaction mixture was stirred at rt for 2 hours , aqueous nahco 3 was added until ph = 8 and the product was extracted with ch 2 cl 2 . the combined organic phase were dried over na 2 so 4 . concentration under vacuo gave 680 mg ( 98 %) of the title product as a white solid . es - ms m / e : 401 . 3 ( m + h + ). to a stirred solution of [( 3rs , 4sr )- 1 - benzyl - 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]- methyl - amine ( 1 . 00 g , 2 . 98 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 10 ml ) was added et 3 n ( 0 . 83 ml , 5 . 96 mmol ), dmap ( 73 mg , 0 . 59 mmol ) and ( boc ) 2 o ( 1 . 43 g , 6 . 55 mmol ). after one hour at rt , the organic phase was washed with h 2 o , then dried over na 2 so 4 . column chromatography ( heptane / etoac : 3 / 1 ) afforded 0 . 93 g ( 71 %) of the title compound as a yellow oil . es - ms m / e : 435 . 3 ( m + h + ). to a stirred solution of [( 3rs , 4sr )- 1 - benzyl - 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]- methyl - carbamic acid tert - butyl ester ( 928 mg , 2 . 13 mmol ) in ch 3 cn ( 10 ml ) at rt , was added 2 , 2 , 2 - trichloroethyl chloroformate ( 0 . 45 ml , 2 . 13 mmol ). the reaction mixture was stirred at rt for 3 hours , concentrated under vacuo . the residue was dissolved in acoh ( 5 ml ) and zinc dust ( 400 mg ) was added portion wise over 1 hours . the solvent was evaporated , the residue diluted in etoac and the organic phase was washed with an aqueous solution of nahco 3 . the organic phase was dried over na 2 so 4 and concentrated under vacuo to afford 415 mg ( 98 %) of the tile compound as a light yellow oil . es - ms m / e : 345 . 2 ( m + h + ), using the general procedure ii for the preparation of urea , 133 mg of the title compound was produce from [( 3rs , 4sr )- 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]- methyl - carbamic acid tert - butyl ester and 4 - methanesulfonyl - piperazine - 1 - carbonyl chloride as a white solid . es - ms m / e : 535 . 1 ( m + h + ). to a stirred solution of [( 3rs , 4sr )- 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- 1 -( 4 - methanesulfonyl - piperazine - 1 - carbonyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]- methyl - carbamic acid tert - butyl ester ( 130 mg , 0 . 24 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 5 ml ) was added tfa ( 1 ml ). the reaction mixture was stirred at rt for 2 hours , aqueous nahco 3 was added until ph = 8 and the product was extracted with ch 2 cl 2 . the combined organic phase were dried over na 2 so 4 . concentration under vacuo gave 100 mg ( 93 %) of the title product as a light yellow oil . es - ms m / e : 435 . 8 ( m + h + ). using the general procedure i for the preparation of amide , 3 . 06 g of the title compound was produce from [( 3rs , 4sr )- 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]- methyl - carbamic acid tert - butyl ester and 1 -( 1 - methyl - cyclopropanecarbonyl )- piperidine - 4 - carboxylic acid as a light brown foam . es - ms m / e : 538 . 3 ( m + h + ). first step : using the general procedure i for the preparation of amide , 2 . 60 g of 1 -( 1 - methyl - cyclopropanecarbonyl )- piperidine - 4 - carboxylic acid ethyl ester was prepared from 1 . 89 g of piperidine - 4 - carboxylic acid ethyl ester and 1 . 40 g of 1 - methyl - cyclopropanecarboxylic acid as a light yellow oil . es - ms m / e : 240 . 3 ( m + h + ). second step : to a stirred solution of 1 -( 1 - methyl - cyclopropanecarbonyl )- piperidine - 4 - carboxylic acid ethyl ester ( 2 . 60 g , 0 . 011 mmol ) in thf , etoh , h 2 o ( 50 ml , 1 / 1 / 1 ) was added lioh . h 2 o ( 686 mg , 16 . 3 mmol ). after two hours at rt , the reaction mixture was concentrated under vacuo . the crude residue was diluted in ch 2 cl 2 and aqueous hcl ( 1n ) was added until ph = 2 . the organic phase was collected , dried over na 2 so 4 and concentrated under vacuo to afforded 1 . 98 g ( 86 %) of the title product as a white powder . es - ms m / e : 212 . 1 ( m + h + ). to a stirred solution of {( 3rs , 4sr )- 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- 1 -[ 1 -( 1 - methyl - cyclopropanecarbonyl )- piperidine - 4 - carbonyl ]- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl }- methyl - carbamic acid tert - butyl ester ( 3 . 02 g , 5 . 61 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 30 ml ) was added tfa ( 4 . 3 ml ). the reaction mixture was stirred at rt for 20 hours , aqueous nahco 3 was added until ph = 8 and the product was extracted with ch 2 cl 2 . the combined organic phase were dried over na 2 so 4 . the product was purified by column chromatography ( sio2 , h / etoac / meoh , 50 : 50 : 0 to 0 : 90 : 10 ) to afford 1 . 79 g ( 73 %) of the title product as a light brown oil . es - ms m / e : 338 . 3 ( m + h + ). to a stirred solution of carbonic acid ditrichloromethyl ester ( triphosgene ) ( 37 mg , 0 . 125 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 10 ml ) at − 78 ° c ., was added a solution of [( 3rs , 4sr )- 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]-( 3 - fluoro - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methyl - amine ( intermediate viii - 1 ), ( 130 mg , 0 . 31 mmol ) and pyridine ( 0 . 05 ml , 0 . 68 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 5 ml ) over 30 minutes . the temperature was raised to rt , and stirring was continued for 2 hours . the organic phase was washed with h 2 o , dried over na 2 so 4 . purification by flash chromatography ( sio 2 , etoac / hx 1 : 2 ) yielded 83 mg ( 55 %) of the title compound as a light yellow oil . to a stirred solution of bromo - acetyl chloride ( 0 . 146 ml , 1 . 75 mmol ) in thf ( 15 ml ) at rt was added over 1 hour a solution of [( 3rs , 4sr )- 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]-( 3 - fluoro - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methyl - amine ( intermediate viii - 1 , 0 . 70 g , 1 . 66 mmol ) and triethyl amine ( 0 . 25 ml , 1 . 83 mmol ) in thf ( 10 ml ). the reaction was stirred over night , quenched by addition of an aqueous solution of nahco 3 , and the product extracted with etoac . purification by flash chromatography ( sio 2 , etoac / hx 1 : 1 ) yielded 0 . 63 g ( 70 %) of the title compound as a white solid . es - ms m / e : 542 . 6 ( m + h + ). to a stirred solution of 5 - bromo - pentanoyl chloride ( 0 . 167 ml , 1 . 25 mmol ) in thf ( 10 ml ) at rt was added over 1 hour a solution of [( 3rs , 4sr )- 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]-( 3 - fluoro - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methyl - amine ( intermediate viii - 1 , 0 . 50 g , 1 . 19 mmol ) and triethyl amine ( 0 . 18 ml , 1 . 30 mmol ) in thf ( 5 ml ). the reaction was stirred over night , quenched by addition of an aqueous solution of nahco 3 , and the product extracted with etoac . purification by flash chromatography ( sio 2 , etoac / hx 1 : 1 ) yielded 0 . 58 g ( 83 %) of the title compound as a white solid . es - ms m / e : 584 . 4 ( m + h + ). to a stirred solution of 3 - chloropropyl chloroformate ( 0 . 058 ml , 0 . 47 mmol ) in thf ( 5 ml ) at rt was added over 1 hour a solution of [( 3rs , 4sr )- 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- pyrrolidin - 3 - yl ]-( 3 - fluoro - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methyl - amine ( intermediate viii - 1 , 0 . 187 g , 0 . 44 mmol ) and triethyl amine ( 0 . 068 ml , 0 . 48 mmol ) in thf ( 2 ml ). the reaction was stirred over night , quenched by addition of an aqueous solution of nahco 3 , and the product extracted with etoac . the organic phases were concentrated under vacuo to yielded 0 . 25 g ( 99 %) of the title compound as a light yellow oil . the product was used in the next steps without further purification . es - ms m / e : 542 . 7 ( m + h + ). first step : to a stirred solution of commercially available ( s )- 3 - methyl - piperazine - 1 - carboxylic acid tert - butyl ester ( 2 . 38 g , 12 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 25 ml ) at 0 ° c . were added pyridine ( 1 . 91 ml , 24 mmol ) and methanesulfonyl chloride ( 0 . 92 ml , 12 mmol ). stirring was continued at rt overnight , the reaction was poured onto water and extracted with ch 2 cl 2 . the combined organic phases were dried on na 2 so 4 and concentrated under vacuo . the crude product was dissolved in ch 2 cl 2 ( 20 ml ) and tfa ( 4 ml ) was added . after 2 hours at rt , the volatiles were removed under vacuo , the crude was dissolved in ch 2 cl 2 and washed with aq . nahco 3 ( until ph = 8 ). the organic phase was dried on na 2 so 4 and concentrated under vacuo to yield 0 . 83 g ( 39 %) of ( s )- 1 - methanesulfonyl - 2 - methyl - piperazine as a light yellow oil . second step : to a stirred solution of carbonic acid ditrichloromethyl ester ( triphosgene ) ( 560 mg , 1 . 88 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 10 ml ) at − 78 ° c ., was added a solution of ( s )- 1 - methanesulfonyl - 2 - methyl - piperazine ( 838 mg , 4 . 70 mmol ) and pyridine ( 0 . 74 ml , 9 . 4 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 10 ml ) over 1 hour . the temperature was raised to rt , and stirring was continued over night . the organic phase was washed with h 2 o , dried over na 2 so 4 . concentration under vacuo and flash chromatography ( sio 2 , etoac / h , 1 : 1 ) yielded 0 . 70 g ( 62 %) of ( s )- 4 - methanesulfonyl - 3 - methyl - piperazine - 1 - carbonyl chloride as a light yellow solid . first step : to a stirred solution of commercially available ( r )- 3 - methyl - piperazine - 1 - carboxylic acid tert - butyl ester ( 8 . 78 g , 44 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 80 ml ) at 0 ° c . were added et 3 n ( 12 . 15 ml , 88 mmol ) and methanesulfonyl chloride ( 5 . 09 ml , 66 mmol ). stirring was continued at rt overnight , the reaction was poured onto water and extracted with ch 2 cl 2 . the combined organic phases were dried on na 2 so 4 and concentrated under vacuo . the crude product was dissolved in ch 2 cl 2 ( 50 ml ) and tfa ( 15 ml ) was added . after 2 hours at rt , the volatiles were removed under vacuo , the crude was dissolved in ch 2 cl 2 and washed with aq . nahco 3 ( until ph = 8 ). the organic phase was dried on na 2 so 4 and concentrated under vacuo to yield 2 . 63 g ( 34 %) of ( r )- 1 - methanesulfonyl - 2 - methyl - piperazine as a light yellow oil . second step : to a stirred solution of carbonic acid ditrichloromethyl ester ( triphosgene ) ( 1 . 17 g , 3 . 95 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 20 ml ) at − 78 ° c ., was added a solution of ( r )- 1 - methanesulfonyl - 2 - methyl - piperazine ( 1 . 76 g , 9 . 9 mmol ) and pyridine ( 1 . 60 ml , 20 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 20 ml ) over 1 hour . the temperature was raised to rt , and stirring was continued over night . the organic phase was washed with h 2 o , dried over na 2 so 4 . concentration under vacuo and flash chromatography ( sio 2 , etoac / h , 1 : 1 ) yielded 1 . 70 g ( 71 %) of ( r )- 4 - methanesulfonyl - 3 - methyl - piperazine - 1 - carbonyl chloride as a light yellow solid . carboxylic acid : 5 - morpholin - 4 - yl - pentanoic acid ( described in j . molecular structure 2001 , 560 , p . 261 ), es - ms m / e : 590 . 5 ( m + h + ). carbamoyl chloride : 4 - methanesulfonyl - piperazine - 1 - carbonyl chloride ( described herein above in the intermediate part ), carbamoyl chloride : 4 - methanesulfonyl -[ 1 , 4 ] diazepane - 1 - carbonyl chloride ( this compound was prepared from 1 - methanesulfonyl -[ 1 , 4 ] diazepane using the same procedure as for the preparation of 4 - methanesulfonyl - piperazine - 1 - carbonyl chloride ), carboxylic acid : 5 - morpholin - 4 - yl - pentanoic acid ( described in j . molecular structure 2001 , 560 , p . 261 ), carboxylic acid : 6 - oxo - 6 - pyridin - 2 - yl - hexanoic acid ( journal fuer praktisher chemie , 1966 , 34 , 272 ), to a stirred solution of 5 - bromo - 1 -{( 3sr , 4rs )- 3 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- 4 -[( 3 - fluoro - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methyl - amino ]- pyrrolidin - 1 - yl }- pentan - 1 - one ( xv - 1 ) ( 40 mg , 0 . 068 mmol ) in dmf ( 2 ml ) was added potassium cyanide ( 5 . 0 mg , 0 . 077 mmol ) and 18 crown 6 - ether ( 18 mg , 0 . 068 mmol ). the reaction mixture was stirred at 40 ° c . overnight , concentrated under vacuo . the product was purified by preparation hplc to yield 3 . 2 mg ( 9 %) of the title product as a colorless oil . es - ms m / e : 530 . 1 ( m + h + ). to a stirred solution of ( 3sr , 4rs )- 3 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - phenyl )- 4 -[( 3 - fluoro - 4 - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methyl - amino ]- pyrrolidine - 1 - carboxylic acid 3 - chloro - propyl ester ( xvi - 1 ) ( 40 mg , 0 . 068 mmol ) in dmf ( 2 ml ) was added potassium cyanide ( 5 . 0 mg , 0 . 077 mmol ) and 18 crown 6 - ether ( 18 mg , 0 . 068 mmol ). the reaction mixture was stirred at 40 ° c . overnight , concentrated under vacuo . the product was purified by preparation hplc to yield 18 mg ( 45 %) of the title product as a colorless oil . es - ms m / e : 532 . 1 ( m + h + ). carboxylic acid : 5 - morpholin - 4 - yl - pentanoic acid ( described in j . molecular structure 2001 , 560 , p . 261 ), carboxylic acid : 5 - morpholin - 4 - yl - pentanoic acid ( described in j . molecular structure 2001 , 560 , p . 261 ), as mentioned earlier , the compounds of formula i and their pharmaceutically usable addition salts possess valuable pharmacological properties . the compounds of the present invention are antagonists of neurokinin 3 ( nk - 3 ) receptors . the compounds were investigated in accordance with the tests given hereinafter . the compounds were investigated in accordance with the tests given hereinafter hnk3 receptor binding experiment were performed using [ 3 h ] sr142801 ( catalog no . trk1035 , specific activity : 74 . 0 ci / mmol , amersham , ge healthcare uk limited , buckinghamshire , uk ) and membrane isolated from hek293 cells transiently expressing recombinant human nk3 receptor . after thawing , the membrane homogenates were centrifuged at 48 , 000 × g for 10 min at 4 ° c ., the pellets were resuspended in the 50 mm tris - hcl , 4 mm mncl 2 , 1 μm phosphoramidon , 0 . 1 % bsa binding buffer at ph 7 . 4 to a final assay concentration of 5 μg protein / well . for inhibition experiments , membranes were incubated with [ 3 h ] sr142801 at a concentration equal to k d value of radioligand and 10 concentrations of the inhibitory compound ( 0 . 0003 - 10 μm ) ( in a total reaction volume of 500 μl ) for 75 min at room temperature ( rt ). at the end of the incubation , membranes were filtered onto unitfilter ( 96 - well white microplate with bonded gf / c filter preincubated 1 h in 0 . 3 % pei + 0 . 3 % bsa , packard bioscience , meriden , conn .) with a filtermate 196 harvester ( packard bioscience ) and washed 4 times with ice - cold 50 mm tris - hcl , ph 7 . 4 buffer . nonspecific binding was measured in the presence of 10 μm sb222200 for both radioligands . the radioactivity on the filter was counted ( 5 min ) on a packard top - count microplate scintillation counter with quenching correction after addition of 45 μl of microscint 40 ( canberra packard s . a ., zürich , switzerland ) and shaking for 1 h . inhibition curves were fitted according to the hill equation : y = 100 /( 1 +( x / ic 50 ) nh ), where n h = slope factor using excel - fit 4 software ( microsoft ). ic 50 values were derived from the inhibition curve and the affinity constant ( k i ) values were calculated using the cheng - prussoff equation k i = ic 50 /( 1 +[ l ]/ k d ) where [ l ] is the concentration of radioligand and k d is its dissociation constant at the receptor , derived from the saturation isotherm . all experiments were performed in duplicate and the mean ± standard error ( sem ) of the individual k i values was calculated . results of some of the compounds of the invention with a hnk - 3 receptor affinity & lt ; 0 . 10 μm are shown in the following table 1 . the present invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions containing compounds of the invention , for example , compounds of formula i or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier . such pharmaceutical compositions can be in the form of tablets , coated tablets , dragées , hard and soft gelatin capsules , solutions , emulsions or suspensions . the pharmaceutical compositions also can be in the form of suppositories or injectable solutions . the pharmaceutical compositions of the invention , in addition to one or more compounds of the invention , contain a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier . suitable pharmaceutically acceptable carriers include pharmaceutically inert , inorganic or organic carriers . lactose , corn starch or derivatives thereof , talc , stearic acid or its salts etc can be used as such excipients e . g . for tablets , dragées and hard gelatine capsules . suitable excipients for soft gelatine capsules are e . g . vegetable oils , waxes , fats , semi - solid and liquid polyols etc . suitable excipients for the manufacture of solutions and syrups are e . g . water , polyols , saccharose , invert sugar , glucose etc . suitable excipients for injection solutions are e . g . water , alcohols , polyols , glycerol , vegetable oils etc . suitable excipients for suppositories are e . g . natural or hardened oils , waxes , fats , semi - liquid or liquid polyols etc . moreover , the pharmaceutical compositions can contain preservatives , solubilizers , stabilizers , wetting agents , emulsifiers , sweeteners , colorants , flavorants , salts for varying the osmotic pressure , buffers , masking agents or antioxidants . they can also contain still other therapeutically valuable substances . the dosage at which compounds of the invention can be administered can vary within wide limits and will , of course , be fitted to the individual requirements in each particular case . in general , in the case of oral administration a daily dosage of about 10 to 1000 mg per person of a compound of general formula i should be appropriate , although the above upper limit can also be exceeded when necessary . the active substance , lactose and corn starch are firstly mixed in a mixer and then in a comminuting machine . the mixture is returned to the mixer , the talc is added thereto and mixed thoroughly . the mixture is filled by machine into hard gelantine capsules . the suppository mass is melted in a glass or steel vessel , mixed thoroughly and cooled to 45 ° c . thereupon , the finely powdered active substance is added thereto and stirred until it has dispersed completely . the mixture is poured into suppository moulds of suitable size , left to cool , the suppositories are then removed from the moulds and packed individually in wax paper or metal foil . | 2 |
in fig1 display means in accordance with the invention is shown as comprising a plurality of display elements arranged on a base plate 1 . the display comprises two sets of elements a - g and a &# 39 ;- g &# 39 ; composed of bar type light emitting diodes ( leds ). corresponding elements of the two sets are disposed parallel to and closely adjacent one another so that an alphanumerical display can be produced by illuminating selected elements of either set . the two sets of elements are of different display colors . for example , the segments a - g are composed of gap leds of green color while the segments a &# 39 ;- g &# 39 ; are composed of gaasp leds of red color . the anodes of led segments a and a &# 39 ; are connected to an electro - conductive line 2a on the base plate 1 by means of wire bonding . the anodes of the other led segments b , b &# 39 ; . . . g , g &# 39 ; are connected respectively to electro - conductive lines 2b . . . 2g in like manner . on the other hand , electro - conductive portions corresponding to the cathodes of led segments a - g are connected with each other by electro - conductive adhesive material . the cathodes of led segments a &# 39 ;- g &# 39 ; are also connected together , electro - conductive portions corresponding to segments a &# 39 ;, d &# 39 ;, e &# 39 ;, f &# 39 ; and g &# 39 ; being connected to a lead extending through hole 3 in the base plate and electro - conductive portions corresponding to segments b &# 39 ; and c &# 39 ; being connected by a lead passing through hole 4 in the base plate . fig1 shows only the display section for one figure , it being understood that the other display sections are of the same construction . fig2 shows a circuit diagram of an electronic timepiece in accordance with the present invention . the output of an oscillator 5 having a quartz element is divided to a 1hz signal by the divider 6 . the divided output of the divider 6 is applied to a 60 - counter 7 . the minute pulse generated by the 60 - counter 7 is counted by the time counter 8 composed of a 10 - counter 9 , a 6 - counter 10 , a 10 - counter 11 and a 2 - counter 12 . the counters 9 and 10 are minute counters while the counters 11 and 12 are hour counters . the bcd code signal output generated by the counters 9 - 12 is applied to the time - sharing circuit 13 for obtaining a time - sharing signal . the time - sharing circuit 13 changes the output of the counters 9 - 12 to time - sharing signals in synchronization with the dividing signal generated from the divider 6 . the time - sharing signal is applied to a decoder 14 while changes the code of the counting signal of counters 9 - 12 to a signal for displaying the counting signal is a display device 16 . the output of the decoder 14 is applied to the segment driver 15 , the output of which is applied to the anodes of led segments a - g and a &# 39 ;- g &# 39 ; of the display device 16 , one section of which is shown in fig1 as described above . a digit pulse generating circuit 17 sequentially generates four digit pulses of 1 / 4 duty ratio with a phase difference corresponding to the pulse width in synchronization with the dividing signal of the divider 6 . the four digit pulses are applied to a digit driver 18 which has eight output terminals . the outputs of the eight output terminals of the digit driver 18 are applied respectively to the commonly connected cathodes of led segments a - g and led segments a &# 39 ;- g &# 39 ; of each of the four digit sections of the hour and minute display . the digit driver 18 is controlled by a color selecting circuit 21 which in turn is controlled by the output of a battery life detecting circuit 20 for detecting the life of the battery 19 . if the battery voltage as detected by the detecting circuit 20 is above a predetermined value , a driving pulse is applied to the cathodes of led segments a - g so that the figures are displayed in a green color . if , on the other hand , the battery voltage as detected by the detecting circuit 20 is less than the predetermined value , a driving pulse is applied by the digit driver 18 to the cathodes of led segments a &# 39 ;- g &# 39 ; so that the figures are displayed in a red color , thereby indicating that the battery life is approaching its end . fig3 shows the detail construction of the segment driver 15 , digit driver 18 , battery life detecting circuit 20 and color selecting circuit 21 the same portions being indicated by the same reference numerals as in fig1 and 2 . the segment driver 15 is composed of seven npn - type transistors 22a - 22g to the bases of which are applied the seven segment signals generated from the decoder 14 . the collectors of the transistors 22a - 22g are connected to the power supplying terminal vdd . the emitter of the transistor 22a of the segment driver 15 is connected to the anodes of led segments a and a &# 39 ; in each of the four digit sections of the display 16 through the conductive line 2a . the emitters of the other transistors 22b - 22g are connected in like manner to the anodes of led segments b - g and b &# 39 ;- g &# 39 ; by electro - conductive lines 2b - 2g . the digit pulse generating circuit 17 has four output lines 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 providing sequential output signals under control of the dividing circuit 6 . the digit driver 18 comprises a pair of transistors 27g and 27r connected to the output line 23 of the digit pulse generating circuit 17 , a pair of transistors 28g and 28r connected to the output line 24 , a pair of transistors 29g and 29r connected to the output line 25 and a pair of transistors 30g and 30r connected to the output 26 . the transistors 27g , 27r - 30g , 30r are npn - type transistors . the collector of the transistor 27g is connected to the cathodes of the led segments a - g for one figure in the display device 16 . the collector of the transistor 27r is connected to the cathodes of led segments a &# 39 ;- g &# 39 ; of the same figure . in like manner the collectors of transistors 28g , 29g and 30g are connected to the cathodes of led segments a - g of the other figures of the display device 16 while the collectors of transistors 28r , 29r and 30r are connected to the cathodes of led segments a &# 39 ;- g &# 39 ; of the other figures of the display . the color selecting circuit 21 comprises an npn - type transistor 32g , the base of which is connected to the output of the battery life detecting circuit 20 while the collector is connected to the emitters of transistors 27g , 28g , 29g , and 30g of the digit driver 18 . a second npn - type transistor 32r has its base connected to the output of the battery life detecting circuit 20 through an inverter 31 while its collector is connected to the emitters of transistors 27r , 28r , 29r and 30r of the digit driver 18 . the emitters of transistors 32g and 32r are connected to ground vss . the battery life detecting circuit 20 comprises p - fet 33 and n - fet 34 . the gate of p - fet 33 and the source of n - fet 34 are connected to the negative electrode or terminal of the battery 19 . the gate of n - fet 34 and the source of p - fet 33 are connected to the positive electrode or terminal of the battery . the drains of p - fet 33 and n - fet 34 are connected to a common terminal 35 which is the output terminal of the battery voltage detecting circuit 20 . the operation of the battery life detecting circuit 20 will now be explained with reference to fig4 - 8 of the drawings . fig4 shows the output characteristics of p - fet 33 while fig5 shows the output characteristics of n - fet 34 . it will thus be seen that a transistor of large mutual conductance gm is employed as p - fet 33 while a transistor of small mutual conductance gm is employed as n - fet 34 . the drain current id of p - fet 33 is larger than the drain current id of n - fet 34 , i . e . the impedance of p - fet 33 is smaller than the impedance of n - fet 34 during the time that the normal high voltage of the battery is maintained as indicated in fig6 whereby a voltage of logic [ 1 ] near the normal voltage vdd of the battery is generated at the terminal 35 . on the contrary , the drain current id of p - fet 33 is smaller than the drain current id of n - fet 34 , i . e . the impedance of p - fet 33 is larger than the impedance of n - fet 34 when the voltage of the battery 19 becomes lower as indicated in fig7 whereby a voltage of logic [ 0 ] near vss ( ov ) is generated at the terminal 35 . thus , the battery life detecting circuit 20 generates a signal of logic [ 1 ] in the normal high voltage condition of the battery and generates a signal of logic [ 0 ] in the low voltage condition of the battery as indicated by the relationship between the battery voltage vdd and the output v of the battery life detecting circuit as shown in fig8 . referring now to the operation of the embodiment of the invention as a whole : as long as the voltage of the battery remains at its normal high level , the output of the battery life detecting circuit 20 is logic [ 1 ] the transistor 32g of the color selecting circuit 21 is in on condition . therefore , the emitters of transistors 27g , 28g , 29g and 30g of the digit driver 18 are connected to ground through the transistor 32g . when a digit pulse is generated at the output of the digit pulse generating circuit 17 , the transistor 27g becomes in on condition whereby transistor 27r is kept in off condition . according to the on condition of transistor 27g , the cathode voltage of segments a - g for displaying green color of the figures in the display device 16 becomes vdd . if the transistors 22b and 22c of the segment driver 15 by the output of the decoder 14 become in on condition , the anode voltage of segments b and c becomes vdd whereby segments b and c are luminesced so that the numeral &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is displayed in green color . the display of the time in green color indicates normal high voltage of the battery . the digit pulse generated by the digit pulse generating circuit 17 and the time - sharing signal generated by the time - sharing circuit 13 are synchronized whereby a digit pulse is applied to the base of transistors 27g and 27r of the digit driver 18 when the counted contents of the counter 9 for counting one minute is applied to the decoder 14 . in like manner , a digit pulse is applied to the base of transistors 28g and 28r when the counted contents of counter 10 for counting ten minutes is applied to the decoder 14 , a digit pulse is applied to the base of the transistors 29g and 29r when the counted contents of the counter 11 for counting one hour is applied to the decoder 14 and a digit pulse is applied to the base of transistors 30g and 30r when the counted contents of counter 12 for counting ten hours is applied to the decoder 14 . fig9 shows the time chart indicating the time being indicated by the display device 16 and the outputs of the decoder 14 and digit pulse generating circuit 17 . the curves d 1 , d 2 , d 3 and d 4 show the output wave shapes of the digit pulses being generated to the output lines 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 respectively of the digit pulse generating circuit 17 . the other curves a , b , c , d , e , f and g show the output wave shapes being generated at the seven terminals of the decoder 14 . the time chart of fig9 illustrates a time display of twelve hours and fifty - eight minutes displayed by the display device 16 . when the battery approaches the end of its useful life the battery voltage drops and hence the output of the battery life detecting circuit 20 becomes logic [ 0 ]. the transistor 32g of the battery selecting circuit 21 changes to off condition and transistor 32r changes to on condition by reason of the input signal being inverted by the inverter 31 . therefore , transistors 27r - 30r of the digit driver 18 corresponding to led segments a &# 39 ;- g &# 39 ; for displaying a red color become &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; in response to the digit pulse whereby led segments a &# 39 ;- g &# 39 ; are operated . thus , when the battery approaches the end of its useful life , the normal time display of green color by segments a - g is changed to a red color display by segments a &# 39 ;- g &# 39 ;. therefore , the user of the watch in accordance with the present invention is apprised of the approaching end of useful battery life by the change of color of the digital time display from green to red . it will be understood that the invention is in no way limited to the embodiment shown by way of example in the drawings . for example , instead of having all of the digits of the hour and minute time display change color , it may be sufficient to have one or more digits change . for example , two sets of led segments for providing color change might be used only for the minute digit display . if the watch includes displays of date and day of the week , such displays may be provided for color change according to battery life in addition to or instead of the time display . still other modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art . | 6 |
a first embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described using the accompanying drawings . fig1 is an overall configurational diagram of the image forming apparatus , fig2 is a diagram descriptive of a cleaning device and fig3 is a diagram showing measuring results . an image forming apparatus 1 shown in fig1 is an electrophotography type printer which forms an image on a transferring material according to an image signal transmitted from a computer or the like ( not shown ). the image forming apparatus 1 comprises an image bearing body 2 as an image bearing member . the image bearing body 2 of the image forming apparatus 1 is uniformly charged by charging 3 and a laser transmitter 4 irradiates the image bearing body 2 with rays according to an image signal . an electrostatic latent image is formed on a portion of the image bearing body 2 which is irradiated with the rays and developed with a toner by a developing apparatus 5 into a visualized image . sheets are mounted in a cassette 6 are as transferring materials , which are separated and fed one by one with a paper feeding roller pair 7 , subjected to correction of skew feeding by a registration roller pair 8 and then brought to the image bearing body 2 . a toner image borne by the image bearing body 2 is transferred to the sheet by transferring means 9 , sent to fixing means 11 by a conveyer belt 10 and discharged outside the image forming apparatus with an output roller pair 12 after the image is fixed by applying heat and pressure . the toner which remains on the image bearing body 2 after the toner image has been transferred to the sheet is removed with a cleaning device 13 and the image bearing body 2 is used again for image formation . in the first embodiment , used as the image bearing body 2 was an organic photosensitive body which was coated with a charge generating layer using a titanyl phthalocyanine pigment and a charge transporting layer using bisphenol z type polycarbonate as a binder . the toner was prepared by a suspension polymerization method so as to have a configuration of a core containing ester - based wax , a resin layer of styrene butyl acrylate and a surface layer of styrene polyester . hydrophobic silica and spherical fine particles of silicon resin were added from outside and mixed with the toner . a form of a powder material is expressed by a form factor sf - 1 and a form factor sf - 2 which represent a round degree and an irregular degree of a toner particle . toner images of 0 . 5 μm or larger were magnified 1000 times as large by a scanning electron microscope , 100 images were sampled at random , image information was analyzed by way of an interface and values of the factors were calculated by the following formulae : sf - 1 = ( mxlng ) 2 area × π 4 × 100 sf - 2 = ( perime ) 2 area × 1 4 π × 100 , the toner used in the first embodiment had a volumetric average particle diameter of 9 μm , a form factor sf - 1 of 120 and a form factor sf - 2 of 105 . furthermore , spherical fine particles of silicon which was added from outside and mixed had a volumetric average particle diameter of 2 . 0 μm , a form factor sf - 1 of 115 and a form factor sf - 2 of 114 . 0 . 8 part by mass of the hydrophobic silica was added to 100 parts by mass of the toner from outside . a mixture of the toner to which the hydrophobic silica wad added from outside and a magnetic ferrite carrier was used as a two - component developer . the toner was mixed with the carrier so that the carrier was 0 . 7 % by weight of the toner . the cleaning device 13 has a casing 14 which has an aperture on a side of the image bearing body 2 and a cleaning blade 15 made of urethane rubber or the like is supported with a supporting member in the above described aperture as shown in fig2 . the cleaning blade 15 has an edge which is kept in contact with the image bearing body 2 in a direction reverse to a rotating direction ( direction indicated by an arrow a in fig2 ) of the image bearing body 2 , whereby residual toner which could not be transferred by the transferring means 9 is scraped off when the residual toner reaches the edge . disposed on a bottom of the casing 14 is a scooping sheet 16 to allow the scraped toner to drop down into the casing 14 and prevent the toner from being supplied reversely to the image bearing body 2 in a large amount . a screw 17 is disposed in the casing 14 as conveying means for discharging the residual toner so that the residual toner dropped into the casing 14 is conveyed in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface and discharged outside the cleaning device 13 . the cleaning device 13 which is configured as described above prevent the casing 14 from being clogged by the residual toner . a setting of the cleaning blade 15 relative to the image bearing body 2 constitutes an important factor which determines cleaning performance . an intrusion depth λ as an imaginary intrusion of the cleaning blade 15 into the image bearing body 2 , a contact angle β , free length l , a thickness t of the cleaning blade 15 and the like can be mentioned as setting conditions for bringing the cleaning blade 15 into contact with the image bearing body 2 . in order to measure a frictional force between the cleaning blade 15 and the image bearing body 2 , a load converter 18 is disposed in a support section of the cleaning blade 15 in the first embodiment to permit measuring a frictional force applied to the cleaning blade 15 in a direction indicated by an arrow b in fig2 . the first embodiment selects an intrusion depth λ of 0 . 5 mm , a contact angle of 30 °, a blade thickness of 3 mm and a free length of 5 mm . furthermore , a variation of a frictional force caused by changing a driving speed can be measured since a driving speed of the image bearing body 2 is changeable . the cleaning blade 15 used in the first embodiment was made of polyurethane rubber , and actual measurements of physical values of the cleaning blade 15 by the test methods for vulcanizates according to jis indicated a hardness of 73 ° and a modulus of impact resilience of 50 %. fig3 shows results of frictional forces measured with the image forming apparatus which has the above described configuration . frictional forces f ( n ) measured from the load converter 18 were measured at speeds v ( peripheral speeds ) of the image bearing body 2 while 100 images of an original corresponding to an optical density of image of 5 % were formed . used as a measuring instrument ( not shown ) was an apparatus manufactured by shinto kagaku , co ., ltd . furthermore , a force to press the cleaning blade 15 to the image bearing body 2 was set at 0 . 5 n , and friction coefficients μ were calculated by a formula shown below using a value of the pressure as a vertical drag n ( n ) and compared with common logarithms of the speeds v . when decreasing ratios of the friction coefficients μ relative to the logarithms of the speeds were approximated to a straight line by the least square method , the results shown in fig3 indicated a decreasing ratio of the friction coefficient of 0 . 026 . this is because not only the powder which governs a sliding property between the image bearing body 2 and the cleaning blade 15 but also an additive agent was configured spherical , thereby reducing the friction coefficients and variations of the friction coefficients relative to the speeds . a durability evaluation test effected by feeding 20000 sheets in the conditions mentioned above indicated that the image bearing body can be cleaned favorably with no chatter vibration phenomenon of the cleaning blade 15 , no emission of abnormal noise or no lowering in cleaning performance . in a comparative example , experiments were effected in the same conditions as those in the first embodiment , except for a ground toner which was used in place of the spherical toner . a toner was prepared by melting , mixing and kneading paraffin wax and carbon black using styrene acryl as a binder , finely grinding the mixture with a grinder and classifying the ground mixture with an air classifier . 0 . 8 part by mass of hydrophobic silica was added to 100 parts by weight of the toner from outside , thereby obtaining the ground toner . as in the first embodiment , a mixture of the toner containing the external additive and the magnetic ferrite was used as a two - component developer . the toner was mixed with the carrier so that the carrier is 0 . 7 % by weight of the toner . when friction coefficients of the cleaning blade were compared with common logarithms of speeds v of the image bearing body 2 using the developer as in the first embodiment , a friction coefficient decreasing ratio of 0 . 030 was obtained . during a durability test which was effected while passing a sheet as in the first embodiment , the cleaning blade 15 was vibrated and started to emit an abnormal noise when more than 10000 sheets were fed , and the cleaning blade was broken and could not remove residue from the image bearing body 2 , thereby allowing defective images to be formed when 20000 sheets were fed . next , a description will be made of a second embodiment of the cleaning device and the image forming apparatus according to the present invention . measuring results of frictional forces in the second embodiment are shown in fig4 in which items corresponding to those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference characters with no description in particular . used in the second embodiment were the ground toner mixed with the external additive adopted for the comparative example in combination with an organic photosensitive body which contained particles of a fluoroplastic dispersed in a charge transporting layer using as a binder the bisphenol z type polycarbonate of the image bearing body 2 . this organic photosensitive body was used for enhancing a sliding property of the image bearing body 2 and 30 parts by mass of fine particles of the fluoroplastic were dispersed for 100 parts by mass of the polycarbonate used as the binder . furthermore , an intrusion depth of the cleaning blade 15 into the image bearing body was set at 1 . 0 mm . other items were the same as those in the first embodiment . the above described configuration is capable of enhancing an abrasion property of the cleaning blade 15 for the image bearing body 2 , thereby allowing a sliding property to be enhanced by an abraded powder of the image bearing body 2 itself . fig4 shows results of friction coefficients of the cleaning blade 15 relative to the image bearing body 2 measured by a method similar to that in the first embodiment . these results provided a decreasing ratio of 0 . 029 relative to common logarithms of driving speeds v of the image bearing body 2 in the above described configuration . a durability evaluation test which was effected while feeding 20000 sheets as in the first embodiment indicated that the image bearing body 2 could be cleaned favorably with no chatter vibration phenomenon of the cleaning blade 15 , no emission of abnormal noise or no lowering in cleaning performance after feeding 20000 sheets . the cleaning device and the image forming apparatus according to the present invention are configured so as to allow a decreasing ratio of μ relative to common logarithms of driving speeds of an image bearing body to be 0 . 03 % or lower when a frictional coefficient of a cleaning blade relative to the image bearing body is denoted by μ as described above , thereby being capable of preventing a stick - slip phenomenon of the cleaning blade and maintaining favorable cleaning performance for a long time . particularly , it is possible to reduce not only friction coefficients between the image bearing body and the cleaning blade but also variations of the friction coefficients relative to speeds when a toner is prepared by adding and mixing spherical fine resin particles to and mix with a spherical toner . furthermore , it is possible to enhance an abrasion property of a cleaning blade for a surface of an image bearing body and allow a sliding property to be enhanced by ground powder of the image bearing body itself when an organic photosensitive body which has charge transporting layer made of a binder resin in which particles of a fluoroplastic are dispersed . the present invention is not limited by the above described embodiments and includes modifications made within a range of a technical concept of the present invention . | 6 |
these and other features and advantages of this invention are described in , or are apparent from , the following detailed description of various exemplary embodiments of systems and methods . the xerographic cycle is well recognized as comprising several steps , with the photoreceptor playing the central role of latent image - bearing member . these steps are i ) charging , wherein one sign of charge is applied to the photoreceptor ; ii ) image - wise exposure , wherein an image wise pattern of light exposes and photo - discharges the photoreceptor ; iii ) development , wherein charged toner particles are presented to adhere to the discharged areas of the photoreceptor ; iv ) transfer , wherein an opposite signed charge is applied to the rear surface of a substrate to move the developed toner while retaining the image - wise pattern to the receiving substrate ; v ) detack , wherein some charge is applied to the substrate to facilitate stripping of the substrate from the photoreceptor ; and vi ) erase and cleaning , wherein the photoreceptor is flood exposed to uniformly discharge , and remove any residual toner from the photoreceptor prior to resuming the cycle with step i ). fig1 is an illustration of an exemplary ghost removing device . in fig1 , a marking device 100 that includes a photoreceptor 160 , a cleaning device 120 , a developer 150 , a transfer 140 , detack 145 , and two charging devices 110 and 115 such as , for example , scorotrons , also includes a controller 170 and an erase light generating device such as , for example , an erase lamp 130 . according to various exemplary embodiments , the erase light generating device 130 is located over the scorotron 115 such that the scorotron 115 is sandwiched between the erase light generating device 130 and the photoreceptor 160 . according to various exemplary embodiments , the controller 170 controls the two scorotrons 110 and 115 , the photoreceptor 160 and the erase light from the erase light generating device 130 mounted in the marking device 100 so that the erase light generating device 130 shines through the grid of the scorotron 115 and onto the photoreceptor 160 . it should be noted that each of the scorotrons 110 and 115 may be replaced by a corotron or other charging device such as , for example , a bcr , a microtron or a dicotron . according to various exemplary embodiments , the erase light generating device may be replaced by any device that is capable of providing an erase light when activated . according to various exemplary embodiments , the controller 170 controls a charge being applied to the photoreceptor 160 by the scorotron 110 , then an image - wise pattern of light exposes and photo - discharges the photoreceptor 160 . subsequently , charged toner particles are provided to adhere to the discharged areas of the photoreceptor 160 , then the controller 170 controls the application of a charge , with a sign opposite to the charge applied to the photoreceptor 160 , to the receiving substrate at the transfer device 140 to remove the developed toner while retaining the image - wise pattern , and some additional charge is applied via the detack 145 to the substrate to facilitate stripping of the substrate from the photoreceptor 160 . the photoreceptor 160 is then flood - exposed to uniformly discharge by an erase light generating device 130 , and the cleaning device 120 removes any residual toner from the photoreceptor 160 prior to resuming another print cycle . according to various exemplary embodiments , the erase light generated by the erase light generating device 130 and controlled by the controller 170 shines through the scorotron 115 to reach the photoreceptor 160 , and the charge voltage applied to the scorotron 115 is applied simultaneously or near - simultaneously with the erase light generated by the erase light generating device 130 . also , the controller 170 may control any device for supplying an erase light , and may control any device for supplying a charge voltage to the scorotrons 110 and 115 . various exemplary embodiments combine a higher field with the erase generated charges , and positive charges are swept out more efficiently , leaving negative erase - generated charges to compensate for any deeply trapped positive charges remaining on the photoreceptor 160 due either to image - wise exposure or to transfer charge injection in background areas . furthermore , by discharging and charging near simultaneously , the image - wise structure of residual charge pairs , either those destined for delayed release or those more deeply trapped , is removed . in other words , by combining erase light and simultaneous charging , electron - hole pairs are generated in the generator layer of the photoreceptor in such an amount that the trapped charges are compensated , and any excess charge carriers are swept out such as to make spatially uniform any residual charge distribution that may remain on the photoreceptor 160 . for example , using a photoreceptor with a known history of severe ghosting as large as , for example , grade 5 on a scale of 0 to 5 , where 0 is no observed ghost , and 5 is the worst , strong transfer ghosting is observed with no current applied to the scorotron 115 . with a voltage of about − 4 . 5 kv applied to the scorotron 115 and − 500 v applied to the screen of the scorotron 115 , the ghost grade drops to grade 0 . in subsequent operation , ghosting can be made to appear or disappear simply by turning the scorotron off or on , respectively . table 1 illustrates the exposure of a detector diode located under the erase light generating device 130 in this exemplary embodiment . in table 1 , various measurements of exposure under the erase light generating device 130 are reported . it should be noted that neither the positive charge from the scorotron , nor the negative charge without erase present , has an effect in reducing the ghost signal . in fact , positive charge with the erase light generating device 130 on results in darker prints and a stronger ghost grade . also , applying a negative charge alone from the scorotron 115 without energizing the erase light 130 has no measurable effect on the strength of the ghost . accordingly , simultaneous or near simultaneous charge and exposure is required to eliminate the ghost . according to various exemplary embodiments , the erase light generating device 130 may be an erase lamp . fig2 is an illustration of another exemplary ghost removing device . in fig2 , a marking device 200 includes a controller 270 , cleaning device 220 , a developer 250 , a transfer 240 detack 245 , and an erase light generating device 230 located adjacent to a charging device such as , for example , a scorotron 210 . according to various exemplary embodiments , the controller 270 controls the application of a charge to the photoreceptor 260 via the scorotron 210 , then an image - wise pattern of light exposes and photo - discharges the photoreceptor 260 . subsequently , charged toner particles are presented to adhere to the discharged areas of the photoreceptor 260 , then the controller 270 controls the application of a charge via the transfer 240 , with a sign opposite to the charge applied to the photoreceptor 260 , to move the developed toner while retaining the image - wise pattern to the receiving substrate , and some additional charge is then applied via the detack 245 to the substrate to facilitate stripping of the substrate from the photoreceptor 260 . then , in the xerographic cycle , residual toner may be removed from the photoreceptor 260 at the cleaning station 220 . the photoreceptor 260 is then flood - exposed under control of the controller 270 to uniformly discharge by the exposure to erase light generated by the erase light generating device 230 that is located adjacent to the scorotron 210 , prior to resuming another print cycle . simultaneously or near - simultaneously with the application of the erase light by the erase light generating device 230 , a charge voltage is applied under control of the controller 270 to the scorotron 210 in order to compensate for positive trapped charge and sweep out any excess photogenerated charge more efficiently . according to various exemplary embodiments , the erase light generating device 230 may be , for example , an erase lamp . table 2 illustrates the exposure of a detector diode located under the scorotron 210 in this exemplary embodiment . in table 2 , the erase lamp voltages that produce the best ghost suppression in this illustrated example are voltages of 13 . 2 - 13 . 6 v , resulting in erase light exposures of 0 . 5 - 0 . 9 erg / cm 2 , respectively . in other exemplary cases , where the erase light is located apart from the scorotron , but where the photoreceptor is exposed through a second charging device 115 , the ghost signal can be suppressed using a low value of erase exposure such as , for example , approximately 10 % of the normal erase energy of 80 erg / cm 2 , or about 8 erg / cm 2 . measurements of flare light under the scorotron 210 shows a very low exposure , of about 0 . 8 erg / cm 2 . under these conditions , prints generally appear ghost free and of good print quality , despite the absence of a strong erase in the usual pre - clean position . in other words , according to various exemplary embodiments , some erase light is combined with some charging just prior to the primary charge action . thus , the effect of this combination of erase light with some charge is also a photogeneration of compensating charge and efficient sweep out of any excess photo - generated carriers from the photoreceptor . the above - described examples suggest that the mechanism by which the positive charge - induced negative ghosting is suppressed involves the generation and sweeping out of holes in the photoreceptor in such density as to provide adequate negative counter charge in the photoreceptor to compensate for the trapped holes that underlie the ghost phenomenon . in the example illustrated in fig1 , the generation and sweep out occurs at a different time than the re - charging of the photoreceptor . in the example illustrated in fig2 , the generation and sweep out occurs as part of the re - charging process , partly due to the flare light under the scorotron 210 and partly from the adjacent pre - charge exposure . fig3 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary ghost removing method . in fig3 , the method starts in step s 100 , and continues to step s 110 , during which a partial print cycle is performed in a marking device . according to various exemplary embodiments , the partial print cycle includes charge of the photoreceptor , image - wise exposed , image - wise development , and toned image transfer . the partial print cycle may also include cleaning of the photoreceptor by a cleaning device after toned image transfer . according to various exemplary embodiments , the charging of the photoreceptor during step s 110 is performed using a primary charging device such as , for example , a scorotron , a corotron , a bcr , or a dicotron . next , control continues to step s 120 , during which an erase light , provided by an erase light generating device , is applied to the photoreceptor . according to various exemplary embodiments , the erase light generating device such as , for example , an erase lamp , may be provided over a secondary charging device , such as a scorotron , such that the secondary charging device is sandwiched between the erase lamp and the photoreceptor . according to various exemplary embodiments , the erase light applied to the photoreceptor via the erase lamp uniformly discharges the photoreceptor . moreover , according to other exemplary embodiments , the erase lamp may be provided adjacent to the primary charging device , over the photoreceptor , and is sufficiently close to the primary charging device to allow some erase exposure to take place simultaneously or near - simultaneously to the charging applied by the primary charging device without completely filling the primary charging device with erase light . in this case , the erase light exposes only a small fraction of the primary charging device . next , control continues to step s 130 , during which a charge voltage is applied to the photoreceptor via the secondary charging device of the marking device . according to various exemplary embodiments , the charge voltage creates an electric field that sweeps out any remaining positive trapped charges from the photoreceptor more efficiently . during step s 130 , the charge voltage applied to the photoreceptor by the secondary charging device is applied simultaneously or near simultaneously to the erase exposure applied during step s 120 . according to various exemplary embodiments , the charge voltage applied by the secondary charging device during step s 130 is comparable in value to , and of the same sign as , the charge applied to the photoreceptor by the primary charging device during step s 110 . thus , ghost removal is achieved when the erase light is applied during step s 120 and then the charge voltage is applied to the photoreceptor by the secondary charging device during step s 130 simultaneously or near - simultaneously to the application of the erase light . next , control continues to step s 140 , where method ends . it will be appreciated that various of the above - disclosed and other features and functions , or alternatives thereof , may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications . also , various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives , modifications , variations or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art , and are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims . | 6 |
in the exemplary embodiments and figures , equivalent components or components that have the same effect , are designated in each case with the same reference numbers . the represented elements are not to be regarded as true to scale ; rather , individual elements can be represented in exaggerated size for improved comprehension . fig1 shows a first exemplary embodiment of a lighting device described here in a schematic sectional view . the lighting device according to the first exemplary embodiment comprises a substrate 8 . the substrate 8 is constructed to be transparent to light . here , the substrate 8 can be constructed to be transparent or diffuse dispersing — for example , like a pane of frosted glass . the substrate 8 is formed , for example , from a glass or a plastic film . a first electrode 5 is applied to the substrate 8 . the first electrode 5 can be an anode or a cathode . the first electrode 5 is preferably constructed to be permeable to radiation . an organic layer stack 3 follows the first electrode 5 on the side thereof facing away from the substrate 8 . the organic layer stack 3 comprises one or more organic layers . one of the organic layers 3 a is preferably provided for generating radiation . the organic layer stack 3 can comprise further organic layers 3 b , 3 c , which are suitable , for example , for conducting and / or injecting charge carriers into the layer 3 a provided for generating radiation . on the side of the organic layer stack 3 facing away from the first electrode 5 , a second electrode 6 follows . if the first electrode is an anode , the second electrode 6 is a cathode . if the first electrode 5 is a cathode , the second electrode 6 is an anode . the second electrode 6 is preferably constructed to be permeable to light . an encapsulation 7 is applied to the side of the second electrode 6 facing away from the organic layer stack 3 . the encapsulation 7 is constructed to be permeable to light . here , the encapsulation 7 can be constructed optically diffuse dispersing — for example , like a pane of frosted glass , or transparent . the encapsulation 7 is formed , for example from a glass or a plastic film . further , the encapsulation 7 can be a thin film encapsulation . a thin film encapsulation has at least one barrier layer . the barrier layer is provided to protect the organic layer stack and sensitive electrode materials from penetration by damaging substances , for instance moisture and oxygen . a thin film encapsulation comprises at least one thin film layer , for example the barrier layer , which is applied by means of a thin film method , such as sputtering , vaporizing , and plasma supported cvd ( chemical vapor deposition ). preferably , the thin film encapsulation comprises multiple alternating barrier layers , wherein at least two barrier layers that are different with respect to their material composition , are arranged in a regular sequence . in other words , the thin film encapsulation comprises first and second barrier layers , wherein the material composition of the first barrier layers is different from the material composition of the second barrier layers . the first barrier layers can comprise , for example , silicon oxide or can be composed of this material , and the second barrier layer can comprise , for example , silicon nitride or can be composed of this material . furthermore , the first and second barrier layers are arranged alternately with respect to their material composition . such an alternating layer sequence of barrier layers within the thin film encapsulation offers the advantage that the thin film encapsulation has a particularly well sealed construction . as a rule , this stems from the fact that pinholes — i . e ., small holes — that can develop in the respective barrier layer during its application , can be covered by the barrier layer lying on top of them , or can be filled by its material . furthermore , the probability that a pinhole from one barrier layer produces a continuous connection to a pinhole from the adjacent barrier layer is extremely low . this is particularly true for barrier layers that are arranged alternately with respect to their material composition . particularly preferably , one of the alternating barrier layers comprises silicon oxide , and the other alternating barrier layer comprises silicon nitride . for example , a first barrier layer can be composed of sio 2 , and a second barrier layer can be composed of si 3 n 4 . the lighting device according to the exemplary embodiment of fig1 has a first light output side 1 . the first light output side 1 is disposed on the side of the substrate 8 facing away from the organic layer stack 3 . light 21 with first light properties leaves the lighting device through the first light output side 1 . further , the lighting device has a second light output side 2 , which is disposed on the side of the encapsulation 7 facing away from the organic layer stack . light 22 with the second light properties leaves the lighting device through the second light output side 2 . the light 21 with first light properties differs from the light 22 with second light properties . that is , the lighting device emits light 21 , 22 with different properties through the first and second light output sides 1 , 2 . fig2 a shows a second exemplary embodiment of a lighting device described here in a schematic sectional view . in this exemplary embodiment the second electrode 6 forms a cathode . the cathode is constructed at least partially reflecting for electromagnetic radiation generated in the organic layer 3 a provided for generating radiation . the organic layer 3 a provided for generating radiation is suitable , for example , for generating light with a wavelength of 530 nanometers and has a refractive index of 1 . 7 . the organic layer 3 a provided for generating radiation is placed at a distance t from the second electrode 6 . the fig2 b , 2 c , 2 d , and 2 e show schematically the emission intensities i , in arbitrary units , of the light 21 in the forward direction — that is , in the direction of the first light output side 1 — plotted against the distance t of the layer 3 a , provided for generating radiation , from the second electrode 6 . due to the so - called cavity effect , the intensity i and its angular distribution depend on the distance t . therefore , the emission characteristic of the light emitted through the first light output side 1 can be systematically adjusted by means of the distance t . the layer 3 a provided for generating radiation can be , for example , an organic layer with a white broadband emitter . in this white broadband emitter , the decomposition zones for excitons can have different sites for different colors . due to the cavity effect described in connection with fig2 b to 2e , this means that a color - selective adjustment of the light radiated through the light output sides 1 , 2 can be achieved . fig2 f also shows the simulated distribution of green 11 and blue excitons 12 in an organic layer 3 a provided for generating radiation that includes a white broadband emitter material . in this case , the blue excitons are located on average much closer to the boundary surface between the organic layer stack 3 and the first electrode 5 . if , for example , two semitransparent electrodes are used in the lighting device , which each have a specific reflectivity , then , utilizing the cavity effect , a different colored light emission can be obtained through the first and second light output sides 1 , 2 . here , the two electrodes can also have different reflectivities . fig3 a shows a third exemplary embodiment of a lighting device described here in a schematic sectional view . the light means according to the third exemplary embodiment comprises a transparent first electrode 5 that forms an anode . the anode is suitable for injecting holes into the organic layer stack 3 . preferably , the anode has a material that has a high output work function for electrons , such as indium tin oxide ( ito ). the first electrode 5 is followed by the organic layer stack 3 , which in this case has a hole conducting layer 3 b that is formed from a polymer , for example , pedot . the hole conducting layer 3 b has a thickness d 23 of 120 nanometers . the hole conducting layer 3 b is followed by the organic layer 3 a provided for generating radiation which here has a thickness d 22 of 80 nanometers and is formed of lep . the organic layer 3 a provided for generating radiation is followed by an electron conducting layer 3 c that is formed of ca , and has a thickness d 21 of three nanometers . the second electrode 6 , which is here composed of silver and has a thickness d 1 of ten nanometers , is applied onto the electron conducting layer 3 c . the second electrode 6 forms a cathode , which has a low output work function for electrons . the cathode forms a semitransparent reflector , in which a specific transmission refection behavior is set by means of the layer thickness d 1 . the color components and the intensity of the light 22 emerging from the second electrode 6 — that is , that light which leaves the lighting device through the second light output side 2 — can be adjusted by means of the thickness d 1 of the second electrode 6 . in relation to this , fig3 b shows a plot of the intensity of the light 21 emitted through the first light output side 1 ( curve 14 ), and the light 22 emitted through the second light output side 2 ( curve 13 ), against the wavelength of the light . fig4 a shows a fourth exemplary embodiment of a lighting device described here in a schematic sectional view . in the exemplary embodiment of fig4 a , a diffusion film is applied to the side of the substrate 8 facing away from the organic layer stack 3 . the diffusions film is 50 micrometers thick and has 50 percent by weight of particles of a material that is suitable for diffusing light . the particles can be , for example , polymer spheres in a polymer matrix . that is , the first light output side 1 in the exemplary embodiment of fig4 a comprises a material that is light diffusing . this means that the color components , as well as the intensity of the light 21 released through the first light output side 1 can be modified . fig4 b shows the emission improvement v in percent plotted as a function of the wavelength of the light 21 emitted from the first light output side for an angle of 0 degrees ( curve 15 ) relative to the surface normal n , and an angle of 60 degrees ( curve 16 ) relative to the surface normal n . fig5 shows a fifth exemplary embodiment of a lighting device described here in a schematic sectional view . in this exemplary embodiment , particles 10 of a color filter and / or wavelength conversion material are introduced into the substrate 8 of the lighting device . that is , the first light output side 1 comprises a color filter material and / or a wavelength conversion material . the organic layer 3 a provided for generating radiation is suitable , for example , for emitting blue light . the particles 10 can be , for example , particles of a yellow re - emitting or a red - green re - emitting wavelength conversion material . in this way , a white mixed light is emitted from the first light output side 1 . blue light is emitted from the second light output side 2 . alternatively , it is also possible , for example , that the organic layer 3 a provided for generating radiation is suitable for generating white light . in that case , the particles 10 can be , for example , a green color filter material . in this way , white light is emitted from the second light output side 2 . green light is emitted from the first light output side 1 . in addition to a use as a lighting device for backlighting displays , a lighting device described here is also suitable as a two color room divider , or as effect lighting , in which the lighting device is constructed in a freely selectable shape and is rotationally mounted . in this manner , using a fast rotation of the lighting device , a two color lighting effect can be created — similar to a strobe light . further , it is possible for the lighting device to be used in a window application . if the entire window is coated with the lighting device , then it is possible to create a lighting device that is transparent during the day , and during the night radiates essentially only inwards . for this purpose , the electrode of the lighting device facing towards the outside is constructed to be semitransparent , in such a manner that it is reflective for light generated in the organic layer 3 a provided for generating radiation . the invention is not limited by the description based on the exemplary embodiments . rather , the invention comprises each new feature , as well as any combination of features , which includes in particular every combination of features in the patent claims , even if this feature or this combination itself is not explicitly specified in the patent claims or exemplary embodiments . | 7 |
fig1 is a block diagram of a clustering system 100 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention . here , clustering system 100 is comprised of equipment found in at least two geographically distinct locations 102 and 104 . for example , location 102 may be a metropolitan area such as san diego , calif ., and location 104 may be a different metropolitan area such as san francisco , calif . at location 102 , a management server 106 is responsible for monitoring , configuring , and otherwise managing servers 108 and 110 , network equipment 112 , and storage equipment 113 , 114 , and 115 . management server 106 , servers 108 and 110 , network equipment 112 , and storage equipment 113 , 114 , and 114 communicate through a local network 116 , forming a local san . as shown , management server 106 includes a san manager 118 that includes a configuration engine 120 and a topology repository 122 . san manager 118 also maintains a discovery list 124 , a configuration table 126 , a topology table 128 , and a mapping table 130 , which are discussed in further detail below . san manager 118 maintains this information by communicating with various management agents located in servers 108 and 110 , network equipment 112 , and storage equipment 113 , 114 , and 115 . san manager 118 and the various management agents may be implemented in software . server 108 may include one or more application programs . these application programs may be server level applications such as web server applications , network file sharing applications , and others . as fig1 illustrates , server 108 may also include clustering software for maintaining a clustering system , a management agent , and a number of host ports . server 110 is similarly arranged and may also include one or more application programs , clustering software , a management agent , and a number of host ports . network equipment 112 is illustrated in fig1 as a switch having a number of switch ports . network equipment 112 also includes a management agent . network equipment 112 facilitates communication through local network 116 . as shown , network equipment 112 provides communication between servers 108 and 110 and storage equipment 115 . storage equipment 115 may include a number of disk ports , a number of logical volumes 132 , 134 , and 136 , and a management agent . here , each of the logical volumes 132 , 134 , and 136 may be implemented in different ways , such as by use of various types of redundant array of independent disks ( raid ). each of logical volumes 132 , 134 , 136 may be implemented on a single physical disk ( not shown ), across multiple physical disks ( not shown ) within a disk group ( not shown ), across disks in multiple disk groups , or in some other arrangement . here , server 108 , network equipment 112 , and storage equipment 115 may represent a primary node in a clustering system . for example , server 108 may be executing a database application , using storage equipment 115 to store the associated databases and communicating data to and from storage equipment 115 through network equipment 112 . fault - tolerance for this database service may be realized by creating a secondary node corresponding to the primary node . use of equipment located at a geographically distinct location , such as location 104 , would provide effective fault - tolerance because if a catastrophic local event damages equipment at location 102 , redundant equipment at location 104 would be able to provide effective recovery . at location 104 , a management server 138 is responsible for monitoring , configuring , and otherwise managing a server 140 , network equipment 142 , and storage equipment 144 . management server 138 , server 140 , network equipment 142 , and storage equipment 144 communicated through a local network 146 , forming a local san . local sans at locations 102 and 104 , and perhaps other local sans , may together form a wide area san by communicating over one or more wide area networks 148 . as shown , management server 138 includes a san manager 150 that includes a configuration engine 152 and a topology repository 154 . san manager 150 also maintains a discovery list 156 , a configuration table 158 , a topology table 160 , and a mapping table 162 , which are discussed in further detail below . san manager 150 maintains this information by communicating with various management agents located in server 140 , network equipment 142 , and storage equipment 144 . san manager 150 and the various management agents may be implemented in software . server 140 may include one or more application programs , clustering software for maintaining a clustering system , a management agent , and a number of host ports . network equipment 142 is illustrated in fig1 as a switch having a number of switch ports . network equipment 142 also includes a management agent . network equipment 142 facilitates communication through local network 146 . as shown , network equipment 142 provides communication between server 140 and storage equipment 144 . storage equipment 144 may include a number of disk ports , a pool 164 of logical volumes , from which logical volumes 166 , 168 , and 170 may be selected , and a management agent . here , each of the logical volumes in logical volume pool 164 , including logical volumes 166 , 168 , and 170 , may be implemented in different ways , such as by use of various types of redundant array of independent disks ( raid ). thus , each of the logical volumes may be implemented on a single physical disk ( not shown ), across multiple physical disks ( not shown ) within a disk group ( not shown ), across disks in multiple disk groups , or in some other arrangement . here , server 140 , network equipment 142 , and storage equipment 144 may be used to form a secondary node associated with the previously discussed primary node in the clustering system . for example , if the clustering system is designed to provide a secondary node having similar processing , storage , and other capabilities as those of the primary node , it would be desirable to identify a secondary node having similar equipment as the primary node . server 140 , network equipment 142 , and storage equipment 144 may fit such requirements . the present invention allows equipment such as server 140 , network equipment 142 , and storage equipment 144 to be identified as resources that may be used to form the secondary node . servers 108 , 110 , and 140 are examples of processor devices , network equipment 115 and 144 are examples of storage devices , and network equipment 112 and 142 are examples of network interface devices . fig2 is an illustration of mapping table 130 maintained in management server 106 of fig1 . mapping table 130 is illustrated here as an example . other mapping tables , such as mapping table 162 maintained in management server 138 , may have similar formats . as shown in fig2 , mapping table 130 provides a mapping between application programs being executed and the location ( s ) of data storage being utilized by such application programs . for instance , an application program executing in server 108 may utilize logical volumes 132 , 134 , and 136 in storage equipment 115 , and mapping table 130 would register such utilization in detail . different methods may be used to identify the various application programs executing in a particular server . one such method involves using the common information model ( cim ) standard , which allows application programs executing in a server may communicate with one another . for example , the management agent in server 108 may use the cim standard to communicate with , and thereby identify , the various application programs executing in server 108 . another method involves using repository information maintained by the operating system of the server . for example , the management agent in server 108 may retrieve data from the repository information of the operating system of server 108 to identify various application program executing in server 108 . mapping table 130 is shown to include the following categories of information : id 202 , server 204 , application 206 , related mount point 208 , related volume id 210 , disk group ( dg ) id 212 , block device 214 , logical unit ( lu ) binding id 216 , small computer system interface ( scsi ) id 218 , and scsi logical unit number ( lun ) 220 . here , table 130 indicates that a database ( db ) application is executing in server a ( server 108 ). table 130 further indicates that this db application is utilizing logical volumes vol1 , vol2 , and vol3 ( logical volumes 132 , 134 , and 136 ). for each of these three logical volumes , table 130 provides additional information . taking vol1 just as an example , table 130 indicates the mount point (/ u01 ) at which vol1 is associated with , or “ mounted ” to , the system executing the db application . table 130 also indicates the physical disk group ( 0 ) and block device ( c2t2d1 ) in which vol1 is implemented . in this example , logical volumes are also associated with scsi ids , as well as luns within particular scsi ids . here , vol1 is shown to be associate with a particular scsi id ( 2 ) and a particular scsi lun ( 1 ). fig3 is an illustration of a lun binding table 300 maintained in server 108 of fig1 . lun binding table 300 is illustrated here as an example . other lun binding tables maintained in other servers , such as servers 110 and 140 , may have similar formats . lun binding table 300 indicates the scsi id assignment and lun assignment associated with location ( s ) of data storage being utilized by application programs executing in server 108 . lun binding table 300 is shown to include the following categories of information : binding id 302 , scsi id 304 , lun 306 , and inquiry information 308 . each binding id 302 indicates a particular location of storage and is associated with a particular scsi id 304 and a particular lun 306 . also , each binding id 302 further indicates inquiry information 308 , which can provide additional data such as vendor , storage type , and logical volume information . binding table 300 may be maintained as a part of the operation of the management agent in server 108 . thus , individual binding tables maintained at various servers , such as servers 108 and 110 , may be used to form the mapping table 130 shown in fig2 . fig4 a is an illustration of discovery list 124 maintained in management server 106 of fig1 . discovery list 124 is illustrated here as an example . other discovery lists , such as discovery list 156 maintained in management server 138 , may have similar formats . as shown in fig4 , discovery list 124 provides a listing of devices available at various locations , such as locations 102 and 104 . discovery list 124 shows the following categories of information for each device : local san id 402 , discovery id 404 , device type 406 , device information 408 , ip address 410 , and area / global position 412 . local san id 402 identifies the local san to which the device belongs . discovery id 404 identifies a numerical order for the device within its local san . device information 408 may indicate various information relating to the device , such as vendor and device type . ip address 410 indicates the ip address assigned to the device . area / global position 412 provides information relating to the location of the device , such as name of metropolitan area , longitude , and latitude . thus , discovery list 124 allows management server 106 to identify available devices at various locations , including distant locations , that may be potential resources suitable to serve as part of a secondary node corresponding a primary node in a clustering system . fig4 b is an illustration of a functional discovery list 440 that may be maintained in management server 106 of fig1 , in addition to or in place of discovery list 124 . functional discovery list 440 is illustrated here as an example . other discovery lists maintained in other management servers may have similar formats . as shown in fig4 b , functional discovery list 440 provides a listing of devices available at various locations , such as locations 102 and 104 . functional discovery list 440 shows the following categories of information for each device : local san id 442 , discovery id 444 , function type 446 , and device information 448 . local san id 442 identifies the local san to which the device belongs . discovery id 444 identifies a numerical order for the device within its local san . function type 446 provides information on the possible function of the device , such as use in host - based remote mirroring or storage - based remote mirroring . device information 448 may indicate various information relating to the device , such as vendor , device type , and device class . functional discovery list 440 allows management server 106 to identify available devices at various locations , including distant locations , that may be potential resources suitable to serve as part of a secondary node corresponding a primary node in a clustering system . fig5 is an illustration of topology table 128 maintained in management server 106 of fig1 . topology table 128 is illustrated here as an example . other topology tables , such as topology table 160 maintained in management server 138 , may have similar formats . as shown in fig5 , topology table 128 provides a summary of interconnections over which data may be sent in system 100 . topology table 128 shows the following categories of information : server information 502 , first local network information 504 , interconnect information 506 , second local network information 508 , and storage information 510 . topology table 128 depicts the manner by which various networking and storage equipment are linked , including local and wide area network connections . here , topology table 128 is shown to be focused on storage network topology for purposes of illustration . other types of topology information may be included as well . fig6 a - 6g show various configuration tables that may be implemented , individually or in combination , as the contents of configuration table 126 maintained in management server 106 of fig1 . contents of configuration table 126 is illustrated here as examples . other configuration tables , such as configuration table 158 maintained in management server 138 , may have similar formats . fig6 a illustrates a fibre channel switch ( fc - sw ) zoning configuration table 600 . this table contains categories of information including zone id 602 and switch port id list 604 . zone id 602 identifies different zones , or groupings of devices , such that devices within a common zone may readily communicate with one another . switch port id list 604 identifies the different network ports which belong to the identified zone . fig6 b illustrates a different fc - sw zoning configuration table 606 , similar in structure to table 600 . zoning configuration tables 600 and 606 allow convenient separation of groups of devices . here , tables 600 and 606 are described as fibre channel switch zoning configuration tables for purposes of illustration , other types of equipment may also be organized in similar zoning tables . fig6 c illustrates a storage - based replication configuration table 608 . this table identifies the configuration of storage - based data replication from a set of primary storage locations to a corresponding set of secondary storage locations . here , the storage system is responsible of maintaining the proper replication of data . table 608 shows the following categories of information : id 610 , group id 612 , group name 614 , primary storage information 616 , secondary storage information 618 , and cluster config id 620 . id 610 is an entry identifier . group id 612 and group name 614 relate to the identification number and name for each group of storage resources , such as a group of volumes , representing a storage location . the primary and secondary storage information 616 and 618 each identifies the host and volume information associated with the relevant storage location . cluster config id 620 identifies a label for the cluster corresponding to the primary and secondary storage locations . fig6 d illustrates a host - based replication configuration table 622 . this table identifies the configuration of host - based data replication from a set of primary storage locations to a corresponding set of secondary storage locations . here , the host system is responsible of maintaining the proper replication of data . table 622 shows the following categories of information : id 624 , valid 626 , group id 628 , group name 630 , primary storage location information 632 , secondary storage location information 634 , and cluster config id 636 . valid 626 relates to whether the particular replication configuration is available . also , primary and secondary storage location information 632 and 634 are each shown to also include information for identifying the corresponding disk group and block device . other information in table 622 is similar to information shown in table 608 of fig6 c . fig6 e illustrates a cluster configuration table 638 . this table identifies the arrangement of various clusters in the system , which may include the configuration of physical devices being controlled by cluster software . table 638 shows the following categories of information : id 640 , valid 642 , cluster id / name 644 , cluster type / vender 646 , member node list 648 , heartbeat list 650 , heartbeat configuration id list 652 , replication type list 654 , and replication configuration id list 656 . id 640 identifies a numeric label for each entry , valid 642 relates to whether the particular cluster is available . cluster id / name 644 provides a number identifier and a name identifier for each cluster presented . cluster type / vendor 646 identifies the classification of the cluster and vendor of the associated equipment . member node list 648 identifies the nodes that are members of the particular cluster . heartbeat list 650 and heartbeat configuration 652 relate to arrangement of the heartbeat , which provides a signal that may be used to indicate whether a node , or particular resource at a node , is active . replication type list 654 and replication configuration id list 656 relate to the type of replication available and the associated configuration label . fig6 f illustrates a cluster resource group configuration table 658 . this table identifies the various resources available at different clusters , which may include the configuration of the logical resource group for each node in each cluster . such resources may be processing , communication , storage , or other types of resources . table 658 shows the following categories of information : id 660 , valid 662 , cluster type id 664 , resource group id 666 , resource group name 668 , member node list 670 , resource list 672 , replication type 674 , and replication configuration id 676 . id 660 provides an numerical label for each entry , valid 662 relates to whether the particular cluster is available . cluster type id 664 provides an identifier for the cluster and indicates the type and vendor of equipment associated with the cluster . resource group id 666 and resource group name 668 provide a number identifier and a name identifier for each collection of resources associated with the cluster . resource list 672 identifies the particular resources available within the identified resource group . replication type 674 and replication config id 676 relate to the type of replication available and the associated configuration label . fig6 g illustrates a heartbeat configuration table 678 . this table identifies provides further detail on the arrangement of the heartbeat for each cluster . table 678 shows the following categories of information : id 680 , valid 682 , cluster type id 684 , heartbeat type id 686 , heartbeat name 688 , member node list 690 , nic list 692 , and storage list 694 . id 680 provides a numerical label for each entry . valid 682 relates to whether the cluster is available . cluster type id 684 provides an identifier for the cluster and indicates the type and vendor of equipment associated with the cluster . heartbeat type id 686 and heartbeat name 688 identify the classification and name of the heartbeat utilized . for example , the heartbeat may be host - based or storage - based . member node list 690 identifies the nodes that are members of the particular cluster . nic list 692 identifies nics which correspond the to a particular host - base heartbeat . storage list identifies storage systems which correspond to a particular storage - based heartbeat . the information maintained at each management server may be communicated to other management servers . for example , although management servers 106 and 108 are situated at geologically distinct locations 102 and 104 , respectively , they may exchange some or all of the information that is contained in various tables such as those discussed above . fig7 is a flow chart summarizing the general steps involved in automatic configuration and semi - automatic configuration of a clustering system in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention . the steps shown may be implemented as an integrated routine that allows the selection of either automatic configuration or semi - automatic configuration . alternatively , the steps shown may be implemented as two separate routines . that is , a system may employ only automatic configuration , or only semi - automatic configuration . for purposes of illustration , fig7 shows the establishment of a clustering system through the formation of a secondary node corresponding to a primary node . different steps shown in fig7 may be accomplished with use of a user interface , such as an interactive graphical user interface ( gui ). also , the gui can be situated at any location , as long as the relevant information can be passed to the system . for example , the information submitted through the gui by the user may be sent to the management server 106 , or to the management server 138 . under automatic configuration , establishment of a clustering system begins with step 702 , in which the primary node of the planned clustering system is identified . this may involve identification , by the user , of the name of one or more target applications and the name of the target server corresponding to the primary node . alternatively , a more automated process may be employed . for example , the main application executing in a target server may be selected . next , in step 704 , policies for creating the clustering system , including remote mirroring features , may be specified . this step may involve specification by the user of general policies to follow in establishing the clustering system and importance assigned to such policies . for example , the user may be presented with three potential policies : ( 1 ) performance , ( 2 ) reliability , and ( 3 ) cost . performance may relate to the effectiveness of the data transfer between the data storage of the primary node and the data storage of the secondary node , which may involve measures of bandwidth , distance , and network usage in a wide area san covering metropolitan areas of san francisco ( sf ) and san diego ( sd ) are provided in the table below : network type total usage sd local 2 gbps 50 % sf - sd interconnect 48 gbps 10 % sf local 2 gbps 8 % illustrative measures of bandwidth , distance , and network usage in the same wide area san , but from the perspective of the san diego ( sd ) metropolitan area , are provided in the table below : tested network type throughput distance total usage sf interconnect 500 mbps 1000 mile 48 gbps 10 % thus , if a user places emphasis on performance , the secondary node may be chosen to have equal performance as the primary node , in terms of processing capability ( server type ), storage capability ( throughput , cache size , raid level , etc . ), and network interface capability ( number and performance of host bus adaptors ). also if there are two or more option for interconnects between the primary device and secondary device , the interconnect that has more available throughput capacity may be chosen . for example , assume there are two interconnects : interconnect a , which has 48 gbps total throughput capacity and 10 % average usage rate ( 43 . 2 gbps available throughput capacity ), and interconnect b , which has 128 gbps total throughput capacity and 80 % average usage rate ( 25 . 6 gbps available throughput capacity ). here , interconnect a has more available throughput capacity than interconnect b , so interconnect a may be chosen . reliability may relate to the level of confidence with which the data storage of the secondary node replicates data in the data storage of the primary node . if a user places emphasis on reliability the secondary node may be chosen to have redundant host bus adaptors and highly reliable , enterprise level storage , such as raid level 1 . cost may relate to the cost of using equipment , such as maintenance costs . cost may also relate to the cost of acquiring currently unavailable equipment . if a user places emphasis on cost , the secondary node may be chosen to have much lower performance than the primary node , in terms of processing capability ( server type ), storage capability ( throughput , cache size , raid level , etc . ), and network interface capability ( number and performance of host bus adaptors ). for example , storage equipment of raid level 5 may be chosen . thus , by specifying general policies such as ( 1 ) performance , ( 2 ) reliability , and ( 3 ) cost , to follow in establishing the clustering system , the user is able control the design of the clustering system , without being required to decipher the detailed considerations relating to technical specifications of related equipment and software . the user may be presented with various general policies from which to choose . the user may specify policies by simply identifying particular policies as important . the user may also specify policies by assigning importance , or weight , to particular policies . this may be done in different ways , such as by user input of ratings , ratios , percentages , or other measures for different policies . the next step under automatic configuration is step 706 , in which information on the current system is gathered . such information may include the contents of mapping tables , discovery tables , topology tables , and configuration tables . this information provides a detailed picture of the various aspects of the current system , including the mapping from applications to resources they utilize , available resource and their configurations , and so on . in step 708 , the information on the current system gathered in step 706 is analyzed to select the most appropriate resources and / or arrangements to be used for creating the secondary node . this is done in view of the various policies , and possibly weights assigned to those policies , as defined by the user in step 704 . in step 710 , the selected resources and / or arrangements are presented to the user , and the user is given to opportunity to confirm the selection of resources and / or arrangements . if the user confirms the selection , the process continues with step 712 , discussed below . if the user does not confirm the selection , the process loops back to step 704 . in step 712 , the selected resources and / or arrangements are used to create the secondary node . if the selected resources need additional software installation or configuration in order to function properly as the secondary node , such installation or configuration may be performed . alternatively , the automatic configuration routine or semi - automatic configuration routine may re - select from resources that do not require additional software installation or configuration . also , default resources that do not require additional software installation or configuration may also be selected in order to - avoid such installation or configuration of software . finally , in step 714 , the configuration table ( s ) are updated to include information on the secondary node just created . under semi - automatic configuration , establishment of a clustering system also begins with step 702 , which has been discussed previously . next , in step 716 , information on the current system is gathered . this step is similar to step 706 discussed above . in step 718 , one or more potential selections of appropriate equipment and / or arrangements to be used for creating the secondary node is presented to the user . the user is given the opportunity to select the various equipment and / or arrangements to be used in creating the secondary node . in step 720 , the user &# 39 ; s selection is received and presented back to the user for confirmation . here , a visual topology diagram such as the one shown in fig8 may be presented to the user . fig8 may also represent a simplified version of block diagram shown in fig1 if the user confirms the selection , the process continues with step 712 , which is has been described previously . if the user does not confirm the selection , the process loops back to step 618 . in addition , semi - automatic configuration may also take into account user - defined policies , as is done in the case of automatic configuration . here , such policies may allow potential selections of equipment and / or arrangements presented to be narrowed , so that the user may be presented with a more focused set of potential equipment and / or arrangements from which to make a selection . other features discussed above in relation to automatic configuration may be adopted for use with semi - automatic configuration , and vise versa . for example , the visual confirmation diagram discussed in relation to semi - automatic configuration may also be used with automatic configuration , in order to present the automatically selected equipment and or arrangement to the user for confirmation . further , variations on the different steps shown in fig7 may also be adopted . fig1 is a block diagram of a clustering system 100 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention . such a diagram would allow the user to visually inspect a proposed configuration for a clustering system . this provides an efficient way to present a proposed configuration to the user for confirmation . although the present invention has been described in terms of specific embodiments , it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the described specific embodiments . the specification and drawings are , accordingly , to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense . it will , however , be evident that additions , subtractions , substitutions , and other modifications may be made without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims . | 6 |
a lockable steering wheel quick - release unit 10 is first described . this embodiment , as shown in fig1 through 26 , is comprised of three separate elements : a steering shaft hub assembly 20 , a quick - release unit assembly 22 , and a lock unit 24 . fig1 and 2 illustrate the unit 10 attached to a typical custom steering wheel 26 , and in fig3 , the lock unit 24 is coupled to the steering shaft hub assembly 20 . fig4 depicts the quick - release unit assembly 22 by itself , and fig5 the lock unit 24 is also shown by itself . the lockable steering wheel quick - release unit 10 is configured for use in an automotive vehicle that has a steering shaft 28 and that incorporates the use of the custom steering wheel 26 , which are not part of the invention but are illustrated since they are necessary for completion of the interface utility . the quick - release assembly 22 includes a steering shaft hub 30 of the quick - release unit 10 having a center steering shaft bore 32 therethrough , shown in fig1 for attachment to the automotive vehicle steering shaft 28 , illustrated in fig1 . the steering shaft hub 30 also has a plurality of flanged - hub threaded mounting holes 34 on a centrally positioned bolt circle on the end opposite the bore 32 . an outwardly - extending protrusion surrounding the bore 32 contains at least three turn signal notches 36 for use with the vehicle &# 39 ; s turn indicating system . a female spline 38 on the steering shaft bore 32 is incorporated on a distal end , and a taper 40 is formed within the remainder of the bore 32 to mate with the vehicle &# 39 ; s steering shaft 28 . the steering shaft hub 30 is preferably constructed of powder paint coated aluminum , however other materials and furnishes may be used with equal ease . the steering shaft hub 30 is shown in a front isometric view in fig8 , and a rear isometric exploded view in fig9 , with fig1 illustrating the internal construction in cross - section . the quick - release unit assembly 22 includes a flanged extending hub 42 that is attached to the steering shaft hub 30 by a plurality of threaded fasteners 44 that engage the flanged hub threaded mounting holes 34 . the flanged extending hub 42 includes a plurality of peripheral recessed hollows 46 therein and is preferably constructed of powder paint coated aluminum . fig1 - 13 depict the flanged extending hub 42 shown alone in both in an isometric view and in cross - sections . a steering wheel adapter 50 attaches to the custom steering wheel 26 , with the adapter 50 including a plurality of peripheral ball mounting holes 52 therethrough . the adapter 50 slideably engages the flanged extending hub 42 , as illustrated in fig6 . a captivated release pin 54 extends from an outer peripheral surface of the adapter 50 for finally releasing the quick - release unit assembly 22 from the steering shaft hub 30 when a release sleeve 56 is manually retracted over the adapter 50 . a plurality of ribs 58 extending outward from an outer peripheral surface of the adapter 50 prevent wear marks from the sliding movement of the release sleeve 56 onto the adapter 50 . the adapter 50 is preferably , but not necessarily , also constructed of powder paint coated aluminum . fig1 and 17 illustrate the adapter 50 alone , and fig6 illustrates the quick - release assembly 22 exploded showing the balance of the quick - release assembly 22 components . a horn button support ring 60 is disposed within the confines of the adapter 50 , as illustrated in fig6 , and is used to confine the horn push button of the custom steering wheel 26 . a plurality of balls 62 are disposed within the adapter peripheral ball mounting holes 52 and interface with the recessed hollows 46 of the flanged extending hub 42 during the locking procedure of the quick - release unit assembly 22 . the plurality of balls 62 are preferably steel ball bearings , which are plentiful and in constant production throughout the world . the sliding release sleeve 56 is spring - loaded to slideably extend over the adapter 50 , thereby retaining the balls 62 within the adapter 50 when the sliding release sleeve 56 is at rest under the influence of spring loading . the spring loading consists of a removal compression spring 64 that is positioned between the steering wheel adapter 50 and the sliding release sleeve 56 , thereby preventing release of the unit assembly 22 until manually actuated . at rest , the balls 62 are forced into the flanged extending hub &# 39 ; s peripheral recessed hollows 46 , thereby interfacing with the steering wheel adapter peripheral ball mounting holes 52 and securely locking the adapter 50 to the steering shaft hub 30 . when the release sleeve 56 is manually urged toward the steering wheel 26 , away from the vehicle steering shaft 28 , the balls 62 are freed , thus permitting movement away from the flanged extending hub &# 39 ; s peripheral recessed hollows 46 . the balls 62 fully engage into the steering wheel adapter peripheral ball mounting holes 52 , releasing the steering wheel adapter 50 from the flanged extending hub 42 . a retaining ring 66 is positioned within a groove in the adapter 50 to maintain the release sleeve 56 slideably within the adapter 50 under the compression of the removal spring 64 . fig1 and 15 illustrate the sliding release sleeve 56 by itself , and fig6 the sliding release sleeve 56 is shown in relationship with the other elements . the sliding release sleeve 56 consists of anodized aluminum construction in the preferred embodiment , as the outside surface is handled for removal , however other materials and finishes may be utilized . the lock unit 24 , as shown in fig5 and 7 , consists of a hollow center cylindrical base 68 having a lock bolt hole 70 therethrough , as shown by itself in fig2 and 21 . a cylindrical stationary locking retainer 72 , as depicted alone in fig2 and 25 , is disposed within the hollow center of the base 68 , which is held in place with a lock ring 74 and a rotation stop pin 76 , as shown in fig7 . the locking retainer 72 includes a single ball mounting hole 78 on a first side , and a single recessed hollow 80 on an opposed second side . a hollow center cylindrical lock outer cover 82 is rotatably disposed onto the stationary locking retainer 72 , as shown in fig7 . the lock outer cover 82 includes a push bolt cavity 84 , an eccentric recess 86 on a first inner surface of the hollow center and an opposed concentric recess 88 on a second inner surface of the hollow center , as illustrated best in fig2 . the rotation stop pin 76 interfaces with the concentric recess 88 preventing compete rotation therebetween . a first round ball 90 is disposed within the locking retainer single ball mounting hole 78 and interfaces with the lock outer cover eccentric recess 86 . the lock unit 24 functions as follows : the lock unit 24 is placed over the flanged extending hub 42 , after the steering wheel adapter 50 and custom steering wheel 26 have been removed . the lock outer cover 82 is then manually rotated to a locked position and the first round ball 90 is forced into one of the flanged extending hub &# 39 ; s peripheral recessed hollows 46 , thereby holding the lock unit 24 securely in place . a second round ball 92 is disposed within the locking retainer single recessed hollow 80 and interfaces with the concentric recess 88 , thereby limiting the rotational travel of the lock outer cover 82 relative to the hollow cylindrical base 68 . a high security push bolt lock 94 is disposed within the cylindrical outer cover push bolt cavity 84 , with the push bolt of the lock 94 intersecting with the cylindrical base lock bolt hole 70 , thus preventing rotation of the lock outer cover 82 with the cylindrical base 68 when the lock 94 is manually depressed . when locked , the attachment of the lock unit 24 to the flanged extending hub 42 is manually loaded , allowing the integrity of the lock unit 24 to be totally assured . electrical connection means for transferring an electrical signal from an automotive horn circuit through the quick release unit assembly 22 to a horn button on the custom steering wheel 26 are defined as utilizing the following elements and functions . an insulated electrically - conductive slip ring 96 is incorporated into the steering shaft hub 30 . a positive slip ring electrical conductor 98 is then connected to the slip ring 96 , and a negative slip ring conductor 100 is connected to the steering shaft hub 30 . a slip ring insulator 97 isolates the slip ring 96 from the hub 30 . an insulated contact adapter 108 is disposed within the flanged extending hub 42 , as shown in fig1 - 13 , with the insulated contact adapter 108 in electrical communication with the positive slip ring electrical conductor 98 . the positive slip ring electrical conductor 98 terminates with a first positive contact pin 104 , and the negative slip ring conductor 100 terminates with a first negative contact pin 106 . an insulated hub plate 102 having a second positive contact pin 110 is in electrical communication with the first positive contact pin 104 , and a second negative contact pin 112 is in electrical communication with the first negative contact pin 106 . an adapter positive electrical conductor 114 is attached to the second positive contact pin 110 , and an adapter negative electrical conductor 116 is attached to the second negative contact pin 106 , for attachment to a horn button of the custom steering wheel 26 . the ejection compression spring 48 is interfaced between the flanged extended hub 42 and the insulated contact adapter 108 that is located within the steering wheel adapter 50 , which provides sufficient loading to assist in ejecting the adapter 50 with the attached steering wheel 26 when manually released . referring now to fig2 a - 29b , an improvement of the foregoing embodiment is described . a hollow center cylindrical lock outer cover 82 ( e . g . a cylindrical lock outer cover comprising a central bore ), comprising a push bolt lock 94 , is mounted to a base 68 , which also comprises a central bore . a modified cylindrical stationary locking retainer 272 is substantially similar to the cylindrical stationary locking retainer 72 , but also has a cylindrical bore 202 in an upper portion thereof ( e . g . on a closed end thereof ) which receives a bearing 204 . in the depicted embodiment , the bearing 204 is mounted to the modified cylindrical stationary locking retainer 272 with a screw or bolt 206 and a washer 208 . however , the bearing 204 may be mounted to the locking retainer 272 via other methods , including , for example , by press - fit or welding . in some embodiments , the bearing 204 may not be received by a cylindrical bore 202 in the locking retainer 272 , but may still be mounted to the locking retainer 272 . the cylindrical lock outer cover 82 , the base 68 , and the stationary locking retainer 272 define a lock unit . although the lock 94 of the cylindrical lock outer cover 82 is described as a push bolt lock , other locking mechanisms or devices may also be used within the scope of the present disclosure . a free - rotating keyhole cover 210 ( which may also be referred to , for example , as an access cover ) is mounted to the bearing 204 , so as to allow free rotation of the free - rotating keyhole cover 210 around the locking retainer 272 , the hollow center cylindrical lock outer cover 82 , and the base 68 . the free - rotating keyhole cover 210 may be mounted to the bearing 204 by any suitable means , including , for example , by press - fit , welding , adhesive , mechanical fastener , or otherwise . the free - rotating keyhole cover 210 may be permanently mounted to the bearing 204 , or detachably mounted , although the free - rotating keyhole cover 210 is configured to prevent detachment thereof from the bearing 204 while locking retainer 272 is disposed within the base 68 and lock outer cover 82 . the free - rotating keyhole cover 210 is primarily a cylindrical cover made of aluminum , although the design is not limited to any shape , color , weight , or material , as long as it is a free - rotating , keyhole cover attached to the stationary locking retainer 272 . the keyhole cover 210 defines an interior volume sized to receive the hollow center cylindrical lock outer cover 82 and base 68 . the free - rotating keyhole cover 210 has a hole 212 therein from which the lock 94 within the cylindrical lock outer cover 82 may be accessed . however , when the free - rotating keyhole cover 210 is misaligned , the lock 94 is inaccessible via the hole 212 . further , the free - rotating keyhole cover 210 — which covers up the lock outer cover 82 and the base 68 , thus preventing the lock outer cover 82 and the base 68 from being gripped with pliers , a wrench , or other such tools — rotates independently of the lock outer cover 82 and the base 68 , and thus of the steering column on which the lock outer cover 82 and the base 68 are installed . consequently , only the free - rotating keyhole cover 210 is available to be grasped by a would - be thief or other wrongdoer , but the free - rotating keyhole cover 210 cannot be used to steer the vehicle . only when a correct key 214 is inserted into the lock 94 within the cylindrical lock outer cover 82 may the free - rotating keyhole cover 210 , the cylindrical lock outer cover 82 , the base 68 , and the stationary locking retainer 272 be connected and rotatable in unison , thus enabling removal of the steering wheel lock mechanism and subsequent connection of a steering wheel 26 to the steering shaft hub 30 via a quick release mechanism 22 attached to the steering wheel . the foregoing discussion has been presented for purposes of illustration and description . the foregoing is not intended to limit the disclosure to the form or forms disclosed herein . in the foregoing detailed . description for example , various features of the disclosure are grouped together in one or more aspects , embodiments , and / or configurations for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure . the features of the aspects , embodiments , and / or configurations of the disclosure may be combined in alternate aspects , embodiments , and / or configurations other than those discussed above . this method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claims require more features than are expressly recited in each claim . rather , as the following claims reflect , inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed aspect , embodiment , and / or configuration . thus , the following claims are hereby incorporated into this detailed description , with each claim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodiment of the disclosure . moreover , though the description has included description of one or more aspects , embodiments , and / or configurations and certain variations and modifications , other variations , combinations , and modifications are within the scope of the disclosure , e . g ., as may be within the skill and knowledge of those in the art , after understanding the present disclosure . the phrases “ at least one ,” “ one or more ,” “ or ,” and “ and / or ” are open - ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation . for example , each of the expressions “ at least one of a , b and c ,” “ at least one of a , b , or c ,” “ one or more of a , b , and c ,” “ one or more of a , b , or c ,” “ a , b , and / or c ,” and “ a , b , or c ” means a alone , b alone , c alone , a and b together , a and c together , b and c together , or a , b and c together . the term “ a ” or “ an ” entity refers to one or more of that entity . as such , the terms “ a ” ( or “ an ”), “ one or more ,” and “ at least one ” can be used interchangeably herein . it is also to be noted that the terms “ comprising ,” “ including ,” and “ having ” can be used interchangeably . | 4 |
the slow - release pharmaceutical agent of the present invention is prepared by the following procedures : predetermined amounts of a pharmacologically active substance and an excipient are weighed ; predetermined amount of fumaric acid and / or dl - tryptophan are weighed ; and the individual components are mixed by routine method . the use of an excipient is optional but if one is used , preferable excipients are lactose , mannitol , inositol , calcium citrate , dibasic calcium phosphate , hardened oils , and stearic acid . the desirable effect of fumaric acid and / or dl - tryptophan is attained if they are used in an amount of at least 10 % of the total weight of the pharmaceutical composition . the slow - release pharmaceutical agent of the present invention may be used with practically all types of drugs such as hypotensives , antipyretic analgesic antiinflammatories , immunoregulators , adrenocortical hormones , antidiabetic agents , vasodilators , cardiotonics , antiarrhythmic agents , anti - arteriosclerotic agents and antidotes . to the mixed powder containing the pharmacologically active substance , fumaric acid and / or dl - tryptophan and optionally an excipient , a lubricant such as magnesium stearate , calcium stearate or talc , and any other necessary components are added and the resulting mixture is compressed into tablets . if desired , the mixture may be worked into a dosage form suitable for implanting in the human body . the mixed powder may also be blended with sucrose , a fragrance , a colorant and any other appropriate components and the resulting blend is then compressed to form troches of predetermined shapes . if desired , the blend may be formulated as a pharmaceutical for buccal administration . a layer ( a ) containing a pharmaceutically active substance may be placed on another layer ( b ) containing no such active substance and the two layers then compressed together to form a double - layered tablet which achieves enhanced delivery of the effective substance after a given period of time has passed . two modifications of this multiple - layered tablet are as follows : a tablet which is prepared by compressing a layer having the composition specified by the present invention and a fast - release layer containing the same pharmacologically active substance ; and tablet prepared by compressing the following three layers together , the first layer having the composition specified by the present invention , the second layer consisting of fumaric acid and / or dl - tryptophan , and the third layer being a fast - release layer containing a pharmacologically active substance which is the same as what is present in the first layer . the mixed powder described above may be blended with an appropriate binder , such as hydroxypropyl cellulose , hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose or corn starch , dissolved in either water or an organic solvent , and the blend granulated , dried and classified to obtain granules if desired , a granulation having this composition may be mixed with a fast - release granulation containing the same pharmacologically active substance . slow - release enteric granules may be prepared by coating the first granulation with enteric bases such as hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose phthalate and carboxymethylethyl cellulose . these enteric slow - release granules may be mixed with fast - release granules containing the same pharmacologically active substance . said first granulation may be coated with water - insoluble bases and the so coated granules may optionally be mixed with fast - release granules containing the same pharmacologically active substance . the fast - release granules containing a pharmacologically active substance may be coated with fumaric acid and / or dl - tryptophan to convert them into slow - release granules . if desired , these slow - release granules may be compressed to form slow - release tablets ; mixtures of said granules with water - insoluble bases may be compressed into tablets ; and the so formed tablets may be coated with enteric bases or water - insoluble bases . these tablets may be provided with a sugar coating which may optionally contain a pharmacologically active substance that is of the same type as incorporated in the center of the tablets . core / shell type slow - release tablets may be prepared by compressing the aforementioned tablets after they have been coated with a fast - release composition containing the same pharmacologically active substance . in this case , a coat of fumaric acid / or dl - tryptophan may be provided between the core tablet and the shell of the fast - release composition . any type of the aforementioned granules may be encapsulated to formulate capsules if desired , the aforementioned slow - release granules may be incorporated in suppository bases to form slow - release suppositories alternatively , slow - release suppositories may be prepared by coating the aforementioned slow - release tablets with suppository bases . fumaric acid and dl - tryptophan to be incorporated in the slow - release pharmaceutical agent of the present invention may be used independently or in admixture of any appropriate proportions . by properly adjusting the mixing proportions of fumaric acid and dl - tryptophan , the dissolution rate of a pharmacologically active substance may be increased in an acidic environment and decreased in a near - neutral environment or vice versa . it is also possible to maintain a substantially constant dissolution rate at all phs of the environment . therefore , the drug release of the pharmaceutical agent of the present invention can be controlled by properly adjusting the ratio of fumaric acid to dl - tryptophan . the slow - release pharmaceutical agent of the present invention releases its active substance as the fumaric acid and / or dl - tryptophan is slowly lost , so the pharmacologically active substance that can be incorporated may be water - soluble or sparingly water - soluble and is not limited to any particular type . it should of course be understood that in putting the slow - release pharmaceutical agent of the present invention to use , colorants , flavoring agents , stabilizers and any other appropriate additives may be added as required . the present invention is hereunder described in greater detail with reference to working examples and a reference example , to which the scope of the invention is by no means limited . ______________________________________ lower middle upper layer layer layerlayered tablet ( mg ) ( mg ) ( mg ) ______________________________________scopolamine hydrobromide 0 . 2 -- 0 . 1fumaric acid 60 25 -- calcium hydrogenphosphate 29 . 4 9 . 8 --( anhydrous ) lactose -- -- 24 . 7crystalline cellulose -- -- 10calcium stearate 0 . 4 0 . 2 0 . 2total 90 35 35______________________________________ to 0 . 2 g of scopolamine hydrobromide , 29 . 4 g of calcium hydrogenphosphate ( anhydrous ) was added in small portions and well mixed in a mortar to form a triturate . the triturate ( 29 . 6 g ) was well mixed with fumaric acid ( 60 g ) and calcium stearate ( 0 . 4 g ) in a polyethylene bag to form a mixed powder a . twenty - five grams of fumaric acid , 9 . 8 g of potassium hydrogenphosphate ( anhydrous ) and 0 . 2 g of calcium stearate were intimately mixed in a polyethylene bag to make a mixed powder b . to 0 . 1 g of scopolamine hydrobromide , 10 g of crystalline cellulose was added in small portions and mixed well in a mortar to make a triturate . this triturate ( 10 . 1 g ) was mixed well with 24 . 7 g of lactose and 0 . 2 g of calcium stearate in a polyethylene bag to make a mixed powder c . multilayer tableting was performed on a single - punch machine equipped with a die ( 8 mm . sup . φ ) and flat - faced punches : first , 90 mg of the mixed powder a was placed in the die and precompressed lightly ; 35 mg of the mixed powder b was placed on the first fill and lightly precompressed ; thereafter , 35 mg of the mixed powder c was placed on the second fill and compressed with a total pressure of about 1 . 2 tons . the resulting multiple - layered tablets had the dissolution profile depicted in fig1 that was obtained by conducting a dissolution test with an apparatus of the type specified in &# 34 ; method i ( rotary basket method )&# 34 ;, the japanese pharmacopoeia , 10th rev . ; 500 ml of distilled water was used as a testing fluid and the basket was rotated at 100 rpm . ______________________________________granules ( per 100 mg ) ______________________________________indomethacin 25 ( mg ) dl - tryptophan 35hardened oil ( hydrogenerate soybean oil ) 38ethyl cellulose 2total 100______________________________________ a blender was charged with 750 g of indomethacin , 1 , 050 g of dl - tryptophan and 1 , 140 g of the hardened oil ( hydrogenated soybean oil ) and mixing was conducted for 10 minutes . thereafter , 600 g of an ethanol solution of 10 % ethyl cellulose ( ethocel 10cps of dow chemical ) was added and blending was conducted for an additional 10 minutes . the blend was granulated in a rotary granulator equipped with a net ( 1 . 0 mm . sup . φ ), dried at 45 ° c . in a tray dryer for 6 hours , and classified on a 12 - mesh sieve to make granules . the granules had the dissolution profiles shown in fig2 that were obtained by conducting a dissolution test on 100 mg of the granules with an apparatus of the type specified in &# 34 ; method i ( rotary basket method )&# 34 ;, japanese pharmacopoeia , 10th rev . ; 500 ml each of fluid 1 ( ph 1 . 2 ) and fluid 2 ( ph 6 . 8 ) was used as testing fluids and the basket was rotated at 100 rpm . two thousand five hundred grams of the granules prepared in example 2 were coated with 15 % ( w / w ), based on the granules , of 6 % hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose phthalate ( hp - 55 of shinetsu chemical industry co ., ltd .) dissolved in a 1 : 1 mixture of methylene chloride and ethanol . the coating machine used was a flow coater flo - 5 of okawara mfg . co ., ltd . the so prepared enteric granules had the dissolution profiles depicted in fig3 which were obtained by conducting a dissolution test on 115 mg of the enteric granules in accordance with the same method as employed in example 2 . three hundred grams of the granules prepared in example 2 and 805 g of the enteric granules obtained in example 3 were mixed in a polyethylene bag and charged in no . 2 capsules in such a manner that each capsule contained 110 . 5 mg of the mixed granules . the resulting capsules had the dissolution profile shown in fig4 which was obtained by conducting a dissolution test as in example 2 except that fluid 1 was employed for the first two hours of the test while fluid 2 was used thereafter . to 1 g of phenobarbital , 99 g of dl - tryptophan was added in small amounts and mixed in a mortar . the mixed powder was fed into a single - punch tableting machine equipped with a die ( 7 mm . sup . φ ) and flat - faced punches , and compressed at a total pressure of 1 . 5 tons so as to make tablets each weighing 100 mg . the time - dependent dissolution profile of the tablets implanted under the dorsal skin of rats is shown in fig5 . in obtaining the data shown in fig5 the tablets were implanted at four different positions under the dorsal skin of each of the four rats tested and , at a predetermined intervals , the tablets were taken out of the rats and the residual amount of phenobarbital in each tablet was measured . no formation of fibers around the tablets was observed . after 14 days of implanting , there was no indication at all of the presence of phenobarbital or dl - tryptophan under the dorsal skin of the rats upon visual observation . aminopyrine ( 3 g ), polyethylene glycol 6000 ( 17 g ) and dl - tryptophan ( 25 g ) were well mixed in a polyethylene bag . the mixed powder was fed into a single - punch tableting machine equipped with an oval die ( major axis , 8 mm ; minor axis , 3 mm ) and punches , and compressed at a total pressure of about 0 . 6 tons so as to make tablets weighing 45 mg each . comparative tablets were prepared by the same procedures except that dl - tryptophan was replaced by polyethylene glycol 6000 . the tablets of the present invention and the comparative samples were administered to the rectum of five rats which had been fasted for 24 hours . the tablets were not excreted in the following 12 hours . on the next day , the tablets of the present invention were excreted in small amounts of the rats &# 39 ; feces but the rats to which the comparative tablets had been administered did not excrete the tablets and merely excreted a small amount of feces . the comparative tablets would have been dissolved away since they were not found in the digestive tracts of the autopsyed animals either . the size of the tablets of the present invention had been reduced by about half their initial size and the residual aminopyrine content , was 48 . 9 + 4 . 2 %. ______________________________________tablet______________________________________nicorandil 10 ( mg ) dl - tryptophan 68 . 5stearic acid 10hydroxypropyl cellulose 1magnesium stearate 0 . 5total 90______________________________________ a blender was charged with 3 , 425 g of dl - tryptophan and 500 g of stearic acid and mixing was conducted for 10 minutes . thereafter , 500 g of an aqueous solution of 10 % hydroxypropyl cellulose ( nisso hpc - l of nippon soda co ., ltd .) and blending was conducted for an additional 10 minutes . the blend was granulated after passage through a 32 - mesh sieve , dried at 45 ° c . in a tray dryer for 6 hours and classified on a 32 - mesh sieve to obtain fine granules . these fine granules ( 3 , 975 g ) were mixed well with 500 g of nicorandil and 25 g of magnesium stearate in a polyethylene bag . the mixture was fed into a rotary tableting machine ( model rt - 15 - hl of kikusui seisakusho , k . k .) equipped with a die ( 6 mm . sup . φ ) and sugar - coated round punches ( radius , 4 . 5 mm ), and compressed at a sufficient pressure to form tablets each weighing 90 mg . four thousand grams of the tablets were fed into a &# 34 ; perfect coater &# 34 ; ( model ptc - 10 of okawara mfg . co ., ltd .) and treated with a coating solution of the following composition so that each tablet would be given a 10 - mg coat . ______________________________________coating solution______________________________________eudragit ® l30d 1 , 500 gpolyethylene glycol 6000 50talc 150distilled water 1 , 500total 3 , 200______________________________________ the resulting enteric tablets had the dissolution profile shown in fig6 which was obtained by conducting a dissolution test as in example 4 . acetylsalicylic acid ( 100 g ), fumaric acid ( 100 g ), dl - tryptophan ( 98 g ) and magnesium stearate ( 2 g ) were mixed in a polyethylene bag . the mixed powder was fed into a single - punch tableting machine equipped with a die ( 10 mm . sup . φ ) and flat - faced punches , and compressed at a total pressure of about 1 . 8 tons so as to form tablets each weighing 300 g . comparative tablets were formed by repeating the same procedures except that fumaric acid and dl - tryptophan were replaced by methyl cellulose ( metlose ® sm - 8000 of shinetsu chemical industry co ., ltd .) the two types of tablets had the dissolution profiles shown in fig7 which were obtained by conducting a dissolution test with an apparatus of the type specified in the &# 34 ; method of disintegration test &# 34 ;, the japanese pharmacopoeia , 10th rev . ; distilled water was used as a testing fluid . in order to examine the stability of each type of tablet , an accelerated aging test was conducted by the following two methods : in one method , the tablets were put in stoppered glass containers and left to stand at 40 ° c . for 3 months ; in the other method , the tablets were put in open glass containers and left to stand in a desiccator for 3 months at 40 ° c . and at 61 . 5 % r . h . the results are shown in table 1 . table 1______________________________________ residual acetylsalicylic acid (%) in stoppered in desiccator containers 40 ° c ., sample 40 ° c ., 3 months 61 . 5 % r . h ., 3 months______________________________________tablets of 98 . 8 % 85 . 3 % the inventioncomparative 76 . 5 % 41 . 4 % tablets______________________________________example 9tablet ( a ) ( b ) ( c ) ______________________________________isosorbitol nitrate 20 ( mg ) 20 ( mg ) 20 ( mg ) fumaric acid 90 70 50dl - tryptophan 10 30 50calcium citrate 29 29 29calcium stearate 1 1 1total 150 150 150______________________________________ isosorbitol nitrate ( 20 g ), fumaric acid ( 90 g ), dl - tryptophan ( 10 g ), calcium citrate ( 29 g ) and calcium stearate ( 1 g ) were mixed in a polyethylene bag . the mixed powder was fed into a single - punch tableting machine equipped with a die ( 8 mm . sup . φ ) and flat - faced punches , and compressed at a total pressure of about 1 . 2 tons so as to provide tablets each weighing 150 mg [ example 9 -( a )]. isosorbitol nitrate ( 20 g ), fumaric acid ( 70 g ), dl - tryptophan ( 30 g ), calcium citrate ( 29 g ) and calcium stearate ( 1 g ) were mixed in a polyethylene bag . as in example 9 -( a ), the mixed powder was compressed into tablets [ example 9 -( b )]. isosorbitol nitrate ( 20 g ), fumaric acid ( 50 g ), dl - tryptophan ( 50 g ), calcium citrate ( 29 g ) and calcium stearate ( 1 g ) were mixed in a polyethylene bag . as in example 9 -( a ), the mixed powder was compressed into tablets [ example 9 -( c )]. the tablets prepared in examples 9 -( a ), 9 -( b ) and 9 -( c ) had the dissolution profiles shown in fig8 and 10 , respectively . the data shown in these figures were obtained by conducting dissolution tests with an apparatus of the type shown in &# 34 ; method ii ( puddle method ) of dissolution test &# 34 ;, the japanese pharmacopoeia , 10th rev . ; 500 ml each of fluid 1 ( ph ≃ 1 . 2 ) and fluid 2 ( ph ≃ 6 . 8 ) was used as testing solutions , and the puddle was rotated at 100 rpm . the graphs in fig8 to 10 show that the rate of drug dissolution in the stomach or intestines can be freely controlled by adjusting the mixing proportions of fumaric acid and dl - tryptophan . ______________________________________troche______________________________________chlorhexidine hydrochloride 5 ( mg ) fumaric acid 30dl - tryptophan 122hydroxypropyl cellulose 3total 160______________________________________ chlorhexidine hydrochloride ( 5 g ), fumaric acid ( 30 g ) and dl - tryptophan ( 122 g ) were well mixed in a mortar . thereafter , 60 g of an aqueous solution of 5 % hydroxypropyl cellulose ( nisso hpc - l of nippon soda co ., ltd .) was added and intimate blending was conducted . the blend was granulated by sifting through a 14 - mesh sieve , dried at 50 ° c . in a tray dryer for 4 hours , and crassified for 10 mesh . the granulation was fed into a single - punch tableting machine equipped with a die ( 8 mm . sup . φ ) and flat - faced punches , and compressed at a total pressure of about 1 . 5 tons so as to make troches each weighing 160 mg . the so prepared troches melted slowly in the mouth and stayed there for about 3 hours . nicorandil ( 15 g ), fumaric acid ( 94 g ), dl - tryptophan ( 40 . 5 g ) and magnesium stearate ( 0 . 5 g ) were mixed in a polyethylene bag . the mixed powder was fed into a single - punch tableting machine equipped with a die ( 8 mm . sup . φ ) and flat - faced punches , and compressed at a total pressure of 1 . 2 tons so as to form tablets each weighing 150 mg . these tablets had the dissolution profile showing in fig1 which was obtained by conducting a dissolution test as in example 9 . ______________________________________suppository______________________________________aminopyrine 50 ( mg ) dl - tryptophan 400crystalline cellulose 135hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose 15novata e 1 , 400total 2 , 000______________________________________ fifty grams of aminopyrine ( under 35 mesh ), 400 g of dl - tryptophan and 135 g of crystalline cellulose were mixed well in a mortar . thereafter , 300 g of an aqeuous solution of 5 % hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose ( tc - 5 - e of shinetsu chemical industry co ., ltd .) was added and blended with the previously obtained mixture . the resulting blend was granulated in a rotary granulator equipped with a net ( 0 . 7 mm . sup . φ ) the granules were spheroidized with a marumerizer machine ( model q - 236 of fuji powdal k . k . ), dried at 50 ° c . in a tray dryer for 4 hours and classified on a 12 - mesh sieve to obtain pellets . one hundred and forty grams of novata e ( henkel corporation ) was melted at 60 ° c . and 60 g of the above prepared pellets were dispersed in the melt . the resulting dispersion was cast into a mold and cooled slowly to form suppositories each weighing 2 g . novata e ( 195 g ), a suppository base sold by henkel & amp ; cie gmbh , was melted at 60 ° c . and 5 g of aminopyrine was dispersed . the dispersion was cast into a mold and cooled slowly to form suppositories each weighing 2 g . the two types of suppositories had the dissolution profiles shown in fig1 which were obtained by the following procedures : in a cell in a suppository release testing apparatus ( model tms - 103 of toyama sangyo k . k . ), 3 ml of fluid 2 ( ph ≃ 6 . 8 ) and one suppository were placed and agitated at 25 rpm ; in the release phase , 300 ml of fluid 2 ( ph ≃ 6 . 8 ) was placed and stirred at 100 rpm ; both the cells and the release phase were held at 37 °± 0 . 1 ° c . while the amount of aminopyrine that dissolved in the release phase was measured at predetermined intervals . ______________________________________reference exampledissolution profile of tablets for differentratios of fumaric acid to dl - tryptophansample no . 1 2 3 4 5 6 7______________________________________formulationfumaric acid ( mg ) 100 80 70 60 40 20 0dl - tryptophan ( mg ) 0 20 30 40 60 80 100total ( mg ) 100 100 100 100 100 100 100______________________________________ fumaric acid and dl - tryptophan were well mixed at the proportions shown above . each of the resulting mixed powders was fed into a single - punch machine equipped with a die ( 7 . 0 mm . sup . φ ) and flat - faced punches , and compressed at a total pressure of 1 ton so as to make tablets each weighing 100 mg . measurement were conducted in accordance with the &# 34 ; method of disintegration test &# 34 ;, the japanese pharmacopoeia , 10th rev ., and the time required for the tablets in the tester to disappear was used as the dissolution time . no auxiliary disk was used in the measurements . three testing fluids were used : fluid 1 ( ph ≃ 1 . 2 ), fluid 2 ( ph ≃ 6 . 8 ), and distilled water . in fluid 1 ( ph ≃ 1 . 2 ), the dissolution rate slowed down as the content of fumaric acid increased . in fluid 2 ( ph ≃ 6 . 8 ), the dissolution rate decreased sharply as the content of dl - tryptophan increased . this shows that by properly controlling the mixing proportions of fumaric acid and dl - tryptophan , the drug dissolution rate can be adjusted to any desirable value that fits the ph of a given environment . another observation was that at a certain ratio of fumaric acid to dl - tryptophan , the dissolution time was constant irrespective of the ph of the testing fluids . this indicates the possibility of attaining a constant dissolution time notwithstanding the change in the ph of a given environment . the results of the disintegration test conducted as above on the individual tablets ( sample nos . 1 - 7 ) are graphed in fig1 . | 0 |
it has been found that the dietary intake of cocoa procyanidins counteracts oxidative stress as measured by reduction of ldl peroxidation . consequently , there was reduction in the formation of ldl peroxidation products , such as malondialdehyde ( mda ), which may be potentially toxic to the cell . plasma lipid peroxides were measured photometrically using a thiobarbituric acid ( tba ) reaction based on methods described in yagi , k ., assay for blood plasma or serum , methods in enzymology 105 : 328 - 331 ( 1984 ) academic press , inc ., orlando , fla . ( ed . l . packer ). mda is a low molecular weight end - product that forms via decomposition of the products formed by lipid peroxidation . the mda found in the plasma can be quantified using the yagi et al . methods because at low ph and elevated temperature , mda reacts with tba to generate a fluorescent red adduct of mda and tba ( 1 : 2 ratio ). the fluorescent intensity of the mda : tba adduct , which can be accurately quantified , parallels the concentration of the adduct . hence , the amount of lipid peroxide produced can be fluorometrically measured using the tba reaction , using an mda standard . substances other than the lipid peroxides can react with tba and thereby distort results . these water - soluble substances are eliminated from the plasma sample by isolating the lipids using precipitation along with the serum protein using a phosphotungstic acid - sulfuric acid system . as shown below , levels of mda decreased at 2 and at 6 hours following ingestion of semisweet chocolate high in cocoa polyphenols . similarly , mda levels decreased at 2 and at 6 hours following ingestion of dark chocolate high in cocoa polyphenols . the decreases were more pronounced when the intake of chocolate was increased . mda levels also decreased ( albeit not as much ) when tested at 6 hours following ingestion of a dark chocolate which contained less of the cocoa polyphenols ( that is , lower amounts of cocoa polyphenols than contained in the test chocolates ). all of the chocolates used in the experiments described herein were made using the methods discussed hereinafter . all test products contained enriched levels of cocoa procyanidins . for example , the dark chocolate test product contained 147 mg total cocoa procyanidins ( 40 . 6 mg monomer ) per 36 . 9 gram test product . the dark chocolate control product contained only 3 . 3 . mg cocoa procyanidins ( 1 . 8 mg monomers ) per 36 . 9 gram control product . the semisweet products contained 185 mg total cocoa procyanidins ( 45 . 3 mg monomers ) per a 35 gram bag of semisweet chocolate bits . a single bag serving was consumed as the single dosage size . a two bag serving ( 70 grams ) of semisweet chocolate bits product contained 370 mg total cocoa procyanidins and a three bag serving ( 105 grams ) of semisweet chocolate bits product contained 555 mg total cocoa procyanidins . the quantities of cocoa procyanidin monomers and oligomers in the test products were measured by the analytical methods discussed hereinafter . procyanidin levels were determined by analyzing levels of chocolate liquor or jet black cocoa powder and calculating the percentage of powder in the final product . the low levels of procyanidins in the control dark chocolate product precluded direct analysis . the chocolate liquor used to make the test products and the control product was a blend of cocoa beans , some of which were underfermented . the beans were prepared by the methods described in pct / us97 / 15893 ( published as wo 98 / 09533 on mar . 12 , 1998 ), which is herein incorporated by reference . standard of identity rules governed the different levels of chocolate liquor and sugar which were used to prepare semisweet versus dark chocolate . the semisweet chocolate had higher levels of chocolate liquor and sugar . the semisweet chocolate and the dark chocolate test products were used to demonstrate that even though the cocoa procyanidins were delivered using two different forms of test products , similar effects were exhibited by each . methods for preparing cocoa mass are described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 554 , 645 ( issued sep . 10 , 1996 ) which is herein incorporated by reference . harvested cocoa pods were opened and the beans with pulp were removed for freeze - drying . the pulp was manually removed from the freeze - dried mass and the beans were subjected to the following manipulations . the freeze - dried cocoa beans were first manually dehulled and ground to a fine powdery mass with a tekmar mill . the resultant mass was then defatted overnight by soxhlet extraction using redistilled hexane as the solvent . residual solvent was removed from the defatted mass by vacuum at ambient temperature . the chocolate liquor and / or cocoa solids can be prepared by roasting the cocoa beans to an internal bean temperature of 95 ° c . to 160 ° c ., winnowing the cocoa nibs from the roasted cocoa beans , milling the roasted cocoa nibs into the chocolate liquor and optionally recovering cocoa butter and partially defatted cocoa solids from the chocolate liquor . the cocoa solids can be further defatted using conventional methods . alternatively , partially defatted cocoa beans having a high cocoa polyphenol content , i . e ., a high cocoa procyanidin content , can be obtained by processing without a bean or nib roasting step and without milling the beans to chocolate liquor . even higher levels can be achieved if underfermented cocoa beans are used in this process . this method conserves the cocoa polyphenols because it omits the traditional roasting step . the method consists essentially of the steps of : ( a ) heating the cocoa beans to an internal bean temperature just sufficient to reduce the moisture content to about 3 % by weight and loosen the cocoa shell , typically using a infra red heating apparatus for about 3 to 4 minutes ; ( b ) winnowing the cocoa nibs from the cocoa shells ; ( c ) screw pressing the cocoa nibs ; and ( d ) recovering the cocoa butter and partially defatted cocoa solids which contain cocoa polyphenols including cocoa procyanidins . optionally , the cocoa beans are cleaned prior to the heating step , e . g ., in an air fluidized bed density separator . preferably , the cocoa beans are heated to an internal bean temperature of about 100 ° c . to about 110 ° c ., more preferably less than about 105 ° c . the winnowing can be carried out in an air fluidized bed density separator . the above process of heating the cocoa beans to reduce the moisture content and loosen the cocoa shell is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 015 , 913 issued jan . 18 , 2000 ( to k . s . kealey , et al .). which is herein incorporated by reference . the internal bean temperature ( ibt ) can be measured by filling an insulated container such as a thermos bottle with beans ( approximately 80 - 100 beans ). in order to maintain the temperature of the beans during transfer from the heating apparatus to the thermos , the insulated container is then appropriately sealed in order to maintain the temperature of the sample therein . a thermometer is inserted into the bean filled insulated container and the temperature of the thermometer is equilibrated with respect to the beans in the thermos . the temperature reading is the ibt temperature of the beans . ibt can also be considered the equilibrium mass temperature of the beans . the cocoa beans can be divided into four categories based on their color : predominately brown ( fully fermented ), purple / brown , purple , and slaty ( unfermented ). preferably , the cocoa solids are prepared from underfermented cocoa beans , i . e ., slaty cocoa beans , purple cocoa beans , mixtures of slaty and purple cocoa beans , mixtures of purple and brown cocoa beans , or mixtures of slaty , purple , and brown cocoa beans . more preferably , the cocoa beans are slaty and / or purple cocoa beans have a higher cocoa polyphenol content than fermented beans . the cocoa polyphenol content of cocoa ingredients , for example , the roasted cocoa nibs , chocolate liquor and partially defatted or nonfat cocoa solids , is higher when the cocoa beans or blends thereof have a fermentation factor of 275 or less . preferably , these cocoa beans are used for processing into cocoa ingredients . the “ fermentation factor ” is determined using a grading system for characterizing the fermentation of the cocoa beans . for example , slaty beans are designated 1 , purple beans as 2 , purple / brown beans as 3 , and brown beans as 4 . the percentage of beans falling within each category is multiplied by the weighted number . thus , the “ fermentation factor ” for a sample of 100 % brown beans would be 100 × 4 or 400 , whereas for a 100 % sample of purple beans it would be 100 × 2 or 200 . a sample of 50 % slaty beans and 50 % purple beans would have a fermentation factor of 150 [( 50 × 1 )+( 50 × 20 )]. conventional processing techniques do not provide food products , especially confectioneries which adequately retain the cocoa polyphenol concentrations . however , high cocoa polyphenol food products may be prepared using conventional chocolate liquors or these high cocoa polyphenol chocolate liquors and / or conventional chocolate cocoa solids or high cocoa polyphenol cocoa solids by protecting the milk and / or sweetener with a pretreatment ingredient selected from the group consisting of an antioxidant , an emulsifier , a fat , a flavorant and mixtures thereof , before adding the cocoa ingredient . preferred pretreatment ingredient is a mixture of cocoa butter and lecithin . examples of high cocoa polyphenol food products include pet food , dry cocoa mixes , puddings , syrups , cookies , savory sauces , rice mixes and / or rice cakes , beverages , including cocoa beverages and carbonated beverages . preferably , the high cocoa polyphenol foods are chocolate confectioneries , for example , dark chocolate , semisweet chocolate , sweet chocolate , milk chocolate , buttermilk chocolate , skim milk chocolate , mixed dairy milk chocolate and reduced fat chocolate . cocoa polyphenols may be added to white chocolate and white chocolate coating to create products with high levels of cocoa polyphenols . these confectioneries may be either standard of identity chocolates or non - standard of identity chocolates . preferable non - chocolate food products include nut - based products such as peanut butter , peanut brittle and the like . also included are low - fat food products prepared with defatted or partially defatted nut meats . cocoa procyanidins are also used in dietary supplements and pharmaceuticals . also included are food products comprising at least one cocoa polyphenol and l - arginine . the procyanidin and l - arginine may be provided , respectively , by cocoa and / or nut procyanidins and an l - arginine containing component , such as a nut meat . the l - arginine may be derived from any available arginine source , e . g ., arachis hypogaea ( peanuts ), juglans regia ( walnuts ), prunus amygdalus ( almonds ), corylus avellana ( hazelnuts ), glycine max ( soy bean ) and the like . the nut may be nut pieces , a nut skin , a nut paste , and / or a nut flour present in amounts which provide the desired amount of l - arginine , which will vary depending upon the nut source . the l - arginine - containing ingredient may also be a seed , a seed paste , and / or a seed flour . the cocoa polyphenols , including cocoa procyanidins , may be synthetic or natural . the procyanidins may from a source other than cocoa beans . the food product may contain polyphenols , such as procyanidins , from a source other than cocoa , e . g ., the polyphenols found in the skins of nuts such as those described above . peanut skins contain about 17 % procyanidins , and almond skins contain up to 30 % procyanidins . in a preferred embodiment , the nut skins are used in the food product , e . g ., the nougat of a chocolate candy . polyphenols from fruits and vegetables may also be suitable for use herein . it is known that the skins of fruits such as apples and oranges , as well as grape seeds , are high in polyphenols . as used herein “ food ” is a material consisting of protein , carbohydrate and / or fat , which is used in the body of an organism to sustain growth , repair vital processes , and to furnish energy . foods may also contain supplementary substances , such as , minerals , vitamins , and condiments ( merriam - webster collegiate dictionary , 10 th edition , 1993 ). as used herein “ food supplement ” is a product ( other than tobacco ) that is intended to supplement the diet that bears or contains one or more of the following dietary ingredients : a vitamin , a mineral , an herb or other botanical , an amino acid , a dietary substance for use by man to supplement the diet by increasing the total daily intake , or a concentrate , metabolite , constituent , extract or combination of these ingredients . ( merriam - webster collegiate dictionary , 10 th edition , 1993 ). when the term is used on food labels , “ supplement ” means that nutrients have been added in amounts greater than 50 % above the u . s . recommended daily allowance (“ understanding normal and clinical nutrition , 3 rd edition , editors whitney , cataldo and rolfes at page 525 ). as used herein “ pharmaceutical ” is a medicinal drug . ( merriam - webster collegiate dictionary , 10 th edition , 1993 ). the cocoa procyanidins in these products are part of a larger family of cocoa polyphenols which are present in cocoa beans . suitable cocoa procyanidin - containing ingredients include roasted cocoa nibs or fractions thereof , chocolate liquor , partially defatted cocoa solids , nonfat cocoa solids , cocoa powder milled from the cocoa solids , and mixtures thereof . preferably , the ingredients are prepared from underfermented beans since these beans contain higher amounts of cocoa polyphenols including the cocoa procyanidins . cocoa procyanidins can be obtained from several theobroma cacao genotypes which represent the three recognized horticultural races of cocoa , namely , trinitario , forastero and criollo . see engels , j . m . m ., genetic resources of cacao : a catalogue of the catie collection , tech . bull . 7 , turrialba , costa rica ( 1981 ). an extract containing cocoa polyphenols , including cocoa procyanidins , can be prepared by solvent extracting the partially defatted cocoa solids prepared from the underfermented cocoa beans or cocoa nibs having a fermentation factor of 275 or less , as described herein . the analytical method described below was used to separate and quantify , by degree of polymerization , the procyanidin composition of the seeds from theobroma cacao and of chocolate . the analytical method described below is based upon work reported in hammerstone , j . f ., lazarus , s . a ., mitchell , a . e ., rucker r ., schmitz h . h ., identification of procyanidins in cocoa ( theobroma cacao ) and chocolate using high - performance liquid chromatography / mass spectrometry , j . ag . food chem . ; 1999 ; 47 ( 10 ) 490 - 496 . the utility of the analytical method described below was applied in a qualitative study of a broad range of food and beverage samples reported to contain various types of proanthocyanidins , as reported in lazarus , s . a ., adamson , g . e ., hammerstone , j . f ., schmitz , h . h ., high - performance liquid chromatography / mass spectrometry analysis of proanthocyanidins in foods and beverages , j . ag . food chem . ; 1999 ; 47 ( 9 ); 3693 - 3701 . the analysis in lazarus et al . ( 1999 ) reported analysis using fluorescence detection because of higher selectivity and sensitivity . composite standard stock solutions and calibration curves were generated for each procyanidin oligomer through decamer using the analytical method described below , as reported in adamson , g . e ., lazarus , s . a ., mitchell , a . e ., prior r . l ., cao , g ., jacobs , p . h ., kremers b . g ., hammerstone , j . f ., rucker r ., ritter k . a ., schmitz h . h ., hplc method for the quantification of procyanidins in cocoa and chocolate samples and correlation to total antioxidant capacity , j . ag . food chem . ; 1999 ; 47 ( 10 ) 4184 - 4188 . samples were then compared with the composite standard to accurately determine the levels of procyanidins . the fresh seeds ( from brazilian cocoa beans ) were ground in a high - speed laboratory mill with liquid nitrogen until the particle size was reduced to approximately 90 microns . lipids were removed from 220 grams ( g ) of the ground seeds by extracting three times with 1000 milliliters ( ml ) of hexane . the lipid free solids were air dried to yield approximately 100 g of fat - free material . a fraction containing procyanidins was obtained by extracting with 1000 ml of 70 % by volume acetone in water . the suspension was centrifuged for 10 minutes at 1500 g . the acetone layer was decanted through a funnel with glass wool . the aqueous acetone was then re - extracted with hexane (˜ 75 ml ) to remove residual lipids . the hexane layer was discarded and the aqueous acetone was rotary evaporated under partial vacuum at 40 ° c . to a final volume of 200 ml . the aqueous extract was freeze dried to yield approximately 19 g of acetone extract material . approximately 2 g of acetone extract ( obtained above ) was suspended in 10 ml of 70 % aqueous methanol and centrifuged at 1500 g . the supernatant was semi - purified on a sephadex lh - 20 column ( 70 × 3 centimeters ) which had previously been equilibrated with methanol at a flow rate of 3 . 5 ml / min . two and a half hours after sample loading , fractions were collected every 20 minutes and analyzed by hplc for theobromine and caffeine see clapperton , j ., hammerstone , j . f ., romanczyk , l . j ., yow , s ., lim , d ., lockwood , r ., polyphenols and cocoa flavour , proceedings , 16 th international conference of groupe polyphenols , lisbon , portugal , groupe polyphenols : norbonne , france , 1992 ; tome ii , pp . 112 - 115 . once the theobromine and caffeine were eluted off the column (˜ 3 . 5 hours ), the remaining eluate was collected for an additional 4 . 5 hours and rotary evaporated under partial vacuum at 40 ° c . to remove the organic solvent . then the extract was suspended in water and freeze dried . the cocoa extract from above ( 0 . 7 g ) was dissolved in ( 7 ml ) mixture of acetone / water / acetic acid in a ratio by volume of 70 : 29 . 5 : 0 . 5 , respectively . a linear gradient ( shown in the table below ) was used to separate procyanidin fractions using a 5 μm supelcosil lc column ( silica , 100 angstroms ( å ); 50 × 2 cm ) ( supelco , inc ., bellefonte , pa .) which was monitored by uv at a wavelength of 280 nanometers ( nm ). fractions were collected at the valleys between the peaks corresponding to oligomers . fractions with equal retention times from several preparative separations were combined , rotary evaporated under partial vacuum and freeze dried . to determine purity of the individual oligomeric fractions , an analysis was performed using a normal - phase high - performance chromatograph ( hplc ) method interfaced with online mass spectrometry ( ms ) analysis using an atmospheric pressure ionization electrospray ( api - es ) chamber as described by lazarus et al . ( 1999 ), supra . chromatographic analyses were performed on an hp 1100 series ( hewlett - packard , palo alto , calif .) equipped with an auto - injector , quaternary hplc pump , column heater , diode array detector , and hp chemstation for data collection and manipulation . normal - phase separations of the procyanidin oligomers were performed on a phenomenex ( torrance , calif .) luna silica column ( 25 × 4 . 6 mm ) at 37 ° c . uv detection was recorded at a wavelength of 280 nm . the ternary mobile phase consisted of ( a ) dichloromethane , ( b ) methanol , and ( c ) acetic acid and water ( 1 : 1 v / v ). separations were effected by a series of linear gradients of b into a with a constant 4 % of ( c ) at a flow rate of 1 ml / min as follows : elution starting with 14 % of ( b ) into ( a ); 14 - 28 . 4 % of ( b ) into ( a ), 0 - 30 min ; 28 . 4 - 50 % of ( b ) into ( a ), 30 - 60 min ; 50 - 86 % of ( b ) into ( a ), 60 - 65 min ; and 65 - 70 min isocratic . hplc / ms analyses of purified fractions were performed using an hp 1100 series hplc , as described above , and interfaced to an hp series 1100 mass selective detector ( model g1946a ) equipped with an api - es ionization chamber . the buffering reagent was added via a tee in the eluant stream of the hplc just prior to the mass spectrometer and delivered with an hp 1100 series hplc pump , bypassing the degasser . conditions for analysis in the negative ion mode included 0 . 75 m ammonium hydroxide as a buffering reagent at a flow rate of 0 . 04 ml / min , a capillary voltage of 3 kv , a fragmentor at 75 v , a nebulizing pressure of 25 psig , and a drying gas temperature at 350 ° c . data were collected on an hp chemstation using both scan mode and selected ion monitoring ( sim ). spectra were scanned over a mass range of m / z 100 - 3000 at 1 . 96 seconds per cycle . the ammonium hydroxide was used to adjust the eluant ph to near neutrality via an additional auxiliary pump just prior to entering the ms . this treatment counteracted the suppression of negative ionization of the (−)- epicatechin standard due to the elevated concentration of acid in the mobile phase . the purity for each fraction was determined by peak area , using uv detection at a wavelength of 280 nm in combination with a comparison of the ion abundance ratio between each oligomeric class . a composite standard was made using commercially available (−)- epicatechin for the monomer . dimers through decamers were obtained in a purified state by the methods described above . standard stock solutions using these compounds were analyzed using the normal - phase hplc method described above with fluorescence detection at excitation and emission wavelengths of 276 nm and 316 nm , respectively . peaks were grouped and their areas summed to include contributions from all isomers within any one class of oligomers and calibration curves generated using a quadratic fit . monomers and smaller oligomers had almost linear plots which is consistent with prior usage of linear regression to generate monomer - based and dimer - based calibration curves . these calibration curves were then used to calculate procyanidin levels in samples prepared as follows : first , the cocoa or chocolate sample ( about 8 grams ) was de - fatted using three hexane extractions ( 45 ml each ). next , one gram of de - fatted material was extracted with 5 ml of the acetone / water / acetic acid mixture ( 70 : 29 . 5 : 0 . 5 v / v ). the quantity of procyanidins in the de - fatted material was then determined by comparing the hplc data from the samples with the calibration curves obtained as described above ( which used the purified oligomers ). the percentage of fat for the samples ( using a one gram sample size for chocolate or one - half gram sample size for liquors ) was determined using a standardized method by the association of official analytical chemists ( aoac official method 920 . 177 ). the quantity of total procyanidin levels in the original sample ( with fat ) was then calculated . calibration was performed prior to each sample run to protect against column - to - column variations . human volunteers were instructed to fast overnight and to maintain low phytochemical intake the evening before the study . phytochemicals are components in plants and foods derived from plants including many fruits , coffee , some teas , green peppers , garlic , onions , yogurt , bran , and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli , cabbage , and cauliflower , etc . blood was drawn from the subjects prior to consumption of any food . the subjects ingested either semisweet or dark chocolate . the two different chocolates were used to demonstrate that the cocoa polyphenols could be delivered in different forms and still exhibit the same effects . the chocolates had different levels of chocolate liquor and sugars as defined by the standard of identity rules for semisweet chocolate and dark chocolate . the chocolate liquor used to make these products was prepared from a blend of beans , some of which were underfermented . after the initial blood was drawn , the subjects were divided into two groups . one group was tested with the semisweet chocolate and the other group was tested with the dark chocolate . both chocolates had enhanced levels of cocoa procyanidins . the conserved levels were obtained by the process described herein . for the dark chocolate experiment , the control subjects consumed a control bar which contained a low level of cocoa procyanidins , i . e ., only 3 . 3 mg cocoa procyanidins ( 1 . 8 mg monomer ) per 36 . 9 gram control product . the dark chocolate test product contained 147 mg total cocoa procyanidins ( 40 . 6 mg monomer ) per 36 . 9 gram test product . blood samples were drawn at 2 hours , after which another bagel was consumed . at 6 hours , another blood sample was drawn . fig1 shows the nanomoles ( nmol ) of malondialdehyde ( mda ) in plasma at 2 and at 6 hours following ingestion of ½ bagel with the dark chocolate test product or ½ bagel with the control chocolate product having the low cocoa procyanidins . as demonstrated by the data in fig1 the higher the level of cocoa procyanidins ingested , the lower the levels of mda in the plasma . the control chocolate product which some of the subjects ingested was prepared from jet black cocoa powder that was approximately ten to twelve percent fat that was completely alkalized . the powder was reconstituted in cocoa butter to give the proper percentage fat in the dark chocolate test bar ( taking into account the 9 . 87 % fat in the powder itself ). the control bar was formulated with 49 . 335 % sugar , 19 . 75 % jet black cocoa powder , 27 . 344 % cocoa butter , 2 . 61 % anhydrous milk fat , 0 . 06 % vanillin , 0 . 75 % lecithin , 0 . 15 % prova vanilla , and 0 . 001 % orange oil . the level of monomer was calculated to be 1 . 8 mg per bar based upon the 3 . 3 mg per bar level of cocoa procyanidins and the known levels of fat . for the semisweet experiment , the control subjects consumed ½ bagel alone and no chocolate . the test group consumed ½ bagel with one of three different chocolates , each with a different level of cocoa procyanidins per bag . the first chocolate test product was a 35 gram semisweet chocolate product containing 185 mg total cocoa procyanidins ( 45 . 3 mg monomer ) per 35 grams . the second chocolate test product was a 70 gram semisweet chocolate product containing 370 mg total cocoa procyanidins . the third chocolate test product was a 105 gram semisweet chocolate product containing 555 mg total cocoa procyanidins . blood samples were drawn at 2 hours , after which another bagel was consumed . after 6 hours , another blood sample was drawn . fig2 shows the nanomoles ( nmol ) of malondialdehyde ( mda ) in plasma at 2 and at 6 hours following ingestion of ½ bagel alone and following ingestion of ½ bagel with increasing quantities of semisweet chocolate product , i . e ., 35 , 70 and 105 grams , containing increasing quantities of total cocoa procyanidins , i . e ., 185 , 370 and 555 mg . as demonstrated by the data in fig2 the higher the level of cocoa procyanidins ingested , the lower the levels of mda in the plasma . for the analysis of the thiobarbituric reactive substances ( tbars ), a plasma sample ( 100 l ) was mixed with 4 % butylated hydroxytoluene ( bht ) and then frozen overnight . the sample was then thawed at room temperature and a 100 l sample was mixed with 200 l sodium dodecyl sulfate ( sds ). the following reagents were then added in sequence : 800 l 0 . 1 n hydrochloric acid ( hcl ), 100 l 10 % 1 , 4 - benzenedicarboxylic acid ( pta ), and 400 l 0 . 7 % thiobarbituric acid ( tba ). the sample mixture was incubated in 95 ° c . water bath for 30 minutes . after cooling on ice , 1 ml of 1 - butanol was added . the sample was then centrifuged for 10 minutes at 1800 g ( 3000 rpm ) at 4 c . a 200 l aliquot of the butanol phase was assayed for extracted mda by fluorometry . this quantity was used for each of the 96 wells of the plate which was read with excitation at 515 nm , slit 5 nm and emission at 555 nm , slit 5 nm . the effect of the cocoa procyanidin levels on the oxidative stress , as measured by the tbars assay , was apparent at 2 hours and at 6 hours as shown by the change in total nanomoles of mda per milliliters of plasma . whether the cocoa procyanidins were present in the dark chocolate test product or in the semisweet chocolate test products made no difference . in addition , the effect was more pronounced as the amounts of total cocoa procyanidins consumed increased . | 8 |
the apparatus of the present invention is schematically illustrated in fig1 . the apparatus a comprises of a mixing chamber 10 . additionally , fluid feed means f and solids feed means s are also illustrated in fig1 . pump means p is connected to mixing chamber 10 . more specifically , the solids feed means s comprises of a hopper 12 . hopper 12 is configured so that its contents are directed into , preferably , an integral auger 14 . auger 14 is typically a screw conveyor which can be equipped with a variable - speed drive , not shown , to adjust the solids output rate from hopper 12 . after emerging from auger 14 , the solid material enters a receiving chamber 16 . a valve 18 is disposed at the lower end of receiving chamber 16 . valve 18 can have various designs such as a knife gate or a butterfly without departing from the spirit of the invention . any valve style which can accommodate the potentially abrasive nature of the solid material and provide an effective seal is suitable for service as valve 18 . below valve 18 is a feed pipe 20 . the feed pipe 20 preferably enters radially into housing 22 . located within housing 22 is conveyor 24 , which is preferably of a screw conveyor type , but other types of conveyors can be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention . located at one end of conveyor 24 is drive 26 . in the preferred embodiment , the drive 26 is a hydraulic motor which can be remotely controlled from control 28 , as shown schematically in fig1 . it should also be noted that the solids in hopper 12 can be discharged by virtue of actuation of auger 14 directly into feed pipe 20 and into housing 22 without employing receiving chamber 16 . however , the use of receiving chamber 16 allows the operator to visually determine that solids are , in fact , feeding out of hopper 12 and have not bridged or somehow jammed in or above auger 14 resulting in a cessation of the solids flow . it should also be noted that auger 14 need not be actuated in every case . the consistency and moisture content and flow characteristics of the solid material in hopper 12 will determine whether an auger 14 is actually necessary to move the solid material out of hopper 12 . however , use of auger 14 for all materials presents additional advantages for several reasons . one the main reasons is the ability to regulate the flow rate of solids out of hopper 12 . an additional reason is that , for materials that can stick or bridge , the auger 14 provides a mechanical means to move the solids in hopper 12 to the exit point 13 so that they may flow down by gravity into receiving chamber 16 ( see fig2 ). auger 14 can have a suitable variable - speed drive 15 so that the operator of the apparatus a can pre - select the appropriate speed in conjunction with a pumping rate on pumping means p to achieve the required mix ratio of solid and liquid . as shown in fig1 housing 22 has an elongated shape , preferably round , and has a portion thereof which extends into mixing chamber 10 . mixing chamber 10 also has an elongated shape , which for ease of construction can be preferably made round , such that the segment of housing 22 which extends into mixing chamber 10 creates an annular flow space 30 therebetween . housing 22 has a closed end 32 . typically , a bearing 33 for conveyor 24 is located directly outside closed end 32 . in the preferred embodiment shown in the drawing , housing 22 has a plurality of outlets 34 , which are radially disposed and preferably in longitudinal alignment . alternatively , one outlet 34 , having a generally oval shape , can be used instead of the plurality of openings 34 . after the solids flow through feed pipe 20 , they enter the helix of conveyor 24 . in the preferred embodiment , the variable - speed hydraulic motor can rotate conveyor 24 at speeds of approximately 400 to 900 rpm . the higher speeds are preferred as will be later explained . as previously stated , the solids feed rate is determined by the speed of auger 14 . the feed rate of solids from auger 14 will to some degree dictate the operational speed of conveyor 24 . generally , conveyor 24 is operated at a speed wherein it has a greater capacity than the feed rate from auger 14 to avoid back - ups of the solids in receiving chamber 16 . the greater the speed of conveyer 24 , the greater is the tendency of conveyor 24 to prevent fluid migration into openings 34 toward feed pipe 20 . returning to openings 34 , pump means p is preferably a triplex or three - cylinder pump of the type that is well - known in the art . this pump has separate inlets 36 for each of the cylinders 38 . mixing chamber 10 has a plurality of outlets 40 which extend radially from mixing chamber 10 and in substantial alignment with inlets 36 . looking now at mixing chamber 10 , it can be seen from fig1 that it is sealed to housing 22 at point 42 . at the opposite end of mixing chamber 10 is a valve 44 . as shown in fig4 fluid feed means f comprises of a fluid storage tank 46 which is connected to a pipe 48 ( fig1 ). pipe 48 branches into segments 50 and 52 . manual or automatic valves 54 and 56 can be placed in pipes 50 and 52 , respectively . the arrangement as shown in fig1 allows for alternative direction of the fluid from fluid storage tank 46 into the annular flow space 30 in mixing chamber 10 , into housing 22 , or both , depending on the application . specifically , when mixing sand and water , experience has shown that it is preferable to leave valve 54 open and valve 56 closed to direct the water into annular flow space 30 . the high velocity of the water flowing in annular flow space 30 creates the mixing action within mixing chamber 10 prior to outlets 40 . while conveyor 24 continuously moves the sand toward mixing chamber 10 , some of the water can migrate back into housing 22 through openings 34 . experience has shown that during operation , the water actually migrates approximately mid - way back in housing 22 in the direction toward drive 26 . the forward motion of the sand created by conveyor 24 , as well as the rotation of the flights of conveyer 24 , both act to direct any water which has migrated into openings 34 back toward the pump p . normally , as shown in fig4 the fluid storage tank 46 is located higher than pump p so that upon actuation of valves 54 or 56 , flow begins into pipes 50 and 52 by gravity . the liquid flow rate is generally determined by the pumping rate of the triplex pump . the capacity of pump p is variable , depending upon the speed at which it is driven . there could arise conditions , depending on the pumping rate and sand concentration required , where it might be desirable to leave valve 54 only partially open . this is done so as to avoid unnecessary rearward migration of water within housing 22 to the point where water could back up out of receiving chamber 16 . again , as has been determined when mixing water and sand , it is preferable to leave valve 56 closed and open valve 54 . at times , different fluids are used to create the mixture . for example , the application may call for a mixture of sand with gel . gel has a syrupy consistency with a high viscosity . to promote more uniform mixing , greater contact time is desirable between the gel and the sand prior to entering the pump p . when making such a slurry , it is preferable to leave valve 56 open and valve 54 closed to direct the gel into pipe 52 so that it enters housing 22 fairly close to feed pipe 20 and has substantially the length of housing 22 to thoroughly mix with the sand . pump p is preferably a pump rated at 10 , 000 lbs . output pressure to make it flexible enough for most well applications . a densimeter can be placed on the outlet 58 of pump p to measure the slurry concentration . typical triplex pumps can handle water - sand slurries having up to approximately 17 lbs . of sand per gallon of water . however , most applications should require significantly lower concentrations in the order of 0 . 5 lb .- 2 lbs . per gallon when pumping water - sand slurry . in some applications , particularly when dealing with extremely viscous materials as the fluid , it might be desirable to place a booster pump in pipe 48 . by adjusting the controls on pump p and auger 14 , the concentrations can be changed during a gravel - packing procedure . different carrier fluids can be used during gravel - packing operations , such as completion brines , acid or acid over flushes , gels ( hec or xc ), or any combination of the above . one of the advantages of the apparatus a of the present invention is that it provides uniform distribution of the gravel - pack sand . when using brine as a carrier fluid , uniform concentrations between 0 and 12 lbs . per gallon of sand can be provided . this uniformity also makes it possible to economize on the volume of completion fluid required to transport the sand , making possible reductions of up to 75 percent as compared to conventional known sand injectors . the actual assembly as will be described below is designed to be compact to take up less space on offshore locations than known conventional blending equipment . this minimizes rig time transportation and , therefore , overall completion costs to a well operator . referring now to fig2 and 3 , a skid 60 is shown which holds hopper 12 . the skid is designed with lifting eyes 62 to facilitate onloading and offloading to offshore platforms and rigs , as well as to load skid 60 on and off of trucks for land use . skid 60 further includes trolley beam 64 and trolley 66 . the position of housing 22 during transport is shown in fig3 . the position of housing 22 during use of the apparatus a is shown in fig2 . as shown in fig2 and 3 , the entire housing 22 , . including receiving chamber 16 , valve 18 , and feed pipe 20 , are supported off of trolley 66 by linkage 68 , which is attached to pipe segment 52 to allow vertical and horizontal adjustment . housing 22 further contains a peripheral seal 70 and a hammer union 72 . when housing 22 is put in the extended position shown in fig2 hammer union 72 fits over seal 70 and attaches to mixing chamber 10 , effectively sealing between the mixing chamber 10 and the housing 22 . the annular flow space 30 is thus created , beginning from seal 70 and extending in the direction toward openings 34 . the space - saving economies recognized by using skid 60 can immediately be seen . the overall length of skid 60 is approximately the length of housing 22 by virtue of the use of the flexibly mounted housing 22 in combination with the trolley beam 64 and trolley 66 which allow a single operator to move housing 22 from the position shown in fig3 to the position shown in fig2 in order to activate the apparatus a . the resulting skid dimensions are approximately 8 ft by 6 ft by 7 ft high , with an approximately empty weight of 6 , 000 lbs . referring now to fig4 it can be seen that there are two additional skids 74 and 76 . located on skid 76 is fluid storage tank 46 . located behind fluid storage tank 46 is a control panel ( not shown ) from which the various components on skids 60 , 74 , and 76 can be regulated . also located on skid 76 is engine 78 . adjacent engine 78 is fuel tank 80 . a transmission ( not shown ) is located directly behind fuel tank 80 . the transmission connects the engine 78 to the drive shaft 82 . at the end of drive shaft 82 is a universal joint 84 . skids 74 and 76 can be shipped unattached , in which case the universal joint 84 is connected to the pump p in the field . alternatively , skids 74 and 76 can be pre - assembled and connected by pins 86 , with the universal joint 84 preconnected when the skids 74 and 76 leave the shop . skid 74 also includes the mixing chamber 10 and a connection 88 to accommodate pipe segment 50 . as shown in fig4 pump p has an outlet 58 which is a common outlet which exits on two sides of the pump . in the configuration shown in fig4 the outlet piping from pump p is connected to the lefthand outlet marked 581 the discharge piping is generally referred to as 90 and has a series of valves making it possible to direct the output of pump p to the suitable piping at the wellsite for completion of the gravel - packing or other procedure using the apparatus a . line 93 is used to relieve well pressure off of pump p and into tank 46 . at the site , an operator must hook a line from connection 92 to pipe segment 52 as shown in fig2 and / or to connection 88 as shown in fig4 depending on the application . valve 44 can also be opened to allow direct access from fluid storage tank 46 through suction pipe 94 , which is in fluid communication with connection 92 and valve 44 . typically , valve 44 is operated when pump p is at rates in excess of 3 barrels / minute . those skilled in the art will appreciate the compact nature of the apparatus a as presented on skids 60 , 74 , and 76 , as illustrated in fig2 and 4 . additionally , the apparatus a has been configured for a one - man operation . in the preferred embodiment , the cross - sectional area of annular flow space 30 should not exceed about 20 percent of the internal diameter of the housing 22 , which preferably is circular in cross - section . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the drives for auger 14 and conveyor 24 can be many different types other than hydraulic without departing from the spirit of the invention . once the system is placed into operation , the pump p is capable of delivering the slurry into a subterranean well for deposition of the gravel on a well screen in an annular area between the well screen and the casing . the carrier fluid then is circulated through the well and can be directed into a mud pit on the rig . the apparatus of the present invention is particularly adept at providing a uniformity of the blend , minimizing the presence of slugs of sand which in turn facilitates more efficient valve operation . the annular flow space 30 creates a sufficiently high velocity to transport the solids as they are introduced into the fluid stream and , in turn , through the pump . by virtue of the fact that there is a close proximity between the inlet to the mixing chamber at pipe segment 50 to the pump p , there isn &# 39 ; t much time for the formation of dead spots and , accordingly , little opportunity for solids to drop out of the carrier fluid before entering the pump . while the cross - sectional area of annular flow space 30 should be kept small to promote fluid velocity , care must be given to avoid overly restricting the inlet flow passages into the pump p . for ease of maintenance and for cleaning out the lines , clean - out 96 is provided . there could arise occasions where operation could involve fluid addition through pipe segments 50 and 52 simultaneously , or some combination of valve positions where any one , two , or three of valves 44 , 54 , and 56 are open during operation of the apparatus a . the foregoing disclosure and description of the invention are illustrative and explanatory thereof , and various changes in the size , shape , and materials , as well as in the details of the illustrated construction , may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention . | 1 |
fig1 shows , in block diagram representation , an apparatus for protocol conversion . the micro computer ( 6 ) comprises a microprocessor realized as am 188 ™ em , a rom for the storage of the program code , a ram as the main memory , and a bus . through its bus the microcomputer is connected to a sio module designed as sab 82532 in two interface modules ( 2 ) and to the isac circuit designed as peb 2086 in the interface modules ( 1 ). the processor in the micro computer ( 6 ) controls the function of the components peb 2086 and sab 82532 by setting the corresponding registers in these components . also through registers of these components , the processor interrogates the state of these components and exchanges data . the activation / deactivation of the isdn interface is carried out by the peb 2086 in the interface module ( 1 ). the state of the isdn interface can be read from the registers of the peb 2086 . the processor in the micro computer ( 6 ) periodically interrogates the registers of the peb 2086 , which show the state of the isdn interface . on the net side , the arrangement according to fig1 operates in the master mode , as follows : in the interface module ( 1 ), in the isdn interface the signal levels are reciprocally converted from the isdn interface into the signal levels required by the component peb 2086 . with the mode switch ( 5 ) the component peb 2086 is switched in the interface module ( 1 ) into the te mode ( terminal mode ). in this mode , the peb 2086 generates a timing signal of 512 khz at the output dcl . when the isdn interface is active , the timing signal of 512 khz is synchronously derived from the bit timing signal of the isdn interface . the timing signal of 512 khz of the interface module is led to the timing generation module ( 3 ). the timing signal of 512 khz from the peb 2086 of the isdn interface is , controlled by the processor , used in the timing generation module ( 3 ) to generate , by division , the given transmission timing signal of 64 kbit / s for the appropriate sio . the peb 2086 in the interface module ( 1 ) converts the ternary - coded b - and d - channel signals from the isdn interface into binary - coded signals and stores them , byte by byte , in its registers . conversely , the component converts the binary - coded b - and d - channel bytes into ternary - coded signals and transmits these data to the interface of the interface module ( 1 ) for the transmission to the isdn interface . the peb 2086 signals by means of a register that it is prepared to accept a new b 1 - and b 2 - channel byte each and , simultaneously , a complete b 1 - and b 2 - channel byte each is ready to be accepted by the processor . the processor of the micro computer ( 6 ) periodically interrogates the signal register of the and peb 2086 and takes the finished b - channel bytes into its main memory or transmits the b - channel bytes , respectively . the peb 2086 signals by means of a further register that a d - channel frame from the isdn interface has been received . the processor interrogates , also periodically , this signal byte , takes the d - channel data , if existing , into its main memory and forms channel blocks . if the processor has received a d - channel block from the distant station , this block is resolved and fed to the peb 2086 to be transmitted to the isdn interface . the processor of the micro computer ( 6 ) forms b 1 - and b 2 - sections of a 32 bit length from the bytes accepted from the peb 2086 and buffers them in the main memory ram . according to the logical address , the micro computer selects a sio and periodically interrogates the register of this sio . the sio indicates in its register the time when the next data portion is to be transmitted in order not to interrupt the data transmission . the processor in the micro computer ( 6 ) correspondingly delivers further data portions to the addressed sio in the interface module ( 2 ). the processor consecutively delivers data portions of the isdn interface to the sio in the appropriate interface module ( 2 ). the isdn interface operates synchronously on the base of the isdn net timing signal so that also the data portions are synchronously transmitted according to the transmission timing of 64 khz set for the appropriate interface module ( 2 ) by means of the mode switch ( 5 ). before the micro computer ( 6 ) delivers b - channel sections to the addressed sio , the buffered b - channel data are analysed . from compressible data it forms compression blocks of a length of 8 byte , interrupts the delivery of b - channel sections to the addressed sio and transmits them instead of the b - channel sections . the relative address in the b - channel section is also provided in the compression block . in the same time , this block serves to carry out the byte synchronization . from the d channel date existing , the micro computer ( 6 ) forms d - channel blocks of a length of 8 bytes or a multiple of it , and preferably transmits them to the addressed sio instead of b - channel sections , the relative address also transmitting in the b - channel section . the transmission of the d - channel blocks additionally serves to carry out the byte synchronization . in reverse direction , the addressed sio in the interface module ( 2 ) receives bit - serial data through the interface in the interface module ( 2 ). when the first data portion is received in the sio , corresponding signaling bits are set in a register of the sio . the processor of the micro computer ( 6 ) periodically interrogates this register and analyzes the data received . b - channel data are buffered , separatedly for b 1 - and b 2 - channel data , in the ram of the micro computer ( 6 ). identified d - channel blocks are resolved and delivered to the d - channel register of the isac circuit in the interface module ( 1 ). identified b - channel compression blocks are resolved and buffered in the ram of the micro computer ( 6 ). the b - channel sections are maintained on the transmission and reception side in a fifo queue of a suitable depth to compensate for the increased demand of transmission rate which is caused by the occurrence of d - channel blocks . on the terminal side , the arrangement according to fig1 operates in the slave mode , as follows : the conversion in either direction of the signal levels from the isdn interface into the signal levels required by the peb 2086 component occurs in the interface module ( 1 ) at the isdn interface . with the help of mode switch ( 5 ) the component peb 2086 in the interface module ( 1 ) is switched into the nt mode ( network terminal mode ). in this mode , the peb 2086 needs synchronous timing signals of 512 khz at the inputs dcl , and of 8 khz at fsc 1 and fsc 2 . from these , the peb 2086 derives the frame synchronization and the bit synchronization timing signals for the isdn interface . in the timing generation module ( 3 ), from the bit timing signal of a selected interface module ( 1 ), the timing signal is regained from which a timing signal of 512 khz and therefrom , by division , a timing signal of 8 khz are generated in the timing generation module ( 3 ) by means of pll operating to known principles . these timing signals are delivered to the corresponding inputs of the isac circuit in the interface module ( 1 ). the micro computer ( 6 ), isac circuit in the interface module ( 1 ), and sio in the interface module ( 2 ) operate together in a similar way as in the master unit in transmitting the b - and d - channel data between the isdn interface and x - channel . the arrangement according to fig1 allows to transmit the varied services of the isdn through the interface over long distances in a bandwidth of 64 kbit / s per b - channel without the need of conversion into a different net . this enables one to remain in the used isdn net and the quality of the transmission services is not affected . fig2 represents an apparatus for the enlargement of the range of the transmission channel between functional groups of the isdn user interface with reference to an s 0 interface . starting from an isdn network through an interface u ko to a net termination nt 1 , a facility for protocol conversion pw is arranged on the net side at the interface s 0 , which communicates through two transmission channels with a facility for protocol conversion pw on the terminal side , and which provides for the interface s 0 on the terminal side . on the terminal side , switching equipment ( nt 2 ) or , directly , terminal equipment ( te ), for example , may be operated . the equipment connected on the net side s 0 operates in the master mode , the equipment connected on the terminal side s 0 operates in the slave mode . the equipment operating in the master mode acts , with respect to the isdn net , like a terminal equipment ( te ), the equipment operating in the slave mode acts like a network termination ( nt ). between the two devices for protocol conversion ( pw ) which are connected through two transmission channels used in parallel , data exchange is done by bit - serial synchronous transmission of b - channel sections for b 1 and b 2 in a length of 32 byte . equal output data are transmitted as compression block and d - channel data are transmitted as d - channel blocks . these blocks simultaneously serve to carry out the byte synchronization . the device for protocol conversion ( pw ) in the master mode activates the s 0 interface whenever it is not active . it only transmits data when the s 0 interface is active . the device for protocol conversion ( pw ) in the slave mode activates the s 0 interface whenever it is not active and the device , in the same time , receives data from the master device . it deactivates the s 0 interface when it does not receive data from the master device . the apparatus according to fig2 allows to transmit the varied services of the isdn through the interface over long distances in a bandwidth of 64 kbit / s per b - channel without the need of the conversion into a different net . this enables one to remain in the used isdn net and the quality of the transmission services is not affected . fig3 shows , similar to fig2 an arrangement for the enlargement of the range of the transmission channel between functional groups of the isdn user interface with reference to an isdn interface . opposite to fig2 on the terminal side one protocol converter each is allocated to each transmission channel . thus it is possible to communicate separately for b 1 - and b 2 - channel over 64 kbit / s each at separate places . fig4 shows , similar to fig2 an arrangement for the enlargement of the range of the transmission channel between functional groups of the isdn user interface with reference to an s 0 interface . opposite to fig2 the interface at the transmission channel x 2 is used as a connection to a serial digital data source , for example an lan or a pc . in those times , when the isdn interface s 0 is not active , serial digital data can be exchanged through the transmission channel x 1 . the micro computers ( 6 ) of the protocol converters ( pw ) identify , by analyzing the d - channel information , the state of the isdn interface so . with the interface s 0 deactivated , the micro computer ( 6 ) takes data from the interface module ( 2 ), which is , in this operational mode , switched as interface for the exchange of serial digital data , and transmits them to the further interface module ( 2 ) to be transmitted on transmission channel x 1 . when the isdn interface s 0 is activated , the micro computer ( 6 ) switches the interface module ( 2 ) off , which is switched the serve for the exchange of serial digital data . the device for protocol conversion then operates as described for fig2 . using the protocol converter described in fig4 the switching function of a direct access to an isdn network can be integrated in existing data connections . | 7 |
the invention is applicable to any finely particulate gluten which tends to agglomerate excessively when dispersed in aqueous media , and is particularly useful in connection with vital wheat gluten . the invention stems from the initial discovery that vital wheat gluten , exhibiting by itself an excessive tendency to agglomerate when agitated in an aqueous liquid , is readily dispersible in water when pre - mixed with a soy flour , the protein content of which has not been denatured , while pre - mixing with a soy flour treated to denature the soy protein failed to reduce agglomeration . the same results are achieved with peanut flour , navy bean flour , lentil flour , cottonseed flour and rapeseed flour , so long as the protein thereof is undenatured , as well as with the proteins isolated or concentrated in undenatured form from such materials . when the aqueous medium in which the gluten is to be dispersed does not contain a substantial amount of salt , the same results are also obtainable with dairy whey solids . though higher proportions of the additive material can be employed without serious disadvantage other than lack of economy , best results are achieved when the soy flour or other agglomeration - inhibiting additive is included in an amount equal to 3 - 15 % by weight , based on the total weight of the gluten and the agglomeration - inhibiting additive . it is of particular importance , especially when the protein material to be rendered non - agglomerating is vital wheat gluten , to employ that material in a particle size such that the average maximum particle dimension does not exceed 350 microns . when the particle size of the gluten is significantly larger , the effect of the soy flour or like proteinaceous additive in preventing agglomeration of the gluten is markedly reduced . it is advantageous to employ the gluten to be dispersed in a particle size such that most of the gluten has a maximum particle dimension smaller than 150 microns and no substantial proportion thereof has a maximum particle dimension larger than 350 microns . the average maximum particle dimension of the soy flour or other agglomeration - inhibiting additive should not exceed 350 microns in all events and , advantageously , is made to approximate that of the gluten . in particularly advantageous embodiments of the invention , the gluten is initially dry blended with the agglomeration - inhibiting additive to provide a uniform admixture of the two particulate solid materials . alternatively , the gluten and the agglomeration - inhibiting additive are introduced separately into the aqueous medium in which the stable dispersion is to be established . while the invention is generally applicable to all procedures requiring establishment of a stable aqueous dispersion of gluten , it offers special advantages when applied to the problems presented by use of vital wheat gluten as an additive in the production of baked goods , either by the various batch procedures or by the continuous - mix method . with batch procedures , the gluten and the agglomeration - inhibiting additive can be dispersed in all or a portion of the water for the formula or can simply be added to the mix . when the sponge - dough method is used , the gluten and agglomeration - inhibiting additive can be added to the sponge , or to the dough , i . e ., the &# 34 ; remix &# 34 ;, or to both . for the continuous - mix procedure or other procedures using an aqueous brew or broth , the gluten and the agglomeration - inhibiting additive can be dispersed in the water for the brew or broth , or in an amount of water held out of the brew or broth with the gluten dispersion then being added to the brew or broth at an appropriate stage . when employing the invention in connection with brews or broths containing substantial amounts of sodium chloride , more stable dispersions of the gluten in the brew or broth are obtained if the gluten and the agglomeration - inhibiting agent are first dispersed in a portion of the water for the formulation and the dispersion then added to the brew or broth , with the time of addition being so selected that at least three minutes of agitation time will still be available after the dispersion is added . use of dairy whey solids is avoided when the brew or broth contains a substantial proportion of salt . using a waring blender , 200 ml of water was introduced into the bowl of the blender , 25 g of new era vital wheat gluten was added , and the wheat gluten was dispersed by operating the blender for 1 minute . the gluten agglomerated after the dispersion had stood at room temperature for only 30 minutes . the new era vital wheat gluten employed was finely particulate , having the following particle size distribution : ______________________________________percent by wt . particle size ( microns ) ______________________________________ 0 larger than 350 2 300 - 35012 210 - 30018 149 - 21016 105 - 14952 smaller than 105______________________________________ twenty five grams of full fat enzymatically active soy flour and 225 g of the same vital wheat gluten employed in example 1 were placed in a glass jar and tumble - blended by hand for 15 minutes . using a waring blender , 25 g of the resulting mixture and 200 ml water were combined in the bowl and mixed for 1 minute . the resulting dispersion was allowed to stand at room temperature for observation . after 7 hours , no significant agglomeration or settling could be observed . using a waring blender , 200 ml water was placed in the bowl , 25 g of full fat enzymatically active soy flour was added , and the blender then operated for 1 minute to disperse the soy flour . two hundred and twenty five grams of the vital wheat gluten of example 1 was then added and the blender again operated for 1 minute to disperse the gluten . the resulting dispersion was set aside at room temperature for observation . no agglomeration or settling had occurred at the end of 7 hours . the procedure was repeated , except that the vital wheat gluten was dispersed in the water before the soy flour . again , no agglomeration or settling was observed at the end of 7 hours . following the same procedure set out in example 2 , three samples were prepared with the following formulations : ______________________________________weight in gramsingredient sample a sample b sample c______________________________________vital wheat glutenof example 1 243 . 75 237 . 50 231 . 25full fat enzymaticallyactive soy flour 6 . 25 12 . 50 18 . 75 250 . 00 250 . 00 250 . 00______________________________________ twenty five grams of each sample was combined with 200 ml water and each sample was dispersed in its volume of water by manual agitation with a stirring rod . the resulting dispersions were set aside at room temperature for observation . for sample a , agglomeration and settling were observable at between 2 and 3 hours . for samples b and c , no agglomeration or settling were observable at the end of 7 hours . using the same vital wheat gluten as in example 1 , a control dispersion was prepared by stirring 25 g of the gluten into 200 ml of water , using a stirring rod . following the procedure of example 2 , three samples were prepared with the following formulations : ______________________________________weight in gramsingredient sample d sample e sample f______________________________________vital wheat glutenof example 1 237 . 50 231 . 25 225 . 00nutrisoy . sup . 1 soy flour 12 . 50 18 . 75 25 . 00 250 . 00 250 . 00 250 . 00______________________________________ . sup . 1 low fat soy flour sold by archer daniels midland co ., decatur illinois ; containing 0 . 9 % fat , 6 % moisture , 58 % ( dry basis ) protein , by weight , the protein of the soy flour being essentially nondenatured . all particles smaller than 250 microns , average maximum particle dimension smaller than 150 microns . using a stirring rod , each of the three samples was dispersed in 200 ml water . the four dispersions were set aside at room temperature for observation . for the control , extensive agglomeration and settling were observable within 2 hours . in sample d , commencement of agglomeration was observed after 5 hours , but the dispersion was still judged to be pumpable after 7 hours . no agglomeration or settling was observable in sample e after 7 hours . no agglomeration or settling was observable in sample f after 24 hours . following the procedure of example 2 , 225 g of manildra vital wheat gluten was dry blended with 25 g of full fat enzymatically active soy flour to provide sample g . as compared to the wheat gluten of example 1 , the manildra gluten was relatively coarse , having the following particle size distribution : ______________________________________percent by wt . particle size ( microns ) ______________________________________36 larger than 350 8 300 - 350 6 210 - 300 6 149 - 21012 105 - 14932 smaller than 105______________________________________ sample h was prepared by blending 225 g of the wheat gluten of example 1 with 25 g of soy flour in which the protein was essentially undenatured , blending being carried out as in example 2 . sample j was prepared by first sifting the above - described manildra gluten through a no . 70 u . s . standard sieve and then blending 225 g of the finer fraction of that gluten with 25 g of the same soy flour employed for sample h , the gluten of sample j thus all being finer than 210 microns . four brews suitable for producing white bread by the continuous - mix process were prepared according to the following formulation : ______________________________________ingredient weight ( grams ) ______________________________________stage i ( start ) water 610 . 00xpando . sup . 2 2 . 03wytola . sup . 3 8 . 54potassium bromate 0 . 0128ammonium sulfate 0 . 4138stage 2 ( set ) glucose 12 . 20yeast 10 . 17stage 3 ( spike ) salt 21 . 15verv . sup . 4 2 . 85sodium propionate mold inhibitor 0 . 81glucose 65 . 00yeast 10 . 17potassium bromate 0 . 064______________________________________ . sup . 2 a dough conditioner comprising mono and diglycerides and ethexylated monoglyceride , supplied by breddo food products , kansas city , kansas . . sup . 3 a dough conditioner comprising lipoxidase and an enzymeperoxidizable fat supplied by j . r . short milling co ., chicago , illinois . . sup . 4 a dough conditioner comprising calcium stearoyl2 - lactylate and sodium stearoyl2 - lactylate , supplied by patco products division , c . j . patterson co ., kansas city , missouri . mixing is carried out for 30 minutes at 76 ° f . in stage 1 . stage 2 allows fermentation for 45 minutes . stage 3 allows fermentation of 1 hour at 80 °- 81 ° f ., at the end of which time the brew is to be supplied to the preliminary mixer of the continuous - mix dough producing apparatus . agitation is carried out throughout stages 2 and 3 . for one of the four brews , 9 . 15 g of sample g was dispersed in 50 g of the water for the stage 3 and the dispersion was added to the brew at the beginning of that stage . sample h and sample j were dispersed and added to the second and third brews , respectively , in precisely the same fashion as for sample g . for the fourth brew , 9 . 15 g of a dispersible vital wheat gluten product sold commercially by breddo food products corp ., kansas city , kansas , as mg 100 , and described as being in accordance with the aforementioned landfried et al u . s . pat . no . 3 , 362 , 829 was added in precisely the same fashion as for sample g . at the end of stage 3 , each brew was passed through a no . 18 u . s . standard sieve to remove any agglomerated particles . for the brews made with the breddo mg 100 product , sample h and sample j , the screenings each provided only approximately 0 . 75 g of solids . for the brew prepared with sample g , the screening step provided approximately 2 . 5 g of solids . in each case , the solids collected on the sieve were predominantly agglomerated gluten . the 0 . 75 g amounts are considered acceptable . the 2 . 5 g amount is excessive . this example demonstrates that the procedure of the invention inhibits agglomeration of the gluten fully as well as does the coating procedure described in the aforementioned landfried et al u . s . pat . no . 3 , 362 , 829 , and also demonstrates the criticality of employing the gluten of this invention in such finely particulate form that the average maximum particle dimension does not exceed 350 microns . the procedure of example 6 was repeatd with two brews , using sample h of example 6 for one brew and the breddo mg 100 product for the other . in each case , the gluten material was pre - dispersed in 50 ml of water held out of the formulation for stage 3 and the dispersion was added 2 minutes before the completion of stage 3 . in each case , an excessive amount of gluten was retained on the sieve , demonstrating that a longer mixing time , typically at least 3 minutes , is necessary to accomplish adequate dispersion of the gluten through the brew liquid , and that it is advantageous to add the gluten material at the start of stage 3 . proceeding as in example 6 , preparations identical to sample h of that example were tested in a commercial continuous - mix bakery against the breddo mg 100 product , in the production of white bread . the bread produced by the use of sample h was judged to be equally as good as the bread produced with the breddo mg 100 product . pea flour was prepared by grinding dried split green peas in a quaker mill adjusted to yield a rather coarse meal and then passing the meal through a no . 40 u . s . standard sieve to obtain a flour no particles of which were larger than 420 microns , the average maximum particle dimension being smaller than 210 microns . grinding of the peas was carefully done to avoid generation of such heat as would denature the pea protein . the pea flour so obtained analyzed as follows : ______________________________________ percent by wt .. sup . 6______________________________________moisture 11 . 80fat 1 . 07protein . sup . 7 22 . 09ash 2 . 20______________________________________ . sup . 6 as is basis . sup . 7 nitrogen multiplied by 6 . 00 one sample of the pea flour was blended with new era vital wheat gluten having the characteristics set out in example 1 , and a second sample of the pea flour was blended with the manildra vital wheat gluten referred to in example 6 , that relatively coarse gluten having been passed through a no . 40 u . s . standard sieve to provide a gluten of approximately the same average particle size as the pea flour . both mixtures consisted of 90 % by weight gluten and 10 % by weight pea flour . for use as control , a third dry blend was prepared according to example 2 , the control blend thus consisting of 90 % by weight of the new era gluten and 10 % full fat enzymatically active soy flour . three brews suitable for the production of white bread were prepared according to example 6 and the three gluten blends were tested for agglomeration following the procedure of that example . the gluten - pea flour blends were observed to have a non - agglomerating characteristic slightly superior to that of the gluten - soy flour control . the procedure of example 9 was repeated , using navy bean flour in place of the pea flour . the navy bean flour was prepared in the same manner as the pea flour . the gluten - navy bean flour blends were observed to be equally as free from agglomeration as was the gluten - soy flour control blend . analysis of the navy bean flour , on the same basis as for the pea flour of example 9 , was as follows : the procedure of example 9 was repeated , substituting defatted peanut flour for the pea flour , the peanut flour being prepared as was the pea flour except that the raw peanuts were first extracted with hexane . the gluten - peanut flour blends were equal to the gluten - soy flour control blend so far as freedom from agglomeration was concerned . analysis of the peanut flour , on the same basis as for the pea flour of example 9 , was as follows : the procedure of example 9 was repeated , substituting commercial rapeseed flour for the pea flour . the gluten - rapeseed flour blends were observed to be inhibited against agglomeration to approximately the same extent as was the gluten - soy flour control blend . analysis of the commercial rapeseed flour , on the same basis as in example 9 , was as follows : the rapeseed flour was screened and only that portion passing a no . 40 u . s . standard sieve was employed . as used , the rapeseed flour had the following particle size distribution : ______________________________________percent by wt . particle size ( microns ) ______________________________________ 0 larger than 420 2 297 - 42026 177 - 297 2 149 - 17718 105 - 14952 smaller than 105______________________________________ the procedure of example 9 is repeated , substituting commercial detoxified cottonseed flour for the pea flour , with the cottonseed flour being all finer than 420 microns and having an average maximum particle dimension smaller than 210 microns , the gluten - cottonseed flour blends being inhibited against agglomeration of the gluten to approximately the same extent as with the gluten - soy flour control . the procedure of example 9 was repeated , substituting commercial spray dried dairy whey solids for the pea flour and using water containing no significant proportion of sodium chloride other than that introduced by the dairy whey solids . the dairy whey solids were sieved with a no . 80 u . s . standard sieve , and only the smaller fraction , consisting of particles smaller than 177 microns , was employed . the gluten - whey solids blends were observed to be as inhibited against agglomeration as the gluten - soy flour control . | 0 |
oxidation of human hair . sixty grams of human hair was washed with 10 % vera ® detergent from fisher scientific , and then rinsed with copious amounts of deionized water . the water was removed by drying overnight at ambient conditions . the resultant clean hair was added to 1000 ml 2 % peracetic acid , boiled for 2 hours , and filtered . the collected hair was further rinsed in 100 ml ethanol , filtered , and dried under vacuum at room temperature overnight . titration of oxidized human hair . dry , oxidized hair prepared as described in the previous paragraph was mixed with deionized water , and then titrated with 0 . 1m sodium hydroxide to ph 7 . the neutralized hair slurry was filtered and washed with copious amounts of deionized water until a light - yellowish hydrogel formed in the filtration funnel . both the extract and the hydrogel were collected to make the corresponding products . making keratin absorbent . the hydrogel was freeze - dried or alternatively , vacuum dried to remove the entrapped water . the hydrogel made from freeze - drying maintained the texture of the swollen hydrogel , and formed a white , sponge - like absorbent . the absorbent made from vacuum drying was hard and brittle . making keratin film . the extract was titrated with hci to obtain a precipitate . the precipitate was filtered , rinsed with copious amounts of pure ethanol , and vacuum dried . the resultant keratin was a light - gray powder . the keratin powder was further dissolved to make a 10 % aqueous solution by addition of ammonia to a ph of no more than 8 , and then glycerin was added in amount to achieve 30 % glycerin relative to protein . the 10 ml solution was added to a petri dish ( 3 . 5 ″ diameter ), and was dried overnight at room temperature to form a flexible film . water absorption testing . water absorption for the keratin absorbent and film is tested by drop - wise addition of water until excess water is observed that is , not absorbed by the keratin hydrogel or the swollen film , respectively . hair keratin is in the form of microfibrils and an amorphous “ glue ” matrix beneath the tubular outer cuticle of human hair , and is rich in sulfur content . its integrity is mainly due to the presence of disulfide linkages through cystine units . to make a keratin hydrogel , the disulfide linkage is ruptured , preferably by partial oxidation , to form hydrophilic pendant groups primarily on the cysteine amino acid side chains . these groups are primarily sulfonic acid groups , which can complex with water . in preferred embodiments , 2 % peracetic acid or the equivalent is used as the oxidation agent to partially convert disulfide linkages into pendant sulfonic acid groups . a sulfonic acid group as used herein may be defined as a sulfur atom bonded to one , two , or three oxygen atoms . the disclosed materials are not limited to oxidized keratin , as the disulfide bonds may also be broken by reductive techniques that do not result in formation of sulfonic acid groups . after oxidation , a fraction of oxidized keratin is insoluble in aqueous solution at neutral ph . this fraction of the keratin absorbs water and forms a hydrogel upon contact with water . it is an aspect of the present disclosure that the method of drying the insoluble fraction of the keratin affects the structure and function of the insoluble material . for example , removing the residual water from the structure by sublimation , as in freeze - drying , for example , results in an expanded , highly absorbent material . this structure is shown in fig1 b and is shown to absorb over 20 times its weight of water to form a hydrogel . because the filament maintains at least partial structural integrity and is highly absorbent , this material is an excellent biomaterial for use in cell scaffolding applications and for the delivery of active agents in wound healing applications , for example . the soluble portion of oxidized hair that is separated from the insoluble absorbent includes alpha keratin from the hair cortex . the oxidized hair is easily dissolved to form keratin solutions with controlled concentrations . further , by the addition of a biocompatible plasticizer , glycerin for example , the solution can be cast into a thin flexible film . as is shown in table 1 , the resultant film was clear and uniform , and was able to absorb 7 - 8 times its weight in water without losing its integrity . considering the incorporation of glycerin into the film , this is excellent absorption capability . the integrity of the films can be further improved with increased crosslinking . preferred uses of the described absorbent and films are as components in a wound dressing or , especially in the case of the absorbent as a tissue engineering cell scaffold for implant applications or for the delivery of pharmaceutically active agents topically , or to a wound or from the surface of an implant , for example . other uses would include as a controlled or sustained release drug delivery material . examples of materials that may be included in the absorbent include , but are not limited to anti - bacterial or antibiotic agents , ointments , or biologics such as growth factors or cytokines , collagens , or glucosaminoglycans . yet another preferred use is in skin care products . the absorbent material is preferably obtained from hair filament and but any source of insoluble or beta - keratin may be used , such as hair , wool , or fur of any mammal as well as claws , hooves , or nails , or even avian products such as feathers or hard keratin materials . in most preferred embodiments , the keratin is obtained from hair or wool including human hair or wool , hair or fur from domestic or agricultural animals . in certain embodiments , it may be advantageous to obtain such products from the hair of a subject who will be subsequently treated with the keratin - derived product . the materials described herein may be produced in various carrier formulations and in various shapes and dimensions including powders , sheets , gels , ointments , lotions , sprays , tablet , lozenge , or the material may be molded into three dimensional objects such as sponges , screws , or in any shape suitable for an implant , including cosmetic implants , or as a tissue expanding material . the disclosed materials may be formed into useful objects such as sheets , bandages , implants , bone screws , spinal cages , etc . either as pure keratin materials or combined with polymeric binders , thickeners , crosslinkers , structural molecules , minerals , ceramics , metals , metal alloys , silicone , and other biocompatible materials . the porous materials described herein are also useful as cell growth or tissue engineering scaffolds and support the growth of many cell or tissue types . for example , the materials may support the growth of keratinocytes , fibroblasts , endothelial cells , osteoblasts , chondrocytes or hepatocytes , either in vitro or in vivo in an implant , or bonded to the surface of an implant . any type of implant mat be coated with the keratin obtained products described herein in order to reduce the inflammatory response to the implant , or to deliver a pharmaceutical or biological agent from the implant . such implants would include , but are not limited to pacemakers , stents , orthopedic implants , urological implants , dental implants , breast implants , and maxillofacial implants . the described materials are also useful in applications in which absorption of liquid is needed , such as in diapers , feminine hygiene products , bandages , for example , or in applications including environmental cleanup , soil amendment , desert reclamation or other areas where there is a need to absorb or maintain large amounts of water or liquid . all of the compositions and methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure . while the compositions and methods of this invention have been described in terms of preferred embodiments , it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations may be applied to the compositions and / or methods and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the methods described herein without departing from the concept , spirit and scope of the invention . more specifically , it will be apparent that certain agents which are both chemically and physiologically related may be substituted for the agents described herein while the same or similar results would be achieved . all such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit , scope and concept of the invention as defined by the appended claims . | 0 |
as shown in fig1 , a data analyzer 10 has a receiver 12 that receives and demodulates the vsb television signal supplied by a vsb transmitter . the receiver 12 , for example , may be a receiver manufactured according to the atsc digital televisions standard a / 53 . as such , the output of the receiver 12 is an mpeg transport stream . the mpeg transport stream from the receiver 12 is provided to a processor 14 such as a post - processor . the processor 14 includes a frame registration find block 16 , a randomization block 18 , a training sequence , fic , and tpc block 20 , an m / h decode block 22 , and a data select block 24 . the processor 14 , for example , may be one or more elements of a computer . the computer for example , may include memory , one or more input devices such as a mouse and / or a keyboard , one or more output devices such as a display and / or a printer , one or more processing elements such as a microprocessor , etc . in this case , the blocks of the processor 14 , for example , may be blocks of code executed by the processor 14 . alternatively , each of the blocks of the processor 14 or various combinations of the blocks of the processor 14 may be hardware and / or firmware such as asics or other ics . the frame registration find block 16 finds the frame registration ( i . e ., location or structure of the frame ) in the mpeg transport stream provided by the receiver 12 . finding frame registration enables the processor 14 to find the location of the mobile data whose value and position in the transport stream frames is to be verified to ensure proper operation of the transmitter . the frame registration find block 16 may find the frame registration in a number of ways . for example , the frame registration find block 16 may locate the training sequence in the mpeg transport stream provided by the receiver 12 . the location of the training sequence in the mpeg transport stream provided by the receiver 12 is predetermined even though the mpeg transport stream provided by the receiver 12 is deinterleaved by the receiver 12 . because the training sequence has a predetermined location in the frame , the frame structure within the mpeg transport stream provided by the receiver 12 is easily determined . alternatively , if the receiver 12 is configured to provide an output corresponding to the frame sync of a frame , the frame registration find block 16 can use the frame sync to easily find the frame structure within the mpeg transport stream provided by the receiver 12 . as another alternative , the frame registration find block 16 can find the pid that identifies the packets containing mobile data . because the mobile data has predetermined locations within the frame , the frame registration find block 16 can use the mobile pid to easily locate the frame structure within the mpeg transport stream provided by the receiver 12 . once the frame structure is located within the mpeg transport stream provided by the receiver 12 , the m / h data in the located frame structure is randomized by the randomization block 18 . the receiver 12 , as one its final processing steps , derandomizes the transport stream . however , the transmitter does not randomize the mobile ( m / h ) data that it transmits . therefore , the mobile data in the transport stream provided by the receiver 12 is not correctly represented . accordingly , the randomization block 18 reverses the derandomization of the mobile data performed by the receiver 12 and returns the mobile data to its correct representation . the randomization block 18 is a byte scrambler . at this point , the processor 14 now knows where some of the mh data is , although the value of this data is not known . because the location of the frame structure is determined by the frame registration find block 16 and because the mobile data is returned to its correct representation by the randomization block 18 , the training sequence , fic , and tpc block 20 is able to locate and strip the training sequence , the fic data , and the tpc data from the transport stream . the fic data essentially indicates the service locations in the mh frame , and the tpc data provides a map that indicates where the main and mobile data are packed into the frame . the tpc data also indicates the sccc ( series concatenated convolutional code ) block mode . the training sequence is useful in training the equalizer of a receiver . the tpc basically indicates to the processor 14 where the m / h data is and how to decode it . the fic indicates to the processor 14 where the programs are in the mobile parades and may repeat several times per frame . however , because neither the tpc nor the fic is actual program data , they are not included in any output stream .) one m / h block of data can constitute a single sccc block or two m / h blocks of data can constitute a single sccc block . the sccc block mode identifies the relationship between the m / h block and the sccc block . if the sccc block mode is equal to ‘ 00 ’ ( separate ), then each sccc block consists of a single m / h block . if the sccc block mode is ‘ 01 ’ ( paired ), then two m / h blocks constitute a single sccc block . the m / h decode block 22 uses the sccc block mode to determine the relationship between the m / h blocks and the sccc blocks in order to decode the m / h data using the sccc . the m / h decode block 22 may also be arranged to perform the functions specified in a / 153 part 2 , section 5 . 3 . 2 to 5 . 3 . 2 . 6 . the data select block 24 selects the m / h payload to be verified . the m / h data to be verified generally includes the tpc data , the fic data , the rs ( reed solomon ) blocks , and / or the training sequence . current receive chips output decoded data and decoded fic data . tpc data is available on a sub - sampled basis . however , it has not been possible to verify the training sequence , m / h rs data , crc data , and m / h tp header data . similarly , it has not been possible to verify every instance of tpc data or the proper value and placement of fic data . for debugging purposes , it is important to have available the raw data stream so that the robust coders and parameter signaling of the transmitter can be verified . the data select block 24 outputs this raw data stream so that the robust coders and parameter signaling of the transmitter can be verified . thus , the data select block 24 selects all of the data in the raw data stream provided by the m / h decode block 22 . alternatively , the data select block 24 can select a sub - set of the data available in the raw data stream provided by the m / h decode block 22 . for example , it may not be desired to verify the reed solomon and crc data . if this is the case , the data select block 24 need not select this data . also , the m / h decode block need not decode the non - selected data . an analyzer 26 analyzes the selected data provided by the data select block 24 to determine if the selected data has been properly placed in the frame . as shown in fig2 , a combined main / mobile receiver 30 is arranged to receive both main data ( data that has not received the robust extra coding that the mobile data receives ) and mobile data ( data that has received the robust extra coding ). previously , separate main and mobile receivers were necessary to receive both main and mobile data . the combined main / mobile receiver 30 , for example , includes the same receiver and processor as in fig1 and , hence , the same reference numerals are used to designate common elements . accordingly , the combined main / mobile receiver 30 includes the receiver 12 and the processor 14 of fig1 . also , the processor 14 includes the frame registration find block 16 , the randomization block 18 , the training sequence , fic , and tpc block 20 , the m / h decode block 22 , and a data select block 24 . for main reception , the mpeg - 2 transport packet output of the receiver 12 is provided to an mpeg - 2 decoder 32 that uses the decoding specified in the atsc a / 53 standard to decode the main data and that provides the mpeg - 2 decoded data to a television monitor 34 . packets not relevant to the chosen program ( such as mobile data ) are ignored . for m / h reception , the data select block 24 selects and provides the m / h data to an mpeg - 4 decoder 36 that uses the decoding specified in the atsc a / 153 standard to decode the m / h data and that provides the mpeg - 4 decoded data to the television monitor 34 . in this way , the user of the television monitor 34 has the option of displaying main data or m / h data on the same television monitor and does not need separate receivers to be able to receive both main and m / h data . ( both the mobile receiver and the main receiver have a cpu to process the table data ( psip ) to determine what data in the stream is relevant to the current program . the stream entering the mpeg - 2 decoder is not scrambled or coded , it is the mpeg - 2 transport stream .) certain modifications of the present invention have been discussed above . other modifications of the present invention will occur to those practicing in the art of the present invention . accordingly , the description of the present invention is to be construed as illustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the best mode of carrying out the invention . the details may be varied substantially without departing from the spirit of the invention , and the exclusive use of all modifications which are within the scope of the appended claims is reserved . | 7 |
the following description is of the best presently contemplated mode of carrying out the invention . this description is made for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention and is not to be taken in a limiting sense . the scope of the invention is best determined by reference to the appended claims . fig1 is a block diagram of the flip - flop 6 of the present invention . the flip - flop is a cmos transfer gate flip - flop with q tied to the data input , as in a standard divide - by - 2 circuit . in a divide - by - 2 operation , the q output will be equal to one - half of the frequency of a clock signal c applied to the clock input ck . however , the flip - flop may be operated in either a divide - by - 1 mode or a divide - by - 2 mode , with the propagation delay through a circuit being the same in both modes . switching between the two modes is implemented by appropriately setting the flip - flop &# 39 ; s sets and resets , labeled sm , ss , rm and rs which may be controlled independently . fig2 shows the circuit configuration of the flip - flop illustrated in fig1 . following the output q to the input line , the signal is passed to a first transfer gate 10 , which is supplied with a clock signal c and its inverse c ( provided from an inverter 8 shown in fig1 ). in the configuration shown , the first transfer gate 10 will be in an open or data passing condition often being presented with a rising edge on the inverse clock signal c . the signal from the first transfer gate 10 is then passed to a first nand gate 12 , whose other input is the inverse reset master signal . the output of the nand gate 12 is passed to a second transfer gate 14 and also to a second nand gate 16 . the second input to the nand gate 16 is the inverse set master signal . the output of the nand gate 16 is supplied to a third transfer gate 18 . the output of the transfer gate 18 is coupled to the line from the first transfer gate 10 to the input of nand gate 12 . the second transfer gate 14 and the third transfer gate 18 are supplied with the clock and inverse clock signals so that both are open when the clock signal is high , directly opposite to the operation of the first transfer gate 10 . the output of the third transfer gate 14 is supplied to the nand gate 20 . the same input line to nand gate 20 also is coupled to the output of a fourth transfer gate 22 . the clock and inverse clock inputs to the transfer gates 14 and 22 are provided such that the transfer gates alternately open and close , so that only one transfer gate at any one time is passing a signal to the nand gate 20 . the other input of the nand gate 20 is the inverse set slave signal , ss . the output of the nand gate 20 serves as the output signal q of the flip - flop . the output of the nand gate 20 is also supplied to a nand gate 24 , which is also supplied with an inverse reset slave signal , rs . the output of the last nand gate 24 constitutes the inverse flip - flop output signal q and is also supplied as the input to the fourth transfer gate 22 . the inverse output signal is , of course , also tied to the data input of the flip - flop . as noted above , the circuit of fig1 may be placed in a divide - by - 1 mode or a divide - by - 2 mode by selectively setting the set and reset signals . in order to place the flip - flop circuit in the divide - by - 1 mode , the inverse set master and inverse reset slave signals are set to a low level , while the inverse reset master and inverse set slave signals are set to a high value . in order to select the divide - by - 2 mode , all signals are set to high . in the divide - by - 1 mode , the output signal simply follows the clock input . this may be seen by comparing fig3 ( a ) with fig3 ( c ). in the divide - by - 1 mode , the signals sm and rs are at low levels . therefore , the output of the first nand gate 12 and last nand gate 24 , respectively , are always high . with this in mind , it is easily seen that the first transfer gate 10 and third transfer gate 18 will always be passing a logic high signal . therefore , for purposes of determining the output q , one need only examine the transfer gates 14 and 22 . the third transfer gate 14 will always have as its input a logic low signal while the last transfer gate 22 will always have as its input a logic high signal . when the clock signal presents a rising edge , the third transfer gate 14 will go open and will pass its logic low signal to nand gate 20 resulting in a rising edge on the output signal . conversely , when the clock signal presents a falling edge ( a rising edge on the inverse clock signal ) to the transfer gate 22 , it will pass its logic high signal to nand gate 20 resulting in an output signal q of a falling edge . thus , as shown in fig3 ( c ), the output signal q follows the input or clock signal . in the divide - by - 2 mode , there are two circuit states that must be examined in determining the q output signal . these two states correspond to whether the preceding q value was a logic low or a logic high . fig3 ( d ) shows the case where q is initially at a logic low and fig3 ( e ) shows the case where the signal q is initially logic high . because the flip flop is in the divide - by - 2 mode , the frequency of each signal is one - half the frequency of the input signal or clock signal . in each case , a rising edge on the clock signal initiates a transition on the output signal q . once again , when analyzing the output signal q at these transition times , one may simply examine the transfer gates 14 and 22 . the first condition to be analyzed will be the condition where q is a logic low . at the next rising edge on the clock pulse , the q signal will transition to a logic high . also after the next rising edge of the clock signal , the transfer gate 14 will be in an open condition . it should be appreciated that transfer gates that close , and also the state of their inputs , also affect the output . in order to transition to a logic high q signal , the transfer gate 14 must be selecting a logic low signal . conversely , if the q signal was previously a logic low , it is obvious that the transfer gate 22 must have passed a logic high signal to the nand gate 20 . this is precisely the circuit environment in the divide - by - 1 mode . therefore , in the rising edge propagation , the divide - by - 1 and the divide - by - 2 with the case of a preceding logic low q output signal are identical . a phased - lock loop ( pll ) may be constructed to use only one edge of the vco output during velocity lock . that edge may be chosen to be the rising edge . therefore , for this application , ( a divide - by - n output ), the concern is with the rising edge propagation on a low to high transition on the output signal q . one needn &# 39 ; t be concerned with the second case of a high - to - low transition on the output signal . because the circuit environment for the divide - by - 1 and divide - by - 2 for the low - to - high transition are identical , there can be no phase step in changing between one mode and the other . therefore , the present invention is ideally suited to the pll application where a phase step is undesirable . the invention is useful in a much more general sense , as well , in any application where a circuit must be provided wherein there are two functional modes , one using a standard d flip - flop in normal clocked operation , with any operational circuitry connected to its d input , with a specific clock to output rising edge propagation delay , and a second mode wherein the external circuitry forces the d input to a static high level , the flip - flop is set to &# 34 ; pass through &# 34 ; mode , and exactly the same clock to output rising edge propagation delay is achieved . the invention can be generalized from rising edge to rising edge propagation delay , to a substitution of rising to falling , falling to rising , and falling to falling , simply by placing inverters before the clock input or after the q output . the invention is also useful when two separate , simultaneously operating paths must be matched as closely as possible in delay , e . g . a clock signal simultaneously drives a flip - flop in the divide - by - 1 mode , and an identical copy of that flip - flop in the divide - by - 2 mode , with the resultant pair of clock signals exactly in phase . | 7 |
fig3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the present invention integrated circuit pll 100 including an active filter 102 with programmable bandwidth ranges . generally , the invention describes the circuit implementation details of the active filter components , loop stability considerations , programmable features for selecting the bandwidth range ( low or high ) and filter mode ( external or internal ). specifically , the invention describes a programmable filter network 104 that includes a selectable r 1 resistance 106 that is a network of resistors and switches , and a selectable parallel r 2 / c 1 network 108 that is a network of resistors , capacitors in parallel with the resistors , and switches . unlike multiplexor networks however , the resistor and capacitor values are chosen for cooperation between networks 106 and 108 . that is , the networks 106 / 108 are commanded to work in one of three pre - configured arrangement of components . as explained in detail below , the filter network 104 can be used in conjunction with external resistors and capacitors to extend the bandwidth range selection . the active filter 102 comprises a single - ended amplifier 110 having an input and an output . the filter network 104 has a first port on lo line 112 to accept an input signal , a second port connected to the amplifier input on line 114 , a third port coupled to the amplifier output on line 116 , and a fourth port to accept bandwidth range commands on line 118 . the filter network 102 supplies a plurality of pll bandwidth ranges in response to the bandwidth range commands . as noted above , the selectable r 1 resistance 106 and selectable parallel r 2 / c 1 network cooperate by automatically configuring themselves into one of three basic bandwidth ranges in response to the bandwidth range commands on line 118 . the bandwidth range commands are typically provided from a user configurable register . more specifically , when the filter network 102 accepts an external mode , low bandwidth range command , a large value of r 1 resistance is supplied between the first and second ports on lines 112 and 114 , respectively . simultaneously , a small value of r 2 resistance is supplied between the second port on line 114 and the third port coupled to line 116 , and a large c 1 capacitance is supplied in parallel to the r 2 resistance . details of the selectable r 1 resistor 106 and selectable r 2 / c 1 network 108 are provided below . when the filter network 102 accepts an external mode , high bandwidth range command , a low value of r 1 resistance is supplied between the first and second ports on lines 112 and 114 , respectively . simultaneously , a large value of r 2 resistance is supplied between the second port on line 114 and the third port coupled to line 116 , and a small c 1 capacitance is supplied in parallel to the r 2 resistance . the filter network 102 accepts a plurality of internal mode , high bandwidth range commands . in response to the plurality of internal , high bandwidth range commands a corresponding plurality of r 1 resistances are supplied between the first and second ports on lines 112 and 114 , respectively . simultaneously , a low ( fixed ) value of r 2 resistance is supplied between the second port on line 114 and the third port coupled to line 116 , and a large ( fixed ) value of c 1 capacitance is supplied in parallel to the r 2 resistance . since no external components are selected in this mode of operation , optimal noise performance is obtained . fig4 is a schematic diagram of the selectable r 1 resistor 106 of fig3 . the selectable r 1 resistor 106 includes a first resistor 120 , shown surrounded by dotted lines , with a plurality of selectable series resistors . the first resistor 120 has an input connected to the first port of the filter network on line 112 , and the first resistor 120 has an output . a second resistor 122 has an input connected to the output of the first resistor 120 and an output connected to the second port of the filter network on line 114 . a first switch 124 has an input connected to the first port of the filter network on line 112 and an output connected to the output of the first resistor 120 . in one aspect of the invention , the first switch 124 , and the switches introduced below , are implemented with p - channel and n - channel transistors with differential select signals . the first resistor 120 includes a third resistor 126 having an input connected to the input of first switch 124 and an output . a fourth resistor 128 has an input connected to the output of the third resistor 126 and the fourth resistor 128 has an output . a fifth resistor 130 has an input connected to the output of the fourth resistor 128 and the fifth resistor 130 has an output . a sixth resistor 132 has an input connected to the output of the fifth resistor 130 and the sixth resistor 132 has an output . a seventh resistor 134 has an input connected to the output of the sixth resistor 132 and the seventh resistor 134 has an output . an eighth resistor 136 has an input connected to the output of the seventh resistor 134 and the eighth resistor 136 has an output . a ninth resistor 138 has an input connected to the output of the eighth resistor 136 and the ninth resistor 138 has an output connected to the input of the second resistor 122 . a second switch 140 has an input connected to the input of the fourth resistor 128 and an output connected to the output of the fourth resistor 128 . a third switch 142 has an input connected to input of the sixth resistor 132 and an output connected to the output of the seventh resistor 134 . a fourth switch 144 has an input connected to input of the seventh resistor 134 and an output connected - to the output of the eighth resistor 136 . a dotted line is shown connecting sixth resistor 132 and seventh resistor 134 . the dotted line is intended to represent that additional resistors could be added between the sixth resistor 132 and the seventh resistor 134 in other aspects of the invention . likewise , additional switches could be added to connect these additional resistors ( not shown ) to create further r 1 resistance combinations . the network has the three fundamental select modes . when the filter network receives an external mode , low bandwidth range command , it is desirable to have a large value of r 1 resistance . therefore , the first switch 124 is opened . likewise , the second , third , and fourth switches 140 / 142 / 144 are opened . when the external mode , high bandwidth range command is received on line 118 ( see fig3 ), a lower value of r 1 is required . therefore , the first switch 124 is closed , and the r 1 value is approximately equal to the resistance of the second resistor 122 and the resistance across the first switch 124 . the internal mode , high bandwidth range command is actually a plurality of commands which selectively control the operation of the first switch 124 , second switch 140 , third switch 142 , and fourth switch 144 . the first switch 124 is open in all cases . combining the opening and closing of the second , third , and fourth switches 140 / 142 / 144 creates a plurality of r 1 resistances corresponding to the number of internal mode , high bandwidth range commands . fig5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the selectable parallel r 2 resistance / c 1 capacitance network 108 of fig3 . the selectable parallel r 2 resistance / c 1 capacitance network 108 includes a tenth resistor 200 having an input connected to the second port of the selectable filter network on line 114 and an output . a multi - pole network 202 has an input connected to output of the tenth resistor 200 and an output . an eleventh resistor 204 has an input connected to the output of the multi - pole network 202 and an output connected to the third port of the filter network . a second capacitor 206 has an input connected to the second port of the filter network on line 114 and an output connected to the third port of the filter network . a fifth switch 208 has an input connected to the output of the tenth resistor 200 and an output connected to the output of the multi - pole network 202 . a sixth switch 210 has an input connected to the second port of the filter network on line 114 and an output . a third capacitor 212 has an input connected to the output of the sixth switch 210 and an output . a seventh switch 214 has an input connected to the output of the third capacitor 212 and an output connected to the third port of the filter network . the multi - pole network 202 includes a twelfth resistor 216 having an input connected to the output of the tenth resistor 200 and an output . a thirteenth resistor 218 has an input connected to the output of the twelfth resistor 216 and an output . a fourteenth resistor 220 has an input connected to the output of the thirteenth resistor 218 and an output . a fifteenth resistor 222 has an input connected to the output of the fourteenth resistor 220 and an output connected to the input of the eleventh resistor 204 . a fourth capacitor 224 has an input connected to the input of the thirteenth resistor 218 and an output connected to the third port of the filter network . a fifth capacitor 226 has an input connected to the input of the fifteenth resistor 222 and an output connected to the third port of the filter network . when the filter network accepts an external mode , low bandwidth range command at the fourth port , the fifth switch 208 is closed to minimize the r 2 resistance . note , the resistance of the fifth switch 208 is small relative to the resistance of the tenth resistor 200 and the eleventh resistor 204 . the sixth switch 210 and the seventh switch 214 are closed to maximize the c 1 capacitance . the addition of a large c 1 capacitance insures closed loop stability of the amplifier 110 . the total resistance is the result of the tenth resistor 200 , the eleventh resistor 204 , and the resistance of the fifth switch 208 . the total capacitance is the result of the second capacitor 206 and the third capacitor 212 , which has significantly more capacitance than the second capacitor 206 . this allows independent control of the opamp 110 closed - loop compensation in the external mode , low bandwidth range mode without interfering with the high bandwidth range mode phase - locked loop system stability . the value of the third capacitor 212 is optimized with the worst - case closed loop opamp 110 stability considerations . when the filter network accepts an external mode , high bandwidth range command at the fourth port , the fifth switch 208 is opened to maximize the r 2 resistance . the sixth switch 210 and the seventh switch 214 are opened for the reduction of the c 1 capacitance needed to insure amplifier 110 closed loop stability . for pll closed loop stability , a series of relatively high frequency poles are created , optimally placed as explained below . one high frequency pole is created with the cooperation of second capacitor 206 with the combined resistance value of the tenth resistor 200 , the twelfth resistor 216 , the thirteenth resistor 218 , the fourteenth resistor 220 , the fifteenth resistor 222 , and the eleventh resistor 204 . a second high frequency pole is created by the cooperation of fourth capacitor 224 and the combined resistance of the thirteenth resistor 218 , the fourteenth resistor 220 , the fifteenth resistor 222 , and the eleventh resistor 204 . a third high frequency pole is created by the cooperation of the fifth capacitor 226 and the combined resistance of the fifteenth resistor 222 and the eleventh resistor 204 . the optimum placement for the capacitors is dictated by the highest bandwidth range target and the worst - case pll phase margin considerations . the high frequency poles for the pll are generally intended to improve the stability of the amplifier 110 in the closed loop , and do not interfere with the pll stability . the dotted lines shown connecting the thirteenth resistor 218 and the fourteenth resistor 220 are intended to represent the potential for the addition of resistors and capacitors , to place additional high frequency poles . when the filter network also accepts internal mode , high bandwidth range commands at the fourth port , the fifth switch 208 , the sixth switch 210 , and seventh switch 214 are closed to minimize the r 2 resistance but maximize the c 1 capacitance . the compensation scheme utilized for the external mode , low bandwidth range works for this mode with the same of value of r 2 and the programmable r 1 configuration described above . returning to fig3 a sixth capacitor 300 is included having an input connected to the third port of the filter network and an output connected to the amplifier output on line 116 . in addition , an eighth switch 302 has an input connected to the third port of the filter network and an output connected to an external ic port . a seventh capacitor 304 , external to the integrated circuit 100 , has an input connected to the output of the eighth switch 302 and an output . a ninth switch 306 has an input connected to an external ic port to interface with the output of the sixth capacitor 304 . the ninth switch 306 has output connected to the output of the amplifier on line 116 . the eighth switch 302 and the ninth switch 306 are closed in response to the external mode , low bandwidth range command to control the damping factor . likewise , the eighth switch 302 and the ninth switch 306 are closed in response to the external mode , high bandwidth range command to improve and control the damping factor . a sixteenth resistor 308 is included in some aspects of the invention , having an input connected to the amplifier output on line 116 and an output . a tenth switch 310 has an input connected to the output of the amplifier on line 116 and an output connected to the output of the sixteenth resistor 308 . the tenth switch is opened , to include the sixteenth resistor 308 , in response to external mode , low bandwidth range and external mode , high bandwidth range commands . together , the sixteenth resistor 308 and an optionally connected seventeenth resistor 316 , external to the ic 100 , form an attenuation network . because seventeenth resistor 316 is an external component , bandwidths can be targeted in the range from tenths of khz to hundreds of khz in the external mode , low bandwidth range . likewise , when the external mode , high bandwidth range command is given , the seventeenth resistor 316 is used . the tenth switch 310 is opened , and sixteenth resistor 308 and seventeenth resistor 316 form an attenuation network . bandwidths in the range from mhz onwards to tens of mhz are possible in this configuration . in some aspects of the invention when an internal mode , high bandwidth command is used , the tenth switch 310 is closed to bypass the sixteenth resistor 308 . in these circumstances the seventeenth resistor is typically not used . the attenuation network formed by the sixteenth resistor 308 and the seventeenth resistor 316 , connected between the amplifier 110 output and an input to a voltage controlled oscillator 318 , is bypassed . that is , the external attenuation factor a is equal to one . fig6 is a schematic diagram of the present invention selectable pll bandwidth range active filter using a differential signal amplifier 110 and the vco 318 . the amplifier 110 has a positive input connected to the second port of a first filter network 102 on line 114 . the amplifier 110 further includes a negative input connected to line 400 . a second filter network 402 is included having a first port on line 404 to accept an input signal , a second port connected to the amplifier negative input on line 400 , a third port , and a fourth port on line 406 to accept bandwidth range commands . as with the first filter network 102 described above , the second filter network 402 supplies a plurality of active filter bandwidth ranges in response to the bandwidth range commands . the first and second filter networks 102 / 402 provide equivalent resistance and capacitance values simultaneously . capacitor 420 corresponds to sixth capacitor 300 . capacitor 422 corresponds to seventh capacitor 304 . resistor 424 corresponds to sixteenth resistor 308 , resistor 426 corresponds to seventeenth resistor 316 , and capacitor 428 provides an ac ground . fig7 is a flowchart illustrating the present invention method for varying the bandwidth range of an integrated circuit ( ic ) pll active filter including a filter network and an amplifier . although the method is depicted as a sequence of numbered steps for clarity , no order should be inferred from the numbering unless explicitly stated . the method begins at step 500 . step 502 accepts an input signal . step 504 accepts a bandwidth range command . step 506 , in response to the bandwidth range command , selects the value of the r 1 resistance in series to the amplifier input . step 508 selects the value of r 2 resistance from the amplifier output to the amplifier input in cooperation with the r 1 resistance selected in step 506 . step 510 selects the value c 1 capacitance in parallel with the r 2 resistance , in cooperation with the r 1 resistance selected in step 506 and the r 2 resistance selected in step 508 . in some aspects of the invention , accepting a bandwidth range command in step 504 includes accepting an external mode , low bandwidth range command . then , selecting an r 1 resistance in step 506 includes selecting a large value of the r 1 resistance in series to the amplifier input . selecting an r 2 resistance in step 508 includes selecting a small value of r 2 resistance from the amplifier output to the amplifier input . selecting a c 1 capacitance in step 510 includes selecting a large value c 1 capacitance in parallel with the r 2 resistance . in some aspects of the invention an internal sixth capacitor connects the r 2 resistor and the amplifier output , and an external seventh capacitor ( see fig3 ) is included . a further step , step 512 connects the external capacitor between the r 2 resistance and the amplifier output in response to the external mode , low bandwidth range command in step 504 . in some aspects of the invention , a voltage controlled oscillator ( vco ) is included , as well as an external seventeenth resistor having an input connected to the input of the vco and an output connected to ground . then , step 514 connects a sixteenth resistor between the amplifier output and the input of the seventeenth resistor . the sixteenth and seventeenth resistors form an attenuation network between the amplifier output and the vco input . in some aspects of . the invention , accepting a bandwidth range command in step 504 includes accepting an external mode , high bandwidth range command . then , selecting an r 1 resistance in step 506 includes selecting a small value of the r 1 resistance in series to the amplifier input . selecting an r 2 resistance in step 508 includes selecting a large value of r 2 resistance from the amplifier output to the amplifier input . selecting a c 1 capacitance in step 510 includes selecting a small value c 1 capacitance in parallel with the r 2 resistance . step 512 connects the external capacitor between the r 2 resistance and the amplifier output in response to the external mode , high bandwidth range commands in step 504 , and step 514 connects the sixteenth resistor value from the amplifier output to the seventeenth resistor and the vco inputs . in some aspects of the invention , accepting a bandwidth range command in step 504 includes accepting a plurality of internal mode , high bandwidth commands . then , selecting an r 1 resistance in step 506 includes selecting a plurality of r 1 resistances in series to the amplifier input in response to the corresponding plurality of internal mode , high bandwidth commands . selecting an r 2 resistance in step 508 includes selecting a small value of r 2 resistance from the amplifier output to the amplifier input . selecting a c 1 capacitance in step 510 includes selecting a large value c 1 capacitance in parallel with the r 2 resistance . a system and method have been described for a cooperating network of resistor and capacitor components with values and switches which permit the same components to be automatically configured into a plurality of bandwidth ranges . external components are added to further extend the bandwidth range and improve the damping factors . a specific example has been provided of an active filter in the context of a pll circuit . however , the selectable bandwidth range concept of the present invention is applicable to a wider range of uses . other variations and embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art . | 7 |
so that the present invention can be understood in detail , a more particular description of the invention may be had by reference to the embodiments thereof that are illustrated in the drawings . it is to be noted , however , that the drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope , for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments . illustrative embodiments of the invention are described below . in the interest of clarity , not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification . it will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment , numerous implementation - specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers &# 39 ; specific goals , such as compliance with system - related and business - related constraints , which will vary from one implementation to another . moreover , it will be appreciated that such a development effort , even if complex and time - consuming , would be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure . referring now to the drawings and in particular to fig1 and 2 , shown therein and designated by a reference numeral 10 is a free - space optics ( fso ) system 10 constructed in accordance with the present invention . in general , free - space optics ( fso ) is an unlicensed line - of - sight technology that uses a modulated electromagnetic wave , such as an optical beam produced by one or more optical lasers , to transmit information ( i . e ., carried data ) through the atmosphere . the system 10 includes at least two spaced apart transceivers 12 a and 12 b defining a communication channel 14 . the communication channel 14 is used to transmit and receive multi - media data , such as audio , voice , video , and data information between the transceivers 12 a and 12 b . the free space optics system 10 can be used in a variety of applications , such as a last mile network , a temporary network , disaster recovery and emergency services , cellular connectivity , a virtual point - to - multi point network , mobile wireless connectivity , backbone internet connectivity , a satellite uplink connection or outside broadcast applications . the system 10 can also be used to form a part of an air - traffic control system . for example , in the example depicted in fig2 , the system 10 communicates bi - directionally between an airplane 11 and a ground station 13 . in this example , the transceiver 12 a is mounted to the airplane 11 and the transceiver 12 b is mounted to the ground station 13 . alternatively , the system 10 may communicate bi - directionally between two airplanes having one of each transceiver 12 a and 12 b mounted on the airplanes . in another embodiment ( not shown ), the system 10 communicates bi - directionally between two moving vehicles having one of each transceiver 12 a and 12 b mounted on each moving vehicle . transmission of signals using prior art fso systems generally provide high data rate exchange over a secure network , however , such systems are limited in reception as the goal is to provide accurate alignment between two receivers . see , “ free space optics for laser communications through the air ,” d . killinger , optics and photonics news , pp . 36 - 42 , october 2002 , the entire contents of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety . by the construction and design of the fso system 10 as described herein , the fso system 10 provides at least two advantages over prior art systems : 1 ) the current fso system 10 provides a wide receiving angle even when there is no accurate alignment , and 2 ) the fso system 10 provides an auto - tracking mechanism to lock both transceivers 12 a and 12 b together during mobile fso communications . this auto - tracking mechanism can be even used with two fast mobile transceivers 12 a and 12 b . additionally , the fso system 10 provides low manufacturing cost , high tracking accuracy , and low weight for each transceiver 12 a and 12 b , which assist in the installation and use onboard a movable object such as an aircraft . in general , the transceivers 12 a and 12 b are located at each side 16 or 18 of the communication channel 14 . in the example shown in fig1 , the transceiver 12 a is located at the side 16 of the communication channel 14 , and the transceiver 12 b is located at the side 18 of the communication channel 14 . each transceiver 12 a and 12 b has a receiving part and a transmitting part . in particular , the transceiver 12 a has a receiving part 20 a and a transmitting part 21 a . in the same regard , the transceiver 12 b has a receiving part 20 b and a transmitting part 21 b . the transmitting part 21 a of the transceiver 12 a directs a first electromagnetic wave 22 across the communication channel 14 to the receiving part 20 b of the transceiver 12 b . likewise , the transmitting part 21 b of the transceiver 12 b directs a second electromagnetic wave 24 across the communication channel 14 to the receiving part 20 a of the transceiver 12 a . it should be noted that the designation of “ first ” and “ second ” does not necessarily imply a temporal relationship between the first electromagnetic wave 22 and the second electromagnetic wave 24 as described herein . fig3 is a block diagram of an exemplary transceiver 12 a of the fso system 10 constructed in accordance with the present invention . it should be understood that the transceivers 12 a and 12 b are similar in construction and function . thus , only the construction of the transceiver 12 a will be discussed in detail hereinafter . in general , the transceiver 12 a includes the receiving part 20 a , a controller 28 a , at least one steering device 36 a , and the transmitting part 21 a . in the preferred embodiment , the transceiver 12 a also includes at least one steering device 36 a . it should be noted , however , that the steering device 36 a may be a separate component distinguishable from the transceiver 12 a . the receiving part 20 a of transceiver 12 a includes an array of electromagnetic wave sensors 32 and a receiving lens 34 . the receiving lens 34 receives the second electromagnetic wave 24 and provides a focused electromagnetic wave 38 to the array of electromagnetic wave sensors 32 . the array of electromagnetic wave sensors 32 receives the focused electromagnetic wave 38 and generates a sensor output signal 40 . the sensor output signal 40 is provided to the controller 28 a of the transceiver 12 a . the controller 28 a analyzes the sensor output signal 40 and provides a first control signal 41 to the steering device 36 . the controller 28 a analyzes the sensor output signal 40 and provides a first control signal 43 to the steering device 36 . the controller 28 a may also provide a second control signal 41 to the transmitting part 21 a to control the optical output power of the electromagnetic wave being transmitted and / or to control an integral electronic steering device ( not shown ) included within the transmitting part 21 a . the transmitting part 21 a includes a source of modulated electromagnetic energy 30 that can be implemented in a variety of manners , such as an led , laser and / or the like . it should be noted that the modulated electromagnetic energy 30 may be transmitted through the receiving lens 34 of the transceiver 12 a . in this regard , the receiving lens 34 would have a dual function of receiving the second electromagnetic wave 24 and transmitting the first electromagnetic wave 22 . the receiving part 20 a and the transmitting part 21 a of the transceiver 12 a are preferably mounted next to each other in a way that provides the functionality needed to steer the transmitting beam in addition to steering the receiving part 20 a . as illustrated in fig4 , the mounting of the receiving part 20 a and the transmitting part 21 a may include a housing 50 . other elements of the transceiver 12 a , such as the controller 28 a and / or steering device 36 , may also be positioned in or on the housing 50 , or can be separate from or remote from such housing 50 . it should be noted , the transmitting part 21 a of the transceiver 12 a and the receiving part 20 a of the transceiver 12 a may be separated . fig5 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the receiving part 20 a of the transceiver 12 a including the receiving lens 32 and the array of electromagnetic wave sensors 32 . the receiving lens 34 may be any type of lens able to provide the focused electromagnetic wave 38 . examples of suitable receiving lens include bi convex , plano - convex , and the like . the array of electromagnetic wave sensors 32 is mounted at the focal plane of the receiving lens 34 to receive the incident focused electromagnetic wave 38 . generally , the array of electromagnetic wave sensors 32 defines a receiving surface 52 . preferably , the array of electromagnetic wave sensors 32 is mounted at a distance substantially equal to the focal length ( f ) of the receiving lens 34 as illustrated in fig5 . as described herein , the focal length ( f ) is the distance from the surface of the receiving lens 34 to its focal point 39 . mounting of the electromagnetic wave sensors 32 at a distance substantially equal to the focal length ( f ) provides for the convergence of the focused electromagnetic waves 38 at the focal point 39 . alternatively , the array of electromagnetic wave sensors 32 is mounted at a pre - determined distance ( d ) and the position of the focused electromagnetic waves 38 can be algorithmically determined . the array of electromagnetic wave sensors 32 receives the focused electromagnetic wave 38 and converts the focused electromagnetic wave 38 into a format capable of being measured , such as , for example , an electric format . examples of suitable electromagnetic wave sensors for use in the array 32 include photosensors , such as photodiodes , phototransistors , charge - coupled devices , a position sensing photodiode , and / or the like . in the preferred embodiment , at least a portion of the array of electromagnetic wave sensors 32 is composed of psds . as described herein , a psd is a photodetector that provides measurements indicative of a variety of factors , such as position , power , spot size and spot shape of an incident optical beam or spot image . the electromagnetic wave sensors 32 detect a variety of factors indicative of the focused electromagnetic wave 38 , such as optical power and position . the electromagnetic wave sensors 32 can measure the optical power at any location within its receiving surface 52 . by using the array of electromagnetic wave sensors 32 , the receiving surface 52 has an area greater than a portion of the receiving surface 52 formed by any single photodetector in the array . reading the optical power at any location at the focal plane ( or away from the focal plane ) allows the receiving lens 34 the ability to receive the electromagnetic waves 22 from any direction . this ability increases the receiving range of the transceiver 12 a as illustrated in fig6 . as illustrated in the schematic diagram of fig7 , the focal point 39 on the array of electromagnetic wave sensors 32 changes depending upon the angle of incidence of the electromagnetic wave 22 relative to the receiving lens 34 . for example , when electromagnetic wave 22 is perpendicularly incident to the receiving lens 34 , the focal point 39 will be desirably located at the center of the receiving surface 52 of the array of electromagnetic wave sensors 32 . alternatively , when the electromagnetic wave 22 is incident on the receiving lens 34 with an angle from the off - axis of the receiving lens 34 , the focused electromagnetic wave 38 will be positioned at a different location from the center according to the value of the receiving angle . as such , the receiving lens 34 will typically concentrate the optical power at the receiving surface 52 of the array of electromagnetic wave sensors 32 at a location specified by the value of the incident angle from the off - axis of the receiving lens 34 . the position readings of this focal point 39 can be used by the controller 28 a to generate control signal 43 to the steering device 26 in order to realign the receiving lens 34 such that the focal point 39 is located at the center of the receiving surface 52 . fig8 illustrates another embodiment of the receiving part 20 a having multiple receiving lenses 34 in a spherical arrangement . the array of electromagnetic wave sensors 32 are mounted at the focal plane of each corresponding receiving lens 34 to receive the incident focused electromagnetic waves 38 . the array of electromagnetic wave sensors 32 also defines a spherical receiving surface 52 a . the sensor output signals 40 produced by the electromagnetic wave sensors 32 are then passed to one or more controllers 28 a ( or associated device ( s ) or system ( s )). the sensor output signals 40 can be passed to the controller 28 a from the electromagnetic wave sensors 32 utilizing any suitable communication link , such as a wired communication link , a wireless communication link , or combinations thereof . the controller 28 a analyzes the signals to demodulate and extract the carried data from the received electromagnetic wave ( i . e ., the electromagnetic wave 24 ). the controller 28 a reads the measured optical power and demodulates the signal according to the modulation scheme used in the fso system 10 . for example , the modulation can be on - off keying modulation or any other type of modulation . the controller 28 a of the free space optical system 10 can also be used to generate one or more control signal 43 according to its position readings to control the steering device 36 of the receiving part 20 a . the controller 28 a communicates the control signal 43 to the steering device 36 using any suitable communication system , such as a wired or wireless communication system . in generating the control signals 41 and / or 43 , the controller 28 a analyzes the measurement of position of the focal point 39 . for example , if position readings obtained by the controller 28 a are ( x , y )=( 1 , 0 ), the generated control signal 41 would direct the steering device 36 to move in the x - direction 1 degree and remain fixed in the y - direction . the steering device 36 directs the electromagnetic wave 24 to the electromagnetic wave sensors 32 through the receiving lens 34 . the steering device 36 can move the receiving lens 34 and / or the electromagnetic wave sensors 32 , or can steer the electromagnetic wave 22 or combinations thereof . additionally , more than one steering device 36 may be used in the receiving part 20 a to direct the electromagnetic wave 24 to the array of electromagnetic sensors 32 . further , it should be understood that the steering devices 36 can have different effects on the incident beam , or the receiving lens 34 . for example , one of the steering devices 36 can be adapted and / or utilized for a coarse adjustment , and another one of the steering devices 36 can be adapted and / or utilized for a fine adjustment . the steering device 36 can be implemented in a variety of manners , such as a motor ( stepper , ac or dc ) a solenoid , a steering mirror or the like . for example , the receiving part 20 a can be provided with two stepper or dc motors installed beneath transceiver 12 a ( or at any suitable location ) to control the direction of where the transceiver 12 a is pointing . the steering device 36 should be installed in a way that provide capabilities of receiving the control signal 43 and directing the transceiver 12 a toward any location in the three dimensional space . for example , the use of a gimbal within the steering device 36 can allow for the free rotation of the transceiver 12 a to tilt freely in any direction . fig9 illustrates one embodiment of the transceiver 12 a in which the steering device 36 includes the use of a gimbal 70 allowing for movement of the receiving part 20 a and the transmitting part 21 a in the x and y directions . the gimbal 70 can be implemented in a variety of manners . for example , the gimbal 70 can be a pan and tilt gimbal , such as a model 20 servo , manufactured by sagebrush technology , inc . of albuquerque , n . mex . a copy of a specification document for the model 20 servo manufactured by sagebrush technology is included in an information disclosure statement filed contemporaneously herewith and is incorporated by reference in its entirety . the controller 28 a of the free space optical system 10 can also be used to generate control signals according to its position readings to control a second steering device 36 b within the transmitting part 21 a . the controller 28 a communicates with the transmitting part 21 a using any suitable communication system , such as a wired or wireless communication system . for example , in one preferred embodiment , the controller 28 a communicates the control signals to the transmitting part 28 a utilizing a transmitter of the receiver part 20 a utilizing an out of band modulated laser beam . alternatively , the controller 28 a of the free space optical system 10 can be used to generate controls signals 41 and 43 to both the receiving and transmitting parts 20 a and 21 a separately . repositioning the receiving and transmitting parts 20 a and 21 a separately can be effective when using one of several available steering technologies , for example , micro - electro - mechanical ( mems )- microlens arrays , galvanometric scanners , optical phased arrays , acousto - optic scanners , and optical phased prism arrays and the like . it should be understood that the controller 28 a can be implemented as any device suitable for performing the functions described above . for example , the controller 28 a can be implemented as a computer system running software adapted to perform the functions described above , and the software and carried data can be stored on one or more computer readable mediums . examples of a computer readable medium include an optical storage device , a magnetic storage device , an electronic storage device , or the like . the term “ computer system ” as used herein means a system or systems that are able to embody and / or execute the logic of the processes described herein . the logic embodied in the form of software instructions or firmware may be executed on any appropriate hardware which may be a dedicated system or systems , or a general purpose computer system , or distributed processing computer system , all of which are well understood in the art , and a detailed description of how to make or use such computers is not deemed necessary herein . when the computer system is used to execute the logic of the processes described herein , such computer ( s ) and / or execution can be conducted at a same geographic location or multiple different geographic locations . furthermore , the execution of the logic can be conducted continuously or at multiple discrete times . contemplated herein is a method of using an fso system 10 . this method generally includes the step of initially determining the location of each transceiver 12 a and 12 b . the locations of each transceiver 12 a and 12 b may be determined using any suitable method such as , for example , through a global positioning system . upon determining the location of each transceiver 12 a and 12 b , the transceivers 12 a and 12 b are directed towards each other to form the communication channel 14 . once the communication channel 14 is formed , the fso system 10 adjusts the positions of the transmitting and receiving parts of both transceivers 12 a and 12 b without having to provide updated location information of each transceiver 12 a and / or 12 b . adjustment of the transceivers 12 a and 12 b maintains the communication channel 14 between the transceivers 12 a and 12 b such that electromagnetic waves 22 and 24 are able to be transmitted and received to the transceivers 12 a and 12 b . this description is intended for purposes of illustration only and should not be construed in a limiting sense . the scope of this invention should be determined only by the language of the claims that follow . the term “ comprising ” within the claims is intended to mean “ including at least ” such that the recited listing of elements in a claim are an open group . “ a ,” “ an ” and other singular terms are intended to include the plural forms thereof unless specifically excluded . | 7 |
to further clarify the objects , the technical solutions , and the advantages of the present invention , detailed descriptions are given below to the implementation of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings . referring to fig1 , a cell reselection method provided in an embodiment of the present invention includes the following steps . in step 001 , a terminal obtains a dedicated priority list from a first system . in step 002 , the terminal performs a cell reselection according to the dedicated priority list when the terminal camps on a cell of a second system . in the above embodiment of the invention , the terminal performs the cell reselection by using the dedicated priority list obtained from the first system . in this way , there is no need for the second system to establish the dedicated priority list . further , the first system may be an lte system and the second system may be a non - lte system in an embodiment of the invention . accordingly , problems in the prior arts that establishment of the dedicated priority list by the non - lte system causes too much increased signaling and too high costs for network upgrade , are solved . further , the terminal in this embodiment may also obtain the valid time of the dedicated priority list from the lte system . before the valid time expires , the terminal camping on a cell of the non - lte system may perform cell reselection according to the dedicated priority list . after the valid time expires , the dedicated priority list is invalid . then , the terminal may perform cell reselection according to a public priority list , or perform cell reselection according to a result measured in accordance with a cell signal quality criterion , or search for a cell of the lte system . further , the above public priority list may be obtained by the terminal from the lte system or the non - lte system . optionally , the terminal may process the public priority list according to an indication which is used to notify the terminal that the non - lte system will not deliver the public priority list and / or notify the terminal to store the public priority list obtained from the lte system . further , the terminal may also perform other processes related to cell reselection according to an indication from the non - lte system . the indication may notify the terminal of any one of ( or the combination of ) the following : ( 1 ) searching for a cell of the lte system when the dedicated priority list is invalid ; ( 2 ) searching for a cell of the lte system when the terminal does not store the dedicated priority list and the public priority list ; and ( 3 ) performing cell reselection according to a result measured in accordance with a cell signal quality criterion when the terminal does not store the dedicated priority list and the public priority list . in an embodiment of the invention , if no dedicated priority list is delivered to the terminal from a umts or geran system , the terminal may use the dedicated priority list obtained from lte system and the time length of the valid time of the dedicated priority list . the terminal may use a public priority list delivered from the umts or geran system . alternatively , if no public priority list is delivered from the umts or geran system , or a public priority list delivered from the umts or geran system is not received , a public priority list obtained from the lte system may be used . when the terminal stores both the dedicated priority list and the public priority list , the dedicated priority list may be used for cell reselection . when the terminal has no dedicated priority list , the public priority list may be used for cell reselection . it should be noted that , umts and geran systems are taken as an example to describe the embodiments of the invention for ease of illustration . the embodiments of the invention are equally applicable to other non - lte systems , for example , the gsm system , the wcdma system , the cdma system , the td - scdma system , or the wimax system . additionally , signal quality of cell reselection , which is one of the performance measurements related to the cell reselection procedure , is taken as an example for illustration in an embodiment of the invention . a priority in the priority list may refer to the priority level of a frequency or a radio access technology ( rat ). it may also refer to the priority level of a frequency band in geran . the priority list may include the priority levels of the frequency of the serving cell , its adjacent frequencies , and the neighboring systems , as well as the priority level assigned for each frequency or frequency band of a neighboring system . in the following embodiments 1 - 4 , the cell reselection procedure is described in a case where the terminal is idle , that is , the terminal is power - on but not activated . in this embodiment , the terminal camps on a cell of an lte system . the lte system may deliver a dedicated priority list via a dedicated signaling and deliver a public priority list in system broadcast information . an umts or geran system may deliver a public priority list . the public priority list delivered in broadcast information of the umts or geran system may indicate a priority as lte & gt ; umts & gt ; geran . a public priority list may be delivered in broadcast information of the lte system . alternatively , the public priority list may be delivered via a dedicated signaling ( for example , a radio resource control ( rrc ) dedicated signaling ) or a non - stratum ( nas ) message when a dedicated rrc connection is established . the delivered public priority list may indicate that lte & gt ; umts & gt ; geran . it can be understood that the above priority lists may indicate the same or different priorities . the dedicated priority list delivered in dedicated signaling of the lte system may indicate that geran & gt ; umts & gt ; lte . referring to fig2 , a method for cell reselection according to embodiment 1 of the invention may include the following steps . in step 101 , when a terminal camps on a cell of an lte system , the terminal obtains a dedicated priority list and a public priority list from the lte network side , and stores the two priority lists . in step 102 , the terminal performs cell reselection according to the obtained dedicated priority list . since the dedicated priority list indicates a priority as geran & gt ; umts & gt ; lte , the terminal in the cell of the lte system reselects and enters into a cell of a geran system . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the terminal in the cell of the lte system will reselects and camps on the cell of the geran system according to the dedicated priority list . if signal quality of the cell of the geran system does not meet the signal quality criterion , the terminal in the cell of the geran system performs a cell reselection again according to the dedicated priority list so as to reselect and enters into a cell of an umts system . in step 103 , the terminal obtains a public priority list from the umts or geran network side and stores the public priority list . in step 104 , the terminal in the cell of the umts or geran system obtains an indication from the umts or geran system broadcast information . the indication is delivered periodically in the system broadcast information from the umts or geran network side . the indication indicates whether the public priority list delivered from the umts or geran system is usable or not . in this embodiment , for example , the indication shows that the public priority list delivered from the umts or geran system is usable . it can be understood that the delivery of the indication in the system broadcast information from the umts or geran network side is not limited by whether the terminal is in the cell of the umts or geran system . in step 105 , the above indication notifies the terminal that the public priority list delivered from the umts or geran network side is usable . then , the terminal deletes the public priority list obtained from the lte system . the above deletion of the public priority list obtained from the lte system by the terminal is optional . alternatively , the terminal may label the public priority list obtained from the lte system as “ unusable ”, rather than deleting the list . in step 106 , before the signal quality of the current cell decreases to a certain level , the terminal in the cell of the umts or geran system may perform cell reselection according to the dedicated priority list obtained from the lte system until the dedicated priority list is invalid . the invalidation of the dedicated priority list may be implemented by setting a timer . in other words , a valid time of the dedicated priority list is set by a timer and the timer starts when the terminal obtains the dedicated priority list . before the timer expires , the dedicated priority list is geran & gt ; umts & gt ; lte . thus , the terminal will attempt to reselect a cell of the lte system only when the signal quality of the current cell decreases to a certain level ( for example , when it is lower than a preset threshold value ). the valid time of the dedicated priority list may be delivered to the terminal by an evolved base station ( enodeb ) via a rrc dedicated signaling , for example , an rrc connection release message , or may be delivered in a non - access stratum ( nas ) message to the terminal by a cn node . before the timer expires , the terminal camps on a cell which has the highest priority shown in the dedicated priority list . at this time , the terminal decides whether to perform cell reselection according to signal quality of the cell . when the signal quality of the cell decreases to a preset threshold , the terminal may perform cell reselection . in step 107 , when the dedicated priority list is invalid , the terminal stops using the dedicated priority list and deletes the dedicated priority list . the terminal uses the public priority list for cell reselection . since the priority shown in the public priority list is lte & gt ; umts & gt ; geran , the terminal reselects a cell of the lte system . in step 108 ( not shown in fig2 ), when the terminal camps on a cell of the lte system , the terminal obtains a new dedicated priority list and a valid time of the new dedicated priority list from the network side via a tracing area ( ta ) update or a periodical ta update procedure . in this embodiment , step 103 is optional . in other words , the umts or geran network side may deliver no public priority list , and the terminal uses the public priority list obtained from the lte system . in this embodiment , step 104 is optional . if no indication is delivered in the umts or geran system broadcast information , the terminal and the network side defaults that the umts or geran delivers the public priority list in the system broadcast information and the public priority list is usable . in this embodiment , the terminal performs cell reselection by using the dedicated priority list obtained from the lte system and the valid time of the dedicated priority list . this is applicable to the case in which the umts or geran system delivers no dedicated priority list to the terminal . when there is no dedicated priority list , the terminal performs cell reselection by using the public priority list obtained from the lte system or delivered from the umts or geran system . in this embodiment , the terminal uses the dedicated priority list obtained from the lte system for cell reselection so that the non - lte system may be freed from establishment of the dedicated priority list . problems in the prior arts that establishment of the dedicated priority list by the non - lte system causes too much increased signaling and too high costs for network upgrade , are solved . in this embodiment , a terminal camps on a cell of an umts or geran system , and the umts or geran system delivers a public priority list . accordingly , the terminal can only obtain the public priority list from the umts or geran system broadcast information and stores the public priority list . the terminal cannot obtain a dedicated priority list and a public priority list delivered from the lte system . the public priority list delivered from the umts or geran system broadcast information indicates that the priority is lte & gt ; umts & gt ; geran . when the terminal enters into a cell of the lte system , the lte system delivers a public priority list in the system broadcast information . the public priority list delivered in the lte system broadcast information indicates that the priority is lte & gt ; umts & gt ; geran . the dedicated priority list delivered in the lte system via a dedicated signaling , the dedicated priority list indicates that the priority is geran & gt ; umts & gt ; lte . when the terminal camps on a cell of the umts or geran system , the terminal performs cell selection after power - on or move back from a non - coverage area to a coverage area . for example , the terminal camps on a cell of the umts or geran system before power - off . when the terminal is power - off , information about the cell of the umts or geran system is stored . when the terminal is power - on , the terminal searches for a cell of the umts or geran system . when there is a suitable cell in the umts or geran system , the terminal camps on the suitable cell . alternatively , when the terminal stores no information about the cell of the umts or geran system , or when the terminal moves back from a non - coverage area to a coverage area , the terminal selects and camps on a cell of the umts or geran system after power - on . a method for cell reselection in embodiment 2 of the invention may include the following steps . in step 201 , a terminal obtains a public priority list from an umts or geran system broadcast information and stores the priority list . in step 202 , the terminal performs cell reselection according to the above public priority list . since the priority of the public priority list is lte & gt ; umts & gt ; geran , the terminal reselects a cell of an lte system . in step 203 , when the terminal enters into a cell of the lte system , the terminal obtains a dedicated priority list from the network side of the lte system via a ta update procedure or a periodical ta update procedure or a traffic setup and release procedure . after obtaining the dedicated priority list , the terminal reselects a cell of the geran system according to the dedicated priority list . those skilled in the art can understand that the subsequent steps 204 - 208 of this embodiment are similar to steps 104 - 108 of embodiment 1 after the terminal enters into the cell of the geran system . thus , no repeated description is made here . it is optional whether the umts or geran delivers an indication in the system broadcast information . this embodiment differs from the previous embodiment in that : when the terminal camps on the cell of the umts or geran system ; the umts or geran system delivers no dedicated priority list to the terminal , but may deliver a public priority list to the terminal ; the terminal may use the public priority list to reselect a cell of the lte system ; the dedicated priority list delivered from the lte system may be obtained , and cell reselection may be performed once more . in this embodiment , the terminal performs cell reselection by using the dedicated priority list obtained from the lte system and the valid time of the dedicated priority list . this is applicable to the case in which the umts or geran system delivers no dedicated priority list to the terminal . when there is no dedicated priority list , the terminal performs cell reselection by using the public priority list obtained from the lte system or delivered from the umts or geran system . due to the fact that the terminal performs cell reselection by using the dedicated priority list obtained from the lte , the non - lte system may be freed from establishment of the dedicated priority list . problems in the prior arts that establishment of the dedicated priority list by the non - lte system causes too much increased signaling and too high costs for network upgrade , are solved . in this embodiment , a terminal camps on a cell of an lte system . the lte system may deliver a dedicated priority list via a dedicated signaling and deliver a public priority list in system broadcast information . an umts or geran system delivers no public priority list . the public priority list delivered in the lte system broadcast information may indicate a priority as lte & gt ; umts & gt ; geran , and the dedicated priority list deliver via the lte dedicated signaling may indicate a priority as geran & gt ; umts & gt ; lte . a method for cell reselection in this embodiment may include the following steps . in step 301 , a terminal camps on a cell of the lte system . the terminal has obtained a dedicated priority list and a public priority list from the lte network side , and has stored the two priority lists . in step 302 , after obtaining the priority lists , the terminal performs cell reselection according to the dedicated priority list . since the dedicated priority list indicates a priority as geran & gt ; umts & gt ; lte , the terminal in the cell of the lte system reselect and enters into a cell of a geran system . in step 303 , the terminal obtains an indication from the umts or geran system broadcast information . the above indication is delivered from the umts or geran network side to the terminal in the system broadcast information , used to indicate that the umts or geran system delivers no public priority list . then , the terminal retains the public priority list obtained from the lte . in step 304 , the above indication notifies the terminal that the umts or geran will not deliver any usable public priority list , and the terminal retains the public priority list obtained from the lte . the indication is not limited to the above contents , and may include some extended contents as follows . ( 1 ) the terminal is notified to perform a periodical search for a cell of the lte system when the dedicated priority list obtained from the lte system is invalid and is deleted . ( 2 ) the terminal is notified to perform a cell reselection procedure by using an existing cell reselection criterion when no priority information is stored . in other words , the terminal uses the existing cell reselection criterion which makes measurement and comparison according to a signal quality criterion . during implementation , a bit included in the indication may be used to determine one of the three contents included in the above indication . alternatively , three choices may be provided at the same time via two bits included in the indication . in the above solution , step 303 is a mandatory step . when the terminal learns from the indication that the umts or geran system will not deliver any available public priority list and the terminal has not stored any public priority list , the terminal may perform subsequent operations according to the extended contents of the above indication . steps 305 - 307 of this embodiment are similar to steps 106 - 108 of embodiment 1 , and thus no repeated description is made here . in this embodiment , after the terminal enters into a cell of the umts or geran system , the umts or geran system will not deliver a public priority list . the terminal performs subsequent actions according to the indication delivered from the umts or geran system or the public priority list obtained from lte system and stored at the terminal . in this embodiment , the terminal performs cell reselection by using the dedicated priority list obtained from the lte system . thus , the non - lte system may be freed from establishment of the dedicated priority list . problems in the prior arts that establishment of the dedicated priority list by the non - lte system causes too much increased signaling and too high costs for network upgrade , are solved . meanwhile , in the case that the terminal receives no public priority list delivered from the non - lte system , subsequent actions may be performed by using the dedicated priority list obtained from the lte system or according to the received indication , which improves the flexibility for cell reselection . in this embodiment , a terminal camps on a cell of an umts or geran system . the umts or geran system will not deliver a public priority list . an lte system may deliver a dedicated priority list via a dedicated signaling , and deliver a public priority list in system broadcast information . the public priority list delivered from the lte system broadcast information indicates a priority as lte & gt ; umts & gt ; geran . the dedicated priority list delivered via the lte dedicated signaling indicates a priority as geran & gt ; umts & gt ; lte . a method for cell reselection in this embodiment may include the following steps . in step 401 , a terminal camps on a cell of an umts or geran system , but the terminal has not obtained a dedicated priority list and a public priority list . in step 402 , the network side of the umts or geran system delivers an indication to the terminal in system broadcast information . in step 403 , the terminal in the cell of the umts or geran system obtains the indication from the system broadcast information . in step 404 , the above indication notifies the terminal that the cell of the umts or geran system has not delivered a public priority list . or , the indication notifies the terminal to perform a periodical search for a cell of an lte system when the dedicated priority list is invalid . or , the indication notifies the terminal to perform a cell reselection procedure by using an existing cell reselection criterion when no priority information is stored . in step 405 , the terminal reselects and enters to a cell of an lte system . the terminal may reselect a cell of the lte system by performing a periodical search for the cell of the lte system . alternatively , the terminal may reselect the cell of the lte system by performing a cell reselection procedure using the existing cell reselection criterion . in step 406 , when the terminal camps on a cell of the lte system , the terminal obtains a dedicated priority list from the network side via a ta update procedure or a periodical ta update procedure or a traffic setup and release procedure , and obtains a public priority list from the network side via system broadcast information . after obtaining the priority list , the terminal performs cell reselection according to the dedicated priority list . since the dedicated priority list is geran & gt ; umts & gt ; lte , the terminal in the cell of the lte system reselects and enters into a cell of the umts or geran system . the steps subsequent to step 406 are similar to those steps in embodiment 3 performed after the terminal in the cell of the lte system reselects and enters into a cell of the umts or geran system . thus , no repeated description is made here . this embodiment differs from embodiment 3 in that the terminal camps on a cell of the umts or geran system , the umts or geran system will not deliver a public priority list , and the terminal performs subsequent actions according to the indication delivered from the umts or geran system . in this embodiment , the terminal performs cell reselection by using the dedicated priority list obtained from the lte system . thus , the non - lte system may be freed from establishment of the dedicated priority list . problems in the prior arts that establishment of the dedicated priority list by the non - lte system causes too much increased signaling and too high costs for network upgrade , are solved . meanwhile , in the case that the terminal receives no public priority list delivered from the non - lte system , subsequent actions may be performed by using the dedicated priority list obtained from the lte system or according to the received indication , which improves the flexibility for cell reselection . in the following embodiments of the cell reselection procedure , for example , the terminal is activated , that is , the terminal is in the connected state . the activated terminal switches to a new cell via the cell reselection procedure . in this embodiment , a terminal camps on a cell of an lte system and the terminal is activated . the activated terminal switches from the cell of the lte system to a cell of an umts or geran system . the lte system delivers a dedicated priority list via a dedicated signaling , and delivers a public priority list in system broadcast information . the umts or geran system delivers a public priority list . the public priority list delivered in the umts or geran system broadcast information indicates a priority as lte & gt ; umts & gt ; geran . the public priority list delivered in the lte system broadcast information indicates a priority as lte & gt ; umts & gt ; geran . the dedicated priority list delivered in the lte dedicated signaling indicates a priority as geran & gt ; umts & gt ; lte . a method for cell reselection according to this embodiment includes the following steps . in step 501 , a terminal activated in a cell of an lte system obtains a dedicated priority list and a public priority list from the lte network side , and stores the two priority lists . during an rrc connection setup procedure , the terminal obtains the dedicated priority list in the following steps . when the terminal performs the rrc connection setup procedure with an enodeb , upon entry into the rrc connection state , the terminal obtains a new dedicated priority list and releases the old dedicated priority list at the same time . alternatively , the terminal may not release the current dedicated priority list after the rrc connection established . instead , the current dedicated priority list is overlaid with a new dedicated priority list in an rrc connection release message . in step 502 , the terminal switches from the cell of the lte system to a cell of the umts or geran system , and releases the rrc connection in the cell of the umts or geran system . after the terminal enters into the cell of the umts or geran system , steps 503 - 508 to be performed are similar to steps 103 - 108 of embodiment 1 , and thus no repeated description is made here . in the technical solution according to this embodiment , an activated terminal performs a cell reselection / switch from a cell of the lte system to a cell of the umts or geran system . the terminal obtains a dedicated priority list during the rrc connection setup procedure . or , during the rrc connection setup procedure , the current dedicated priority list is not released , and the current dedicated priority list is overlaid with a new dedicated priority list in the rrc connection release message . the problem in the prior art that the old dedicated priority list is deleted before the terminal obtains a new dedicated priority list , is solved . meanwhile , in this embodiment , the terminal performs cell reselection by using the dedicated priority list obtained from the lte system , which may free the non - lte system from establishment of the dedicated priority list . problems in the prior arts that establishment of the dedicated priority list by the non - lte system causes too much increased signaling and too high costs for network upgrade , are solved . referring to fig3 , this embodiment provides a terminal capable of performing the methods provided in the embodiments of the invention . the terminal includes : a first obtaining unit 61 configured to obtain a dedicated priority list from a first system ; a first storage 62 configured to store the dedicated priority list obtained by the first obtaining unit 61 ; and a first processing unit 63 configured to perform cell reselection according to the dedicated priority list stored in the first storage 62 when the terminal camps on a second system . a second obtaining unit configured to obtain a public priority list from the first system and / or the second system ; a second storage configured to store the public priority list obtained by the second obtaining unit ; and a second processing unit configured to perform cell reselection according to the public priority list stored in the second storage when the terminal camps on the second system and the first storage 62 does not store a valid dedicated priority list . a third obtaining unit configured to obtain an indication from the second system ; a third processing unit configured to operate according to the indication stored in the third storage . further , the first system may be an lte system and the second system may be a non - lte system in this embodiment . furthermore , an embodiment of the invention provides a system , including a network - side device and a terminal as provided in the above embodiment 6 , the network - side device configured to send the dedicated priority list . the network - side device is configured to deliver an indication to the terminal , where the indication is used to notify the terminal that the non - lte system on which the terminal camps will not deliver the public priority list , or notify the terminal to store the public priority list obtained from the lte system , or notify the terminal to search for a cell of the lte system when the dedicated priority list stored in the terminal is invalid or search for a cell of the lte system or perform cell reselection according to a result measured in accordance with a cell signal quality criterion when the terminal does not store the dedicated priority list and the public priority list . the terminal is configured to receive an indication from the network - side device and perform cell reselection according to the indication . the network - side device is within an lte system , including a first transmission unit configured to transmit a dedicated priority list . the terminal includes a first storage configured to receive and store the dedicated priority list , and a first processing unit configured to perform cell reselection according to the dedicated priority list when the terminal camps on a cell of a non - lte system . in the above embodiments 6 - 8 , the non - lte system may be a gsm system , an edge system , a wcdma system , a cdma system , a td - scdma system , or a wimax system . in the above embodiments 6 - 8 , the terminal performs cell reselection by using a dedicated priority list obtained from the first system ( for example , an lte system ). thus , the second system ( for example , a non - lte system ) may be freed from establishing the dedicated priority list . problems in the prior arts that establishment of the dedicated priority list by the various systems causes too much increased signaling and too high costs for network upgrade , are solved . from the above description to the various embodiments , those skilled in the art may clearly appreciate that the present invention may be implemented by means of software and a necessary general - purpose hardware platform . alternatively , the present invention may be implemented in hardware . the former case , however , is a more preferred implementation in many cases . based on this understanding , the technical solution of the present invention in its essence or the features which make a contribution to the prior arts may be embodied in a software product . the computer software product may be stored in a storage media , such as rom / ram , magnetic disk , optic disc , etc ., including several instructions which cause a computer device ( a pc , a server , a network device , or the like ) to perform the methods according to the various embodiments of the present invention . detailed descriptions have been made above to the invention with reference to some exemplary embodiments , which are not used to limit the present invention . various changes , equivalent substitutions , and improvements within the principle of the invention are intended to fall within the scope of the invention . | 7 |
in describing preferred embodiments of the invention illustrated in the drawings , specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity . however , the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected , and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose . a first embodiment of a perimeter pile anchor foundation in accordance with the present invention is shown in fig1 a and 2 . the perimeter pile anchor foundation , generally designated by reference numeral 10 , has a plurality of pile anchors or “ piles ”, each generally designated by the reference numeral 14 extending vertically downward into the soil 100 and forming a perimeter wall , generally designated by reference numeral 11 , for the foundation 10 . the pile anchors 14 thus serve to secure the concrete foundation 10 into the ground . a first or outer cmp 68 is placed vertically in the excavation inside the perimeter wall 11 to form an outer annular ring , generally designated by reference numeral 73 , between the inside of the perimeter wall 11 and the outer cmp 68 . according to the first embodiment , a second or inner cmp 70 is placed inside the outer cmp 68 , forming an inner annular ring , also referred to herein as the foundation ring 72 . extending through the concrete foundation ring 72 is a series of tower anchor bolts 18 spaced circumferentially in a circle about the central vertical axis of the foundation . the inner annular ring 72 is filled with concrete 12 either before or after placement of the tower anchor bolts . the tower anchor bolts 18 can include two bolt circles as in the configuration shown in fig1 and 1 a , or one bolt circle as in the configuration shown in fig2 . when using a one bolt circle , the bolts and the tower base flange 120 are inside the tower shell , a configuration known in the art as an l flange . with two bolt circles , generally designated by the reference numerals 20 and 22 , the bolt circles are positioned in radial pairs and can be used if the tower base flange 120 of the supported tower has a dual bolt circle , with one set of bolts being outside the tower shell 111 and one set of bolts inside the tower shell , resulting in a configuration known in the industry as a t flange . the inner tower anchor bolt circle 20 has a slightly smaller diameter than the outer tower anchor bolt circle 22 . for example , the outer tower anchor bolt circle diameter may be about fourteen feet and the inner tower anchor bolt circle diameter may be about thirteen feet . a tower or other supported structure ( not shown ) can be attached to the concrete foundation by the tower anchor bolts 18 . structures which can be supported on the perimeter pile anchor foundation of the present invention include , but are not limited to , transmission towers , electrical towers , communication towers , lighting standards , bridge supports , commercial signs , freeway signs , ski lift supports , solar energy towers , wind turbine towers , large stacks or chimneys , silos , tank structures , airport towers , guard towers , etc . the tower anchor bolts 18 extend through and are nutted atop the circular tower base flange 120 at the bottom of the tower or other supported structure . the bottom ends of the bolts 18 extend to an embedment ring 32 near the bottom of the foundation . the embedment ring 32 contains bolt holes for receiving the bottom ends of each of the tower anchor bolts . the bolt ends are anchored to the ring with suitable nuts 102 and 103 or the like . the embedment ring 32 is preferably constructed of several circumferential segments lap jointed together . the embedment ring 32 is approximately the same size as and is complementary to the tower base flange 120 . the tower anchor bolts 18 are sleeved in elongated hollow tubes , preferably pvc tubes , which cover the anchor bolts except for threaded portions at the top and bottom of the bolts . the anchor bolt sleeves prevent bonding of the bolts to the concrete 12 that is poured into the inner annular ring 72 . this sleeved structure allows the tower anchor bolts , with nuts 49 , to be elongated when post - stressed between the tower base flange 120 and the embedment ring 32 to alleviate bolt cycling and fatigue . a full description of the tower anchor bolts 18 is set forth in the &# 39 ; 217 patent , previously incorporated herein by reference . as shown in fig1 and 2 , the pile anchors 14 extend below the inner annular or concrete foundation ring 72 . each pile anchor 14 includes an elongated bolt or tendon 36 , that extends through a pile anchor base plate 43 on the top surface of the foundation 10 , or preferably grouted into the top surface of the foundation , and then into a drilled pile hole 44 that is filled with pile anchor cementitious material to secure the pile anchors 14 in the ground or soil 100 . according to one embodiment , the concrete is a sand cement slurry , made with about 5 sacks of cement per cubic yard . the pile bolts 36 are on the order of 1 . 5 inches in diameter . centralizers 50 are positioned at various intervals along the length of the bolts 36 to keep each bolt in the middle of its respective pile . the embedded portion of each of the bolts 36 includes a lower end 38 that is bare , i . e ., is in direct contact with the cementitious material , for bonding thereto when the cementitious material is poured or pumped to fill the interior of the drilled pile holes 44 . the cementitious material preferably fills the pile holes to their bottoms in soil 100 . an end nut 42 may be provided on the lower end of the bolt 36 to facilitate bonding of the bolt lower portion 38 with the cementitious material ( see fig1 and 5 ). if the pile bolts 36 are to be post - tensioned , the upper end of the embedded portion of the pile bolt 36 is encased in an elongated hollow tube ( not shown ), preferably in a plastic sleeve or the like , and most preferably by pvc tubing , to prevent bonding with the pile anchor cementitious material and to allow for post - tension stretching . this sleeved structure is fully disclosed in the &# 39 ; 217 patent , previously incorporated by reference herein . however , according to the present invention , the pile bolts 36 do not have to be post - tensioned , in which case the sleeve is not included , as is the case shown in fig1 , 3 and 4 . the perimeter pile foundation of the present invention is built by first drilling and then forming a plurality of individual perimeter pile anchors in a large generally circular pattern as shown in fig1 a and 6 . the pile anchors 14 are divided into a first group and a second group of piles , referred to herein as the odd and even piles , which alternate with one another around the perimeter of the foundation . the odd piles may be considered the first group or the second group , with the even piles therefore being designated whatever group the odd piles are not . when forming the perimeter pile “ circle ”, the even and odd piles are preferably offset from one another so that the diameter of the circle formed by the even piles is different from the diameter of the circle formed by the odd piles as shown in fig1 a . as a result , the overall perimeter formed by the odd and even piles together is not a perfect circle . other generally circular configurations like that shown in fig6 are also possible . according to the offset embodiment shown in fig1 a , the difference in the diameter of the odd and even bolt circles is approximately six inches . the individual circular pile anchors 14 are approximately 18 inches in diameter , and together form a circular pattern that is about 21 feet in diameter . as shown in fig1 a and 6 , the individual pile anchors 14 are contiguous , each pile anchor having an overlap 60 with the adjacent pile anchors on either side . as shown in fig8 , the overlap 60 of the pile anchors 14 is between about one inch and about three inches . with this amount of overlap , the central bolts 36 in the pile anchors 14 that are about 18 inches in diameter are actually about 15 inches apart . to construct the overlapping pile anchors 14 , either the odd piles or the even piles may be constructed first . for purposes of description , the odd pile anchors are formed first by drilling each odd pile hole 44 , filling the pile hole with concrete , and inserting a centralized bolt 36 vertically into the concrete to form the pile anchor 14 . the last two steps could be reversed . the even piles are arranged in between the odd piles , with the concrete in the odd piles being allowed to preset to the stage where the concrete is firm but can still be shaved with the auger used to drill the even pile holes . the even pile holes are then drilled , filled with concrete and provided with vertically oriented centralized bolts as with the odd piles to form the even pile anchors 14 . the last two steps could be reversed . the pile holes 44 and pile anchors 14 for the concrete foundation of the present invention can be formed in the soil below the excavation in a variety of ways and using differing equipment , depending upon the condition of the soil , as known to those skilled in the art . for example , the pile hole 44 may be simply formed by a driven mandrel or formed by a screw auger in generally stable soils . however , in unstable soils for which the perimeter pile anchor foundation of the instant application is particularly adaptable , the pile holes are preferably formed by driven pile pipes or pipes drilled , jetted or vibrated in place , such as in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 533 , 505 which is co - owned by the applicant of this application , before positioning the pile anchor bolt , followed by the addition of the cementitious material . alternately , the pile holes 44 may be drilled and the concrete pressure cast with hollow stemmed augers in wet sands and clays or the hole filled with the cementitious material through a tube which then serves as the anchor bolt . other methods and equipment to form the pile anchors 14 known to those skilled in the art can be used without departing from the present invention . following completion and concrete set of the perimeter pile circle , the soils within the perimeter pile circle are excavated to the foundation depth 101 . as shown in fig1 and 2 , the pile anchors may extend a few feet below the intended depth of the foundation to be constructed inside the circular pattern of perimeter pile anchors . this extension of the pile anchors is not necessary , however , as the pile hole depth may be substantially the same as the foundation depth 101 . after the pile anchors have been formed , an annular steel plate 43 formed as a ring having holes therein is placed over the piles . the centralized pile bolts 36 extend through the holes and are secured with nuts 48 to retain bolt tension . alternatively , the ring may be formed by a plurality of individual steel plates 45 , one for each pile , with adjoining steel plates that either overlap , as in fig4 , 7 and 9 , or are spaced from one another as in fig8 . having individual steel plates provides for greater flexibility with respect to the adjoining relationship of the piles and the centralized pile bolts . the pile anchor base plate , whether formed as a ring 43 or as independent plates 45 , is preferably grouted into the top surface of the pile anchors 14 , forming the perimeter wall 11 of the foundation 10 . this can be readily accomplished by blocking out an indentation slightly larger than the dimensions of the base plate , such as by using a styrofoam or other easily removable form . the use of block - outs is fully discussed in the &# 39 ; 217 patent , previously incorporated by reference . the pile anchor base plate ( s ) should be grouted into the top surface of the pile anchors so that the upper surface of the base plate coincides with the upper surface of the foundation 10 . according to both configurations of the first embodiment , after the soils inside the perimeter wall 11 formed by the piles have been excavated to create area 76 as shown in fig1 and 2 , the first or outer cmp 68 is placed vertically inside the perimeter wall 11 formed by the contiguous piles 14 . placement of the outer cmp creates the outer annular space 73 between the inside of the perimeter piles and the outer cmp . a foundation bolt cage including a plurality of vertically oriented sleeved tower anchor bolts 18 and horizontally oriented embedment ring 32 is installed vertically inside the first cmp 68 with the embedment ring 32 at the bottom . the tower anchor bolts 18 can include two bolt circles in the configuration shown in fig1 , or one bolt circle in the configuration shown in fig2 . the tower anchor bolts 18 are nutted at the bottom with the embedment ring 32 with nuts 102 and nutted atop the embedment ring with nuts 103 to secure the embedment ring in place near the bottom of the concrete foundation . the tower anchor bolts are used to secure the tower to the foundation as described in the &# 39 ; 217 patent , previously incorporated by reference herein . the second or inner cmp 70 , having a smaller diameter than the first or outer cmp is then installed vertically inside the tower anchor bolts and the first cmp 68 . placement of the second cmp creates the inner annular space defining the inner foundation ring 72 between the outer and inner cmps through which the tower anchor bolts extend vertically . a concrete plug 75 is then poured in the bottom of the inner cmp 70 , after which the area 76 inside the inner cmp atop the plug is backfilled with soil to approximately five feet below the surrounding ground surface . alternatively , the entire area inside the inner cmp may be filled with concrete . electrical , communication , and grounding conduits ( not shown ) are installed through the first and second cmps 68 , 70 and the perimeter pile anchors 14 , and then filling of the inner cmp 70 is completed with soil to within about six inches of the top of the inner cmp 70 . once the backfill is completed , steel welded wire mesh ( wwm ) atop dobies ( not shown ) is placed on the backfill and a capped central drain ( not shown ) is installed and centered into the backfill . dobies are typically 4 ″ by 4 ″ by 2 ″ concrete blocks with a tie wire cast therein which is used to secure the dobies to rebar . the inner annular space or foundation ring 72 between the outer and inner cmps is then filled with concrete to within about three or four inches of the of the top of the cmps to create a grout trough 130 to complete the concrete foundation ring 72 . the six inch floor area and the outer annular space 73 between the outside of the outer cmp 68 and the inside of the perimeter wall is also filled with concrete . according to a second embodiment shown in fig1 , after the pile anchors are formed , only an inner cmp 70 is vertically placed inside the pile perimeter and spaced therefrom to create an annular foundation ring 80 between the cmp 70 and the piles 14 . a direct embedded section , generally designated by reference numeral 85 , is placed near the top of the foundation ring 80 . the direct embedded section 85 includes a generally u - shaped reinforcing steel cage , generally designated by reference numeral 87 , formed by a loop of rebar coupled with a structure extension , generally designated by reference numeral 116 , which is shown in fig1 . the cage 87 is constituted by a piece of rebar bent to have a generally vertical inner leg 88 and a generally vertical outer leg 89 joined at the top by a generally horizontal length 90 of the rebar extending through holes 110 in the generally cylindrical side wall 112 of the extension 116 of the embedded section 85 to form the generally u - shaped configuration for cage 87 . rebar spacing hoops 114 are wire tied near the end of each leg to secure the legs in place in a circular configuration . the extension 116 of the direct embedded section 85 , shown as part of the foundation in fig1 and in isolation in fig1 , is separate from the rebar loops which extend through the holes 110 in the extension side wall 112 . the extension 116 has a flange 95 at the top and a flange 97 at the bottom . the embedded structure extension 116 is placed between the inner leg 88 and the outer leg 89 of the cage 87 , with the extension 116 extending above the top of the concrete poured in the foundation ring 80 . the top of the flange 95 is used to connect the foundation to the tower to be supported thereon . hence , the direct embedded section 85 takes the place of the tower anchor bolts and embedment ring that are used in the first embodiment . the remainder of the construction of the second embodiment of the foundation is the same as that already described in connection with the first embodiment , including the pouring of a concrete plug and partial backfilling inside the inner cmp , installation of electrical , communication , and grounding conduits , completion of the backfilling of the inner cmp , placement of the steel welded wire mesh ( wwm ) and the capped central drain , and pouring of concrete into the annular foundation ring 80 and the floor 61 . when constructed , both embodiments of the perimeter pile foundation result in a ring of overlapping odd and even pile anchors that form a generally circular peripheral wall , each section of which is formed as an arch . as is known in the art , forces applied to an arch structure are all resolved into compressive stresses . this is useful when building the pile anchor foundation as described herein because building materials such as concrete can strongly resist compression . the horizontal compressive forces acting on the perimeter piles hold the piles against one another in a state of equilibrium . thus , compression and friction between adjacent piles resist soil caving and sloughing pressure when soil inside the generally circular perimeter of the piles is excavated . the large deep concrete foundation may therefore effectively be used to support a large tower 160 or other structure like that shown in fig1 . it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing description utilizes the terms “ concrete ” and “ cementitious material ” interchangeably . it will be further understood that various cementitious and cementitious - type materials can be utilized in constructing the post - tensioned pile anchor foundation of the present invention as would be utilized by those skilled in the art . these materials include , but are not limited to , sand - cement slurries , grout , and epoxy resins . further , while the elongated members in the pile anchors of the present invention have been described as bolts , those skilled in the art will appreciate that other elongated elements , such as strands , cables , rods , pipes , or the like , could be used in accordance with the present invention . the foregoing descriptions and drawings should be considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention . the invention may be configured in a variety of shapes and sizes and is not limited by the dimensions of the preferred embodiment . numerous applications of the present invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art . therefore , it is not desired to limit the invention to the specific examples disclosed or the exact construction and operation shown and described . rather , all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to , falling within the scope of the invention . | 4 |
as required , detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein ; however , it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention , which may be embodied in various forms . therefore , specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting , but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure . referring to drawings in more detail , the reference numeral 1 generally represents a blow - molded portable urinal container , shown in fig1 with a molded mouth covering 2 intact . the covering 2 includes a nipple 3 through which air is forced in the molding process . the urinal 1 is preferably provided with a handle 4 and a drain nozzle 5 for connection to a drainage tube ( not shown ). the urinal 1 is molded with an inwardly directed lip 11 which extends around the circumference of the mouth covering 2 , defining the limits of a mouth opening 12 ( fig2 a ) which results from cutting away the mouth covering 2 . located at the actual junction between the mouth covering 2 and the mouth opening 12 is a pronounced ridge 13 , as is shown in fig4 . fig2 and 21 illustrate a trimmed urinal 1 , with a smoothly cut ridge 13 . fig5 - 17 illustrate a trimming machine and method designed to trim the mouth covering 2 from the urinal 1 to yield the finished product illustrated in fig2 a and 2b . referring to fig5 - 17 , a retaining block 14 , includes a bottom plate 15 and a top plate 16 , each with a hollowed section ( not shown ) sized to accommodate the urinal 1 . a urinal 1 is clamped in position for trimming when the top plate 16 is lowered into contact with the bottom plate 15 via a plurality of guide pins 17 . the urinal 1 is held with the mouth opening 12 and mouth covering 2 oriented perpendicular to a trimming knife 18 on a rotary trimming assembly 21 of a trimming machine 20 . the knife 18 can be created by grinding a steel rod to a point , grinding off one half of the resulting taper and then hardening the rod , yielding a stepped knife 18 , as is best illustrated in fig1 . the rotary trimming assembly 21 is driven by an electric motor 22 via a &# 34 ; v &# 34 ; belt 23 running on a motor pulley 24 and a driven pulley 25 ( fig1 ). the motor 22 is mounted on a movable mount 26 , which is movable toward and away from the pulley 25 via an adjustment screw 27 for belt tensioning purposes . the driven pulley 25 is connected to a main drive spindle 31 ( fig9 ). the spindle 31 turns inside a spindle tube 32 on bearings 33 . the spindle tube 32 is held stationary while the spindle 31 is allowed to &# 34 ; float &# 34 ; forward and backward relative to the spindle tube 32 . a ball spline shaft 34 is connected to the spindle 31 and rotates therewith . the ball spline shaft 34 is connected to a front drive spindle 35 , which is , in turn , connected to a thrust bearing shaft 41 . the shaft 41 has a pair of cam rollers 42 and 43 connected to the ends thereof . the cam rollers 42 and 43 operate against a rear cam plate 44 , which has a rear camming surface 45 which tracks the shape of the mouth 12 of the urinal 1 . the rear cam plate 44 is connected to a movable plate 50 via a plurality of connecting rods 52 . an additional movable plate 51 provides support for the spindle tube 31 . a threaded mechanical stop 56 is provided for adjusting the travel limits of the movable plate 51 . a plurality of springs 53 ( fig8 ) are connected between the rear cam plate 44 and a support plate 55 , which is movable longitudinally along a plurality of shafts 61 on a corresponding plurality of bushings 62 ( fig1 ). the springs 53 normally urge the support plate 55 forward , or to the right in fig7 - 9 , and thus act to keep the cam rollers 42 and 43 in constant contact with the camming surface 45 on the rear cam plate 44 . a front cam plate 63 is bolted to the support plate 55 via a plurality of threaded bolts 64 ( fig9 ). the front cam plate 63 has an oval shaped internal camming surface 65 which is the same size as the oval mouth 12 of the urinal 1 . the front spindle 35 operates within bearings 66 within the support plate 55 and is connected to a knife block 67 which rotates therewith . the knife block 67 has an interior rectangular recess 71 through which a pair of guide pins 72 and 73 extend ( fig1 ). a thrust block 74 includes a pair of apertures 75 and 76 which are sized and positioned to accommodate the shafts 72 and 73 ( fig1 ). a spring 81 is attached between a side 82 of the rectangular opening 71 and a depression 83 within the thrust block 71 . the spring 81 , which surrounds a guide pin 77 ( fig1 ), is operative to normally urge the thrust block 74 outward , away from the surface 82 . the thrust block 74 is also connected to one end of a cam shaft 84 , with the other end of the shaft 84 connected to a roller cam 85 . the roller cam 85 is urged into contact with the internal camming surface 65 of the front cam plate 63 by the action of the spring 81 . the thrust block 74 includes an &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; shaped extension 91 with an internal bore 92 which is sized to accommodate the trimming knife 18 which can be held in position by a set screw 93 . the rotary subassembly 21 includes the plates 50 and 51 which are movable longitudinally along a set of four rails 94 within a stationary assembly 101 . a set of three stationary plates 102 - 104 collectively support the four rails 94 , which can be attached via bolts 105 ( shown in phantom lines in fig9 ). a set of bushings 106 allow the plates 50 and 51 to freely move along the rails 94 . referring to fig5 - 9 , the movement of the plates 50 and 51 along the rails 94 causes the entire rotary assembly 21 is adapted to move to the right relative to the stationary assembly 101 . an air cylinder 111 is anchored to the middle stationary plate 103 ( fig9 ). the air cylinder 111 is connected to a source of compressed air via a hose 112 , and is operative to extend a telescoping arm 113 when charged with compressed air . the telescoping arm 113 is connected to the movable plate 50 via a threaded screw 115 . thus , when the cylinder 111 is charged , the arm 113 is extended to the right in fig5 pushing the rotary assembly 21 to a position in which the knife 18 contacts the urinal mouth covering 2 , as shown in fig6 . as the air cylinder 111 is initially charged , the assembly 21 is rapidly moved to the right . a check adjustment rod 121 is threadably attached to a bore 122 near the top of the movable plate 50 . the check adjustment rod 121 is adjustable in and out of the threaded bore 122 and can be fixed in place by tightening a retaining nut 123 snugly against the plate 50 . a hydrocheck valve 124 is attached to the top of the stationary plate 103 via an &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; shaped bracket 125 which is attached to the plate 103 by a screw 126 . the hydrocheck valve 124 can be attached by a clamp 127 and a plurality of bolts 128 . the hydrocheck valve 124 includes an operating arm 120 which is positioned in close proximity to the check adjustment rod 121 . as the assembly 21 is pushed to the right , the check adjustment rod 121 contacts the operating arm 120 of the hydrocheck valve 124 and the forward motion of the assembly 21 is slowed to a nominal cutting feed rate by the action of the hydrocheck valve 124 . the cutting feed rate is adjustable via an adjustment knob 131 . the operation of the trimming machine 20 , including the rotary subassembly 21 and the sliding subassembly 101 will now be described with reference to fig1 - 19 . a blow molded urinal 1 is inserted , by machine or by hand , into the bottom half 15 of the retaining block 14 , as shown in fig5 . the top plate 16 of the retaining block 14 is lowered onto the bottom plate 15 via the guide pins 17 , thus clamping the urinal 1 in place . the motor 22 is then started , causing the v belt 23 to drive the pulley 25 and the drive spindle 31 in a rotary motion . the drive spindle 31 is free to move longitudinally relative to the spindle tube 32 by riding on the bearings 33 . the ball spline shaft 34 is rotated with the drive spindle 31 , and , in turn , causes the thrust bearing shaft 41 to spin about an axis point 46 centered on the ball spline shaft 34 . this causes the cam rollers 42 and 43 to roll about the circumference of the rear camming surface 45 of the rear cam plate 44 . the springs 53 connected between the stationary rear cam plate 44 and the movable support plate 55 urge the cam rollers 42 and 43 to the right , causing them to constantly contact the rear camming surface 45 . this action , combined with the shape of the rear camming surface 45 , which is the same as the urinal mouth 12 , cause the front drive spindle 35 to move forward and backward ( to the right and left in fig5 - 9 ) as the thrust bearing shaft 41 spins . the front drive spindle 35 is rigidly connected to a knife block 67 via an internal bore 66 which is positioned off - center of the knife block 67 . thus the rectangular knife block 67 rotates in an eccentric fashion with the front drive spindle 35 and is pushed forward and backward with the similar motion of the spindle 35 . as the knife block 67 eccentrically rotates , the spring 81 urges the thrust block 74 outward , thus forcing the connected roller cam 85 to remain in constant contact with the oval - shaped internal camming surface 65 of the front cam plate 63 . the effect of the roller cam 85 causes the knife 18 to describe an oval pattern with an outer perimeter matching the rim of the urinal mouth 12 . at the same time , the roller cams 42 and 43 cause the knife 18 to be moved toward and away from the urinal mouth 12 . the net effect of this dual action is the knife 18 synchronously describing a motion which duplicates the shape of the urinal mouth 12 . at the same time , the air cylinder 111 is charged with air via the hose 12 , forcing the telescoping arm 113 outward , urging the rotary assembly 21 toward the urinal 1 . the check adjustment rod 121 and the hydrocheck valve 124 are adjusted so that the forward motion of the rotary assembly 21 is slowed just as the knife 18 contacts the mouth covering 2 of the urinal 1 . the forward motion then assumes a nominal cutting feed rate which causes the knife 18 to erode the urinal covering 2 without subjecting the knife 18 to undue strain . the sequence of stages illustrated in fig5 - 8 are as follows : in fig5 the urinal 1 is clamped in the retaining block 14 and the motor 22 is turning , thus rotating the main drive spindle 31 and moving the knife 18 in the prescribed pattern . at fig6 the air cylinder 111 has been charged , propelling the rotary assembly 21 forward until the knife 18 contacts the mouth covering 2 of the urinal 1 . the knife 18 in fig6 is at the most retracted position as it traces the center one concave side of the oval opening 12 . in fig7 the knife 18 is at its most extended position as it traces the center of one convex side of the oval opening 12 . in fig8 the knife 18 is again at its most retracted position as it traces the center of the opposite concave side of the oval opening 12 . the combined oval and longitudinal motion of the knife 18 keeps it in constant contact with the covering 2 , thus minimizing or eliminating knife chatter and minimizing strain on the knife 18 . the results are a urinal 1 with cleanly cut mouth 12 with no sharp edges which could endanger a male user . it is to be understood that while certain forms of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein , it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangement of parts described and shown . | 8 |
referring to fig1 - 3 , it will be seen that a machine 10 on which the invention finds particular utility comprises a frame 12 to which is fixed a handle 14 and on which are mounted wheels 16 , including independent weld wheels 18 . a hot air nozzle 20 is supported on the frame 12 and includes first and second outlets 22 , 24 for directing two streams of hot air in spaced , generally parallel paths . a housing 26 is mounted on the frame 12 for enclosing a motor and various electrical components and controls ( not shown ). the nozzle 20 is fixed to a heating element 28 which , in turn , is fixed to a blower 30 which is carried by the frame 12 . in operation , the nozzle 20 is positioned between roofing membranes a and b ( fig2 and 3 ) with the nozzle outlets 22 , 24 on either side of a fastener means f by which the membrane b is secured to a roof uppermost hard surface c . the fastener means f may comprise a batten bar 34 , as shown in fig2 or may comprise a series of discrete stress plates , as is known in the art . the motor in the housing 26 drives the machine 10 in the direction of arrows d . the blower 30 forces air through the heating element 28 and through the nozzle 20 . as the machine moves along , jets of hot air from the nozzle 20 weld the membranes a and b together along opposite sides of the fastener means . immediately after the hot air welds , the independent weld wheels 18 press the upper membrane against the lower membrane to secure the membranes together . a detailed description of the operation of the machine is provided in the aforementioned &# 39 ; 828 patent . referring to fig4 - 7 , it will be seen that the illustrative nozzle 40 includes a tubular chamber 42 for receiving hot air at a selected temperature . the nozzle 40 further includes a hollow , generally flat , blade - like member 44 at a discharge end 46 of the chamber 42 . the member 44 extends from the discharge end 46 of the chamber 42 generally normal to an axis a - a of the chamber 42 . the member 44 includes a first outlet arm 48 extending from the end 46 of the chamber 42 , and having a first outlet 50 at a distal end 52 thereof and disposed in a first outlet plane b - b ( fig4 ). the member 44 further includes a second outlet arm 54 extending from the chamber 12 and having a first portion 56 adjoining the chamber 42 . an axis c - c ( fig4 ) of the first portion 56 extends transversely to an axis d - d of the first outlet arm 48 . the second outlet arm 54 is provided with a second portion 58 with a second outlet 60 at a distal end 62 thereof and in a second outlet plane e - e ( fig4 ). an axis f - f of the second portion 58 is generally parallel with the axis d - d of the first outlet arm 48 . the second outlet plane e - e is offset forwardly of the first outlet plane b - b . referring to fig5 it will be seen that the second outlet arm second portion 58 is further removed from the chamber 42 in a direction of the axis a - a of chamber 42 , than is the first outlet arm 48 . that is , in operation , the second outlet arm second portion 58 , including the second outlet 60 , moves closer to the roof membranes than the first outlet arm 48 and first outlet 50 . referring still to fig5 it will be seen that the first portion 56 of the second outlet arm 54 is provided on an underside 64 thereof with a recess 66 extending from a forward edge 68 ( fig4 ) of the second outlet arm first portion 56 to a trailing edge 70 thereof . the recess 66 is a curved concavity with a mid - point 72 ( fig5 ) being most removed from a bottom plane g - g of the second outlet arm second portion 58 and most proximate an upper surface 74 of the second outlet arm first portion 56 . as may be seen in fig4 and 5 , the first outlet arm 48 and first outlet 50 are substantially wider side - to - side than the second outlet arm second portion 58 and second outlet 60 . inasmuch as the configurations and dimensions of the nozzle outlets 50 , 60 are different , an air flow divider 76 ( fig4 ) is provided near the bottom of the chamber 42 in an area of transition to the first outlet arm 48 and the second outlet arm portion 56 . the disposition of the divider 76 provides for substantially equivalent airflow through the respective outlets 50 , 60 . substantially equal pre - heating of the membrane surfaces is accomplished by selected sizes and positions of outlet apertures 78 provided in the undersurfaces of the outlet arms 48 , 54 ( fig8 ), the apertures 78 extending in directions toward the membrane surfaces . referring to fig8 it will be seen that the nozzle 40 is mounted on a machine 80 for heat welding two overlapping roof or waterproofing membranes a , b , as described above , to effect heat welds to the roof membranes on both sides of , and adjacent to , the fastener means f . as in the machine 10 of fig1 - 3 , the nozzle outlets 50 , 60 are closely followed in operation by weld wheels 82 , 84 . the nozzle first outlet 50 is followed by a traditional weld wheel 82 . however , because the space available between the nozzle second outlet 60 and an axle 86 for the weld wheel 82 is limited , the nozzle second outlet 60 is followed by a weld wheel 84 of a substantially smaller size than the weld wheel 82 . further , while a weight 88 ( fig8 ) may easily be added to the weld wheel 82 , similar weights of correspondingly smaller size for the small weld wheel 84 would have little impact on the pressing operation of the weld wheel 84 . still further , the position of the weld wheel 84 renders the placement of weights on the frame and directed toward the end of pressing the wheel 84 downwardly in use , problematic . to provide the desired downwardly directed force on the weld wheel 84 , the wheel 84 is mounted on a spring - biased lever 90 which biases the wheel 84 toward the welded seam with a force substantially equal to the force applied by the weld wheel 82 . in operation , the machine 80 is positioned relative to roof membranes a and b substantially as shown in fig2 and 3 with respect to machine 10 . the heating element 28 and blower 30 are started by means well known in the art , as are other known controls , sensors , and the like . the machine 80 is moved along the roof membranes with the nozzle 40 discharging two discrete streams of hot air , one from the outlet 50 and the other from outlet 60 . the two outlets 50 , 60 effect seals simultaneously in the sense that both eject hot air at the same time . however , the nozzle outlets 50 , 60 effect seals at any given time along their respective paths at points removed from each other , that is , in a staggered manner . referring to fig8 it will be seen that as the machine 80 advances in the direction d , the nozzle outlet 60 proceeds in advance of the nozzle outlet 50 . the weld wheel 84 follows immediately behind nozzle outlet 60 . thus , the first weld ( effected by outlet 60 ) is accomplished well removed from the second weld ( effected by outlet 50 ), and the first weld and the pressure application thereto by weld wheel 84 is accomplished without interference from the second weld hot air flow , resulting in better consistency and quality in the first weld . further , inasmuch as the first weld is pressure closed ahead of the second weld , the first weld traps the hot air flowed in performance of the second weld in the vicinity of the second weld , such that hot air is retained in the second weld area , improving second weld consistency and quality . referring to fig5 it will be seen that the second outlet 60 is further removed from the chamber 42 than the first outlet 50 , in a direction of the lengthwise axis a - a of the chamber 42 . that is , in operation , the second outlet 60 is lower , or closer to the membrane b , than the first outlet 50 , and the first outlet 50 is higher , or further from the membrane b than the second outlet 60 . keeping in mind that the second outlet 60 moves ahead of the first outlet 50 in operation , hot air from the leading and lower second outlet 60 is able to move transversely toward an area beneath the following and slightly raised first outlet 50 to make a contribution to the weld of the first outlet 50 . further , the slightly raised position of the first outlet 50 insures that the first outlet remains elevated relative to the second outlet 60 and is positioned above the lower membrane even when the second outlet drags along the surface of the lower membrane b . during the course of the welding operation , the nozzle recess 66 always moves over the fastener means f , leading to uninterrupted welds of high quality and consistency . there is thus provided an improved nozzle for directing discrete streams of hot air along first and second paths concurrently . there is further provided such a nozzle for heat sealing two overlapping roof membranes to each other , wherein a fastener means is disposed between the overlapping membranes . there is additionally provided a unique weld wheel arrangement which permits use of the above - described nozzle in a roof membrane welding machine . it is to be understood that the present invention is by no means limited to the particular construction herein disclosed and / or shown in the drawings , but also comprises any modifications or equivalents within the scope of the claims . | 1 |
referring now to the drawing , wherein like elements are indicated by like reference numerals throughout , and particularly fig1 thereof where , a print hammer coil current control is shown . a voltage supply v1 for providing power to operate a print hammer is connected in series with a sense resistor 11 , a print hammer coil 13 , a switch 15 , which in the present embodiment comprises an npn transistor , and to a power ground labelled pgnd . a clamp diode 14 is connected in parallel with the series combination of the coil 13 and sense resistor 11 , with anode of the diode connected to the coil and the cathode of the diode connected to the sense resistor . a current icoil flows through the coil 13 . a current source comprising a resistor 17 in series with a pnp transistor 21 , generates the current isense . the emitter of transistor 21 is connected through resistor 17 to the end of the sense resistor 11 that is connected to the voltage v1 . the base of transistor 21 is connected to the other end of sense resistor 11 . the collector of transistor 21 is connected to one input of each of two comparators 21 and 23 , and the collector is also connected through two series connected resistors 25 and 27 to a logic ground . the voltage vsense is developed across resistors 25 and 27 . to improve noise immunity , the circuit shown in fig2 can be substituted for resistors 25 and 27 to generate the voltage vsense . fig2 shows a compact current to voltage receiver with high input noise immunity . the current isense is supplied to the source of a p - channel fet 28 and to the collector of a npn transistor 29 . the gate of transistor 28 is connected to logic ground . the drain of transistor 28 is connected to the base of transistor 29 . a bias resistor 30 connects the base of transistor 29 to its emitter . the emitter of transistor 29 is connected to logic ground through a resistance 31 . resistance 31 in the preferred embodiment comprises three parallel connected pairs of resistors 25 and 27 . the circuit accurately converts the input current isense to an output voltage vsense available at the emitter of transistor 29 , as a function of the value of resistance 31 . the circuit input noise immunity at the source of transistor 28 when the input current level is zero is greater than two volts . when the input current isense is applied , the circuit impedance is less than 80 % of the value of resistance 31 . when isense is zero , the source to gate voltage of transistor 28 will be near zero and no drain current will flow . with no bias current in resistor 30 , transistor 29 is biased off and the circuit output voltage will be near zero . when isense is not zero , the source to gate voltage of transistor 28 will become sufficiently positive so that the drain current will equal the sum of the current bias in resistor 30 and the base drive flowing to transistor 29 . transistor 29 will conduct the majority of the current isense to the vsense node . the output voltage vsense is a function of the input current isense and the resistance 31 . referring again to fig1 the voltage v1 is also supplied to a piecewise linear reference compensation circuit 33 which includes a programmable reference that actively compensates the coil current for drift in the hammer coil bias power supply . a voltage divider , including two resistors 32 and 34 connected to logic ground , is supplied by the voltage v1 . the compensation circuit further includes a capacitor 35 connected in parallel with resistor 34 . the junction of the two resistors 32 and 34 is connected to the noninverting inputs of each of two operational amplifiers 37 and 39 . a voltage reference 41 provides a voltage vref through a resistor 43 to the inverting input of operational amplifier 39 . the inverting input of operational amplifier 37 is connected to the output of the operational amplifier 37 . a feedback resistor 45 is connected between the inverting input of operational amplifier 39 and the output of operational amplifier 39 . the outputs of operational amplifier 37 and 39 are connected to one another and connected through a resistor 47 to the inverting terminal of an operational amplifier 51 . the reference voltage from reference 41 is connected to the noninverting input of operational amplifier 51 . the output of operational amplifier 51 is connected to the bases of npn transistors 53 and 55 . the collector of transistor 53 is connected to a voltage v2 for supplying the logic and control circuitry . the emitter of transistor 53 is connected through a resistor 57 to logic ground . a feedback resistor 61 is connected between the junction of the emitter of transistor 53 and resistor 57 , and the inverting input of operational amplifier 51 . the emitter of transistor 55 is connected through a resistor 63 to the emitter of a pnp transistor 65 . the base and collector of transistor 65 are connected to the logic ground . a current mirror 67 directs the current set by the collector of transistor 55 through the series connected resistors 69 and 71 to logic ground . the ungrounded end of the series connected resistors 69 and 71 is connected to the output of current mirror 67 , and is also connected to the noninverting input of an operational amplifier 73 . the output of operational amplifier 73 is connected to a reference bus 75 which provides a bus voltage vbus . in a preferred embodiment of reference compensation circuit 33 , all components except for reference 41 , capacitor 35 , resistors 32 , 34 , 43 , 45 , 47 , 61 and 63 , and transistor 65 are provided on an integrated circuit . the discrete components that are not integrated provide for customization . the reference bus 75 provides a reference voltage to each of the driver circuits connected to a respective hammer coil . only one driver circuit and one hammer coil are shown in fig1 . the output of operational amplifier 77 is connected to its own inverting input and through two series connected resistors 81 and 83 to logic ground . the output of operational amplifier 77 is also connected to one of the inputs of comparator 21 . the junction of resistors 81 and 83 is connected to one of the inputs of comparator 23 . the outputs of comparators 21 and 23 are connected to a control logic circuit 85 . the control logic circuit receives comparator inputs associated with each of the printer hammer coils with the comparator inputs of only one printer hammer coil shown connected to the control logic circuit in fig1 . the control logic circuit also receives digital control inputs which control which hammer coil is to be energized and the duration of the energization . the control logic provides an output to each of the predrivers , with one predriver associated with each hammer coil . one predriver 87 is shown in fig1 . the predriver comprises a control 91 responsive to the logic level of the output of the control logic 85 which causes one or the other of two series connected current sources 93 or 95 to operate , thereby sourcing or sinking current to or from the base of transistor 15 , which in turn controls the current in the print hammer coil 13 . referring now to fig3 where the predriver control 87 is shown in more detail , the output of control logic circuit 85 is connected to the emitter of an npn transistor 101 . transistors 101 and 103 are connected together as diodes . the collectors and bases of npn transistors 101 and 103 are connected together and to the drain of p - channel fet 105 and to resistor 111 . transistors 107 and 109 , both npn transistors , are connected as a differential pair . the emitters of transistors 107 and 109 are connected together . voltage references are made by the connection of resistors 113 , 115 , 117 and 123 and npn transistor 121 . resistor 113 is connected to voltage v2 and resistor 117 is connected to the collector and base of transistor 121 . the emitter of transistor 121 is connected through 123 to logic ground . the junction of resistors 113 and 115 is connected to the gate of transistor 105 . the source of transistor 105 is connected to voltage v2 . the emitter of transistor 103 and the base of transistor 107 are connected to the junction of resistors 115 and 117 . the base of transistor 109 is connected to resistor 111 . the base of transistor 121 is connected to the base of npn transistor 125 . the emitter of transistor 125 is connected through resistor 126 to the logic ground . the collector of transistor 125 is connected the emitters of transistors 107 and 109 . the collector of transistor 109 is connected to the drain and gate of p - channel fet 127 and the gates of p - channel fets 131 and 135 . the sources of transistors 127 , 131 , and 135 are connected to voltage v2 . the drains of transistors 131 and 135 are connected to the collector and base of npn transistor 137 and the base of transistor 141 . the emitter of transistor 137 is connected through resistor 143 to logic ground . the emitter of transistor 141 is connected through resistor 145 to logic ground . the collector of transistor 107 is connected to the drain and to the gate of p - channel fet 147 and to the gates of p - channel fets 151 and 153 . the sources of transistors 151 and 153 are connected to one another and through a resistor 155 to voltage v2 . the source of transistor 147 is connected through a resistor 157 to voltage v2 . the drains of transistors 151 and 153 are connected to one another and to the base of npn transistor 161 . the sources of transistors 151 and 153 are connected to the collector of transistor 161 . a resistor 163 connects the base of transistor 161 to its emitter . the junction of the emitter of transistor 161 and the collector of transistor 141 provide the output of the predriver . the predriven circuit 87 , together with operational amplifier 77 , resistors 81 , 83 , 25 , and 27 , comparators 21 and 23 , and the control logic are preferably provided on an integrated circuit which includes the control threshold circuits and predrivers for the other print hammer coils . in operation , the current through the print hammer coil 13 is controlled by chopping the coil current to keep it between a high peak and a low peak reference voltage . the diode 14 in parallel with the coil 13 and the sense resistor 11 is selected to have a fast recovery time and the npn transistor 15 is selected to have a slow turn on time . this combination reduces the noise caused by the fast and large current transients that occur in the power supply v1 when the transistor 15 turns on during chopping . a typical coil current waveform is shown in fig4 . energizing the print hammer coil controls print hammer motion . the pulse duration is set by printer timing which is one of the digital control inputs to the control logic circuit . the average pulse amplitude is controlled by &# 34 ; chopping &# 34 ; the coil current between a high peak and a low peak reference . these peak references are provided by comparators 21 and 23 . comparators are designed with output switching delays to filter noise on the isense feedback line . the comparators 21 and 23 require a signal to be present more than the delay time ( 400 nanoseconds , for example ) before the comparators will switch . to maintain a constant hammer flight time ( constant current pulse energy ) using a fixed current pulse width , the amplitude of the current pulse must be compensated for changes in the voltage of the hammer coil bias power supply v1 . this is necessary since the time required for the coil current to first reach its chopping levels is a function of the bias supply voltage . the pulse amplitude adjustment is inversely proportional to the direction of change in the bias supply voltage . a typical hammer coil current compensation curve is shown in fig5 . the compensation rates ( slopes 1 and 2 ) are programmable and are dependent on the type of hammer unit used and the nominal value of the hammer bias power supply voltage v1 . the adjustment rate requirement for a negative change from the nominal value of the input voltage ( slope 1 ) can be equal or greater than the adjustment rate for a positive change from the nominal value of the input voltage ( slope 2 ). resistors 32 and 34 in the voltage divider of the reference / compensation circuit 33 are selected so that when the voltage v1 is nominal , node x at the output of operational amplifiers 37 and 39 will equal the reference voltage vref provided by voltage reference circuit 41 . voltage v1 is used in the reference compensation circuit 33 only to provide an input signal and not to power any of the devices . capacitor 35 removes any noise from the input signal . the forward gain of operational amplifier 37 is equal to 1 . the forward gain of operational amplifier 39 is equal to one plus the ratio of resistor 45 divided by resistor 43 . operational amplifiers 37 and 39 are designed with limited positive output drive current . thus , for a given value of voltage v1 , the amplifier trying to set the lower output voltage at node x will be linear and set the voltage gain . the other amplifier will be nonlinear , internally saturated , and will not effect the gain . the voltage gain will have one of two values depending on the value of v1 compared to its nominal value . with all circuit parameters nominal , and the value of resistors 47 and 61 about equal , node voltages vref , verror , x , y and z will be equal , plus or minus operational amplifier offset voltages . current iref is a function of node voltage y . change in reference voltage at node y as a function of the voltage source v1 is as follows . ## equ1 ## where r61 , for example , refers to resistor 61 . depending on the voltage value of node verror in relation to node vref , one of two different gains functions will control node y and node z . the adjustment rates ( slopes 1 and 2 ) of node z as a function of voltage verror are controlled by the value of programming resistors 43 , 45 , 47 , and 61 . operational amplifier 51 controls the current provided to the base of transistor 53 to achieve the desired voltage at node y which will also control the voltage at node z . the reference / compensation circuit 33 develops a reference current iref which is converted into the voltage vbus by resistors 69 and 71 . the current iref is set by the voltage on the emitter of transistors 55 and 65 , and the value of resistor 63 . iref is compensated for drift in supply voltage v1 by adjusting the emitter voltage of transistor 55 ( node z voltage ) by adjusting its base voltage . to obtain some tracking between iref and isense , and vbus and vsense , transistors 65 and 21 , and resistors 17 and 63 should be the same type . resistance 31 comprising resistors 25 and 27 , 69 and 71 , and 81 and 83 should be the same type and value . the reference compensation circuit allows a single integrated design to be used with different hammer units and hammer coil bias supplies . the compensation slopes of icoil with respect to the nominal hammer coil bias power supply voltage are continuously controlled by a single set of operational amplifiers and programming resistors . the circuit is low noise , low power consumption , and operates from a logic power supply . the compensated reference current iref can be used with multiple driver circuits . there is a large amount of noise generated in the driver section of the hammer control . the noise is mainly caused by the switching of large currents ( several hammers &# 34 ; on &# 34 ;) through the resistance and inductance of power cables that supply the v1 and pgnd voltages . decoupling capacitors ( not shown ) are used . the di / dt of the current can be high , during &# 34 ; chopping &# 34 ;, at the times when the clamp diode ( d1 ) turns &# 34 ; off &# 34 ;. the ac and dc voltage shift ( noise ) on voltages v1 and pgnd , when measured from logic ground , can be larger than one volt . the coil drive switching device 15 is controlled directly by low voltage control circuit 87 . to energize the print hammer , transistor 15 is biased into conduction and will saturate . the coil current icoil will flow from the v1 supply , through the series connection of sense resistor 11 , hammer coil 13 , switching transistor 15 , and into the power ground . because of the hammer coil inductance , the positive and negative changes in the amplitude of coil current icoil will have an l / r time constant , see the coil current waveform shown in fig4 . the voltage that is developed across sense resistor 11 is proportional to the amplitude of coil current icoil . the current isense , from the current source comprising transistor 21 and resistor 17 , is set mainly by the voltage on resistor 11 . the current isense is converted into voltage vsense by resistors 25 and 27 or equivalent circuitry shown in fig2 . the value of vsense is a function of the hammer coil current icoil . the control logic 85 turns transistor 15 &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; so that vsense will chop between the high peak and low peak references until the print hammer is de - energized by one of the digital control inputs to control logic 85 . the reference / compensation circuit output voltage vbus controls the value of the high and low peak references for all of the hammer positions on the assembly . the hammer control in the present invention allows the sense , reference and logic functions to be isolated from the noisy driver section . the predriver 87 is designed with current source type output drive . its output current drive and power supply bias current ( v2 bias ) are not affected by the ground shift on pgnd . the current source , made up of transistor 21 and resistor 17 , is driven by resistor 11 which preferably has an impedance of less than one ohm . the current change in resistor 11 , change in isense , is limited by the l / r time constant of the hammer coil . noise coupling into the isense line , collector of transistor 21 to node vsense , will be discharged by the low impedance of node vsense , resistors 25 and 27 , or the equivalent circuity of fig2 . the value of isense and vsense constantly represents the value of current icoil in the hammer coil when using a &# 34 ; bottom drive &# 34 ; driver 15 . sense comparators 21 and 23 are designed with switching delays so that noise on node vsense is not detected and passed into the control logic . the output of the logic control circuit is a high or low logic level . when the logic level is low , current source 93 turns on the switching device 15 to provide current to the coil . when the logic level is high the switching device 15 is turned off . assuming the output of the control logic is high , then diode connected transistor 101 is reverse biased with transistor 105 providing current through transistor 103 . transistor 103 acts as a clamp keeping current source transistor 105 linear and is not active when transistor 101 is forward biased . since the base voltage at transistor 107 provided through the voltage divider made up of resistors 113 , 115 , 117 , 123 and diode connected transistor 121 is greater than the base voltage of transistor 109 , which is developed by transistor 101 when the logic level is low , this transistor 107 of the differential pair of transistor 107 and 109 is biased into conduction . transistor 125 and resistor 126 provide a current source for the differential transistor pair . with transistor 107 conducting , current flows through transistor 147 which turns on transistors 151 and 153 which are in parallel with one another . the voltage drop across resistor 155 and transistors 151 and 153 determine the base drive of transistor 161 . the voltage drop across of resistor 155 is mainly a function of the current flowing in transistor 161 . if transistor 161 is not fully turned on then the voltage drop across resistor 155 will be small and the voltage drop across the transistors 151 and 153 will increase , increasing the base drive . this loop control assures that transistor is turned on sufficiently to provide enough current to drive the switching device 15 . if the logic output from logic circuit 85 is high , transistor 101 is not conducting . the voltage at the base of transistor 109 of the differential transistor pair rises above the voltage at the base of transistor 107 of the differential transistor pair , causing transistor 109 to conduct . the voltage at base of transistor 107 is determined by the voltage divider of resistors 113 , 115 , 117 , 123 , and diode connected transistor 121 , and does not vary significantly . the voltage at the base of transistor 109 rises since the current provided by transistor 105 creates a voltage drop across transistor 101 which is not conducting . with transistor 109 conducting , a current flows through transistor 127 . transistor 127 , and transistors 131 and 135 form a current mirror with the current flowing in transistor 127 being matched in transistor 131 and also being matched in transistor 135 . thus , twice the current in transistor 127 is supplied to the impedance of the diode connected transistor 137 and resistor 143 to develop a base drive for transistor 141 . transistor 141 and resistor 145 provide a current sink for removing base current from transistor 15 to turn transistor off . since the on and off base drive for the coil driver transistors is supplied from switchable current sources in the predriver circuit , the amount of base drive flowing to transistors 15 is not affected by the change in voltage between the noisy power ground and &# 34 ; quiet &# 34 ; logic power supply v2 and logic ground . with no change in current , the logic supply voltage remains quiet . in the present invention all circuit functions except for the drive / sense circuit are biased by a &# 34 ; quiet &# 34 ; low voltage power supply v2 which typically has a voltage of five volts . the functions are integrated circuit compatible and preferably can be placed on quiet voltage planes on circuit boards that are isolated from and not overlapped by voltage planes that carry the noisy coil bias power supply v1 and power ground . circuit noise immunity is high and noise generation is low . the present invention can be used with a negative coil biasing voltage . in this situation the switching device would be a pnp transistor or pfet arranged in a top drive configuration . the transistor in the current source would be an npn transistor . the sensing would be done near the negative voltage source . a logic level ( using a negative voltage supply ) predrive could be used to drive the switching device . the foregoing has described a control circuit for accurately controlling large amounts of current ( several amps ) flowing in multiple coils that are located in an electrically noisy environment . the circuit reduces generated noise and has good noise immunity . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 1 |
fig1 and 2 illustrate the method by which an electronic circuit is used to provide a warning of hazardous conditions by monitoring the energy transfer resulting from an electrostatic field surrounding the human body . these figures represent generalized cases only . further illustrations which include specific details and values are beyond the scope of this specfication . however , the validity of the application of these two general cases to the extreme majority of conceivably hazardous situations involving electricity can be attested to by persons having a knowledge of the subject , and it can also be demonstrated mathematically . it should be noted that the polarities shown in the illustrations , as well as the directions of current flow , may be reversed without contradicting the statements of the general cases . referring now to fig1 this represents the general case of the capacitive coupling of electrical energy or &# 34 ; charging by induction .&# 34 ; object 1 may be assumed to be a human body and represents the physical mass and electrical capacity of the human body . object 2 is in the general work area and has been electrostatically charged by some incidental means . the human body 1 is within the radiated electrostatic field 3 , emanating from object 2 . the safety monitor of the invention 4 is held or worn on the clothing of human body 1 so that it is exposed to the field 3 . assume that the human body 1 is engaged in the handling of an electrically sensitive , hazardous material . it is the object of the use of the invention 4 to give advance warning of hazardous conditions arising from the field 3 . as shown in the illustration , the field 3 causes a separation of charges within the body 1 . safety monitor 4 is capable of evaluating the potential destructive capability of the field 3 with reference to the electrical capacity of object 1 . in order to obtain an accurate monitoring of the hazard of the situation represented in fig1 the safety monitor 4 must have a preset sensitivity which corresponds to the classification of the ignition sensitivity of the material being handled . a broad classification of ignition sensitivity is stated in literature such as chemical engineering , vol . 74 , no . 6 , mar . 13 , 1967 , article entitled : &# 34 ; basic relationships of electrostatics ,&# 34 ; f . g . eichel , page 167 , and specifically item 6 , page 163 , all of which is incorporated herein by reference . most vapors in air have a minimum ignition energy of 0 . 1 millijoule ; mists in air , 1 millijoule ; dusts in air , 10 millijoules . these values can be adjusted for specific substances which may depart from the general classifications . ignition sensitivity of materials is determined experimentally by discharging controlled amounts of electrical energy in various mixtures of the test material with air . the warning sensitivity of the monitor of the invention is then adjusted to correspond to some safe limit below the ignition threshold . since the monitor measures rate of energy transfer , its monitoring function corresponds exactly to the method for establishing ignition sensitivity , that is , rate of energy transfer in the electric discharge . since the ignition sensitivity of materials is the critical concern for the monitoring of electrostatic safety , the monitor 4 must do more than simply respond in a qualitative way to the presence of a static field . in outline , the monitor of the invention acts in the following method : a . by being responsive to the rate of change of the field rather than simply detecting the presence of the field ; b . by quantatively comparing this rate of change with the electrical capacity of the human body 1 to arrive at an energy transfer figure ; and other considerations pertaining to the case of fig1 which further illustrate the value of utilizing the rate of change of electrostatic field strength as an index of hazard can be explained on the basis that the ignition of electrically sensitive materials is generally regarded to have a thermal mechanism which is proportional to electrical power , as since fig1 represents the capacitive transfer of energy , the quantity of electricity involved is given by , however , power , the destructive element , is related to current in eq . ( 1 ) and it is therefore a parameter of q by the definition . therefore , the development of power in the capacitive transfer of energy is a function of time , more specifically , the rate of change of q with time . since by coulomb &# 39 ; s law an electrostatic charge , q , is attended by a proportional electrostatic field , the monitoring the rate of energy transfer provides an index of the destructive capability of electrical energy , or power . the same analysis also applies to the hazard of electric shock and damage to electrically sensitive materials , substances or objects . as shown in the illustration of fig1 and the accompanying text , the method as previously described is accomplished , namely a warning is elicited of hazardous conditions as defined by the rate of energy transfer field strength above a specified critical value . the critical value is concerned with the ignition energy of the category of materials exposed to the situation of fig1 or other factors which may be evaluated for specific applications . referring now to fig2 an object 1 is shown which is not within the electrostatic field of another object but which is receiving an electric current directly at some point a as shown . the current may be the result of contact with some material or substance which creates static charges at the point of contact , a , or the current may be the result of contact with some material or substance which is capable of delivering an electric current . an electrostatic field 3 will surround object 1 and it will change in value at a rate which is proportional to the current flowing into subject 1 . the invention 4 will experience a portion of the electrostatic field 3 and it will also experience a proportionally induced current . assuming object 1 to be a human body with monitor 4 held or worn in close proximity to the body , the invention will measure the rate of energy transfer resulting from electric charges moving directly into the body . in addition , once the body is charged , monitor 4 will continue to measure the rate of energy transfer between the charged body and other objects near the body . the energy transfer , whether it be into the body or out of the body , represents energy which is available for destructive discharge . safety monitor 4 monitors this destructive potential in a quantative way and is therefore superior to any conventional device which makes only qualitative measurements , measurements of field strength or rate of change of field strength . the case of fig2 may be termed &# 34 ; charging by contact &# 34 ; and it is a case in which a quantity of charge is flowing into or possibly out of an object 1 having an electrical capacity , c . the energy received or delivered by a charged capacitance is expressed as , however , as previously stated in the description of fig1 it is electrical power which is the prime consideration , not energy . power is related to energy as , again time appears in the denominator and establishes a rate of change . w may change with time as either or both of its parameters change with time : dc / dt or de / dt , but in each case the attending electrostatic field will change proportionally , and energy will be transferred proportionally . referring now to fig3 the induction plate 5 is a conductor in the form of a plate , wire , rod , etc . which is electrically insulated from the electronic circuit . the function of the induction plate 5 is to make the input of the electronic circuit non - directional in terms of its sensitivity to external electrostatic fields . external electrostatic fields create a potential on the induction plate 5 which is capacitively coupled through capacitors 6 and 7 to the positive and negative charge preamplifiers , transistors 8 and 9 , respectively . the capacitive charge coupled to transistors 8 and 9 results in a current flow in the base leads of these transistors which is proportional to the rate of change of external electrostatic fields . the transistor 8 is an npn device at zero base bias and it is responsive to positive currents . the transistor 9 is a pnp device and it is responsive to negative currents . balance of the response of the two transistors is achieved by the degree of capacitive coupling 6 and 7 to the induction plate 5 . transistors 8 and 9 are directly coupled in darlington fashion to the current amplifier , npn transistor 10 . the resistor , r 1 , is not a real part of the electronic circuit but represents the input impedance of the following amplifier states which are not shown in this illustration . the significant features of this part of the electronic circuit are : a sensitivity to both positive and negative currents , zero base bias on all transistors in the normal or idling state causing collector cut - off and essentially zero collector current flow for prolonged battery life , and a means of establishing a circuit response set at a preset threshold . the preset threshold corresponds to the degree of capacitive coupling 6 and 7 of the base leads of transistors 8 and 9 of the induction plate 5 , and also to the physical size and position of the induction plate 5 with respect to the rest of the circuit . since the transistors have zero base bias , external electrostatic fields must create a base potential above the base conduction threshold of the transistors to cause collector current . this potential for bipolar transistors is generally on the order of a few tenths of a volt . this principle is illustrated in fig4 a graph which shows the general form of the function of collector current i c , vs . base voltage v b . the dotted line , v t , indicates the conduction threshold for bipolar transistors . potentials below this value , v t , have no effect on collector current . the insensitivity of the circuit to externally applied potentials below this value prevents the circuit from responding to electrostatic fields of significant strength . fig5 is a graph which illustrates a principle utilized by the invention to conserve battery power . the dotted line represents a typical amplifier function in terms of total collector current , i c , and applied external field strength . as shown , a linear amplifier arrangement would provide a minimal response to minimal fields above v t threshold . fields of greater strength would elicit an amplifier response of greater collector current . since it is desired to employ a circuit which indicates only two conditions , safe or unsafe , the graduated response represented by the dotted line is unsatisfactory . therefore , positive regeneration or feed - back is used to tailor the circuit response as represted by the solid line . this function shows only two circuit states : off or on , with no graduation between . the off - on states correspond to safe and unsafe . fig6 is a block diagram of the basic circuit arrangement according to function . the functions denoted by numbers 5 through 10 were previously explained in fig3 . continuing with the explanation from the current emplifier , 10 , the voltage amplifier 11 has sufficient output for operating the driver 13 and the feed - back amplifier 12 . the output of the feed - back amplifier 12 is coupled back to the input of the current amplifier 10 to establish a circuit response as illustrated by the solid line in fig5 . while the regenerating feature of the feed - back amplifier drives the amplifiers 10 and 11 into saturation , the driver amplifier 13 is also saturated , providing power to the indicator circuit 14 . this circuit may utilize lights , buzzers , or other suitable alerting devices to attract the attention of the person using the invention . the important features of the invention which are illustrated by the block diagram are : a tailored response which consists of two states , off and on ; and a circuit insensitivity to marginal values of external electrostatic field strength . fig7 is a complete , working electrical schematic of a prototype of the invention which utilizes at least all of the features previously explained . external electrostatic fields changing at a rate sufficient to define a hazardous condition cause an induced current from the induction plate 5 through capacitors 6 and 7 to the base leads of transistors 8 and 9 . the output of either transistor 8 or 9 , depending on whether the induced current is positive or negative , respectively , is coupled to the current amplifier 10 and the voltage amplifier 11 . the voltage amplifier 11 is a pnp bipolar transistor with collector loading . transistor 11 is also normally in the cut - off condition . the voltage appearing across the 10k ohm collector load resistor 15 is coupled to the npn bipolar transistor , driver amplifier 13 through the 10k ohm base current limiting resistor 17 . the voltage across resistor 15 is also coupled to the feed - back amplifier 12 , an npn transistor which provides regenerative current to the base of current amplifier 10 . coupling from resistor 15 to transistor 12 is through a 4 . 7 uf capacitor 18 and across a 3 . 9 meghom base return resistor 16 . capacitor 18 blocks dc current from the base of transistor 12 and the resistor 16 insures that transistor 12 remains normally in a cut - off condition . in addition , resistor 16 and capacitor 18 form an rc network giving the circuit a time constant of approximately 6 seconds . this feature acts as a one - shot multivibrator which keeps the circuit in a saturated or on state for approximately 6 seconds regardless of the duration of the signal from the positive and negative preamplifiers , 8 and 9 , respectively . as a result the circuit gives a 6 second indication to very fast transients of external fields . as feed - back is established in the circuit , the driver transistor 13 goes into saturation and provides power to the multivibrator circuit which is formed by the mos fet enhancement transistors 27 , 28 , 29 and 30 . these four transistors are in a conventional free - running circuit with a time constant established by the 0 . 5 megohm resistor 31 and the 4 . 7 uf capacitor 32 . the multivibrator frequency is approximately 3 pps . the square wave output of the multivibrator is coupled to the secondary driver , npn transistor 25 , through a 1 . 0 megohm base current limiting resistor 26 . power for the portion of the circuit up to , but not including transistor 25 , is obtained from the 5 . 4 volt mercury battery 19 . the secondary driver transistor , npn bipolar transistor 25 , goes in and out of saturation with the square wave output of the multivibrator and sends a 3 pps collector current through the 22 ohm current limiting resistor 24 and the light - emitting - diodes 21 and 22 , as well as the miniature buzzer 23 . power for these indicators is taken from the 5 . 4 volt mercury battery 20 . important features of this prototype circuit are : essentially zero collector or drain current for all transistors during idling , a sensitivity to very high frequencies of external electrostatic fields , a sensitivity to very fast transients of external electrostatic fields , a controlled and sustained unsafe indication , lower power consumption , a low number of passive components , and a tailored response giving precisely defined states of off and on . fig8 is an electrical schematic representing a modification of the circuits of fig3 and 7 . fig8 shows a pair of mos fet enhancement transistors 34 and 35 used as the positive and negative preamplifiers . transistor 34 is an n - channel device for positive inputs and transistor 35 is a p - channel device for negative inputs . these transistors have a high input impedance which is advantageous for preamplifier use . they are shown coupled in complimentary configuration to the current amplifier , bipolar transistor 10 . r 1 , again represents the input impedance of subsequent amplifier stages not shown in fig8 . the diodes of 36 and 48 provide a high value of gate return resistance and some degree of overload protection . the diodes 36 and 48 stabilize transistors 34 and 35 and prevent drift . the resistance of the diodes is very high due to the fact that they are reverse biased as shown . the important features of this circuit modification are : a very high input impedance , typically 10 10 to 10 12 ohms ; an extended time constant of the preamplifier circuitry ; and improved temperature stability . fig9 represents a simplified diagram illustrating the electrostatic principle used to determine the grounded condition of electric or electronic equipment operated from conventional 60 cycle current supply lines . the generator 37 is an electric power utility generating station . the wires 49 and 50 are transmission lines on utility poles . line 50 is common with earth ground and line 49 is referred to as &# 34 ; hot .&# 34 ; the generator output is grounded at 38 , the power station ground . the power receiving end which is represented by the resistor 39 is grounded also at 38 , earth ground . the resistor 39 is assumed to be some electrical equipment utilizing power . the dotted line 40 represents a metal cover , case , or chassis around the electric equipment . if this is properly grounded , no 60 cycle electrostatic field will be radiated from the equipment 39 . the grounded case , or chassis provides faraday screening . if proper grounding is not established , a field will be radiated from the electric equipment 39 as represented by the arrow 41 . the invention may be used to detect the radiated field thereby determining if the electric equipment 39 is properly grounded . fig1 is an electric schematic of a modification of the basic circuit to improve its performance for the specific purpose of detecting radiated electrostatic fields of alternating current at the power - line frequency for the purpose as described above in fig9 . since alternating electrostatic fields are being detected , only one preamplifier stage 43 is required which may amplify either positive or negative fields . the figure illustrates an n - channel mos fet of the enhancement type as preamplifier 43 . this transistor amplifies the positive side of the input signal . preamplifier 43 is coupled in darlington fashion to the npn driver , bipolar transistor 44 . driver 44 operates the light - emitting - diode 45 to indicate the detection of an ac electrostatic field . the entire circuit has essentially zero collector and drain current in the normal state for prolonged battery life . a feed - back circuit and amplifier is not required . the diode 47 in the gate circuit of transistor 43 is reverse biased and provides a high impedance ground return to the gate for stabilization . a p - channel mos fet may also be used in conjunction with a bipolar transistor for the same function . the induction plate 5 and coupling capacitor 42 couple the external ac field to the preamplifier 43 . power for the circuit is taken from the 5 . 4 volt mercury battery 46 . thus it can be seen that the electronic circuits and their modifications as well as the method of employing these circuits as described will accomplish al least all of the stated objectives . with the personal electrostatic safety monitor , it is possible for persons to obtain warnings of impending hazards or nuisances due to static electricity and other forms of electrical energy . the personal electrostatic monitor if this invention has the capability of detecting very low voltages , i . e ., 0 . 5 volts or less . and more importantly , it detects the rate of transfer of electrostatic fields . in use , as heretofore explained , the monitor is capacitively connected to the human body which acts as a reference for detection of rate of energy transfer . when the monitor is capacitively coupled to the body it can detect rates of energy transfer as low as 0 . 1 milliloules or even lower to the lowest value of ignition sensitivity of any known material , lead azide at 4 × 10 - 10 joules . | 6 |
referring now to fig1 there is illustrated an exploded view of the gaming board system of the present invention , illustrating six different gaming boards 10 - 20 . the gaming board 10 is utilized for hockey , the gaming board 12 is utilized for a generic game termed &# 34 ; woodyball &# 34 ;, the gaming board 14 is utilized for soccer , the gaming board 16 is utilized for basketball and the gaming board 18 is utilized for football . all of the gaming boards 18 - 20 are dimensioned such that they fit into a box 22 or container for storing the gaming boards . in addition , the container 22 contains the playing pieces 24 and also goals 26 . these are typically disposed in a storage area in the box 22 . referring now to fig2 a and 2b , there are illustrated methods by which the main playing piece , the &# 34 ; ball &# 34 ; is utilized during playing of the game . in fig2 a , the ball is represented by a triangular playing piece 28 . the playing piece 28 has three faces and is rounded on all corners , with one face 28 &# 39 ; being the impacting face . the playing piece 28 is disposed on one corner thereof with the finger holding the other corner thereof such that the face 28 &# 39 ; is disposed substantially perpendicular to the playing surface and facing the player . the player then impacts the lower end of the face 28 &# 39 ; or &# 34 ; thumps it &# 34 ; with his finger . this causes the lower corner thereof along the face 28 &# 39 ; to rotate outwards and upwards . this provides the third dimensional aspect above the surface of the playing surface on boards 18 - 20 . this will be described in more detail hereinbelow . referring now to fig2 b , there is illustrated an alternate way of utilizing the playing piece 28 . in this operation , the playing piece 28 is laid on its side on the surface of the playing board . the face 28 &# 39 ; is disposed substantially parallel to the playing surface and then the player &# 34 ; thumps &# 34 ; the face 28 &# 39 ; on one end thereof to cause the playing piece 28 to spiral outward therefrom across the surface of the playing board but not leaving the surface of the playing board . this also will be described in more detail hereinbelow . referring now to fig3 a - 3c , there are illustrated various types of goals that are utilized for the playing of the game of the present invention . in fig3 a , a goal is illustrated for use in playing the basketball game on playing board 16 . an upright 30 is provided for being disposed substantially perpendicular to the playing surface . a hoop 32 is disposed on the upper end of the upright 30 , which hoop is substantially circumferential in shape and is disposed perpendicular to the playing surface . a net 34 is disposed around the peripheral edges of the hoop 32 and extends outward therefrom . the net 34 is typically made from a relatively rigid material such that it does not collapse of its own weight . referring now to fig3 b , there is illustrated the goal utilized for the generic &# 34 ; woodyball &# 34 ; game board 12 and also football game board 18 . the goal is comprised of an upright 36 that is disposed perpendicular to the playing surface , and a horizontal bar 38 that is disposed on the distal end of the upright 36 and centered thereon . on either end of the horizontal bar 38 are disposed uprights 40 and 42 , extending upward from the most distal ends of the horizontal bar 38 and substantially parallel to the upright 36 . as will be described hereinbelow , it is the object of the game to propel the playing piece 28 from a place on the playing surface through the two uprights 40 and 42 and above the horizontal bar 38 . referring now to fig3 c , there is illustrated a perspective view of the goal utilized for the soccer game board 14 and the hockey game board 10 . the goal is generally comprised of two side portions 44 and 46 that support a rear portion 48 . the rear portion 48 has a horizontal bar 50 that is disposed above and parallel to the playing surface . the rear portion 48 extends downward from the horizontal bar 50 to the playing surface at an angle thereto . the side portions 44 and 46 support the rear portion 48 to provide an opening in one side thereof . the opening allows the playing piece 28 to be propelled therein on the surface of the playing board . referring now to fig4 there is illustrated a perspective view of the playing surface for the gaming boards 12 and 18 , utilized for the generic &# 34 ; woodyball &# 34 ; game and the football game . the gaming board is generally comprised of a flat surface 52 upon which a pattern 54 is disposed . there are two ends 56 and 58 to the rectangular shaped flat surface 52 . the goals , comprised of the goals in fig3 b , are disposed on either side of the printed pattern 54 and anchored thereto . these are referred to by reference numerals 60 and 62 at ends 58 and 56 , respectively . along each side of the flat surface 52 are disposed deflector panels 64 and 66 . the deflector panels 64 and 66 run along the sides of the flat surface 52 between ends 58 and 56 and angle upward . these are utilized to prevent the playing pieces from falling off of the board , or in general containing them within the playing surface . in addition , a collapsible net 68 is disposed on the end 58 and a collapsible net 70 is disposed on the end 56 . the collapsible nets 68 and 70 are operable to be pulled to a substantially perpendicular orientation with respect to the playing surface 52 by the player . this is done when the opposite player is attempting to propel the game piece 24 through the goal at the other player &# 39 ; s end . in the diagram of fig4 the net 68 is pulled upward in a perpendicular configuration such that the playing piece can be propelled through the uprights on the goal 60 . net 68 allows some method for preventing the playing piece 28 from being propelled off of the playing surface 52 . when not utilized , the net 68 can be collapsed such that the other player can have access to the gaming board . the net 70 is illustrated in this collapsed position . the gaming board in fig4 is utilized to play the generic &# 34 ; woodyball &# 34 ; game and the football game . in the &# 34 ; woodyball &# 34 ; game , the object of the game is to be the first to collect twenty &# 34 ; woody points &# 34 ; by either a &# 34 ; touchdown goal &# 34 ; or a &# 34 ; woody goal &# 34 ;. a &# 34 ; touchdown goal &# 34 ; receives two woody points and a &# 34 ; woody goal &# 34 ; receives one woody point . a touchdown is obtained by propelling the playing piece 28 across the surface of the playing board and causing it to stop on the edge of the printed pattern 54 . this will provide a score of two points . a goal is obtained by propelling the playing piece 28 through the uprights of either one of the goals 60 or 62 at the opponent &# 39 ; s end of the playing surface . this provides a score of one point . after a touchdown has been made , an extra point attempt is provided for . to begin play in the generic &# 34 ; woodyball &# 34 ; game , the player to start first is determined by a coin toss . the first player would then place the playing piece 28 on the pattern 54 at a predetermined point along the playing surface . these are typically divided up into segments of ten increments , each increment representing yards on the playing surface . therefore , there will be graduations marked for the ten yard , twenty yard , etc ., to a middle point of fifty yards from each end of the pattern 54 . initially , the playing piece 28 is disposed on the twenty yard line nearest to the player . the playing piece 28 is then propelled along the surface of the gaming board . if the playing piece 28 stops short of the end of the printed pattern 54 , referred to as the goal line , then the player has the option of attempting to again propel the playing piece 28 along the surface to touch the goal line or attempt to propel the playing piece vertically through the uprights of the goal . this then results in alternation of players with each player attempting to be the first to obtain a total of twenty points . after a successful &# 34 ; touchdown &# 34 ; wherein the playing piece has been disposed on the goal line , the player can gain another point by propelling the playing piece 28 through the uprights from the thirty yard line nearest the goal . in the football gaming board 18 , the pattern 54 has a plurality of game tokens shaped similar to the playing piece 28 but smaller . the graduations in the playing surface 54 are divided up into a plurality of boxes , with each box having various worded statements or the such denoted therein . these worded statements correspond to various penalties and plays in the game of football , which is conventional . for example , one box on the twenty yard line has the statement , &# 34 ; complete pass , advance one space &# 34 ;, which indicates that when the playing piece is disposed on that space , that the token can be advanced by one space . each space therefore provides some indication of a play or a penalty in the game of football . the object of the game is to move the game token from start to finish , collecting points . points are collected when players land on a space marked for &# 34 ; woody goal &# 34 ;, and in completing a field goal with their playing piece 28 from a designated yard line on the playing field . the player begins the game on his side of the lower left hand corner at a start block . the player then rolls a pair of dice ( not shown ) and moves the number of spaces shown on the dice , moving up one column and down the next adjacent column and will continue until he has traversed all columns to the end . the worded spaces provide the actions which the player can take until he has finally stopped on a space . the next player then takes his turn . this continues until four lengths of the field have been completed for a total of &# 34 ; four quarters &# 34 ;. during traversing of the worded spaces , certain spaces will indicate that an individual can propel the playing piece 28 through the goal from that point . this will collect a point if the playing piece 28 successfully passes between the uprights on the goal . referring now to fig5 there is illustrated a perspective view of the playing surface for the baseball gaming board 20 . the baseball gaming board 20 is generally shaped like a baseball diamond and it is triangular shaped having an apex 72 that extends outward on two sides 74 and 76 with the ends of the sides 74 and 76 being connected with an arc 78 . the arc 78 represents the outfield of the gaming board . a wall 80 is provided along the arc 78 and extends up from the surface of the playing board 20 . four flags 82 are disposed on the wall 80 to define uprights and provide three &# 34 ; regions &# 34 ; corresponding to &# 34 ; right &# 34 ; field , &# 34 ; left &# 34 ; field and &# 34 ; center &# 34 ; field . a pattern is disposed on the surface of the playing board 20 illustrative of the baseball playing field . the object of the game is to advance as many tokens around the playing field from first base to home base before utilizing a player &# 39 ; s supply of special tokens defined as &# 34 ; out tokens &# 34 ;. the playing field has a number of worded circles at first base , second base , third base , right field , left field and center field . these worded circles indicate the types of actions that are to be taken . each of the worded circles has worded actions disposed therein . initially , each player receives a playing piece 28 , nine &# 34 ; out tokens &# 34 ; and ten playing tokens . the dice are rolled to determine which player starts and then the first player places a playing token on the home base portion of the playing field . the dice are then rolled to determine where the play will start , i . e ., which of the worded circles that the play will start in . for example , the dice may indicate that play is to start in right field . at the right field circle , the dice are again rolled to determine the play itself . for example , if a value of &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; were rolled with the dice , this would indicate a &# 34 ; fly out &# 34 ; action . the first number therefor represents a playing area or worded circle , each worded circle having a number , and the second number rolled with the dice represents the play denoted in that circle . the token at home base is then placed at the appropriate base . if a player lands on a home run , he is then instructed by the wording in the appropriate circle at which fence , right field , left field or center field , to propel the playing piece 28 . these are indicated by the flags 82 , which comprise the uprights . the playing piece 28 is then disposed at the home plate , proximate to the apex 72 and then &# 34 ; thumped &# 34 ; or propelled toward the wall 80 between the appropriate flags 82 . if complete , the playing tokens are then advanced around the bases toward home plate . scoring is as in a conventional baseball game . a playing token can only be forced from its space by an advancing token . for example , if a player has a token on third base and a two base hit was rolled , the player will move the token from home base to second base , but the token at third base stays until forced to move by another two - base or three - base hit or by a home run . when a player lands at an out space , he must remove all playing tokens from the bases and give up one out token . this will end the inning for that player . he then records the number of runs scored onto a score pad . the next player will take his turn in the same manner . if when rolling the dice , a double number is rolled , a circle at the pitcher &# 39 ; s mound indicates a number of plays . for example , whenever two &# 34 ; 2 &# 34 ; s are rolled , this indicates that a hit to left field has been made , and the playing token advances two bases . the play continues until all players have utilized their out tokens . referring now to fig6 there is illustrated a perspective view of the gaming board 16 utilized for basketball . the board comprises a flat surface 84 , having a printed pattern 86 disposed on the upper surface thereof representing a basketball court . goals 88 and 90 are disposed at opposite ends of the pattern 86 , the goals 88 and 90 represented by the goal of fig3 a . the pattern 86 has two basketball &# 34 ; keys &# 34 ; at either end thereof and a half - court line 92 disposed in the center thereof . there is a central worded circle in the center of the half - court line 92 and there are three worded circles that are identical images of the other on either side of the half - court line 92 . the object of the game is to accrue the most points when a player has successfully moved all playing tokens to the opposite side of the playing board . points are collected by landing on designated spaces and successfully completing a goal into the goals 88 or 90 , i . e ., &# 34 ; thumping &# 34 ; the playing piece 28 into the respective one of the goals 88 or 90 . the players start at the central circle at the half - court line 92 and then roll the dice to move from the central circle . if a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; or a &# 34 ; 6 &# 34 ; is rolled , the token can be moved from the central circuit into the top of the key on the respective one of the goals 88 and 90 to attempt a &# 34 ; free throw &# 34 ;. if a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; was rolled , the player gets one free shot at the goal and if a &# 34 ; 6 &# 34 ; was rolled , the player gets two free shots at the goal . if the player is sent back to the central circle on line 92 , only a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; or a &# 34 ; 6 &# 34 ; showing on the dice will allow them to move . at the beginning of play , the playing tokens are placed inside the large circles , the large circles having six smaller circles disposed therein , and one token is placed in the central circuit at the half - court line 92 . each player has ten tokens . the players move toward opposite ends of the court by rolling the dice . the player first rolls a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; or a &# 34 ; 6 &# 34 ; to advance to the top of the key at the respective goals 88 or 90 . once a player is out of the central circle at the half - court line 92 , both the dice are rolled and one number is chosen for a large circle . each large circle is then provided with two numbers and then one number is chosen for the small circle within the larger circle . the worded instructions in the small circle are then followed . however , if all spaces are occupied by a token , the player loses a turn . play is continued by acting on the wording in the space to determine whether a shot is taken or whether two shots are taken at the appropriate goal with the playing piece 28 until all playing tokens have moved to the opposite sides of the game board &# 39 ; s center line . in certain instances , the instructions result in the playing tokens being moved back to the central circle on the half - court line 92 . the object is to land on as many of the small circles in the large circles that indicate a &# 34 ; shot &# 34 ; is to be taken at the appropriate one of the goals 88 or 90 . the number of points accrued determines the winner of the game . referring now to fig7 there is illustrated a perspective view of the gaming board 14 for soccer . the board is configured of a flat surface 94 having a pattern 96 disposed thereon , representing a soccer field . this pattern has disposed on either side thereof penalty and player boxes 98 . the goals 100 and 102 are disposed on respective ends of the pattern 96 , the goals represented in fig3 c . the object of the game is to be the first player to collect ten points by successfully completing a goal from a designated shot space . a center line 104 has a start position circle disposed in the center thereof . play is begun by providing a player with ten tokens disposed in the respective one of the player &# 39 ; s boxes 98 . one of these tokens is moved by each player to the start position . in the start position , the player rolls the dice and advances the player token to a numbered space corresponding to the roll . each of the circles has a number disposed therein designating which one of the circles the playing token is advanced to . the defending player then rolls the dice to determine a goal position . the goal position is a point at which the player disposes their playing piece 28 at the defending goal . a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; or a &# 34 ; 2 &# 34 ; represents the left side of the goal . a &# 34 ; 3 &# 34 ; or a &# 34 ; 4 &# 34 ; represents the center of the goal . a &# 34 ; 5 &# 34 ; or a &# 34 ; 6 &# 34 ; represents the right side of the goal . the playing piece 28 for the defending goal is disposed at the appropriate position on the goal . the player shooting will then propel his playing piece 28 along the surface of the playing board from the appropriate one of the circles . if the shot is complete and goes into the respective one of the goals 100 or 102 , this represents one point . if the shot was missed , then the token must be placed in the penalty box . to remove the tokens from this box , the players must return one point for each token they want to remove and place back in the player &# 39 ; s box . referring now to fig8 there is illustrated a perspective view of the gaming board 10 for hockey . the gaming board 10 is comprised of a flat surface 110 having a printed surface 112 thereon . the printed surface 112 has a center line 114 divided into three sections on either side thereof . each of the three sections has a plurality of worded circles disposed therein . in addition , there are player and penalty boxes 116 disposed on either side thereof for each player . goals 118 and 120 are disposed on either side of the printed pattern 112 , goals 118 and 120 being similar to goals 100 and 102 . the object of the game is to advance the playing tokens from one end of the playing field to the opposite end of the field and collecting points by landing on designated goal shot circles and completing a goal . on each side of the center line 114 there are three zones , a first attacking zone proximate to the goal , a second attacking zone midway between the goal and the center line 114 and a neutral zone proximate to the center line 114 . play is begun by placing a token on a circle that is disposed on either side of the center line 114 and central relative thereto . when a player rolls a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; or a &# 34 ; 6 &# 34 ;, this provides movement from the start position to move to a &# 34 ; free shot &# 34 ; zone which is directly in front of the goal . the opponent then rolls the dice to determine the goalie &# 39 ; s position as described above with respect to fig7 . a shot is then taken by propelling the game piece 28 across the surface of the board into the respective one of the goals 118 and 120 . if missed , play is continued . after the playing token has been advanced from the initial starting point , the tokens are advanced to the opposite end of the field , acting only on the spaces beyond the center line 114 . while advancing tokens , only one token at a time can be advanced and only one zone at a time can be advanced to . in summary , there has been provided a gaming board having a plurality of boards for use with different games . each of the gaming boards utilizes a flat surface having a printed pattern thereon . goals provided at either end of a playing piece are utilized to both advance through various numbered spaces and also to allow propelling of the playing piece into a goal or receptacle at either end of the playing board . although the preferred embodiment has been described in detail , it should be understood that various changes , substitutions and alterations can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . | 0 |
apparatuses , systems and / or methods that implement the embodiments of the various features of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings . the drawings and the associated descriptions are provided to illustrate some embodiments of the present invention and not to limit the scope of the present invention . throughout the drawings , reference numbers are re - used to indicate correspondence between referenced elements . fig2 a illustrates an esophageal implant device 205 implanted into a patient &# 39 ; s esophageal junction between an esophagus 206 and a stomach 200 . these devices can also be referred to as intragastric devices . as shown , the esophageal implant device 205 is fixed within the esophageal lumen via tissue fixation means 215 anchoring the esophageal implant device 205 in place through a plurality of holes 220 . that is , each of the plurality of holes 220 may have its own corresponding tissue fixation means 215 . furthermore , the number of holes 220 and corresponding tissue fixation means 215 may be configured as desired . the esophageal implant device 205 functions to emulate natural tissue behavior ( e . g ., esophageal constriction , expansion , peristalsis , and the like ) to allow the transport of food boluses through the esophageal implant device 205 , albeit at a potentially slower rate due to the restriction caused by the esophageal implant device 205 . more particularly , the natural tissue behavior emulated by the esophageal implant device 205 is produced , at least in part , by the compliance of the esophageal implant device 205 which may be due to the gel ( or saline ) or other appropriate compliance producing filling 210 . fig2 b illustrates the esophageal implant device 205 outside of the patient &# 39 ; s body and shown without the tissue anchors for the sake of clarity . the esophageal implant device 205 may be bell - shaped ( or cylindrical - shaped with an outwardly tapered bottom end or hour - glass shaped ) with the portion of the esophageal implant device 205 extending into the stomach of the patient flaring outwards ( i . e ., similar to an inverted funnel ). that is , in one embodiment , the circumference of a bottom portion 260 of the esophageal implant device 205 where a food bolus exits is larger than a circumference of a top portion 255 where the food bolus enters the esophageal implant device 205 . as shown in the cross - sectional illustration of fig2 c , the esophageal implant device 205 may be compliant , lowdurometer ( e . g ., 0 - 30 shore a ) and gel - filled or saline - filled . in one embodiment , the esophageal implant device 205 may be divided by a separating wall 225 into an anchoring portion 230 having the holes 220 and a compliant portion 235 . the anchoring portion 230 may be unfilled or constructed out of a sturdier material such as a polymer , while the compliant portion 235 may be filled with a compliant gel or other appropriate filling 210 . the filling 210 may be silicone or other gel materials ( e . g ., as derived from breast implant devices or dermal filling applications ). the separating wall 225 prevents the filling 210 from entering into the anchoring portion 230 . in one or more alternative embodiments , the esophageal implant device 205 might not include a separating wall 225 . accordingly , the entire or substantially entire esophageal implant device 205 may be filled with the filling 210 . as shown above , for example in fig2 a , the esophageal implant device 205 may be fixed to the patient &# 39 ; s esophageal lumen via a tissue fixation means 215 . fig2 d illustrates one embodiment of a tissue fixation means , and in particular , a mesh tissue anchor 250 . the mesh tissue anchor 250 may be fully collapsible to allow delivery via endoscopic instrumentation ( e . g ., a needle driver ). after penetration through the mucosal - serosal tissue 201 , the mesh tissue anchor 250 may expand to prevent immediate retraction back within the esophageal lumen . more particularly , the mesh tissue anchor 250 may include a pin 251 and a collapsible pin anchor 255 . the pin 251 may include a head portion 252 connected to a stem portion 253 , which in turn is connected to an anchor interface 254 connected to the collapsible pin anchor 255 . when collapsed , the collapsible pin anchor 255 may be configured to be smaller than the holes 220 such that the collapsible pin anchor 255 may be insertable into any one of the holes 220 . the stem portion 253 may be substantially the same dimension or slightly smaller as any of the holes 220 to allow the stem portion 253 to engage and hold the pin 251 in place after the collapsible pin anchor 255 is inserted through any one of the holes 220 . the head portion 252 may be configured to be larger than the holes 220 to prevent the pin 251 from slipping through the holes 220 . after the collapsible pin anchor 255 pierces through the mucosal - serosal tissue 201 , the collapsible pin anchor 255 may be expanded dimensionally to prevent the aforementioned retraction . in this manner , the mesh tissue anchor 250 fixes the esophageal implant device 205 to the patient &# 39 ; s mucosal - serosal tissue 201 . fig2 e illustrates the mesh tissue anchor 250 outside the patient &# 39 ; s body for clarity . as shown here , the mesh tissue anchor 250 is in its expanded orientation . while not shown , the mesh tissue anchor 250 may also be collapsed in another orientation . in one embodiment , generally - speaking , the mesh tissue anchor 250 may be loosely analogous to the operation of an umbrella operable to be collapsed or expanded . the collapsible pin anchor 255 may include a supporting portion 256 designed to be smooth and flat and for contacting an outside surface of the patient &# 39 ; s serosal tissue when the collapsible pin anchor 255 is expanded . the collapsible pin anchor 255 may further include an apex 257 for holding the pin 251 to the collapsible pin anchor 255 . in one embodiment , when expanded and positioned as shown in fig2 d , the collapsible pin anchor 255 may allow for tissue in - growth thereby providing even greater fixating potential and biocompatibility . in addition , discrete anchor implantation and / or removal may be performed by endoscopy . fig2 f - 2h illustrates another example of a tissue fixation means . here , tissue fixation may be accomplished using a combination of anchors that mate with a gastric band that wraps around the exterior of the patient &# 39 ; s esophagus . the gastric band may be advantageous due to the proven longevity of the support ( e . g ., over 10 years ) and further promoting satiety by providing a presence about the surrounding satiety nerves . implantation and removal of this embodiment of fixation may be performed laparoscopically . fig2 f illustrates one embodiment of how the esophageal implant device 205 may be attached to the patient &# 39 ; s mucosal - serosal tissue 201 via anchors 270 and further holding the gastric band 275 in place . more particularly , as shown in fig2 g , a plurality of anchors 270 may be positioned circumferentially and uniformly about the patient &# 39 ; s esophagus . the anchors 270 advantageously hold the esophageal implant device 205 in place while also functioning similarly to belt loops creating a barrier against undesired movement in three directions with respect to the gastric band 275 , thereby holding the gastric band 275 in place contacting the patient &# 39 ; s esophagus . fig2 h illustrates how the anchors 270 are placed into position . the anchors 270 may include a pin component 276 having a stem portion 277 and a head portion 278 , and a hook component 279 . the stem portion 277 of the pin component 276 may penetrate holes 220 of the esophageal implant device 205 and mucosal - serosal tissue 201 prior to being received and joined to the hook component 279 . in this manner , the anchors 270 function to hold in place the esophageal implant device 205 on the mucosal side of the mucosal - serosal tissue 201 and the gastric band 275 on the serosal side the mucosal - serosal tissue 201 . fig3 a - 3e illustrates another embodiment of an esophageal implant device 300 . the esophageal implant device 300 may be compliant , low - durometer ( e . g ., 0 - 30 shore a ), and low viscosity fluid filled . as shown , substantially the entire interior of the esophageal implant device 300 may be filled with a low viscosity fluid . for example , low viscosity fluids may include saline , silicone or other substances . similar to the esophageal implant device 200 of fig2 a , the esophageal implant device 300 may emulate natural tissue behavior . however , the esophageal implant device 300 may further self - regulate internal pressures when implanted within the patient &# 39 ; s esophagus 301 . furthermore , a “ gating ” effect may cause the bolus of food 350 traveling in the direction of arrow 310 to be further broken down as a result of the pressures on the esophagus 301 . fig3 b - 3e illustrate how the esophageal implant device 300 may function . as shown in fig3 b , when the bolus of food 350 reaches the esophageal implant device 300 in the direction of arrows 310 , the body 305 of the esophageal implant device 300 is in an equilibrium state . however , as the bolus of food 350 begins to transport through the esophageal implant device 300 as illustrated in fig3 c , the bolus of food 300 begins to exert a pressure causing the fluid within the esophageal implant device 300 to move in the direction of arrows 315 . here , the bolus 350 also applies an outward pressure and gates off the bottom portion of the esophageal implant device 300 ( via the bulge beneath arrows 315 ) reservoir thereby slowing the digestion process and helping the patient feel satiated for a longer period of time . as the bolus of food 350 continues to move downward in the direction of arrow 310 , proximal to the middle portion of the esophageal implant device 300 , the pressure exerted on the esophageal implant device 300 now causes some fluid to move in the direction of arrows 315 and some fluid to move in the direction of arrows 320 , thereby facilitating the move of the bolus 350 downwards while also applying an outward pressure on the esophagus 301 . as peristalsis further transports the bolus of food 350 downward , proximal to the bottom portion of the esophageal implant device 300 , the bolus of food 350 now exerts a pressure causing the fluid within the esophageal implant device 300 to move upwards in the direction of arrows 320 . as shown , the top portions of the esophageal implant device 300 above the arrows 320 bulges inward due to the influx of fluid thereby resulting in a gating effect . that is , the influx of fluid moving to the top portion of the esophageal implant device 300 above the arrows 320 momentarily prevents any other bolus from passing through the esophageal implant device 300 . satiety may be correlated with bolus activity about the gastric band ( e . g ., moving up and back down ), and therefore , in the manner illustrated in fig3 b - 3e , the patient may experience improved satiety after swallowing a bolus of food . in addition , the gating effect may assist to guide the bolus 350 through the esophageal implant device 300 . other embodiments of an endoscopic device for the treatment of obesity may include a variable - sized opening for the passage of a bolus of food . for example , a mechanical stoma may be provided . due to the presence of mechanics , the relative ability for the mechanical stoma to emulate natural tissue motions may be less than the endoscopic devices 200 and 300 but still remain non - stiff . fig4 a - 4d illustrate one embodiment of the mechanical stoma in the form of a conical valve 405 . the conical valve 405 allows for regulating control over the overall restrictive capability of the esophageal implant 400 . the restriction adjustment is based on the relative separation between the conical valve 405 and the housing 410 . that is , the greater the separation , the less restriction the esophageal implant 400 can maintain . in one embodiment , the esophageal implant 400 may be physician adjusted . as shown in fig4 a , the conical valve 405 is completely inserted into the housing 410 , and as a result , the esophageal implant 400 is relatively very restrictive in this orientation . conversely , as shown in fig4 b , the conical valve 405 is not fully inserted into the housing 410 , and as a result , the esophageal implant 400 is not as restrictive in this orientation as compared to the orientation of fig4 a . the arrow 420 illustrates a direction that the conical valve 405 may be manipulated to cause the esophageal implant 400 to be more restrictive . conversely , manipulating the conical valve in the reverse direction may cause the esophageal implant 400 to be less restrictive . fig4 c and 4d illustrate a top view and a bottom view , respectively , of the esophageal implant 400 showing the gaps where the food may pass through between the conical valve 405 and the housing 410 . as the conical valve 405 is manipulated to be increasingly restrictive , the gaps where the food may pass through become decreasingly smaller . in this manner , the conical valve 405 may be manipulated to control the level of restriction . manipulation of the conical valve 405 may be performed by the physician via a mechanical interface ( e . g ., a screw , spring or friction ). alternatively , the conical valve 405 may include a motor controllable by a remote computing device outside the body . fig5 a and 5b illustrate another embodiment of a mechanical stoma 500 , here shown to include a plurality of plates 505 which pivot and / or overlap to vary the opening for the bolus of food . fig5 a is a top view of the mechanical stoma 500 having a plurality of plates 505 attached to a body 510 via pivoting member 515 . the plates 505 may be pivotably fixed to the body 510 to create a variably - sized opening for the passage of a bolus of food . as shown , the plates 505 are positioned in a relatively “ closed ” orientation resulting in a relatively small opening . in one embodiment , the plates 505 may further engage one another such that movement of one plate may trigger the movement of an adjacent plate . alternatively , the plates 505 might not contact each other and may be controlled independently . the physician may control the positioning of the plates 505 manually via an endoscopic device or the plates 505 may include a motor controllable by a remote computing device outside the body . fig5 b illustrates a top view of the mechanical stoma 500 having the plurality of plates 500 positioned in a relatively “ open ” orientation resulting in a relatively large opening for the passage of food . in another embodiment , an endoscopic device having a variably sized opening or iris may be provided to restrict a patient &# 39 ; s consumption of food . for example , fig6 a illustrates a top view of an endoscopic device 600 defining an opening 605 for the passage of a bolus of food . in one embodiment , the endoscopic device 600 may be a biocompatible diaphragm 610 stretched across a frame 615 , which may be rigid . the frame 615 may be attached to a patient &# 39 ; s esophageal - gastric junction via tissue fixation means ( e . g ., as described herein ). fig6 b illustrates a cross - sectional side view of the biocompatible diaphragm 610 fixed across the frame 615 . fig6 c illustrates the operation of the endoscopic device 600 with respect to a bolus of food 670 . as the bolus of food 670 swallowed by the patient reaches the biocompatible diaphragm 610 , the bolus of food 670 may cause a downward pressure on the opening 605 of the diaphragm 610 thereby temporarily enlarging the opening 605 and allowing the bolus of food 670 to pass through . fig6 d illustrates how the opening 605 of the endoscopic device 600 stretches to accommodate the bolus of food 670 . the biocompatible diaphragm 610 as shown , defines one opening 605 , but in other embodiments , may include additional openings of varying or uniform sizes . the physician may be able to adjust the endoscopic device 600 in any of a plurality of ways to customize the size , shape and firmness of the diaphragm 600 . for example , the physician may cut the opening 605 to size endoscopically or prior to implantation . the physician may also configure how taut the diaphragm 600 is when fixed to the frame 615 thereby controlling the size and / or shape of the opening 605 , and further controlling the material &# 39 ; s ability to stretch . in one or more embodiments , the material of the diaphragm ( e . g ., rubber ) itself may be configured to be stiffer or more compliant as desired by the physician . fig7 illustrates a top view of an endoscopic device 700 having a “ cross - hair shaped ”, variably sized opening 705 defined by a diaphragm 710 , which may be stretched and / or fixed to a frame 715 according to an embodiment of the present invention . the endoscopic device 700 may operate and / or be configured similarly to endoscopic device 600 of fig6 a . assuming all else equal , such a shaped opening may allow for better control of bolus transport through the device than the iris - shaped opening of fig6 a . fig8 illustrates a top view of an endoscopic device 800 having an ellipsoid - shaped , variably sized opening 805 defined by a diaphragm 810 , which may be stretched and / or fixed to a frame 815 according to an embodiment of the present invention . the endoscopic device 800 may operate and / or be configured similarly to endoscopic device 600 of fig6 a . assuming all else equal , the ellipsoid - shaped opening 805 may allow for easier passage of fluids due to being larger than the opening 605 of fig6 a . however , the configuration , and namely because the opening 805 is more narrow than the opening 605 of fig6 a , the passage of larger boluses of food may be more restricted with respect to the endoscopic device 800 . in certain embodiments , esophageal implants may include artificial esophageal stomas and stents or stent - like fixation means . using such artificial stomas may provide substantial advantages including , but not limited to , ( 1 ) providing a noninvasive , non - surgical alternative to existing obesity treatment devices , ( 2 ) including stent or stent - like portions for positioning and fixating means to hold the artificial stoma in place , ( 3 ) providing non - invasive means for determining implant location within a patient &# 39 ; s body due to being visible under fluoroscopy or other radiographic imagining , ( 4 ) having pliable and complaint characteristics making the artificial esophageal stoma obstruction tolerant , ( 5 ) allowing variability in the size of the stoma / stent ( e . g ., by removing a stoma / stent of one size and replacing it with a stoma / stent of a second size ), and / or ( 6 ) allowing removal of the artificial esophageal stoma using non - surgical , full endoscopic instrumentation . fig9 a illustrates one embodiment of an esophageal implant 900 positioned within a patient &# 39 ; s esophagus 905 . the esophageal implant 900 may include a stent portion 910 and an artificial stoma portion 915 . the esophageal implant 900 is shown outside the patient &# 39 ; s body for clarity in fig9 b . the stent portion 910 may be constructed out of nitinol , nitinol - platinum alloys or other materials with similar properties and may be configured to have any of a number of different geometries to assist with fixation and migration resistance when implanted into the esophagus 905 . the stent portion 910 may also include barbs , ribs , fins , struts or other outward members to further prevent migration and maintain fixation within the patient &# 39 ; s esophagus 905 . in addition , the stent portion 910 may be coupled with tissue fixation means ( e . g ., such as mesh anchor 250 ). the stent portion 910 may be attached to the artificial stoma portion 915 via a lining portion 925 . the lining portion 925 may be constructed out of silicone and may cover the stent portion 910 partially ( as shown ) or entirely ( not shown ). the lining portion 925 may be attached to the stent portion 910 and the artificial stoma portion 915 via any one of a number of different techniques including but not limited to ( 1 ) situating the lining portion 925 along the inner diameter of the stent portion 910 ( e . g ., in a “ belt - and suspenders ” type design ), ( 2 ) overmolding the stoma shell over the stent and then filling the shell with gel , and / or ( 3 ) utilizing mechanical fixation means or other appropriate fixation means . the artificial stoma portion 915 may be gel - filled and both pliable and compliant . for example , the artificial stoma portion 915 may operate in a manner similar to endoscopic devices 200 and 300 of fig2 a and 3a , respectively . the esophageal implant 900 may also include grasping members 920 fixed to the top of the stent portion 910 as shown in fig5 b and 5c for easier implantation and / or removal . alternatively and / or in addition , a suture running through the stent portion 910 may assist to collapse the esophageal implant 900 for removal . in one or more embodiments , the esophageal implant 900 may act as a “ funnel ” such that the opening 935 at the top of the stent portion 910 may be larger than the opening 930 at the bottom of the artificial stoma portion 915 to guide a bolus of food and to provide the restrictive features of the artificial stoma portion 915 . many variations to the esophageal implant 900 may be possible . for example , the artificial stoma portion 915 may be endoscopically removed leaving the stent portion 910 in place . in this manner , removal of the restrictive stoma portion 910 may be performed while enabling future reattachment of a similarly sized or differently sized stoma portion . other variations to the esophageal implant 900 may include changing the conical geometry to a cylindrical geometry over varied lengths , including flared ends or including ribs , fins or other barb - like features along the stent body to assist with fixation within the esophageal lumen and to prevent migration during normal and / or increased peristalsis . the stent portion 910 may also be braided or laser cut to improve the collapsibility of the esophageal implant 900 for delivery , opening force and compliance within the patient &# 39 ; s body . fig9 d is a close - up view of fig9 a showing the endoscopic device having the stent portion 910 located above the artificial stoma portion 915 ( i . e ., the artificial stoma portion 915 being distal to the stent portion 910 ). however , alternative embodiments as shown in fig1 and 11 may include endoscopic devices 1000 and 1100 where the artificial stoma portion is located above the stent portion ( as shown in fig1 wherein the artificial stoma portion 1015 being proximal to the stent portion 1010 ) or contained within the stent portion ( as shown in fig1 wherein the stoma portion is integrated within the stent portion 1110 effectively reducing longitudinal contact on the mucosal tissue ). certain embodiments have been disclosed to clarify the concepts including the above structural configurations . however , one skilled in the art will recognize that an endless number of implementations may be performed with the concepts herein . for example , the tube may be a catheter and may be used in other applications which require transferring fluid or gas . unless otherwise indicated , all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients , volumes of fluids , and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “ about .” accordingly , unless indicated to the contrary , the numerical parameters set forth in the specification and attached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the present invention . at the very least , and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims , each numerical parameter should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques . notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the invention are approximations , the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible . any numerical value , however , inherently contains certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements . the terms “ a ,” “ an ,” “ the ” and similar referents used in the context of describing the invention ( especially in the context of the following claims ) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural , unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context . recitation of ranges of values herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range . unless otherwise indicated herein , each individual value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein . all methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context . the use of any and all examples , or exemplary language ( e . g ., “ such as ”) provided herein is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention otherwise claimed . no language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non - claimed element essential to the practice of the invention . groupings of alternative elements or embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are not to be construed as limitations . each group member may be referred to and claimed individually or in any combination with other members of the group or other elements found herein . it is anticipated that one or more members of a group may be included in , or deleted from , a group for reasons of convenience and / or patentability . when any such inclusion or deletion occurs , the specification is deemed to contain the group as modified thus fulfilling the written description of all markush groups used in the appended claims . certain embodiments of this invention are described herein , including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention . of course , variations on these described embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description . the inventor expects skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate , and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than specifically described herein . accordingly , this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law . moreover , any combination of the above - described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context . furthermore , certain references have been made to patents and printed publications throughout this specification . each of the above - cited references and printed publications are individually incorporated herein by reference in their entirety . specific embodiments disclosed herein may be further limited in the claims using consisting of or and consisting essentially of language . when used in the claims , whether as filed or added per amendment , the transition term “ consisting of ” excludes any element , step , or ingredient not specified in the claims . the transition term “ consisting essentially of ” limits the scope of a claim to the specified materials or steps and those that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic ( s ). embodiments of the invention so claimed are inherently or expressly described and enabled herein . in closing , it is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are illustrative of the principles of the present invention . other modifications that may be employed are within the scope of the invention . thus , by way of example , but not of limitation , alternative configurations of the present invention may be utilized in accordance with the teachings herein . accordingly , the present invention is not limited to that precisely as shown and described . | 0 |
as discussed above , the game of the present invention is similar to the basic game of asia poker but in accordance with an important feature thereof , instead of dividing the seven cards dealt to each of the seven players ( in a casino setting , a dealer deals to six players ) into two groups of five and two , the cards are divided into three groups of four , two and one . the groups are designated as low , medium and high hands and , in accordance with one preferred embodiment , when the cards dealt to a player are divided into the three groups , the medium ( two - card ) hand must be higher than the low ( one - card ) hand and high hand must be higher than the medium hand . as indicated above , in order to beat the dealer , a player must win on two out of three hands . because there are three possibilities of winning and winning two out of three beats the dealer , there are substantially no “ pushes ,” i . e ., there are no overall hands wherein the player ties with the dealer . this substantially eliminates this unattractive feature of standard asia poker wherein , as discussed above , there are only two groups and thus may ties between a dealer and player . in a preferred embodiment , in accordance with the standard rules of asia poker , all ties (“ copy hands ”) go to the dealer , i . e ., the dealer wins all hands of the three hands wherein the hands of the dealer and player are of an equivalent value . in this embodiment , all overall pushes are eliminated . in a preferred embodiment , a joker is not used as in conventional asia poker so that a standard fifty - two card can be used , although , of course , in other embodiments , one , or even more than one , joker can be used , as desired . the highest winning hand for the low hand ( one card ) is an ace while a deuce is the lowest and the person having the highest card wins . the highest winning hand for the medium hand is a pair of aces . a pair beats a non - pair and if there are no pairs , the highest card wins . with respect to the high hand ( four card ) rankings , the following rankings are preferably used : 2 . royal flush : a , k , q , j of the same suit ; 3 . straight flush : four cards in consecutive rank of the same suit . the highest ranking straight flush is a , 2 , 3 , 4 of the same suit . the second highest is k , q , j , 10 of the same suit ; 4 . flush : four cards of the same suit , regardless of rank . the highest ranking card will determine the highest flush ; 5 . straight : four cards in a consecutive run , regardless of suit . the highest ranking card will determine the highest straight . a , k , q , j is the highest ranking straight . a , 2 , 3 , 4 is the second highest straight . 5 , 4 , 3 , 2 is the lowest straight ; 6 . three of a kind : three cards of the same rank , regardless of suit . three aces is the highest ranking three of a kind . three twos is the lowest ranking three of a kind . 7 . two pairs : two pairs contained in the same hand . two aces and two kings is the highest ranking hand . two threes and two twos is the lowest ranking hand . 8 . one pair : two aces is the highest ranking pair . two twos is the lowest ranking pair . 9 . no pair : when none of the poker hands listed above are formed by any of the four card hands , the highest ranking single card will determine the winner . further , if no player even has a pair , and when comparing the hands of a player and the dealer , the highest ranking card is identical of a player and the dealer , the next highest ranking card will determine the winner . in one preferred embodiment , if every card in the hands being compared is identical , this is all “ copy ” hand and the bank or dealer wins all copy hands . as will be apparent from the foregoing , the object of the game is to beat at least two hands out of three hands ( either high , medium or low ) held by the banker or dealer . it will be understood that the banker or dealer can be , for example , a casino dealer or a customer at the table , as discussed below . as indicated above , in a preferred embodiment , the game is played with a traditional deck of 52 playing cards . each customer receives seven cards and will form three hands . conveniently , in playing the game , the three hands are arranged in a column in front of the player , with the single card hand at the front and the four card hand at the back . as stated , one hand , the high hand or back hand , will have four cards , a second , the medium or middle hand , will have two cards , and the low hand or front hand will have one card . preferably , the house handles all bets and charges a 5 % commission on all winning wagers . hands are ranked as traditional poker hands with the possible exceptions discussed above and a customer wins when two customer hands are higher than those of the banker . the customer loses when two customer hands out of there are lower than those of the banker . as indicated above , for medium ( two - card ) hands , the highest hand is a pair of aces and the lowest hand is 2 , 3 while for low ( one - card ) hands , the highest hand is an ace and the lowest hand is a two . one of the interesting aspects of conventional asia poker is the opportunity for a customer to bank the game . the dealer , i . e ., the dealer for the house , may offer the bank to a customer only after the dealer has acted as the banker to begin the round of play . each customer at the table shall have the option to either be the bank or pass the bank to the next customer . the dealer shall , starting with the customer farthest to the right of the dealer , offer the bank to each customer in a counterclockwise rotation around the table until a customer accepts the bank . the dealer shall place a token or the like in front of the customer who accepts the bank . the banking option shall rotate in a counterclockwise direction around the table until it returns to the dealer . in conventional asia poker , a customer may never bank two consecutive rounds of play and may only wager one position when banking the game . before a customer may be permitted to bank a round of play , the dealer shall first determine that : the customer placed a wager against the dealer , when the dealer was the bank ; and the customer has sufficient gaming chips on the table to cover all of the wagers placed by the other customers at the table for that round of play . if the customer does not have chips enough , cash shall be changed at that time and the chips placed in front of the banking customer , but not on the betting area . as indicated above , one important aspect of the invention concerns the provision of separate bonus wagering or betting on the hand being played . this feature enhances interest by , inter alia , giving the player additional betting opportunities and enables the player to potentially receive a large payout on a single hand . in one preferred embodiment , each player has the option of placing two additional wagers , referred to herein as a “ dynasty ” bonus or a “ special hand ” bonus wager and a “ win all three ” wager . as indicated above , the additional bonus wagers are independent of , i . e ., separate from , the basic wager on the base game . in this regard , a wager must always be placed on the base game . the wager on the base game is referred herein to as the “ ante ” wager . the “ ante ” wager must always be at or above a minimum wager for the table ( the “ table minimum ”). one , both or no bonus wagers can be made in addition to the “ ante ” wager . bonus wagers can be made in varying denominations , even in the same hand if two different bonus bets are made . in no event , however , can the sum of all wagers be above a maximum wager for the table ( the “ table maximum ”). the single figure in the drawings shows an exemplary “ dynasty ” bonus asia poker table 10 having a dealer position 12 and six player positions 14 a - 14 f . “ ante ” wager betting areas 16 a - 16 f are marked at each of the player positions 14 a - 14 f . “ dynasty ” bonus wager betting areas 18 a - 18 f are marked immediately above and to the right of the “ ante ” wager betting areas 16 a - 16 f , as viewed by each player . “ win all three ” wager betting areas 20 a - 20 f are marked immediately above and to the left of the “ ante ” wager betting areas 16 a - 16 f , also as viewed by each player . the “ dynasty ” bonus wager is based on the player &# 39 ; s seven cards as measured against a posted payout table . in other words , the “ dynasty ” bonus wager wins if cards of the player &# 39 ; s seven card hand matches one of the posted payout hands . a winning hand will be paid based on the odds listed with the posted payout hands . although the hands are believed to be largely self - explanatory , it is noted that in the first payout , the cards are arranged in groups of one ace , two aces and four eights . although eights are preferred , it is , of course , possible to designate another card , e . g ., king , as the card of the four card group . the designation “ three of a kind twice ” means two sets of three of a kind while “ three pair straight ” refers to three pair wherein the paired cards of the three pair form a straight ( 5 , 5 ; 6 , 6 ; and 7 , 7 ). preferably , the “ dynasty ” bonus wager offers all of the payout hands listed in table 1 but it is , of course , possible to offer less than all of the listed payout hands . turning to the “ win all three ” wager , this wager wins if all three of the player &# 39 ; s hands for the base game beat all three of the dealer &# 39 ; s hands . as stated previously , a “ win all three ” wager can be made in addition to a “ dynasty ” bonus wager , or it can be made without making a “ dynasty ” bonus wager . exemplary payment odds for the “ win all three ” wager are 6 to 1 . the “ dynasty ” bonus wager and the “ win all three ” wager can be greater or smaller than the “ ante ” wager . additionally , the “ dynasty ” bonus wager and the “ win all three ” wager can be placed in different amounts from each other . according to the preferred embodiment , after settling a player &# 39 ; s “ ante ” wager , the dealer shall settle any “ dynasty ” bonus wager or win all three wager made by each player . a winning “ dynasty ” bonus wager shall be paid without regard to the outcome of any other wager made by the player . a winning win all three wager shall also be paid without regard to the outcome of any other wager made by the player . although the invention has been described above in relation to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that variations and modifications can be effected in these preferred embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . | 0 |
the invention concerns the catalytic fluorination of hccs and hcfcs in the liquid phase with hydrogen fluoride . in the practice of the present invention , a liquid phase catalyst as described below is charged into a fluorination reactor prior to heating the reactor . the reactor according to this invention may preferably be any suitable fluorination reaction pressure vessel or autoclave but preferably may be constructed from materials which are resistant to the corrosive effects of hf such as hastelloy - c , inconel , monel and fluoropolymer - lined vessels . such liquid phase fluorination reactors are well known in the art . then the hf and the hcc or hcfc compound to be fluorinated and hf are fed to the reactor after the reactor reaches the desired temperature . in the preferred embodiment , the reaction is conducted at a temperature of from about 50 ° c . to about 200 ° c ., more preferably from about 90 ° c . to about 140 ° c . in the preferred embodiment , the reaction is conducted for from about 1 to about 25 hours , more preferably from about 2 to about 8 hours . the pressure of the reaction is not critical and it varies depending on the quantity of hydrogen fluoride used , hydrogen chloride generated and conversion of organics . convenient operating pressure ranges from about 50 to about 600 psig , and preferably from 50 - 400 psig . pressure may be adjusted by continuously removing hydrogen chloride and volatile products from the reactor by distillation . in the preferred embodiment , the catalyst is present in an amount , based on the mole percent of hcc or hcfc or mixtures thereof of from about 2 % to about 80 %, and preferably from about 5 % to about 50 %, and most preferably from about 10 % to about 20 %. fluorination catalysts having a purity of at least 98 % are preferred . based on reaction stoichiometry , the required mole ratio of hf to organics ( i . e . hfcs and hcfcs ) is at least equal to the number of chlorine atoms to be replaced in the starting organic material and preferably is relatively in an excess . in the preferred embodiment , the mole ratio of hf to hcc or hcfc compound ranges from at least about 1 : 1 , more preferably from about 1 : 1 to about 15 : 1 and most preferably from about 6 : 1 to about 15 : 1 . any water in the hf will react with and deactivate the catalyst . therefore substantially anhydrous hf is preferred . by “ substantially anhydrous ” we mean that the hf contains less than about 0 . 05 weight % water and preferably contains less than about 0 . 02 weight % water . however , one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the presence of water in the catalyst can be compensated for by increasing the amount of catalyst used . hf suitable for use in the reaction may be purchased from alliedsignal inc . of morristown , n . j . in the preferred embodiment , the hcc or hcfc compound useful for the invention includes hydrochloroalkanes and hydrochlorofluoroalkanes having the formula cf x cl 3 − x ch 2 chf y cl 2 − y , wherein x is 0 to 3 and y is 0 or 1 . of these hydrochloropropanes and hydrochlorofluoropropanes are more preferred . the most preferred hydrochloroalkanes and hydrochlorofluoroalkanes non - exclusively include ccl 3 ch 2 chcl 2 , cfcl 2 ch 2 chcl 2 , cf 2 clch 2 chcl 2 , cf 3 ch 2 chcl 2 , cf 3 ch 2 chfcl , ccl 3 ch 2 chfcl , cfcl 2 ch 2 chfcl , cf 2 clch 2 chfcl and mixtures thereof . the process of the present invention is most particularly useful for fluorinating 1 , 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 - pentachloropropane to 1 , 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 - pentafluoropropane . suitable hccs and hcfcs also include hydrochloroalkenes and hydrochlorofluoroalkenes having the formula cf x cl 3 − x ch ═ chy wherein x is 0 to 3 and y is f or cl . of these , hydrochloropropenes and hydrochlorofluoropropenes are more preferred . the most preferred hydrochloroalkenes and hydrochlorofluoroalkenes non - exclusively include ccl 3 ch ═ chf , ccl 3 ch ═ chcl , cfcl 2 ch ═ chf , cfcl 2 ch ═ chcl , cf 2 clch ═ chf , cf 2 clch ═ chcl , cf 3 ch ═ chf , cf 3 ch ═ chcl , and mixtures thereof . many of the hccs and hcfcs materials to be fluorinated in the present invention are not commercially available . however , they may be prepared by any one of the known methods reported in the art . see b . boutevin , et al ., monofuinctional vinyl chloride telomers . 1 . synthesis and characterization of vinyl chloride telomer standards , 18 eur . polym . j . 675 ( 1982 ) in 97 chemical abstracts 182966c ( 1982 ); and kotora , et al ., selective additions of polyhalogenated compounds to chloro substituted ethenes catalyzed by a copper complex , 44 ( 2 ) react . kinet . catal . lett . 415 ( 1991 ). see also the method disclosed in examples 1 and 2 of u . s . patent application ser . no . 08 / 519 , 857 , filed aug . 25 , 1995 . all of the above patents , application and disclosures are incorporated herein by reference . suitable catalysts for use in the present invention include : ( i ) a pentavalent molybdenum halide of the formula mocl 5 − z f z wherein z is 0 to 5 ; ( ii ) a tetravalent tin halide of the formula sncl 4 − y f y wherein y is 0 to 4 ; ( iii ) a tetravalent titanium halide of the formula ticl 4 − x f x wherein x is 0 to 4 ; ( iv ) mixtures of a pentavalent tantalum halide of the formula tacl 5 − n f n wherein n is 0 to 5 with a tetravalent tin halide of the formula sncl 4 − y f y wherein y is 0 to 4 ; ( v ) mixtures of a pentavalent tantalum halide of the formula tacl 5 − n f n wherein n is 0 to 5 with a tetravalent titanium halide of the formula ticl 4 − x f x wherein x is 0 to 4 ; ( vi ) mixtures of a pentavalent niobium halide of the formula nbcl 5 − m f m wherein m is 0 to 5 with a tetravalent tin halide of the formula sncl 4 − y f y wherein y is 0 to 4 ; ( vii ) mixtures of a pentavalent niobium halide of the formula nbcl 5 − m f m wherein m is 0 to 5 with a tetravalent titanium halide of the formula ticl 4 − x f x wherein x is 0 to 4 ; ( viii ) mixtures of a pentavalent antimony halide of the formula sbcl 5 − p f p wherein p is 0 to 5 with a tetravalent tin halide of the formula sncl 4 − y f y wherein y is 0 to 4 ; ( ix ) mixtures of a pentavalent antimony halide of the formula sbcl 5 − p f p wherein p is 0 to 5 with a tetravalent titanium halide of the formula ticl 4 − x f x wherein x is 0 to 4 ; ( x ) mixtures of a pentavalent molybdenum halide of the formula mocl 5 − z f z wherein z is 0 to 5 with a tetravalent tin halide of the formula sncl 4 − y f y wherein y is 0 to 4 ; ( xi ) mixtures of a pentavalent molybdenum halide of the formula mocl 5 − z f z wherein z is 0 to 5 with a tetravalent titanium halide of the formula ticl 4 − x f x wherein x is 0 to 4 and ( xii ) mixtures of a pentavalent antimony halide of the formula sbcl 5 − p f p wherein p is 0 to 5 with a trivalent antimony halide of the formula sbcl 3 − p f p wherein p is 0 to 3 . in the preferred embodiment , for group ( iv ) through ( xii ) catalysts above , the molar ratios of the components of the mixtures typically range from about 1 : 9 to about 9 : 1 , preferably from about 3 : 7 to about 7 : 3 and most preferably about 1 : 1 . of the above , the preferred catalysts are pentavalent molybdenum halides , a tetravalent tin halides , a tetravalent titanium halides , and mixtures of a pentavalent antimony halides or mixed halides with a trivalent antimony halides or mixed halides . the term “ mixed halide ” means more than one different halide is present in the compound . the most preferred catalysts are tin tetrahalide and mixtures of tacl 5 and sncl 4 . if in the course of conducting the inventive process the catalyst decreases in catalytic effectiveness , it can be regenerated . one method of regenerating the catalyst is to treat it by flowing a stream of an excess of gaseous chlorine over the catalyst for from about 1 to about 2 hours at a temperature of from about 65 ° c . to about 100 ° c . resulting fluorination products such as hfc - 245fa may be recovered from the reaction mixture via any separation and purification method known in the art such as neutralization and distillation . the process may be carried out either in a batch or continuous method . in a continuous process , the hcc or hcfc compound to be fluorinated and hf are preferably fed simultaneously to the reactor after the reactor reaches the desired temperature . the temperature and pressure of the fluorination reaction remain the same for both the batch and continuous modes of operation . the residence time for a continuous process varies from about 1 second to about 2 hours , preferably from about 5 seconds to about 1 hour and most preferably from about 10 seconds to about 30 minutes . the catalyst concentration is not critical for a continuous process . a sufficient quantity of catalyst must be present to effect the fluorination in the residence times described above . the continuous method requires the removal of fluorination products and hydrogen chloride from the reactor continuously as it is formed . unreacted hf and under - fluorinated materials such as cfcl 2 ch 2 chcl 2 ; cf 2 clch 2 chcl 2 ; cf 3 ch 2 chcl 2 ; cf 3 ch 2 chfcl , ccl 3 ch 2 chfcl ; cfcl 2 ch 2 chfcl ; cf 2 clch 2 chfcl ; cf 3 ch ═ chf , cf 3 ch ═ chcl ; ccl 3 ch ═ chf ; cfcl 2 ch ═ chf ; cfcl 2 ch ═ chcl ; cf 2 clch ═ chf and cf 2 clch ═ chcl may be recycled back to the same reactor or optionally to a separate reactor . fluorination of ccl 3 ch 2 chcl 2 with hf / sncl 4 a 600 ml monel autoclave equipped with a magnetic drive was charged with 9 . 4 g sncl 4 and cooled to − 20 ° c . the autoclave was then evacuated and charged with 60 . 5 g anhydrous hf . the contents were cooled to − 25 ° c . and 54 g ccl 3 ch 2 chcl 2 was added thereto . the autoclave was then connected to a packed column / condenser assembly , and the condenser was maintained at − 5 ° c . the column / condenser assembly serves to vent off gaseous hcl and effect a hcl / hf separation . the reaction mixture was heated with stirring to about 135 ° c . over 2 hours and maintained at that temperature for an additional 3 hours . during this period , the pressure in the autoclave was maintained between 300 - 400 psig by periodically venting pressure in excess of 400 psig . venting was done from the top of the condenser to an aqueous koh scrubber which was connected to two − 78 ° c . cold traps . the reactor was then completely vented to the cold traps to give 33 . 2 g of product . gas chromatographic analysis of the product showed the presence of the following products with their relative area percentages : cf 3 ch 2 chf 2 ( 57 ), cf 3 ch 2 chfcl ( 9 ), cf 3 ch ═ chf ( 3 ), cf 3 ch ═ chcl ( 30 ) and c 6 materials ( 1 ). relative area percentages in these examples closely approximates weight percent . fluorination of ccl 3 ch 2 chcl 2 with hf / ticl 4 the experiment described in example 1 was repeated except that ticl 4 was used as the catalyst . to the apparatus described in example 1 was charged 6 . 8 g ticl 4 , 63 . 1 g hf and 54 g ccl 3 ch 2 chcl 2 . this mixture was heated with stirring to about 135 ° c . in 2 hours and maintained at that temperature for an additional 3 hours . venting the reactor completely to the cold traps gave 17 . 3 g of product . gas chromatographic analysis of the product showed the presence of the following products with their relative area percentages : cf 3 ch 2 chf 2 ( 25 ), cf 3 ch 2 chfcl ( 16 ), cf 3 ch ═ chf ( 3 ), cf 3 ch ═ chcl ( 55 ) and c 6 materials ( 1 ). fluorination of ccl 3 ch 2 chcl 2 with hf / mocl 5 the experiment described in example 1 was repeated except that mocl 5 was used as the catalyst . to the apparatus described in example 1 was charged 10 . 0 g mocl 5 , 65 . 3 g hf and 54 . 1 g ccl 3 ch 2 chcl 2 . this mixture was heated with stirring to about 135 ° c . in 2 hours and maintained at that temperature for an additional 3 hours . venting the reactor completely to the cold traps gave 15 . 0 g of product . gas chromatographic analysis of the product showed the presence of the following products with their relative area percentages : cf 3 ch 2 chf 2 ( 44 ), cf 3 ch 2 chfcl ( 15 ), cf 3 ch ═ chf ( 3 ), cf 3 ch ═ chcl ( 37 ) and c 6 materials ( 1 ). fluorination of ccl 3 ch 2 chcl 2 with hf / sbcl 5 / sbcl 3 the experiment described in example 1 was repeated except that an equal molar mixture of sbcl 5 and sbcl 3 was used as the catalyst . to the apparatus described in example 1 was charged 5 . 4 g sbcl 5 , 4 . 1 g sbcl 3 , 60 . 2 g hf and 54 g ccl 3 ch 2 chcl 2 . this mixture was heated with stirring to about 135 ° c . in 2 hours and maintained at that temperature for an additional 3 hours . venting the reactor completely to the cold traps gave 26 . 8 g of product . gas chromatographic analysis of the product showed the presence of the following products with their relative area percentages : cf 3 ch 2 chf 2 ( 91 ), cf 3 ch 2 chfcl ( 5 ), cf 3 ch ═ chf ( 1 ), cf 3 ch ═ chcl ( 2 ) and c 6 materials ( 1 ). fluorination of ccl 3 ch 2 chcl 2 with hf / tacl 5 / sncl 4 the experiment described in example 1 was repeated except that an equimolar mixture of tacl 5 and sncl 4 was used as the catalyst . to the apparatus described in example 1 was charged 6 . 5 g of tacl 5 , 4 . 7 g sncl 4 , 64 . 0 g hf and 54 g ccl 3 ch 2 chcl 2 . this mixture was heated with stirring to about 126 ° c . in 2 hours and maintained at that temperature for an additional 3 hours . venting the reactor completely to the cold traps gave 32 . 6 g of product . gas chromatographic analysis of the product showed the presence of the following products with their relative area percentages : cf 3 ch 2 chf 2 ( 91 ), cf 3 ch 2 chfcl ( 1 . 3 ), cf 3 ch ═ chf ( 0 . 2 ), cf 3 ch ═ chcl ( 7 . 1 ) and c 6 materials ( 0 . 4 ). fluorination of ccl 3 ch 2 chcl 2 with hf / sncl 4 at 125 ° c . the experiment described in example 1 was repeated except that the fluorination was conducted at 125 ° c . to the apparatus described in example 1 was charged 9 . 4 g sncl 4 , 65 . 9 g hf and 54 g ccl 3 ch 2 chcl 2 . this mixture was heated with stirring to about 125 ° c . in 2 hours and maintained at that temperature for an additional 3 hours . venting the reactor completely to the cold traps gave 23 . 8 g of product . gas chromatographic analysis of the product showed the presence of the following products with their relative area percentages : cf 3 ch 2 chf 2 ( 40 ), cf 3 ch 2 chfcl ( 19 ), cf 3 ch ═ chf ( 3 ), cf 3 ch ═ chcl ( 37 ) and c 6 materials ( 1 ). fluorination of cf 3 ch ═ chf with hf / sncl 4 at 115 ° c . the experiment described in example 1 was repeated except that cf 3 ch ═ chf was used as the starting material . to the apparatus described in example 1 was charged 18 . 8 g sncl 4 , 42 . 4 g hf and 57 . 4 g cf 3 ch ═ chf . this mixture was heated with stirring to about 115 ° c . in 2 hours and maintained at that temperature for an additional 3 hours . venting the reactor completely to the cold traps gave 52 . 6 g of product . gas chromatographic analysis of the product showed the presence of the following products with their relative area percentages : cf 3 ch 2 chf 2 ( 39 ), cf 3 ch 2 chfcl ( 2 ), cf 3 ch ═ chf ( 47 ), and cf 3 ch ═ chcl ( 11 ). fluorination of cf 3 ch ═ chf with hf / sbcl 5 at 93 ° c . the experiment described in example 1 was repeated except that sbcl 5 and cf 3 ch ═ chf were used as the catalyst and the starting material . to the apparatus described in example 1 was charged 21 . 6 g sbcl 5 , 36 . 0 g hf and 59 . 2 g cf 3 ch ═ chf . this mixture was heated with stirring to about 93 ° c . in 2 hours and maintained at that temperature for an additional 3 hours . venting the reactor completely to the cold traps gave 48 . 0 g of product . gas chromatographic analysis of the product showed the presence of the following products with their relative area percentages : cf 3 ch 2 chf 2 ( 90 ), cf 3 ch 2 chfcl ( 4 ), cf 3 ch ═ chf ( 1 ), cf 3 ch ═ chcl ( 3 ) and high boilers ( 2 ). fluorination of cf 3 ch ═ chf with hf / tacl 5 at 117 ° c . the experiment described in example 1 was repeated except that tacl 5 and cf 3 ch ═ chf were used as the catalyst and the starting material . to the apparatus described in example 1 was charged 25 . 8 g tacl 5 , 36 . 8 g hf and 57 . 3 g cf 3 ch ═ chf . this mixture was heated with stirring to about 117 ° c . in 2 hours and maintained at that temperature for an additional 3 hours . venting the reactor completely to the cold traps gave 48 . 3 g of product . gas chromatographic analysis of the product showed the presence of the following products with their relative area percentages : cf 3 ch 2 chf 2 ( 98 ), cf 3 ch ═ chf ( 1 ), and cf 3 ch ═ chcl ( 1 ). fluorination of cf 3 ch ═ chcl with hf / sbcl 5 at 95 ° c . the experiment described in example 1 was repeated except that sbcl 5 and cf 3 ch ═ chcl were used as the catalyst and the starting material . to the apparatus described in example 1 was charged 22 . 4 g sbcl 5 , 45 . 3 g hf and 75 . 2 g cf 3 ch ═ chcl . this mixture was heated with stirring to about 95 ° c . in 1 hour and maintained at that temperature for an additional 4 hours . venting the reactor completely to the cold traps gave 72 . 9 g of product . gas chromatographic analysis of the product showed the presence of the following products with their relative area percentages : cf 3 ch 2 chf 2 ( 83 ), cf 3 ch 2 chfcl ( 5 ), cf 3 ch ═ chf ( 1 ), cf 3 ch ═ chcl ( 9 ), cf 2 clch 2 chcl 2 ( 1 ) and ccl 3 ch 2 chcl 2 ( 1 ). fluorination of cf 3 ch ═ chcl with hf / tacl 5 at 116 ° c . the experiment described in example 1 was repeated except that tacl 5 and cf 3 ch ═ chcl were used as the catalyst and the starting material . to the apparatus described in example 1 was charged 26 . 9 g tacl 5 , 47 . 5 g hf and 76 . 4 g cf 3 ch — chcl . this mixture was heated with stirring to about 116 ° c . in 1 hour and maintained at that temperature for an additional 4 hours . venting the reactor completely to the cold traps gave 79 . 5 g of product . gas chromatographic analysis of the product showed the presence of the following products with their relative area percentages : cf 3 ch 2 chf 2 ( 97 ), cf 3 ch 2 chfcl ( 1 ), cf 3 ch ═ chf ( traces ), cf 3 ch ═ chcl ( 1 ), and cf 2 clch 2 chcl 2 ( 1 ). | 8 |
detailed description of embodiments a disc brake caliper of the type shown in the drawings is primarily intended to be mounted in an undercarriage or bogie of a rail vehicle for braking engagement with a brake disc , either separately mounted on a wheel axle of the vehicle or on the rotating wheel itself , as is well known in the art . the disc brake caliper could also be used in other vehicles . the disc brake caliper shown in the drawings is intended for engagement with a separate axle - mounted brake disc , but there is no principal difference in a caliper for a wheel - mounted disc . a disc brake arrangement with an axle - mounted brake disc is very schematically illustrated in fig1 and 2 . a brake disc bd is attached to a wheel axle a of the rail vehicle . a disc brake caliper dbc of the invention is mounted ( in a way to be described below ) astraddle of the brake disc bd in a portion ( undercarriage or bogie ) of the rail vehicle in which the wheel axle a is journalled . the brake disc bd is shown in a position in which a center - line cl of the disc brake caliper dbc is in line with a center plane of the brake disc bd and is directed towards the center of the wheel axle a . the wheel axle a with the brake disc bd is , however , normally axially movable to a limited extent , which means that the brake disc bd may be somewhat offset in relation to the disc brake caliper dbc , as will appear below . the center - line cl of the disc brake caliper dbc is perpendicular to the wheel axle a . hi the description the direction “ forwards ” in the caliper is towards the brake disc . other direction or position words , such as “ upper ” and “ lower ” are related thereto . reference is now made especially to fig3 , but also fig4 and 5 . the disc brake caliper shown therein has a mounting bracket 1 . this bracket 1 has a number of holes 2 for its attachment to a suitable element ( not shown ) in the undercarriage or bogie of the rail vehicle . it is , however , important to note that a disc brake caliper according to the invention can be mounted or supported by other means , as will appear below . the bracket 1 constitutes a three - point support in the caliper . the bracket 1 is forwardly ( to the left in fig3 and 4 ) bifurcated . a suspension link 3 is pivotally suspended in each forward end of the bifurcated bracket 1 . the pivot axis is parallel with the center - line cl ( fig1 and 2 ) and the brake disc bd . at its lower end , each suspension link 3 is pivotally connected to a brake pad holder 4 . its pivot axis is parallel with the pivot axis mentioned above and thus with the center - line cl . each brake pad holder 4 is provided with an exchangeable brake pad 5 for frictional engagement with the brake disc ( not shown ). the brake pad 5 is the wear element of the disc brake and is replaced with a new one when worn out . a bridge piece 6 is connected to the mounting bracket 1 by a joint collectively numbered 7 and further described below with special reference to fig6 and 7 . an upper lever 8 and a lower lever 9 at each side of the disc brake caliper are at their central portions pivotally attached to the bridge piece 6 . an axle 10 is provided between the two levers 8 and 9 . the forward ends of the levers 8 and 9 are pivotally attached to the brake pad holder 4 ( to the left in figs 3 and 4 ) around a pivot axis perpendicular to the center - line cl ( fig1 and 2 ). as is only shown in fig3 , a brake unit 11 is pivotally connected to and suspended by the rear ends of the brake levers 8 and 9 . a brake unit generally comprises a brake cylinder — most often a pneumatic brake cylinder — and a built - in slack adjuster or brake regulator . at the admission of air under pressure to the brake cylinder , the brake unit 11 will press the rear ends of the levers 8 and 9 apart and the forward ends thereof together for brakingly applying the brake pads 5 against the brake disc . ( the term “ brake unit ” is not meant to exclude a plain brake actuator without a slack adjuster .) as is well known in the art , the function of the slack adjuster or brake regulator in the brake unit 11 is to keep the rest distance between the brake pads 5 and the brake disc constant irrespective of the wear of the brake pads . as a result the levers 8 and 9 will assume different pivotal rest positions depending on the wear situation for the brake pads 5 . it is well known in the art that the space allowed in the undercarriage or bogie of a rail vehicle for a disc brake caliper is very limited and that it is most desirable to minimize the volume requirement for the disc brake caliper . the present disc brake caliper is designed with this requirement in mind , which i . a . means that the levers 8 and 9 are kept as short as possible , so that the overall dimensions of the caliper are kept at a minimum and that the brake disc in operation will be close to the bridge piece 6 . this on the other hand means that the angular movements of the levers during operation are increased . the suspended brake pad holders 4 will accordingly experience undesirably great movements in relation to the brake disc . the caliper design is based on a generally firm guiding by the suspension links 3 of the brake pad holders 4 to a plane perpendicular to the center - line cl of the brake caliper and a resilient guiding of all other elements of the caliper in all directions , which is accomplished by the design of the elastic joint 7 between the mounting bracket 1 ( i . e . the undercarriage or bogie in mounted condition ) and the bridge piece 6 . the mounting bracket 1 and the bridge piece 6 are shown in fig6 and 7 , to which reference is now made . these two members are connected only via generally plate - shaped rubber elements 12 and 13 . an upper rubber element 12 is arranged between the mounting bracket 1 and the bridge piece 6 , whereas a lower rubber element 13 is arranged between the bridge piece 6 and a plate 14 . the rubber elements 12 and 13 have confined positions in relation to the mounting bracket 1 , the bridge piece 6 and the plate 14 , in that these members have recesses for the rubber elements . the term “ rubber ” is meant to include any rubber - elastic material . the joint 7 is held together by means of screws 15 , which in the shown case engage threads in the mounting bracket 1 and pass corresponding openings in the rubber elements 12 and 13 . a fixed distance between the mounting bracket 1 and the plate 14 is created by means of distance sleeves 16 around the screws 15 . the rubber elements 12 and 13 are prestressed at mounting for ensuring that they always work under a predetermined compression . the bridge piece 6 is provided with larger holes for ensuring its freedom to move to the necessary extent in all directions in relation to the bracket 1 and the plate 14 . with the joint 7 as shown and described and with suitable choice of dimensions and material for the rubber elements 12 and 13 , it is possible to obtain linear and rotational movements with appropriate stiffnesses in all directions . the greatest stiffness is normally in the vertical direction or the direction of the screws 15 . in order to obtain a specific characteristic for the joint 7 , the portion of the bridge piece 6 in contact with the rubber elements 12 and 13 tapers slightly to the left in fig7 . this bridge piece portion is provided with a number of slots for obtaining an enhanced grip on the rubber . fig8 a - g illustrate the relationship between the different members of the caliper under different working conditions . only fig8 a is provided with reference numerals for the sake of clarity . thus , shown in fig8 a are the bridge piece 6 with the joint 7 and the levers 8 , 9 pivotally connected thereto . pivotally connected to the left ends of the levers 8 , 9 ( but not shown ) are the brake pad holders 4 and to the right ends the brake unit 11 . fig8 a illustrates the caliper at the beginning of a brake application with new , unworn brake pads 5 and with a new , unworn brake disc . further , the brake disc is centered in relation to the caliper . fig8 b is an illustration of the caliper of fig8 a somewhat later during braking . fig8 c corresponds to fig8 a with the difference that the brake disc is axially displaced ( for example 20 mm ) upwards in the figure in relation to the caliper . fig8 d illustrates the situation when the brake pads 5 as well as the brake disc are worn , but the brake disc is centered in relation to the caliper . fig8 e corresponds to fig8 d but illustrates the situation when the brake pads 5 have been completely worn out . fig8 f corresponds to fig8 d but with the brake disc axially displaced upwards in the figure in relation to the caliper . fig8 g corresponds to fig8 e but with the brake disc axially displaced upwards in the figure in relation to the caliper . the shown and described disc brake caliper is provided with a mounting bracket 1 , from which all other elements of the caliper are suspended and which serves for mounting the caliper to the undercarriage or bogie of the rail vehicle . however , it is within the scope of the invention to abstain from the mounting bracket and for example suspend the suspension links 3 and the bridge piece 6 directly from the undercarriage or bogie via the elastic joint 7 . modifications are possible within the scope of the appended claims . | 5 |
fig3 is a perspective view of a pixel in an image sensor in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . referring to fig3 , a pixel 101 according to the embodiment by the invention comprises a photodiode 115 , and transfer , reset , source follower , and selection transistors operationally coupled with the photodiode 115 . according to this embodiment of the invention , the components of the pixel 101 are arranged in separate first and second semiconductor patterns 111 and 113 that are spaced apart from each other . in this exemplary embodiment of the invention , the photodiode 115 and the transfer transistor are disposed in the second semiconductor pattern 113 , while the reset , source follower , and selection transistors are placed in the first semiconductor pattern 111 . the gate 217 of the transfer transistor is disposed under the photodiode 115 . thus , the fill factor of the pixel is not affected by the presence or size of the transfer , reset , source follower , and selection transistors therein . according to this embodiment , as the second semiconductor pattern 113 is used entirely for the photodiode 115 , it is possible to achieve the fill factor of substantially 100 %. in this embodiment , since the first semiconductor pattern 111 including the transistors does not affect the fill factor , the first semiconductor pattern 111 my be formed in the same size as the second semiconductor pattern 113 . thus , it is possible to improve the noise characteristic of 1 / f and the light - gathering performance ( e . g ., speed ) of the pixel . in addition , the charge collection regions 411 _ 1 and 411 _ 2 , may be enlarged to extend the dynamic range thereof . the photodiode 115 includes a first conductive region ( e . g ., an n - type region ) 113 n formed in the second semiconductor pattern 113 and a second conductive region ( e . g ., a p - type region ) 113 p enveloping the first conductive region 113 n . in this embodiment , electron - hole pairs as signal charges are generated in response to photons incident upon the second semiconductor pattern 113 , and electrons are accumulated in the n - type region 113 n . since the n - type region 113 n is entirely enclosed ( enveloped ) by the p - type region 113 p , the leakage of electrons out of the n - type region 113 n is minimized . the transfer gate 217 is disposed under a gate insulation layer 317 adjacent to the n - type region 113 n , interposed between the gate insulation layer 317 and the n - type region 113 n . it can be seen that the transfer transistor includes the transfer gate 217 , and that the second charge collection region 411 _ 2 and the n - type region 113 n are positioned at either side of the transfer gate 217 . if a bias voltage is applied to turn on the transfer gate 217 , the charges ( e . g ., electrons ) accumulated in the n - type region 113 n are transferred to the second charge collection region 411 _ 2 functioning as a floating diffusion region . the second charge collection region 411 _ 2 is formed in the second semiconductor pattern 113 outside of the transfer gate 217 , being doped with n - type impurities . on the first semiconductor pattern 111 , a reset gate 211 , a source follower gate 213 , and a selection gate 215 are formed on gate insulation layers 311 , 313 , and 315 formed on the first semiconductor pattern 111 . impurity regions in the first semiconductor pattern 111 , are source / drain regions . the gate and the impurity regions at either side of a gate constitute a transistor . for instance , a reset transistor includes the reset gate 211 and the impurity regions 411 _ 1 and 413 at either side of the reset gate 211 . a source follower transistor includes the source follower gate 213 and the impurity regions 413 and 415 at either side of the source follower gate 213 . a selection transistor includes the selection gate 215 and the impurity regions 415 and 417 at either side of the selection gate 215 . a vdd voltage ( from a power supply not shown ) is applied to the impurity region 413 between the reset and source follower gates 211 and 213 . the impurity region 411 _ 1 of the reset transistor is electrically connected to the second charge collection region 411 _ 2 , acting as a floating diffusion region ( similar to the second charge collection region 411 _ 2 ). in other words , the impurity region 411 _ 1 of the reset transistor accumulates charges transferred from the photodiode 115 ( which hereinafter will be referred to as the first charge collection region in recognition of the fact that signal charges are first accumulated therein ). when a bias voltage is applied to the reset gate 211 , a conductive channel is formed under the reset gate 211 in the first semiconductor pattern 111 and signal charges remaining in the first and second charge collection regions 411 _ 1 and 411 _ 2 flow into a power source ( not shown ) connected to the impurity region 413 of the reset transistor . the pixel is thereby initialized . the source follower gate 213 ( of the source follower transistor ) is electrically connected to the first and second charge collection regions 411 _ 1 and 411 _ 2 . the first and second charge collection regions , 411 _ 1 and 411 _ 2 , and the source follower gate 213 are electrically connected with each other by way of a local conductive pattern 611 and contact plugs 511 , 513 , and 711 , forming a common node . thus , a signal voltage , corresponding to ( e . g ., proportionate with ) the amount of signal charges accumulated in the first and second charge collection regions 411 _ 1 and 411 _ 2 , appears at the impurity region 415 of the source follower transistor . when a bias voltage is applied to the selection gate 215 of the selection transistor , the signal voltage ( at the impurity region 415 ) is transferred to an output terminal of the selection transistor , i . e ., to the impurity region 417 . the signal transferred to the output terminal 417 of the selection transistor is detected and processed by a peripheral circuit ( not shown ). the signal processing operations performed by peripheral circuits are well known to persons skilled in the art and will be described with reference to fig6 below . the first semiconductor pattern 111 , including the reset , source follower , and selection transistors , may be a p - type silicon semiconductor substrate . the transistors formed in the first semiconductor pattern 111 may be formed by , for example , depositing and patterning each of a gate insulation layer and a conductive layer , and implanting ionic impurities to form the impurity regions . a conductive layer for the gate is not restricted to this exemplary embodiment and may be formed of other materials or in other structures , for example , polysilicon , or a multi - layer of polysilicon and silicide . when the first semiconductor pattern 111 is a p - type , n - type ionic impurities are injected to form source / drain regions of the transistors . an interlayer insulating layer ( 911 , see fig5 , not shown in fig3 ) is interposed between the first and second semiconductor patterns 111 and 113 , as will be detailed with reference to fig5 . the transfer gate 217 may be formed by depositing a conductive layer on the interlayer insulating layer ( 911 shown in fig5 ) and patterning the conductive layer . patterning of the conductive layer may be conducted by a photolithography process . the gate insulation layer 317 covering ( insulating ) the transfer gate 217 may be formed by a film deposition technique . the second semiconductor pattern 113 disposed on the second interlayer insulating layer ( 813 shown in fig5 ), covering the transfer gate 217 and the gate insulation layer 317 thereon , may be formed by means of a film deposition technique such as chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ) or plasma - enhanced cvd , or epitaxial growth , the methods of formation not being restricted to those examples . the photodiode 115 may be formed by conducting ion implantation into the second semiconductor pattern 113 . for instance , the photodiode 115 may be produced ( after forming the second semiconductor pattern 113 doped with p - type impurities ), by implanting ionic impurities to form the n - type region 113 n and implanting ionic impurities to form the top p - type region 113 p . according to this embodiment , the photodiode 113 constitutes a vertical pnp structure , thereby avoiding the effect of image lag . the second charge collection region 412 _ 2 acting as the floating diffusion region may be formed by implanting ionic impurities into the second semiconductor pattern 113 and using the transfer gate 217 as an ion injection mask . the steps of ion implantation for the photodiode 115 and the second charge collection region 411 _ 2 may proceed in an appropriate order . the contact plugs , 511 , 513 , and 517 , may be formed by patterning the interlayer insulating layer ( s ) ( 811 , 813 as shown in fig5 ) to form contact holes and then filling the contact holes with a conductive material . the local conductive pattern 611 is may be formed by depositing and patterning a conductive layer ( upon interlayer insulating layer 811 ). the contact plugs 511 and 513 connected each to the first charge collection region 411 _ 1 and the source follower gate 213 may be formed at the same time through the interlayer insulating layer 811 . interconnections not shown are disposed between the first and second semiconductor patterns 111 and 113 in order to apply bias voltages to the reset gate 211 , the selection gate 215 , and the transfer gate 217 . the interconnections not shown may be formed while forming the local conductive pattern 611 . while forming the contact plugs 511 and 513 connected to the first charge collection region 411 _ 1 and the source follower gate 213 respectively , a contact plug ( not shown ) connected to the selection gate 215 may be formed at the same time . and , at the same time that the contact plug 711 is formed to connect the local conductive pattern 611 with the second charge collection region 411 _ 2 , a contact plug ( not shown ) for connecting the transfer gate 217 with an interconnection that conducts a bias voltage to the transfer gate 217 may be also be formed . a processing sequence for forming the contact plugs , the interconnections , and the local conductive pattern may be varied in alternative modes . according to this embodiment , as the interconnections for applying bias voltage to the plural gates are formed under the photodiode 115 , it is possible to secure misalignment margins for the interconnections , providing flexibility in arranging the interconnections . in this exemplary embodiment , a color filter may be disposed over the photodiode , so to minimizes optical and electrical cross - talk therein . in addition , since the photodiode is very close to or contacts with the color filter and has a large fill - factor , it may not require a micro - lens for condensing light . a light shielding pattern can be formed under the photodiode without degrading the fill factor of the pixel , and it is possible to minimize electrical interference more effectively . the photodiode may be formed after completing almost all of metal interconnections . thus , since there is no metal contact on the photodiode , a dark level thereof can be minimized . fig4 is a plane view illustrating part of the pixel array of the image sensor of fig3 , and fig5 is a cross - sectional view of a pixel in the array of fig4 taken along section line ii - if in fig4 . referring to fig4 , the first semiconductor pattern 111 , including the reset gate 211 , the source follower gate 213 , and the selection gate 215 , is located under the second semiconductor pattern 113 and is entirely covered by the second semiconductor pattern 113 . therefore , the dimensions of the pixel are determined by the size of the second semiconductor pattern 113 including the photodiode 115 . the second semiconductor pattern 113 can be used entirely as the photodiode 115 . as illustrated in fig4 , a gate width ( or the width of the active region ) can be enlarged in by extension of the first semiconductor pattern 111 along the y axis , by which enlarged width the performance of transistor becomes improved . the width of the first semiconductor pattern 111 may be extended so as to make the first semiconductor pattern 111 the same size as the second semiconductor pattern 113 . further , since the first semiconductor pattern 111 is disposed under the second semiconductor pattern 113 including the photodiode 115 , it is permissible to variously modify the configuration of the first semiconductor pattern 111 without reducing the fill factor . for instance , upon altering the configuration of the first semiconductor pattern 111 in various ways , it is possible to design channel patterns suitable for the optimum performance of the transistors without reducing the fill factor . in addition , because the transfer gate 127 is disposed under the photodiode 115 , the gate length of the transfer gate 127 may be variously designed for the optimum transfer efficiency . a cross - section of the pixel of fig3 and fig4 can be seen from fig5 . in fig5 , the reference numerals 811 and 813 denote first and second interlayer insulating layers and are collectively referred to by the reference numeral 911 . the reference numeral 1111 indicates a color filter . the first and second interlayer insulating layers 811 and 813 may be formed of , for example , borophospho - silicate glass ( bpsg ) doped with boron ( b ) and phosphorous ( p ), boro - silicate glass ( bsg ) doped with boron , phosphor - silicate glass ( psg ) doped with phosphorous , undoped silicate glass ( usg ), or vapor - deposited silicon oxide . the color filter may be formed by a conventional process . referring to fig5 , the color filter 1111 is arranged close or in direct contact with the top of the photodiode 115 . in the conventional image sensor shown in fig1 or 2 , because various kinds of interconnections are arranged over the photodiode , the color filter is inevitably spaced apart from ( above ) the photodiode . and the conventional image sensor uses microlenses to raise the efficiency of light sensing . further , due to the distance between the color filter and the photodiode in the conventional image sensor , the light passing through the color filter may arrive at an adjacent pixel as well as a target pixel . in exemplary embodiments of the present invention , since the color filter 1111 is disposed close to or in direct contact with the photodiode 115 , light passing through the color filter is entirely incident on the photodiode 115 in substance . moreover , because , in exemplary embodiments of the invention , the photodiode is located directly under the color filter , a microlens need not be formed in the pixel . fig6 is a block diagram of the image sensor 2080 including the pixel of fig3 , 4 and 5 . referring to fig6 , the pixel array 2000 includes a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix . the matrix of the pixel array 2000 includes rows and columns of pixels . a row driver 2100 selects a specific row of pixels in the pixel array 2000 in response to an output of a row decoder 2200 , and a column driver 2600 selects a specific column of pixels in the pixel array 2000 in response to an output of a column decoder 2700 . the cmos image sensor is controlled by a controller 2500 . the controller 2500 controls the row decoder 2200 , the row driver 2100 , the column decoder 2700 , and the column driver 2600 . an output signals from each of the pixels include a pixel reset signal vrst and a pixel image signal vsig . the pixel reset signal vrst corresponds with the potential of the charge collection region when the pixel is in a reset state . the pixel image signal vsig corresponds with the potential of the charge collection region after signal charges generated from an image have been transferred to the charge collection region . the pixel reset signal vrst and the pixel image signal vsig are read out by a sampling / holding circuit 2610 . an amplifier ( amp ) 2620 generates a difference signal vrst − vsig from the reset and image signals vrst and vsig . the difference signal is transformed into a digital signal by an analog - digital converter ( adc ) 2750 . an image processor 2800 generates a digital image from the digitized differential signals . the image sensor 2080 may be included in a semiconductor chip ( e . g ., a wafer 3000 ). fig7 is a block diagram of a processor - based system 4000 including the image sensor of fig6 . the processor - based system 400 may be , any digital circuit that may employ the image sensor 4080 . the processor - based system is not limited hereto , but may be a computer system , a camera system , a cell - phone , a scanner , a videophone , a surveillance system , a machine vision system , a vehicle navigation system , an automatic focus system , a star tracking system , a motion detection system , an image stabilization system , a data compression system , or other system compatible with an image sensor . the system 4000 includes a processor ( e . g ., central processor unit , cpu ) 4020 communicating with plural devices or peripherals via a bus 4040 . the devices ( peripherals ) coupled to bus 4040 , are e . g ., an input / output unit 4060 and the image sensor 4080 , provide the system 4000 with input / output communication . the devices coupled to bus 4040 , include at least one peripheral memories , such as a ram 4100 , a hard disc driver ( hdd ) 4120 , a floppy disc driver ( fdd ) 4140 , and a compact disc ( cd ) driver 4160 . the image sensor 4080 receives control signals as data from the processor 4020 or from another device of the system 4000 . the image sensor 4080 provides the processor 402 with a data signal defining an image on basis of the received control signals or data , and the processor 4020 processes the signal supplied from the image sensor 4080 . accordingly in exemplary embodiments of the invention , a fill factor of substantially 100 % can be attained because the second semiconductor pattern 113 is used entirely for the photodiode . in exemplary embodiments of the invention , ( see fig3 , 4 , 5 ) the first semiconductor pattern 111 including the transistors does not affect the fill factor , and may be formed at the same size ( area ) as the second semiconductor pattern 113 . thus , it is possible to improve the noise characteristic of 1 / f and also the performance of light - sensing operations . in addition , exemplary embodiments of the invention facilitate enlargement of charge collection regions 411 _ 1 and 411 _ 2 , to extend dynamic range . in exemplary embodiments of the invention , the photodiode 113 constitutes a vertical pnp structure that avoids an effect of image lag . image lag occurs in conventional image sensors when traces of a previous frame ( image ) remain in future frames , i . e . when the pixel is not fully reset . in exemplary embodiments of the invention , since the first semiconductor pattern 111 is disposed under the second semiconductor pattern 113 including the photodiode 115 , it is permissible to variously modify the configuration of the first semiconductor pattern 111 without reducing the fill factor . for instance , by altering the configuration of the first semiconductor pattern 111 in various forms , it is possible to design channel patterns suitable for the optimum performance of the transistors . in exemplary embodiments of the invention , since the color filter is disposed close to or directly contacting the photodiode , light passing through the color filter is entirely incident upon the target photodiode . in exemplary embodiments of the invention , since the photodiode is located directly under the color filter , the microlens provided in conventional image sensors may be omitted entirely . in exemplary embodiments of the invention , forming a light shielding pattern under the photodiode does not degrade the fill factor of the pixel , and it is possible to minimize electrical interference more effectively . in this embodiment , the photodiode is formed after formation of almost all of the metal interconnections . thus , since there is no metal contact on the photodiode , it is able to minimize a dark level thereof . the above - disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative , and not limiting , and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications , enhancements , and other embodiments , which fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention . thus , to the maximum extent allowed by law , the scope of the present invention is to be determined by the broadest permissible interpretation of the following claims and their equivalents , and shall not be restricted or limited by the foregoing detailed description . | 7 |
fig1 is a highly simplified schematic view of a device 1 for supplying a medical fluid and in particular dialysis fluid , and of a blood treatment apparatus 2 and an apparatus 3 for filling the device for supplying dialysis fluid . the blood treatment apparatus 2 may be an extra - corporeal dialysis apparatus or an apparatus for peritoneal dialysis . in the present exemplary embodiment , the blood treatment apparatus 2 is a dialysis apparatus which has a dialyser 4 which is divided into a blood chamber 6 and a dialysis - fluid chamber 7 by a semi - permeable membrane 5 . a blood infeed line 8 runs from the patient to the blood chamber 6 of the dialyser 4 while a blood return line 9 , into which a blood pump 10 is connected , runs from the blood chamber 6 to the patient . together with the blood chamber 6 , the blood infeed and return lines 8 , 9 form the extra - corporeal blood circuit i of the dialysis apparatus 2 . fresh dialysis fluid is conveyed from a dialysis - fluid reservoir 11 , through a dialysis - fluid infeed line 12 into which a dialysis - fluid pump 13 is connected , to the dialysis - fluid chamber 7 of the dialyser 4 , while used dialysis fluid flows out of the dialysis fluid - chamber through a dialysis - fluid outfeed line 14 . a dialysis - fluid reservoir is not essential however . the dialysis fluid supplied may equally well be fed direct to the dialysis - fluid chamber . the device 1 , which has two bags or canisters 15 a and 15 b in the present exemplary embodiment , is used to supply fresh dialysis fluid . the two bags or canisters 15 a , 15 b form a unit 15 , the bag 15 a being filled with fresh dialysis fluid before the dialysis treatment and the bag 15 b being empty . from the dialysis - fluid bag 15 a , an infeed line 16 runs to one connection 17 a of a plug unit a , while an outfeed line 18 runs from the other connection 17 b of the plug unit a to the empty bag 15 b . to supply dialysis fluid , the plug unit a is connected before the treatment to a socket unit b which is provided on the blood treatment apparatus 2 , thus enabling fresh dialysis fluid to be fed through the infeed line 16 to the dialysis - fluid reservoir 10 and used dialysis fluid to be feed out through the outfeed line 18 . the device 1 for supplying dialysis fluid is filled with fresh dialysis fluid at apparatus 3 . the device 2 for supplying dialysis fluid can also be emptied by the filling apparatus 3 . the fresh dialysis fluid can be produced on - line in the filling apparatus 3 from water and dialysis fluid concentrate . fresh dialysis fluid may however also be fed in from an internal or external source of dialysis fluid . used dialysis fluid can be collected in an internal or external reservoir or discarded at a discharge . fig1 shows an exemplary embodiment in which a tank 20 a is used to hold fresh dialysis fluid and a tank 20 b to receive used dialysis fluid . the lines and pumps required are not shown in the highly schematic representation . as well as this , the device 1 for supplying dialysis fluid also has a control unit ( 80 ) by which all the components of the device 1 are controlled to connect the device for supplying a dialysis fluid to the filling or emptying apparatus and to fill and empty the device for supplying dialysis fluid , as will be described in detail below . the apparatus 3 for filling and emptying the device 1 for supplying fresh dialysis fluid and for receiving used dialysis fluid has a socket unit b ′ to which the plug unit a of the device 1 for supplying dialysis fluid is connected . the socket unit b of the blood treatment apparatus 2 and the socket unit b ′ of the filling or emptying apparatus may be of identical or different forms . in the present exemplary embodiment the socket units b and b ′ are of different forms . however , both the socket units b and b ′ are so designed that fluid - tight flow - permitting connections in both directions for fresh and used dialysis fluid can be made to the two items of apparatus 2 and 3 with the plug unit a of the device 1 for supplying dialysis fluid . as well as this , the filling or emptying apparatus 3 has a control unit 80 for controlling the filling and emptying processes and a reader 81 for reading a machine - readable code from a planar information carrier which is provided at the plug unit a of the device 1 for supplying dialysis fluid . the filling or emptying apparatus 3 also has an analysing unit 82 by which the information read from the information carrier can be analysed . the information may for example be information on the composition or amount of the medical fluid supplied . the analysing unit also enables errors to be detected by which the faulty read - out of a code is detected . in the event of the read - out of the code being faulty following destruction of the information carrier , which includes the event of a code not being able to be read out at all , the analysing unit 82 generates a control signal which the control unit 80 receives . if the control unit 80 receives the control signal , it prevents the filling process from being initiated . the initiation of the filling process is preferably prevented by the fact that a flow - permitting connection is not automatically made between the plug unit a of the device 1 for supplying dialysis fluid and the socket unit of the filling or emptying apparatus 3 . it is however also possible for the pumps ( not shown ) involved in the filling process not to be started or the valves ( not shown ) not to be opened . in what follows , the plug unit a of the device 1 for supplying dialysis fluid will be described in detail by reference to fig2 to 6 , together with the socket unit b of the blood treatment apparatus 2 . fig2 is a perspective view of the plug unit a and the socket unit b , while fig3 to 6 show the plug and socket units a , b in section . the socket unit b of the blood treatment apparatus 2 is preferably part of a treatment cassette ( not shown ) which is interchangeable . the socket unit b may however also be part of a non - interchangeable unit . the socket unit b has an outer flange portion 21 which is screwed to the housing wall 22 of the treatment cassette or blood treatment apparatus or it may be integral with the wall . the outer flange portion 21 may for example be screwed to the wall by screws ( not shown ) or it may be one common injection moulded part with the wall . projecting from the outer flange portion 21 are two cylindrical connecting parts 23 , 24 which are arranged in a common plane on the two sides of the central axis 58 of the socket unit . the cylindrical connecting parts 23 , 24 concentrically surround respective connecting pieces 25 and 26 , the connecting piece 25 being used to feed in fresh dialysis fluid and the connecting piece 26 to feed out used dialysis fluid . the plug unit a of the device 1 for supplying fresh dialysis fluid and receiving used dialysis fluid has corresponding connectors 27 , 28 which will be connected to the connecting pieces 25 , 26 with a fluid - tight seal . the plug unit a has a plug body 29 which connects the two connectors 27 , 28 . the plug body 29 has an infeed passage 30 which is connected to one connector 27 and an outfeed passage 31 which is connected to the other connector 28 . the infeed line 16 of the device 1 for supplying fresh dialysis fluid and receiving used dialysis fluid is connected to the connection 17 a to the infeed passage 30 and its outfeed line 18 is connected to the connection 17 b to the outfeed passage 31 . situated between the two connectors 27 , 28 is a projecting piece 32 with which a connection which at first is only loose can be made between the plug unit a and the socket unit b . the projecting piece 32 has a plurality of latching members 33 which are arranged to be circumferentially distributed and which are integrally formed on one end of the plug body 29 . formed on the outer sides of the free ends of the latching members 33 are latching noses 34 . to protect them against physical contact , the connectors 27 and 28 have sleeves 76 and 77 which are fitted onto and latch into the connectors 27 , 28 on the plug body 29 . the connectors 27 , 28 are closed off by respective septums , which are preferably slit , or membranes 35 , 36 , which will be pierced by the connecting pieces 25 , 26 of the socket unit . between the two connectors 27 and 28 , the plug body 29 has a portion 83 in whose outer side there is a groove 85 which extends from the front end of the portion 83 to its rear end , parallel to the axis which defines the direction in which the plug unit a is plugged into the socket unit b , which means that the groove 85 is open at both ends ( fig3 ). applied to the portion 83 is a planar information carrier 86 which hides the groove 85 . the information carrier 86 is a thin substrate , such as a film or paper for example , on which a matrix code is printed . the socket unit b of the blood treatment apparatus 2 has an outward pointing portion 87 of its main body which is provided on the inside with a salient projection 88 . the longitudinally extending groove 85 in the portion 83 and the salient projection 88 on the portion 87 of the main body are so arranged that the salient projection 88 engages in the groove 85 , which is open at the front end , when the plug unit a is plugged into the socket unit b . the information carrier 86 is thus destroyed when the plug unit is connected to the socket unit . because the salient projection 88 also extends parallel to the axis which defines the direction in which the plug unit a is plugged into the socket unit b , the projection 88 also acts a guiding piece for the plug unit when it is plugged into the socket unit . if the plug unit a of the device 1 for supplying fresh dialysis fluid and receiving used dialysis fluid , which latter is intended for once - only use , is connected into the socket unit b ′ of the filling or emptying apparatus 3 , the device 1 can only be emptied , but not refilled , because the information carrier 86 has been destroyed , as has been described by reference to fig1 . mounted in the centre of the flange portion 21 of the socket unit b is a cylindrical guiding piece 37 which extends through a hole 38 in the housing wall 22 . guided to be longitudinally displaceable in the guiding piece 37 is a tubular receiving piece 40 which has a front portion 41 and a rear portion 42 . a drive unit 43 is provided to displace the tubular receiving piece 40 in the cylindrical guiding piece 37 . in the present exemplary embodiment , the drive unit 43 is an electric motor driven spindle drive which has a linear motor 44 and a spindle 45 , which latter is connected to the rear portion 42 of the receiving piece 40 . the receiving piece 40 is thrust out of the guiding piece 37 and retracted into the guiding piece by the extension and withdrawal of the spindle 45 . provided in the interior of the front end of the front portion 41 of the receiving piece 40 are a plurality of recesses 46 which are arranged to be circumferentially distributed and which are of a form such that the latching noses 34 on the latching members 33 of the projecting piece 32 on the plug unit a latch into the recesses 46 when the projecting piece 32 is inserted in the receiving piece 40 , a process which will be described in detail below . the socket unit b has means by which it is detected that the projecting piece 32 is inserted in the receiving piece 40 . these means have a sensing member 47 , in the form of a tubular body , which is guided to be longitudinally displaceable in the tubular receiving piece 40 . the tubular sensing member 47 is pre - loaded by a spring 48 which is mounted in the rear portion 42 of the receiving piece 40 . a limit to the movement of the sensing member 47 in the longitudinal direction is set by a stop member 49 which is merely indicated and which is guided in a slot ( not visible in the present plane of section ) which is provided in the receiving piece 40 . to detect the projecting piece 32 in the receiving piece 40 , the socket unit b has means by which it is detected whether the front end of the sensing member 47 is flush with the front end of the receiving piece 40 ( fig3 ) or whether it has been pushed back into the receiving piece in opposition to the pre - loading from the spring 48 . this is the case when the projecting piece 32 is inserted in the receiving piece 40 . the socket unit b also has a body 50 in pin form which is arranged in an immovable position , inside the tubular sensing member 47 . the body 50 in pin form may for example be locked by a pin 39 which extends through slots ( not shown in the plane of section ) in the sensing member 47 and the receiving piece 40 and into the guiding piece 37 . in what follows , it will be described in detail how the plug unit a is connected to the socket unit b . fig3 shows the starting position , in which the socket unit b is locked . in this position , the spindle 45 of the linear motor 43 is withdrawn , as a result of which the receiving piece 40 and the sensing member 47 are retracted and the body 50 in pin form thus projects from the receiving piece . the body 50 in pin form thus prevents the projecting piece 32 from being inserted in the receiving piece 40 . fig4 shows the position of the receiving piece 40 and the sensing member 47 in which the spindle 45 of the linear motor 44 is extended and the receiving piece 40 and the sensing member 47 are advanced outwards out of the guiding piece 37 . in this position the body 50 in pin form , which is connected to the guiding piece 37 , is retracted sufficiently far for the projecting piece 32 on the plug unit a to be able to be inserted in the receiving piece 40 . fig5 shows the projecting piece 32 on the plug unit a when fitted into the receiving piece 40 of the socket unit b . when the projecting piece 32 is inserted in the receiving piece 40 , the latching noses 34 on the latching members 33 latch into the recesses 46 in the receiving piece 40 by a snap - in action . the plug unit a is held loosely to the socket unit by this means . however , the flow - permitting connection has not been made yet in this case , because the connecting pieces 25 , 26 of the socket unit b have not yet been connected to the connectors 27 , 28 of the plug unit a . in this position the infeed and outfeed passages 30 , 31 in the plug unit are still closed off with a fluid - tight seal by the membranes 35 , 36 . when the projecting piece 32 is inserted in the receiving piece 40 , the sensing member 47 , which is guided to be longitudinally displaceable in the receiving piece , is pushed back into the receiving piece 40 by the latching members 33 of the projecting piece 32 in opposition to the resilient force of the spring 48 . the withdrawn position of the sensing member 47 , which is shown in fig5 , is sensed by means which are not shown , such for example as electrical contacts which are closed or a light barrier , as a result of which the drive unit 43 is started . the linear motor 44 now withdraws the spindle 45 , and the receiving piece 40 and the sensing member 47 are thus retracted . fig6 shows the position of the receiving piece 40 when the spindle 45 of the linear motor 44 is completely withdrawn and the receiving piece 40 and the sensing member 37 are fully retracted . as the receiving piece 40 is retracted , the body 50 in pin form is advanced into the projecting piece 32 , as a result of which the latching noses 34 on the latching members 33 of the projecting piece 32 are secured in the recesses 46 in the receiving piece 40 . the projecting piece 32 is thus locked in the receiving piece 40 . the locking of the projecting piece 32 in the receiving piece 40 takes place simultaneously with the relative movement of the connecting pieces 25 , 26 and the connectors 27 , 28 . in the position shown in fig6 , in which the spindle 45 of the linear motor 44 is fully withdrawn , the two connecting pieces 25 , 26 and the two connectors 27 , 28 are connected together with a fluid - tight seal . the locking of the projecting piece 32 in the receiving piece 40 on the one hand ensures that the plug unit a , which at first was only loosely inserted in the socket unit b , can be drawn onto the socket unit in opposition to the forces which arise , and on the other hand prevents the plug unit from being able to detach from the socket unit once the flow - permitting connections have been made . the fluid - tight and non - releasable connection between the plug unit a and socket unit b is thus made automatically once the plug unit has been loosely inserted in the socket unit . the unlocking of the plug unit a from the socket unit b takes place in the reverse order from the locking of the plug unit to the socket unit . for this purpose , the drive unit 43 is started again . this may for example be done by pressing a button or the like . when the spindle 45 of the linear motor 44 is extended again , the receiving piece 40 and the sensing member 47 slide forward again over the body 50 in pin form , as a result of which the locking of the latched connection between the projecting piece 32 and receiving piece 40 is released . at the same time , the connecting pieces 25 , 26 are disconnected from the connectors 27 , 28 . the plug unit a is thus situated in the starting position ( fig5 ) again , in which the plug unit is still held loosely on the socket unit . this prevents the plug unit from being able to drop easily off the socket unit . fig7 - 11 show an alternative exemplary embodiment b ′ of the socket unit which is provided on the apparatus 3 for filling the device 1 for supplying the dialysis fluid . basically , this alternative exemplary embodiment may equally well be provided on the blood treatment apparatus 2 . it is however also possible for the exemplary embodiment which was described by reference to fig2 to 6 to be provided on the filling apparatus 3 . the alternative exemplary embodiment b ′ of the socket unit will be described in detail in what follows . fig7 is a perspective view of the alternative exemplary embodiment b ′ of the socket unit together with the plug unit a . both the exemplary embodiments b and b ′ of the socket unit can be connected to the same plug unit a , thus enabling the device 1 for supplying dialysis fluid to be connected on the one hand to the apparatus 3 for filling and emptying and on the other hand to the blood treatment apparatus 2 . the two exemplary embodiments of the socket unit differ from one another in particular in that , when the plug unit a is being connected to the socket unit b to make the flow - permitting connections , the connectors 27 , 28 of the plug unit a are drawn automatically onto the connecting pieces 25 , 26 of the socket unit b ( fig2 to 6 ) by moving the plug unit a , whereas in the alternative exemplary embodiment b ′ of the socket unit the connecting pieces of the socket unit are moved into the connectors 27 , 28 of the plug unit a , in which case the plug unit a is not moved . what is more , the alternative exemplary embodiment b ′ of the socket unit envisages the closing - off of the two connecting pieces or the making of a flow - permitting connection between the connecting pieces for a flushing process without the plug unit a and socket unit b ′ being connected together . the socket unit b ′ has a housing body 51 which is inserted in a wall 52 of the housing of the filling apparatus 3 ( fig7 ). the housing body 51 has a central opening 53 in which the receiving piece 57 for the projecting piece 32 of the plug unit a is arranged ( fig9 ). in contrast to the exemplary embodiment which was described by reference to fig2 - 6 , the receiving piece 57 of the socket unit b ′ is not guided to be displaceable in the direction defined by the longitudinal axis 58 of the socket unit b ′ but is mounted to be rotatable on the longitudinal axis 58 by means of a bearing 59 which is inserted in the central opening 53 in the housing body 51 . the receiving piece 57 is rotated by a drive unit which is not shown . the receiving piece 57 has a front portion 60 which extends out of the housing body 51 and a rear portion 61 which extends into the housing body 51 , the front portion 60 being of a larger inside and outside diameter than the rear portion 61 . provided on the inside of the front end of the front portion 60 of the receiving piece 57 are the recesses 62 which are arranged to be circumferentially distributed and into which the latching noses 34 on the latching members 33 of the projecting piece 32 latch when the plug unit a is fitted loosely onto the socket unit b ′. guided to be longitudinally displaceable in the tubular receiving piece 57 is the sensing member 63 , which takes the form of a tubular body and which is pre - loaded by a spring ( not shown ) so that the sensing member 63 is pushed back in opposition to the loading from the spring when the projecting piece 32 is inserted in the receiving piece 57 . guided in the tubular sensing member 63 is the body 64 in pin form for locking the projecting piece 32 in the receiving piece 57 . the body 64 in pin form can be advanced in the longitudinal direction of the axis 58 and retracted again , to respectively lock and release the projecting piece 32 in the receiving piece 57 , by a drive unit ( not shown ). in the alternative exemplary embodiment b ′ of the socket unit , the connecting pieces 65 , 66 are mounted in cylindrical openings 67 , 68 in a connecting part 69 which is guided to be longitudinally displaceable in the housing body 51 , thus enabling the connecting pieces 65 , 66 to be advanced out of and retracted into the housing body 51 . the drive unit for advancing and retracting the connecting part 69 having the connecting pieces 65 , 66 is not shown in the drawings . fig9 shows the socket unit b ′ in the position in which the plug unit a is fitted loosely onto the socket unit b ′. the body 64 in pin form is retracted into the receiving piece 57 and the latching members 33 of the projecting piece 32 which have the latching noses 34 are thus able to latch into the receiving piece 57 which has the recesses 62 . fig1 shows the position in which the plug unit a is fitted loosely onto the socket unit b ′, with the projecting piece 32 latched into the receiving piece 57 . the plug unit a is held only loosely in this case without the flow - permitting connections being made . the position of the sensing member 63 is once again monitored . because the sensing member 63 has been pushed back by the projecting piece 32 , it is detected that the plug unit a has been loosely fitted . when the plug unit is loosely fitted , the drive unit ( not shown ) is started , as a result of which the body 64 in pin form is advanced in the receiving piece 57 . as a result , the connection between the projecting piece 32 and receiving piece 57 , which at first was only loose , is now locked . at the same time , the connecting part 69 having the two connecting pieces 65 , 66 is advanced out of the housing body 51 . it is also possible for the body 64 in pin form and the connecting part 69 to be connected together and to be moved in unison by a drive unit . the displacement of the connecting part 69 and the two connecting pieces 65 , 66 causes the connecting pieces 65 , 66 to pierce the membranes 35 , 36 of the plug unit a , as a result of which the fluid - tight connections are made between the connecting pieces and the connectors . it is true that there is , once again , a relative movement between the connecting pieces 65 , 66 and the connectors 27 , 28 . however , in this exemplary embodiment it is not the plug unit a itself which is moved . because the plug unit a is firmly seated on the socket unit b ′ once the projecting piece has been locked to the receiving piece , the forces which occur when the plug and socket units are connected together can be absorbed . the connection of the plug unit to the socket unit thus once again takes place automatically . the release of the plug unit a from the socket unit b ′ takes place in the reverse order . for this purpose , the body 64 in pin form is retracted in the receiving piece 57 , and the connecting part 69 and the connecting pieces 65 , 66 are retracted in the housing body 51 , as a result of which the connection between the projecting piece 32 and receiving piece 57 is unlocked and the connecting pieces 65 , 66 are drawn out of the connectors 27 , 28 . the unlocking may take place simultaneously with the drawing back of the connecting pieces or prior to the said drawing back of the connecting pieces . the alternative exemplary embodiment b ′ of the socket unit has a means 70 for closing off the two connecting pieces 65 , 66 , or for making a flow - permitting connection between the two connecting pieces 65 , 66 to enable a flushing process to be carried out with a flushing solution ( fig7 ; fig8 a and fig8 b ). the means 70 has two connectors 71 , 72 which are arranged at the same distance from one another as the connectors 27 , 28 of the plug unit a and which are of the same form as the connectors of the plug unit . the two connectors 71 , 72 are closed off at a rear end in a flushing piece 73 or are connected to make a flow - permitting connection in the flushing piece 73 . the flushing piece 73 has semi - circular indentations 74 , 75 on the two opposite sides on which the connectors 71 , 72 are not arranged . the flushing piece 73 having the connectors 71 , 72 is connected to the front portion 60 of the receiving piece 57 of the socket unit b ′. for this purpose , the flushing piece 73 has a central opening 89 through which the front portion 60 of the receiving piece 57 extends ( fig9 ). because the receiving piece 57 is mounted to be rotatable on the longitudinal axis 58 , the flushing piece 73 too and the connectors 71 , 72 can be rotated on the longitudinal axis 58 as a result of the receiving piece 57 being rotated by the drive unit ( not shown ). fig7 shows the flushing piece 73 having the connectors 71 , 72 in the position in which the plug unit a can be fitted onto the socket unit b ′. in this position , the semi - circular indentations 74 , 75 are situated in front of the connecting pieces 65 , 66 of the socket unit b ′, while the connectors 71 , 72 are positioned in a plane which is perpendicular to the plane in which the connecting pieces 65 , 66 are positioned . to initiate the flushing process , the flushing piece 73 having the connectors 71 , 72 is pivoted through 90 ° as a result of the receiving piece 57 being rotated by the drive unit ( not shown ), and the connectors 71 , 72 are thus situated in front of the connecting pieces 65 , 66 . however , this means that the connecting pieces are not yet closed off or that a flow - permitting connection has not yet been made between the connecting pieces ( fig8 a ). the connecting part 69 having the connecting pieces 65 , 66 is then advanced out of the housing body 51 and the connectors 65 , 66 are thus forced into the membranes of the connectors 71 , 72 . this makes a fluid - tight connection between the connecting pieces 65 , 66 of the socket unit b ′ and the connectors 71 , 72 and the two connecting pieces 65 , 66 are thus closed off or short - circuited by means of the flushing piece ( fig8 b ). on completion of the flushing process , the connecting pieces 65 , 66 are retracted again and the flushing piece 73 having the connectors 71 , 72 is rotated back to the starting position ( fig7 ). the flushing piece 73 of the socket unit ( b ′), and the plug body 29 of the plug unit a , are of asymmetrical forms and the plug unit a can thus only be plugged into the socket unit ( b ′) when in the correct position shown in fig7 . for this purpose , the flushing piece 73 has a u - shaped projection 78 on the outer side opposite the plug body , while the plug body 29 has a projection 79 on the outer side opposite the flushing piece . the projection 79 is so arranged that it collides with the projection 78 if the plug unit a is plugged into the socket unit ( b ′) in a position in which it is rotated through 180 °. the particular design of the means 70 for closing off or for making the flow - permitting connection forms part of the socket unit b ′. there is no need for a separate plug or the like . the socket unit b ′ allows fully automatic control both of the connection of the plug unit a to the socket unit b ′ and of the initiation of the flushing process , thus simplifying the handling process as a whole . because the insertion of the plug unit in the socket unit is detected , the filling process or emptying process can be initiated automatically . the filling process may however also be prevented if the information carrier 86 on the plug unit a is destroyed . the control unit 80 of the filling apparatus 3 preferably prevents the connecting pieces 65 , 66 of the socket unit b from being extended to make a flow - permitting connection . after the filling or emptying , the plug unit can be released automatically . the same is true of the flushing process . when the device 1 for supplying dialysis fluid is connected to the dialysis apparatus 2 , the filling of the fluid reservoir 10 can also be started automatically by the insertion of the plug unit a in the socket unit b of the dialysis apparatus . | 0 |
the invention will now be described in greater detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing . fig2 is a schematic diagram showing a plastic substrate liquid crystal display device according to an embodiment of the invention . in the figure , reference numeral 11 designates polarizer plates , 12 and 14 hard coats , 13 substrates , 15 transparent electrodes , 16 insulating films ( top coats ), 17 aligning films , 18 a seal agent and 19 a liquid crystal . the polarizer plate 11 is adapted to permit transmission of only light oscillating intensively in a specified direction . to describe a general method of making this polarizer plate 11 , a thin film of pva ( polyvinyl alcohol ) is extended under application of heat and the extended film is contacted to a solution called h ink containing a large amount of iodine so that this film may absorb iodine to form a film having polarization capability . each of the hard coats 12 and 14 acts as a gas barrier an ito ( indium oxide added with tin ) layer is used as an undercoat , and a coating film of a siloxane system is used as the hard coat . the substrate 13 is formed of a transparent plastic resin plate which is made of plastic resin of an epoxy system or an acryl system . for formation of the transparent electrode 15 , an ito film is formed by vapor deposition through a low temperature sputtering process and the ito film is patterned by , for example , photoetching or a laser beam to obtain an electrode configuration . the top coat 16 is provided on the surface of the transparent electrode 15 to serve as a thin protective layer . the top coat 16 is a coating of oxide of ti or si which is a film of a silica coating material ( for example , mof ti - si film manufactured by tokyo ohka kogyo ( japanese corporation )) deposited in 700 to 1400 å thickness through , for example , a printing process , the coating exhibiting hardness and insulating capability . more preferably , the top coat 16 may be a coating of oxide of ti or si combined with an acryl system resin , thus having flexibility in addition to hardness and insulating capability . resin of an epoxy system may also be used for the resin of the coating of top coat 16 or alternatively an inorganic material such as si0x , si02 , ti02 or a mixture of them may be used for the coating of top coat 16 . the aligning film 17 is used to align the orientation of molecules of liquid crystal 19 filled between the opposing substrates 13 in one direction and an inorganic material such as a silane coupling agent or siox or an organic material such as polyimide or pva is known as the material of the aligning film . of them , a polyimide material is rubbed in one direction and used as the aligning film in the industry at present . the seal agent 18 is thermally fused to seal a gap between the substrates 13 so as to prevent leakage of liquid crystal 19 . used as the material of the seal agent 18 is an inorganic material such as glass or an organic material such as nylon , polyester , polyimide or thermosetting epoxy . of them , thermoserring epoxy is preferably used . many kinds of liquid crystals such as nematic , cholesteric and smectic liquid crystals have been proposed and a desired one of them may be used as the liquid crystal 19 . one of the typically used liquid crystals is of nonanoic acid cholesterol . enumerated as a diamine component which is easy to sublime in polycondensation for formation of the aformemtioned polyimide are 1 , 4 - phenylene diamine , 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- methylene dianiline , 4 - aminophenyl ether , diamino diphenyl ether and diamino diphenyl methylene . of them , diamino diphenyl ether and diamino diphenyl methylene are preferable . enumerated as a tetracarboxylic acid component which is easy to sublime in polycondensation for formation of the aforementioned polyimide are pyromellitic anhydride , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - cyclobutane tetracarboxylic acid and derivatives thereof , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - cyclopentane tetracarboxylic acid and derivatives thereof , 2 , 3 , 5 - tricarboxy cyclopentyl acid and derivatives thereof , 3 , 5 , 6 - tricarboxy - norbornane - 2 - acetic acid and derivatives thereof , 5 -( 2 , 5 - dioxotetrahydrofuryl ) - 3 - methyl - cyclohexene dicarboxylic acid and derivatives thereof , bicyclo -( 2 , 2 , 2 )- octo - 7 - ene - tetracarboxylic acid , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - furan tetracarboxylic acid and derivatives thereof and 3 , 3 &# 39 ;, 4 , 4 - perfluoroisopropylidenediphenyl tetracarboxylic acid and derivatives thereof . of them , pyromellitic anhydride is preferable . by selecting the kind of monomer , an aligning film of polyamide , polyurea or polyurethane can be formed but , from the standpoint of stability of orientation , polyimide is the best . for practicing the above polymerization reactions , a known apparatus such as disclosed in , for example , japanese patent application laid - open no . 61 - 78463 can be utilized . in the apparatus , a raw material monomer of polyimide is vaporized under reduced pressure to form a polyamic coating on the electrode surface of the electrode substrate and polyamide can be polymerized to polyimide . the purpose of the vaporization of the raw material monomer of polyimide under reduced pressure is for preventing vaporized monomers from colliding with each other or with the inner wall of a polymerizing device in order to deposit monomer vapor directly on the electrode substrate to form a uniform polyamic coating , and generally the reduced pressure is set to about 1 × 10 - 6 torr . polyimide obtained by polymerization through a method using glow discharge in combination exhibits liquid crystal orientation capability . conceivably , this is due to the fact that ions and electrons generated during glow discharge are caused by an electric field to impinge on the polyamic coating surface at an almost zero angle respect thereto so as to bring about an effect equivalent to the rubbing processing , and that under this condition , the polymerization to polyimide is carried out . if heating of the monomer subject to polymerization reaction is needed , a the monomer is heated in advance or a method is employed in which monomer is deposited on the substrate at room temperature and thereafter the substrate is heated . thus , in order to promote sublimation under reduced pressure , a monomer of tetracarboxyl acid and a monomer of diamine may preferably be heated by a substrate heating heat source at about 160 ° c . and at about 140 ° c ., respectively . further , in order to promote polyamic reaction , the electrode substrate may preferably be heated to 40 ° c . or more . an existing reduced pressure evaporation / polymerization apparatus , for example , vacuum evaporation / polymerization apparatus vep - 100a manufactured by nippon shinku gijutsu kabushiki - kaisha may be available . a solvent vaporizable by heating or heating under reduced pressure may be used suitably for dissolving polyimide . for example , n - methyl pyrrolidone ( bp ; about 203 ° c . ), ethyl carbitor ( bp ; about 200 ° c . ), butyl celloslve acetate ( bp ; 164 ° c . ), n , n - dimethyl acetamide ( bp ; 164 ° c .) and dioxane ( bp ; 164 ° c .) may be enumerated . also , these solvents may be mixed suitably and a resulting solvent mixture solvent may be used . these materials are used to form an aligning film 17 by printing , evaporation and sintering through the procedure practiced in accordance with the following steps ( 1 ) to ( 4 ). ( 1 ) the polycondensed polyimide is dissolved in the solvent to form ink . ( 2 ) the ink is printed on a plastic substrate through an conventional relief process to form an aligning film pattern and then is pre - sintered at about 70 ° c . ( 3 ) after pre - sintering , the solvent is removed by heating at about 80 ° to 100 ° c . and / or at reduced pressure of 1 × 10 - 1 to 10 - 2 tort . ( 4 ) after removal of the solvent , the resulting film is sintered at 150 ° to 180 ° c . to form an aligning film . the aligning films 17 of the liquid crystal display device shown in fig2 were formed in accordance with the above steps ( 1 ) to ( 4 ) to obtain results to be described below . specifically , the above procedure steps ( 1 ) to ( 4 ) were practiced to form an aligning film on condition that sintering is effected at 70 ° c . for 30 minutes , a resulting film is placed at a reduced pressure of 1 × 10 - 1 torr for 30 minutes in order for a solvent to be evaporated and removed and after removal of the solvent , a resulting film is sintered at 180 ° c . for one hour and thirty minutes . initial characteristics and reliability of a liquid crystal display device having the thus formed aligning films were evaluated to obtain such results that faults such as focal - conic texture and domain are not found , and the contrast was recognized to be of the same level as that of a liquid crystal display device using glass substrates . since according to the present invention the polyimide polycondensation processing is carried out prior to ink adjustment , the aligning film processing can be effected at 200 ° c . or less , especially , 150 ° to 180 ° c . and a plastic liquid crystal display device having optical characteristics of the same level as the conventional glass substrate liquid crystal display device can be provided . | 8 |
the methods of the present invention can be used for preventing , stabilizing or causing the regression of vls . the vascular leak syndrome being treated can be caused in various ways . for example , vls can be caused by bacterial infections , nitric oxide , viral infections and infections with helminthic parasites . it is preferred that the vls result from administration of biological molecules , such as interferons ( e . g ., gamma interferon ), cytokines and immunotoxins . for purposes of this application , a cytokine is defined as a protein factor than can cause proliferation and differentiation of blood cells . examples of cytokines which induce vls include interleukin - 2 ( il - 2 ), tumor necrosis factor alpha ( tnf - α ), and granulocyte - macrophage colony stimulating factor ( gmcsf ). for purposes of this application , an immunotoxin is defined as a chimeric molecule in which cell - binding ligands ( or antibodies ) are coupled to toxins , thus redirecting the cell - killing activity of the toxin to the receptor targeted by the cell binding moiety . examples of immunotoxins include those prepared with blocked ricin , ricin a chain ( in native and deglycosylated forms ), pe40 and saporin see ., grossbard , m . l . et al ., blood 79 , 576 - 585 ( 1992 ); grossbard , m . l . et al ., j . clin . oncol . 11 , 726 - 737 ( 1993 ); weiner , l . m . et al ., cancer res . 49 , 4062 - 4067 ( 1989 ); vitetta , e . s . et al ., cancer res . 51 , 4052 - 4058 ( 1991 ); lemaistre , c . f . et al ., blood 78 , 1173 - 1182 ( 1991 ); byers , v . s . et al ., blood 75 , 1426 - 1432 ( 1990 ); byers , v . s . et al ., cancer res . 49 , 6153 - 6160 ( 1989 ); spitler , l . e . et al ., cancer res . 47 , 1717 - 1723 ( 1987 ); amlot , p . l . et al ., blood 82 , 2624 - 2633 ( 1993 ); falini , b . et al ., lancet 339 , 1195 - 1196 ( 1992 )!. specific immunotoxins include anti - thy 1 . 2 - ricin a chain vallera , d . a . et al ., blood 77 , 182 - 194 ( 1991 )!, anti - gd3 antibody r24 bajorin , d . f . et al ., melanoma res . 2 , 355 - 362 ( 1992 )!, and br96 sfv - pe40 friedman , p . n . et al ., j . immunol . 150 , 3054 - 3061 ( 1993 ); siegall , c . b . et al ., j . immunol . 152 , 2377 - 2384 ( 1994 )!. in accordance with the present invention , various materials can be used in treating vls . suitable materials include 15 - deoxyspergualin ( dsg ) and related compounds . in particular , compounds of the following formula a : ## str1 ## wherein y is an alkylene group having an even number of from 4 to 10 carbons , preferably 6 or 8 carbons , or a meta or para mono - or dialkylenephenyl radical substituent group having in total 2 to 5 carbons in the alkylene residue ( s ), preferably 2 to 4 carbons , and x is an alkylene or aphahydroxyalkylene radical having 1 to 5 carbons , preferably 1 to 2 carbons , or an amino acid residue , especially gly , l - his , l - and d - ser , γ - aba and dl - haba , may be used . 15 - deoxyspergualin and a process for its preparation is described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 525 , 299 to umezawa et al ., while u . s . pat . no . 4 , 851 , 446 to umezawa , deceased , et al ., describes an immunosuppressing method comprising the administration of 15 - deoxyspergualin and related compounds . the no . &# 39 ; 299 and no . &# 39 ; 466 umezawa patents are each incorporated herein by reference thereto . illustrative compounds of the structure ( i ) include those in which y is ( ch 2 ) 6 and x is choh , y is ( ch 2 ) 6 and x is gly , y is ( ch 2 ) 6 and x is l - ala , y is ( ch 2 ) 6 and x is l - leu , y is ( ch 2 ) 6 and x is l - phe , y is ( ch 2 ) 6 and x is l - asp , y is ( ch 2 ) 6 and x is l - gln , y is ( ch 2 ) 6 and x is l - pro , y is ( ch 2 ) 6 and x is l - his , y is ( ch 2 ) 6 and x is l - arg , y is ( ch 2 ) 6 and x is l - ser , y is ( ch 2 ) 6 and x is d - ser , y is ( ch 2 ) 6 and x is l - thr , y is ( ch 2 ) 6 and x is β - ala , y is ( ch 2 ) 6 and x is γ - aba , y is ( ch 2 ) 6 and x is dl - haba , y is pc 6 h 4 ( ch 2 ) 3 and x is gly , y is pc 6 h 4 ( ch 2 ) 3 and x is l - ser , y is p ( ch 2 ) 3 c 6 h 4 and x is gly , y is p ( ch 2 ) 3 c 6 h 4 and x is ser , y is pch 2 c 6 h 4 ( ch 2 ) 2 and x is ser , y is mch 2 c 6 h 4 ( ch 2 ) 2 and x is ser , y is pc 6 h 4 ( ch 2 ) 4 and x is ser , y is pc 6 h 4 ( ch 2 ) 5 and x is ser . the deoxyspergualin compounds set forth above are typically used in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable salt , for example , chloride and hydrochloride salts , especially the tri - hydrochloride salt . 15 - deoxyspergualin ( dsg ) has the structure ( i ) wherein y is ( ch 2 ) 6 and x is choh . the clinically therapeutic dose of dsg and related compounds is from about 0 . 1 to about 40 mg / day / kg of patient body weight , and may be administered in single or divided doses in a systemic dosage form as described below for a period sufficient to prevent vls . the peak plasma concentration obtained from such dose is from about 0 . 1 to about 20 μg / ml . patients achieve a c max of approximately 10 μg / ml of dsg at 4 mg / kg by 3 hour i . v . infusion . because of the relatively rapid clearance of dsg from plasma , this level drops quite rapidly . thus , six hours following intravenous injection , the plasma concentration ranges from about 20 to 200 ng / ml . a delivery schedule resulting in a steady state plasma concentration of 10 to 200 ng / ml should therefore be effective for preventing vls . the present invention can also be practiced using dsg and related compounds as a racemic mixture , as well as the (+) and (-) isomers of dsg . other suitable materials include phospholipase a 2 ( pla 2 ) inhibitors . in particular , compounds which may be used are of the following formula b : ## str2 ## wherein r = substituted or unsubstituted alkyl , arylalkyl , alkenyl or arylalkenyl groups having 6 or more carbon atoms ; and x and y are different and each is of the form ## str3 ## wherein r &# 39 ; and r &# 34 ; are independently h or alkyl of c 1 - 6 . these compounds , their geometric isomers and their pharmaceutical salts may be used in preventing vascular leak syndrome . the preparation and administration of the compounds of formula b are described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 141 , 959 , in u . s . patent application ser . no . 079 , 072 , filed on jun . 16 , 1993 , abandoned , and in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 436 , 369 , which are incorporated herein by reference . particularly preferred are the compounds 11 - cis , 13 - cis - 12 ( 3 - carboxyphenyl ) retinoic acid , having the formula : ## str4 ## and ( 2z ), ( 4z )- 3 - methyl - 4 -( 3 - carboxyphenyl )- 5 - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - 1 , 1 , 4 , 4 - tetramethyl - 6 - anthracenyl !- 2 - 4 - pentadienoic acid , having the formula ## str5 ## additional suitable materials include corticosteroids such as dexamethasone , cortisone , hydrocortisone , prednisone , prednisolone , triamcinolone , methylprednisolone , betamethasone , flunisolide and beclomethasone dipropionate , and non - steroidal anti - inflammatory agents such as indomethacin , piroxicam , meclofenamate , naproxen , ibuprofen and aspirin . it is particularly preferred that the agent used to prevent vls not affect the therapeutic activity of the agent causing vls . for example , in the case of br96 sfv - pe40 , it is preferred that its anti - tumor activity not be abolished by the agent used to treat vls . in carrying out the methods of the present invention , the agent used to treat vls may be administered to various mammalian species , such as monkeys , dogs , cats , rats , humans , etc ., in need of such treatment . the agent used to treat vls may be administered systemically , such as orally or parenternally and may be administered intravenously , subcutaneously and intraperitoneally . the agent used to treat vls may be incorporated in a conventional dosage form , such as tablet , capsule , elixir or injectable . the above dosage forms will also include the necessary carrier material , exipient , lubricant , buffer , antibacterial , bulking agent ( such as mannitol ), anti - oxidants ( ascorbic acid or sodium bisulfite ) or the like . oral dosage forms are preferred , although parenternal forms are quite satisfactory as well . with regard to such systemic or local formulations , single or divided doses of from about 1 to 100 mg / kg , from 1 to 3 times daily , may be administered in systemic dosage forms as described above for a period sufficient to prevent vls . the exact route of administration , dosage form , mount to be administered and method of administration will vary depending on the agent employed and may readily be determined by one of ordinary skill in the art . the following examples are further illustrative of the present invention . these examples are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention , and provide further understanding of the invention . the single - chain immunotoxin fusion protein br96 sfv - pe40 was expressed in e . coli and purified as previously described siegall , c . b ., et al ., j . immunol 152 , 2377 - 2384 ( 1994 )!. diphenhydramine - hydrochloride was purchased from elkins - sinn ( cherry hill , n . j .). cyclosporine a ( csa ) was purchased from sandoz ( basel , switzerland ). 15 - deoxyspergualin ( dsg ) was obtained from nippon kayaku ( tokyo , japan ). dexamethasone ( dex ) was purchased from anpro pharmaceuticals ( arcadia , calif .). six to eight week old female wistar furth and rowett , nu / nu ( athymic ) rats ( harlan sprague dawley , indianapolis , ind .) were intravenously injected with various amounts of br96 sfv - pe40 ( 0 . 25 - 4 mg / kg ). after 24 hours , they were euthanized by exposure to co 2 , and the tissues analyzed using gross and microscopic techniques . cardiac blood was collected from comatose animals and placed either in serum collection tubes for blood chemistry analysis or edta tubes for complete blood count ( cbc ). hydrothorax fluid was collected from separate animals by placing the carcass in dorsal recumbancy , carefully removing the ventral chest wall and aspirating fluid using a 5 cc syringe and 21 g needle . trachea , lungs and heart were removed as a unit and the lungs were gently inflated with approximately 2 cc of fixative solution delivered via the trachea . these organs , as well as the chest wall , diaphragm , liver , kidney , and spleen were fixed for at least 48 hours in 10 % neutral buffered formalin . fixed tissues were processed for paraffin embedding , sectioned at 6 m and stained with hematoxylin and eosin for histologic evaluation . treatment of rats carrying h3396 tumor xeno grafts . h3396 tumor xeno grafts were established in athymic rats as previously described siegall , c . b ., et al ., j . immunol . 152 , 2377 - 2384 ( 1994 )!. groups ( n = 6 ) were either left untreated , iv . injected with a single dose of br96 sfv - pe40 ( 0 . 5 mg / kg ), pretreated with three i . p . administrations of dex ( 1 mg / kg ) at 50 , 26 , and 2 hours prior to immunotoxin administration ( 0 . 5 mg / kg br96 sfv - pe40 ), or pretreated with three i . p . injections of dsg ( 10 mg / kg ) and immunotoxin as above . wistar furth immunocompetent rats were intravenously administered with a single dose of br96 sfv - pe40 ( 0 . 25 to 4 . 0 mg / kg ). necropsy was performed 24 hours following immunotoxin administration . the appearance of large amounts of clear fluid in the thoracic cavity ( hydrothorax ) was found to be dose dependent with doses of 2 . 0 mg / kg or greater resulting in fluid accumulations of & gt ; 5 cc ( table 1 ). at 1 mg / kg , there was either small or no fluid accumulation and below 1 mg / kg , no fluid was detected . acute toxicity was clinically apparent in rats treated at 2 - 4 mg / kg . rats treated with 4 mg / kg br96 sfv - pe40 ( and not euthanized earlier ) died within 72 hours . the cause of death in these rats was determined to be asphyxiation and other complications as a result of fluid accumulation in the lungs and thoracic cavity occurring within 48 - 72 hours after administration of br96 sfv - pe40 . comparatively , doses of 0 . 25 and 0 . 5 mg / kg were previously used to promote tumor regressions without toxicity in xenografted rats siegall , c . b ., et al ., j . immunol . 152 , 2377 - 2384 ( 1994 )!. associated with an increase in thoracic fluid accumulation , there was a slight increase in hematocrit at 2 mg / kg and a dramatic increase at 3 and 4 mg / kg . there was also an opposing effect on serum albumin as decreased levels were found at 2 mg / kg or higher br96 sfv - pe40 doses ( table 1 ). hematocrit and serum albumin levels in the normal range were observed with br96 sfv - pe40 doses of less than 2 mg / kg . additionally , an increase in body weight ( up to 10 %) was associated with the onset of the hydrothorax in rats administered with br96 sfv - pe40 at 1 . 5 mg / kg ( maximum tolerated dose ) within 7 days of administration ( data not shown ). histopathology was performed on rats sacrificed 24 hours after treatment with 2 mg / kg br96 sfv - pe40 to assess tissue damage to major organs . diffuse hepatocellular degeneration or less frequent , mild liver necrosis was occasionally observed . however , major histologic lesions were confined to the lungs of rats treated with immunotoxin . the principle histologic lesion was characterized by the accumulation of light pink fluid in the peribronchovascular space consistent with edema fluid ( fig1 a and b ). the edema fluid filled lymphatics and dissected and expanded adjacent connective tissues . alveolar walls were normal to very slightly thickened and there was scant to moderate pleural mesothelial cell hypertrophy . it was common for fluid accumulated in perivascular spaces to contain small numbers of mixed , but primarily mononuclear , inflammatory cells ( fig1 c ). in fewer than 25 % of cases , lesions were slightly to moderately more severe with alveolar walls being prominently thickened and adjacent airspaces containing increased numbers of macrophages along with fewer polymorphonuclear leukocytes , lymphocytes , and erythrocytes ( fig1 d ). the hydrothorax found in rats following administration of 2 - 4 mg / kg br96 sfv - pe40 was not seen in immunocompetent mice ( table 2 ). serum albumin was constant and only a slight increase in hematocrit was observed at 2 - 4 mg / kg immunotoxin , doses that are lethal to mice . severe hepatic lesions were found to be the dose - limiting toxicity in mice . thus rats , but not mice , can serve as a model for br96 sfv - pe40 induced vls . assessment of prophylactic drug treatment on rats prior to immunotoxin therapy utilizing this immunotoxin - induced rat vls model , experiments were initiated to evaluate the effect of several anti - inflammatory and immunosuppressant drugs for ability to block hydrothorax . the drugs that were chosen were diphenhydramine ( anti - histamine ), csa ( immunosuppressant ), dsg ( immunosuppressant ), and dex ( anti - inflammatory / immunosuppressant ). rats were treated either with diphenhydramine , 25 and 2 hours prior to immunotoxin administration , or csa , dsg , or dex , at 50 , 26 , and 2 hours prior to administration of br96 sfv - pe40 ( 2 mg / kg ). dex pretreatment effectively blocked br96 sfv - pe40 - induced vls in rats , with no detectable fluid accumulation in the thoracic cavity ( table 1 ). a variable though reproducible reduction in br96 sfv - pe40 - induced hydrothorax ( 0 . 5 - 5 cc ) was observed in dsg pre - treated rats , while neither csa nor diphenhydramine were effective at blocking vls ( table 1 ). these results show that dex is a potent inhibitor of immunotoxin - induced vls and dsg has a variable inhibitory effect on vls . since vls is the dose limiting toxicity in br96 sfv - pe40 treated rats , we evaluated the ability of these drugs to prevent immunotoxin - induced death . rats were pretreated as described above , followed by administration of a lethal dose of br96 sfv - pe40 , 2 mg / kg , and were observed for survival until death or through day 10 , post immunotoxin treatment . all rats treated with 2 mg / kg br96 sfv - pe40 and no prophylaxis succumbed within 72 hours . all dex pretreated rats survived the otherwise lethal dose of immunotoxin ( table 3 ). no evidence of hydrothorax or other gross lesions were detected at necropsy . neither csa nor diphenhydramine prophylaxis resulted in prolongation of survival . injection of rats with dex either at the same time or 24 hours following br96 sfv - pe40 administration was unable to prevent hydrothorax or prolong survival . thus , exposure to dex , prior to immunotoxin administration , is necessary for the prevention of hydrothorax . effects of br96 sfv - pe40 and vls - blocking drugs on blood chemistry and cbc in rats vls induced by immunotoxins has been shown to be associated with hematologic changes . since dex , and to a lesser extent dsg , were found to block vls in br96 sfv - pe40 treated rats , we investigated the effects of these drug combinations on immunotoxin - induced changes in rat blood chemistry and cbc . br96 sfv - pe40 ( 2 mg / kg ) administration caused an increase in polymorphonuclear cells and hematocrit in peripheral blood , while decreasing the monocyte count ( table 4 ). total white blood cell counts were within normal limits . pre - treatment with dex , followed by br96 sfv - pe40 resulted in a leukocytosis and neutrophilia along with a rise in hematocrit , both predictable side - effects of dex duncan . j . r . and prasse , k . w ., veterinary laboratory medicine , 2nd ed ., iowa state univ . press , ames , iowa , 124 - 126 ( 1986 ); haynes , r . c . and murad , f ., the pharmacological basis of therapeutics , 7th ed ., ( macmillan pub . co ., n . y ., 1459 - 1489 ( 1985 )!. as expected , the lymphocyte count was depressed in these rats . dsg pre - treatment had a minor suppressive effect on all immunotoxin - induced hematologic changes , and ameliorated the elevated hematocrit induced by br96 sfv - pe40 ( table 4 ). however , dsg caused a pronounced decrease in monocytes consistent with the general myelosuppression effect of dsg that had been previously reported nemoto , k . et al ., jpn . j . cancer res . 83 , 789 - 793 ( 1992 )!. the effects of various treatments on blood chemistry was also compared at 2 mg / kg br96 sfv - pe40 . br96 sfv - pe40 induced a mild increase in the liver enzymes serum glutamic - pyruvic transaminase ( sgpt ) and serum glutamic - oxaloacetic transaminase ( sgot ) by 6 and 3 - fold , respectively , as well as a decrease in both albumin and total protein ( table 4 ). rats pre - treated with dex followed by br96 sfv - pe40 were found to have extremely elevated sgpt and sgot levels ( 36 - 50 fold ) as well as slightly elevated albumin and total protein levels , all of which are secondary to dex treatment . rats treated with dex only had slightly elevated transaminases ( 71 and 153 , for sgpt and sgot , respectively ). thus , dex appears to exacerbate the hepatotoxicity of br96 sfv - pe40 by increasing the transaminase levels . the effects of dex pretreatment on rats receiving 2 mg / kg br96 sfv - pe40 was evaluated histologically 24 hours after immunotoxin administration . animals pretreated with dex had only slight vascular edema or were indistinguishable from the control animals receiving no immunotoxin , whereas unprotected rats exhibited marked accumulation of fluid in the perivascular and surrounding parenchymal spaces ( fig2 ). thus , pretreatment of rats receiving 2 mg / kg br96 sfv - pe40 and 1 mg / kg dex blocks both gross and microscopic evidence of pulmonary edema . dex or dsg does not abrogate the antitumor activity of br96 - immunotoxin on tumor xenografts in rats dex and dsg are both immunomodulating agents . having determined that dex and to a lesser extent dsg , inhibits vls in br96 sfv - pe40 ( 2 mg / kg ) treated rats , we next evaluated whether or not they would interfere with immunotoxin activity against tumors in vivo . the antitumor activity of br96 sfv - pe40 has previously been measured against h3396 human breast carcinoma xenografts in rats siegall , c . b . et al ., j . immunol . 152 , 2377 - 2384 ( 1994 )!. since the rats used in the antitumor study were athymic , we also tested the ability of athymic rats to develop dose - dependent hydrothorax . the same accumulation of thoracic fluid was found in the athymic rats as was found in the immunocompetent rats . using the h3396 model , rats were pretreated with either dex or dsg , followed by a single suboptimal intravenous dose of br96 sfv - pe40 ( 0 . 5 mg / kg ). regressions of the h3396 tumor xenografts were observed in the immunotoxin treated animals , with or without dex or dsg pre - treatment ( fig3 ). in the dex pre - treated group , there was a slight reduction in the regression of the tumor xenograft in comparison with tumors in both the dsg or non - pretreated groups . thus , pre - treatment of rats with the immunomodulatory agents dex or dsg does not block br96 sfv - pe40 from regressing implanted tumor xenografts . immunotoxin therapy is a promising approach for the treatment of cancer grossbard , m . l . and nadler , l . m ., important advances in oncology , ( j . p . lippincott co ., philadelphia , pa . ), 111 - 135 ( 1992 ); pasten , i . et al ., annu . rev . biochem . 61 , 331 - 354 ( 1992 )!. however , dose - limiting side - effects have prevented the use of sufficient amounts needed for the best therapeutic response . vls has been the most limiting of these side - effects vitetta , e . s . et al ., cancer res . 51 , 4052 - 4058 ( 1991 ); vitetta , e . s . et al ., trends pharm . sci . 14 , 148 - 154 ( 1993 )!. for immunotoxins to become effective drugs for the treatment of human cancer , prevention of immunotoxin - induced vls is necessary . studies in non - human primates suggest that these models may be poor predictors of vls toxicity in humans , as evidenced by the lack of vls in monkeys and presence of vls in humans treated with b3 - lyspe40 immunoconjugates pai , l . h . et al ., cancer res . 52 , 3189 - 3193 ( 1992 ); skolnick , a . a ., jama 270 , 2280 ( 1993 )!. no immunocompetent animal model of immunotoxin - induced vls has been described to date . administration of ricin a chain - immunotoxins was reported to be unable to induce vls in immunocompetent mice , rats , or guinea pigs soler - rodrigues , a . m . et al ., exp . cell . res . 206 , 227 - 234 ( 1993 )!. however , it has been reported that irradiated mice displayed vls symptoms following administration of the pan t - cell immunotoxin anti - thy 1 . 2 - ricin a chain vallera , d . a . et al ., blood 77 , 182 - 194 ( 1991 )!. in vitro experimentation to investigate vls has been performed because of the lack of an adequate in vivo model . it has been demonstrated that ricin a chain could be directly cytotoxic to endothelial cells soler - rodrigues , a . m . et al ., exp . cell . res . 206 , 227 - 234 ( 1993 )!. however , it is not clear whether or not in vivo toxicity to endothelial cells is , in fact , the cause of immunotoxin - induced vls . we have focused on establishing an animal model that approximates vls as seen in human clinical trials utilizing targeted immunotoxins . rats administered with the single - chain immunotoxin br96 sfv - pe40 responded with a dose - dependent vls similar to that seen in humans . the vls response was seen as an accumulation of thoracic fluid and pulmonary edema with a concomitant increase in hematocrit and body weight as well as a decrease in serum albumin levels ( table 1 ). the rats died within 48 - 72 hours after administration of br96 sfv - pe40 as a result of fluid accumulation in the lungs and thoracic cavity . in contrast , there were no vls symptoms in mice administered with br96 sfv - pe40 at doses up to 4 mg / kg , in which mice died due to hepatic toxicity ( table 2 ). preliminary studies indicate that dogs do not respond to br96 sfv - pe40 with any vls - like symptoms at doses at least 6 - times higher ( on a mg / m 2 basis ) than that causing a vls response in a rat ( data not shown ). additionally , there were no apparent vls symptoms in monkeys following administration of immunotoxins prepared with both ricin a chain and pe40 vitetta , e . s . et al ., cancer res . 51 , 4052 - 4058 ( 1991 ); pai , l . h . et al ., cancer res . 52 , 3189 - 3193 ( 1992 )!. thus , rats represent the only species described so far to naturally respond to an immunotoxin like that seen in humans . to accurately evaluate the toxicity of immunotoxins , standard screening of more than two species ( often done with mouse and monkey ) may be necessary . while rats provide a useful model for br96 sfv - pe40 - induced toxicity because they respond with a dose - limiting vls , they may not be the optimal species for other immunotoxins with different specificities or with different toxins . therefore , continued experimentation in evaluating the toxicity of other immunotoxins in the rat model , specifically focusing oh vls symptoms , has been initiated . having a model for le . sup . γ - immunotoxin - induced vls , we set out to search for inhibitors of vls that could be combined with the immunotoxin without masking its antitumor activity . of the drugs tested , dex totally blocked , and dsg variably inhibited immunotoxin - induced vls ( table 3 ). additionally , dex prevented death in rats treated with an otherwise lethal dose ( 2 mg / kg ) of br96 sfv - pe40 ( table 3 ), while dsg did not . however , dex was unable to prolong survival in rats treated with 4 mg / kg br96 sfv - pe40 ( data not shown ). the mechanism whereby dex suppresses vls in this model system is unclear . glucocorticoids are capable of exerting a multiplicity of antiinflammatory and immunosuppressive effects including blockade of arachidonate metabolism , suppression of lymphocyte and macrophage functions with marked lympholysis in rodents , down - regulation of several pro - inflammatory cytokines , and stabilization of mast cells among others haynes , r . c . and murad , f ., the pharmacological basis of therapeutics , ( macmillan pub . co ., n . y . ), 1459 - 1489 ( 1985 ); boumpas , d . t . et al ., clin . exp . rheum . 9 , 413 - 423 ( 1991 )!. the absence of any modulating effects following csa pre - treatment and the presence of an effect in athymic rats suggest that in this model , vls is not mediated by classic t - cell responses . the variable regulation of vls associated with dsg pre - treatment , along with the potent effect of dex suggests that the targets influenced by these immunosuppressive drugs may be critical to the pathogenesis of vls in rats . while vls is the dose - limiting toxicity of many immunotoxins , it remained to be determined whether the same properties that mediate vls are also responsible for tumor reduction . to address this issue , the effects of dex or dsg prophylaxis on immunotoxin anti - tumor activity was studied in athymic rats carrying established h3396 human breast carcinomas . it was found that tumor xenografts in rats pretreated with either drug underwent regression similarly as compared to xenografts in rats treated with br96 sfv - pe40 alone ( fig3 ), although xenografts in rats that received prophylactic dex were regressed slightly less compared to xenografts in non - pretreated rats or those pretreated with dsg . one explanation for the slight reduction in antitumor activity is that dex has been shown to decrease the delivery of a carcinoma reactive monoclonal antibody to tumor xenografts in athymic rats neuwelt , e . a . et al ., neurosurgery 33 , 478 - 484 ( 1993 )!. thus , in our study , the immunotoxin may have been slightly retarded from leaving the vasculature in dex treated animals . however , since we specifically used a suboptimal treatment of immunotoxin and could only detect a slight difference between dex pre - treated and control groups , while the same level of dex completely prevented all signs of vls , it suggests that at least in the rat model , antitumor activity and vls occur by separate mechanisms . dsg is currently undergoing clinical evaluation for suppression of hama in cancer patients treated with an antibody or antibody - based imaging agent . preliminary results from these studies suggest that dsg is effective at blocking hama . these results combined with our results showing dsg inhibits vls in rats without abolishing antitumor effects of br96 sfv - pe40 , support the further investigation of dsg in the clinic for combination therapy with immunotoxins . il - 2 has also been found to cause vls in humans rosenstein , m . et . al ., immunology 137 , 1735 - 1742 ( 1986 ); rosenberg , s . a . et al ., n . engl . j . med . 316 , 889 - 897 ( 1987 )!. corticosteroids have been shown to reduce il - 2 mediated side effects vetto , j . et al ., j . clin . oncol . 5 , 496 - 503 ( 1987 ); mier , j . w . et al ., blood 76 , 1933 - 1940 ( 1990 )!. however , corticosteroids also reduce the antitumor effect of il - 2 in mouse models of cancer since they are immunosuppressive and inhibit adoptive immunotherapy papa , m . z . et al ., cancer res . 46 , 5618 - 5623 ( 1986 )!. corticosteroids have been administered either concurrently or subsequent to use of anti - cd22 - ricin a chain immunotoxin conjugates in humans , based on the ability of corticosteroids to inhibit il - 2 induced vls vitetta , e . s . et al ., cancer res . 51 , 4052 - 4058 ( 1991 ); amlot , p . l . et al ., blood 82 , 2624 - 2633 ( 1993 )!. these limited studies were unable to correlate the grade of toxicity in groups of patients that received corticosteroids in combination with immunotoxin , nor were they able to determine whether corticosteroids masked the ability of immunotoxins to regress tumors . pentoxifylline , a synthetic xanthine , has been shown to inhibit il - 2 induced vls in rats edwards , m . j . et al ., surgery 110 , 199 - 204 ( 1991 ); edwards , m . j . et al ., j . clin . invest . 90 , 637 - 641 ( 1992 )!, and guinea pigs ishizaka , a . et al ., j . appl . physiol . 67 , 2432 - 2437 ( 1989 )!, and tumor necrosis factor - alpha ( tnf - α ) induced vls in guinea pigs lilly , c . et al ., am . rev . respir . dis . 139 : 1361 - 1368 ( 1989 )!. our data suggests that prophylactic treatment may be the key to blocking vls induced by immunotoxin therapy . additional drugs were screened for their ability to prevent br96 sfv - pe40 - mediated vls in rats ( table 5 ). prophylactic administration of indomethacin , a non - steroidal anti - inflammatory drug ( nsaid ), prevented hydrothorax in rats treated with 2 mg / kg br96 sfv - pe40 . however , the dose range of indomethacin that was effective in preventing vls ( 15 - 30 mg / kg ) was higher than usually used clinically . at 5 mg / kg , indomethacin was unable to prevent br96 sfv - pe40 - mediated vls . piroxicam , also an nsaid , was found to prevent vls in the same model system when administered prophylactically either i . p . or orally with a dose of 20 mg / kg . the pla 2 inhibitor 11 - cis , 13 - cis - 12 ( 3 - carboxyphenyl ) retinoic acid was also found to prevent vls in rates following administration of br96 sfv - pe40 . with prophylactic administration ( i . p .) of 11 - cis , 13 - cis - 12 ( 3 - carboxyphenyl ) retinoic acid , vls was reduced by 50 % ( 30 mg / kg ) or completely blocked ( 100 mg / kg ). indomethacin , as well as other nsaids , act by blocking the enzyme cyclooxygenase , thus preventing the generation of prostaglandin endoperoxides ( from which prostaglandins and thromboxanes are metabolized ) from arachidonic acid . the pla 2 inhibitor 11 - cis , 13 - cis - 12 ( 3 - carboxyphenyl ) retinoic acid blocks the generation of arachidonic acid from membrane phospholipids . these date are suggestive of a major role for prostanoids and specifically prostaglandins in the advent of br96 sfv - pe40 mediated vls . table 1______________________________________identification of an immunotoxin - mediated , dose - dependenthydrothorax condition in ratsit dose , hydrothorax hematocrit albuminmg / kg ( mg / m . sup . 2 ) ( cc ) (%) g / dl ) ______________________________________0 0 38 . 9 3 . 60 . 25 ( 1 . 475 ) 0 39 . 9 3 . 80 . 5 ( 2 . 95 ) 0 39 . 7 3 . 51 . 0 ( 5 . 9 ) 0 - 3 * 39 . 5 3 . 22 . 0 ( 11 . 8 ) & gt ; 5 42 . 9 2 . 63 . 0 ( 17 . 7 ) & gt ; 5 56 . 1 2 . 54 . 0 ( 23 . 6 ) & gt ; 5 55 . 5 2 . 6______________________________________ br96 sfvpe40 was intravenously administered in a volume of 0 . 2 ml in pbs . fluid accumulation into the thoracic cavity was collected 24 hours after administration of it ( 2 - 4 animals were treated at each dose ). five cc of hydrothorax fluid indicates a range between 5 - 8 cc . * 2 / 3 rat had no fluid and 1 / 3 had 3 cc hydrothorax fluid . table 2______________________________________lack of hydrothorax in miceit dose , mg / kg ( mg / m . sup . 2 ) hydrothorax ( cc ) hematocrit (%) albumin ( g / dl ) ______________________________________0 0 36 . 4 3 . 152 . 0 ( 6 . 0 ) 0 42 . 8 3 . 34 . 0 ( 12 . 0 ) 0 46 . 0 3 . 3______________________________________ br96 sfvpe40 was administered and fluid accumulation measure as in legend for table 1 . table 3______________________________________prevention of vlsit dose hydrothorax ( cc ) survival at 10 d ( mg / kg ) pretreatment ( 24 h ) (# alive /# total ) ______________________________________2 dexamethasone 0 10 / 102 deoxyspergualin 0 . 5 - 5 . 0 0 / 52 cyclosporine a & gt ; 5 0 / 32 none & gt ; 5 0 / 102 diphenylhydramine & gt ; 5 0 / 3______________________________________ br96 sfvpe40 was administered intravenously in 0 . 2 ml pbs either alone or two hours following the last pretreatment dose of dexamethasone ( 1 mg / kg , q1dx3 , intraperitoneal ); deoxyspergualin ( 10 mg / kg , q1dx3 , intraperitoneal ); cyclosporine a ( 100 mg / kg , q1dx3 , subcutaneous ), diphenylhydramine ( 1 mg / kg , q1 dx2 , intraperitoneal ). it = immunotoxin ( br96 sfvpe40 ). table 4______________________________________cbc and chemistry screen chartcell it dexamethasone + deoxyspergualin + type untreated only it it______________________________________wbc 13 . 0 13 . 8 16 . 9 9 . 2poly 1593 5032 13130 328lymph 8217 7322 2584 5587mono 659 395 486 230hemato . 36 . 8 48 . 6 53 . 1 38 . 9chemistry screensgpt 56 301 5790 113sgot 99 299 3641 131albumin 3 . 6 2 . 8 4 . 5 3 . 2tot . prot 6 . 7 5 . 0 7 . 1 6 . 3______________________________________ data ( average of 2 - 4 rats ) are taken 24 hours postit administration ( 2 mg / kg ). wbc count in thousands / mm . sup . 3 ; polymorphonuclear cells , lymphocytes and monocytes are in absolute numbers ; hematocrit is in %, sgpt and sgot are in iu / l , albumin and total protein are in g / dl . table 5______________________________________vls inhibitor study hydrothorax # rats pretreatment treatment ( cc ) ______________________________________4 indomethacin ; 30 mg / kg , sc br96 sfv - pe40 , 0 2 mg / kg , iv2 indomethacin ; 15 mg / kg , sc same 02 indomethacin ; 5 mg / kg , sc same & gt ; 52 11 - cis , 13 - cis - 12 ( 3 - same 2 . 5 carboxyphenyl ) retinoic acid ; 30 mg / kg , ip2 11 - cis , 13 - cis - 12 ( 3 - same 0 carboxyphenyl ) retinoic acid ; 100 mg / kg , ip______________________________________ | 0 |
other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying examples which discloses several embodiments of the present invention . it should be understood , however , that the examples are designed for the purpose of illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention . the following schemes ( scheme 1 ) illustrate further possible uses by way of example . the reduction of cysteinesulfinic acid leads to the formation of cystine s , s - dioxide ( equation 2 ). the reduction of 2 , 4 - dicarboxy - 2 - methylthiazolidine leads to the formation of n ( 1 - carboxyethyl ) cysteine ( equation 3 ). another advantage of the cathode of the invention is that it can easily be regenerated . the regeneration is possible without dismantling the cell . the lead layer is in this case in one embodiment removed mechanically by flushing the catholyte chamber with water or with the catholyte liquid . in another embodiment , the lead layer is partly or completely dissolved . suitable for this purpose are aqueous solutions of mineral acids or organic acids in concentrations between 0 . 1 and 10 m , apart from sulfuric acid . examples thereof are hydrochloric acid , phosphoric acid or acetic acid . it is possible where appropriate to add to the aqueous acid solution complexing agents to increase the solubility of the resulting lead salt in amounts between 0 . 5 and 5 equivalents based on the amount of lead to be dissolved . complexing agents for lead ( ii ) ions are , for example , edta , nta and citric acid . the temperatures in this case are within the range for operating the electrochemical cell . to protect the electrode from corrosion , a protective voltage is maintained during the removal of the lead layer . cell used ; a cell which is divided by means of a membrane of nafion 324 ( electrode and membrane area 0 . 01 m 2 ) and have electrodes which are arranged plane - parallel and consist of a copper cathode , an oxygen - evolving dsa anode ( supplied by denora deutschland gmbh , anolyte : 20 percent sulfuric acid ). the electrode - membrane distance was 1 . 8 cm . catholyte and anolyte solutions were pumped through the cell from reservoirs ( batch - recycle operation ). lead was deposited on the cathode in a loose structure by circulating the catholyte , consisting of a solution of 2 . 00 g of basic lead carbonate in 1 . 8 l of 1n hcl , by pump at flow rates of 1 - 2 / h and a current i of 5 a . after a reaction time of 5 h , the residual lead content in the solution was 21 . 8 ppm . electrolytic deposition of lead onto the copper cathode took place from a solution of 2 . 00 g of basic lead carbonate in a solution of 360 g of cystine and 367 g of concentrated hcl in 1314 g of water at 6 . 9 a in analogy to example 1 . conversion of cystine to cysteine hydrochloride : 99 . 7 % ( measured by hplc and optical rotation α ). in the electrolysis apparatus of example 1 in using the cathode prepared as in example 1 , 1 . 00 kg of cystine in 3 . 65 l of water and 1019 g of concentrated hcl were converted into cysteine hydrochloride at a current density of 2000 a / m 2 and circulation rates of 10 - 12 / h by pump . after 11 h , 90 % of the cystine were converted into cysteine hydrochloride . the conversion was complete after 20 h . ( degree of conversion & gt ; 99 . 7 %, determined by hplc ). chemical yield & gt ; 99 . 9 %; ( investigation of the mother liquor obtained after multiple crystallization ). calculated area - time output was 7 . 31 kg of cysteine hydrochloride monohydrate per hour and m 2 of membrane area . a loose lead layer was deposited in an 0 . 01 m 2 electrompcell ( supplied by electrocell ab , taby , sweden ) with a tinned copper cathode , dsa anode ( supplied by parmascand , sweden ) and nafion 324 cation exchange membrane as described in example 2 ( circulation rate 1 - 2 / h by pump ). then , in analogy to example 3 , 4 . 0 kg of cystine were converted at 2000 a / m 2 into cysteine hydrochloride ( circulation rate 12 / h by pump ). the reaction took 79 hours . calculated area - time output was 7 . 41 kg of cysteine hydrochloride monohydrate per m 2 of membrane area and per hour . a loose lead layer was deposited in an 0 . 01 m 2 in electrompcell ( supplied by electrocell ab , taby , sweden ) with a nickel cathode , oxygen - evolving dsa anode ( supplied by parmascand , sweden ) and nafion 324 cation exchange membrane as described in example 2 ( circulation rate 1 - 2 / h by pump ). then , in analogy to example 4 , 360 g of cystine were converted into cysteine hydrochloride . the conversion was complete after a reaction time of 7 . 0 h . ( degree of conversion & gt ; 99 . 7 % determined by hplc ). calculated area - time output was 7 . 52 kg of cysteine hydrochloride monohydrate per m 2 of membrane area and per hour . lead was loosely deposited on a lead cathode from 750 mg of dissolved white lead in analogy to example 1 . 1 . 00 kg of cystine was reduced to cysteine hydrochloride as in example 3 . total reaction time : 21 . 8 hours . calculated area - tine output was 6 . 71 kg of cysteine hydrochloride monohydrate per m 2 of membrane area and per hour . 360 g of cystine were reduced to cysteine hydrochloride as in example 3 in an electrolysis cell with a lead plate as cathode . total reaction time 9 . 4 hours . calculated area - time output was 4 kg of cysteine hydrochloride monohydrate per m 2 of membrane area and per hour . a catholyte solution composed of 360 g of cystine , 3 . 00 g of tin ( ii ) chloride dehydrate was reacted in an electrolysis apparatus as in example 4 with a tinned copper plate as cathode at a flow rate of 1 - 2 / h and a current i of 5 a . after a reaction time of 22 h , the conversion to cysteine was 98 . 1 % ( hplc analysis ). the tin content of the solution after this time was still about 0 . 7 ppm ( equivalent to about 0 . 6 mg ). the catholyte solution was discharged from the cell and reservoir and replaced by a solution of 1 . 00 kg of cystine , 1019 g of concentrated hcl and 3651 g of water . this was reacted at a current strength of 20 a and a flow rate of 11 / h . after a reaction time of 15 . 2 hours , 90 % cystine had been converted . after 24 h , the solution still contained 2 . 7 % cystine . in an electrolysis apparatus consisting of an electrolysis cell with disk - shaped electrodes ( anode : dsa expanded titanium metal , cathode : perforated lead plate with loosely deposited lead , electrodes used on both sides and each welded on rods concentrically , diameter 7 . 5 cm ) and of the peripherals constructed as in example 1 , a solution of 1 . 523 g of l - cysteinesulfinic acid monohydrate in 600 ml of 2n hydrochloric acid was reduced at 10 a and a reaction temperature of 15 ° c . for 4 . 5 h . the reaction solution contained 60 % cystine s , s - dioxide , 20 % cystinesulfinic acid and 20 % cystine ( 1 h - nmr analysis ). in the electrolysis apparatus of example 10 , a solution of 130 . 0 g of 2 , 4 - dicarboxy - 2 - methylthiazolidine in a mixture of 526 ml of water and 144 g of hydrochloric acid was reduced at 9 . 5 a and temperatures of 16 - 20 ° c . after a reaction time of 5 hours , 66 % n -( 1 - carboxyethyl ) cysteine , 19 % lactic acid and 15 % cysteine were obtained . the reaction solution was evaporated , and the solid was recrystallized from 0 . 5 m hydrochloric acid with exclusion of oxygen . n -( 1 - carboxyethyl ) cysteine was obtained in colorless crystals . accordingly , while a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described , it is to be understood that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims . | 2 |
the basic laminated safety glass article according to this invention is shown in fig1 . the laminate 10 comprises a sheet of glass 12 laminated to an ionomer resin layer 14 . the ionomer resin layer 14 is thicker in the basic laminated article than in articles including a layer of polycarbonate or a second layer of glass . a second embodiment of a laminated safety glass article according to this invention is shown in fig2 . the laminate 20 comprises a sheet of glass 22 and an ionomer resin layer 24 , similar to the laminate 10 of fig1 . however , the embodiment of fig2 is further provided with a hard coat 26 on the otherwise exposed surface of the ionomer resin film , in order to protect the ionomer resin film form scratching , abrasion and other similar damage . a &# 34 ; hard coat &# 34 ; provides abrasion resistant , optically transparent coatings which serve to protect the surface and render the laminate more resistant to scratching and the like . useful &# 34 ; hard coat &# 34 ; compositions are described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 027 , 073 and u . s . patent application ser . no . 473 , 790 , filed mar . 10 , 1983 , and assigned to the owner of this application . a third embodiment of a laminated safety glass article according to this invention is shown in fig3 . the laminate 30 comprises a sheet of glass or a transparent polyester , such as mylar 32 laminated to an ionomer resin film 34 , which is in turn laminated to a polycarbonate , polyurethane or acrylic layer 36 . as additional strength is provided by the layer 36 , the ionomer resin layer 34 may be thinner than the ionomer resin layer 14 in the embodiment shown in fig1 optionally the mylar may be provided with a hard coating . a fourth embodiment of a laminated safety glass article according to this invention is shown in fig4 . the laminate 40 is similar to that of fig3 in comprising a glass sheet 42 , an ionomer resin layer 44 and a polycarbonate layer 46 . although polycarbonate is used to provide additional strength to the laminate , polycarbonates are usually too soft , and therefore subject to scratches and abrasion . accordingly , the laminate 40 is provided with a hard coat layer 48 for protecting the otherwise exposed surface of the polycarbonate layer 46 . a fifth embodiment of a laminated safety glass article according to this invention is shown in fig5 . the laminate 50 comprises two sheets of glass 52 , 54 joined by an ionomer resin layer 56 . as no soft surfaces are exposed , no hard coat layer is necessary . a sixth embodiment of a laminated safety glass article according to this invention is shown in fig6 . the laminate 60 comprises first a polycarbonate layer 62 sandwiched between two ionomer resin layers 64 , 66 . the ionomer resin / polycarbonate / ionomer resin laminate is itself sandwiched between two glass sheets 68 and 70 . as might be expected , the thicker and more complex laminate 60 shown in fig6 is more expensive to produce than the laminates shown in fig1 - 5 , but it exhibits the greatest strength and resistance to shattering and spalling . a seventh embodiment of a laminated safety glass article according to this invention is shown in fig7 . the laminate 70 comprises a sheet of glass 72 and a sheet of polyurethane or acrylic plastic 76 joined by an ionomer resin film layer 74 . the polyurethane or acrylic plastic layer 76 may or may not be coated with an appropriate hard coat . an eighth embodiment of a laminated safety glass article according to this invention is shown in fig8 . the laminated article 80 comprises a sheet of glass 82 and a sheet of metal 86 joined by an ionomer resin film layer 84 . the metal layer 86 may be any metal such as aluminum , silver , iron and copper . a ninth embodiment of a laminated safety glass article according to this invention is shown in fig9 . the laminated article 90 comprises sheets of glass 92 , 96 , 100 and 104 sandwiched by ionomer resin film layers 94 , 98 and 102 . a number of transparent laminates were prepared for a first series of tests , using a 2 . 5 millimeter thick sheet of float glass , a 1 / 8 inch sheet of polycarbonate and a 30 mil thick layer of an ionomer resin film . the ionomer resin film incorporated in the laminate is formulated by melting the ionomer resin pellets , preferably under an inert atmosphere , such as may be provided by nitrogen , at about 380 ° f ., and extruding the molten resin through a die in accordance with procedures well known in the art . films varying in thickness from 1 mil to 100 mils may be used in the laminates of the invention . the ionomer resin film may be rolled and stored , preferably in a bag or other container to protect it from dust , dirt or other contaminates . the ionomer resin pellets may also be melted and poured into a mold to produce cast sheets of ionomer resin for use in preparing the desired laminates . the sheets and layers were approximately 4 inches by 5 inches in size to facilitate handling and processing . in particular , the ionomer resin film was &# 34 ; surlyn &# 34 ; 1601 , manufactured by polymer products department of the dupont company . the melt index of &# 34 ; surlyn &# 34 ; 1601 is 1 . 3 dg / min , astm d - 1238 . the ion type is sodium and the density is 0 . 94 g / cc . a data information sheet on &# 34 ; surlyn &# 34 ; 1601 ionomer resin ( for flexible packaging ) is available under the number e - 29173 ( 7 / 81 ). the information of this technical release , including the rheology curves , is incorporated herein by reference . surlyn type 1707 is also a preferred sodium ionomer resin for use in this invention . organic amines may be combined with the ionomer resin in an amount of from about 0 . 5 to 7 %, by weight , based on the weight of the resin . it has been found that the presence of an organic amine in the ionomer resin may serve to maintain the optical clarity of the laminates produced in the invention . the commercially available organic amines are simply combined with the ionomer resin pellets and extruded or cast as desired . likewise , a mixture of sodium and zinc ionomer resins may be used to prepare the ionomer resin film useful in the invention . the sodium and zinc ionomer resins may be combined in a ratio of 95 : 5 to 5 : 95 . for purposes of simplifying the test , the sandwich was constructed with one outer layer of glass , one inner layer of ionomer resin and one outer layer of polycarbonate . a three layer laminate as tested can be fully expected to perform in the same manner as a five layer lamination such as that shown in the drawing with regard to adhesion , if not overall strength . the sandwiched laminates were assembled in a vacuum bag and placed in an autoclave . the samples were heated to a temperature of from about 200 ° f . to about 275 ° f . over a 45 minute period , were held at the elevated temperature for about 15 minutes , and were then cooled to room temperature , approximately 65 ° f .- 70 ° f . after cooling , the laminates were immersed in boiling water in an effort to promote premature and unwanted delamination . throughout all of the examples herein , the same basic procedure , involving vacuum bag , autoclave , heating up , sustained heating and cooling were followed unless otherwise noted . the tests were conducted with and without certain primers to promote adhesion between the ionomer resin and the glass and polycarbonate respectively . primers suitable for glass , and the glass / ionomer resin interface in particular , were found to include salines , such as those produced under the registered trademarks &# 34 ; z - 6040 &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; z - 6020 &# 34 ; by dow chemical company . other primers suitable for the polycarbonate / ionomer resin interface in particular , were found to include organic amines , usually in a diluted solution with an inert solvent ( unlikely to attack the polycarbonate , e . g . alkanes and alcohols ), such as aliphatic or polyethylene amines or ethanolamines , and specifically diethylenetriamine . other specific primers include diisocyanates ( toluene diisocyanate ) and polyacrylic acid ( produced under the registered trademarks &# 34 ; acryloid &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; acrysol &# 34 ; by the rohm and haas company ). a laminate of glass and ionomer , the glass surface to be laminated to the ionomer resin having been primed with dow z - 6020 was formed following the procedure set forth above . the laminate did not undergo delamination in boiling water . a 30 cm by 30 cm laminate comprising a 3 mm thick clear polycarbonate sheet sandwiched between two 0 . 7 mm thick ionomer resin films made from surlyn 1601 which in turn are sandwiched between 2 . 5 mm thick sheets of chemically strengthened glass was prepared following the procedure set forth above . the glass and polycarbonate components were throughly cleaned and treated with a silane primer to enhance adhesion . the components were dried , and free of residual solvents and moisture prior to forming the sandwich . the sandwiched laminate was bagged and autoclaved at a temperature of 205 ° to 255 ° f . under 10 atmospheres of pressure for a period of about 90 minutes . the laminate was cooled quickly to room temperature . the laminate was used as a target and a 45 calibre bullet from a handgun was fired at the laminate three times . no delamination occurred although the glass shattered . the ionomer resin film remained laminated to the polycarbonate and glass surfaces . laminates 75 mm square were prepared following the procedure and using like components specified in example 2 were prepared . the resultant laminates were placed in boiling water . the laminates did not lose integrity after two hours in boiling water . small bubbles did develop about the perimeter the laminates ; however , visibility was only marginally impaired around the perimeter . on the basis of the foregoing examples , ionomer resin films may be substituted for polyurethane and polyvinyl butyral in laminated safety glass , at a substantial savings in cost . the best primer for the polycarbonate / ionomer resin interface is dow z - 6020 . other primers could prove satisfactory . a 30 cm by 30 cm laminate comprising an 0 . 25 mm thick ionomer resin film sandwiched between 1 mm thick chemically strengthened glass and a 1 mm thick aluminized steel sheet following the procedure set forth in example 2 . the laminate was cycled between - 20 ° f . to 160 ° f ., 10 times and did not undergo delamination . a 30 cm by 30 cm laminate comprising a 3 mm thick clean acrylic sheet sandwiched between two 1 . 4 mm thick ionomer resin films made from surlyn 1707 which in turn are sandwiched between 3 mm thick sheets of chemically strengthened glass was prepared following the procedure of example 2 . a long 22 caliber rifle bullet was fired at the resulting laminate from a distance of 35 feet , and no penetration resulted . a 30 cm by 30 cm laminate comprising chemically strengthened glass and ionomer resin film made from surlyn 1707 sandwiched in the order shown in fig9 was prepared following the procedure of example 2 . the lamina was laid up in the following order , starting with the target side : a 2 . 5 mm thick lamina of chemically strengthened glass , a 5 mm thick lamina of ionomer resin film , or 12 mm thick lamina of chemically strengthened glass , a 5 mm thick lamina of ionomer resin film , a 12 mm thick lamina of chemically strengthened glass , a 5 mm thick lamina of ionomer resin film and a 1 mm thick lamina of chemically strengthened glass . all surfaces were cleaned and treated with a silane primer to enhance adhesion . in this instance , the laminate was autoclaved under vacuum at a temperature between 205 ° f . and 285 ° f . at 10 atmosphere pressure for a 2 . 5 hours . after cooling quickly , the resulting laminate was clear and used as a target with the mass of glass facing in the direction of fire . a 0 . 357 magnum handgun using 158 grain metal painted ammunition of remington was fired at the laminate . no penetration occurred after three shots were fired in a triangular pattern . the 1 mm thick glass sheet did splinter but remained laminated . this example was repeated substituting 6 mm thick cast sheets of ionomer resin for the 5 mm thick ionomer resin lamina and in place of the 1 mm thick glass spall sheet . the resultant laminate was not penetrated when fired on as above , and only a slight bulge appeared on the spall sheet . an organic diamine was selected from the group of diamines listed below and was mixed with a partially neutralized surlyn 1707 resin . the mixture was added to the resin port of a small extruder ( wayne machine co ., 7 - in extruder , with a nine inch die ). the extruding barrel was maintained at 325 °- 400 ° f . a 50 to 60 mil film was extruded and cut into six inch squares stacked to about one - half inch thickness and laminated between two primed one - fourth inch glass plates in an autoclave at 255 ° f . for three minutes under 150 - 200 psi pressure in a vacuum . the final ionomer layer was optically clear and one - half inch or more in thickness with a light transmitance over 50 %. the following amines in the weight percents given were combined with surlyn 1707 . for each amine , excellent optical clarity was achieved . ______________________________________amine weight percent______________________________________ ( a ) 1 , 4 - butamediamine 1 ( b ) 1 , 6 - hexanediamine 1 ( c ) bac 1 ( d ) isophorone diamine 3______________________________________ similarly , following the aforementioned procedure , a mixture of zinc ionomer or an ionomer neutralized with both zinc and sodium ions may be utilized in place of the sodium ionomer . the mixture of ions produces an ionomer having greater impact resistance . the ionomer may be partially neutralized with a metal cation selected from the group consisting of alkali metals , aluminum and zinc . most preferable are sodium and zinc cation . other ionomers which may be utilized in connection with the invention are disclosed in co - pending application ser . no . 642 , 042 filed aug . 17 , 1984 , which is incorporated herein by reference . the preferred organic amines which are utilized as the metal cation are selected from the group consisting of 1 , 3 - diaminomethyl xylene , isophorone diamine and a monocyclic compound of the formula : ## str1 ## wherein : r &# 34 ; and r &# 39 ;&# 34 ; represent hydrogen or lower alkyl ; x is 0 - 4 , with the proviso that together x and y equal 4 . aliphatic diamines and triamines such as 1 , 4 - butanediamine , and diethylenetriamine are preferably use in combination with sodium or zinc ionomers . it is to be understood that the foregoing examples are given for the purpose of illustration and that any other suitable glass , ionomer resin , reinforcing plastic or the like could be used provided that the teachings of this disclosure are followed . the basic building block of this invention , namely a laminate comprising a sheet of glass laminated to an ionomer resin film , may be used in multiples to achieve nearly any desired strength . this is illustrated in fig9 wherein lamina of varying thickness of glass are sandwiched with lamina of varying thickness of ionomer resin film . by varying the number and the thickness of the lamina of glass and ionomer resin film , always , however , laminating in the alternative order shown in the figure , it is possible to produce laminates having resistance to exceptionally large force . the principles of this invention may also be applied to curved laminated articles , such as windshields and face masks . the laminates shown in fig1 - 9 are flat merely for purposes of facilitating illustration . where transparency is not critical , the bonding techniques taught herein may be used for laminating metal as well as glass such as illustrated in fig8 . this invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof , and accordingly , reference should be made to the appended claims , rather than to the foregoing specification , as indicating the scope of the invention . | 8 |
a first embodiment of the inventive pillow structure 100 is shown in fig1 . fig1 is a top perspective view of a first embodiment of the inventive pillow structure 100 , showing the embodiment in use by a user 150 . the pillow structure 100 in this first embodiment has a top surface 105 , and at least two sides 110 , and has a one side towards the user &# 39 ; s head , referred to herein as the head - side 115 in the first embodiment , the user 150 is resting on the top surface of the pillow structure 105 . in this embodiment , substantially all of the user &# 39 ; s body 160 is resting on the top surface 105 of the pillow structure 100 , except for the user &# 39 ; s arms 170 and the user &# 39 ; s legs 165 which comfortably extend beyond the pillow structure 100 . this figure shows the user &# 39 ; s legs extending beyond the pillow substantially at the user &# 39 ; s knees . in other embodiments , the pillow structure may be smaller and not designed to support substantially all of the user &# 39 ; s entire body . for example , a different embodiment may be designed to support only the user &# 39 ; s face 155 or a smaller portion of the user &# 39 ; s body 160 . the top surface of the pillow structure 105 contains at least one opening 106 in the top surface . the user 155 can place her face into the opening in the top surface 106 . there are at least two sides 110 to the pillow structure 100 . there are at least two openings 120 in the at least two sides 110 . the at least two openings in the sides 120 provide access to a cavity in the middle of the pillow structure 100 . ( the cavity will be described in the description of fig2 .) the user 150 can place their arms 170 and hands 175 into the openings in the sides 120 and reach into the cavity and through the pillow structure 100 to a different opening in the sides 120 or an opening in the head - side 117 . the user 150 can also place one or more objects into the cavity , which could be a book or a device 190 . the device 190 is herein defined as any type of device , such as an electronic device , a cellular phone , a mobile device , a gaming device , or a watch , that may contain audio or visual capabilities , or both , or may allow the user to communicate with others . the device 190 has a minimum size of a standard woman &# 39 ; s size watch face or an apple ipod shuffle product , which measures approximately 1 inch in height , 1 inch in width , and one - third of an inch in depth , including its clip ; however , devices , particularly electronic devices and audio / visual devices , have been getting smaller , so the absolute minimum size of the openings in the sides 120 , the opening in the top surface 106 , and the cavity each depends on the size of the devices and the size of the user . the perpendicular angle of the user &# 39 ; s arms 170 when placed in the openings in the sides 120 provides additional comfort and the ability to view objects or devices 190 in the user &# 39 ; s hands 175 when the user &# 39 ; s hands 175 are directly below the user &# 39 ; s face 155 . by designing the pillow structure with side openings 120 that provide access to the cavity in the middle of the pillow structure , the user can lean their body 160 into the pillow structure and place their arms 170 horizontally underneath their head in a position substantially perpendicular to their body 160 position without the stress of the user &# 39 ; s body - weight against their arms . the side openings 120 provide an inventive way for the user to place the user &# 39 ; s arms 170 underneath their face 155 and support their weight with other parts of their body 160 against the top surface 105 of the pillow structure . the user can place their arms 170 into the openings in the sides 120 , and place their arms 170 underneath their face 155 . in this embodiment , the user &# 39 ; s arms 170 are substantially perpendicular to their body 160 , providing a comfortable way to rest without pressure on the user &# 39 ; s arms 170 caused by the weight of the user &# 39 ; s body 160 . the openings in the side 120 may be structurally supported by other materials such as plastic , foam , metal , or wood , providing additional support for the weight of the user &# 39 ; s face 155 and body 160 on top surface of the pillow structure . said side openings 120 can be any shape or size which is sufficiently large to insert the user &# 39 ; s arms therein , so long as the material making up the pillow structure can allow the side openings to be sized that large . comparing the dimension of the side opening in the figure to the sitting height of an average woman , it is believed that this dimension is sufficiently large to insert the user &# 39 ; s arms therein . the pillow structure 100 may be filled with plastic , foam , feathers , air , or any material strong enough to support the weight from the user &# 39 ; s face 155 and the front of the user &# 39 ; s body 160 leaning against the top surface 105 of the pillow structure while still maintaining the cavity in the middle of the pillow structure and at least two side openings 120 . said side openings 120 can be circular shaped to the contours of the user &# 39 ; s arm 170 . said side openings 120 may be open at the bottom , as demonstrated by the first embodiment as shown in fig1 , or may be closed . the head - side of the pillow structure 115 in the first embodiment has at least one opening 117 , which provides access to the cavity . this opening in the head - side 117 provides additional air flow and circulation from outside the pillow structure 100 . this opening in the head - side 117 can be used to insert other objects , such as a book or device 190 . this opening in the head - side 117 can be used for other reasons that provide additional utility to the pillow structure 100 , including providing a space for illumination for a user reading a book , a power source for a user using a device , a space for wires or cords , such as wires for a headsets or earbuds . the opening in the head - side 117 can be used for a user to place their hand 175 or arm 170 out of the pillow structure 100 . the overall shape of the pillow structure 100 in the first embodiment is angled at a gradual incline so that the user &# 39 ; s face 155 is at a slightly higher elevation than the user &# 39 ; s body 160 and legs 165 . the gradual incline allows for the user &# 39 ; s body 160 to be supported throughout the pillow structure 100 . this gradual incline allows for room for the cavity in the pillow structure beneath the user &# 39 ; s face 155 . this also allows for room for the user &# 39 ; s arms 170 and hands 175 to fit under the user &# 39 ; s face 155 . fig2 is a top perspective view of the embodiment of fig1 , showing the embodiment without a user . fig2 illustrates the overall shape of the pillow structure 200 and shows the top surface 205 of the pillow structure , an opening 206 in the top surface . the at least one opening in the top surface 206 has a rim 207 around the opening . the user places her face into the opening in the top surface 206 and the user &# 39 ; s face is supported by the rim 207 and inside edge 209 . the rim 207 may be in a circular shape to comfortably fit the contours of the user &# 39 ; s face . the rim 207 may be angled or rounded to provide more comfort for the user &# 39 ; s face . the inside edge 209 can be curved or angled to provide further support to the user &# 39 ; s face when the user &# 39 ; s face is placed inside the opening 206 . the rim 207 and inside edge 209 may have a removable cover or sheet to keep the pillow structure clean . the at least one opening in the top surface 206 provides access to a cavity 240 . the cavity 240 can be accessed from the outside of the pillow from the at least one opening on the top surface 206 and from the at least two openings on the sides 220 . the opening in the top surface 206 is not circular in this embodiment , but instead has a figure - eight shape with a substantially circular - shaped rim 207 for the user &# 39 ; s face 155 and a substantially oval - shaped rim 208 extended downward from the circular - shaped rim 207 . the substantially oval - shaped rim 208 provides more air flow and circulation for a user &# 39 ; s face 155 when the user is facing down into the opening at the top surface 206 and breathing into the cavity 240 . the substantially oval - shaped rim 208 provides room for a user to insert one arm 170 into the opening at the top surface 206 if the user turns sideways . the sides 210 of the pillow structure are sloped in this embodiment in a concave shape . the sides 210 can be rounded , straight , concave , convex , or any other shape or combination of shapes . in another embodiment , the sides 210 may be straight down from the top surface 205 down to the base . fig3 is a bottom perspective view of the embodiment of fig2 . the pillow structure 200 in this embodiment is supported with a flat base 345 at the bottom of the pillow structure . the flat base 345 may be various shapes , including circular , oval , square , rectangular , or any other shape . the flat base 345 is flat so that the pillow structure 200 can be placed onto a level surface . the flat base 345 may be flexible and able to accommodate to an uneven or un - level surface , such as a soft mattress on a bed . the base 345 in this embodiment is extended out from the sides 210 in order to provide a wider base and more support . with this wider base 345 , the pillow structure is less likely to shift or tip over . the head - side 315 of the pillow structure contains at least one opening 317 . the cavity 240 can be accessed from the outside of the pillow from the at least two openings on the sides 220 and the at least one opening in the head - side 317 . the at least two openings in the sides 220 and the at least one opening in the head - side 317 are not circular in this embodiment , shown by the cut - outs in the shape of the base 345 . the cavity 240 has more space for air flow and circulation with the openings in the sides 320 and opening in the head - side 317 cut through the base 345 . this space can also provide more illumination from outside the pillow structure 200 and space for objects such as a device to be placed into the cavity 240 , including wires and cords . fig4 is head - side view of the embodiment of fig2 . this view shows the head - side 315 of the pillow structure , the at least one opening 317 in the head - side of the pillow structure , and the cavity 240 . this angle illustrates the concave curved shapes of the sides of the pillow structure 210 and the head - side of the pillow structure 315 and the wider base 345 . from this angle , fig2 demonstrates the air flow from the at least two openings in the sides 220 and the at least one opening in the head - side 317 through the cavity 240 to the opening at the top surface . fig5 is front view of the embodiment of fig2 . this view shows the incline of the top surface 205 of the pillow structure , and the contours 505 in the top surface of the pillow that are concave to form to the shape of the user 150 . these contours in the top surface 505 can be deeper or wider to accommodate a larger user 150 , such as a pregnant woman . the contours 505 could be various shapes for different parts of a user &# 39 ; s body 160 , such as the user &# 39 ; s stomach , chest , shoulders , hips , legs , knees , or other body parts . fig6 is right side view of the embodiment of fig2 . this view demonstrates that the side openings 320 are on substantially opposite sides of the pillow structure 200 , as the angle shows that objects can pass straight through one side opening 320 through the cavity 240 and through the other side opening 320 . this view shows the gradual incline of the pillow structure 100 . the bottom end 605 is the space where the top surface 205 meets the base 345 . the bottom end 605 can be a minimal height if the top surface 205 makes contact with the base 345 , making the pillow structure 200 substantially resemble a triangle - shape . the bottom end 605 can be various heights at various points , based on the contours in the top surface 205 and the flexible shape of the base 345 , or it could be the same height throughout the bottom end 605 from one side 210 of the pillow structure to the other side 210 . fig7 is left side view of the embodiment of fig2 . this view further demonstrates that the side openings 320 are on substantially opposite sides of the pillow structure 200 . this view shows the gradual incline of the pillow structure 100 from the opposite view from fig6 . fig8 is top view of the embodiment of fig2 . fig8 further demonstrates that the base 345 of the pillow structure 200 is wider than the top surface 205 of the pillow structure in this embodiment . this angle also shows the inside edge 209 of the opening in the top surface 206 . the inside edge 209 in this embodiment provides more support for the user &# 39 ; s face when placed into the opening of the top surface 206 . in this embodiment , the inside edge 209 of the top opening 206 is narrower than the circular - shaped rim 207 of the top opening 206 . the inside edge 209 can be any shape , width , height , and diameter . fig9 is bottom view of the embodiment of fig2 . fig9 further demonstrates the overall shape of the base 345 of the pillow structure 200 . fig1 is a second top perspective view of a first embodiment of the inventive pillow structure , showing the embodiment in use in a second configuration . fig1 shows the first embodiment with the user &# 39 ; s arms 170 and hands 175 lying to the side outside the pillow structure 100 . the user &# 39 ; s arms 170 and hands 175 could be placed inside the openings in the side 120 . the user &# 39 ; s face 155 is still facing the pillow structure 100 and placed inside the opening in the top 106 . the pillow structure 100 is designed to be comfortable whether the user 155 places their arms 170 and hands 175 inside the at least two openings in the side 120 or does not . fig1 is a third top perspective view of a first embodiment of the inventive pillow , structure , showing the embodiment in use in a third configuration . fig1 illustrates a user using the opening in the head - side 117 to place her hand 175 or arm 170 out of the pillow structure 100 . fig1 shows one of the user &# 39 ; s arms 170 extended through the hole at the top surface 106 with the user &# 39 ; s face 155 turned sideways . the user &# 39 ; s other arm 170 is outside the pillow structure 100 and lying to the side . fig1 is a fourth top perspective view of a first embodiment of the inventive pillow structure , showing the embodiment in use in a fourth configuration . fig1 illustrates a user 150 with her arms 170 around the head - side 115 of the pillow structure 100 . a second embodiment of the inventive pillow structure is shown in fig1 - 21 . fig1 is a top perspective view of a second embodiment of the inventive pillow structure , showing the embodiment in use . the pillow structure 1300 in the second embodiment is designed for a seated user 1350 . this second embodiment of the pillow structure 1300 consists of a top surface 1305 and at least one side surface 1310 . in fig1 , the top surface is labeled 1405 and the side surface is labeled 1410 . in this embodiment , the sides 1310 are rounded without delineated edges and the overall shape of the pillow structure 1300 in this embodiment is cylindrical . fig1 clearly shows that top surface 1410 bounds a top pillow portion which is largely hemispherical in configuration , and side surface 1410 bounds a basically cylindrical portion which serves as a pedestal pillow portion with the hemispherical fig1 - 21 also clearly show that the diameter of base 1545 is substantially smaller than the vertical height of the pillow structure , i . e ., that in this embodiment , the pillow is substantially taller than its horizontal length or width . the top surface of the pillow structure 1305 contains at least one opening 1306 . the at least one side surface 1310 contains at least two opposing openings 1320 extending inward from the sides . a seated user can use this pillow structure when seated on a user seating surface , close to a substantially flat object ( i . e ., a platform ) raised above the ground . an example of a platform raised above the ground near the user seating surface is a desk or table or other flat object such as a tray table on an airplane . as is indicated in fig1 , the platform on which the pillow is placed is a different surface than the user seating surface . furthermore , the platform is raised substantially relative to the user seating surface . like the pillow structure in the first embodiment , the pillow structure 1300 in the second embodiment is designed so that the user &# 39 ; s face 1355 is at a comfortable elevation , higher than the individual &# 39 ; s body 1360 . by placing the user &# 39 ; s face 1355 at a higher elevation than the user &# 39 ; s body 1360 , the user 1350 can place her arms 1370 and hands 1375 into the side openings 1320 in the side of the pillow structure 1310 and lean forward into the pillow structure , placing her face 1355 into the top opening 1306 , which can alternately be referred to as a face opening , without leaning too far at the waist or hips . when the user &# 39 ; s arms 1370 are placed into the side openings 1320 , which can alternately be called arm openings , the user &# 39 ; s arms 1370 are in a comfortable position substantially perpendicular to the user &# 39 ; s body 1360 , which provides for comfortable access to object that may be placed in the cavity in the pillow structure . the pillow structure 1300 can be various heights and widths . the pillow structure 1300 can be placed at various distances from the user depending on the space available in front of the user and the height of the table or desk or supporting structure placed beneath the pillow structure . the embodiment in fig1 shows the at least two side openings 1320 are large enough to provide adequate room for the user &# 39 ; s arms 1370 and hands 1375 to be placed in the side openings 1320 and provide space for air to circulate through to the cavity . these side openings 1320 are also sized and shaped to provide room for cords or wires for electronic devices . the top surface 1305 of the pillow structure in the second embodiment is angled at a slight and gradual incline for the comfort of the user leaning forward into the pillow structure . the pillow structure 1300 in the second embodiment does not contain any openings in the head - side of the pillow structure . fig1 is a top perspective view of a second embodiment of the inventive pillow structure of fig1 , showing the embodiment without a user . the top surface 1405 of the pillow structure 1400 is rounded with at least one opening 1406 in the top surface . the opening in the top surface 1406 in this embodiment is substantially at the top of the pillow structure 1400 , but it is not necessarily at the apex of the pillow structure 1400 . the opening at the top surface 1406 has a rim 1407 around the edge to support the user &# 39 ; s face . the rim 1407 is rounded and is about an inch or two wide in this embodiment , but the rim 1407 can be any width or shape . the top opening 1406 in this embodiment is substantially circular - shaped , with a cut - out 1408 in the bottom portion . the cut - out 1408 and the inside edge 1411 of the cut - out 1408 provides additional support for the user &# 39 ; s face or chin to rest when the users face is placed in the top opening 1406 . the inside edge 1411 can be any shape , width , height , and diameter . in this embodiment , the inside edge of the top opening 1411 is substantially horizontal . the inside edge 1411 can be any angle . the cut - out 1408 also provides additional air circulation and flow near the user &# 39 ; s mouth when the user &# 39 ; s face is placed in the top opening 1406 . the pillow structure 1400 in this embodiment is substantially round and circular in shape . the at least two side openings 1420 in the sides provide access from the outside of the sides of the pillow structure to the cavity in the middle of the pillow structure 1440 . the at least one opening in the top surface 1406 provides access to a cavity 1440 . the cavity 1440 can be accessed from the outside of the pillow from the at least one opening on the top surface 1406 and from the at least two openings on the sides 1420 . the at least two side openings 1420 provide space for the insertion of an object into the cavity 1440 in the middle of the pillow structure 1400 , such as a mobile device , phone , tablet , gaming device , or other device . the side opening 1420 could also provide space for a power cord or wire for headphones . the cavity 1440 in the middle of the pillow structure can be various sizes and shapes to accommodate various objects or devices . the pillow structure 1400 may contain additional side openings or head - side openings for objects , cords , headphones , or wires to be inserted into the cavity 1440 . the pillow structure 1400 may have additional side openings or head - side openings to provide space to illuminate the cavity 1440 , or to increase air circulation or flow in the cavity 1440 or in the side openings 1420 . this embodiment has an indented edge 1409 where the bottom of the rounded top surface 1405 meets the at least two sides 1410 . the at least two sides 1410 are continuous , without delineations , since the pillow structure 1400 is circular with a circular base 1545 . a different embodiment could have delineated sides 1410 . the indented edge 1409 may not exist if the embodiment has a smooth transition where the top surface 1405 and the sides 1410 meet , such as the embodiment shown in fig1 . fig1 is a bottom perspective view of the embodiment of fig1 . the flat base 1545 of this embodiment is substantially circular , although the flat base 1545 can be various shapes . the flat base 1545 is wider at the base than the sides 1410 of the pillow structure 1400 . the sides 1410 are tapered towards the top surface 1405 and flared outward to the base 1545 at the bottom of the pillow structure 1400 . this wider flat base 1545 is not necessary for the invention , but it increases the balance of the pillow structure 1400 , so that the pillow structure does not tip over . fig1 is a front view of the embodiment of fig1 . fig1 shows the concave shape of the sides 1410 with the side openings 1420 from the front view . the cut - out 1408 at the lower end of the top opening 1406 is shown here to be substantially round , although it can be any shape , width , and depth . the rim 1407 is substantially round and extends both up and out from the top surface 1405 of the pillow structure , but the rim 1407 can be any shape , width , and depth . the rim 1407 does not need to protrude or extend either up or out from the top surface 1405 . fig1 is a head - side view of the embodiment of fig1 . the openings in the sides 1420 are on substantially opposite locations of the pillow structure 1400 . fig1 shows the rim 1407 protruding upward toward the front of the pillow structure 1400 . the top surface 1405 is substantially rounded and circular with an indented edge 1409 where the bottom of the rounded top surface 1405 meets the at least one sides 1410 . fig1 is a right side view of the embodiment of fig1 . fig1 further demonstrates that the side openings 1420 are on substantially opposite sides of the pillow structure 1400 , as the angle shows that objects can pass straight through one side opening 1420 through the cavity 1440 and through the other side opening 1420 . these side openings 1420 are circular in shape , but they can be any shape and size that allows a user &# 39 ; s arms 1470 and hand 1475 to be inserted into the side opening 1420 . the side openings 1420 do not extend through the flat base 1545 in this embodiment . fig1 is a left side view of the embodiment of fig1 . fig1 further demonstrates that the side openings 1420 are on substantially opposite sides of the pillow structure 1400 . this view shows the pillow structure 1400 from the opposite view from fig1 . fig2 is a top view of the embodiment of fig1 . fig2 further demonstrates that the base 1545 of the pillow structure 1400 is wider than the top surface 1405 of the pillow structure in this embodiment . this angle also shows the inside edge 1411 of the cut - out 1408 in the top opening 1406 . fig2 is a bottom view of the embodiment of fig1 . fig2 further demonstrates the overall circular shape of the base 1545 of the pillow structure 1400 . the side openings 1420 do not extend through the flat base 1545 in this embodiment in contrast to the first embodiment . it is not expected that the invention be restricted to the exact embodiments disclosed herein . modifications can be made without departing from the inventive concept . for example , other materials can be used to manufacture the pillow structure other than those listed . the scope of the invention should be construed in view of the claims . | 0 |
the following description pertains to disc cap insertion by way of example only ; it will be understood that this invention is applicable to the insertion of different body sizes of disc capacitors and also to the formation and insertion of other components whether their leads project radially or otherwise from their bodies and even if the latter are of widely different shapes . in fig3 an illustrative component inserting machine generally designated 20 has a c - frame 22 mounted at one of a plurality of stations along a printed circuit board conveyor 24 , though it will be understood the machine 20 may be mounted for operation by itself on a suitable support . circuit boards 26 ( fig1 - 3 , 11 , 16 and 17 ) preformed with sets of spaced lead - receiving holes are appropriately positioned over suitable lead clinching means 28 ( fig3 and 17 ). power means and control means for cyclically actuating an inserting head generally designated 30 ( fig3 and 4 ) and carried by the frame 22 may be assumed to substantially correspond with the disclosure set forth in the above cited alderman et al u . s . pat . no . 3 , 896 , 213 , except in certain novel respects hereinafter to be explained . as shown in fig1 , 18 and 19 disc capacitors c to be mounted have their respective leads l , l preferably previously shaped so that shorter parallel and radial projecting portions extend from the bodies and outer end portions are coaxially disposed and held in spaced parallel relation by tapes t , t . bodies of the capacitors c may accordingly be maintained in overlapping relation as they are successively advanced , by means later referred to , from a supply reel 32 ( fig3 ) through a raceway 34 secured to the head 30 by a bracket 36 ( fig4 ), and the coaxial lead portions of successive endmost components are delivered onto the lower end portion of a pivotal inside former 38 ( fig4 - 14 ) and onto spaced shear blocks 40 , 40 secured to the bottom of a housing 42 of the head 30 . in an arrangement generally resembling construction of the mentioned alderman et al patent , operating instrumentalities in the head in addition to the inside former 38 include a vertically reciprocable driver bar 44 ( fig4 - 14 ), outside formers 46 , 46 disposed for heightwise movement one on each side of the driver bar 44 , and cutter bars 48 , 48 reciprocable vertically at opposite outer sides of the outside formers 46 , 46 , respectively , for cooperation with the shear blocks 40 , 40 . the organization preferably includes ball and socket detent means as hitherto disclosed in the alderman et al patent whereby the cutters 48 and the outside formers 46 successively partake of portions of the descent of the driver bar 44 sequentially to sever the leads to selected lengths and then direct the leads through a selected pair of circuit board holes . also , as fully disclosed in that patent , unwinding of the reel 32 and advance through the raceway of the successive taped components is effected by a pair of circumferentially notched lead - engaging feed wheels 50 , 50 coaxially journalled in the housing 42 , the wheels 50 being indexed in steps ( clockwise as seen in fig4 ) by pawl and lever mechanism generally designated 52 ( fig4 ) operatively connected to the driver bar 44 . mechanism next to be explained is provided for insuring that at least parts of the coaxial lead portions of each successive endmost component c to be mounted are held stationary on the inside former during lead cutting and bending and then reliably guided during inserting . to this end a side of the lower end of the driver bar 44 is recessed and bored to threadedly receive a clamping screw 54 ( fig4 - 17 ) which extends through a vertical lost motion slot 56 in a frictional hold - down 58 . referring particularly to fig1 , 14 - 17 , the hold - down 58 is formed with a recess 60 for accomodating with clearance the body of each disc capacitor c when vertically disposed , and a pair of depending , grooved lead clamping feet 62 , 62 spaced at opposite sides of the recess 60 . the feet 62 , as best shown in fig1 , are thus arranged to clamp coaxial lead portions of component c on oppositely spaced portions 64 , 64 of the u - shaped end of the inside former 38 . as shown in fig1 , the head of the screw 54 bears on a spring washer 66 causing the hold - down 58 to exert pressure on a suitable friction washer 68 confined against a vertical side of the driver bar . it will be appreciated that friction exerted by the driver on the hold - down 58 can accordingly be adjusted by turning the screw 54 . descent of the driver 44 in the first part of a forming and inserting cycle is consequently accompanied by a lowering of the hold - down feet 62 , 62 into lead clamping positions against the shoulder forming surfaces 64 , 64 of the inside former , and the lost motion slot 56 allows this lead clamping to continue while lead severance is effected by the cutters and then during formation of the stand - off lead shoulders by the outside formers 46 cooperating with the inside former 38 . using a frictional hold - down as a lead clamp , in contrast to a spring actuated clamp , avoids energy storage in the clamp which could be released and prematurely eject the component . a rather critical and important feature to note is that outer sides adjacent to each of the leading clamping surfaces 64 , 64 of the inside former are slabbed off or otherwise relieved as shown in fig1 at 67 at an angle of approximately 10 ° to 20 °, usually preferably about 15 ° to the vertical . this slight bevelling or rounding off of the inside former sides insures that each lead portion wiped over the inside former by the outside former retains sufficient memory or spring - back resilience to be biased outwardly and slidably retained in grooves 65 , 65 of the outside formers . as illustrated in an alternative inside former ( fig1 a ), in lieu of providing a relieved side surface 67 as shown in fig1 , an inside former 69 ( or two discrete cooperating inside formers 69 , 69 ) generally of relatively slender stock may suitably form the stand - off lead shoulders in cooperation with the outside formers , the requisite spring - back for lead retention in the outside former grooves 65 now being attained by enabling each inside former to laterally deflect inwardly in response to pressure transmitted through the lead wire being wiped and bent thereover by an outside former 46 . it will be understood , moreover , that it will be within the scope of this invention to provide an inside former having a lead supporting portion which may be both angularly relieved and inwardly deflectable as aforesaid . in order to shift each endmost component body from its inclined position at the lower end of the raceway 34 shown in fig4 to an upright position within the upwardly retracted driver hold - down recess 60 as shown in fig6 in preparation for lead formation and insertion , a lever 70 is cyclically pivoted by means next to be described . bracketed to the raceway 34 is a fluid pressure operated cylinder 72 ( fig4 and 18 ) having a piston ( not shown ) depressible against spring - return . a piston rod 74 is accordingly lowered in response to a signal given for the start of a machine cycle , the signal causing fluid pressure to be admitted to the cylinder 72 , and a rounded free end 76 of the lever 70 , which is connected to the rod 74 , is thereupon thrust upwardly against the lowermost body c as shown in fig5 . the end 76 maintains the capacitor in this predetermined position against a vertical positioning surface 78 of the hold - down 58 as shown in fig7 - 9 inclusive until the driver bar 44 positively forces the hold - down past the end 76 to effect lead insertion . when the driver bar 44 is subsequently retracted upwardly to its starting position shown in fig4 the lever 70 is returned counterclockwise to its starting position as there indicated in readiness to act on the next component c to be processed . briefly to review operation of the machine , on signalling for start of a cycle of operations , power means ( commonly actuated by fluid pressure ) lowers the driver bar 44 from its retracted upper position shown in fig4 and 12 , and simultaneously the lever 70 is pivoted to urge an end disc cap c upright into hold - down recess 60 against the positioning surface 78 . the tapes t , t at the outer ends allow them to be turned about their common axis for this predetermined body positioning . the hold - down 58 at this initial stage , as shown in fig4 and 12 , is in its relatively lowest position on the driver bar 44 , the screw 54 then extending through the upper end of the slot 56 ; also , the inside former 38 is then maintained in its indicated forming position by reason of its upper extremity engaging a vertical flat side of the driver bar under the influence of a leaf spring 80 . by reason of the frictional coupling of the driver bar and the hold - down 58 , the feet 62 , 62 are caused to clamp inner coaxial lead portions l , l on the inside former surfaces 64 , 64 ( one shown in fig1 ) respectively and hold these lead portions against movement throughout operation of the cutters 48 while freeing the component from the tapes t , t , and then during subsequent cooperation of the outside formers 46 with the inside former 38 on outward lead portions . commonly the lead receiving grooves in the feet 62 and in the cutters 48 are aligned with the outside former grooves 65 , 65 during lead shearing , but upon occasion the grooves disposed on one side of a center line through the component body may be offset from those disposed on the other side if need be in accommodating offset leads . as the outside formers 46 descend past the inside former surfaces 64 , the leads l are wiped downwardly over the slabbed - off or relieved side surfaces of the inside former and caused to be bent substantially at right angles , each lead end portion being biased outwardly and slidably retained for endwise movement in the adjacent outside former grooves 65 and hence tending to be retained frictionally against the walls of the grooves . thus there is no opportunity for the component c to become disassociated from the outside formers , and the lead ends are therefore directed precisely into their respective board receiving holes . it will be understood , comparing fig1 and 16 , that in the interval of lead clamping concurrent with lead cutting and forming , the clamping pressure of suitable degree is provided by the friction imparted to the hold - down 58 by the driver bar 44 via the washer 68 as the hold - down is permitted by the lost motion slot 56 to slide relatively upward on the descending driver bar . before the screw 54 can engage the bottom of the slot 56 , the hold - down is positively moved further downwardly by engagement therewith of a shoulder 81 ( fig4 ) of the driver bar . as soon as the inside former is retracted , the hold - down is able to move downward with the driver bar and thus completes the insertion cycle , guided into the circuit board holes the leads being slidably by the outside former grooves 65 , 65 as shown in fig1 and thrust by the driver bar against the clinching means 28 . it will be appreciated that the inside former 38 is allowed , at the instant the substantially right angle lead shoulders are formed , to pivot ( clockwise as shown in fig9 - 11 ) to a position from its lead supporting and forming position by reason of its upper extremity clearing the above mentioned flat side of the driver bar and swings into a recess 82 ( fig4 ) formed in the bar 44 . following lead clinching which securely mounts the component , the upward retraction of the driver bar operates the pawl and lever mechanism 52 whereby the wheels 50 , 50 advance a next endmost component c to be mounted into position to be engaged by the positioning lever 70 in the ensuing cycle . such upward return to starting position of the driver bar , cutters and outside formers also causes the screw 54 ( by reason of its overcoming washer friction and now engaging the upper end of the slot 56 ) to restore the hold - down 58 to its initial relatively lower most position on the driver bar 44 in readiness for the next cycle . from the foregoing it will become apparent that the invention provides a compact and reliable lead forming and inserting machine which is adaptable for processing different components to be mounted in stand - off manner . moreover , with minor adaptation of the machine and without departing from the invention the machine can also be employed to insert non stand - off type components . loose mounts as suggested by fig1 for instance , and misinsertions are practically all elliminated . | 7 |
referring to fig1 , 2 and 3 , a high dose radiation delivery system 10 for an hdr catheter 12 with a retractable radiation source 14 is depicted . the hdr catheter 12 comprises a tubular element 16 having a central axis 17 , a proximal end portion 18 , a mid portion 20 and a distal end portion 22 having an outer peripheral surface 24 and a free end 26 . the free end 26 may be formed or fitted with a tip portion or cutting member 27 , as shown in phantom in fig2 to aid in insertion of the hdr catheter 12 . a lumen 28 passes through the proximal end portion 18 , mid portion 20 and into the distal end portion 22 of the hdr catheter , terminating near the free end 26 of the distal end portion 22 . an afterloader 30 , such as the microselectron ™ afterloader manufactured by nucleotron corp ., is used to drive the radiation source 14 into and out of the lumen 28 by way of a drive wire 32 . the afterloader 30 is connected to the proximal end portion 18 of the hdr catheter through a coupling 34 that readily disconnects from the hdr catheter . the coupling 34 may comprise a luer lock or a compression type fitting . the afterloader 30 is capable of placing the radiation source 14 into the distal end portion 22 of the hdr catheter . the outer peripheral surface 24 defines an outer circumference or periphery 36 of the distal end portion 22 when viewed in cross - section ( fig3 ). in one embodiment , a radiation attenuator 38 having an outer radial surface 35 , an arc length 37 , an axial length 39 and a thickness 41 is disposed on a portion of the outer peripheral surface 24 of the distal end portion 22 , covering only a portion of the outer periphery 36 . the radiation attenuator 38 thus delineates a partially shrouded zone 40 of the distal end portion 22 of the hdr catheter having an attenuated portion 42 that is covered by the radiation attenuator 38 and a window portion 44 defined by the uncovered portion of the outer periphery 36 . preferably , the radiation attenuator 38 is made of a high density material such as lead or tungsten . in operation , the afterloader 30 is connected to the hdr catheter , the radiation source 14 and the drive wire 32 are inserted into the lumen 28 at the proximal end portion 18 of the catheter , and the radiation source 14 is made to pass through the lumen 28 and to reside within the partially shrouded zone 40 of the distal end portion 22 . the radiation source 14 emits radiation 46 having a substantially uniform radial intensity profile about a central axis 48 of the radiation source 14 which is approximately coincident with the central axis 17 of the hdr catheter . the presence of the radiation attenuator 38 creates a non - uniform radiation intensity profile 50 about the central axes 48 and 17 when the radiation source 14 is lodged in the partially shrouded zone 40 . a first or “ unattenuated ” portion 52 of the radiation intensity profile 50 passes through the window portion 44 of the partially shrouded zone 40 with little attenuation . a second or “ attenuated ” portion 54 of the radiation intensity profile 50 passes through the radiation attenuator 38 , thereby reducing the intensity of the second portion 54 of the emitted radiation 46 as it passes therethrough . generally , there is a transition portion 55 of the radiation intensity profile 50 at the confluence between the unattenuated and attenuated portions 52 and 54 . the reduction in the intensity of the attenuated portion 54 of the emitted radiation 46 may be tailored by fabricating the radiation attenuator 38 from a material having an appropriate linear or mass attenuation coefficient , or by altering the thickness 41 of the radiation attenuator 38 , or some combination thereof . moreover , the directional characteristics of emitted radiation 46 may be modified by altering the arc length 37 of the radiation attenuator 38 . accordingly , the radiation profile exiting the partially shrouded zone 40 of the hdr catheter can be tailored for significant reduction in the intensity of the attenuated portion 54 , enabling the catheter to deliver high doses of radiation in the direction of malignant tissue while significantly reducing the exposure of neighboring healthy tissue and organs . referring to fig4 , 5 , 6 and 7 , other embodiments of the invention are presented . the embodiment depicted in fig4 portrays an hdr catheter 12 with a wall thickness 56 thick enough to accommodate an inset 58 in the distal end portion 22 of the hdr catheter 12 that accepts the radiation attenuator 38 so that the outer radial surface 35 of the radiation attenuator 38 is flush with the outer circumference 36 of the hdr catheter 12 . the embodiment of fig5 portrays the distal end portion 22 encapsulated in a shrink fit wrapper 60 . the fig6 and 7 illustrations depict the distal end portion 22 of an hdr catheter 12 including a radiation attenuator 62 having transitional surfaces 64 and 66 and a lunately shaped cross - section 68 . functionally , the embodiments presented in fig4 , 5 , 6 and 7 mitigate against damage to intervening tissue along the insertion path ( not depicted ) of the hdr catheter 12 . the flush relationship between the outer radial surface 35 of the radiation attenuator 38 and the outer circumference 36 of the hdr catheter 12 creates an essentially smooth surface that enables the intervening tissue material to part over the distal end portion 22 during insertion , removal and rotation of the hdr catheter 12 with less resistance and less damage to the neighboring or intervening tissue . likewise , the shrink fit wrapper 60 provides a smooth , soft surface that enables a smooth parting of intervening tissue . the shrink fit wrapper 60 provides the additional advantage of isolating the radiation attenuator 38 from contacting the body tissue , thereby reducing toxicological concerns that contact with certain materials ( e . g . lead ) may pose . the transitional surfaces 64 and 66 and the lunately shaped cross - section 68 of the embodiments illustrate in fig6 and 7 provide a similar functionality . the varying thickness across the arc length 37 of the lunately shaped cross - section 68 will also create a non - uniform attenuated radiation intensity 70 that may be desirable in certain instances . other means that enable an exterior mounting of a radiation attenuator to an hdr catheter while mitigating the effects of abrupt surface transitions may also be utilized and will be apparent to those skilled in the art by virtue of this disclosure . referring to fig8 and 9 , a method of using a plurality of the catheters 12 is described for the treatment of a tissue mass or gland 72 such as a prostate , breast , lung , esophagus or bile duct , anorectal and sarcoma having a center of mass 74 . some cancers , such as prostate cancer , tend to be “ multi - focal ” in nature , and are typically but not always characterized by cancerous cells dispersed throughout an affected region . other cancers , such as breast cancer , tend to be “ unifocal ” in nature ; these cancers may be characterized by a cancerous zone , depicted in phantom by numerical reference 75 in fig9 that is to some extent delineated from healthy , non - cancerous tissues . the treatment of a “ multi focal ” cancer is depicted in fig8 . a plurality of partially attenuated catheters 76 a - 76 h , each fabricated in accordance with the aforementioned embodiments of the present invention . each of the catheters 76 a - 76 h is fitted with a radiation attenuator 38 . the partially attenuated catheters 76 a - 76 h are inserted into the tissue mass 72 and each is rotationally oriented so the respective window portion 44 faces toward the center of mass 74 of the tissue mass 72 . the rotational orientation of a given partially attenuated catheter 76 a - 76 h may be made before or after insertion into the tissue mass 72 . an unattenuated catheter 78 having no radiation attenuator is also inserted into the tissue mass 72 in or near proximity to the center of mass 74 , or in an area that may require a higher radiation dosage . once the tissue mass 72 is configured with the catheters 76 a - 76 h and 78 as depicted , a method of treatment of the tissue mass 72 is as follows ( with reference back to fig1 , 2 and 3 ): the afterloader 30 is coupled to catheter 76 a and the radiation source 14 and the drive wire 32 are inserted into the lumen 28 at the proximal end portion 18 of the catheter 76 a . the radiation source 14 is pushed through the lumen 28 with the guide wire 32 and positioned so that it resides within the partially shrouded zone 40 of the distal end portion 22 of the catheter 76 a . the radiation source 14 remains within the partially shrouded zone 40 for a predetermined dwell period of time before being retracted from the lumen 28 with the guide wire 32 . once the radiation source 14 is within the afterloader 30 , the afterloader 30 is disconnected from the partially attenuated catheter 76 a . this process may be repeated for some or all of the remaining catheters 76 b - 76 h and 78 . operationally , the orientation of the attenuators 38 in fig8 reduces the intensity of radiation that irradiates neighboring regions of the tissue mass 56 while irradiating the multifocal cancerous member with a substantially uniform dosage of radiation . preferably , the radiation source 14 is passed through the lumen 28 with expediency to limit exposure of healthy tissue and organs located adjacent the catheters 76 a - 76 h and 78 . the dwell period that the radiation source 14 spends in the partially shrouded zone 40 of a given catheter 76 a - 76 h , 78 may be tailored to the dosage requirement of for the particular zone being irradiated . the treatment of a unifocal cancer is depicted in fig9 . the hdr catheters 76 a - 76 h are inserted into the tissue mass or gland 72 , but are located in a more concentrated manner near the cancerous zone 75 . the catheters 76 a - 76 h are rotationally oriented to direct unattenuated radiation toward a center of mass 80 of the cancerous zone 75 . again , an unattenuated hdr catheter may be placed within the tissue mass or gland 72 , preferably at or near the center of mass 80 the cancerous zone 75 . operationally , the orientation of the attenuators 38 in fig9 also reduces the intensity of radiation that irradiates the regions neighboring the tissue mass 56 , as well as the healthy , non - cancerous tissues of the tissue mass 56 itself , while irradiating the unifocal cancerous zone 75 with a substantially concentrated dosage of radiation . again , the radiation source 14 is preferably passed through the lumen 28 with expediency to limit exposure of healthy tissue and organs located adjacent the catheters 76 a - 76 h and 78 . the dwell period that the radiation source 14 spends in the partially shrouded zone 40 of a given catheter 76 a - 76 h , 78 may be tailored to the dosage requirement of for the particular zone being irradiated . while the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments , it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments . it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and equivalent arrangements can be made thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure , such scope to be accorded the broadest interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all equivalent structures and products . | 0 |
a hand covering according to the present invention includes a shell that defines an interior region or area into which a user can insert a hand of the user . in one embodiment , the shell includes several finger receptacles and a thumb receptacle . in an alternative embodiment , the shell includes a finger receptacle configured to receive all of the fingers of a user and a thumb receptacle . in one embodiment , the hand covering can include an adjustment mechanism that can be manipulated by a user to tighten or loosen the hand covering relative to the user &# 39 ; s hand . one type of adjustment mechanism may include a strap and several buckles through which the strap is inserted . the term “ hand covering ” is used to include any type of covering that can be worn on a person &# 39 ; s hand , such as a glove or a mitten . the terms “ cover ,” “ panel ” or “ flap ” are used interchangeably to refer to any type or piece of material that can be used to cover a vent or opening in the shell or body of a hand covering . an embodiment of a hand covering according to the present invention is illustrated in fig1 . as illustrated , the hand covering 10 includes a shell or shell assembly 12 that forms an interior region or area 14 . the interior region or area 14 is configured to receive a hand of a user . the shell 12 defines a vent or ventilation structure 16 that is in communication with the interior region 14 . the vent 16 allows air to flow into and out of the interior region 14 of the shell 12 . in one embodiment , the vent 16 can be an opening formed in the shell 12 . in another embodiment , the vent 16 can include an air permeable material that forms part of the shell 12 , such as an air permeable material that is disposed in an opening formed in the shell 12 . the vent 16 can include one or more openings . when the air outside of the shell 12 is cooler than the air in the interior region 14 , the warmer air can flow out through the vent 16 from the interior region 14 , thereby cooling the interior region 14 . in addition , if the user &# 39 ; s hands are moist due to moisture in the shell 12 , moisture can pass through the vent 16 to the external environment of the shell 12 , thereby drying the user &# 39 ; s hand and improving the comfort in the interior region 14 . accordingly , the vent 16 of the hand covering 10 can be used to make the interior region 14 of the shell 12 comfortable for the user . referring to fig1 , the hand covering 10 includes a cover or panel or flap 18 . in one embodiment , a portion of the cover 18 can be coupled to the shell 12 so that the cover 18 remains coupled to the shell 12 when it is moved by the user . in another embodiment , the cover 18 can be formed separately from the shell 12 and subsequently coupled thereto . the cover 18 can be moved relative to the shell 12 and to the vent 16 . the cover 18 can be disposed in different positions by the user relative to the vent 16 to vary the flow of air through the vent 16 . for example , the cover 18 can be disposed in a closed position so that it is substantially coextensive with the vent 16 so that the vent 16 is covered . in this position , the cover 18 prevents the flow of air through the vent 16 and seals the vent 16 . in addition , the cover 18 can be positioned so that the vent 16 is exposed to the external elements and air can flow through the vent 16 . the opened position of the cover 18 allows for moisture to get out of the interior region 14 through the vent 16 . without breatheability in the hand covering , moisture cannot get out and the user &# 39 ; s hand cannot get warm . thus , a user can control the extent to which the vent 16 is exposed and as a result , adjust the conditions in the interior region 14 of the shell 12 . the cover or flap 18 provides on demand venting to the hand covering 10 . referring to fig2 , an alternative embodiment of a hand covering according to the present invention is illustrated . in this embodiment , the hand covering 20 includes a shell 22 that defines an interior region 24 into which a user can insert a hand . similar to shell 12 , shell 22 includes a vent 26 that is in communication with interior region 24 . in addition , a cover 28 is coupled to the shell 22 and disposable in multiple positions relative to the vent 26 . in this embodiment , the hand covering 20 includes a closure mechanism 30 that is coupled to the shell 22 and to the cover 28 . the closure mechanism 30 can be manipulated by the user to move and retain the cover 28 in different positions relative to the vent 26 . in one embodiment , the closure mechanism 30 can be a zipper . in another embodiment , the closure mechanism 30 can include multiple zippers that can be moved simultaneously with each other or separately from each other . in yet another embodiment , the closure mechanism can be another closure mechanism , such as hook and loop type materials , snaps , and / or magnets , such as magnetic strips . referring to fig2 , the hand covering 20 also includes a receptacle 40 . in one embodiment , the receptacle 40 can be formed as part of the shell 22 . in another embodiment , the receptacle 40 can be formed separately from and subsequently coupled to the shell 22 . the receptacle 40 is sized and configured to receive a portion of the cover 28 when the cover 28 is moved from its closed position to its opened position . a portion of the cover 28 can be inserted into the receptacle 40 to retain the cover 28 in its opened position relative to the vent 26 . referring to fig3 and 4 , an embodiment of a hand covering according to the present invention is illustrated . a top view of the hand covering 100 is illustrated in fig3 . hand covering 100 includes a body or shell 110 that has a proximal end 112 and a distal end 114 . the body 110 includes a finger portion or region that includes several finger receptacles 116 and a thumb receptacle 118 . the body 110 can also include a side region 111 and a palm portion or region 150 in which a vent or ventilation structure 162 is located , as described below ( see fig4 ). referring to fig3 , in one embodiment , the hand covering 100 can include an adjustment mechanism 120 that can be manipulated by a user to tighten a portion of the hand covering 100 on the user &# 39 ; s hand . the adjustment mechanism 120 can include a strap 124 that is engaged with one or more buckles 122 . the buckles 122 can be double buckles through which the strap can pass . the strap 124 can be tightened so that the hand covering 100 is secured to the hand of a user . in one embodiment , the strap 124 can be webbing with a thickness of approximately 15 millimeters . the hand covering 100 can include a cuff portion or region 130 that is located near the proximal end 112 of the body 110 . the cuff portion 130 extends from the proximal end 112 and terminates at an edge 134 . two stitching portions 136 are provided that define an area between them in which the edge 134 is not connected to the shell 110 . the function of this area will be described in greater detail below . as illustrated in fig3 , the hand covering 100 includes a cover or panel 180 that is coupled to the shell 110 . as described below , in different embodiments , the cover 180 can have different sizes or shapes as well as different quantities of material layers . the cover 180 includes an outer surface 182 that is exposed to the environment elements outside of the hand covering 100 . in one embodiment , the cover 180 can be treated with a polyurethane coating to make the cover 180 waterproof . the cover 180 can be moved relative to the shell 110 and disposed in several different positions . for example , the cover 180 can be moved to a closed position 186 as illustrated in fig3 . in addition , the cover 180 can be moved to an opened position 188 as illustrated in fig4 . referring to fig3 , the hand covering 100 includes a closure mechanism 190 that can be manipulated by a user to secure the cover 180 in a particular position relative to the shell 110 . in this embodiment , the closure mechanism 190 includes a pair of couplers 192 , such as zippers , that are shown in their closed positions in fig3 and that are movable along the direction of arrow “ a ” in fig3 to their opened positions ( see fig4 ). in one embodiment , the zippers can be polyurethane coated reverse coil zippers . in one embodiment , receptacles or cavities 196 and 198 are formed in the shell 110 . the receptacles 196 and 198 are located proximate to the knuckle area of the hand covering 100 . each of the receptacles 196 and 198 is configured to receive one of the closure mechanisms or zippers 192 . when the zippers 192 are moved to their closed positions ( see fig3 ), a portion of each of the zippers can be inserted into one of the receptacles 196 and 198 and thereby reduce the likelihood that the zipper 192 will be caught on another article or be moved along its path unintentionally . in other embodiments , the closure mechanisms can be any type of sliding coupler or connector that can be moved by a user . referring to fig4 , a top view of the hand covering 100 with the cover 180 in a different position is illustrated . in this view , the cover 180 is moved along the direction of arrow “ b ” to its opened position 188 . a portion of the cover 180 is tucked beneath the edge 134 and into the receptacle that is formed in the cuff portion 130 . in this embodiment , the body 110 includes a back side 160 that is proximate to the back of a user &# 39 ; s hand . the back side 160 includes the vent or ventilation structure 162 formed therein . in one embodiment , the vent 162 is an opening 162 that is formed in the shell 110 of the hand covering 100 . the vent or opening 162 is defined by one or more edges and in this embodiment , the opening 162 is defined by edges 164 , 166 , 168 , and 170 . in different embodiments , the vent 162 may have any size or configuration or quantity of edges . in this embodiment , the hand covering 100 includes an air permeable material 195 that is coupled to the shell 110 and that covers the opening and forms part of the vent 162 . the air permeable material 195 can be a mesh material that permits the flow of air therethrough . in one embodiment , the air permeable material 195 can have a water resistant treatment applied thereto to enhance the properties of the material . in one embodiment , the material 195 can be a spacer mesh with a tightly woven face . in one implementation , the mesh can have a thickness of approximately 4 millimeters . referring to fig5 and 6 , partial cross - sectional views of the hand covering 100 as shown in fig3 and 4 are illustrated , respectively . referring to fig5 , a partial cross - sectional view of the hand covering 100 with its cover 180 in its closed position is illustrated . as shown , the hand covering 100 includes a palm portion 150 proximate to the middle part of a user &# 39 ; s hand . the palm portion 150 includes an outer surface 152 and an inner surface 154 that defines an interior region 156 into which a user can insert a hand . the palm portion 150 includes a palm side 158 ( next to the palm of the user &# 39 ; s hand ) and a back side 160 ( next to the back of the user &# 39 ; s hand ). as discussed above , the back side 160 includes a vent or ventilation structure or element 162 that is in communication with the interior region 156 . as shown in fig5 , a piece of air permeable material 195 , such as mesh , is disposed in the vent 162 , which in this embodiment , is formed by an opening in the palm portion 150 . the cover 180 is located so that it can be placed on the outer side of the material 195 . in fig5 , the cover 180 is shown in its closed position 186 . the cover 180 includes a coupled end 181 a and a free end 181 b . the coupled end 181 a is attached to the back side 160 of the shell 110 and the free end 181 b can be moved relative to the shell 110 . as shown in fig5 , the hand covering 100 includes a cuff portion 130 that is formed by an outer layer 132 with an edge 134 that is positioned proximate to an inner layer 138 . the outer layer 132 and the inner layer 138 collectively form a receptacle 140 therebetween , the function of which is illustrated in fig6 . referring to fig6 , the cover 180 is moved from its closed position 186 to an opened position 188 . the free end 181 b of the cover 180 can be moved along the direction of arrow “ c ” and inserted into receptacle 140 . the free end 181 b can be retained in the receptacle 140 by friction . the cover 180 has an outer surface 182 and an inner surface 184 as shown . as illustrated in fig6 , air can flow into and out of the interior region 156 along the directions of arrows “ d ” and “ e ”, respectively , when the cover 180 is moved to its opened position 188 . the properties of the cover 180 and the material 195 as well as any additional material proximate to the opening or vent determine the flow of air and moisture through the vent . those components may have any combination of waterproof and breathable properties . the various combinations of properties and functionality are described in detail below . the extent to which the free end 181 b of the cover 180 can be moved away from the vent or opening 162 is determined in part by the distance that the closure mechanisms or zippers 192 are moved from their closed positions . if the user wants to expose as much of the vent 162 as possible to the environment , then each zipper 192 can be moved toward the proximal end 112 of the hand covering as much as possible , thereby allowing the cover 180 to be pulled back and a substantial portion of the cover 180 inserted into the receptacle 140 or otherwise retained in its opened position . in one embodiment , the hand covering 100 can include an insert that is disposed in the interior region 156 of the hand covering 100 . referring to fig7 - 9 , an embodiment of an insert that can be disposed within the hand covering 100 according to the present invention is illustrated . the insert 200 can be used in the hand covering 100 when the user wants to have additional material that can provide additional warmth to the user &# 39 ; s hand . referring to fig7 , in this embodiment , the insert 200 includes a body 210 with a proximal end 212 and a distal end 214 . the body 210 includes multiple finger receptacles 216 and a thumb receptacle 218 . in other embodiments , the body 210 can include a single finger receptacle provided that the corresponding shell of the hand covering is similarly configured . the body 210 also includes a cuff portion 230 and a palm portion 250 . the palm portion 250 has an outer surface 252 and an inner surface 254 that defines an interior region 256 . the palm portion 250 also has a palm side 258 and a back side 260 opposite the palm side 258 . the back side 260 includes a vent or ventilation structure 262 that is defined by an edge 264 . in one embodiment , the vent 262 includes an opening and the edge 264 includes several edge portions 266 , 268 , and 270 . the quantity and configuration of edge portions 264 , 266 , 268 , and 270 can vary in different embodiments . the opening can be a hole that is die cut in the insert 200 . the vent 262 as a full opening facilitates maximum venting from the interior region of the insert 200 . referring to fig8 , in one embodiment , the insert 200 includes pieces of seam tape that are disposed around the edge or edges that define the opening 262 in the back side 260 . the tape pieces 272 , 274 , 276 , and 278 are disposed around the perimeter of the opening 262 and reduce any unraveling of the material that forms the insert 200 . in this embodiment , several pieces of tape 220 are disposed between portions of the insert 200 that are coupled together so that the tape pieces 220 are disposed in the seam or seams formed in the insert 200 . the tape pieces 220 can be coupled to the hand covering 100 to secure the insert 200 to the shell 110 of the hand covering 100 . the tape pieces or portions 220 , 272 , 274 , 276 , and 278 can be any type of tape or similar material . referring to fig9 , a partial cross - sectional view of the insert 200 is illustrated . as shown , the insert 200 includes a palm portion 250 that has an outer surface 252 and an inner surface 254 that defines an interior region 256 into which a user can insert a hand . the palm portion 250 includes a palm side 258 and a back side 260 in which the opening 262 is located . the insert 200 is positioned so that the opening 262 is aligned with the opening 162 formed in the body 110 of the hand covering 100 . a hand covering according to the present invention can vary in different embodiments . for example , the quantity of layers of material in the hand covering can vary . similarly , the structure of the cover for a hand covering can vary . in addition , the size and configuration of a vent or ventilation opening in the hand covering can vary . alternatively , the quantity and shape of the finger receptacles can vary for a hand covering depending on whether the hand covering resembles a glove or a mitten , for example . the various hand coverings and inserts illustrated in fig1 - 18 and described below are a few examples of the different variations of hand coverings according to the present invention . referring to fig1 , a portion of an alternative embodiment of a hand covering is illustrated . only a portion of the hand covering 300 is illustrated for ease of reference . in this embodiment , the hand covering 300 includes a shell 310 with a vent or opening 312 with an air permeable material 314 disposed therein . the vent 312 can have any shape or configuration . a cover 320 can be used to cover the opening 312 and prevent the flow of air through material 314 and the opening 312 . in one embodiment , the cover 320 can include an outer layer 322 and a layer of insulation 324 that is coupled to the outer layer 322 . the insulation 324 can be coupled by stitching or other conventional technique to the outer layer 322 . the insulation can be quilted on the outer layer 322 of the panel or flap for additional warmth . the cover 320 includes a free end 326 that can be moved relative to the shell 310 . in this embodiment , an insert or inner layer 330 having an opening 332 defined therein can be disposed in the interior region of the shell 310 . only a portion of the insert 330 is illustrated in fig1 . as shown , the opening 332 in the insert 330 can be aligned or substantially aligned with the opening 312 formed in the shell 310 . the insert 330 can provide additional warmth and insulation to the user &# 39 ; s hand . the opening 332 in the insert 330 facilitates the cooling and drying effect of the vent by allowing the skin of a user &# 39 ; s hand in the insert 330 to be exposed to the air permeable material 314 . referring to fig1 , a portion of an alternative embodiment of a hand covering is illustrated . in this embodiment , the hand covering 400 includes a shell 410 with a vent or opening 412 with an air permeable material 414 disposed therein . a cover 420 can be used to cover the vent or opening 412 and prevent the flow of air through the opening 412 . in this embodiment , the cover 420 is a single layer of material that has a free end 426 that can be moved relative to the shell 410 . in this embodiment , an insert or inner layer 430 having an opening 432 defined therein can be disposed in the interior region of the shell 410 . similar to the previous embodiment , the opening 432 in the insert 430 can be aligned with opening 412 in the shell 410 . the different between hand covering 400 and hand covering 300 is the quantity of layers of material in the respective cover 400 or 300 . an alternative embodiment of a hand covering according to the present invention is illustrated in fig1 . in this embodiment , the hand covering 500 includes a shell 510 with a vent or opening 512 with an air permeable material 514 disposed therein . hand covering 500 includes a cover 520 that is coupled to the shell 510 . in this embodiment , the cover 520 has a free end 526 and is formed with a single layer of material . hand covering 500 also includes an insert or inner layer 530 that has an opening 532 . in this embodiment , hand covering 500 includes an additional material layer 540 that can be disposed inside of the insert 530 . the layer 540 can be included to increase the warmth of the user &# 39 ; s hand . the layer 540 can be formed of a material that allows air to flow therethrough to allow the user &# 39 ; s hand to cool and dry as desired . an alternative embodiment of a hand covering according to the present invention is illustrated in fig1 . in this embodiment , the hand covering 600 includes a body or shell 610 that has a vent or opening 612 in a back side of the shell 610 . the hand covering 600 includes a cover 620 that is repositionable relative to the opening 612 . in this embodiment , a closure mechanism 630 , such as a zipper , can be moved along a portion of the perimeter 632 of the cover 620 in different directions , depending on whether the cover 620 is to be opened or closed . the free end 622 of the cover 620 can be inserted along the direction of arrow “ f ” into a receptacle 642 ( shown in dashed lines ) formed in the cuff portion 640 . when the free end 622 is moved from its closed position , the opening 612 is exposed to the external environment and air can flow through the opening 612 out of the interior region of the shell 610 . referring to fig1 , an alternative embodiment of an insert or inner layer for a hand covering according to the present invention is illustrated . in this embodiment , the insert 700 has a body or shell 710 with a back side 712 in which an opening 716 is formed . the opening 716 is defined by an edge 714 which in this embodiment is circular . in other embodiments , the opening 716 can have various sizes and configurations . in some embodiments , the shape , size and / or configuration of the opening in the insert or inner layer can be different from the shape , size and / or configuration of the vent or opening in the body or shell of the hand covering . in other embodiments , the openings in the insert and the body can be the same . referring to fig1 , an alternative embodiment of a hand covering according to the present invention is illustrated . the hand covering 800 includes a body or shell 810 that has a finger region 812 which is configured to receive the fingers of a user &# 39 ; s hand . in this embodiment , finger region 812 resembles a mitten - like structure in that it has a single receptacle for the fingers of the user &# 39 ; s hand . the hand covering 800 also includes a palm portion 814 and a thumb receptacle 816 . the palm portion 814 includes a cover 820 that is coupled to the shell 810 . closure mechanisms 826 and 828 , such as zippers , can move along opposite sides 822 and 824 of the cover 820 to secure the cover 820 in a closed position as shown or in an opened position . referring to fig1 , an alternative embodiment of a hand covering according to the present invention is illustrated . the hand covering 900 includes a body or shell 910 that has a back side 912 of a palm portion or region , a cuff portion or region 914 , and a finger portion or region 916 . the body 910 includes a vent or opening 920 defined in part by edges 922 formed in the back side 912 of the shell 910 . in this embodiment , the hand covering 900 includes a cover or panel 940 that is formed separate from the shell 910 and can be removably coupled thereto . in one embodiment , the cover 940 can include a first layer or portion 942 and a second layer or portion 944 that is coupled to the first layer or portion 942 . the second layer 944 is configured to be substantially the same size as the vent or opening 920 . the cover 940 has a first end 946 and a second end 948 . on the underside of ends 946 and 948 are coupling mechanisms 950 and 952 , such as one of a hook - type material and a loop - type material . each of the coupling mechanisms 950 and 952 is configured to be engaged with a corresponding and cooperating coupling mechanism 930 and 932 located on the outer surface of the shell 910 . thus , a user can couple the panel 940 to the shell 910 by attaching coupling mechanisms 950 and 952 to coupling mechanisms 930 and 932 . when the user wants to expose the vent 920 , the user can remove the panel 940 . in addition , in another embodiment , the panel 940 can be coupled to the shell 910 by an elongate member 960 that can prevent the panel 940 from being separated from or lost relative to the hand covering 900 . each of the shell 910 and the panel 940 can include a loop or coupler 962 or 964 to which the elongate member 960 , such as a string or cord , can be attached . referring to fig1 and 18 , an alternative embodiment of a hand covering according to the present invention is illustrated . in this embodiment , the hand covering 1000 includes a body or shell 1010 with a back side 1012 and a thumb receptacle 1014 . the hand covering 1000 includes a cover or flap 1020 that is coupled to the shell 1010 . the flap 1020 has a free end 1022 that can be moved relative to the shell 1010 . the flap 1020 can be disposed in a closed position 1024 ( see fig1 ) and in an opened position 1026 ( see fig1 ). as shown in fig1 , the hand covering 1000 includes two closure mechanisms or couplers 1030 and 1040 , such as zippers , that can be moved or slid along zipper lines 1032 and 1042 along the direction of arrow “ g .” in this embodiment , when the closure mechanisms 1030 and 1040 are moved from their closed positions along the direction of arrow “ g ,” the free end 1022 of the panel 1020 can be moved along the same direction . in one embodiment , the hand covering 1000 may include a layer of material 1050 that creates a receptacle 1052 into which the free end 1022 can be inserted as shown in fig1 . the movement of the flap 1020 to its opened position 1026 exposes the vent or opening 1060 that is formed in the shell 1010 . thus , the orientation of the cover or flap 1020 can be such that it moves toward the thumb receptacle 1014 instead of toward the wrist or cuff portion of the hand covering 1000 . in other embodiments , a coupling mechanism such as a hook - type material or a loop - type material can be provided as an attachment location to which the free end 1022 can be releaseably attached to hold the flap 1020 in its opened position . referring to fig1 , an exploded perspective view of some layers of an embodiment of a hand covering are illustrated . in this embodiment , the layers 1100 include a cover 1110 that is coupled or fixed to an outer shell ( not shown in fig1 ) of a hand covering . a layer of mesh 1120 is coupled to the outer shell and is located in the window of the outer shell . inside of the mesh layer 1120 is a layer of insulation 1130 . finally , inside of the insulation layer is a lining fabric 1140 , which is brushed tricot . referring to fig2 , a partial cross - sectional view of some components of a hand covering is illustrated . as shown , the hand covering 1200 includes an outer shell 1210 with an outer surface 1212 and an inner surface 1214 . a cover or vent cover 1220 having a free end 1222 and a fixed end 1224 is coupled to the outer shell 1210 . in particular , the end 1224 is coupled to the inner surface 1214 of the shell 1210 . in this embodiment , the end 1224 is coupled to the shell 1210 via stitching 1230 . in other embodiments , the end 1224 can be coupled by welding , an adhesive , or other coupling method or technique . in various embodiments of a hand covering according to the present invention , the types of materials and the treatments applied to the materials can vary . for example , a material can be made from or treated to be a waterproof material . additionally , a material can be a breathable material . moreover , a material can be a material that is waterproof and is breathable . different combinations of such materials can be used in a hand covering according to the present invention . for example , a hand covering according to the present invention can have any combination of top and bottom layers of material with the top and bottom layers being identified with respect to the outside and inside of the hand covering . for example , the top layer can be the cover or flap and the bottom layer can be an inner layer , such as a air permeable layer or mesh material identified above . in one combination , the top layer and the bottom layer can both be waterproof and breathable . in another combination , the top layer and the bottom layer can both be waterproof . in another combination , the top layer can be waterproof and the bottom layer can be waterproof and breathable . in yet another combination , the top layer can be water proof and the bottom layer can be breathable . accordingly , the combinations of properties of the materials can vary depending on the desired functionality of the layers . the waterproof property prevents water from entering the hand covering , but breatheability allows moisture inside of the hand covering to escape outside the hand covering . while the vent or opening in the hand coverings previously described have been located on a back side of the palm portion or region of the shell of the hand covering , in other embodiments , the vent or opening can be located in a different location on the hand covering , such as on the palm side , a side region , and / or in the finger region . in other embodiments , a hand covering according to the present invention can include more than one vent or opening . for example , the hand covering may include two or more vents or openings spaced apart in the body or shell of the hand covering . in addition , the vents can be located on the same side of the hand covering in some embodiments and on different sides of the hand covering in other embodiments . alternatively , the vents can be formed in different portions or regions of the hand covering in some embodiments and formed in the same portions or regions of the hand covering in other embodiments . while the invention has been described in detail and with references to specific embodiments thereof , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof . thus , it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention . | 0 |
referring to fig1 , 3 and 4 , the reference numeral 11 designates a directory device having a frame defining vertical members 12 and 13 and horizontal members 14 and 16 supporting a plurality of indicia bearing plates 17 . as is most apparent in fig2 and 3 , the vertical members 12 and 13 include a recess 18 , making an interlocking connection with end portions 19 of plates 17 received therein . disposed between the end portions 19 of plates 17 is a resilient means 21 , which in the present embodiment is an elongated , resilient pad 22 fabricated of foamed or cellular synthetic material . if desired , a lip 23 may be secured or otherwise fabricated to the vertical members 12 and 13 , to provide a stop aligned with the inner margin of the recess 18 against which the plates bear , as is most apparent in fig3 and 6 . this lip 23 provides a stop or seat useful for alignment when inserting a plate into the frame , as will become more apparent as this specification proceeds . the individual plates 17 are formed with a bead or spacer 24 to provide clearance for a key means between plates . note further that at least one end portion of a plate is formed with a key reception means defining a slot 26 which is concealed entirely when the plates are assembled in the frame . clips 27 , ( fig2 ), used to secure the frame 11 to a plane surface such as a building wall , include suitable holes for securing the clips to the frame as at 28 and to the wall as at 29 . referring to fig5 and 7 - 10 , the steps practiced in removing and replacing individual plates are shown . a key means 31 having a shank 32 terminating at one end in a hook 33 and at the opposite end in a handle 34 , is inserted between adjacent plates ( spaced by beads 24 ) with the hook 33 projecting to the right toward vertical member 13 . when the key is inserted , the hook 33 bottoms on a bead 24 ( see fig4 ) and is poised to enter a slot 26 of either plate 17 of fig7 . thereafter the key is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise ( as indicated by arrow 36 ) to enter a slot depending upon which plate one wishes to remove . for example , rotation of the key counterclockwise as shown in fig8 causes the hook 33 to enter slot 26 of plate 17 . after the hook 33 enters the slot 26 one drops the key handle 34 ( toward the plane of the face of directory device ) to the position of fig8 and pulls upon the handle 34 to the left ( fig9 ) to move the plate 17 to the left against the resilient means 21 at the opposite end of the plate to unlock the end portion 37 from the recess 18 of vertical member 13 , as shown . thereafter one uses the key 31 to lift the end portion 37 free of the frame whereupon one can grasp the plate removing it completely from the frame . fig1 shows that to replace a plate 17 , one merely has to insert the end portion 37 of plate 17 into the recess 18 of member 13 guided by lip 23 . as stated earlier , it is possible to insert end portion 37 without the guidance of lip 23 . upon pressing the plate 17 to the right ( fig1 ) against its resilient pad 22 , ( not shown ), the opposite end 39 of the plate is free to drop into the corresponding recess 18 in vertical member 12 . the resilient pad of vertical member 13 casts the plate 17 to the left to complete the interlock between the plate 17 and the opposed vertical members 12 and 13 . if desired , resilient pads 22 may be provided in each recess 18 to equalize stress upon the plates . in embodiments of the invention which include the lip 23 , one can appreciate that the existence of the lip facilitates entry of the end portions of the plates 17 in that the lip 23 represents a seat or stop precluding pushing the end portion 18 too deeply and overriding the recess 18 . fig1 shows an alternative plate structure 41 defining a hollow metallic channel or extrusion 42 having key slots 43 and spacer bead 44 . the plate 41 is inserted and removed by the key 31 in the same fashion as described with respect to the plates 17 . fig1 shows a double frame structure supporting two sets of plates 46 ( first plates ) and 47 ( second plates ). in this arrangement , the frame means 48 includes first , second and third vertical members 49 , 51 and 52 , respectively , joined by spaced horizontal members 53 and 54 . the vertical members 49 , 51 and 52 are formed with recesses , ( not shown ), such as the recess 18 so as to receive end portions of plates 56 and 57 . the recess 18 of at least one vertical member of a pair of vertical members , such as 49 and 51 , must include a resilient means . correspondingly , the recess 18 of one vertical member of the pair 51 and 52 must also include a resilient means to facilitate the insertion and removal of plates 56 and 57 in the manner described previously . obviously , a directory device may comprise numerous sets of plates beyond a pair as shown in fig1 and a single plate may be used in contrast to a plurality of plates . it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the illustrations described and shown herein , which are deemed to be merely illustrative of the best modes of carrying out the invention , and which are susceptible of modification of form , size , arrangement of parts and details of operation . the invention rather is intended to encompass all such modifications which are within its spirit and scope as defined by the claims . | 6 |
the objectives noted above , as well as other objectives , are addressed by the present invention , which provides a high efficiency amplifier architecture for efficiently handling high peak - to - average signal ratio applications while maintaining desirable am / pm characteristics . the amplifier does so , without complicated and expensive electronics . furthermore , the amplifier is viable with linearization schemes , including digital , analog , and hybrid pre - distortion , feed forward , and cross cancellation . furthermore , it is compatible with drain bias modulation schemes . the present invention provides a new , simple and relatively inexpensive device and method for a high efficiency power amplifier utilizing a signal delay scheme applicable to a doherty amplifier design . the invention decreases the change or variation in the am / pm characteristic as the input signal frequency is changed . while not completely eliminating the am / pm change , it does provide a measurable improvement that allows doherty amplification to be used in situations where it had previously been excluded . a brief explanation of a classic doherty circuit operation , which would be known to a person of ordinary skill in the art , is useful for understanding the operation of the present invention . generally , a simple doherty circuit 10 , as shown in fig1 , will combine the outputs of a main amplifier 20 , such as a carrier amplifier , and an auxiliary amplifier 22 , such as a peaking amplifier . an input signal 21 to the amplifiers 20 , 22 is split by an appropriate signal splitting circuit 24 , such as a hybrid coupler circuit . the other input port of the hybrid coupler may be terminated with an appropriate impedance 23 . the split input signals are directed to the carrier amplifier 20 and the peaking amplifier 22 . the output of the carrier amplifier 20 is combined through a signal combining network , such as a combiner / impedance transforming network 26 , with the output of the peaking amplifier 22 , and the combined outputs are present at the output 30 of network 26 . under a low input signal level drive condition , the peaking amplifier 22 is turned off and its high output impedance is assumed to not significantly load the output circuit . when the input signal 21 drive level is increased to where the carrier amplifier 20 reaches saturation , the peaking amplifier 22 is allowed to turn on , thus contributing current to the output network 26 . the additional current causes the network 26 output to increase which , in turn , results in a decreasing load impedance at the carrier amplifier &# 39 ; s output 31 . as the input signal level continues to rise , the carrier amplifier 20 is kept in a voltage - saturated condition , but the power level of that saturated condition increases due to the decreasing load impedance . at the same time , the peaking amplifier is contributing power to the output of the amplifier . at the highest input drive level , both the carrier and peaking amplifiers have their designated nominal load impedance , at their respective outputs , and are delivering their maximum rated power to the load that is coupled to output 30 . fig2 illustrates an am / pm characteristic for a typical doherty amplifier . while the characteristic displays a relatively constant phase with an increasing input signal level , as indicated at line 40 , at a specific transition point 42 , the am / pm characteristic deviates . specifically , the am / pm characteristic is dependent upon the deviation of the frequency of operation of the amplifier from the center frequency of the operational band for that amplifier . for example , an amplifier would generally be operated within an operational frequency band . that is , for the doherty amplifier design illustrated in fig1 , each of the main amplifier 20 and auxiliary amplifier 22 are operated at a specific operational frequency band . such a frequency band would have what is generally considered a center of frequency . in the present invention , reference to an operational frequency band is made , but it is not limited to any specific band . furthermore , when a center frequency is referred to , it is not limited to a specific or precise center frequency , but generally indicates a frequency approximately at the center of defined operational frequency band . returning now to the graph of fig2 , past the transition point 42 , the am / pm characteristic is affected by the frequency of operation of the amplifiers with respect to the deviation of that signal frequency from a center frequency . that is , it is affected by the frequency of the input signal as it deviates from the center frequency of the operational frequency band . generally , for those frequencies proximate the center of the band ( f mid ), as illustrated by the portion of the graph in fig2 indicated by reference numeral 44 , the signal phase remains generally consistent with an ever - increasing input signal level . however , there is a change in the am / pm characteristic as the frequency of operation deviates from the center frequency . specifically , the portion of the graph indicated by reference numeral 46 illustrates the am / pm characteristic for those high frequencies f high that deviate from the middle of the band f mid . similarly , as illustrated by the portion of the graph indicated by reference numeral 48 , the am / pm characteristic also changes as the frequency deviates to a frequency f low that is below the middle range f mid of frequencies for the operational frequency band . the variations or changes in the am / pm characteristic cause im distortion in an optimized doherty amplifier . such im distortion degrades as the frequency of operation increasingly deviates from the center frequency of the operational frequency band . as illustrated in fig2 , significant changes in the am / pm characteristic may cause significant im distortion . this , in turn , may cause an amplifier to fail a specification out at the band edge , far from the center frequency . furthermore , there may be a decreased margin with respect to an operational specification for the amplifier due to such im distortion from the varying am / pm characteristic . in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention , as illustrated in fig3 , the am / pm variation , as a function of the input frequency in the doherty amplifier , is reduced through the addition of a delay in the path of the auxiliary amplifier , or peaking amplifier . referring to fig3 , where like reference numerals as in fig1 are used , a delay element 50 is coupled in the path of the auxiliary amplifier . in the embodiment illustrated in fig3 , the delay element 50 is coupled to the input of the auxiliary amplifier 22 to introduce a delay to that input and ultimately to introduce a delay to the auxiliary amplifier path prior to the combiner / impedance transforming network 26 . the delay introduced by the delay element 50 has a value based on several criteria in accordance with the principles of the invention , and as discussed below . as the signal level of the input signal 21 increases , the increasing delay that occurs through the main amplifier 20 , or carrier amplifier , as discussed above , is compensated by the delay element 50 . more specifically , the decreasing delay through the main amplifier 20 is somewhat compensated by the addition at the output 30 of a signal from the auxiliary amplifier that has been delayed by the specific delay element selected 50 . this net effect is a reduction in the amount of variation in the amplifier delay as the level of the input signal 21 is increased . the net effect of a reduction in the amount of change in the amplifier delay as the level of the input signal is increased results in less of a variation in the am / pm characteristic as a function of the change in the input frequency of the amplifier . this , in turn , results in a reduction in the im distortion , as the frequency of the amplifier operation deviates from the center frequency of the operational frequency band for the amplifier . that is , there is less of an excursion of the signal phase from zero at various low and high frequency extremes associated with the operational frequency band . fig4 illustrates an am / pm characteristic for a doherty amplifier system utilizing the present invention . fig4 shows the reduced deviation of the am / pm characteristic with increased input signal level as the frequency deviates from the center frequency ( see , e . g ., fig2 ). the additional delay in the path of the auxiliary amplifier may be implemented in several ways . for example , the delay element 50 may include a co - axial cable element , or may include micro - strip or strip - line transmission line elements or other suitable physical implementations of an rf delay element . alternatively , commercially available surface mount delay lines might be utilized in the auxiliary amplifier path . at some point , dependent upon the bandwidth of interest and the magnitude of delay being compensated , further increases in the auxiliary amplifier path delay will result in degraded power performance at the amplifier band edges . the optimum delay is selected considering the system requirements and in accordance with the principles of the present invention . the delay presented by the delay element 50 cannot be just any delay , but rather will depend on the desired operation of the amplifier and the amount of reduction in the am / pm characteristic that is desirable . for example , while an increase in the delay in accordance with the principles of the invention will generally improve the am / pm characteristic , a delay that is too large will narrow the bandwidth . typically , the bandwidth narrowing will cause the efficiency improvement , normally provided by the doherty topology , to suffer at the band edges . therefore , the desire for am / pm improvement and bandwidth performance must be determined . in accordance with one aspect of the present invention , several criteria are utilized for the delay element in order to determine the proper delay for the particular doherty amplifier design . the amount of delay that should be added for enhanced performance will depend upon the specifics of the particular doherty amplifier design . more specifically , in the present invention , the delay introduced by the inventive delay element will depend upon how much the delay through the main amplifier &# 39 ; s output matching network changes with the changing additions of the load on its output . in accordance with the invention , this delay change is determined by measuring the delay through the entire doherty amplifier under two conditions . the first condition is when the output is driven to the rated pep of the doherty amplifier . the second condition is where the output is driven to a level significantly below ( at least 10 db ), the rated peak power or pep of the doherty amplifier . generally , the delay measured under the first condition will be less than the delay measured under the second condition , below peak power . this difference in delay is designated as δt . in one aspect , the delay to be added tc the auxiliary amplifier path through the delay element 50 , designated as t a will mostly be in the following range : t a = around 2δt - around 4δt however , a delay generally in the range of t a = around 1δt - around 6δt may also be suitable . equation 1 in accordance with another criteria for the delay provided by delay element 50 of the invention , the t a has an additional restriction . that is , t a should generally be approximately an integer multiple of a wavelength at a frequency within the operational frequency band . more preferably , the delay should generally be an integer multiple of a wavelength at the center frequency within the operational band for the amplifier . as readily understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art , a delay indicated as being an integer multiple of a wavelength refers to a delay that is an integer multiple of the delay through a one ( 1 ) wavelength transmission line . such delay is expressed in units of time . this is equivalent to : t a ( nsec )= n / f ( ghz ), n = 1 , 2 , 3 . . . equation 2 an example best illustrates the desired delay from delay element 50 . assume , for example , the measured difference in delay if δt for the various output conditions described above was approximately 0 . 8 nsec , at a center frequency of around 2 ghz . from equation 1 above , we can pick one of the values of equation 2 that is also within the range set forth in equation 1 . from equation 1 , t a = 1 . 6 - 3 . 2 nsec ( or possibly 0 . 8 - 4 . 8 nsec ). from equation 2 , t a = 0 . 5 , 1 . 0 , 1 . 5 , 2 . 0 , 2 . 5 , 3 . 0 , 3 . 5 , 4 . 0 . . . nsec . therefore , the added delay meeting both these criteria would then be a t a of 2 . 0 , 2 . 5 , or 3 . 0 nsec . from these choices , the best choice would be determined experimentally . for example , the various am / pm characteristics as in fig4 might be determined to see which t a value yields the greatest reduction in the am / pm variation as a function of the operational frequency . typically , increasing the delay improves the am / pm characteristic . however , as noted above , if the delay is too large , then the bandwidth is undesirably narrowed , and gain and efficiency may suffer out at the band edges . a decision is made as to which criteria , that is , improvement in am / pm or bandwidth considerations , are more desirable . although the embodiment illustrated in fig3 shows a delay element 50 positioned at the input to the auxiliary amplifier 22 , the delay , according to the criteria of the invention , might also be placed elsewhere within the auxiliary amplifier path . fig5 illustrates an alternative embodiment . a delay element 60 may be incorporated at the input to the auxiliary amplifier , while another delay element 62 might be incorporated at the output . the total delay provided in the auxiliary amplifier path between elements 60 and 62 is determined according to the criteria set forth above . in still another alterative embodiment , as illustrated in fig6 , all the delay may be placed at the auxiliary amplifier output , such as by using a delay element 66 . it should be noted that although t a , or a portion of t a , may be placed at the auxiliary amplifier output , it is suspected that doing so will result in decreased bandwidth , relative to the case where all the t a is placed at the auxiliary amplifier input . accordingly , while the alternative embodiments shown in fig5 and 6 might be utilized , the embodiment of fig4 may be most preferable with respect to the desired bandwidth characteristics . in accordance with another aspect of the present invention , the t a added to the doherty amplifier , such as through a delay element 50 , is added to any inherent delay that already appears at the auxiliary amplifier input . for example , depending on the splitting / combining scheme chosen for the particular doherty amplifier , there may be an inherent short delay ( quarter wavelength , for example ) at the input of the auxiliary or peaking amplifier , to provide the proper phasing relationship outputs to achieve optimum power combining . in such a situation and in accordance with the principles of the present invention , the t a should be added to this already existing delay at the input to the auxiliary amplifier . while the present invention has been illustrated by a description of various embodiments and while these embodiments have been described in considerable detail , it is not the intention of the applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail . additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art . the invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details , representative apparatus and method , and illustrative examples shown and described . accordingly , departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of applicant &# 39 ; s general inventive concept . | 7 |
in the following detailed description , reference is made to the accompanying drawings , which are not necessarily to scale , which form a part hereof , and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the apparatus and methods can be practiced . these embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice them , and it is to be understood that the embodiments can be combined , or that other embodiments can be utilized and that procedural changes can be made 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 is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents . in the drawings , like numerals describe substantially similar components throughout the several views . the following figures refer to an electronic device , for example an integrated circuit ( ic ) chip package , to which a heat sink is attached with a retaining clip to form a heat sink assembly . the invention is not limited to heat sinks used with electronic circuits in computer assemblies . it works with any apparatus having a heat emitting device and a heat sink . heat sink 10 is manufactured from a material having good thermal conductivity , such as , but not limited to , aluminum and copper . this allows for the efficient conduction of heat from the electronic device 20 to the heat sink 10 . heat is subsequently conducted through the heat sink plate to the pins 54 and transferred to the surrounding environment by convection and radiation . in one embodiment of the invention , mounting frame 30 incorporates a clip attachment structure , such as the tab 12 shown in fig1 , to cooperate with the leg portions 42 extending from the ends of clip 40 . the clip attachment tab structure tab 12 projects from opposite sides of mounting frame 30 . in other embodiments , clip attachment structure 12 may be a pocket , protrusion , ledge , or an aperture . the choice of the particular configuration for an attachment structure 12 may depend the specific geometry of the chip mounting arrangement used . in many of the embodiments of the present invention which are illustrated , clip 40 is a formed cylindrical metal wire . in other embodiments the clip 40 may take the form of , for example , but not limited to , a strap , a band , or a flat wire . the clip 40 can be formed from any material suitable for the intended use , such as , but not limited to , metal and plastic . in one embodiment , clip 40 is comprised of a resilient material , such that when it is twisted it produces a torsional spring - bias force tending to return to an original shape . in one embodiment , the clip 40 comprises a spring metal . a thermal conduction aid 26 is commonly applied to the top surface of the electronic device 20 . thermal conduction aid 26 makes a thermally efficient contact between the mating surface 24 of electronic device 20 and heat sink plate 11 . examples of suitable thermal conduction aids 26 include , but are not limited to , thermal conductive grease , soft metallic foil , and metal - impregnated paste . fig4 is a top plan view of an embodiment of the invention . in the embodiment shown , heat sink 10 has a plurality of pins 54 extending upwardly from a surface 56 of heat sink plate 11 . the pins 54 are arranged in longitudinally and transversely oriented rows defining lateral longitudinal grooves 52 aligned with central portion 44 of clip 40 and lateral transverse grooves 53 which are substantially perpendicular to grooves 52 . longitudinal grooves 52 and , in some cases transverse grooves 53 , are adapted for receiving clip central portion 44 . one or more of pins 54 has a retaining member 62 projecting from the surface thereof into groove 52 for retaining the clip central portion 44 in groove 52 . various embodiments characterized by different configurations of retaining member 62 are also illustrated in fig5 through 12 below . in some embodiments retaining member 62 is adapted to allow the insertion of clip central portion 44 into groove 52 to retain clip 40 within groove 52 . one skilled in the art can appreciate that the retaining member 62 projecting from pin 54 can , in further embodiments , take other suitable forms and still function to readily allow the attachment of the clip 40 to the heat sink 10 while resisting unintended separation from it . retaining members 62 can be provided on just a single pin 54 or can be provided on multiple pins 54 along one or both sides of the groove 52 , as will be discussed in connection with the embodiments of the following examples . fig5 is a top plan view of an embodiment of the assembly where pins 54 are longitudinally extended as fins 55 that extend substantially along the entire length of groove 52 cross the entire width of surface 56 of heat sink plate 11 . retaining member 62 is provided on a fin 55 which defines one wall of a longitudinal groove 52 . retaining member 62 keeps central clip portion 44 vertically restrained in groove 52 . retaining member 62 is shown in various embodiments in fig5 – 9 . in one embodiment , the retaining member 62 may extend for only a portion of the length of the fin 55 . in the embodiment shown in fig5 , the retaining member 62 extends substantially the entire length of the fin 55 . in yet another embodiment , not shown , a plurality of retaining members 62 extend at least a portion of the length of fin 55 , the plurality of retaining members 62 being substantially collinear and substantially parallel with surface 56 . the geometric relationship of the retaining member 62 and the adjacent fin 55 a defines a clip retaining groove 52 which prevents the undesired removal of the clip 40 from groove 52 by moving it upwardly from surface 56 . there are a number of ways in which retaining members 62 may be formed on pins 54 . in one embodiment , shown in fig5 , heat sink 10 , fins 55 and 55 a and longitudinal groove 52 between adjacent fins 55 and 55 a are extruded from a billet of material by extruding the material along an extrusion axis corresponding to the axis of longitudinal groove 52 . transverse cuts may be made , by a suitable and known machining or sawing process , in fins 55 and 55 a to provide separate pins 54 and form transverse grooves 53 , oriented substantially perpendicular to grooves 52 . the sawing divides fins 55 and 55 a into a plurality of pins 54 . since the faces of fins 55 and 55 a on both sides of groove 52 are formed by extrusion rather than cutting , it can be seen that modification of the extrusion dies can readily facilitate the forming of retaining members 62 as part of an extrusion process . in the embodiment of fig5 , the retaining member 62 extends from a plurality of adjacent fins 55 and 55 a . that embodiment is an example of a heat sink 10 that is adapted to accommodate a clip 40 having a substantially straight central portion 44 . in various other embodiments , the location of the pins 54 that are selected to have retaining members 62 formed thereon depends on the configuration of the central portion 44 of the clip 40 . as shown in fig6 – 11 , any one or more of pins 54 may have retaining members 62 of various shapes for retaining the clip 40 . a plurality of such retaining members 62 need not necessarily be collinearly arranged . clips 40 having a central portion 44 that may follow an other than straight path across surface 56 of heat sink 10 , can also be accepted in the embodiments discussed below as shown in fig1 – 20 . fig6 is a sectional elevation view taken along section line 6 – 6 ′ of fig5 which illustrates an embodiment of the present invention . the heat sink 10 comprises a plate or base 11 having a surface 70 for engaging a surface of a device to be cooled . heat sink plate 11 has a plurality of pins 54 that extend upwardly from another surface 56 . the plurality of adjacent , generally parallel , rows of pins 54 define at least one longitudinal groove 52 therebetween which is adapted to retain clip central portion 44 therein . at least one pin 54 has a retaining member 62 extending from the surface of pin 54 into groove 52 . in the embodiment shown in fig6 , retaining member 62 has wedge shape which , when viewed in cross section , includes a face 72 that slopes downwardly toward surface 56 as the body of retaining member 62 projects inwardly into groove 52 . in the embodiment shown , the shape of retaining member 62 is adapted to allow clip central portion 44 to be introduced into groove 52 from above the retaining member 62 , pass between the retaining member 62 and the adjacent pin 54 , and to subsequently be retained between the retaining member 62 and the surface 56 of heat sink plate 11 . the spacing between retaining member 62 and pin 54 lying across groove 52 from it is selected such that central portion 44 of clip 40 is restrained from being readily removed from groove 52 . in one embodiment , one or both of pins 54 and / or the retaining member 62 is resilient to facilitate the insertion of clip 40 into groove 52 . the resiliency is sufficient to allow retaining member 62 to substantially return to its original shape after introduction of the clip 40 in order to restrict the removal of the clip 40 from the groove 52 . fig7 is a cross - sectional view of an embodiment showing the use of a rounded retaining member 62 having a rounded surface 74 extending from a side of pin 54 and extending toward an adjacent pin 54 on the other side of groove 52 . fig8 is a cross - sectional view of another embodiment . at least one pin 54 further comprises a retaining member 62 , resembling in cross - section , a flap extending from a side of the pin 54 . in this embodiment retaining member 62 slopes downwardly and is oriented toward surface 56 and also toward an adjacent pin 54 which defines the other side of groove 52 . it has a partially cut - away lower surface 82 . fig9 is a cross - sectional view of a further embodiment . one or more pairs of opposing retaining members 62 project inwardly into groove 52 in an opposing relationship from adjacent pins 54 which define opposite sides of groove 52 . the spacing and dimensions of the pair of opposing retaining members 62 and width of groove 52 are selected so as to trap and retain central portion 44 of the clip 40 within the groove 52 . in one embodiment , the pair of opposing retaining members 62 are resilient to allow the insertion of clip 40 , with the pair of opposing retaining members 62 substantially returning to an original shape after the insertion of the clip 40 to prevent unintended removal of the clip 40 from the groove 52 . in an embodiment of the invention wherein more than one retaining member 62 projects into groove 52 , the retaining members 62 each project from sides of the pins 54 in a co - linear and co - planar relationship , and at a substantially equal height above surface 56 , such as shown with the pair of retaining members 62 shown in fig9 . in that embodiment , the retaining members 62 are located at substantially the same distance above the surface 56 such that the clip 40 may be restrained between retaining member 62 and the second surface 56 . clip 40 in these embodiments may be retained by the retaining members 62 at any one or more of a number of places along the central portion 44 of the clip 40 , as shown , for example , in fig4 . in other embodiments of the invention , where more than one retaining member 62 extends into longitudinal groove 52 , the retaining members 62 may not project from sides of the adjacent pins 54 in a co - linear and co - planar relationship , as will be discussed in connection with further embodiments below . in several of the embodiments discussed above , retaining member 62 projects into the groove 52 a distance sufficient to retain the clip 40 within the groove . this distance is dependent on the width of the groove 52 and the width of the clip 40 . in an embodiment of the invention , the gap between the end of the retaining member 62 and either adjacent retaining member 62 or pin 54 is less than the width of the clip central portion 44 . in one embodiment of the invention , not shown , wherein the material of clip 40 is in the form of a thin band , clip 40 may be rotated 90 degrees prior to insertion into the groove such that the clip passes beyond the retaining member 62 in an edge - on fashion , and is subsequently rotated 90 degrees to allow retaining member 62 to retain the clip within the groove . also in some embodiments of the invention , the projection 62 extends from a side face of pin 54 to form a retention barrier in groove 52 which is sufficiently above surface 56 to define a space 51 , shown in fig1 , in which the central portion 44 is retained . the distance above the surface 56 that the retaining member 62 is located depends , in part , on the height , or the cross sectional diameter , of the clip central portion 44 . in one embodiment , for example , the distance above the surface 56 from which the retaining member 62 extends , as well as the width of the groove 52 , are substantially equal to or slightly greater than either the diameter or the height and width of the central portion 44 . in other embodiments of the invention , it may be advantageous to position the retaining member 62 at a somewhat greater height above surface 56 . fig1 is a cross - sectional view of an embodiment of a heat sink 10 in which at least one pin 54 has a staked retaining member 62 . the assembly manufacturing method utilized for that embodiment comprises inserting a clip 40 into a groove 52 defined by adjacent rows of pins 54 . the inserted clip 40 is retained by staked retaining member 62 in close proximity to surface 56 of the heat sink 10 . the cross section of central portion 44 of clip 40 and the width of groove 52 are configured to substantially match . in the embodiment of fig1 , a metal working tool such as staking tool 76 is used to deform at least a portion of at least one pin 54 located at one side or wall of the groove 52 into which the clip 40 had previously been placed . when a staking force is applied , tool 76 permanently deforms the pin 54 to form retaining member 62 . a clip retaining space is created between retaining member 62 and the surface 56 to accommodate the portion of clip 40 contained within it so as to retain clip 40 within groove 52 . other examples of a metal working tool 76 which could be employed include , but are not limited to , chisels or crimping tools . fig1 is a cross - sectional view of a heat sink constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the method . the method comprises inserting central portion 44 of a clip 40 into a groove 52 that is defined by adjacent rows of pins 54 . clip 40 is also positioned in close proximity to the surface 56 of the heat sink 10 . the width of groove 52 and the width and cross sectional configuration of the central portion 44 of clip 40 are chosen so that the clip lies in the groove 52 . a metal working tool is used to deform at least a portion of pins 54 on opposite sides of groove 52 into which the clip 40 is placed . the tool works pins 54 to form two cooperating opposed retaining members 62 that provide an upper restraining boundary for a clip receiving space in groove 52 . retaining members 62 , in cooperative relationship , protrude sufficiently into the groove 52 to retain the clip 40 within groove 52 . fig1 is a cross - sectional view of a further embodiment . in that embodiment , the method of retaining a clip 40 in a heat sink 10 comprises initially inserting a clip 40 into a groove 52 defined by adjacent rows of pins 54 so that the clip 40 is placed in space 51 in close proximity to the surface 56 of the heat sink 10 . the width of the clip 40 generally matches that of groove 52 . one or more pins 54 adjoining groove 52 are subsequently deformed by bending them together at their end portions which are distal to surface 56 so as to narrow groove 52 above clip 40 to prevent undesired removal of the clip from groove 52 . in one embodiment , the narrowed groove 52 is formed by the squeezing action of a tool , such as a crimping tool , against opposing pins 54 . the maintenance of proper lateral positioning of heat sink 10 relative to a heat emitting surface of electronic device 20 is also important for proper thermal management . for optimal thermal efficiency , electronic device 20 should remain centered under and in full contact with the heat sink 10 in the aligned arrangement shown in fig2 . once heat sink 10 is positioned and restrained against electronic device 20 by clip 40 , it retains a potential for shifting or moving laterally by moving longitudinally along the axis central portion 44 of clip 40 in the plane of contact with the electronic device 20 . when heat sink 10 has undergone such lateral movement relative to clip 40 and electronic device 20 it may assume the sort of misalignment shown in fig3 , for example . mechanical shock which may often be encountered during transportation and in the course of handling , for example , can cause such shifting of the heat sink 10 . the present invention provides geometric features for restraining the heat sink from moving or shifting laterally in the plane of the device as well as from lifting vertically off of the electronic device upon which it is mounted . for example , fig1 is a top view of an embodiment in a heat sink clip 40 providing longitudinal and transverse lateral restraining as well as vertical restraining characteristics . clip 40 includes a central portion 44 comprised of a first portion 44 a , a second portion 44 b adjacent to and substantially perpendicular to the first portion 44 a , and a third portion 44 c which is adjacent to and substantially perpendicular to the second portion 44 b and substantially parallel with the first portion 44 a . in this embodiment , the first , second , and third portions 44 a , 44 b and 44 c are substantially coplanar . in the embodiment of fig1 , heat sink 10 is restricted from moving laterally in the plane of the electronic device by the geometric features provided by bends in the central portion 44 of clip 40 which allow portions of it to be inserted in both longitudinal grooves 52 and transverse grooves 53 that are oriented substantially perpendicular to each other . in the embodiment shown , segment 44 a of clip 40 lies in a first longitudinal groove 52 , segment 44 b , which is substantially perpendicular to segment 44 a , lies in a transverse groove 53 which is perpendicular to longitudinal groove 52 . finally , segment 44 c lies in a further longitudinal groove 52 that is displaced from first longitudinal groove 52 and is substantially perpendicular to transverse groove 53 . because of the placement of portions of clip 40 in the perpendicularly oriented grooves 52 and 53 , heat sink 10 is restricted from moving laterally in the plane of the electronic device and the lateral plane of the view shown in fig1 . with the heat sink 10 being restricted from both longitudinal and transverse lateral movement while also being secured from vertical movement perpendicular to the plane of the drawing of fig1 , heat sink 10 will be retained in its desired position relative to the electronic device 20 upon which it is mounted . fig1 is a top view of another embodiment where a central portion 44 including a first portion 44 a , a second portion 44 b adjacent and perpendicular to the first portion 44 a , a third portion 44 c adjacent and perpendicular to the second portion 44 b and parallel with the first portion 44 a , a fourth portion 44 d adjacent and perpendicular to the third portion 44 c and parallel with the second portion 44 b , and a fifth portion 44 e adjacent and perpendicular to the fourth portion 44 d and substantially collinear with the first portion 44 a . the second , third and fourth portions 44 b , 44 c and 44 d are adapted to provide a geometric feature which places portions of the central portion 44 of clip 40 in perpendicularly intersecting grooves 52 and 53 to secure heat sink 10 against movement laterally and transversely in the plane of the drawing of fig1 . a portion of the central portion of clip 44 can also be said to partially encircle at least one pin 54 , to restrict movement of the heat sink 10 both laterally and transversely in the horizontal plane while also securing it vertically . in the embodiment shown in fig1 , the first , second , third , fourth , and fifth portions 44 a , 44 b , 44 c , 44 d and 44 e are all substantially coplanar and parallel to surface 56 of heat sink 10 . fig1 relates to another embodiment and shows a lateral restraining of the clip central portion 44 including several bends that combine to comprise a geometric feature or “ kink ” 92 in the portion oriented to lie in the plane of surface 56 of heat sink 10 . kink 92 protrudes into perpendicular groove 52 when the distal ends of central portion 44 are inserted into longitudinal groove 53 . kink 92 is positioned between and restrained by opposing pins 54 with two protrusions 62 flanking geometric feature 92 and thereby substantially preventing lateral movement of the heat sink 10 . fig1 relates to another embodiment showing of a lateral restraint of clip portion 44 . central portion 44 has a geometric feature which is a deformation or bulge 94 formed in central portion 44 so that a portion of the geometric feature projects into transverse groove 53 to provide a restraint against longitudinal movement along the axis of central portion 44 . the geometric feature portion 94 restricts transverse longitudinal movement of the heat sink 10 in groove 52 while the central portion 44 of the clip 40 restricts transverse lateral movement of the heat sink 10 relative to clip 40 . in one embodiment , the heat sink geometric feature 94 which provides lateral restraint is formed by a squeezing action of a crimping tool . the crimping tool permanently flattens a portion of the central portion 44 of the clip 40 to form the bulge 94 which extends transversely into one of the transverse grooves 53 to inhibit longitudinal lateral movement . in one embodiment , deformed portion 94 is formed prior to the insertion of the clip 40 into the longitudinal groove 52 . in another embodiment , the geometric feature provided by the deformed portion 94 is formed after the insertion of the clip 40 into the groove 52 . in that embodiment , a location on the central portion 44 is chosen where there is an intersection of two perpendicularly intersecting grooves 52 and 53 . in one embodiment , a metal working tool is used to compress the chosen portion of the central portion 44 between a surface of the tool and the heat sink second surface 56 forming the deformed portion 94 . deformed portion 94 is adapted to extend into the groove 52 and thereby restrain lateral movement of the heat sink 10 . fig1 shows a detail cross section elevation view of another embodiment . the central portion 44 of the clip 40 bends to provide a geometric feature which is a raised portion 44 c which is parallel to and above surface 56 of heat sink 10 between two non - raised clip portions 44 a and 44 e that are routed closely adjacent to surface 56 . the raised portion 44 c is adapted to cooperate with the retaining members 62 from pins 54 to secure clip portions 44 a and 44 e from vertical movement away from surface 56 . clip portions 44 a and 44 e are captured between adjacent retaining member 62 and surface 56 and prevent the clip from being vertically withdrawn from the groove 52 . the raised portion 44 c extends above the space between retaining members 62 and the surface 56 . the raised portion 44 c is adapted such that transition portions between segments 44 a and 44 e and raised portion 44 c abuts retaining members 62 to allow them to substantially restrict lateral movement of the heat sink 10 relative to clip central portion 44 . it is understood that in various embodiments heat sink geometric features can comprise many forms and still cooperate with pins 54 and restrain lateral motion of the heat sink 10 relative to retaining clip 40 . fig1 shows a cut - away view of another embodiment constructed in accordance with the present invention . the central portion 44 of clip 40 has a raised portion 101 comprising an inverted v - shaped kink which engages one or more retaining members 62 from pins 54 on the sides of the groove 52 containing the central portion 44 of clip 40 to prevent substantially all movement of the heat sink 10 relative to clip 40 . fig1 provides a cut - away view of another embodiment in accordance with the present invention . the central portion 44 bends to a raised portion 103 comprising an inverted u - shaped kink which provides the necessary interference with one or more retaining members 62 to substantially prevent longitudinal movement of the heat sink 10 along the central portion 44 of the clip . fig2 illustrates , in cross - section , another embodiment in accordance with the present invention . the raised portion 44 c cooperates with two abutting retaining members 62 a and 62 b from a single pin 54 above and below raised portion 44 c so that portion 44 c is captured between the two retaining members 62 a and 62 b . the raised portion 44 c abuts the retaining members 62 a and 62 b to substantially prevent lateral movement of the heat sink 10 relative to along central portion 44 and parallel to surface 56 as well as restraining it vertically . in one embodiment restraining member 62 a is formed after clip 40 is seated in slot 52 and locks it in place . thus , the geometry features provided by the bends on central portion 44 of the clip 40 restrain it from movement relative to heat sink 10 . many other interlocking combinations of retaining members 62 and geometrical features of clip 40 will also serve to lock it to heat sink 10 to restrain undesired movement of heat sink 10 relative to the cooled electronic device . it can also be appreciated , and is within the scope of this invention , that various geometric configurations of the central portion 44 of clip 40 will also restrict undesired movement of the clip 40 relative to the heat sink 10 . for example , in yet another embodiment , not shown , at least a portion of central portion 44 is not aligned with either a groove 52 or a groove 53 but may be placed in a diagonally oriented groove running between pins 54 where it will still contribute to securing heat sink 10 from lateral movement in the plane of the electronic device . it is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive . many other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description . the scope of the invention should , therefore , be determined with reference to the appended claims , along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled . | 8 |
embodiments of the presently disclosed minimally invasive retraction device will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings wherein like reference numerals identify similar or identical elements . in the drawings and in the description which follows , the term “ proximal ”, as is traditional , will refer to the end of the minimally invasive retraction device which is closest to the operator while the term “ distal ” will refer to the end of the device which is furthest from the operator . referring intially to fig1 and 2 , a first embodiment of the presently disclosed minimally invasive retractor or retractor is illustrated and generally designated as 10 . retractor 10 includes an open proximal end 12 and a distal end 14 . in addition , retractor 10 includes a pair of retractor blades 8 having a plurality of instrument holes 6 disposed on each of retractor blades 8 . instrument holes 6 are configured and dimensioned to cooperate with different surgical instruments as will be discussed in detail hereinafter . a distal region 9 of retractor 10 includes an opening 7 ( fig2 ), at least one slot or window 2 , and a pair of arms 13 extending from distal end 14 to a flexible region or living hinge 4 . window 2 is sized and configured to receive instruments therethrough . each retractor blade 8 is attached to living hinge 4 to define a substantially continuous elongate member . a pair of recesses 4 a are formed between retractor blade 8 and arm 13 to define living hinge 4 . distal end 14 further includes at least one relief region r ( fig2 ) defined by at least one slit 16 extending proximally from opening 7 ( fig2 ). alternatively , slit 16 may originate at window 2 and extend distally towards opening 7 . it is contemplated that other arrangements of relief structures may be used to define relief region r and these may exist between opening 7 and window 2 . each slit 16 is a weakened portion of distal end 14 . it may be a score in the material , a perforated region in the material , or another structural arrangement allowing relief region r to be radially displaced away from the centerline of retractor 10 in response to applied forces as will be discussed in detail hereinafter . in addition , distal end 14 has a generally convex outer surface that facilitates insertion of retractor 10 through layers of body tissue . retractor blades 8 and arms 13 are generally arcuate structures that cooperate to define a substantially circular configuration for retractor 10 . each retractor blade 8 and each arm 13 have an arcuate configuration that is less than about 180 ° and are radially spaced apart to define a continuous slot 17 along a substantial portion of retractor 10 . in addition , each retractor blade 8 and its corresponding arm 13 define a passage 18 that also extends substantially the entire length of retractor 10 . passage 18 is expandable , as will be discussed in detail hereinafter , for receiving a rod 3 ( fig9 ) therein . retractor blades 8 and arms 13 define a substantially circular ring shape , thereby providing sufficient stiffness ( i . e . rigidity ) such that retractor blades 8 and arms 13 resist bending from the counter forces of the retracted tissues . opening 7 is located at distal end 14 of retractor 10 and is sized for receiving the shank of a threaded screw 40 ( fig2 ) therethrough , but inhibiting passage of a head 42 of screw 40 so as to support screw 40 at distal end 14 of retractor 10 . the interior surface of distal end 14 has a generally concave spherical geometry that is adapted to mate with head 42 of pedicle screw 40 that is best seen in fig1 . retractor 10 is formed from a suitable biocompatible material having the desired physical properties . that is , retractor 10 is formed of a biocompatible , sterilizable material in a suitable configuration and thickness so as to be sufficiently rigid to be held on the screw when desired during insertion and a surgical procedure and to provide retraction of tissue , and yet is sufficiently bendable to be spread apart to provide retraction and to be forcibly removed from the screw as necessary and appropriate . it is contemplated that retractor 10 may be formed from polymers such as polypropylene , polyethylene , or polycarbonate . additionally , retractor 10 may be formed from silicone , polyetheretherketone (“ peek ”), or another suitable material . retractor blade 8 is bendable away from the centerline of retractor 10 in response to applied forces , wherein retractor blade 8 bends at living hinge 4 . bending retractor blade 8 away from the centerline ( i . e . radially outwards ) creates a larger opening through retractor 10 and also acts to retract the surrounding tissue at the selected surgical site . installation and use of retractor 10 in surgical procedures will be discussed in detail hereinafter . referring now to fig3 and 4 , a second embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated as retractor 30 having an open proximal end 32 and a distal end 34 . retractor 30 includes a pair of retractor blades 36 . similar to retractor 10 , distal end 34 has an interior surface with a generally concave spherical geometry that is adapted to mate with the head of a pedicle screw and has a generally convex outer surface that facilitates insertion of retractor 30 through layers of body tissue . additionally , retractor 30 includes an opening 7 ( fig4 ) that is substantially identical to opening 7 of retractor 10 . as in the previous embodiment , blades 36 have an arcuate configuration that is less than about 180 ° and are radially spaced apart to define a continuous slot 37 along a substantial portion of retractor 30 . additionally , retractor blades 36 define a passage 35 through retractor 30 . in this embodiment , retractor blades 36 are also flexible , but bend radially outwards from a centerline of retractor 30 near relief regions r ( fig4 ). as in the previous embodiment , relief regions r are defined by slits 16 ( shown as a pair of slits in fig4 ) as previously discussed in connection with retractor 10 . in this embodiment , retraction of tissue with retractor blades 36 utilizes manual manipulation of retractor blades 36 by the physician rather than using a surgical instrument in cooperation with instrument holes 6 of retractor 10 ( fig1 ). removal of retractor 30 from the surgical site is accomplished by pulling retractor 30 proximally ( i . e . away from the pedicle screw ) and spreading or breaking distal end 34 along slits 16 such that relief regions r and retractor blades 36 separate from each other . as such , the physician can readily remove the two parts from the surgical site . similar to passage 18 ( fig1 ), passage 36 is selectively expandable and contractible for receiving rod 3 therein . in fig5 - 7 , retractor 10 is illustrated in an assembled condition with a pedicle screw 40 . pedicle screw 40 extends through opening 7 ( fig7 ) such that threads of pedicle screw 40 extend beyond distal end 14 ( fig7 ) for insertion into a target site in a bone ( e . g . a vertebral body ). as shown in the figures , when pedicle screw 40 is inserted in retractor 10 , the head of pedicle screw 42 ( fig2 ) mates with the interior geometry of distal end 14 . as shown , rod receiving passage 44 of pedicle screw 40 ( fig2 ) aligns with opening 17 between retractor blades 8 facilitating the insertion of rod 3 ( fig2 ) into screw head 42 . in addition , pedicle screw 40 is pivotable about the longitudinal axis of retractor 10 allowing retractor 10 to be attached in a first angular orientation with respect to the vertebral body , but pivotable about pedicle screw 40 increasing the amount of tissue that may be retracted using retractor 10 . another embodiment of the presently disclosed retractor is illustrated in fig8 and 9 and shown generally as retractor 50 . retractor 50 is similar to retractor 10 , but includes a plurality of living hinges 4 along with their corresponding recesses 4 a . retractor 50 is about 6 inches long and is readily adjusted to a desired length by removing excess material using scissors or a knife . in addition , retractor 50 has an inner diameter that is approximately 16 mm and retractor blades are approximately 1 mm thick . each living hinge 4 is about 1 - 2 mm in height and each blade section 8 a is about 5 mm . instrument holes 6 are on 1 cm centerlines . slot 17 is typically at least 5 . 5 mm , but will vary according to the size of the rod that will be inserted into the patient . in particular , each retractor blade 8 ′ includes a plurality of blade sections 8 a . each blade section 8 a is connected to an adjacent blade section 8 a by a living hinge 4 . thus , the plurality of blade sections 8 a and living hinges 4 define retractor blade 8 ′. as in the previous embodiment ( fig1 ), each blade section 8 ′ is substantially parallel to arm 13 to define slot 17 between retractor blades 8 ′. when retractor blades 8 ′ are urged radially outward from their initial or rest position towards their retracted position , the size of passage 18 increases . this increase in the size and area of passage 18 improves access to the surgical target site ( i . e . near where the retractor is inserted into tissue ), thereby increasing visibility of the target site , access for instruments , and access for surgical implants . as shown in fig9 , rod 3 is positioned in passage 18 after the surrounding tissue has been retracted using retractor 50 . these advantages will be discussed in detail hereinafter . additionally , the plurality of living hinges 4 greatly increases the adaptability of retractor 50 in comparision to retractor 10 . while retractor blades 8 of retractor 10 ( fig1 ) generally bend at its single living hinge 4 , the additional living hinges 4 present along retractor blades 8 ′ of retractor 50 permit bending with increased flexibility at a number of positions along the length of each retractor blade 8 ′. thus , retractor blades 8 ′ will bend at the living hinge 4 that corresponds to the plane defined by the surface of the patient &# 39 ; s body tissue . by using this construction , retractor 50 is usable in patient &# 39 ; s having different tissue thicknesses between the vertebral body and the surface of their skin . in addition , since each retractor blade 8 ′ has a plurality of living hinges 4 and blade sections 8 a , it is not required for each retractor blade 8 ′ to bend at the same point along the length of retractor 50 , thereby accommodating variances in the depth that retractor 50 is inserted . for example , one retractor blade 8 ′ may bend at its fourth living hinge 4 , while the other retractor blade 8 ′ may bend at its sixth living hinge 4 , thereby accommodating variances in tissue thickness and orientation of retractor 50 . in fig1 , a further embodiment of the presently disclosed retractor is illustrated and generally referenced as retractor 60 . retractor 60 is similar to retractor 10 ( fig1 ) with the differences discussed in detail hereinafter . as in the previous embodiment , retractor 60 includes a distal end 14 a with a distal region 9 a . distal region 9 a includes arms 13 a that extend circumferentially and do not form a portion of slot 17 as in the previous embodiment . a living hinge 4 ′ is defined between window 2 and slot 17 . in addition , distal region 9 a includes slits 16 a that are full cuts through the material of distal region 9 a defining a plurality of relief regions r ′. in this embodiment , relief regions r ′ are more flexible such that retractor 60 may be separated from a pedicle screw ( not shown ) and subsequently affixed to the pedicle screw . this configuration permits a surgeon to remove and subcutaneously relocate retractor 60 to gain access to the vertebral disc space . as in the previous embodiments , positioning window 2 distally of slot 17 allows retractor 60 to expand in a medial - lateral orientation such that rod 3 ( fig8 ) may be inserted through passage 18 into the target site . fig1 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the presently disclosed retractor that is generally referenced as 70 . retractor 70 is substantially similar to the embodiment previously identified as retractor 60 ( fig1 ). however , in this embodiment distal region 9 b only includes one arm 13 a , thereby increasing the lateral opening near distal end 14 b and defining window 2 a that is larger than previously disclosed window 2 ( fig1 ). this embodiment provides increased access to the target site , thereby allowing larger implants or instruments to be positioned in the target site . another embodiment of the presently disclosed retractor is illustrated in fig1 and referenced as retractor 80 . retractor 80 includes the same or substantially similar components as described hereinabove with respect to retractor 10 ( fig1 ). in this embodiment , retractor 80 includes only one retractor blade 8 . this configuration allows greater variability in creating the retracted space as well as increasing access to the target site for using larger instruments or inserting larger devices than possible with retractor 10 ( fig1 ). it is contemplated that any of the previously disclosed retractors may be formed of a bendable resilient material such that when external spreading forces ( i . e . from a gelpi retractor or the physician &# 39 ; s hands ) are removed , the retractor blades will return towards their initial position ( e . g ., substantially parallel to the centerline ). it is also contemplated that any of the previously disclosed retractors may be formed of a bendable non - resilient material such that when the external spreading forces are removed , the retractor blades resist returning to their initial position and remain in the retracted position . other components of the presently disclosed system will now be discussed with reference to fig1 - 23 . in fig1 , a bone biopsy needle ( e . g . a jamshidi needle ) 100 is illustrated . needle 100 includes a handle 102 disposed at a proximal end of needle 100 , an elongate tubular member 104 extending distally from handle 102 , and a stylet 106 . stylet 106 has a sharpened distal tip 108 that is adapted for penetrating tissue , including bone . in addition , tubular member 104 has a lumen extending from its proximal end to its distal end for receiving stylet 106 therethrough . stylet 106 is releasably attached to handle 102 such that it may removed once the target site has been pierced by distal tip 108 . after stylet 106 is removed , a guidewire 1 ( fig2 ) may be inserted through tubular member 104 and secured or attached at the target site using known techniques . referring now to fig1 , a cannulated scalpel 120 is illustrated . scalpel 120 includes a housing 125 having a blade 126 disposed therein . blade 126 has a sharpened distal end 124 for separating tissue . in addition , distal end 124 includes an opening 124 a that cooperates with an opening 128 located at proximal end 122 and defines a channel through scalpel 120 for slidably receiving guidewire 1 ( fig1 a ) therethrough . fig1 a shows a dilator 300 configured and dimensioned to be received through a retractor 10 with distal atraumatic blunt tip 302 protruding through opening 7 in retractor 10 . dilator 300 includes a longitudinal passage therethrough having a distal opening 304 for receiving guidewire 1 therethrough . alternatively , it is contemplated that rather than a retractor , dilator 300 may be used together with a cannula ( not shown ). although less desirable , a series of dilators and cannulas can be used . in fig1 - 15b , a cannulated bone tap 140 is shown . bone tap 140 includes an elongated body 142 having a proximal end 146 and a distal end 144 . distal end 144 includes a helical thread 145 for forming threads in a hole that is formed in a bony structure ( i . e . a vertebral body ). proximal end 146 includes a tool engagement region 147 that is adapted for cooperating with a driving or rotating tool 178 ( fig2 ) and forming the threads in the bony structure . driving and rotating tools are well known in the art . in addition , proximal end 146 and distal end 144 cooperate to define a channel 148 extending through bone tap 140 such that bone tap 140 may be slid along guidewire 1 . bone tap 140 is available in a number of different sizes in a range of about 5 . 5 mm to about 7 . 5 mm . alternatively , other bone taps may be used that match the size of the screw threads of the screw that will be implanted into bone . a screw inserter 160 is illustrated in fig1 and 17 . screw inserter 160 includes an anti - rotation sleeve 150 and a housing 170 . housing 170 includes a body 172 having a pair of handles 174 extending therefrom . handles 174 facilitate positioning and / or rotating screw inserter 160 . a tubular member 176 extends distally from body 172 and includes a plurality of holes 175 . a shaft 166 ( fig1 ) is disposed through a lumen of tubular member 176 and is rotatable therein . a tool engaging surface 163 is disposed at a proximal end 162 of shaft 166 . at a distal end 164 of shaft 166 , a screw engaging structure 165 is disposed that is adapted and configured to releasably engage a head 42 of pedicle screw 40 . in particular , screw inserter includes a cross - member 164 and threads 173 . during assembly of screw inserter 160 and pedicle screw 40 ( fig2 ), screw engaging structure 165 is inserted into head 42 such that cross - member 163 occupies rod receiving recess 44 and threads 173 engage threaded portion 45 of pedicle screw 40 . this arrangement releasably secures pedicle screw 40 to screw inserter 160 . when assembled with pedicle screw 40 , rotation of shaft 166 also causes rotation of pedicle screw 40 without causing rotation of housing 170 . anti - rotation sleeve 150 is located along an outer surface of tubular member 176 and includes protruding pins or buttons 152 . as best seen in fig1 , buttons 152 are configured and adapted to releasably engage instrument holes 6 of retractor 10 . although retractor 10 is illustrated in cooperation with screw inserter 160 , screw inserter 160 is configured and adapted to cooperate with retractor 50 , 60 , and 70 . buttons 152 of screw inserter 160 engage instrument holes 6 such that no rotational forces are transferred to the selected retractor while rotating and inserting pedicle screw 40 into a selected vertebral body . this arrangement permits insertion of pedicle screw 40 while minimizing displacement of the selected retractor from its desired location ( i . e . target site ). a common spreader , or gelpi retractor 180 is shown in fig1 in cooperation with retractor 10 . gelpi retractor 180 includes a pair of curvate arms 185 that are pivotably connected at pivot point 186 . a pair of finger rings 184 are located at a proximal end of gelpi retractor 180 that permit the physician to selectively move arms 185 towards and away from each other . a finger 182 is located at a distal end of each arm 185 and is configured to releasably engage an instrument hole 6 in retractor 10 . as shown , finger rings 184 are laterally offset from arms 185 . thus , pivotable movement of arms 185 urge retractor blades 8 towards and away from each other in response to movement of finger rings 184 . moving finger rings 184 towards each other pivots arms 185 away from each other and urge retractor blades 8 away from each other , thereby enlarging passage 18 . consequently , movement of finger rings 184 away from each other has the opposite effect . gelpi retractor 180 is also configured and adapted to cooperate with retractor 50 , 60 , and 70 . fig2 - 20b illustrate a cannulated minimally invasive pedicle screw 40 . pedicle screw 40 includes a helical thread 43 that is sized and configured for insertion into a threaded hole created by bone tap 140 . a head 42 includes a tool engaging portion that is adapted to cooperate with screw inserter 160 as previously discussed . a rod receiving passage 44 is formed in head 42 . in addition , head 42 includes a threaded portion 45 that is adapted to removably attach to the screw inserter 160 and receive a setscrew ( not shown ). the setscrew compresses against rod 3 in passage 44 and frictionally engages rod 3 to hold it in a desired position . setscrews are well known in the art . a throughbore 47 extends between a proximal end and a distal end of pedicle screw 40 for receiving guidewire 1 therethrough ( fig2 b ). a retractor extractor instrument 200 is illustrated in fig2 - 23 . retractor extractor 200 includes handle portion 190 , arms 210 and 220 , and extractor bar 230 . handle portion 190 includes a handle grip 192 having openings 193 , 194 disposed at one end thereof . pin 196 extends through opening 194 and pivotably couples handle portion 190 to arms 210 , 220 by extending through holes 212 , 222 of arms 210 , 220 . a pin 195 extends through opening 193 and pivotably couples handle portion 190 to pivot bar 198 through hole 198 a . at an opposing end of pivot bar 198 , hole 1986 receives a pin 197 . pin 197 extends between arms 210 , 220 and is slidably captured therebetween . in particular , pin 197 slides proximally and distally within a recess 224 of arm 220 . arm 210 has an identical recess that is not shown . additionally , pin 197 extends through an opening 236 of extractor bar 230 . retractor bar has a slot 230 that extends parallel to its longitudinal axis and slidably receives posts 202 therethrough . posts 202 are attached to blade portions 216 , 226 through openings 218 , 228 . additionally , posts 202 are adapted to releasably engage instrument holes 6 of the previously disclosed retractors ( fig2 ). at a distal end of extractor bar 230 , a blunt end 234 is located for bluntly engaging head 42 of pedicle screw 40 or a rod disposed therein . pivoting handle grip 192 towards arms 210 , 220 simulataneously moves extractor bar 230 distally ( i . e . towards the screw ) such that pins 202 on arms 210 , 220 and distal blunt end 234 move apart relative to each other . this simultaneous relative movement between extractor bar 230 and pins 202 causes the retractor to separate from the pedicle screw at the relief regions without applying any appreciable downward forces on the implant or the patient . use of the presently disclosed system will now be described with reference to fig2 - 30 . in a first method , retractor 10 is assembled with pedicle screw 40 as shown in fig2 . the assembled apparatus is inserted into an incision through the patient &# 39 ; s skin s and muscle / fat tissue t such that pedicle screw 40 is subsequently threaded into a vertebral body v . once the desired number of retractors 10 are affixed to vertebral body v , retractor blades 8 are spread apart to retract skin s and tissue t to create a retracted area at the target site . alternatively , retractor 50 may be assembled with pedicle screw 40 to retract tissue as shown in fig2 . in either method , rod 3 is inserted in passage 18 when passage 18 is in an expanded state ( i . e . tissue has been retracted ). additionally , rod 3 is repositioned through passage 18 and subcutaneously such that is may be secured to fastening regions of pedicle screws in adjacent vertebral bodies . turning now to fig2 - 30 , an alternate technique is illustrated . biopsy needle 100 is inserted through skin s of the patient until its distal end contacts the selected point on vertebral body v . biopsy needle 100 may be inserted in a known manner , such as percutaneously under fluoroscopic imaging , or under optical or magnetic image guidance ( such as the stealth ® system available from medtronic sofamor danek ). a small puncture in the vertebral body v is made using sharpened distal tip 108 ( fig1 ). after pin 106 is removed from biopsy needle 100 , guidewire 1 is inserted through biopsy needle 100 and affixed to vertebral body v . guidewire 1 now is in position to direct further instruments and devices to the selected location on vertebral body v . alternately , guidewire 1 may be insterted into vertebral body v without first using biopsy needle 100 . the size of the working area may be increased at the physician &# 39 ; s discretion . in instances where it is desired to increase the working area , the physician may use scalpel 120 along guidewire 1 ( fig2 ) to dissect additional tissue . in order to permit inspection of the position of guidewire 1 prior to insertion of a spine screw , a dilator 300 and optional retractor 10 may be inserted over the guidewire by inserting guidewire 1 through dilator opening 304 ( fig1 a ) with the dilator inserted through retractor 10 . once the dilator tip with retractor is inserted to the target site , the dilator may be removed and placement of the guidewire may be inspected through the retractor . if the surgeon is satisfied with the placement of guidewire 1 , then the procedure may continue through the retractor or the retractor may be removed and another inserted with a screw . if , on the other hand , the surgeon desires to change the guidewire location , another guidewire may be placed through the retractor , such as by inserting bone biopsy needle 100 through the retractor to a different placement in the bone and inserting a new guidewire at the new location . the former guidewire may then be removed . if desired , the physician may pre - drill a threaded bore in vertebral body v using bone tap 140 inserted along guidewire 1 to prepare the bore . once the target site is ready to accept a pedicle screw and retractor , an assembly including pedicle screw 40 , retractor 10 , and screw inserter 160 is slid along guidewire 1 to reach the target site . using optional driving handle 178 ( fig2 ), the physician rotates screw inserter 160 to drive pedicle screw 40 into vertebral body v ( fig3 ). after pedicle screw 40 is secured in vertebral body v , screw inserter 160 is removed and retractor 10 remains in place secured by the screw which has been inserted into bone . this technique is also adapted for use with retractor 50 . the finished result of the attached retractors is the same as shown in fig2 and 25 . retractor blades 8 are spread apart to retract tissue in the working area . as previously discussed , retractor blades 8 may be spread apart using gelpi retractor 180 ( fig1 ) or by the physician manually grasping retractor blades 8 to urge them apart . after the desired retraction is achieved , rod 3 is inserted through passage 18 of retractor 10 , 50 and is guided through window 2 . it has been found that a rod of sufficient length for a multiple level implant construct may be inserted subcutaneously so that the rod is aligned with and inserted into a plurality of screw heads . this technique may be particularly useful in so - called 360 degree procedures where an interbody implant is inserted using an anterior approach and a screw - rod construct is inserted using a posterior approach . alternatively , the surgeon may selectively make an incision between adjacent retractors . the latter approach permits a rod to be inserted through the incision to adjacent screws . once rod 3 is positioned between pairs of pedicle screws 40 and , in particularly through the respective rod receiving passages 44 , rod 3 is secured in place using setscrews as previously discussed . once the screw - rod construct is complete , retractors 10 , 50 are removed from the patient using retractor extractor 200 . retractor extractor 200 is positioned atop pedicle screw 40 such that distal end 234 of extractor bar 230 ( fig2 ) rests flush against the set screw installed in head 42 of pedicle screw 40 or rests upon the rod installed in an alternate pedicle screw . the physician repositions retractor blades 8 towards arm blades 216 , 226 ( fig2 ) of retractor extractor 200 such that posts 202 engage instrument holes 6 . once retractor extractor 200 is installed , the physician pivots handle grip 192 towards arms 210 , 220 . this pivotable movement drives extractor bar 230 distally against head 42 while simultaneously pulling retractor blades 8 proximally such that relief regions r ( fig1 ) separate from each other along slits 16 . as such , retractor 10 , 50 is separated from pedicle screw 40 without imparting significant downward or rotational forces against the patient &# 39 ; s body . retractor 10 , 50 may now be removed from the patient and this process may be repeated for each installed retractor . in an alternate procedure , the physician first prepares the surgical site including positioning a guidewire as discussed hereinabove , optionally using scalpel 120 to prepare an incision , and inserting one of the previously disclosed retractors without a pedicle screw . once the selected retractor is positioned in a desired location , the physician retracts the surrounding tissue as discussed hereinabove . subsequently , the physician attaches pedicle screw 40 to the vertebral body v using screw inserter 160 . in this method , the selected retractor is already in position prior to attaching pedicle screw 40 to vertebral body v . in particular , the physician assembles pedicle screw 40 and screw inserter 160 . once assembled , the screw insertion assembly is inserted into passage 18 of the retractor and pedicle screw 40 is rotated such that it bores into vertebral body v and head 42 seats on the interior surface of the distal region of the retractor and thus attaches the retractor to vertebral body v . optionally , the physician may use cannulated bone tap 140 to prepare the bore . in the disclosed embodiments , each retractor is utilized , but not limited to , a method whereby an initial incision is made in the skin of approximately 10 - 15 mm in length . surgeon preference will dictate the need for one or more stages of dilators to aid in expanding the wound before introducing one or more retractors in combination with pedicle screws . normal surgical techniques may be used to close the incision ( s ). in the disclosed embodiments , the retractor may be manufactured from medical grade plastic or metal , thermoplastics , composites of plastic and metal , or biocompatible materials . a plastic part is made from , but not limited to , polypropylene and polyethylene . plastic parts may be transparent or opaque and may have radio opaque markers for visibility during various imaging techniques . a metallic part utilizes such materials as , but not limited to , aluminum , stainless steel , and titanium . in addition , the parts may have a reflective or non - reflective coating to aid in increasing visibility in the wound and may have an artificial lighting feature . the disclosed retractors , as with any surgical instrument and implant , must have the ability to be sterilized using known materials and techniques . parts may be sterile packed by the manufacturer or sterilized on site by the user . sterile packed parts may be individually packed or packed in any desirable quantity . for example , a sterile package may contain one or a plurality of retractors in a sterile enclosure . alternatively , such a sterile surgical kit may also include one or a plurality of bone biopsy needles ( fig1 ), guide wires ( fig2 b ), sterile cannulated scalpels ( fig1 ), or dilators ( fig1 a ). it will be understood that various modifications may be made to the embodiments of the presently disclosed retraction system . therefore , the above description should not be construed as limiting , but merely as exemplifications of embodiments . those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure . for example , while the foregoing description has focused on spine surgery , it is contemplated that the retractors and methods described herein may find use in other orthopedic surgery applications , such as trauma surgery . thus , where it is desired to insert a screw or pin into bone in a minimally invasive manner , or otherwise to access a surgical target site over a guidewire , the dilator , scalpel and retractors ( or some of them ) of the present disclosure may be used , with or without a bone screw . | 0 |
with reference to the drawings , the device according to the present invention is generally designated by reference numeral 10 . the device 10 includes a subframe 12 which rests upon the ground and supports the various components of device 10 . connected to subframe 12 is a platform 14 with appropriate railings 16 for operator access to the device 10 . supported upon the subframe 12 is a main housing 18 . main housing 18 is essentially rectangular in shape and includes front and rear walls 20 and 22 , right and left walls 24 and 26 and a bottom 28 . the walls of the main housing 18 define an interior cavity or bin 30 within main housing 18 . bin 30 includes an upper opening 32 which allows access to the bin . main housing 18 may include lifting lugs 34 adjacent upper opening 32 to allow the main housing to be engaged with a forklift or other lifting device for placement of the main housing in the proper position . upper opening 32 may be selectively closed by use of a hood 36 . the hood 36 may advantageously be hinged to the upper edge of rear wall 22 and include a pair of windows 37 to allow the operator to observe the process . hood 36 may include a lifting handle to allow the hood to be opened and closed about the hinges for access to bin 30 . however , it is preferred that the hood 36 include a piston and cylinder arrangement hinged to rear wall 22 and hood 36 for powered raising and lowering of the hood . piston and cylinder 38 may be controlled by a standard actuator 40 which preferably includes an interlock to automatically cease operation of the device upon opening of the hood 36 . located within the bin 30 is means for comminuting or &# 34 ; fluffing &# 34 ; the compacted or partially compacted product . as best shown in fig3 and 6 , this means includes an upper level of agitators 42 , lower level agitators 44 and an auger 46 . each of the elements 32 through 46 takes the general form of a rod extending between the right and left walls 24 and 26 of main housing 18 . more specifically , each of the right and left walls 24 and 26 will include an array of short rod segments 48 having interior ends extending a short distance into the interior of bin 30 , and being mounted in appropriate bearings 50 . the agitators 42 and 44 and auger 46 may then be advantageously formed of a length of rigid pipe 52 fixably connected to the interior ends of the rod segments 48 . the rigid pipes 52 may alternatively be releasably connected to rod segments 48 to allow easy disassembly of the device 10 . each of the agitators 42 and 44 includes a plurality of radially outwardly extending tines 54 . the tines may be advantageously formed from a length of all - thread extending through a radial hole in pipe 52 . appropriate nuts screwed upon the all - thread and engaging the exterior of the pipe 52 will then hold the tines 54 in a rigid , yet removable , position . the auger 46 includes an appropriate helical land fixed to the exterior of the pipe 52 , as by weldinq . as will be described in more detail later , this helical land does not extend the full length of the pipe 52 forming the auger 56 . the agitators and auger extend substantially parallel to each other . the rod segments 48 extending outwardly from left wall 26 include sprockets 56 to allow the rod segments , and thus the agitators and auger to be driven by a chain drive . as is best shown in fig3 a drive motor 58 is mounted upon main housing 18 and includes an appropriate sprocket and / or gear reducer for engagement with main drive chain 60 . main drive chain 60 extends about , and in operative engagement with , each of the sprockets 56 of the rod segments of the upper level agitators 42 . drive chain 60 is engaged with the sprockets 56 of agitators 42 such that the upper level agitators will each rotate in a direction opposite to an adjacent upper level agitator . the lower level agitators 44 located adjacent the front and rear walls 20 and 22 and the agitator ( located near the center of the side walls between the lower level agitators ) are driven from the rotation of the rod segments 48 by secondary chains 62 engaged with appropriate sprockets 56 on the respective rod segments 48 . finally , the remaining lower level agitators 44 located adjacent the auger 46 are driven by rotation of the exterior lower level agitators by means of tertiary chains 64 engaged with appropriate sprockets 56 on the respective rod segments 48 . with this drive chain arrangement the various agitators and the auger will rotate in the direction indicated by the arrows in fig3 . while other drive chain arrangements , and thus rotations , are feasible , the present arrangement with the upper level agitators each rotating in a direction opposite that of an adjacent upper level agitator and the lower level agitators adjacent the auger rotating in the same direction has proved to be advantageous . it should be stated that the particular number and arrangement of agitators and augers may be varied to suit particular needs . for example , fewer or more agitators and / or augers may be employed . additionally or alternatively , the agitators and auger may be arranged in a configuration other than upper and lower rows . as noted above , the helical lands forming the auger do not extend the full length of its associated pipe 52 . as is best shown in fig2 the pipe 52 of auger 46 extends outwardly of the bin 30 through an exit flange 66 communicating with the bin 30 . exit flange 66 communicates with a dispenser fitting 68 releasably connected to exit flange 66 . the pipe 52 of auger 46 extends into the dispenser fitting 68 and is connected to the rod segment 48 which is rotatably mounted in a bearing 50 in the exterior end of dispenser fitting 68 . as such , the right hand end of auger 56 is not rotatably mounted in the right wall 24 of main housing 18 , but is instead rotatably mounted in the dispenser fitting 68 . the helical land forming the auger 46 ceases proximate the end of exit flange 66 , with the diameter of exit flange 66 substantially conforming to the exterior diameter of the helical land of the auger . as a final safeguard against any compacting of the material during conveyance by the auger 46 , the right hand end of pipe 52 of auger 56 includes a pair of dispenser tines 70 which may be of the same form as tines 54 previously described . as may be readily apparent from the structure described above , when a mass of compressed or partially compressed material is placed within bin 30 and the drive motor 58 actuated , the movement of drive motor 58 is transmitted through the various chains 60 through 64 to cause rotation of the agitators 42 and 44 and auger 46 . this rotary movement will cause the various tines on the agitators to engage the mass of material and comminute ( or , since the mass has by definition been previously comminuted , &# 34 ; fluff &# 34 ;) the material to a fine particulate form as was present previous to compaction . the particulate material will fall by gravity to the bottom 28 of the bin 30 where it will be engaged by the helical lands of auger 46 and conveyed from left to right in the bin until it passes through exit flange 66 into dispenser fitting 68 . at this point the particulate material is given a final &# 34 ; fluffing &# 34 ; to ensure entrainment of the particulate material in a fluid stream passing through dispenser fitting 68 . the fluid stream is provided by a blower means operatively connected to dispenser fitting 68 . specifically , mounted upon subframe 12 is an appropriate blower motor 72 . blower motor 72 is operatively connected , as by a chain or belt drive , to a blower 74 . the dispenser fitting 68 includes an air inlet 71 adjacent the dispenser tines 70 which may be connected to an appropriate conduit to ensure an adequate supply of uncontaminated air . the blower 74 also includes an air inlet fitting 78 operatively connected to a blower conduit 80 which is in turn operatively connected to the dispenser fitting 68 . the dispenser fitting 68 includes a duct 81 passing through the dispenser fitting at approximately a right angle to the axis of pipe 52 of auger 46 through which the fluid stream will flow . the blower 74 also includes an outlet fitting 76 through which the fluid stream , with the particulate material entrained therein , will pass . the outlet fitting 76 may be connected to an appropriate conduit to guide the entrained material to the desired location . the blower conduit 80 may be formed of a flexible material , but is preferably formed of a rigid material for durability . where the blower conduit 80 is formed of a rigid material , a flexible conduit segment 82 is mounted between the air outlet fittings 78 and blower conduit 80 for a purpose described below . electrical power is supplied to the drive motor 58 and blower motor 72 by a main power box 84 , secondary power box 86 and appropriate electrical conduits 88 . the drive motor 58 is preferably controllable as to its rpm , and is operatively connected as by a control line 90 to an electronic controller 92 . the electronic controller 92 is connected to the secondary power box 86 such that it may control the power to the drive motor 58 and blower motor 72 , and thus control operation of the device 10 . controller 92 functions to control the device such that it dispenses an accurate amount of the material . to this end , the main housing 18 is mounted upon subframe 12 with a plurality of load cells 94 interposed therebetween . this arrangement of load cells is best shown in fig7 . the load cells are operatively connected to a &# 34 ; j &# 34 ; box to condition the signals from the load cells 94 . the &# 34 ; j &# 34 ; box is , in turn , connected to the controller 92 such that the controller has access to the conditioned signals from the load cells 94 . as such , the controller 92 may sense the total weight of main housing 18 and the mass of material contained therein and display it on a display segment 96 of controller 92 . while load cells have been described and shown , it should be apparent that other weight sensing means , including scales , may alternatively be employed . the operator may then input a desired quantity ( in weight ) of material desired to be dispensed . the controller will then begin operation of drive motor 58 and blower motor 72 while continuously sensing the information from load cells 94 . upon the weight of the main housing 18 and material contained therein being reduced by the amount input by the operator , the controller 92 will automatically cease operation of the drive motor 58 and blower motor 72 . the drive motor 58 , chain and sprocket arrangements are typically formed such that the agitators will rotate at between 0 - 750 rpm , with 0 - 80 rpm being typical , and the auger will rotate at between 0 to 1000 rpm , with 0 - 125 rpm being typical . it should be noted that the auger 46 may be provided with a separate drive motor controlled by the electronic controller 92 , with the agitators 42 and 44 driven at a constant speed or at a speed setting equal to or different from that of the auger 46 , yet controlled by electronic controller 92 . the blower will operate at approximately 8 , 000 to 9 , 000 rpm . the electronic controller is an important feature of the present invention . by this means an accurate amount of the material is dispensed to ensure quality control of the product in which the material is used . additionally , due to the comminution or &# 34 ; fluffing &# 34 ; characteristics of the present device the material may be heavily compressed for shipment , thus saving space and allowing larger amounts of the material to be transported on a single load . this reduction in freight expense can be dramatic . the controller 92 , when supplied with a timer , may also be used to control the rate at which the material is dispensed . as in the previous example the controller will initially sense the weight of the main housing 18 and mass of material contained therein . this will be displayed on the display segment 96 , at which point the operator will input the desired dispensing rate , for example in pounds per minute . the controller 92 will then supply power to the drive motor 58 and blower motor 72 to begin operation of the device . the controller 92 will then continuously sense the weight of the main housing 18 and mass of material contained therein at regular intervals of time . the controller may then vary the rpm of drive motor 58 to ensure that the proper rate of dispensing is achieved . it is noted that the blower conduit 80 extends from the blower , which is mounted on the subframe to the dispenser fitting 68 mounted on the main housing 18 . to ensure proper operation of the load cells by allowing free movement of the main housing 18 with respect to subframe 12 , the blower conduit 80 should be formed from a flexible material , or the flexible conduit segment 82 should be included . a modification or second embodiment of the invention is shown in fig3 and 6 . in this embodiment , the hood 36 has been removed and replaced by a grating lid 98 , shown in fig5 . the grating lid 98 includes a peripheral frame 100 with appropriate lifting handles 102 . the frame 100 is sized to fit upon the side and front walls of the main housing 18 . within the periphery of frame 100 is a grating 104 comprised of a wire mesh or a lattice of metallic rods . the grating 104 will serve to limit access of an operator to the interior of the main housing 18 to prevent operator injury . while this is a suitable arrangement , the use of hood 36 is preferred , in that it provides improved safety over the grating lid 98 , reduces noise and reduces the amount of dust from the material entering the work place atmosphere . along these lines , the hood 36 may be modified to reduce the amount of dust entering the work place atmosphere . specifically , an air conduit 106 may be operatively connected to the hood 36 for communication with the bin 30 . the air conduit 36 will then extend downwardly from the hood to the dispenser fitting 68 , with which it is in communication . during operation , the fluid flow past the end of air conduit 106 at the dispenser fitting 68 will cause reduced pressure within the air conduit 106 . this will have the effect of creating a slight air flow within the bin 30 to the air conduit 106 , thus removing airborne particles of the material . from the above it may be seen that the device according to the present invention provides improved dispensing of material . the dispensing described above , however , has been of the batch variety in that a desired quantity of material will be dispensed , and then operations stopped . it should be noted however that a plurality of devices 10 may be provided , with the devices being controlled by a central controller such that the cessation of operation of one device 10 will cause the beginning of operation of another device 10 . in this manner a continuous dispensing of material may be achieved . alternatively , a conveyor for supplying masses of material to the bin 30 could be provided . such a conveyor would have a load cell operatively connected to the controller 92 such that the amount of material added to the bin 30 would become an additional factor employed in the calculations of the electronic controller 92 . the device may also be modified to provide further comminution or &# 34 ; fluffing &# 34 ;. specifically , a fan mill in the form of a fan surrounded by a screen of appropriate mesh may be located downstream of the dispenser fitting . this would ensure that only particles or clumps of particles having a desired size are conveyed in the airstream . alternatively , a fan with a hammer mill could be located downstream of the dispenser fitting . while the device according to the present invention has been described in detail with regard to specific embodiments , it must be noted that various modifications may be made to the device . for example , the blower motor 72 could be operated for a few seconds longer than drive motor 58 to ensure that the particulate material is fully dispensed from dispenser fitting 68 . this may not be necessary , however , since the reduced friction associated with the blower motor and blower may result in this effect without the use of a timer . additionally , the drive motor 58 and blower motor 72 need not be electric motors , but may be of other types with appropriate controls . as noted above , the number and arrangement of the agitators 42 and auger 46 may be varied , as may be their directions of rotation . finally , the bottom 28 of the main housing 18 may have a sloped configuration rather than the flat configuration shown in the drawings . from the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all ends and objects hereinabove set forth together with the other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent in the structure . it will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations . this is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims . since many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof , it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense . | 1 |
in fig4 the deflection yoke 18 is provided with a pair of saddle type horizontal deflection coils , which is not shown , inside a cylindrical coil separator 19 made of plastic material and with a pair of vertical deflection coils which are toroidally wound around the annular deflection core 20 outside the coil separator 19 . the coil separator 19 of the deflection yoke 18 is provided with the rear expanded chamber 23 in which the rear end parts of horizontal deflection coils are located . on the outer wall of the expanded chamber 23 at the electron gun side are provided a pair of correction coil devices 24 and 25 at the positions where , in case the deflection yoke 18 is mounted on the cathode - ray tube , the correction coil devices are positioned in the direction of in - line arrangement of three electron beams and symmetrical to the axis of the cathode - ray tube . the top of the expanded chamber 23 is provided with the printed circuit board 26 to which the convergence circuit as shown in fig5 . this circuit is described later in this description . the horizontal deflection coils generate a horizontal deflection field and the vertical deflection coils 21 and 22 generate a vertical deflection field . in the present invention , the deflection yoke 18 is adapted so that the misconvergence which appears on the screen of the cathode - ray tube is a misconvergence as shown in fig1 . specifically , three electron beams are converged on the x axis of the screen by adjusting the shapes and a conductor distribution of horizontal deflection coils and the misconvergence y h of only the horizontal component in the y - axis direction of the screen is generated by adjusting the shapes and the conductor distribution of vertical deflection coils . the deflection yoke purposively generates misconvergence y h so that the misconvergence y h which inevitably takes place on the screen for the above reason should be a misconvergence which can be easily corrected unlike the cross misconvergence which is difficult to be eliminated . fig5 shows the convergence circuit which is the main feature of the present invention . the vertical deflection coils 21 and 22 and the resistor 28 are series - connected to the vertical deflection circuit 27 . common input terminals 30a and 30b for the potentiometer and the rectifier circuit 30 are respectively connected to both ends of the resistor 28 . the rectifying circuit 30 is formed as the bridge type rectifying circuit employing four diodes d1 , d2 , d3 and d4 and the correction circuit 31 is connected to output terminals 30c and 30d of the bridge type rectifying circuit and the slide 29a of the potentiometer 29 is connected to the terminal 30d through the resistor 32 . this rectifying circuit full - wave rectifies deflection current iv of sawtooth waveform to be supplied from the vertical deflection circuit 27 as shown in fig7 a and converts it to correction current ic of parabolic waveform as shown in fig7 b . the parabolic waveform is formed by the conduction characteristic of the diode and the diode with low offset voltage such as a schottky diode is used . the cycle of correction current ic coincides with the cycle of vertical deflection current iv . the correction circuit 31 comprises the potentiometer 33 , variable resistor 34 and correction coils 10b and 11b , and input terminals 33b and 33c of the potentiometer are connected to output terminals 30c and 30d of the rectifying circuit 30 . the variable resistor 34 is connected between the slide 33a and the input terminal 33b of the potentiometer 33 while correction coils 10b and 11b are connected between the slide 33a and the input terminal 33c . the resistor 35 indicates the internal resistance the correction coils 10b and 11b have . the following describes the operation of the convergence circuit . the misconvergence y h as shown in fig1 takes place on the screen of the cathode - ray tube . in other words , the magnitude of misconvergence is larger toward the upper and lower end parts of the screen . however , correction current ic of parabolic waveform as shown in fig7 b flows in correction coils 10b and 11b . in other words , a large amount of correction current flows in the beginning part tf and the end part tb of one cycle and the current at the part tc of the half cycle is approximately zero . though the correction field does not take place when the electron beam is scanned at a position near the x axis of the screen , correction fields 13 and 14 shown in fig2 are intensified more toward the upper and lower parts of the screen and electron beams b and r are converged to electron beam g in the full range of the screen . in most cases of assembling the cathode - ray tube and the deflection yoke , the misconvergence value y h differs with each assembly . in this case , the alignment is carried out by moving the slide 33a of the potentiometer 33 . in other words , current value ic which flows in correction coils 10b and 11b increases in accordance with the movement of the slide 33a from the position of input terminal 33c to the position of input terminal 33d . if this current value is varied at a specified rate along with the movement of the slide , correction of the misconvergence in the above - mentioned assembly can be ensured . fig6 shows the variation of correction current ic . in reference to movement l of the slide , which is one of features of the present invention . characteristic curves r 0 , r 1 , r 2 and r 3 show the variations of resistance value r of the variable resistor 34 . curve r 0 shown with a solid line shows the characteristic obtained when resistance value r of the variable resistor 34 is set to the optimum value and the deflection yoke is generally adjusted to this optimum value for the standard cathode - ray tube . curve r 1 shows the characteristic when resistance value r is set zero , curve r 2 shows the characteristic when resistance value r is set to a smaller value than the optimum value , and curve r 3 shows the characteristic when resistance value r is set to the maximum value of variable resistor 34 . if the optimum value of variable resistor 34 is known when designing a special type of deflection yoke , the variable resistor 34 can be changed to a fixed resistor for an economical reason . assuming the maximum value of correction current ic necessary to correct the misconvergence value y h as ic max and the minimum value as ic min , the range of movement of the slide 33a of the potentiometer 33 becomes wider as l 1 . this means that fine adjustment for eliminating the misconvergence y h can be carried out . curve 36 indicated with a broken line shows the characteristic when the variable resistor 34 is removed from the correction circuit 31 . in this case , the range of adjustment of the potentiometer 33 is l 2 . this range is far smaller than l 1 and indicates that fine adjustment to eliminate the misconvergence is difficult . on the other hand , a misconvergence asymmetrical to the x axis appears as shown in fig3 due to a displacement of the in - line arrangement of three electron beams . this misconvergence cannot be eliminated by adjustment of the potentiometer 33 . such misconvergence is corrected by adjusting the potentiometer 29 and changing the parabolic waveform of correction current ic . in other words , correction current ic passing through the diode d 2 of rectifying circuit 30 is divided at the output terminal 30d into a current to be supplied to the input terminal 33b of the correction circuit 31 and a current which flows from the slide 29a to the input terminal 30a through the resistor 32 in case of the negative half - wave component ivb of vertical deflection current iv shown in fig7 a , that is , when the lower half of the screen is scanned . the percentage of the current to be divided will be larger in accordance with movement of the slide 29a toward the input terminal 30a . consequently , the current flowing through correction coils 10b and 11b does not show a variation of waveform icf at time tf - tc as shown in fig7 b and the waveform icb at time tc - tb becomes current icb &# 39 ; having a small peak value as shown with a one - dot broken line . asymmetrical misconvergence is corrected by this correction current . when the pattern of asymmetrical misconvergence appears in a reverse pattern to that in fig3 the slide 29a of potentiometer 29 is moved to the input terminal 30b . in case of the positive half - wave component ivf of deflection current iv , correction current ic which has passed through diode d 1 is divided into a current to be supplied to the input terminal 33b and a current which flows from the slide 29a to the input terminal 30b through the resistor 32 . consequently , the waveform icf at time tf - tc of correction current ic is varied and the misconvergence is corrected . the resistor 32 is provided to avoid a sudden variation of impedance due to adjustment of the potentiometer 29 . if the degree of asymmetricity of misconvergence is large , the degree of correction can be increased by removing the resistor 32 . the misconvergence which inevitably occurs due to assembly of the cathode - ray tube and the deflection yoke can be effectively corrected over the full range of the screen . thus , the deflection yoke can be easily designed and the yield rate in manufacturing of the deflection yokes can be greatly improved . | 7 |
( 1 ) as shown in fig1 -- 1 , 1 - 2 , an examplary form of the table vise having the two - directional clamping functions is illustrated , which mainly comprises : a body 101 having the fixed jaw 102 which has a twodirectional clamp claw , the body 101 also having a longitudinal guide hole ( or slot ) to receive the machine body of the movable jaw 103 , a bottom ( or cover ) base provided under the body member for fixing on the work bench or joining a bottom to make angular adjustments , a concave slot 104 in the inner part of the body member to receive the shaft ( or upstanding bug ) 105 ; a movable jaw 103 with clamp claws 106 on its two sides , its elongated strip - type machine body in a form to couple the longitudinal hole in the machine body in order to receive the drive of the guide rod 107 to reciprocatingly slide therebetween , a round hole 108 is journaled in the front end of the machine body to receive the guide rod 107 , a drive guide rod 107 passing through the rear hole 108 in the front end of the machine body of the movable jaw , its passing - through section having a thread 109 to receive a positioning nut 110 , a through hole ( or key ) between the positioning nut 110 and guide rod respectively to receive the positioning cotter pin 111 ; a set of shaft 105 having inner screw holes to receive the longitudinal concave slot 104 of the body . from the above - said vise structure , we can use the positive and reverse rotations of the guide rod 107 to dirve the movable jaws 103 which in turn will clamp the work piece or push or stretch to clamp the work piece . under the foundation of the above - said design , we may use the following - listed clamp claw sets to form various wide applications , for instance , as shown in fig1 - 3 , the rotary clamp claw used and disclosed in the u . s . pat . no . 2 , 881 , 645 , so we can make one of its clamp claw have a rotary shaft to be applicable to the innner frames or slots , parallel or non - parallel . as shown in fig1 - 4 , the u . s . pat . no . 4 , 632 , 374 is used , of which a set of clamp claws have two slidable clamp claws , so we can use the clamp claw set having function to clamp irregular work pieces and to push and stretch outward ; fig1 - 5 is a slidable clamp claw shown in fig1 - 4 and provided on the outer side of one of the jaw sets , while the outer side of the other clmap jaw is a flat clamp claw and the inner sides of two jaws are also of the flat clamp claw to stretch and push the irregular work pieces ; shown in fig1 - 6 is the rotary jaw having the slidable clamp claw and flat clamp claw as shown in fig1 - 4 to clamp a work piece inward or push and stretch a work piece outward . fig1 - 7 is an examplary form of two sets of jaws with the slidable clamp claws disclosed in the u . s . pat . no . 4 , 632 , 374 on their inner sides respectively and their outer sides have the outstreching flat clamp claws . fig1 - 8 is an examplary form of two sets of jaws with the slidable clamp claws disclosed in the u . s . pat . no . 4 , 632 , 374 and their inner sides with parallel clamp claws to push and stretch the irregular work pieces . fig1 - 9 is an examplary form of two sets of rotary jaws with two slidable clamp claws on their one side and their other side with flat clamp claws . since the designed drive screw and movable jaws of the present invention can subject to the forces applied in two directions , said table vise can further use the inner concave tooth terrace ( or notch ) shapes 112 provided on the upper and lower rims in the inner side ( not on the handle bar side of the guide rod ) of the body and the elongated slot hole 113 in the upper side of the end section of the elongated strip - type machine body of the movable jaw , the upper side close to the end of the elongated slot hole 113 is also in a concave tooth - type terrace ( or notch ) shape 114 , when the screw 103 is driven in a reverse direction , the concave tooth terrace shapes 112 formed in the upper and lower rims in the inner side of the said body and the concave tooth terrace shape 114 in the end side of the elongated slot holes in the end of the elongated strip - type machine body of the movable jaw constitute the function to clamp the longer upright work pieces ( especially the upright pipes and rods ), when said vise is provided with a rotary seat 115 which is locked on its work side , the vise can be rotated 180 °, so the above - said perpendicularly clamped work piece can be extended to the floor , and therefore this is particularly applicable to the maintenance and processing for such kinds of pipes rods and strips . besides , since the table vise also has a design of the backwardly installed movable jaws as shown in fig2 - 1 , 2 - 3 , in such a design , similarly clamp claws 2 - 3 are provided on the two sides of the movable jaws 202 and fixed jaws 201 respectively , because the movable jaws 202 themselves have screw holes to couple the guide screw 204 , their pushing and stretching force - application structure characterizes that threads 205 and transverse through hole 206 are provided in the inner side to couple the guide rod 204 and the fixed body , and the positioning nut 208 joined to and sleeved on the positioning pin 207 is to beef up its strength to stand the forces thus applied thereon , as shown in fig2 - 3 to 2 - 9 are various examplary forms of the same clamp claws shown in fig1 - 3 to 1 - 9 . ( 2 ) as shown in fig3 - 1 , 3 - 2 , 3 -- 3 , the invention is used to the drill vise , which mainly comprises : a machine base 301 , one of its end having a fixed jaw 302 , two sides of said jaw 302 having flat clamp claws 303 respectively , its middle section having a guide rail 304 and a guide slot 305 to allow the movable jaw 306 sliding therebetween , its other side having a pair of support posts 307 with a spiral hole therein respectively to receive the guide rod 308 ; a movable jaw 306 having parallel flat clamp jaws 303 , its bottom having a longitudinal protrusion 309 to couple the guide rail 305 of the machine base and also having a latitudinal cutout 310 to receive a slidable annular block 311 , its side that facing the support posts 307 having a longitudinal through hole to receive the screw 308 , and screw holes on its bottom to firmly lock the base 212 ; a guide screw 308 having a handle bar 313 and a section of threads to be threaded on the threaded hole in the support posts 307 , and an end section 315 of threads in a smaller diameter having a transverse through pin hole to align the longitudinal through hole in the movable jaw 306 and the screw hole in the drum - shaped nut 311 to join the annular block 311 by a pin 314 ; a drum - shaped nut 311 with a screw hole in its center to receive the 315 of the guide rod and also with a transverse pin hole to receive the pin 314 therein to join the drum - shaped nut 311 and guide screw 308 . a base 312 to be locked by a screw316 on the bottom of the movable jaws 306 to avoid their slip off therefrom ; the above said clamp vise can produce clamping and fixing or stretching and pushing force by the positive and reverse rotational drive of the guide rod and also pressing of the drum - shaped nut against the movable jaws . fig3 - 4 to 3 - 10 also show various examplary forms of the same clamp claws as shown in fig1 - 3 to 1 - 9 . ( 3 ) fig4 - 1 , 4 - 2 also show the examplary forms of the invention used to the precision milling vise , which mainly compose : a machine base 401 having a fixed jaw 402 on its one end , the fixed jaw 402 having clamp claws 403 , and the middle section of said base 401 having a slide rail to allow the movable jaws 404 sliding therebetween , its other end having a support post 405 with a through hole , its two ends to be inserted into the bearing set to stop the push ; a movable jaw with a clamp claw 403 on each of its two sides respectively , a structure porvided on its bottom to make slides in coupling the guide rail of the machine base without any slip - offs therefrom , and a longitudinal through screw hole 407 to receive the screw 408 ; a guide screw 408 with threads on its one end to be threaded in the threaded hole 407 in the bottom of the movable jaw , its other end to be coupled to the support post section 405 which has a transverse through hole to receive the annular block 409 on the outer side of the push - stop bearing 406 of the post 405 , a positioning pin 410 ( or snap ring ) making the annular block 409 positioned on the guide screw 408 which in turn makes the guide screw 408 positioned and rotatable on the support post . by the above - said structure , said milling machine clamp vise can effect the clamping , fixing and pushing stretching functions to be applied to the milling machine processing . fig4 - 3 to 4 - 9 show various examplary forms of the clamp claw shown in fig1 - 3 to 1 - 9 . further , the above - said examplary forms belong to the manualdriven driven guide screw way . however , in practical use , the vise can also be driven by other electric - operated or hydrodynamic powered elements . fig5 to 5 -- 5 show the examplary forms of the vises driven by the electric motor . enclosures 3 and 4 illustrate the examplary forms of the conventional oil hydraulic or pneumatic driven vises , as their drive structure can be used to the design of the present invention , no repetition in this respect is needed herein . the following are the examplary forms of the vise structure added with the electric motor dirve in this respects in which ; as shown in fig5 to 5 - 2 , this design features that the drive motor is mounted on the drive base 502 of the guide screw 501 , and so this is an examplary form of the guide screw that displace along with the movable jaw , in which a set of drive motor 503 having a reduction gear case , a set of mutually engaged gear set 504 and pinion set 505 and a drive base 502 having an adequate spare and a join cover 506 are included , of which ; a key slot 507 is axially cut in the rod plane of said guide screw 1 to couple and align the screw hole 508 in the drive base 502 , a polygonal head 509 is formed at the end of said guide screw 1 to mesh the handle bar for manual rotary movements ; a key slot 507 is axially cut in the surface of said guide screw 1 and also couples and aligns the screw hole 508 in said drive base 502 , the end of said guide screw 1 is a polygonal head 509 to mesh the handle bar for manual rotary movements ; said drive base 502 and thebase bottom 510 are integrally cast in the same body , a screw hole 508 is provided at the position where the opposite guide screw 501 passes through and is mounted , and in the inner side of said screw hole 508 has a key hole in a proper depth for radially positioning the bearing therein , a hole seat is inwardly provided on one side of the screw hole 508 on the back to receive and position the reduction gear box of the drive motor 503 therein , and the output shaft of the reduction gear box extends forward and to the place beyond the drive base 502 to drive the pinion 505 into motion ; the front end of said drive motor 503 has a reduction gear box , during assembly , the reduction gear box or even the reduction gear box including the body of the drive motor 503 maybe laid into the key hole in the drive base 502 , the transverse protruding plate protruding from the reduction gear box leans against the drive base 502 , and then fixing pieces each the protroding plate ; gear set and pinion set 505 are the intermediate madia to transmit the power of said drive motor 503 to said guide screw 501 , of which said pinion 505 is mounted on the output shaft of the reduction gear box , while said gear 504 is sleeved on said guide screw 501 to energy said pinion 505 , said gear 504 drives , with its key 511 , said guide screw 501 passing there through into motion ; the join cover 506 is made , in coordination with the configuration said drive base 502 , in such a manner that its middle part warps upward and its two sides extend to closely lean against said drive base 502 , and the wing plates on its two sides are bolted and locked by the screw 512 on the base seat 510 as its feature , before said join cover 506 is positioned , firstly according to the installation of said gear 504 and pinion 505 since said pinion 505 is mounted on the output shaft of the reduction gear box and said gear 504 go through and is also sleeved on said guide screw 501 , two radial bearings are simultaneously and succesively mounted on the two sides of said gear 504 to make various transmission elements precisely positioned , besides , further a protruding shaft 3 having a square stock is provided on the back of said drive motor for manually operating the handle bar to drive them ; said movable jaw 518 and fixed jaw 519 respectively their two - directional clamp claws 520 , 521 , the bottom of the movable jaw has a sunk cut slot 522 to receive a drum - shaped nut 515 , said drum - sahped nut 515 has a transverse pin hole to mesh the threads 517 in the end of said guide screw 501 and then a pin 516 joins said movable jaw and guide screw 501 , the bottom of said movable jaw has a screw hole which is joined , by a screw 524 , to the bottom plate 523 , the traction of above - said nut drives the movable jaw into motion to effect the two - directional clamping actions . fig5 - 3 to 5 - 5 show another examplary form of the said two - directional clamping vise driven by an electric motor , in which the bottom of said movable jaw has a couping nut which will effect in conjunction with said guide screw , the rotary drive but does not displace with said movable jaw in said drawing : one side of said base 551 is provided with a fixed jaw 552 having the two - directional clamp claws 553 , 554 and a guide rail 555 to allow said movable jaw 558 with said two - directional clamp claws 556 . 557 sliding thereon ; the other side of said base 551 is provided with a support post 559 and a motor base 560 to join the motor 561 having a reduction device thereon ; said support post 559 has a middle section with its two sides having a larger diameter and a through hole 562 in a smaller diameter ; and the thrust - stop nearings 563 , 564 are respectively inserted into its two sides ; one end of said guide screw 565 has a square stock 666 to couple the operating handle bar and a section of threads 567 which can extend to the two sides of the bearings and two pin holes to receive a positioning nut 570 having a pin hole , where a pin 568 joins them , and , the gear 571 having pin hole terrace flange in the inner side for spirally meshing thereon , and a pin 569 joins them ; another end of said guide screw has guide travel threads to couple the inner threads 572 on the bottom of the movable jaw to drive the movable jaw into motion ; the output shaft of the motor 561 joins a gear 573 which couples the above - said gear 571 having the pin hole terrace flange , and the motor drives the guide screw into motion which in turn drives the movable jaw moving to effect the normal functions . the above - said electric - operated clamp vise is controlled by a switch to make the drive motor use the reduction gear box to drive said pinion into motion and the gear to drive the guide screw by the key , thereby achieving the rapid feed and backward movements said stop control on the feed and backward movement can further achieve the objects by the preset touch switch or the selected governable motor ( if the difference between the load and the governable current is smaller , and a series excited motor with larger magnetic field windings for overheat protection ), or the resettable electric power supply to drive the dc or ac motor for drive , therefore , the main components of the above - said power - driven two - directional clamp vise are described as follows : movable jaw and fixed jaw respectively provided with the two - directional clamp claws ; a truction structure between the drive structure and the movable jaw can bear the strong two - directional strength of the clamping and pressing and stretching and pushing forces ; the drive structure includes oil hydraulic cylinder or electric or hydrodymac - driven types . besides , the above - said various kinds of the two - directional drive jaw can further be in the forms as shown in fig5 - 6 , 5 - 7 , its upper side and left and right sides respectively have the outwardly and gradually reduced terrace shape from the opposite clmaping faces to facilitate the pushes and stretches of work pieces in various sizes , additionally , the clamping or pushing or stretching faces of the clamp claws of said two - directional to clamp jaw shown in fig1 to 5 - 7 can be added with the softer or harder clamp plates , or one or both of these plates are directly constructed by the jaw body itself . in summary , the vise of the present invention can apply two - directional forces on the guide rod for driving the movable jaw with respect to the fixed jaw . the drive may be by manual , electric motor , oil hydraulic or pneumatic power means . both jaws have two - directional clamp claws to clamp the workpiece therebetween and / or to be disposed within the workpiece and thereby secure it by stretching or pushing outwardly against the workpiece . also , the notched ( tooth hole ) in the body of the movable jaw and the notches ( concave terrace shapes ) on the upper and lower rims of the fixed jaw may clamp workpieces with perpendicular long pipes or rods . the rotation of the body permits the vise to extend out from the workbench to which it is mounted so that pipes extending to the floor may be clamped . thus , the vise may be driven by an electric motor to maximize use of the device in mass production applications thereby effecting lower costs , reduced man hours and more effective operations . | 1 |
one embodiment of the present invention will hereinafter be described with reference to fig4 a - 4d . fig4 a through 4d are diagram showing procedural steps for illustrating a mounting method of a semiconductor element in accordance with this embodiment . components having the same functions are allotted with the same reference numerals as those in the conventional example shown in fig1 a - 1d . in this embodiment , as shown in fig4 a , a semiconductor chip 103 having bumps 102 consisting of gold is mounted onto a flexible substrate 101 with a conductor pattern 100 formed thereon . the insulating material in this flexible substrate 101 is made from polyimide or polyester and conductor pattern 100 is composed of copper . the surface of the copper is plated with tin . here , the tin plating of conductor pattern 100 is 0 . 1 - 5 μm in thickness , and the height of bump 102 is 5 - 50 μm . first , as shown in fig4 b , a resin film 1 is applied onto the surface of conductive pattern 100 and flexible substrate 101 . the material of resin film 1 may use epoxy resin , polyester resin , fluororesin , or any combinations of these . more illustratively , for example , anisotropic conductive film 107 used in the conventional example in fig2 with conductive particles 106 removed therefrom can be used . the thickness should be at least 10 μm and set greater than the height of bump 102 . next , as shown in fig4 c , bumps 102 of semiconductor chip 103 are pressed , while being heated , against conductor pattern 100 on flexible substrate 101 with the resin film 1 in between . this heating temperature is set at a range within which resin film 1 becomes softened but not cured . here , the heating temperature was set at about 100 ° c . since the surface of bumps 102 as well as the tin - plated surface of conductor pattern 100 has been roughened because of crystal growth during plating , bumps 102 and conductor pattern 100 are brought into contact with each other penetrating resin film 1 during the above pressing and heating process . when conductor chip 103 and flexible substrate 101 are electrically connected , necessary electrical tests etc . are implemented . at this stage , the final product assembly has not yet been finished , and the tests are implemented with the electrical connections temporarily completed . in this case , once bumps 102 are made into contact with conductor pattern 100 , the connected state continues even through semiconductor chip 103 is not pressed against flexible substrate 101 . still , it is preferable to provide a slight pressure in order to ensure the electrical connection . from the result of these tests , if semiconductor chip 103 turns out to be defective , the semiconductor 103 is removed from the flexible substrate 101 . in the conventional configuration , since it is unavoidable that a defective chip be removed after the formation of alloy layer 104 between bumps 102 and conductor pattern 100 , conductor pattern 100 is peeled off altogether when the defective chip is forcibly removed , making it impossible to reuse the substrate . in contrast , in accordance with this embodiment , bumps 102 are only put in contact with , but not connected to , conductor pattern 100 , it is possible to easily remove only the defective chip without causing high stress in conductor pattern 100 of the flexible substrate . as a result of the electrical tests , if no problems are found , semiconductor chip 103 and flexible substrate 101 are pressed together whilst being heated so that bumps 102 and conductor pattern 100 form an alloy layer 104 , thus completing a reliable chip - substrate connection , as shown in fig4 d . here , the conditions of heating and pressing are the same as in the case of fig1 a - 1d . specifically , this process is performed at a temperature of 280 ° c . to 600 ° c ., and each bump is about 100 μm square and is pressed with a load of 10 to 60 gf . when the above alloy layer 104 is formed , resin film 1 also becomes cured . in this way , it is necessary to achieve curing or hardening due to cross - linking in resin film 1 at a high temperature range within which the alloy layer can be formed . accordingly , a resin film having characteristics of becoming cured at high temperatures is used in this embodiment . as has been described heretofore , in this embodiment , since the electrical tests are implemented before the previous step shown in fig4 c , i . e ., before forming an alloy layer 104 from bumps 102 of semiconductor chip 103 and conductor pattern 100 of flexible substrate 101 , a defective semiconductor chip 103 , if found , can be replaced easily so that flexible substrate 101 can be reused . this can reduce waste as compared to the conventional configuration , providing a cost benefit . further , because resin film 1 is punched by bumps 102 in the step shown in fig4 c , bumps 102 have been already covered with resin film 1 in the pressing and heating process for forming an alloy layer shown in fig4 d . therefore , no phenomenon occurs in which tin plating on the surface of conductor pattern 100 gathers toward bumps 102 thereby forming an alloy layer spreading out from the end face of semiconductor chip 103 , as mentioned as a problem in the prior art . as a result , it is possible to solve the problem of edge leakage which occurred in the conventional configuration . when a flexible substrate which having flexibility is used as the substrate as in this embodiment , the substrate may be flexed during production or depending upon the use thereof as shown in fig3 . this caused edge leakage in the conventional configuration . however , according to this embodiment , this problem can be solved , so that this configuration is suitable , especially , for a flexible substrate etc ., which has flexibility . in this embodiment , in place of using an anisotropic conductive film as described in fig2 the electrical connection between semiconductor chip 103 and flexible substrate 101 is made by alloy layer 104 , so that it is possible to create reliable electrical connection . although gold was used as the material for bumps 102 and tin was used for plating the surface of conductor pattern 100 in the above embodiment , it is also possible to use solder as the material for bumps 102 and gold for plating conductor pattern 100 in a variational embodiment . in this case , the height of bumps 102 is set at 5 - 100 μm , and the thickness of the gold plating on conductive pattern 100 is preferably 0 . 05 μm or more . as to the temperature at a step corresponding to fig4 d , 200 - 350 ° c . is suitable . the pressure is set at the same as in the above embodiment . although flexible substrate 101 consisting of insulating material having conductor pattern 100 formed directly thereon is used as the substrate in the above embodiment , a configuration in which an adhesive layer is provided between the substrate and the pattern can be used . the material for the substrate is not limited as to its flexibility , hard substrates made up of organic materials , or ceramic substrates may be used . materials which can be used as hard substrates include epoxy , glass epoxy , polytetrafluoroethylene , phenol resins . materials which can be used as ceramic substrates include alumina , zirconia , silicon nitride and silicon carbide ceramics . as described heretofore , according to the invention , when a semiconductor chip is judged as defective from the electrical tests etc ., only the defective semiconductor chip can be replaced easily so that the substrate itself onto which a semiconductor chip is to be mounted can be reused . therefore , it is possible to reduce waste as compared to the conventional configuration , thus providing a cost benefit . further , the alloy layer formed by the bumps of the semiconductor chip and the conductor pattern of the substrate will not spread out from the end face of the semiconductor chip so that it is possible to eliminate the conventional problem of edge leak where the alloy layer contacts other areas of the pattern etc ., or the end of the semiconductor chip itself . this invention , does not use an anisotropic conductive film , but uses an alloy layer to form electrical connection between the semiconductor chip and the substrate , so that it is possible to create reliable electrical connection . | 7 |
referring first to fig1 and 2 , this embodiment of the invention is seen to be in a cylindrical shape which includes external cylinder 16 , an end plate 6 having mounted therein a coaxial connector 14 , and an opposite end plate 8 having mounted thereon an annular ring 22 through a plurality of evenly spaced second connectors 20 , as will be explained in greater detail below . device 10 is comprised of two sets of nested cylinders , sets 12 and 18 , which are seen in greater detail at fig3 and 4 , respectively . fig4 also shows conductor 14b which is an extension of center conductor 14a of connector 14 . conductor 14b is adapted to slip into connector 14 when sets 12 and 18 are nested together . the end of conductor 14a , not shown in fig4 is electrically connected , suitably by soldering , to end plate 8 , as will be shown below with respect to fig2 . refer now particularly to fig2 which shows the internal construction of device 10 , the figure being a section through the longitudinal axis of the device . connector 14 is seen concentrically connected to end plate 6 with center conductor 14a attached therein at one end ( end 14b of fig4 ) and soldered or otherwise electrically connected to end plate 8 at its opposite end . the set of cylinders 12 previously seen at fig3 is seen to be comprised of concentric cylinders 40 , 42 , 44 , 46 , 48 and 16 , the last of which comprises the exterior cylindrical wall of the device , and end plate 6 to which one end of the above - mentioned cylinders are electrically attached , suitably through soldering . an annular ring 6a is soldered at the junction of cylinder 16 and plate 6 to provide support . a second annular ring 24 is soldered at the opposite end of cylinder 16 and is provided with threads as shown to connect set 12 with set 18 through ring 22 . the other set of cylinders 18 , previously seen in fig4 is seen to be comprised of rod conductor 14a , and cylinders 30 , 32 , 34 , 36 and 38 , together with end plate 8 . in addition , this set of cylinders has mounted thereon through connectors 20 the annular ring 22 which supports connectors 20 whose center conductors 20a are electrically connected to end plate 8 . ring 22 is seen to be electrically connected to cylinder 16 and physically mounted thereto through the mating threads of ring 22 and support collar 24 , which comprises a portion of cylinder 16 and which is also seen in fig1 . it should be understood that collar 24 provides physical support for the device and wall thickness for the threads mating ring 22 therewith . it should be obvious that set 12 is assembled to set 18 by rotating one set with respect to the other , whereby the threads on rings 22 and 24 engagingly mate with conductor 14b ( fig4 ) entering into and becoming the center conductor of connector 14 . the outer conductors of connectors 20 and hence ring 22 and the set of cylinders 12 are electrically insulated , at least with respect to dc currents , by a plurality of dielectric collars 20b , one of which is provided as shown for each connector 20 . when the device is used as a power divider input power is provided at connector 14 . the power flows into the transmission line comprised of inner conductor 14a and an outer conductor comprised of cylinder 40 . at the end of that transmission line , in the vicinity indicated by the numeral 50 , an impedance transformation occurs and power therefor flows to the right , with respect to fig2 in the transmission line which has cylinder 40 as an inner conductor and cylinder 30 as an outer conductor . at the end of that transmission line , in the space designated by numeral 52 , another impedance transformation occurs and power flows to the left in a transmission line having the inner conductor comprised of cylinder 30 and an outer conductor comprised of cylinder 42 . power continues to flow in this manner through the device , the final transmission line comprising cylinder 16 which is the outer conductor thereof and cylinder 38 which is the inner conductor . power is thereby equally distributed to connectors 20 . in this particular embodiment there are 20 second connectors so that approximately 1 / 20 of the input power appears at each output connector . when the device is operated as a power combiner the various input powers are applied at the various connectors 20 and the total input power combined onto the single connector 14 in a manner which now should be obvious , the power flowing through the various transmission lines in a direction opposite from that described with respect to the operation of the device as a power divider . the distance between end plates 6 and 8 is preferably about a quarter - wavelength of the center frequency of the frequency band of signals with which the device is intended to be used . as previously mentioned , there is an impedance transformation at the junctions of the various transmission lines . this impedance transformation occurs in the spaces , for example space 52 , between transmission lines . it should be obvious that these spaces permit power to flow continuously from one transmission line to the other . as will be shown below , the proper impedance of each transmission line can be calculated , thus setting the diameters of the cylinders comprising the various transmission lines . thus , the impedance z 11 of the transmission line comprised of rod 14a and cylinder 40 can be calculated together with the impedances of the other transmission lines , for example , impedances z 10 and z 9 , the impedances respectively of the transmission lines comprised of cylinders 40 and 30 and cylinders 30 and 42 . accordingly , given the diameter of rod 14a the diameters of the cylinders , for example , cylinders 40 , 30 and 42 become determined . in other words , the dimensions denoted by double headed arrows 52a and 52b become determined . the distance between the end of a cylinder and its facing end plate , for example , the distance denoted by double headed arrow 52c , is chosen as the mean of distances between the cylinders comprising the bounds of the impedance transformer , for example , dimensions 52a and 52b . this method of determining the distance between the cylinder ends and the facing end plate is a nice compromise since too long a distance will cause an undesirable inductive discontinuity and too short a distance will cause an undesirable capacitive discontinuity as should be known to one skilled in the art . as mentioned above , the relative sizes of the various cylinders which comprise the conductors of this embodiment can be determined by considering the relation of the various transmission line impedances . in addition , the number of required impedance steps and the impedance values can be determined from the required bandwidth impedance match in accordance with the tchebvscheff theory of band - pass devices as follows : if the maximum acceptable excess loss in the pass band is defined as er , then : likewise , if ea is defined as the maximum possible excess loss as a function of the transformation ratio , then : the ratio of ea to er must not exceed the expression : ## equ1 ## where tn is the tchebyscheff polynomial of the first kind and of order n and wq is the desired fractional bandwith . tables of the above expression are readily available and can be found , for example , in the article &# 34 ; stepped impedance transformers and filter prototypes &# 34 ; by leo young and which was published at pages 339 - 359 of the september 1962 issue of the ire transaction pgmtt - 10 . a device actually built had a desired vswr of 1 . 1 within the pass band , an impedance ratio of 20 - to - 1 and a desired pass band of 100 mhz to 500 mhz . the fraction bandwith was thus , ## equ2 ## also : the tables indicate a required n of at least 10 . since the device described herein requires an odd number of steps it is necessary to use the next highest odd integer , or n = 11 . a value of 11 for n and 1 . 3 3 for wq fixes the value for m as approximately 10 , 000 . this determines the transformation impedance steps . a satisfactory method for determining the impedance values is available if r is not too large , as in the present situation . the method uses the tchebyscheff theory of band - pass devices and particularly tchebyscheff antenna distribution tables are used to obtain the logarithms of consecutive impedance steps . a value of m of 10 , 000 requires the use of the table for 40 db antenna sidelobes . the above mentioned tchebyscheff antenna distribution table is found in &# 34 ; tchebyscheff antenna distribution , beamwidth and gain tables &# 34 ; by l . b . brown and g . a . sharpe , navord report 4629 ( nolc report 383 ), naval ordnance laboratory , corona , cal . ( february 28 , 1958 ). the element currents for a 12 element array are read from the table . a 12 element pattern is used because an 11 section transformer as described in the embodiment of this invention has 12 impedance changes . 12 element currents are weighted in a manner to produce cumulative steps equal to r when the weighted steps are used as logarithms of the impedance steps . this technique produces the following impedance values where z 1 is the impedance of the largest diameter transmission line comprised of cylinders 16 and 38 , z 11 is the impedance of the innermost transmission line comprised of conductors 14a and 40 , zout is the impedance of the plurality of connectors 20 and z in is the impedance of connector 14 . ______________________________________ zout = 2 . 500 ohms z . sub . 1 = 2 . 631 ohms z . sub . 2 = 2 . 945 ohms z . sub . 3 = 3 . 609 ohms z . sub . 4 = 4 . 886 ohms z . sub . 5 = 7 . 208 ohms z . sub . 6 = 11 . 8 ohms z . sub . 7 = 17 . 34 ohms z . sub . 8 = 24 . 58 ohms z . sub . 9 = 34 . 63 ohms z . sub . 10 = 42 . 44 ohms z . sub . 11 = 47 . 51 ohms z . sub . in = 50 . 00 ohms______________________________________ although only one embodiment of this invention has been shown and described it should now be obvious to one skilled in the art that various alterations and modifications of the invention are possible . accordingly , the invention is to be limited only by the true spirit and scope of the appended claims . | 7 |
a dehumidifying system 10 , in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises , as its two main sections a dehumidifying chamber 12 and a regenerator unit 32 . moist air enters dehumidifying chamber 12 via a moist air inlet 14 and dried air exits chamber 12 via a dry air outlet 16 . in a preferred embodiment of the invention , desiccant 28 is pumped by a pump 20 from a desiccant reservoir 30 via a pipe 13 to a series of nozzles 22 . these nozzles shower a fine spray of the desiccant into the interior of chamber 12 , which is preferably filled with a cellulose sponge material 24 such as is generally used in the art for such purposes . the desiccant slowly percolates downward through the sponge material into reservoir 30 . moist air entering the chamber via inlet 14 contacts the desiccant droplets . since the desiccant is hygroscopic , it absorbs water vapor from the moist air and drier air is expelled through outlet 16 . preferably , reservoir 30 is located on the bottom of chamber 12 so that the desiccant from sponge 24 falls directly into the reservoir . in a preferred embodiment of the invention , a pump 35 and associated motor 37 pump desiccant from an extension of reservoir 30 into pipe 13 . a divider 38 receives desiccant from pipe 13 and sends part of the desiccant to nozzles 22 and part to regenerator unit 32 . a valve or constriction 39 ( preferably a controllable valve or constriction ) may be provided to control the proportion of the desiccant which is fed to regenerator 32 . if a controllable valve or constriction is used , the amount of desiccant is preferably controlled in response to the amount of moisture in the desiccant . chamber 34 includes a heat exchanger 36 which heats the desiccant to drive off part of the water vapor it has absorbed , thus regenerating it . regenerated liquid desiccant is transferred back to reservoir 30 via a pipe 40 and a tube 42 of sponge material such as that which fills chamber 12 . tube 40 is preferably contained in a chamber 58 which has an inlet 60 and an outlet 62 . air , generally from outside the area in which the air is being modified , enters the chamber via inlet 60 and carries away additional moisture which is evaporated from the still hot desiccant in tube 42 , the air exiting at exit 62 carries away this moisture and also moisture which was removed from the desiccant in the regenerator . preferably a fan ( not shown ) at exit 62 sucks air from chamber 58 . alternatively or additionally , heat is transferred from the regenerated liquid desiccant to the desiccant entering or in the regenerator by bringing the two desiccant streams into thermal ( but not physical ) contact in a thermal transfer station ( not shown ). alternatively or additionally , a heat pump may be used to transfer additional energy from the cooler desiccant leaving the regenerator to the hotter desiccant entering the regenerator , such that the desiccant returning to the reservoir is actually cooler than the desiccant which enters the chamber 34 . in a preferred embodiment of the invention , a heat pump system 44 is provided which extracts heat from the desiccant in reservoir 30 to provide energy to heat exchanger 36 . preferably , this heat pump includes ( in addition to exchanger 36 which is the condenser of the system ) a second heat exchanger 46 in reservoir 30 , which is the evaporator of the system , and an expansion valve 56 . this transfer of energy results in a reduced temperature of the desiccant which contacts the air being dried thus reducing the temperature of the dried air . second , this transfer of energy reduces the overall requirement of energy for operating the regenerator , generally by up to a factor of 3 . since the energy utilized by the regeneration process is the major energy requirement for the system , this reduction in energy usage can have a major effect on the overall efficiency of the system . additionally , this method of heating of the desiccant in the regenerator may be supplemented by direct heating , utilizing a heating coil . it should be understood that the proportion of water vapor in the desiccant in reservoir 30 and in the regenerated desiccant must generally be within certain limits , which limits depend on the particular desiccant used . a lower limit on the required moisture level is that needed to dissolve the desiccant such that the desiccant is in solution in the moisture . however , when the moisture level is too high , the desiccant becomes inefficient in removing moisture from the air which enters chamber 12 . thus , it is necessary that the moisture level be monitored and controlled . it should be noted that some desiccants are liquid even in the absence of absorbed moisture . the moisture level in these desiccants need not be so closely controlled . however , even in these cases the regeneration process ( which uses energy ) should only be performed when the moisture level in the desiccant is above some level . this monitoring function is generally performed by measurement of the volume of desiccant , which increases with increasing moisture . a preferred method of measuring the volume of liquid in the reservoir is by measurement of the pressure in an inverted vessel 50 which has its opening placed in the liquid in the reservoir . a tube 52 leads from vessel 50 to a pressure gauge 52 . as the volume of desiccant increases from the absorption of moisture , the pressure measured by gauge 52 increases . since the liquid in the chamber and in the regenerator is fairly constant , this gives a good indication of the amount of desiccant and thus of the amount of moisture entrained in the desiccant . when the moisture level increases above a preset value , the heat in chamber 34 is turned on . in a preferred embodiment of the invention , when the moisture level falls below some other , lower preset value , the heater is turned off . other factors which may influence the cut - in and cut - out points of the regeneration process are the temperature of the dry air , the regeneration efficiency and the heat pump efficiency . in some preferred embodiments of the invention , especially in cold air systems ( as for ice - skating rinks ) it may be advisable to provide some direct heating of desiccant in the regeneration process . in other preferred embodiments of the invention heat pumps or other heat transfer means ( not shown for simplicity ) are provided to transfer heat from the dried air exiting chamber 12 and or from the heated moist air leaving regenerator chamber 34 , to heat the desiccant on its way to or in chamber 34 . if heat pumps are used , the source of the heat may be at a temperature lower than the desiccant to which it is transferred . it should be understood that cooling of the desiccant in the reservoir can result in dried air leaving the dehumidifier which has the same , or preferably a lower temperature than the moist air entering the dehumidifier , even prior to any additional optional cooling of the dry air . this feature is especially useful where the dehumidifier is used in hot climates in which the ambient temperature is already high . as indicated above , one of the problems with dehumidifier systems is the problem of determining the amount of water in the desiccant solution so that the dehumidifier solution water content may be kept in a proper range . a dehumidifier 100 , in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention , is shown in fig2 . this dehumidifier is self regulating with respect to water content of the desiccant solution and thus does not require any measurement of the volume or water content of the desiccant solution . furthermore , the dehumidifier operates until a predetermined humidity is reached and then ceases to reduce the humidity , without any controls or cut - offs . dehumidifier 100 is similar to dehumidifier 10 of fig1 with several significant differences . first , the system does not require any measurement of water content and thus does not have a volumetric measure for the desiccant . however , such a measurement may be provided as a safety measure if the solution becomes too concentrated . second , the heat pump transfers heat between two streams of desiccant solution being transferred from reservoir 30 ( which is conveniently divided into two portions 30 a and 30 b connected by pipes 30 c ), namely a first stream being pumped to nozzles 22 by a pump system 130 , via a conduit 102 and a second stream being pumped to regenerator unit 32 by a pump system 132 , via a conduit 104 . preferably , pipes 30 c ( including the bypass pipes shown ) are designed so that its major effect is to generate a common level of the solution in portions 30 a and 30 b . in general , it is desirable that the two reservoir portions have different temperatures . this necessarily results in different concentrations of desiccant . however , it is considered generally desirable to provide some mixing between the sections , by some pumping via the bypass pipes shown so as to transfer moisture from one portion to the other . in a preferred embodiment of the invention a temperature differential of 5 ° c . or more is maintained , more preferably , 10 ° c . or more and most preferably 15 ° c . or even more . thus , in a preferred embodiment of the invention , reservoir portion 30 a is at a temperature of 30 ° c . or more and reservoir portion 30 b is at a temperature of 15 ° c . or less . in fig2 a different construction for regenerator unit 32 is shown , which is similar to that of the dehumidifier section . furthermore , in fig2 neither section has a cellulose sponge material , which may be present or absent from either the embodiment of fig1 or that of fig2 . in a preferred embodiment of the invention , applicable to either fig1 or 2 , spray nozzles are not used . rather , the spray nozzles are replaced by a dripper system from which liquid is dripped on the cellulose sponge to continuously wet the sponge . fig3 shows a preferred embodiment of a dripper system for wetting sponge 24 . in this system an open conduit 200 , preferably in the form of a serrated half - pipe is filled with desiccant solution 28 . the desiccant solution flow through serrations along the length of the conduit and uniformly wets the sponge . in most instances the use of a sponge , without spray is preferred since the use of a spray results in dispersion of desiccant solution in the air , which must be remover therefrom . other methods of wetting sponge 24 will occur to persons of skill in the art and any such method may be used in the practice of the invention . returning to fig2 heat pump system 44 extracts heat from the desiccant solution in conduit 102 and transfers it to the desiccant in conduit 104 . heat pump system 44 preferably contains , in addition to the components contained in the embodiment of fig1 an optional heat exchanger 136 to transfer some of the heat from the refrigerant leaving heat exchanger 104 to the regenerating air . preferably , the compressor is also cooled by the regenerating air . however , when the air is very hot , additional air , not used in the regenerator , may be used for cooling the compressor and the refrigerant . alternatively , only such air is used for such cooling . the resultant heating of the air entering the regenerator increases the ability of the air to remove moisture from the desiccant . heat pump 44 is set to transfer a fixed amount of heat . in a preferred embodiment of the invention , the humidity set point is determined by controlling the amount of heat transferred between the two streams . consider the system shown in fig2 with the air entering dehumidifier chamber 12 at 30 degrees c . and 100 % humidity . assume further that the amount of liquid removed from the air reduces its humidity to 35 % without reducing the temperature . in this situation , the amount of heat transferred between the streams of desiccant solution would be equal to the heat of vaporization of the water removed from the air , so that the temperature of the desiccant solution falling into reservoir 20 from chamber 12 is at the same temperature as that which enters it , except that it has absorbed a certain amount of moisture from the air . assume further , that the regenerator is set up , such that at this same temperature and humidity , it removes the same amount of water from the desiccant solution . this may require an input of heat ( additionally to the heat available from the heat pump ). further assume that the air entering the dehumidifier chamber has a lower humidity , for example 80 %. for this humidity , less liquid is removed ( since the efficiency of water removal depends on the humidity ) and thus , the temperature of the desiccant solution leaving the dehumidifier chamber also drops . however , since less water enters the desiccant solution from the dehumidifier chamber , the amount of water removed from the solution in the regenerator also drops . this results in a new balance with less water removed and the desiccant solution at a lower temperature . a lower temperature desiccant results in cooler air . thus , the temperature of the exiting air is also reduced . however , the relative humidity remains substantially the same . it should be understood that a reduction of input air temperature has substantially the same effect . in a preferred embodiment of the invention , the system is self regulating , with the dehumidifying action cutting off at some humidity level . the humidity level at which this takes place will depend on the capacity of the solution sprayed from nozzles 22 to absorb moisture and the ability of the solution and on the capacity of the solution sprayed from nozzles 22 ′ to release moisture . in general as the air at inlet 14 becomes less humid ( relative humidity ) the dehumidifier becomes less able to remove moisture from it . thus , the solution is cooled on each transit through the conduit 102 and the percentage of desiccant in the solution in 30 b reaches some level . similarly , as less moisture is removed from the air , the solution in 30 a becomes more concentrated and less moisture is removed from it ( all that happens is that it gets heated . at some point , both removal and absorption of moisture by the solution stop since they respective sprayed solution is stability with the air to which or from which moisture is transferred . it should be understood that this humidity point can be adjusted by changing the amount of heat transferred between the solutions in conduits 102 and 104 . if greater heat is transferred , the transfer ability of both the dehumidifying chamber and the regenerator are increased and the humidity balance point is lowered . for less heat pumped , a higher humidity will result . in addition , the set - point will depend somewhat on the relative humidity of the air entering the regenerator . fig4 schematically shows a window mounted dehumidifier system 110 , in accordance with preferred embodiments of the invention . in this embodiment , the entire unit shown in fig1 or 2 is contained in an enclosure 112 which hangs outside a window 114 of a room . preferably , system 110 further includes a u - shaped support unit which rests on window sill 118 and is firmly attached to enclosure 112 . passing through window 112 are two conduits , 14 and 15 corresponding to air inlet 14 and dehumidified air outlet 16 of fig1 and 2 . the window closes on the top of the conduits to seal the room from the outside . a power cord 120 , plugs into a power outlet inside the window and supplies power to the dehumidifier unit . preferably , a panel is situated inside the window on which controls are mounted and which provides a suitable grill for inlet 14 and outlet 16 . fig3 also shows inlet 60 and outlet 62 used to carry away moisture laden warm air . additionally , inlet 60 can provide a controllable amount of fresh air to the room . in a further preferred embodiment of the invention the configuration of fig4 is used for a combination air conditioner and dehumidifier or for a conventional air conditioning mechanism including a heat pump that cools air entering the inlet by contact with a cold surface of the heat pump . for an air conditioner both heat exchangers would be outside the window with air from the room being fed to the air conditioner &# 39 ; s condenser via conduit 14 and from it via conduit 16 to the room to be cooled . units such as those shown in fig4 provide for the low noise of split air conditioning units with the convenience of window mounting . when used in the following claims , the terms “ comprise ” or “ include ” or their conjugates mean “ including but not necessarily limited to .” the present invention has been described utilizing a preferred embodiment thereof . it should be understood that many variations of the preferred embodiment within the scope of the invention , as defined in the following claims , are possible and will occur to a person of skill in the art . | 5 |
referring now to the drawing , on which the same elements are given consistent identifying numerals throughout the various figures thereof , there is shown a vault door , generally indicated by the reference numeral 10 , which door includes the elements of the present invention . for clarity , the locking / unlocking mechanisms incorporated in vault door 10 are not shown on the drawing figures and it will be understood that such mechanisms may be entirely conventional and that the details of any particularly type used will not affect the practicing of the present invention . with particular reference to fig1 - 3 , door 10 includes a removable locking unit 12 , a front panel 14 , a rectangular frame 16 , and a rear cover 18 . included in locking unit 12 is a center panel 24 on which are mounted lock combination dials 26 and 28 attached to lock spindles 30 and 32 , respectively , which lock spindles are disposed in lock spindle tubes 34 and 36 , respectively . also mounted on center panel 24 is a door wheel 40 attached to door wheel spindle 42 which is disposed in door wheel spindle tube 44 . spindle tubes 34 , 36 , and 44 are welded between a front plate 48 and an intermediate plate 50 . a tempered glass relock protection plate 54 extends over a portion of the rear surface of intermediate plate 50 . a hinged cover 58 extends over the portion of center panel 24 containing lock combination dials 26 and 28 . so far , the elements described are entirely conventional . the conventional elements which have been revised , or new elements which have been added , for the present invention will now be described . still referring to fig1 - 3 , door wheel spindle 42 , rather than being solid as is the case with convention door wheel spindles , is hollow , thus forming a passageway 62 between the front of door 10 and the inside of the vault ( not shown ) on which the door is mounted . passageway 62 may be used to pass food and / or water to the person ( s ) trapped inside the vault . in order to compensate for not having a solid door wheel spindle 42 , tempered glass relock protection plate 54 has been extended around the area of the door wheel spindle . to provide fresh air to the inside of the vault , a fan 66 is mounted inside center panel 24 to draw air through a fan grill 68 and force it through the existing clearances between lock spindles 30 and 32 and lock spindle tubes 34 and 36 , respectively . to ensure that the air in fact passes through such clearances , a gasket 70 is provided between center panel 24 and front plate 48 . to provide a further passage for the air once it arrives at the rear surface of intermediate plate 50 , tempered glass relock protection plate 54 is raised slightly from the rear surface of the intermediate plate and sealed thereto by a gasket 72 so that the air may pass through a channel 74 defined between the rear surface of intermediate plate 50 and the inside surface of relock protection plate 54 . from channel 74 , the air passes through an air duct 76 and exits into the vault through a ventilator grill 78 formed in a control panel 80 ( also fig4 ). mounted behind control panel 80 is a housing 86 which encloses an on / off switch 88 ( fig4 ) and an on / off indicator light 90 ( fig4 ). the rear surface of control panel 80 may include instructions 91 . passageway 62 is opened by moving a slide 92 with an attached knob 94 from the position shown on fig3 to the position shown on fig4 to open the inner end of the passageway and , thus , provide communication between the interior of the vault and the front of door 10 . in order to provide more secure closure of passageway 62 , the embodiment of the present invention shown on fig5 may be employed . here , rather than effecting closure of only one end of passageway 62 with a slide , such as slide 92 on fig3 and 4 , there is provided a solid tube 100 which can extend substantially throughout the passageway and which may be removably secured in place therein by advancing a threaded portion 102 into the inner end of the passageway . a knob 104 is provided at the inner end of tube 100 to aid in inserting and withdrawing the tube into and from passageway 62 . in use , once a person is locked in the vault , he locates control panel 80 , preferably by means of a continuously lit small light ( not shown ) indicating the position of the control panel , and switches on the fan which action may also turn on emergency lights in the vault . if food , water , or other items are required , these may be obtained through passageway 62 after moving slide 94 to its open position or by removing tube 100 from the passageway . otherwise , passageway 62 may be employed for the exiting of air , if necessary . it will be understood that the teachings of the present invention could be applied so that stale air is positively removed from the vault by reversing the flow of air produced by fan 66 , so that fresh air is drawn into the vault , for example , through passageway 62 , and such is within the intent of the present invention . it can be seen that the present invention may be employed without compromising the integrity of the vault walls or the vault door jamb . it will thus be seen that the objects set forth above , among those made apparent from the preceding description , are efficiently attained and , since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention , it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown on the accompanying drawing figures shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense . it is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which , as a matter of language , might be said to fall therebetween . | 8 |
referring now to fig4 of the drawings , there is shown schematically a non - contact tonometer 10 for measuring iop of a cornea c . non - contact tonometer 10 is conventional in that it includes a fluid discharge nozzle 12 aligned with cornea c along a test axis a . nozzle 12 cooperates with a motorized pump mechanism ( not shown ) in flow communication therewith to generate and discharge a fluid pulse of increasing force toward a corneal pole p defined by the intersection of test axis a with the surface of cornea c , as is well known in the art of non - contact tonometry . the fluid pulse acts to progressively deform cornea c from a state of convexity through a state of applanation , as described above in connection with prior art fig1 a and 1b . in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention , non - contact tonometer 10 includes novel applanation detection means , generally identified by the reference numeral 20 , for monitoring corneal deformation caused by an incident fluid pulse . applanation detection means 20 is novel because it is a non - telecentric system utilizing a detector array 24 for receiving corneally reflected light , as opposed to a telecentric system utilizing a collector lens , a pin - hole aperture in the lens &# 39 ; focal plane , and a single detector element for receiving corneally reflected light . as will be apparent from the coming description , the non - telecentric system of the present invention permits instrument alignment requirements to be relaxed without sacrificing measurement accuracy . applanation detection means 20 may be housed in optical grade plastic or mounted on a test portion of the instrument to be free standing in air . an infra - red emitter 22 is positioned on one side of test axis a for directing an oblique , collimated beam of light approximately 3 mm in diameter toward cornea c , and more precisely toward corneal pole p , for reflection by the corneal surface . light rays from emitter 22 are &# 34 ; fanned out &# 34 ; or dispersed upon reflection by the curved corneal surface ; however , dispersion of the corneally reflected rays is at a minimum at the moment applanation , as discussed above . it is the function of detector array 24 to measure light reflected by the cornea for determination of a peak measurement corresponding to applanation . in the preferred embodiments , detector array 24 is a four - by - four area array having sixteen photodiode elements 24a - 24p on its detector surface , as shown in fig5 . detector array 24 is orientated in angular symmetry with emitter 22 about test axis a , with its detector surface facing cornea c to receive light rays reflected by the corneal surface . detector array 24 is preferably a silicon photodiode area array of a type manufactured by hamamatsu photonics k . k . having high spectral sensitivity in the infra - red range , however a ccd or other suitable area detector may be used in practicing the present invention . the presently indicated size of each photodiode element 24a - 24p is approximately 1 mm square , whereby the entire detector array 24 is approximately 4 mm square . since the detector array includes sixteen detector elements 24a - 24p each capable of detecting radiant power from corneally reflected light at a unique location during deformation of cornea c , the need of the prior art to carefully control the location of the radiant power peak through precise x , y , and z alignment of test axis a and discharge nozzle 12 relative to corneal pole p is substantially reduced . more specifically , the present invention dictates alignment ranges of δx ≦ 1 . 0 mm , δx ≦ 1 . 0 mm , and δz ≦ 2 . 0 mm , where x is side - to - side , y is vertical , and z is distance from the patient . this offers a considerable improvement over the alignment requirements of the prior art instrument mentioned in the above background . in order to provide a scaling function on the detector side of cornea c , a beam expander 26 is aligned with detector array 24 in reverse orientation such that it acts as a &# 34 ; beam contractor &# 34 ;. referring to fig6 beam contractor 26 reduces the cross - sectional area of the corneally reflected beam by a scaling factor appropriate for the size of detector array 24 . a lens array 28 and an associated pinhole aperture array 30 are preferably aligned in the scaled beam path in front of detector array 24 to improve the time resolution of the system . lens array 28 includes a plurality of lens elements arranged in an array configuration corresponding to the configuration of detector elements 24a - 24p making up detector array 24 , i . e . a four - by - four configuration . likewise , aperture array 30 includes a plurality of individual pinhole apertures arranged in corresponding configuration . the lens array elements and associated pinhole apertures cooperate to provide sharper signal curves at the detector array elements , such that the time when a peak signal is received by a given detector element may be determined more precisely . output from each of the sixteen parallel signal channels of detector array 24 is sampled at a rate of 500 khz by multiplexer 40 driven by timing generator 42 . sampled signal information indicating radiant power received by the respective detector array elements 24a - 24p is amplified by amplifier 44 , converted to digital form by a - d converter 46 , and stored in memory 48 . as a result , sixteen signal curves are stored in memory ; each signal curve represents the intensity of light received by detector array 24 at a unique array location as a function of time . fig7 a - 7p illustrate typical signal curves generated by detector array elements 24a - 24p for an arbitrarily chosen imperfect alignment condition within the tolerated alignment ranges set forth above for the present invention . as may be seen , the signal curve of fig7 d exhibits the highest peak , and thus array element 24d corresponds to the location of reflected beam convergence associate with the applanation event . the signal curves of fig7 c , 7g , and 7h from detector array elements 24c , 24g , and 24h , which are adjacent to detector array element 24d , exhibit somewhat lower peaks with diminished resolution as compared with the signal curve from detector array element 24d . further signal degradation is exhibited as distance from detector array element 24d increases . the stored signal curves are evaluated by cpu 50 to determine an optimal signal curve having the highest peak . in the above example , the optimal signal curve is that illustrated in fig7 d . this optimal signal curve is analyzed to determine the moment of applanation based on the peak signal , as is currently done in prior art instruments having a single detector element generating only one signal curve . the interval of time necessary to achieve applanation , or the pump plenum pressure recorded at the moment of applanation , is then used as a correlate of iop pursuant to known practice . where the measurement system is scaled at 128 μsec per mmhg ( units for iop ), the overall sampling rate of 32 μsec ( 2 μsec × 16 channels ) gives a resolution of 0 . 25 mmhg . since the use of a detector array having a plurality of discreet array elements involves the possibility that the converged beam may straddle a boundary between adjacent array elements , whereby the converged beam strikes from two to four different array elements , evaluation of the signal information preferably accounts for this possibility . fig5 shows dots representing thirty - three different border location possibilities for the incident converged beam on four - by - four detector array 24 . for each of these possibilities , a secondary signal curve is generated by adding signals from the involved detector array elements . for example , a secondary signal curve is generated to account for the two - way border between detector array elements 24a and 24b by summing the respective signals from these detector array elements . likewise , a secondary signal curve is generated to account for the four - way border at the junction of detector array elements 24a , 24b , 24e , and 24f . the thirty - three secondary signal curves may be stored in memory 48 and evaluated by cpu 50 along with the sixteen primary signal curves taken directly from each respective detector array element to determine the optimal signal curve . display 52 reports measurement output to the operator . as an alternative to storing the signal information in memory for evaluation by cpu 50 , real time evaluation of the signal information may be conducted using a peak detector circuit 60 as illustrated in fig8 . signals from timing generator 42 drive counters 62 and the sampling of detector array elements 24a - 24p . each time peak detector 60 indicates a new high signal from a detector array element , the counter and signal data are held by data latches 64 . once a peak signal is determined , i . e . when a subsequent sweep of detector array 24 fails to yield a new peak signal , the peak signal and counter information are evaluated by cpu 50 to determine the time of applanation for correlation to iop . | 0 |
embodiments of systems and methods for a fet radiation monitor are provided , with exemplary embodiments being discussed below in detail . a fet radiation monitor may be fabricated using a fully depleted silicon - on - insulator ( fdsoi ) mosfet that is capable of detecting doses of various types of ionizing radiation , and that exhibits long - term charge retention that enables long - term tracking of total radiation dosage . the fet radiation monitor may be made as small or large as desired using semiconductor wafer fabrication technology , and may have a relatively low power drain . a fet radiation monitor may be relatively small and inexpensive , and may be embedded in automobiles , buildings , air filters , or portable electronic devices such as computers , cell phones , music players , pdas , or gps , or in other items , including but not limited to passports , credit cards , or drivers licenses . the device may be in communication with a radiofrequency ( rf ) tag that may communicate a radiation dosage experienced by the fet radiation monitor to an rf tag reader . integrated radiation dose information may be determined from the radiation monitor so that treatment decisions may be made quickly in an emergency situation . a radiation monitor may also be implanted into the body of a patient undergoing radiation therapy , in order to determine radiation dosage to a tumor , or an amount of radiation received during medical imaging . real - time radiation dose information may be gathered from the implanted radiation monitor to confirm that a proper dose of radiation is delivered to a patient . the fet radiation monitor may be used in conjunction with a relatively small battery or precharged capacitor . the fet radiation monitor may also be electrically connected with one or more inductors , and be used in conjunction with an lc circuit such as is described in u . s . application ser . no . 12 / 627 , 076 ( cabral et al . ), filed nov . 30 , 2009 , which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety . fig1 illustrates an embodiment of a cross section 100 of a radiation monitor . the radiation monitor comprises gate conductor layer 101 , insulator layer 102 , semiconductor layer 103 , buried insulator layer 104 , semiconductor substrate 105 , source 106 , drain 107 , side contacts 108 a - b , spacer material 109 , and back contact 110 . gate conductor layer 101 may comprise one of polysilicon , a metal , or a silicide in some embodiments . insulator layer 102 may comprise an oxide , such as silicon oxide or silicon oxide nitride , in some embodiments ; the dielectric constant of the insulator layer 102 may be below about 4 . semiconductor layer 103 may comprise a silicon - on - insulator ( soi ) layer in some embodiments , and may comprise undoped silicon , which may form fully - depleted soi ( fdsoi ) under voltages used for normal operation of the fet radiation monitor . buried insulator layer 104 may comprise buried silicon oxide ( box ), silicon oxide , or silicon nitride in some embodiments . semiconductor substrate 105 may comprise one of silicon , germanium , silicon germanium , or gallium arsenide in some embodiments . side contacts 108 may comprise implanted silicon , a metal , or a silicide in some embodiments . spacer material 109 may comprise silicon nitride in some embodiments . back contact 110 is electrically connected to semiconductor substrate 105 , and side contacts 108 a and 108 b are electrically connected to source 106 and drain 107 , respectively . the fet radiation monitor may comprise either an n - channel or a p - channel fet device . insulator layer 102 may be between about 5 angstroms and about 50 angstroms thick in some embodiments . semiconductor layer 103 may be less than about 40 nanometers ( nm ) thick in some embodiments . a relatively thin semiconductor layer 103 may facilitate effective detection of the radiation dosage through monitoring the change of threshold voltage of the fdsoi fet comprising gate conductor layer 101 , insulator layer 102 , and semiconductor layer 103 . the desired thickness of semiconductor layer 103 may be achieved by thermal oxidation of the surface of a soi wafer . the oxidized silicon layer may then be removed , leaving the relatively thin layer of soi . standard semiconductor fabrication processes may be otherwise employed to fabricate the fet radiation monitor . buried insulator layer 104 may be between about 500 and 2000 angstroms thick in some embodiments , and between about 1400 and 1600 angstroms thick in some exemplary embodiments . semiconductor substrate 105 may be less than 800 microns thick in some embodiments . fig2 illustrates an embodiment of a top view 200 of an embodiment of a radiation monitor configured as a ring fet . fig2 is discussed with reference to fig1 . the radiation monitor comprises source 106 , which is separated from gate conductor 101 by spacer material 109 . gate conductor 101 is separated from drain 107 by spacer material 109 . side contacts 108 a and 108 b are deposited on source and drain regions 106 and 107 , respectively . the ring fet radiation monitor configuration of fig2 is shown for illustrative purposes only ; a radiation monitor may comprise any appropriate configuration of fet having a source , drain , and gate . fig3 illustrates an embodiment of a cross section 300 of a fet radiation monitor after exposure to ionizing radiation 301 . radiation 301 may include but is not limited to high - energy ionizing radiation , proton beam , x - ray , photons , gamma ray , or neutron beam radiation . radiation 301 causes electron - hole pairs to be created in semiconductor layer 102 and buried insulator layer 104 , which causes a positive charge 302 to build up and be retained in buried insulator layer 104 . the amount of positive charge 302 is indicative of the amount of radiation to which the radiation monitor has been exposed . positive charge 302 leads to device degradation and a change in the fet radiation monitor &# 39 ; s threshold voltage ( v th ). the dose of radiation may be determined based on the change in v th . tracking the change in v th allows measurement of the total dose of radiation . to prevent recombination of the electron - hole pairs created by radiation exposure 301 , a backgate voltage ( v bg ) is applied to semiconductor substrate 105 at back contact 110 to form a positive bias across the insulating layer 102 and buried insulator layer 104 , so that electrons drift toward gate conductor 101 and semiconductor substrate 105 while holes move toward the interface between semiconductor layer 103 and buried insulator layer 104 , forming positive charge 302 . the buried insulator layer 104 may comprise a plurality of charge traps in which charge 302 is trapped ; the number of charge traps per cm 3 of buried insulator material may be between about 1e17 and 1e18 in some embodiments . positive charge 302 is thereby trapped in the buried insulator layer 104 by application of v bg , and the trapped charge 302 causes the change in v th . v bg is applied at the semiconductor substrate 105 during radiation exposure to keep the holes that are created by the radiation 301 trapped in buried insulator layer 104 . this decouples the gate 101 of the fet radiation monitor from the trapped charge 302 . determination of v th may be performed by applying a readout voltage to gate conductor 101 . the readout voltage may comprise a negative bias across buried insulator layer 104 and semiconductor layer 102 . application of the readout voltage at gate conductor 101 allows non - invasive real - time determination of v th , as the readout voltage does not interfere with positive charge 302 . the change in v th may also be measured by wiring the fet radiation monitor in a capacitor configuration , and measuring the change in capacitance between the gate conductor 101 and one of side contacts 108 a or 108 b at a zero gate voltage or at a constant gate voltage . because buried insulator layer 104 is electrically insulated from the ambient surroundings and from the electrodes ( i . e ., gate conductor 101 , source 106 , and drain 107 ) of the fet radiation monitor , the fet radiation monitor may exhibit good retention of charge 302 over time , with negligible degradation . for example , degradation of the radiation - induced v th shift may be less than about 10 % over a period of about 25 days in a pfet radiation monitor , and over a period of about 15 days in an nfet radiation monitor . charge retention allows use of the radiation monitor for tracking of long - term cumulative radiation treatments . fig4 illustrates an embodiment of a method 400 for radiation monitoring using a fet radiation monitor . fig4 is discussed with reference to fig3 . in block 401 , a backgate voltage ( v bg ) comprising a positive bias is applied to a silicon substrate 105 of a fet radiation monitor . in block 402 , the fet radiation monitor is exposed to radiation . v bg continues to be applied to the silicon substrate during the radiation exposure . in block 403 , a threshold voltage ( v th ) of the fet radiation monitor changes based on the amount of radiation to which the fet radiation monitor has been exposed , due to positive charge 302 built up in buried insulator layer 104 . in block 404 , a readout voltage is applied to a gate conductor 101 of the fet radiation monitor in order to determine the change in v th . v bg may continue to be applied to the silicon substrate during readout in some embodiments . in block 405 , the amount of radiation exposure is determined based on the change in v th . a single semiconductor substrate 105 may hold a plurality of fet radiation monitors , each fet radiation monitor comprising a separate gate conductor layer , insulator layer , semiconductor layer , buried insulator layer , source , drain , side contacts , spacer material , and back contact . a plurality of fet radiation monitors may also be arranged in an array , including but not limited a linear array , a 2 - dimensional array , or a 3 - dimensional array , in order to detect radiation doses in different areas and from different directions . the different directions may be orthogonal . in some embodiments , a filter may be disposed between a fet radiation monitor and the source of the radiation 301 to prevent some of radiation 301 from passing through the device , or to make the device more or less sensitive to the type of incident radiation . another type of device may also be incorporated into the semiconductor substrate 105 , including but not limited to a memory cell , a clock , a microprocessor , a dna sensor , a biological sensor , a hazardous material sensor , a glucose sensor , a red blood cell sensor , or a camera . the technical effects and benefits of exemplary embodiments include a relatively small , inexpensive radiation monitor that may be used to determine long - term or real - time radiation dosage information . the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention . as used herein , the singular forms “ a ”, “ an ”, and “ the ” are intended to include the plural forms as well , unless the context clearly indicates otherwise . it will be further understood that the terms “ comprises ” and / or “ comprising ,” when used in this specification , specify the presence of stated features , integers , steps , operations , elements , and / or components , but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features , integers , steps , operations , elements , components , and / or groups thereof . the corresponding structures , materials , acts , and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure , material , or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed . the description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description , but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed . many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . the embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application , and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . | 7 |
turning now to the drawings and , more particularly , fig1 shows an example of a typical site , a factory building 90 in this example , with access controlled by a preferred embodiment access control system , such as a telephone entry system ( tes ) capable of maintaining unlisted tenant directory codes according to the present invention . in this example , the access control system is in communication with one or more general purpose computer 92 . a computer terminal 94 , such as a personal computer or the like , and a modem 96 are attached to the general purpose computer 92 . product assembly lines 98 , shown for example only , are located at one end of the factory 90 . a parking lot 100 , e . g ., for employee parking , is located at the front of the building 90 . the building 90 includes a front entrance 102 , a rear entrance 104 and an emergency exit 106 with attached sensors ( not shown ) indicating whether the door at emergency exit 106 is open or closed . in this example , the front building entrance 102 provides passage to / from the parking lot 100 and a gate 108 provides auto entry / exit to the parking lot 100 . a code entry unit , remote entry keypad 110 , is located at rear entrance 104 for entering access codes . the gate 108 includes entry and exit code entry units , external card reader 112 for requesting entry and internal card reader 114 for requesting exit . a main control unit 116 controls building entry directly at each of the front entrance 102 and rear entrance 104 and monitors sensors at the rear emergency exit 106 . further , to allow for the distance of the gate 108 from the main unit 116 , a peripheral unit 118 controls the gate 108 and communicates with the main unit 116 . the peripheral unit 118 passes entry / exit requests from the gate card readers 112 , 114 to the main unit 116 and , upon receipt of an authorization response to such a request , opens / closes the gate 108 . tenant or contact codes such as for contacting departments within a business or tenants in an apartment complex , may be displayed on the main unit 116 . however , a particular tenant or department may prevent display of an associated code . the code sequence length for granting access is arbitrary and depends on the configuration of the particular unit . the preferred embodiment tes manages the admission process , recalling and dialing tenant telephone numbers in response to the contact code and then , responding to signals from the tenant &# 39 ; s telephone to unlock a door , open a gate or open another connected device . these directory contact codes prompt the system to call a particular tenant . each contact code entered into the main control keypad points to the telephone number of a corresponding tenant . a visitor may enter a tenant contact code into the main unit to call and communicate with an associated tenant . tenant contact codes can be linked to the tenant &# 39 ; s card or entry code , and may be deleted once the tenant leaves the building , e . g ., moves out , thereby removing the tenant &# 39 ; s building access authorization . thus , each tenant must be associated with at least one individual contact code . all codes are not required to be displayed in the directory display , i . e , some codes may be unlisted . according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention , tenants that desire privacy and wish to restrict awareness that they are tenants of the building may use this unlisted number feature to prevent their contact code from being displayed . so , unlisted contact code numbers are not listed in the display directory and are not displayable . thus , only visitors that know an unlisted contact code can enter the code to contact the tenant . without knowing the unlisted contact code , visitors do not have information to contact the tenant . also , tenants may select a tenant do - not - disturb ( dnd ) feature to block calls to a tenant during selected period . so for example , where the preferred tes controls access to an apartment complex , a visitor arriving at the building or complex , can find a tenant &# 39 ; s contact code on the main control unit 116 directory , provided the code is not unlisted . then , the visitor may select or enter the code , and the preferred embodiment system will dial a tenant &# 39 ; s associated telephone number without the visitor knowing the tenant &# 39 ; s telephone number . upon answering the call , the tenant may initiate one of four actions by dialing a number on the telephone . these actions may include , for example , activating a first relay to open a front door or entry gate ; activating a second relay to open another door or enable whatever device is controlled by the second relay , e . g ., an elevator ; and , continue to talk to the visitor . card readers 112 , 114 may include well known weigard protocol card readers , barrium ferrite and proximity readers or clikcard receivers , for example . access control system and tes are used interchangeably herein . the present invention is described herein with reference to a tes type of access control system , for example only and not as a limitation . further , although general purpose computer 92 is shown here as being located on site , this is for example only . it is understood that computer 92 may be located at a remote site ( not shown ) and in communication with the access control system over public or private telephone lines using a modem or any other appropriate communications media . the preferred embodiment tes and the general purpose computer 92 communicate with each other seamlessly . entries made in the tes are seamlessly transferred to the general purpose computer 92 and updated in corresponding databases stored therein . likewise entries made in selected databases within the general purpose computer or in other types of selected files are reflected in the tes , seamlessly , and without requiring manual intervention . thus , for example , employees may be added or removed from factory personnel logs stored in the general purpose computer and , as each is entered or removed , the corresponding entry code in the tes is added or deleted . in a more particular example , a human resources person sitting at a terminal 94 may delete an employee from a list of employees in the general purpose computer 92 . upon such deletion , the general purpose computer 92 contacts the tes using modem 96 , and corresponding employee records stored in the main unit 116 are deleted . furthermore , other types of entries , such as holidays , may be changed in the main computer 92 and those changes reflected in the tes . so , for example , in a first year independence day may fall on a tuesday . that year the company may decide to also make monday , the third of july , a holiday . a human resources person enters the selection of july 3 rd and 4 th as holidays in the personnel system and those holidays are automatically communicated to the main unit 116 . in the following year , which is a leap year , independence day falls on a thursday . so , this following year the fifth of july is also selected as a holiday . thus , the human resources person deletes july 3 rd as a holiday in the personnel system and adds july 5 th as a holiday . the personnel system causes computer 92 to transmit the deletion of july 3 rd and the addition of july 5 th as holidays to the main control unit 116 . in response to each set of holiday dates , the tes restricts access to the main building during holidays to selected management personnel , e . g ., to the factory manager and assistant manager . on normal work days , the tes opens the front gate 108 at 8 : 00 a . m . and closes it at 6 : 30 a . m . however , during the selected holidays , july 3 rd and 4 th of the first year and july 4 th and 5 th of the second , the front gate 108 remains closed with access provided only through the card reader 112 and exit only through card reader 114 . in addition , information may be passed the other way as well from the tes to the main computer 92 . the tes , monitoring rear entrance 106 may receive an indication that the rear door is open , e . g ., from the door ajar sensor . immediately , the tes transmits that information to the general purpose computer 92 . in response , the general purpose computer 92 displays a message on the computer terminal 94 to a security guard , alerting the guard that the rear door has been opened . in addition , in response to the rear door 106 being opened , the tes may sound a building alarm and dial an emergency number , to call the fire department for example . coincidentally , as the tes sounds the alarm and calls the fire department , it reports this information to the general purpose computer 92 which may display the information to appropriate personnel . building tenants can access the building using the preferred embodiment tes , which controls entrances and selectively grants access . typically , each tenant has an assigned access code and / or card to access the complex . as the tenant enters a corresponding access code on a keypad or , cards in using a card reader ( connected to one of the main control units 116 or peripheral unit 118 ). the system checks to determine if the entered access code is valid . if the code is valid and access is not restricted for the particular entrance , the system grants access by unlatching the entrance , e . g ., opening a front gate or garage door . access codes are enabled programmably to allow tenants to enter or exit through one or more gate ( s ) or door ( s ). entrances are symbolically linked to the tenant &# 39 ; s access code and links may be deleted when a tenant moves out . entry cards , like access codes authorize entry . thus , swiping the card through an entry card reader or touching a smart card to a smart card reader , provides access at an authorized entrance . authorizations for entry cards as well as access codes may be restricted to certain entrances and for selected time periods or generally authorized for all building entrances and at any time . a valid door structure ( vds ) grants tenant access to a set number of doors , and may deny access to other doors . so , for example , a vds may be created authorizing tenant access to the front and back door , but not to a manager &# 39 ; s door or a garage door . a second vds may be created for the manager to authorize access to all doors . also , access restrictions may be placed on codes to reduce the possibility of a card or code being used by more than one person . period restricted or time zone access may limit the times of day that access is allowed through a particular entry location , e . g ., access may be restricted only to the front entrance of a building during night hours . an anti - pass back restriction may be one of two types , either true or timed anti - pass back . true anti - pass back requires that each entry be matched by an exit before re - entry is allowed . timed anti - pass back requires that a defined period of time pass before the same card or code may be used again for re - entry by the same reader or keypad . if the timed anti - pass back feature is set to time out in sixty seconds , for example , the system will not grant access to anyone trying to re - enter using the same code or card at the same reader until , for example , sixty seconds have elapsed from the most recent entry . an anti - pass back forgiveness feature may be used , such that after expiration of the forgiveness period , entry using the same code or card may be resumed . so , for example , after midnight entry may be made reusing a blocked code or card to the same building . likewise , a strikes - and - out feature may be included to prohibit unauthorized persons from guessing an entry code . the strikes - and - out feature allows a selected number of erroneous code entries before temporarily disabling a code reader at a particular door for a specified amount of time . for convenience , use frequency limits or period limits may be placed on cards or access codes , to allow issuance of temporary cards or access codes that are authorized for limited numbers of uses or for a limited period of time . use limited codes or cards grant entry for set number of uses . thus , a code or card may be authorized for sixty uses over the course of a month , for example . once the card use exceeds that sixty - use limit , the code or card is no longer valid and the card may be discarded . period limits may include date limitation wherein cards or access codes are authorized for entry until a specified date , i . e ., an expiration date . for example , a tenant may be scheduled to move out of the building on december 1 st of the current year . the expiration date for that tenant &# 39 ; s card or access code may be set for december 1 st and thereafter , access to the building is not authorized for either the card or access code . first - use time limited cards or access codes authorize entry for a set number of days / hours / minutes after first use . for example , a tenant may have access for an unspecified week which begins to run upon the first entry . after the first entry , the tenant can use the card / code to enter and exit the building for a week until the period expires and the card / code is no longer valid . start - now time limited cards / codes are similar to first - use time limited cards / codes providing authorized access over a period of days / hours / minutes beginning immediately . [ 0036 ] fig2 shows an example of a main control unit 116 and fig3 shows an example of a peripheral unit 118 . the main control unit 116 houses a main system motherboard ( not shown ) as well as tes software and building / tenant related data . a keypad 120 is included on the main unit 116 for numeric code entry , e . g ., entering access codes or tenant phone numbers to contact tenants . a display 122 is provided for displaying telephone numbers stored in the system , as well as providing interactive information and for viewing any diagnostic information that might be displayed during entry or normal maintenance . both the main control unit 116 and the peripheral unit 118 include keyed access points 124 , 126 . unlocking each unit &# 39 ; s housing provides access to system circuits contained within the particular unit 116 , 118 . the main unit control 116 includes four internal relays and preferably is capable of supporting four ( 4 ) peripheral units 118 . further , in this embodiment each peripheral unit 118 includes four relays . thus , besides pedestrian access control , relays can by employed for generating alarms , bypassing an alarm , providing elevator access control , controlling close circuit television ( cctv ), controlling a gate operator and , for heating and air - conditioning system control . each of the main control unit 116 and peripheral units 118 also include an interface for an exit request sensor and door position sensor . when attached , the exit request sensor senses when a request is placed for exit through the door , e . g ., a button is pushed to request exit . a door position sensor senses when a door has been pried open or is otherwise open and / or remains open , e . g ., for more than a minute after a relay deactivation . messages such as greetings , general information or warnings may be programmed into the main unit 118 for display on the display 122 . a series of system menus are provided on the display 122 for manually programming the preferred embodiment tes . these menus are navigable using a menu prompt , scrolling through each menu level to identify and select an active value that corresponds to a desired menu action . the menus may be navigated by pressing numbers or characters on the keypad 120 that prompt a currently displayed option . command prompts may be identified as appropriate , such as using a designated character , underscoring , highlighting or placing a cursor below the prompt . further , depending on the number of displayable lines on the main control unit display 122 , scrolling up and down the menu lines may be required as the number of current menu lines may exceed the number of lines that may be displayed . further , the preferred embodiment tes may convert messages to a foreign language , e . g ., by pressing a main control keypad 120 number to select displaying messages in spanish . a manager call button 128 may be included on the keypad 120 . pressing the manager call button 128 prompts the system to call a preselected manager &# 39 ; s telephone number . up to four different manager telephone numbers can be accompanied with a call schedule for each number such that calls are placed to selected ones of the manager phone numbers depending on the time of day , for example . a programmable manager &# 39 ; s call schedule , sets times when visitors are allowed to contact the manager . call schedules for up to four managers may be programmed with each manager having up to four sub - schedules and each sub - schedule having up to four segments . in addition , the manager call button may be selectively disabled to prevent visitors from contacting the manger from the main unit during any period that it is disabled . so , for example , the manager call button may be disabled between midnight and 5 : 00am and the preferred embodiment tes would not respond to pressing the manager call button during those hours . [ 0040 ] fig4 shows an example of a building 130 with a minimum tes configuration . building 130 includes a front door 132 and a rear door 134 , access through both of which is controlled directly by a main control unit 116 . in this example , a card reader 136 is provided at the front door 132 for requesting access and a remote keypad 138 is at the rear entrance 136 for exit . also , in this example of a simple tes , a card reader 140 is included at the rear entrance 136 . remote entry relays 142 , 144 are provided , each controlled by the main control unit 116 , to remotely open / lock the respective front entrance 132 and rear entrance 134 . additionally , the access control system of this example includes a printer 146 , a computer terminal 148 and a telephone 150 connected to the main unit 116 . the printer 146 is included for printing out periodic reports , periodic system dumps or diagnostics information . the computer terminal 148 may be used with an interface program such as spswin from sentex systems for example , to program the control unit 116 and maintain data in databases . telephone 150 provides another point of internal access to the system telephonically and , correspondingly , to building tenants connected to the system . also , the main control unit 116 accesses an external telephone system , e . g . for fax / modem communications functions . the tes records all transactions including telephone calls and any other system activity and may send a report in any number of ways . for example , the fax modem may be used to fax the report to a remote fax machine , the printer may print the report locally , the display may display the report or , the modem may send the report to a remote computer terminal . logged transactions may include any activity such as visitor directory calls , tenant entry references ( whether granted or denied ), card or code activity and any other activities whether at the main control unit or a peripheral control unit that the system manager may select . further , reports may be scheduled for automatic transmission , at a previously selected time to a previously selected destination . [ 0043 ] fig5 shows an example of an expanded access control system controlling multiple access points in building 150 . in this example , a single main control unit 116 communicates with two peripheral units 118 to control remote entry . main unit 116 controls both peripheral units 118 and directly controls access to central doors 152 , 154 . each peripheral unit 118 controls access to a remote pair of doors 156 , 158 and 160 , 162 . further , each of a remote keypad 154 k , 156 k , 158 k , 160 k , 162 k and a card reader 154 c , 156 c , 158 c , 160 c , 162 c is located at each of the entrances 154 , 156 , 158 , 160 and 162 . in this example , a closed circuit television camera ( cctv ) 164 connected to main unit 116 is located at entrance 152 , for monitoring activity at that entrance . a button 166 may be located at door 152 to request exit from the building . a closed circuit tv monitor 168 is located internally to the building for monitoring activity at entry 152 , e . g ., by a guard and for granting access to entrance 152 . the guard may authorize entry through telephone 170 , through a dedicated input device ( e . g ., a button ), through a computer or through any other appropriate device . each of remote peripheral units 118 and main unit 116 controls a pair of relays labeled a and b , each of which remotely opens / closes or locks / unlocks a respective one of the doors . each of the main control unit 116 and any connected peripheral units 118 may be configured for one - door control or two - door control . for one - door configuration , the unit controls one door for entry or exit and includes three other relays that are available for other functions such as , shunting or bypassing an alarm , triggering an alarm or activating a closed circuit tv . for a two - door configuration two relays are available for shunting or rerouting an alarm . when a tenant swipes a card or enters a code , the tes response may include one or more relay actions , e . g ., a door will cycle , the cctv will cycle on , etc . a relay activation structure ( ras ) controls relay responses to entry cards or codes . each ras defines one or more relay responses and is associated with an entry card or code . relay commands are provided for programmable individual relay control and select relay response to an entry request . a cycle command causes a selected relay to respond by opening and then closing after a period of time , e . g ., buzzing in someone to a locked building . a latch - open command energizes the relay , for example , to unlock the door and leave the door unlocked until prompted to reenergize the relay , thereby re - locking the door . a latch release command returns the relay action to a default setting , e . g ., if the door is open after responding to a latch open command , issuing the latch release command returns the corresponding relay to the cycle state . an initial default state may be selected such that relay control is set to that default state upon system power up . the system may monitor door status to determine whether it is held open more than a predefined maximum time and , otherwise , determine whether a controlled door is stuck open , i . e ., a building security breach may have occurred . an open door condition may elicit an alarm call wherein using the modem , the system transmits an alarm message to a designated computer or to a fax machine . alternately , the system response to an open door may be to close a relay that turns on an alarm light or that sounds a siren to inform a monitoring station of the perimeter breach . when an alarm is triggered ( e . g ., because a door has been forced open ), the preferred embodiment tes automatically sends an alarm message over the modem to a designated recipient e . g ., a computer terminal or a fax machine . the alarm message typically includes an alarm unit id to identify the open door so that the message recipient knows the alarm origination point . the alarm call unit id is programmable in the tes as is the number of retry times for dialing the number . also , alarms may be enabled or disabled , e . g ., for maintenance purposes . in the event of an alarm , the preferred embodiment tes reports the alarm by calling a previously designated location , which may be a fax machine , a terminal connected through a modem , an alarm company or to a pager . if the location does not answer the call or the number is busy , the control unit repeatedly hangs up and redials the same number until the system connects or , until the redial retry number is met . if , alternately , a direct connection is provided to a computer , printer or other reporting device , the tes reports the alarm condition occurrence directly , posting or printing a message that indicates the occurrence , e . g ., on the attached printer . [ 0048 ] fig6 shows upper electronics assembly 180 in an internal view of an open main control unit 116 . the upper electronics assembly 180 includes a detachable handheld keypad 182 and a display 184 which may be a liquid crystal diode ( lcd ) display . a pluggable memory module 186 is shown inserted at the top of the upper electronics assembly 180 . the pluggable memory module 186 is , preferably , flash electronically programmable read only memory ( flash eprom ). local audio communications may be effected in an intercom - like or speaker phone fashion through the faceplate of the main control unit 116 using a microphone 188 ( in fig2 ) and speaker 189 . two types of data that may be saved or reloaded into the main control unit using the pluggable memory module 186 . these two types of data include , unit data and operating data necessary for normal operation and is inserted during initial installation . unit data includes user - generated data for the particular control unit . such user - generated data may include code entries for tenants . operating data includes any data required by the main control unit to operate . a backup module may be inserted periodically to backup / restore unit or operating data from / to the control unit memory . the backup module also may be used for upgrading the control unit operating system . [ 0050 ] fig7 is an expanded view of the detachable handheld keypad 182 which is an alphanumeric keypad . the detachable handheld keypad 182 includes a numeric section 190 and an alphabetic section 192 . the numeric section 190 includes several cursor keys 190 c , a backspace key 190 b , an escape key 190 e and a clear key 190 c 1 . the cursor keys 190 c facilitate navigating between displayed menu entries , e . g ., on the display 184 in fig5 . the backspace key 190 b functions to eliminate a single previously entered number or character at a time . the escape key 190 e may be used for canceling an erroneously entered command key sequence and / or terminating a command , i . e ., aborting . a single stroke of the clear key 192 c 1 clears displayed entries . the alphabetic section 192 includes several hot keys 194 , typical alphabetic keys and an enter key 196 as well . the hot keys 194 include a number of shortcut keys for bypassing menu navigation and directly selecting and initiating a previously stored procedure . hot keys 194 may include , for example , an enter phone number key for adding a new phone number to the stored listing ; a delete phone number key may be included for removing entries from the list ; and , an enter code key and a delete code key may be included for adding / removing codes from the listing . card authorization may likewise be managed with enter card and delete card keys . a time / date key may be included for recalling and updating system time . a transaction key may be included for recalling and viewing logged system activity such as for example , visitor to tenant directory calls , tenant entry ( granted or denied ) and card or code activity . while each of these corresponding commands may be otherwise effected through a series of alphanumeric key entries , hot keys 190 provide a much simpler faster shortcut . [ 0052 ] fig8 shows a block diagram of the motherboard 200 of the electronics assembly according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention . the motherboard 200 , essentially , includes two subsystems , a control subsystem 202 and a signal processing subsystem 204 . further , each subsystem 202 , 204 includes an address bus 202 a , 204 a and a data bus 202 d , 204 d . the control subsystem 202 includes a microcontroller 206 , which may be a general purpose microprocessor or , preferably , is a 16 - bit , single chip controller such as the xa - s3 microcontroller from philips semiconductors . the control subsystem 202 includes memory , preferably , both dynamic random access memory ( dram ) 208 and flash eprom 210 . if necessary , a memory controller 212 may be included for controlling access to and refreshing the dram 208 or , if the microcontroller 206 is capable , the memory control function may be provided directly by the microcontroller 206 . when installed in the main control unit 116 with the motherboard 200 , the pluggable flash memory module 186 in fig7 is also included in the memory in the control subsystem 202 . a real time clock ( rtc ) and peripheral interface 214 also is included in the control subsystem 202 . the microcontroller 206 in control subsystem 202 manages a programable transaction auto reporting function to automatically send a record of all transactions that are currently stored in the main control unit memory at the preselected time to a selected destination , e . g ., to a terminal , fax or a printer . transactions may include records of system activity such as a directory call , an open door , entry card or code activity , etc . auto reporting may be triggered by count number , a specified day or time or , a combination of transaction count and day / time . count only scheduling triggers a report automatically when the count reaches a specified number of transactions , as selected by the complex manager , for example . when the transaction count reaches that number , the transactions report is transmitted to the destination . if day / time reporting is selected , all log transaction are transmitted on a selected day and time . count and day / time reporting allows transaction report transmission if the count reaches a selected level prior to the scheduled day / time . as noted above , system transactions or records of system activity include records of events such as a directory call , an open door , entry card or code activity or anything else identified as system activity for logging or reporting . reports are transmitted , for example , to a printer , a fax machine or a computer terminal . since computer terminals do not have identical modem transmission capabilities , the preferred embodiment tes has a programmable baud rate , selectable for a particular computer terminal or printer . optionally , the preferred embodiment tes may send transaction information in real time . further , real time transmission may be programmed to begin at some future time and continue until the system receives a termination command to end real time transmission . also , interactive report transmission may be selected to require a response to a manual prompt at the time of transmission . thus , when the programmed transmission time occurs , the prompt is presented to an operator , e . g ., the building manager , who may approve or deny transmission . the heart of the signal processing subsystem 204 is a digital signal processor ( dsp ) 216 , preferably , 24 - bit dsp 56303 from motorola corporation . the digital signal processor 216 is connected to memory such as , for example , static ram ( sram ) 218 and flash eprom 220 . the digital signal processor 216 interfaces externally to the main control circuit 200 through a communications interface 222 . the main control unit communicates with the outside world through any number of connected optional interface devices that may be connected to the real time clock ( rtc ) and peripheral interface 214 or to the communications interface 222 . the dsp data bus 204 d is selectively connectable to the control data bus 202 d and the dsp address bus 204 a is selectively connectable to the control address bus 202 a . in particular , the rtc and peripheral interface 214 communicates with connected remote units , e . g ., peripheral unit 118 above . also , connected input / output ( i / o ) devices such as a display , e . g ., an lcd display 184 , an rs422 printer port , an rs232 serial port , keypads including handheld keypad 182 , and card readers all communicate with and are controlled by the microcontroller through rtc and peripheral interface 214 . further , a real time clock in the rtc and peripheral interface 214 maintains current date and time information that may be used , for example , in logging or in timed operation . programmable time zones are defined as time periods during which particular access codes and card codes are enabled . so , if a group of tenants is intended to have access to the complex only during certain hours and / or on certain days of the week , a time zone may be identified for those specific periods and that time zone assigned to that group of tenants . each time zone may have four different schedules / segments with a maximum of fifteen different time zones . further , holidays may be identified and included or excluded from particular time zones . also , a timed control system may be included for setting relay controls to automatically open / close or enable / disable certain connected functions or features at preselected periods . thus , for example , the system may automatically unlock and open the front gate daily and later re - lock or close the gate , at times that are specified within the system . so , continuing this example , the front gate may automatically open at 7 : 00am and close at 7 : 00pm . further , typical holidays may be identified such that the gate does not automatically open even if a holiday falls on a weekday . a free exit may be provided through any monitored door such that opening the door to exit does not cause a door forced opened condition during the exit . a post office and fire department entry feature referenced to as a postal lock provides access using a lock and key . the local fire department may have a common key that allows access through the postal lock . access to the complex using either of these is through the access control system and treated as a normal entry . communication interface 222 provides both audio and telephonic communications interface functions . audio communications may include sound from the main control unit microphone and speaker . both the microphone and speaker volume may be controlled programmably . telephonic communications may include a modem / fax modem function and providing a telephone handset interface for either or both of touch tone or rotary dial type telephones . the modem provides for both incoming as well as outgoing communications . the modem may be set to answer an incoming call after a selected number of rings . a preselected length may be set for visitor to tenant calls to prevent unintentionally tying up the line by leaving a call connected indefinitely , blocking other calls to the tenant as well as to the control unit . dialing may be selected for either touch tone or a pulse dialing depending upon local telephone company capabilities . if caller id is available , incoming telephone numbers may be logged for each call along with any corresponding system / tenant response or action . if a voicemail system is attached to the tes , voicemail may be configured from the main control unit . also , voicemail may be programmed to intercept calls and to screen visitors for tenants . to use this voicemail control feature of the preferred embodiment system , a visitor places a tenant call and the voice mail system answers the call . then , the visitor can bypass voicemail and contact the tenant by dialing an extension ( a number with up to six digits ) on the front panel keypad . if caller id is available through the local telephone service , the system may retrieve the caller &# 39 ; s number for the tenant to return the call later . a pbx enable / disable and dial - in feature provides call configuration capability to dial a number for outside access , e . g ., 9 . a dial - up unit id feature allows assignment of a 6 - digit identification number such that a person dialing into the unit can retrieve the unit id to determine whether the caller has contacted the correct unit . the preferred embodiment access control system includes the capability to provide audible signals , e . g ., beeps , in response to various inputs . so for example , an access granted beep may be provided by the main control unit speaker when granting tenant / visitor access . also , talk time beeps on the telephone may indicate when visitor to tenant communication approaches the end of the selected talk period . these audible alerts may be disabled or enabled as desired . in addition , the access control system according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention may facilitate information exchanges and other communications between itself and other systems such as a general purpose computer running a personnel or bookkeeping system . as described in detail in “ access control systems in seamless communication with personnel management systems and the like ” to dow et al . u . s . patent application ser . no . ______ ( attorney docket no . 71338 / 5569 ), assigned to the assignee of the present invention and filed coincident herewith . accordingly , fig9 shows a building 230 with access controlled by a preferred embodiment access control system in communication with a remotely located fax machine 232 . access to front entrance 234 is controlled by a main control unit 236 monitored adjacent to entrance 234 . access to garage entrance 238 is through card entry reader 240 . thus , the access control system and especially main control unit 236 may be programmed as described hereinabove such that when 250 accesses to garage entrance 238 occurs for example the log is transmitted to remote fax machine 232 . upon receipt of fax at fax machine 232 a fax may be reviewed and if anything of note is included in the fax that may be forwarded to proper authorities or , otherwise , the fax may be stored for later disposal or subsequent use if needed . accordingly , the above described access control system allows unlisted numbers . tenants wanting to control who contact them have a private tenant number to which they may restrict knowledge . thus , tenants may control distribution of their number in any way that they choose . having thus described preferred embodiments of the present invention , various modifications and changes will occur to a person skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . it is intended that all such variations and modifications fall within the scope of the appended claims . examples and drawings are , accordingly , to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive . | 7 |
the invention is explained below within the context of two examples . a first example is the use of the remote control via the internet to turn on and turn off a lamp . the second example relates to retrieving a stored image from a home server . [ 0019 ] fig1 is a block diagram of a system 100 of the invention . system 100 includes a hand - held device 102 such as a personal digital assistant ( pda ) , e . g ., a palmiiix manufactured by 3com or a windows ce ™- based handheld , that is connected to a data network 106 , e . g ., the internet , via a wireless modem 104 . modem 104 is , for example , a minstrel or a ricochet . the minstrel marketed by novatel wireless is a two - way wireless modem for a pda that lets the user browse the web and receive e - mail , among other things . in a more general sense , a wireless modem like the minstrel or ricochet provides the handheld device 102 with an ip address that can be used by any type of application that uses the internet for communication ( within limitations of throughput , latency and coverage ). the minstrel uses a technology referred to as cellular digital packet data ( cdpd ) that is supported by the cellular service providers . web surfing is limited to a cdpd speed cap of 19 . 2 kbps . the ricochet from metricom has a faster connect rate , in the 28 . 8 kbps range , but it is supported in only three metropolitan centers ( the san francisco bay area , seattle and washington ). the remote control functionality in the system of the invention does not require a high data rate . the information communicated is limited in size . the data rate in this example is approximately 9 , 600 baud . it is contemplated that the hand - held device 102 could be a device other than a pda . for example , it is envisioned that the hand - held device 102 could be a device capable of emitting rf signals or a personal computer directly connected ( i . e ., non - wirelessly ) to a data network , such as the internet . system 100 further has a server 108 , an x - 10 controller 110 , an x - 10 switch module 112 and a lamp 114 . x - 10 is a communications protocol for control of electrical devices . the protocol is designed for communications between x - 10 transmitters and x - 10 receivers which communicate on standard household wiring 116 . x - 10 is mentioned here as an example . alternative control mechanisms are feasible that do not use the power supply lines , such as cebus , 12 c , ir ( through an ir blaster ), etc . switch 112 connects lamp 114 to mains power supply 116 under control of controller 110 . controller 110 in turn gets its control input from server 108 . pda 102 has a display or graphical user - interface ( gui ) 118 with a touch screen or graphical tablet functionality , and a client application 120 . client application 120 controls the creation of soft buttons on display 118 . when a user activates an on button on display 118 , application 120 uses wireless modem 104 to send a command via the internet 106 to server 108 . server 108 includes a pc hardware running a web server 122 and software modules 124 that include cgi scripts run by the web server 122 . cgi stands for common gateway interface and is part of the http protocol . cgi is used to transfer information back and forth between the web server 122 and an application , such as client application 120 . the web server 122 running on pc 108 interprets the command received from the pda 102 over the internet 106 . the interpretation mechanism uses , e . g ., a database on pc 108 , wherein each specific command received is linked to a specific action . the database can be fully customized by the user . the command in this example is interpreted as an action to turn lamp 114 on . to this end , pc 108 communicates with controller 110 , e . g ., via an rs232 cable , and instructs the latter to issue a command to switch 112 to turn lamp 114 on . switch 112 receives the command and connects lamp 114 with power lines 116 . similarly , when the user thereafter presses an off - button on display 118 , client application 120 sends a corresponding command via modem 104 to pc 108 via the internet 106 . the web server 122 interprets the command and instructs controller 110 to let switch 112 turn off lamp 114 . system 100 further includes a server 126 , herein referred to as the reliable home server ( rhs ), and a video camera 128 , such as a web - cam . rhs 126 may be a component within server 122 or a separate low - cost server , as in this example . alternatively , web server 122 and scripts 124 can be components of server 126 . the video camera 128 allows the user to remotely watch what the video camera 128 is capturing , e . g ., live video or a still picture which can be automatically refreshed . rhs 126 includes hardware and software to receive images from at least one video source , in this example , a video image from the video camera 128 , and transfer the images to the pda 102 or another computer with a web browser . client application 120 provides a soft button , e . g ., view , that , when pressed , lets application 120 send a command via the modem 104 and the internet 106 to the server 108 . the web server 122 running on pc 108 receives the command , interprets it and instructs rhs 126 to transmit the video image to the web server 122 . the latter converts the format of the video image suitable for display on gui 118 of pda 102 and then stores the formatted image in a database within a memory of pc 108 . the user presses another soft button , e . g ., image , created by client application 120 . the associated command gets sent via the modem 104 and the internet 106 to the pc 108 . the web server 122 receives the command , interprets it , and accordingly retrieves the stored image from the database and returns it to pda 102 via common internet protocols . pda 102 then displays the image on gui 118 under control of client application 120 . the image displayed by the gui 118 can be clicked or touched to effect a clickable user - interface ( image - map ) to remotely control the lamp 114 and other electronic devices . for example , the user can touch an image of the lamp 114 on the image to instruct the web server 122 to execute a program to remotely send on / off commands to the lamp 114 . if the lamp 114 is network - enabled ( e . g ., internet - enabled ), the lamp 114 can be controlled directly via its own internet address and web server 122 . if the lamp 114 is not network - enabled , the lamp 114 can be coupled to rhs 126 through which it is indirectly controllable . it is contemplated for rhs 126 to give conditional access , e . g ., through a password , for security purposes . it is further contemplated to also control the lamp 114 by touching a real - time web - cam video image which is periodically refreshed and displayed by the gui 118 . accordingly , if the lamp 114 is in the video camera &# 39 ; s range of view , the lamp 114 switching on or off can be visually verified via the real - time web - cam video image , i . e ., the lamp 114 being turned on or off affects the colors or brightness of the image . in other examples , the presence or absence of a water jet confirms whether a sprinkler is turned on or off . an “ on ” light at the coffee machine or the heater confirms an power - on mode . alternatively , a user - interface , such as a slider control panel , could pop up if an image of a device on the web - cam video image is clicked or touched . for example , the user can touch an image of a radio on a web - cam video image to pop up a slider control panel having various control options , such as turning the radio on , adjusting the volume , playing a cassette , etc . upon touching one or more of the various control options , the web server 122 is instructed to execute a program to remotely control the radio accordingly . thus , the image of the apparatus to be controlled , as captured by the video camera 128 , serves as part of an intuitive user - interface . to associate the two - dimensional coordinates of the video image captured from the video camera 128 with the ce and appliances that can be controlled , a training mode is used . for example , by turning the lamp 114 on and off several times , the system learns which pixels in the captured video image are associated with the lamp 114 and uses that information to construct an image map . it is also envisioned to train the system of the present invention to associate certain tasks , e . g ., individual control commands , with images or regions thereof . the image or a region thereof thus serves to represent a command at the user - interface . the images can be captured during the training session ( s ) and saved for future use . during use , the user is presented with images or other pre - defined representations ( e . g ., icons ) that reflect different states of the equipment to be controlled . the user chooses or effects the equipment &# 39 ; s state reflected by the chosen image by means of , e . g ., clicking on the chosen image or performing another confirming action . further , the system of the present invention enables the user to create a representation of the desired state of the equipment to be controlled by highlighting icons or by using a drag - and - drop icon interface , where each icon represents an effect , e . g ., light on / off . an image of a real environment ( room , theater stage , etc .) can be used as the background to make the system easier to use . the system is trained to associate the state of an apparatus to be controlled with the particular element or icon being highlighted or dragged - and dropped . alternatively , drag - and - drop icons can have attributes associated with their effects , so they can be placed into spaces that satisfy those attributes . for example , an icon of a light or lamp can be associated with the particular coordinates of the area that a lamp illuminates . if the icon of the light or lamp is placed in the particular coordinates of the drag - and - drop interface , then the lamp is turned on . when the icon is removed from the particular coordinates , then the lamp is turned off . the remote control system of the present invention has been explained with reference to some conceptually simple examples . it is clear that other and more sophisticated scenarios can be implemented using the invention . for example , a recording device such as a vcr or tivo can be programmed from anywhere in the world when the user realizes that he / she has forgotten or was unable to set the device to record a favorite tv program . within this context , also see u . s . serial no . 09 / 283 , 545 ( attorney docket pha 23 , 633 ) filed apr . 1 , 1999 for eugene shteyn for time - and location - driven personalized tv , the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference . as another example , the user may turn on the central heating and turn on the lights at home and in the garden while returning home by car late at night . as another example , the user may program or activate the sprinkler installation in the garden at home while at work or while traveling . the system of the present invention is also envisioned to serve as a security system that enables a remote user to monitor his / her home , or as a fall - back baby - sit system that enables a parent to monitor a child in a different location . accordingly , what has been described herein is merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention . hence , other arrangements and methods may be implemented by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention . | 7 |
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