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certain embodiments facilitate a flexible supervisory approval process for casinos and / or regulatory authorities . some examples of casino operations that may require a higher level of approval include but are not limited to processing of jackpots with a monetary value greater than a predetermined amount , expiration or voiding of tickets from a ticketing system , line of credit approvals , and / or purchase of license credits for downloadable and / or server - based game content . when an approval request is received , an appropriate supervisor is identified regardless of location ( e . g ., may be on or off property ). the approval request is forwarded to the supervisor , such as through a network - based messaging system , a paging system , a phone system , etc . the approval request sent to the supervisor includes information that the supervisor may use to make decisions related to the requested approval . once the request is received , the supervisor reviews the information and approves or denies the transaction . the approval ( or denial ) may be communicated in a variety of ways , such as through a network - based messaging application , paging system , phone system and / or application built into a casino management and / or slot floor configuration system , for example . for example , a supervisor may provide an approval by replying to a wireless message sent to the supervisor &# 39 ; s mobile device . pending approval requests are monitored , and re - tries and / or other actions may be initiated to account for communication problems and / or other unanticipated situations and to help ensure approval is completed in a timely manner . for example , further action may include redirection to one or more standby or alternate supervisors . alternatively or in addition , further action may include escalation to supervisor ( s ) with increasing authority . once approval from an appropriate supervisor is received and authenticated , the pending operation is allowed to complete . the operator originating the approval request is notified that approval has been received and the operation has been completed . referring to fig1 , a casino network system 100 includes a plurality of gaming terminals 110 , 120 , and 130 interconnected through network 140 to a slot accounting and / or player tracking system 150 ( hereinafter collectively referring to as a player tracking system ), slot floor configuration manager 160 and remote approval queue manager 170 . it should be understood that , while the present description may refer to gaming terminals as “ slot machines ”, gaming terminal is used to refer to gaming tables , video poker and other gaming machines , for example . it should also be understood that configuration or reconfiguration of a gaming terminal includes both an initial configuration and subsequent reconfiguration of the gaming terminal to download and / or otherwise provide ( e . g ., server - based ) a game and / or other functionality to a player at the terminal . in certain embodiments , the casino network system 100 may be implemented in another gaming environment , such as a hotel , restaurant , theater , store , airport or other venue having one or more gaming systems . the components of the casino network system 100 may be implemented separately and / or in various combinations in hardware , software and / or firmware , for example . remote approval queue manager 170 is connected to database server 180 via a communication link 185 , which may be integrated with or separate from the network 140 . remote approval queue manager 170 is shown in fig1 as a physically separate server for demonstrative purposes only . however , the manager 170 may be a separate server or the functionality described herein may be incorporated into slot floor configuration manager 160 , player tracking system 150 and / or similar server , for example . system 100 also includes system workstations 200 and 205 , connected to network 140 . in addition , one or more mobile devices 210 , and / or one or more external systems 220 may directly or indirectly communicate with remote approval queue manager 170 . mobile device 210 may take the form of a personal digital assistant , tablet computer , text pager , cellular phone and / or similar device , for example . mobile device 210 may communicate via wireless data communication including but not limited to near field data communication ( e . g ., bluetooth communication , wireless network communication such as 802 . 11g or similar ) or data communication via a commercial or private cellular communications network , for example . external system 220 is connected to network 140 through firewall 225 , and may include a player workstation in a hotel room or other location external to the casino , for example . gaming terminals 110 , 120 , and 130 include communications interfaces ( ci ) 115 , 125 , and 135 respectively , which communicate with network 140 . in other embodiments , ci 115 , 125 , and 135 may instead communicate with player tracking system 150 via other system and / or method , such as a serial communications protocol ( rs - 485 or rs - 232 , for example ). in an embodiment , ci 115 , 125 , and 135 may be integrated into a game controller for gaming terminals 110 , 120 , and 130 . certain embodiments of a ci are described in more detail below . player tracking system 150 collects data from ci 115 , 125 , and 135 for purposes of slot accounting , monitoring and security , and player tracking as is well known in the art . player tracking system 150 processes and stores said data in database 180 . slot floor configuration manager 160 receives information relevant to slot floor configuration management from player tracking system 150 and database 180 . for example , slot floor configuration manager 160 may include an interface to player tracking system 150 to facilitate transfer of information between manager 160 and tracking system 150 . in an embodiment , slot floor configuration manager 160 receives information from a database separate from database 180 used by player tracking system 150 . in an embodiment , slot floor configuration manager 160 may receive floor configuration information independent of player tracking system 150 . slot floor configuration manager 160 also may receive information directly from gaming terminals 110 , 120 , 130 . gaming terminals 110 , 120 , 130 may be connected to slot floor configuration manager 160 and / or player tracking system 150 via separate networks or a common network , such as an ethernet . slot floor configuration manager 160 processes information to determine and / or suggest configurations of gaming terminals on a gaming floor , such as a casino floor . slot manager 160 reviews , adjusts , and approves suggested floor configurations via system workstation 200 . in an embodiment , players may be provided with an ability to select desired games to be played or downloaded to a terminal via ci 115 , 125 , and 135 and / or gaming terminal 110 , 120 , and 130 . players may also review game information or update their profiles via kiosk 210 or external system 220 , for example . further detail regarding certain embodiments of a slot floor configuration system are described in co - pending u . s . application ser . no . 11 / 459 , 232 , which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety . when an authorized operator encounters an operation that involves additional approval , an approval request is generated and sent to remote approval queue manager 170 . the request includes information such as a nature of the request , a level of approval and a priority of the request . remote approval queue manager 170 acknowledges receipt of the request , queues the request in database 180 and forwards the request to one or more appropriate personnel for approval . a location of a supervisor may be determined in a variety of ways . for example , a supervisor may be “ logged in ” to a messaging application to receive an approval request message . in an embodiment , such instant or rapid messaging functionality may be integrated into other applications associated with player tracking system 150 and / or slot floor configuration manager 160 . in certain embodiments , remote approval queue manager 170 may initiate a transmission of a wireless page or message to mobile device 210 being carried by a supervisor . the message may be a one - way page , for example , intended to inform the supervisor access a nearby and available workstation 205 to approve the request . alternatively or in addition , the message may be a two - way communication including information to make the approval decision as well as complete the approval through the mobile device 210 ( e . g ., by responding to the message with a special code ). once approval is receive by approval queue manager 170 , the request is logged as completed in database 180 and forwarded to player tracking system 150 and / or slot floor configuration manager 160 . the pending operation is allowed to complete . system 100 may also include an external system 220 , which is connected to network 140 via firewall 225 , for example . external system 220 may be a workstation in a gaming regulator &# 39 ; s office , for example . in one embodiment , gaming regulators may monitor and manage game certificates and / or other verification information via external system 220 . in certain embodiments , certificate and other licensing / verification information may be managed using a certificate manager . the certificate manager may be configured to allow access to games to be controlled for a given gaming environment , such as governmental regulators or gaming operators acting in compliance with gaming regulations . the certificate manager may work with a certificate database to control access to the game ( s ) being played . for example , the certificate database may include encoded and encrypted digital certificates or other authentication / license indicators that the to games in the game database on a one - to - one basis . in an embodiment , due to the nature of the games and gaming terminals , a game may not be played unless a valid certificate for that game exists in the certificate database . in an embodiment , a certificate is also mated to a venue , such as a casino or other gaming environment , so that a game may not be played at another venue even if the game and certificate were electronically duplicated and moved to another venue . in an embodiment , a certificate may also be mated to a binary image of a game file , such that a game may not be played if the binary image is modified . if a modification or update of a game image is a result of an authorized action , a new certificate may be issued by a regulator before the game may be played . games lacking a valid certificate may be handled differently in a player &# 39 ; s game catalog interface . in an embodiment , games lacking a valid certificate may be excluded from a player selection interface altogether . in an alternate embodiment , games lacking a valid certificate may be excluded from certain portions of a player catalog and / or visibly marked with an appropriate descriptive phrase such as “ pending approval for play in this casino ”. in an embodiment , certificates may be implemented such that the number of concurrently playing games of a given title may be limited by regulators or a game provider , for example . in an embodiment , certificates may be implemented such that a number of concurrently playing games from a given game provider is similarly limited . in an embodiment , the certificate database may be implemented to facilitate a total number of games being concurrently played at a given venue , if regulations enforce such a limit , for example . in an embodiment , regulators have access to the certificate database , either through an interface local to a gaming environment or through a remote interface such as a web - based interface through a dedicated and encrypted network link between the venue and the regulator . through this interface , the regulator may manage the certificate database to approve games for play or similarly revoke approval of games , for example . in an embodiment , the floor configuration manager 160 uses historical data as well as stored information regarding available games to determine and suggest , or in certain instances command , available game configuration ( s ) or mix for a casino floor or other gaming environment . such a mix may include , for example , game location ( s ), game denomination ( s ), game content , game appearance , terminal appearance , terminal operational mode and / or additional parameter ( s ) such as volatility , return to player ( rtp ), etc . in an embodiment , the manager 160 may change a gaming environment floor configuration automatically . for example , rules , preferences , calendar - based schedules , and / or historical data may be used by manager 160 to automatically reconfigure a gaming environment . as a few examples , the denominations of games may be changed to higher denominations for periods such as holidays and weekends where tourists or conventioneers are expected and lower denominations during the week for local players . where a large influx of tourists is expected , game play may be converted from , for example , video poker games to video slot machine games which may be more popular with the expected demographics of the patrons . historical data may also be used to control or suggest a configuration regime . prior successful configurations may be accessed and duplicated and even tied to calendar events , e . g . reconfigure for the christmas holiday the same as last christmas . where players are entitled to select configurations , a historical record may be maintained with respect to player requested configurations and the same may be analyzed to set up configurations for the casino floor . fig2 illustrates a flow diagram for a method 300 for flexible approvals in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . at step 310 , an approval request is received . for example , a jackpot approval request , credit / account approval request , licensing approval request , configuration approval request and the like is received at an approval system . at step 320 , an appropriate supervisor is located . for example , a supervisor capable of approving the request is called , paged , instant - messaged , emailed , etc . to notify the supervisor of the pending approval request . in certain embodiments , if the supervisor does not respond , an alternate supervisor is contacted . at step 330 , the approval request is forwarded to the available supervisor . for example , the approval request may be messaged and / or emailed to the supervisor , faxed to the supervisor , and / or the supervisor may access the approval system to view the request . in certain embodiments , the approval system may be accessible via a gaming terminal , workstation , external system , web browser and the like . in certain embodiments , a report is generated for the request to provide information to the supervisor for approval . at step 340 , the supervisor reviews and acts on the approval request . as described above , the supervisor may review the approval request and supporting information physically and / or electronically . the supervisor may then approve or deny the request . the approval or deny may be facilitated via messaging , email , fax , page , interaction with the electronic approval system , etc . at step 350 , if approval is received , the requested action is taken . if approval is not received , the requested action may be denied . in certain embodiments , approval may be automated based on certain guidelines . for example , approvals of jackpot amounts under a certain amount may be automated . if the amount exceeds the threshold , the request is then referred to a human supervisor for approval , for example . in certain embodiments , an on - site supervisor may be presented . a remote supervisor may alternatively and / or in addition be present . in certain embodiments , a central casino or gaming manufacturer supervisor may available for approvals . in certain embodiments , a gaming regulator is available for approvals . one or more of the steps of the method 300 may be implemented alone or in combination in hardware , firmware , and / or as a set of instructions in software , for example . certain embodiments may be provided as a set of instructions residing on a computer - readable medium , such as a memory , hard disk , dvd , or cd , for execution on a general purpose computer or other processing device . certain embodiments of the present invention may omit one or more of these steps and / or perform the steps in a different order than the order listed . for example , some steps may not be performed in certain embodiments of the present invention . as a further example , certain steps may be performed in a different temporal order , including simultaneously , than listed above . thus , certain embodiments provide an improved system and method for configuration of gaming terminals in a gaming environment . certain embodiments provide a system and method that allow customization and dynamic modification by an operator . certain embodiments provide improved reconfiguration of gaming terminals in gaming environment to offer a variety of games and / or other options to players . additionally , certain embodiments improve security , regulation and reliability of gaming terminals and access to games by players . certain embodiments monitor game play , player response , and configuration changes to affect configuration of a gaming environment . certain embodiments provide an improved player experience through selectable games , feedback , and / or other preferences , for example . certain embodiments allow progressive , mystery , bonusing and other gaming content to be added to gaming terminals . certain embodiments allow an operator to manage sign or display content and configuration , as well as gaming terminal software and firmware content and configuration . thus , certain embodiments allow adaptable control and configuration of a gaming environment . referring to the drawings , fig3 shows a gaming system 310 arranged to implement a probabilistic game of the type wherein several symbols from a set of symbols are randomly displayed and a game outcome is determined on the basis of the displayed symbols . with some such probabilistic games , the set of symbols include standard symbols at least one of which is a function symbol , and the game outcome is determined on the basis of the displayed standard symbols and the function associated with any displayed function symbol . for example , standard symbols may resemble fruit such as apples , pears and bananas with a win outcome being determined when a predetermined number of the same fruit appear on a display in the same line , scattered , and so on . the function associated with a function symbol may be for example a wild function wherein display of the function symbol is treated during consideration of the game outcome as any of the standard symbols . a function symbol may be represented as the word “ wild ”, a star , or by any other suitable word or symbol . other functions are also envisaged such as scatter functions , multiplier functions , repeat win functions , jackpot functions and feature commencement functions . the gaming system operates such that one or more function symbols can effectively be added during a game so as to modify the probability of occurrence of a win outcome and thereby enhance player interest in playing the game . this is achieved by selecting one or more symbols to acquire a new function and determining game outcomes based on displayed symbols and the new function . the function acquired by a symbol may be in place of or in addition to any function already associated with the symbol . referring to fig3 , certain embodiments described may be used in conjunction with game play and operation of a gaming system 10 . the gaming system 10 includes a memory 12 arranged to store symbols data 14 indicative of a plurality of symbols for subsequent display to a player , function data 16 indicative of one or more functions allocatable to the symbols , and game instruction data 18 indicative of game instructions usable by the gaming machine 10 to control operation of the game . the gaming system 10 also includes a symbol selector 20 which is arranged to select several symbols for display to a player and in some game circumstances to select one or more symbol to which a function is to be allocated . in this example , the selection carried out by the symbol selector 20 is made using a random number generator 22 . it will be appreciated that the random number generator 22 may be of a type which is arranged to generate pseudo random numbers based on a seed number , and that in this specification the term “ random ” will be understood accordingly to mean truly random or pseudo random . the gaming system 10 also includes a function selector 24 arranged to select one or more functions for allocation to one or more symbols selected during the special game circumstances , and a function allocator 26 arranged to allocate the or each function selected by the function selector 24 to one or more symbols selected during the special game circumstances . the function selector 24 may be arranged to randomly select a function or to select a function on the basis of a predefined rule . the gaming system 10 also includes an outcome generator 28 which in accordance with the game instructions 18 determines game outcomes based on the symbols selected for display to a player by the symbol selector 20 , and on the basis of the function ( s ) allocated to one or more selected symbols , if any . in the embodiments described below , the symbol selector 20 , the function selector 24 , the function allocator 26 , and the outcome generator 28 are at least partly implemented using a microprocessor , although it will be understood that other implementations are envisioned . the gaming system 10 can take a number of different forms . in a first form , a stand alone gaming machine is provided wherein all or most components required for implementing the game are present in a player operable gaming machine . in a second form , a distributed architecture is provided wherein some of the components required for implementing the game are present in a player operable gaming machine and some of the components required for implementing the game are located remotely relative to the gaming machine . for example , a “ thick client ” architecture may be used wherein part of the game is executed on a player operable gaming machine and part of the game is executed remotely , such as by a gaming server ; or a “ thin client ” architecture may be used wherein most of the game is executed remotely such as by a gaming server and a player operable gaming machine is used only to display audible and / or visible gaming information to the player and receive gaming inputs from the player . however , it will be understood that other arrangements are envisioned . for example , an architecture may be provided wherein a gaming machine is networked to a gaming server and the respective functions of the gaming machine and the gaming server are selectively modifiable . for example , the gaming system may operate in stand alone gaming machine mode , “ thick client ” mode or “ thin client ” mode depending on the game being played , operating conditions , and so on . other variations will be apparent to persons skilled in the art . a gaming system in the form of a stand alone gaming machine 40 is illustrated in fig4 . the gaming machine 40 includes a console 42 having a display 44 on which is displayed representations of a game 46 that can be played by a player . a mid - trim 50 of the gaming machine 40 houses a bank of buttons 52 for enabling a player to interact with the gaming machine , in particular during game play . the mid - trim 50 also houses a credit input mechanism 54 which in this example includes a coin input chute 54 a and a bill collector 54 b . other credit input mechanisms may also be employed , for example , a card reader for reading a smart card , debit card or credit card . a reading device may also be provided for the purpose of reading a player tracking device , for example as part of a loyalty program . the player tracking device may be in the form of a card , flash drive or any other portable storage medium capable of being read by the reading device . a top box 56 may carry artwork 58 , including for example pay tables and details of bonus awards and other information or images relating to the game . further artwork and / or information may be provided on a front panel 59 of the console 42 . a coin tray 60 is mounted beneath the front panel 59 for dispensing cash payouts from the gaming machine 40 . the display 44 is in the form of a video display unit , particularly a cathode ray tube screen device . alternatively , the display 44 may be a liquid crystal display , plasma screen , any other suitable video display unit . the top box 56 may also include a display , for example a video display unit , which may be of the same type as the display 44 , or of a different type . the display 44 in this example is arranged to display representations of several reels , each reel of which has several associated symbols . typically 3 , 4 or 5 reels are provided . during operation of the game , the reels first appear to rotate then stop with typically three symbols visible on each reel . game outcomes are determined on the basis of the visible symbols together with any special functions associated with the symbols . it will be understood that instead of providing a video display unit which displays representations of reels , actual reels may be used . such gaming machines including actual rotatable reels are commonly termed stepper machines . fig5 shows a block diagram of operative components of a typical gaming machine 500 which may be the same as or different to the gaming machine shown in fig4 . the gaming machine 500 includes a game controller 501 having a processor 502 . instructions and data to control operation of the processor 502 in accordance with the present invention are stored in a memory 503 which is in data communication with the processor 502 . typically , the gaming machine 500 will include both volatile and non - volatile memory and more than one of each type of memory , with such memories being collectively represented by the memory 503 . fig6 shows a block diagram of the main components of an exemplary memory 503 . the memory 503 includes ram 503 a , eprom 503 b and a mass storage device 503 c . the ram 503 a typically temporarily holds program files for execution by the processor 502 and related data . the eprom 503 b may be a boot rom device and / or may contain some system or game related code . the mass storage device 503 c is typically used to store game programs , the integrity of which may be verified and / or authenticated by the processor 502 using protected code from the eprom 503 b or elsewhere . the gaming machine has hardware meters 504 for purposes including ensuring regulatory compliance and monitoring player credit , an input / output ( i / o ) interface 505 for communicating with a player interface 520 of the gaming machine 500 , the player interface 520 having several peripheral devices . the input / output interface 505 and / or the peripheral devices may be intelligent devices with their own memory for storing associated instructions and data for use with the input / output interface or the peripheral devices . a random number generator module 513 generates random numbers for use by the processor 502 . in the example shown in fig5 , the peripheral devices that communicate with the game controller 501 comprise one or more displays 506 , a touch screen and / or bank of buttons 507 , a card and / or ticket reader 508 , a printer 509 , a bill acceptor and / or coin input mechanism 510 and a coin output mechanism 511 . additional hardware may be included as part of the gaming machine 500 , or hardware may be omitted as required for the specific implementation . in addition , the gaming machine 500 may include a communications interface , for example a network card 512 . the network card may , for example , send status information , accounting information or other information to a central controller , server or database and receive data or commands from the central controller , server or database . it is also possible for the operative components of the gaming machine 500 to be distributed , for example input / output devices 506 , 507 , 508 , 509 , 510 , 511 may be provided remotely from the game controller 501 . fig7 shows a gaming system 700 in accordance with an alternative embodiment . the gaming system 700 includes a network 701 , which for example may be an ethernet network , a lan or a wan . in this example , three banks 703 of two gaming machines 702 are connected to the network 701 . the gaming machines 702 provide a player operable interface and may be the same as the gaming machines 40 , 500 shown in fig4 and 5 , or may have simplified functionality depending on the requirements for implementing game play . while banks 703 of two gaming machines are illustrated in fig7 , banks of one , three or more gaming machines are also envisioned . one or more displays 704 may also be connected to the network 701 . the displays 704 may , for example , be associated with one or more banks 703 of gaming machines . the displays 704 may be used to display representations associated with game play on the gaming machines 702 , and / or used to display other representations , for example promotional or informational material . in a thick client embodiment , a game server 705 implements part of the game played by a player using a gaming machine 702 and the gaming machine 702 implements part of the game . with this embodiment , as both the game server 705 and the gaming machine 702 implement part of the game , they collectively provide a game controller . a database management server 706 may manage storage of game programs and associated data for downloading or access by the gaming devices 702 in a database 706 a . typically , if the gaming system enables players to participate in a jackpot game , a jackpot server 707 will be provided to monitor and carry out the jackpot game . in a thin client embodiment , the game server 705 implements most or all of the game played by a player using a gaming machine 702 and the gaming machine 702 essentially provides only the player interface . with this embodiment , the game server 705 provides the game controller . the gaming machine will receive player instructions , and pass the instructions to the game server which will process them and return game play outcomes to the gaming machine for display . in a thin client embodiment , the gaming machines could be computer terminals , e . g . pcs running software that provides a player interface operable using standard computer input and output components . servers may also be provided to assist in the administration of the gaming system 700 , including for example a gaming floor management server 708 and a licensing server 709 to monitor the use of licenses relating to particular games . an administrator terminal 710 is provided to allow an administrator to monitor the network 701 and the devices connected to the network . the gaming system 700 may communicate with other gaming systems , other local networks such as a corporate network , and / or a wide area network such as the internet , for example through a firewall 711 . persons skilled in the art will appreciate that in accordance with known techniques , functionality at the server side of the network may be distributed over a plurality of different computers . for example , elements may be run as a single “ engine ” on one server or a separate server may be provided . for example , the game server 705 could run a random number generator engine . alternatively , a separate random number generator server could be provided . the components , elements , and / or functionality of the system ( s ) described above may be implemented alone or in combination in various forms in hardware , firmware , and / or as a set of instructions in software , for example . certain embodiments may be provided as a set of instructions residing on a computer - readable medium , such as a memory or hard disk , for execution on a general purpose computer or other processing device . several embodiments are described above with reference to drawings . these drawings illustrate certain details of specific embodiments that implement the systems and methods and programs of the present invention . however , describing the invention with drawings should not be construed as imposing on the invention any limitations associated with features shown in the drawings . the present invention contemplates methods , systems and program products on any machine - readable media for accomplishing its operations . as noted above , the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented using an existing computer processor , or by a special purpose computer processor incorporated for this or another purpose or by a hardwired system . as noted above , certain embodiments within the scope of the present invention include program products comprising machine - readable media for carrying or having machine - executable instructions or data structures stored thereon . such machine - readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer or other machine with a processor . by way of example , such machine - readable media may comprise ram , rom , prom , eprom , eeprom , flash , cd - rom or other optical disk storage , magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices , or any other medium which can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of machine - executable instructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer or other machine with a processor . when information is transferred or provided over a network or another communications connection ( either hardwired , wireless , or a combination of hardwired or wireless ) to a machine , the machine properly views the connection as a machine - readable medium . thus , any such a connection is properly termed a machine - readable medium . combinations of the above are also included within the scope of machine - readable media . machine - executable instructions comprise , for example , instructions and data which cause a general purpose computer , special purpose computer , or special purpose processing machines to perform a certain function or group of functions . certain embodiments of the invention are described in the general context of method steps which may be implemented in one embodiment by a program product including machine - executable instructions , such as program code , for example in the form of program modules executed by machines in networked environments . generally , program modules include routines , programs , objects , components , data structures , etc ., that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types . machine - executable instructions , associated data structures , and program modules represent examples of program code for executing steps of the methods disclosed herein . the particular sequence of such executable instructions or associated data structures represent examples of corresponding acts for implementing the functions described in such steps . certain embodiments of the present invention may be practiced in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers having processors . logical connections may include a local area network ( lan ) and a wide area network ( wan ) that are presented here by way of example and not limitation . such networking environments are commonplace in office - wide or enterprise - wide computer networks , intranets and the internet and may use a wide variety of different communication protocols . those skilled in the art will appreciate that such network computing environments will typically encompass many types of computer system configurations , including personal computers , hand - held devices , multi - processor systems , microprocessor - based or programmable consumer electronics , network pcs , minicomputers , mainframe computers , and the like . embodiments of the invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by local and remote processing devices that are linked ( either by hardwired links , wireless links , or by a combination of hardwired or wireless links ) through a communications network . in a distributed computing environment , program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices . an exemplary system for implementing the overall system or portions of certain embodiments of the invention might include a general purpose computing device in the form of a computer , including a processing unit , a system memory , and a system bus that couples various system components including the system memory to the processing unit . the system memory may include read only memory ( rom ) and random access memory ( ram ). the computer may also include a magnetic hard disk drive for reading from and writing to a magnetic hard disk , a magnetic disk drive for reading from or writing to a removable magnetic disk , and an optical disk drive for reading from or writing to a removable optical disk such as a cd rom or other optical media . the drives and their associated machine - readable media provide nonvolatile storage of machine - executable instructions , data structures , program modules and other data for the computer . the foregoing description of embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed , and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention . the embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principals of the invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments disclosed herein may be applied to the formation of a variety of gaming systems . certain features of the embodiments of the claimed subject matter have been illustrated as described herein ; however , many modifications , substitutions , changes and equivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art . additionally , while several functional blocks and relations between them have been described in detail , it is contemplated by those of skill in the art that several of the operations may be performed without the use of the others , or additional functions or relationships between functions may be established and still be in accordance with the claimed subject matter . 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 embodiments of the claimed subject matter . while certain embodiments of the present invention have been described , it should be understood that these embodiments are subject to many modifications and changes without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims . for example , it will be understood that the invention disclosed and defined in this specification extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text or drawings . all of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the invention . it will also be understood that the term “ comprises ” ( or its grammatical variants ) as used in this specification is equivalent to the term “ includes ” and should not be taken as excluding the presence of other elements or features . | 6 |
portable mass storage devices are widely used to store digital content such as photographs , music , videos , and documents . they are also sufficiently large to store large software applications . typically , the portable mass storage devices now use flash memory for storage purposes , and have a form factor of a memory card or portable usb drive . these mass storage devices are distinct from other portable devices that are intended to store very little information such as that required for transaction or identification purposes . mass storage devices are also distinct from other dedicated purpose devices such as key cards and the tokens used for authentication , because while the dedicated devices may have small amounts of memory to store pertinent user identification information , they are not designed to frequently store and transfer what are comparatively massive and often encrypted files in a rapid , reliable , and repeatable manner . for example , a memory card , one embodiment of a portable mass storage device , must be capable of rapidly storing pictures on the order of 5 - 20 megabytes or more . one single picture from a digital camera may require orders of magnitude more storage than is present in a dedicated purpose device such as a smart card , key card , or token . furthermore , such a dedicated purpose device is generally not capable of quickly reading and writing files , let alone the relatively large files used with cameras and music players etc . portable mass storage devices have controllers and firmware with routines that are optimized to read and write to the memory banks very quickly . furthermore , many of the portable mass storage devices have security and encryption routines to thwart unauthorized copying of the frequently updated content . while dedicated tokens may have some form of security ( to protect the seed and / or algorithm ), the data on the token is generally static and the security is not designed to protect against unauthorized copying of frequently updated user files . the mass storage device of the present invention may also store the seeds and other information needed for validation and authentication in an area of the mass storage memory that is not subject to logical to physical mapping , in order for the information to be more reliably and quickly retrieved . for more information on this , please refer to u . s . patent application ser . nos . 11 / 317 , 341 and 11 / 317 , 339 , which are hereby incorporated by this reference in their entireties . the seeds may also be loaded into hidden partitions of the device . loading of the seeds , wherever they are stored , may also only be possible if the entity wishing to load the seeds has adequate permission and / or credentials to do so . in certain embodiments , this permission is contained in an access control record , which will be discussed later . the present invention utilizes a portable mass storage device for security purposes . the device has security features built into the device that i ) limit access to information stored on the device , and ii ) make the device function as a type of “ key ” that allows access to other secure systems and data . the present invention also includes a system that uses a portable mass storage device to verify the credentials of a user . once verified the user will be allowed access to information he would otherwise not be able to access . typically static passwords have been used to verify the credentials of a user . however , a static password is easy to pilfer and affords little protection , especially given the widespread “ phishing ” for passwords and other personal information today . as discussed previously in the background , dedicated otp token systems have also been implemented . these dedicated tokens are a burden to carry , are costly , and have not been widely accepted in the marketplace . these tokens also do not have the mass storage functionality of a memory card or usb drive . today , almost everybody who has a digital camera , video recorder , pda , portable music player , or personal computer has a memory card or a pocket sized usb drive , sometimes referred to as a “ thumb ” drive . the present invention removes the barrier to entry of requiring a separate dedicated token ( or other dedicated device ) for implementing an otp . if a user need not carry multiple devices , but can instead utilize something he already has , the acceptance and usage of otp and two factor authentication should grow substantially . this results in better security measures and less risk of fraud in electronic commerce and other areas . embodiments of this invention comprise a portable storage device such as a usb flash storage device with otp functionality and a client in the device that upon selection by the user will automatically link to the appropriate institution web page , enter user credentials , perform the otp transaction with the device , and enter the otp value to the web page , thus seamlessly performing the entire operation with a single user click . increased security measures are of the utmost importance because identify theft and fraud are becoming ever greater threats to the growth of online financial activity . banks , brokerages , and other financial institutions are seeking solutions that will enable them to drive more activity online , where the costs can be as little as 0 . 5 % per transaction as compared to the same transaction performed in a branch office . likewise there are other programs that are being developed around online merchant transaction , safe browsing for children , and so on . the fundamental need of each of these is a means to provide stronger authentication of the individual that overcomes the most common forms of identify theft , which are phishing and hacking to obtain user identity and credentials , and physical theft or copying of credit card information . one solution to the problem , and one aspect of the present invention is to provide consumers with a means , or system , of performing two - factor authentication in order to log on or perform transactions online . two - factor authentication , as implied by the name , requires that a person be in possession of two system components , one of which is typically a physical device uniquely identifying the person , and the other is a piece of information ( a secret ) that is known only to that person and the entity to which the person would like to authenticate . the authenticating or validating entity will typically have a database containing the person &# 39 ; s credentials as well as a means of verifying that the person is in possession of both components of the two - factor authentication system . the person is only authenticated if able to prove possession of both components , and so the most common form of fraud , in which a hacker is able to determine the person &# 39 ; s identity and secret , is thwarted , because the hacker , who typically is never physically near the person , will not have possession of the physical component . likewise , if the person happens to lose the device , or it is stolen , no one can use the physical component to falsely authenticate without knowledge of the secret . the present invention includes cryptographic functionality . in a preferred embodiment it includes a hardware - based cryptographic engine , although the cryptographic functionality can alternatively be primarily firmware based . it is advantageous to include some form of cryptography to increase the effort that would be required to hack the system . an advantage of using a hardware based cryptographic engine is that the firmware can be tied to the cryptographic engine in such a way that the firmware won &# 39 ; t be executed unless singed by the hardware . this means that both the authentic firmware and hardware need to be present for the device to work . one or the other cannot be replaced with pieces designed to compromise the security of the device and allow unauthorized copying of the contents . for more information please refer to u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 285 , 600 , which is hereby incorporated by this reference in its entirety . a pc or cell phone has an open architecture which is vulnerable to all forms of hacking . an advantage of the present invention is that by placing the cryptographic capabilities within the mass storage device , a very secure and limited api can be utilized as compared to what would be present on a typical personal computer (“ pc ”) or electronic device such as a cellular telephone . the secure api of the mass storage device is such that there is no way for hackers to use a normal logical interface to attempt to discern the cryptographic secrets contained within the mass storage device . in essence the mass storage device of the present invention is made to be much more secure than the host to which it is coupled . the secure mass storage device works in tandem with a remotely located server or servers , using the host device essentially as a pass - through . although in certain embodiments the processor of the host device executes a client that is stored on the mass storage device , in the preferred embodiments the cryptographic and otp operations are contained exclusively in the mass storage device , which can be constructed , both physically and logically , in a much more protected manner . the secure mass storage device works in conjunction with a remotely located secure entity or entities to form a secure system . connections between the mass storage device and the secure entities are also secure . the remotely located secure entity is or comprises one or more remote servers , which are typically physically protected from access , and have secure countermeasures that limit the types of interactions that can be performed though the external interface . reference will now be made to the figures . fig1 illustrates a system with which the portable mass storage device (“ msd ”) can be used for authentication and password management . msd 100 is connected to a host computing device 110 via connection 102 . connection 102 can be any type of direct or wireless connection . some examples of a wireless connection include : ota — over the air — which uses standard phone communication link ; radio frequencies some of which involved selected ranges and protocols such as wi - fi ( 802 . 11x ) and bluetooth ; inductive near field communications (“ nfc ”); and infrared . in the currently preferred embodiments , msd 100 takes the form of a usb drive or a memory card , and therefore the connection is direct and the msd will interface with a receptacle 104 of the host device . as will be discussed in greater detail later , msd 100 has a mass storage memory used to frequently and rapidly store and retrieve large user files . these user files can be any type of file and commonly include digital photos and music , as well as executable software programs . in the case of a wireless connection 102 , receptacle 104 would not be a physical receptacle but would instead be a wireless transceiver . host computing device 110 can be any type of smart electronic device , and will for convenience be simply referred to as the host . some examples of host 110 would include a personal computer , cellular telephone , or handheld organizer / email device (“ pda ”). in fact , the host can be any electronic device that can be used to access a user &# 39 ; s accounts and / or sites of interest . host 110 is connected to a network that is in turn connected with various institutions 118 and other entities . only one institution 118 is shown for simplicity . the network may comprise any type of wide area network such as the internet , and various types of cellular telephone networks . certain networks may also utilize satellite communications . one type of entity connected to the network is a validating or authenticating entity 124 . entity 124 comprises one or more servers . in the case where host 110 is a pc , a virtual private network (“ vpn ”) connection may be established if desired . in addition to network connection 114 that connects the host to the institution 118 , and network connection 116 , that connects the host to the validating entity 124 , there may also exist a separate , non - network connection 122 between institution 118 and validating entity 124 . certainly institutions 118 can also communicate with entities 124 over the network as well . host 110 and the components that interact with it will now be described with reference to their currently preferred embodiments , but such a description should in no way limit the scope of the invention , which will be defined by the appended claims . in a preferred embodiment , host 110 is a pc and msd 100 is a usb thumb drive . as mentioned previously , the host computer may also be a handheld computer , commonly referred to as a pda , or a cellular phone , or digital camera , or a hybrid device having all of these functions , which may accept a removable storage device . in one embodiment , the storage device or subsystem may be embedded in the host computer . when a user wishes to access a particular institution , say his online bank for example , he plugs msd 100 into a usb port , a client that resides on msd is launched by the pc , and the client then signs the user into his bank account or accounts . the validating entity 124 works in conjunction with the institution , the client , the pc , and the msd , to validate / authorize the user and his msd before the user will be allowed access to the institution and logged on or signed into the institution . of course , each institution 118 maintains various databases of its users and their account numbers and secrets ( e . g . passwords or pin numbers ). likewise , the validating entities maintain databases needed to validate / authorize the users and their devices . these processes will be discussed in greater detail later . also , the client application that resides on msd 100 can be executed by a processor of host 110 or msd 100 , and this will depend on the level of security required and the configurations of both host 110 and msd 100 , as well as the connection 102 between them . in the case where host 110 is a pc , at the moment it is currently preferred that the pc execute the client application . fig2 is similar to fig1 but it makes it clear that the validating entity , which comprises one or more servers , can be on the same premises as the institution and its equipment . in addition , it illustrates an authority 126 . the authority is an entity that provides information to msd 100 that is necessary for validation / authorization and user sign on . authority 126 will also be referred to as authority server 126 . for example , the authority 126 may provide the seeds necessary for otp generation within msd 100 . authority 126 is shown as connected to the host 110 via the network connection 128 . in such a scenario , the authority can load the seeds into msd 100 at any time during the usable life of msd 100 . it could also change and remove the seeds if necessary . in a scenario where the seeds are loaded at the factory , authority 126 could be directly connected to the msd without having to connect via a network and host device . authority 126 could be run by any number of companies or other entities . one such entity might be the manufacturer or provider of the device . for instance , if msd is produced by sandisk , the assignee of the present invention , the authority may also be sandisk or its agent . as another example , authority 126 may be a device distributor such an as employer . also , the institution 118 or validating entity 124 may provide the information necessary for validation / authorization ( e . g . otp seeds ), directly in place of or in conjunction with authority 126 . fig3 a illustrates some of the physical components of msd 100 . interface 304 sends and receives data and commands to and from msd 100 and communicates the information with controller 306 . as mentioned previously , interface 304 in some embodiments comprises the electrical contacts and / or connector of the mass storage device , while in other embodiments it comprises a wireless transceiver . in certain of the embodiments , power for msd 100 may also be received via device interface 304 . controller 306 comprises a microprocessor and it controls all of the data storage operations of msd 100 . this means that it orchestrates all of the read and write operations to and from the mass storage memory 308 , which is preferably of the flash variety . although the controller and mass storage memory are illustrated as being connected serially , they are in reality normally connected via a bus . also on the bus may be various other components including read only memory (“ rom ”) and random access memory (“ ram ”). msd 100 is capable of reading and writing encrypted files in mass storage memory 308 , and this is accomplished in the preferred embodiments with an encryption engine within controller 306 . the controller executes firmware in order to run msd 100 , and this firmware can be located on a dedicated rom , or alternatively stored in the flash memory 308 . the firmware is preferably stored in mass storage memory 308 , in order to eliminate the cost of a rom to store the firmware . storing the firmware that runs the msd in the flash memory 308 , which lacks the intrinsic protection of a rom , requires extensive protection mechanisms in msd 100 that ensure that the copy protection routines in the firmware cannot be tampered with or that the firmware cannot be entirely replaced with malicious / unsecure firmware . as seen in fig3 b , flash memory 308 has a secure area 308 a where the firmware and other information essential to the operation of the msd is located . in some embodiments , the firmware is encrypted and will not be executed unless it is first determined to be authentic . for more information on authentication of firmware please refer to application ser . no . 11 / 285 , 600 , incorporated by reference in its entirety . also , in some embodiments , writing to the secure area 308 can only be performed in certain operating states of the device . generally speaking , this also serves to protect from tampering or replacement of the firmware , and for more information on operating states of the mass storage device , please see application ser . no . 11 / 053 , 273 , incorporated by reference in its entirety . these protections need to be in place because the mass storage device is used for general purpose file storage , and in particular to store copyrighted works that cannot be freely available for copying . for example , music on the msd must be protected from unauthorized copying ( this is not an issue with dedicated tokens that cannot be used to store user files ). this is of particular importance when the firmware for controlling the device resides in the same mass storage memory as the user files , rather than on a dedicated storage device such as a rom , that is intrinsically more difficult to hack . logical slots 310 a , 310 b . . . 310 x . are located in the secure area 308 a . these slots can also be in the file storage area 308 b . a slot is a protected logical memory area that is used to store the information necessary to log a user into an institution . the information is encrypted as one security measure . this can include the user &# 39 ; s identifying information such as his name address account number etc . . . . , the user &# 39 ; s secret such as a password or pin , and the information necessary to generate otp values , including the algorithms and seed values for each institution . each institution will have its own slot . in certain embodiments , each account within an institution may have its own slot . login and the use of slots will be explained in more detail later . in an embodiment of the invention , the slots of the msd may be located in a system area of the mass storage memory that is not subject to logical to physical mapping , in order for the information to be more reliably and quickly retrieved . the seeds used for otp generation may also be stored in an area of memory 308 that is hidden from a computer that has access to the files in file storage area 308 b . this may be done within a hidden partition located anywhere in memory 308 . as mentioned previously , seeds can be loaded into msd 100 at different times . it is important that an entity wishing to load seeds into the card be verified before loading takes place . in one embodiment , this is managed with a secure storage application (“ ssa ”), which is a security module of the mass storage device . this can interact with the client application 320 or through a management layer within the device . the ssa and other related information is described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 313 , 536 , which is hereby incorporated by this reference in its entirety . the ssa system sits atop the storage system of the msd and adds a security layer for stored files and other data , including , in one embodiment , the seeds . ssa partitions are hidden ( from the host operating system or os and all other entities ) partitions that can be accessed only through the ssa . the ssa system will preferably not allow the host device or other entity to access an ssa partition , other than through a session established by logging onto an access control record (“ acr ”). similarly , preferably the ssa will not provide information regarding the existence , size and access permission of an ssa partition , unless this request is coming through an established session by an appropriate authority or entity . access rights to partitions are derived from a list of permissions contained within the acr . an acr also may contain the login algorithm , credentials , and authentication method of or to be used with an entity . when a partition is created , the host provides a reference name or id for the partition . this reference is used in further read and write commands to the partition . therefore , in such an embodiment , in order for an entity wishing to load a seed in the msd , it would have to have the proper permission and / or the proper login algorithm , credentials , and authentication method . fig3 c illustrates the divided functionality of the preferred embodiments of msd 100 . in the preferred embodiments , client application 320 performs many functions , but does not perform the otp generation . in the preferred embodiments , as discussed earlier , the client is executed on the host ( although stored on the msd ), whereas the otp generation is performed on the msd . otp generator 330 is better protected within the secure environs of msd 100 , as compared to the relatively open and potentially insecure environments that may be present in various host devices . client 320 will request and subsequently fetch the otp value generated by otp generator 330 . otp generator 330 can use multiple different algorithms in order to provide more security and functionality than prior otp tokens only capable of using a single algorithm seeded at the time of manufacture . for example , otp generator 330 can use a unique value generating algorithm for each institution . the otp generator can be implemented in the logic of the controller 306 , in a programmable logic device , or in a separate dedicated circuitry . the dedicated circuitry can be implemented in an asic or with board level circuitry components . client 320 also comprises the device interface 320 a , user interface 320 b , authentication manager 320 c , and provisioning manager 320 d . client 320 seamlessly logs a user onto his chosen institutions based on user interaction with the user interface 320 a . the user interface triggers the device interface , authentication manager , and provisioning manager without the knowledge or intervention of the user . fig4 illustrates the multi purpose functionality of device 100 . msd 100 has mass storage functionality . this is why a user typically has msd 100 , to store his files in a convenient pocket sized device . now the present invention adds the convenience of account management and sign on . this involves both password management and authentication management . authentication management includes verifying that both the user and his device are who they purport to be and are authorized to access secure institutions . authentication management involves the usage of specific device identifiers and also the one time passwords generated by otp generator 330 . adding the security of otp generation and two factor authentication to a device a user already has should greatly increase the adoption of otp usage . adding the convenience of managing the multiple passwords a person typically has should also make such a device much more interesting and valuable to the user . the increased security , functionality , and convenience will result in a higher acceptance level of two factor authentication at secure institutions as well as among users . the intricacies of the processes will now be described in detail with regard to fig5 a - 10c . fig6 c outlines two principle steps . first , in step 604 , msd 100 receives one or more otp seeds while the device is in the field , or in other words after it has been sold and is in the possession of the user . in one embodiment , one seed per institution is received in the card . in other embodiments , one seed is used to generate values for two or more institutions . while various seeds can be pre - loaded in the device before it is sold to the user or an intermediary , it is preferred that the seeds can be loaded on the fly . later , in step 608 the received seed ( s ) are used to sign into various institution ( s ) with the portable mass storage device 100 . before the seeds are loaded on the fly , the client may in certain embodiments verify that the msd connected to the host is capable of performing the requisite otp generation . one way of doing this is with activex . fig5 a and 5b and the flowcharts of fig7 - 10c should be viewed in tandem . fig5 a shows the interaction between each of the entities involved in device slot binding and device slot activation : end user 99 , msd 100 , client 320 , institution 118 , and validating entity 124 . device slot binding and activation are performed before msd 100 can be used to access a particular institution . fig5 b shows the interaction between each of the entities involved in accessing an institution once a slot of msd 100 is already bound and activated . the entities illustrated in fig5 a and 5b are largely the same , but different functionality of the client 320 is utilized and illustrated . for instance , in fig5 b , the authentication manager 320 c and user interface 320 b of client are involved in the processes , whereas the provisioning manager 320 d of client 320 is active during the device slot binding and activation seen in fig5 a . also , the institution database 120 of institution 118 is illustrated as a separate logical entity , although it is part of the institution 118 . fig7 is a flowchart illustrating the main steps of using msd 100 to access an institution , at a high level . in step 704 , after msd 100 has been connected to the computer , the client is launched . the client can be launched by the user , or alternatively can be automatically launched when the connection to the computer is sensed . next , in step 708 , the user selects the institution he wishes to access though the user interface of the client . some user interface screens can be seen in fig1 - 12 , and will be described later . generally the selection will be made via human interface devices of the computer each time the client is launched . however , the user can configure msd 100 to automatically access an institution when the connection is sensed and the client is launched . in step 712 , msd 100 generates an otp value for each of the selected institutions . each institution may have a unique seed and algorithm for otp generation . in step 716 , the client connects to the selected institutions . once connected , the client then presents the information necessary to log the user into the selected institutions . this information comprises the user &# 39 ; s identifying information such as his name , account number , or user id , the user &# 39 ; s secret information such as his password or pin , and the otp value for the particular institution if the institution is of the type that requires an otp value for log in . the information can be gathered from a page of the client user interface that the user fills in , or can be gathered by monitoring the actions of a user as he enters his information in the web page of an institution . in one embodiment , the client may provide the user and authentication information to a web server that will upon receiving valid user credentials and authentication information , will automatically fill out the traditional log - in web page entries that are normally used to log on without the two - factor authentication . this embodiment would enable a given institution to maintain a single web log - on page , while adding a separate system component to handle the two factor authentication . in certain embodiments , the device id of msd 100 may also be necessary to log in . in step 724 , user 99 and device 100 are authenticated / validated and the user / device are logged into each selected institution . finally , once the user is logged in , he can access the institution . in the case where the user is accessing a web site of an institution , the institution web pages are presented to the user in step 728 . of course , institution interfaces are not limited to web pages , and access of other interfaces are within the scope of the present invention . this is especially relevant when host 110 is something other than a pc . fig8 is a flowchart similar to fig7 , but in fig8 a third party , which is a party other than the institution and the user / device , takes a role in logging the user into an institution . only steps differing from that in fig7 will be described . in step 714 , the client connects the user / device / host to a 3 rd party rather than to an institution as in step 716 of fig7 . this 3 rd party maintains databases of users , devices , institutions , and all the information needed to verify the authenticity and validity of a user and his device . this may include verifying otp values generated by the msd . in step 717 , the 3 rd party authenticates / validates the user / device . once this happens , the 3 rd party presents the appropriate information needed to log the user into his selected institutions in step 717 . the 3 rd party may present otp values generated either at the msd level or by the 3 rd party itself . in step 722 the user is then logged into the institution . as mentioned previously , before msd 100 can be used to log a user into his selected sites , slots within the device should be bound and activated . the user and device must also be authenticated before login is completed , as seen in fig9 . in step 905 a slot 310 of msd 100 is bound with a server of the validating entity 124 , which can also be referred to as validation server 124 . this step is described in more detail in the flowchart of fig1 and is also shown in fig5 a . next , in step 910 , the slot is activated . this process of activation is described in more detail in the flowchart of fig1 b and is also shown in fig5 a . in step 915 , the user and slot of msd 100 is authenticated . this authentication or validation process is described in more detail in the flowchart of fig1 c and can also bee seen in fig5 b . fig1 a illustrates the process of binding ( step 905 of fig9 ) in detail . in step 918 the msd is first connected to host 110 . in step 920 , the client is launched . next , in step 922 the user selects an institution he wishes to sign into . again , the user can do this at this time , or the institutions may be pre - selected from previous user session . in step 924 , a slot within msd 100 is then allocated for the selected institution or account . in step 926 the clients retrieves the device id from msd 100 . then in step 928 , a unique identifier , which is referred to as the token id is created from the device id and the slot id . in step 930 , msd 100 , in particular the appropriate slot of msd 100 , is bound to the validation server 128 using the token id . in step 932 , an otp seed is received for the selected institution , and it is then assigned to the allocated slot in step 934 . steps 924 - 934 are repeated for each institution selected in step 922 . fig1 b illustrates the process of device slot activation ( step 910 of fig9 ) in detail . a device slot can be activated after it has been bound . in step 940 , the user enters his user name or other user identifying information and his password or other secret . next , in step 942 , the otp generator 330 of msd 100 generates one or more one time password values for the slot being activated . in step 944 , the slot of the msd is activated with the institution , and in step 946 the institution and / or the client then requests validation of the slot / msd / user with the validation server 124 . at the same time , the institution 118 and the validation server 124 validate the slot / msd / user in steps 948 and 950 . then , optionally in step 952 , the client and user are notified of the successful activation . fig1 c illustrates the process of user and device authentication ( step 915 of fig9 ) in more detail . this is also shown in fig5 b . when the device gets activated it is bound and associated to an institution or account . this is done by using the device id and slot information . the institution then needs to associate the device and its contents to the user name and password so that it can authenticate the user with device presented information plus the user specific information ( user identifying information and secret ). in step 960 , the msd is connected to the host if it is not already connected . next in step 962 , the client is launched if it is not open and running , and in step 964 the user enters in his identifying information ( e . g . user name , account number etc .) and his secret ( e . g . password or pin ). next , in step 966 the otp generator of msd 100 generates an otp value for a particular slot . in step 968 , the otp value , user identifying information and user secret are submitted to the institution . then , in step 970 the institution validates that the user for access to the institution . this involves steps 970 a and 970 b . in step 970 a the institution validates the user identifying information and secret with the institutions database ( s ). it also , in step 970 b , validates otp value and token id of msd 100 with validation server 124 . if then user has been successfully validated in step 970 he is then logged into the institution in step 974 . as mentioned , in one embodiment , the client may provide the user and authentication information to a web server that will upon receiving valid user credentials and authentication information , will automatically fill out the traditional log - in web page entries that are normally used to log on without the two - factor authentication . this embodiment would enable a given institution to maintain a single web log - on page , while adding a separate system component to handle the two factor authentication . in this case , the two - factor authentication may consist of forms of authentication that do not easily lend themselves to form - filling , as otp does , but instead may be authentication schemes , such as pki , which typically involve challenge - responses operations . fig5 c shows one possible implementation of the embodiment that utilizes the public key infrastructure for verification / authorization of credentials . since transactions can be no more secure than the system in which they occur , the most important element becomes establishing a way for correspondents to locate each other and have confidence that the public key they use truly belongs to the person ( or machine ) with whom / which they wish to communicate . a public key infrastructure is designed to provide this trust . using a data element called a digital certificate or public key certificate , which binds a public key to identifying information about its owner , the infrastructure is designed to create the binding , and manage it for the benefit of all within the community of use . pki is an authentication technology . using a combination of secret key and public key cryptography , pki enables a number of other security services including data confidentiality , data integrity , and key management . the foundation or framework for pki is defined in the itu - t x . 509 recommendation [ x . 509 ] which is incorporated by this reference it is entirety . end entities are sometimes thought of as end - users . although this is often the case , the term end entity is meant to be much more generic . an end entity can be an end - user , a device such as a router or a server , a process , or anything that can be identified in the subject name of a public key certificate . end entities can also be thought of as consumers of the pki - related services . in the present invention , as seen in the embodiment shown in fig5 , the end entity is the mass storage device 100 or its user . public keys are distributed in the form of public key certificates by ca 550 . a certificate could be required from msd 100 so that an institution 118 or validating entity would allow a user of msd 100 to sign on . a certificate from an institution 118 could also be utilized to prove that the institution is authentic before the msd would sign the user into the institution . public key certificates are digitally signed by the issuing ca 520 ( which effectively binds the subject name to the public key ). cas are also responsible for issuing certificate revocation lists (“ crls ”) unless this has been delegated to a separate crl issuer . cas may also be involved in a number of administrative tasks such as end - user registration , but these are often delegated to a separate registration authority (“ ra ”) which is optional and not shown in fig5 c . in practice , ca 520 or another ca can also serve as the key backup and recovery facility although this function can also be delegated to a separate component . cas are often thought of as the “ source of trust ” in a pki . typically , end entities are configured with one or more “ trust anchors ” which are then used as the starting point to validate a given certification path . once trust is established via the pki interface , login can take place . fig1 a - i and 12 a - b are interface screens of different embodiments of client 320 . these screens serve to illustrate the convenience of the present invention . to a user , the login process becomes very simple , although relatively complex calculations and interactions are taking place “ behind the scenes .” for example , the user is unaware that the device is seeded for each institution selected , that the seed is used by a complex algorithm to generate a new ( otp ) value for each login that is validated along with the user &# 39 ; s other information automatically . the present invention combines a very high level of security with seamless automation in password management . this can also include a single sign on in certain embodiments , where the user &# 39 ; s master information is automatically correlated with all the individual passwords and usernames for different institutions . there are a number of other methods of user identification that can be used with the present invention , such as biometrics , answering questions , etc . in one embodiment , the system may be employed to provide user information for more general two - factor authentication and / or password management operations , some of which information may be more sensitive than other information . the system may be designed to segregate such sensitive information and request user verification , additional entry of a pin / password , or other action to ensure the user is aware of and authorizes such information to be provided by the system . one example of this may be for credit card authorization and payment . fig1 a shows a welcome screen , and fig1 b is an interface where the user can fill out his password and user name to access a particular institution . the user can enter a new institution or access an institution that has previously been configured . in this screen the user can enter the device id of his msd , although in the preferred embodiments the client will retrieve this information without the user having to enter it . in fig1 c a user interface informs the user that the system is binding the msd to his account ( s ). in this case the selected institution is a financial institution or broker . as seen in fig1 d , the user can access multiple accounts he may have at a particular institution , and can add , edit , and delete accounts . in fig1 e , the user is asked to enter his master password . this is a password that is later correlated by the system with all the user &# 39 ; s other passwords and account info . once the user has been bound , in one embodiment , he need only enter this master password and in order to access his account the process will begin at fig1 d , rather than 11 a or 11 b . in fig1 f , the user is asked to wait as the system connects to his account . next , the user is informed that he is securely connected to his account in fig1 g . at this stage , the web page or other interface of the institution will be opened on the host device of the user . when the user is finished accessing his account ( s ) he can then click the exit button of the user interface screen shown in fig1 h . the user can then connect to additional accounts , as seen in fig1 i . fig1 a - b depict user interface screens of another embodiment of client 320 . in fig1 a , icons representing a number of different institutions are simultaneously displayed on one user interface screen . the user can add an institution , also referred to as an “ account ,” and edit or remove an account . the institutions can be manually added by the user , or alternatively the user could select from a list maintained by the msd . such a list would be updated remotely to the msd from a server , either upon request by the user or automatically based on some schedule of update . the list could also be updated based upon based upon any number of events such as upon request for user enrollment . by clicking on buttons within each of the icons , the user can also access or log into the account and close or log off the account . as seen in fig1 b , when the user clicks on a particular account to open it , the client will allow the user to choose between his accounts at the particular institution , which can also be referred to as “ sub - accounts .” in a preferred embodiment , once all the accounts shown have been configured , the user would only have to enter his master password for the msd , and could then simply click on the icon corresponding to the institution he wishes to log into . in other embodiments , individual passwords and / or user id &# 39 ; s would also need to be entered for added security . the operations described in detail earlier in the application that facilitate sign on would then take place seamlessly behind the scenes . this would simultaneously make dealing with logon and password management very convenient for the user , while at the same time providing for a very high level of security that would benefit users and institutions alike . all of this convenience and security are incorporated into a device a user most likely already owns . this is possible , because , unlike in dedicated tokens , the client can be added to the mass storage memory of a pocket sized mass storage device . the portable mass storage device has security , both physical and logical , that are more robust than in an open environment such as a pc , and hacking or “ phishing ” for information is therefore much more difficult . also , unlike some mass storage devices that may correlate different passwords or other information , the present invention utilizes algorithms and processes that can generate unique password values that are constantly changing yet instantly verifiable . while embodiments of the invention have been described , it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to these illustrative embodiments but is defined by the appended claims . for example , msd 100 may utilize magnetic disk rather than flash type solid state memory for mass storage purposes , and any manner of symmetric or asymmetric authentication can be implemented for authentication purposes to enhance the traditional security of user selected passwords . | 7 |
the object of the invention is to provide a high luminous output semiconductor light emitting device while still maintaining high wall plug efficiency . the invention can be incorporated in a light emitting device fabricated from any semiconductor material system , such as , but not restricted to , ingan , ingap , ingaas , inp , and zno . a gan based light emitting diode ( led ) having an epitaxial layer formed on a sapphire substrate is used as an example for illustrating the present invention . however , the present invention is not restricted to epitaxial layers grown on sapphire and may include si , sic , ge , native free - standing gan , aln , lialo or any other growth and substrate technology . another object of the invention is the use of leds with a vertical current path , in which the electrical current through the p and n doped materials is applied through substantially parallel contacts that allow the current to flow in a vertical direction through the led structure . these led structures are sometimes also termed , thin film , thin gan or free standing gan leds . gan light emitting devices comprise a p - n junction heterostructure having a refractive index of about 2 . 45 . when the light emitting device is forward biased , spontaneously emitted photons are generated . if the wavevector of the photon resides below the light line ( in a frequency - wavevector diagram ) of the material , then the photon is totally internally reflected and trapped in the high refractive index of the epi - material . table 1 lists the approximate extraction enhancement achieved when employing the different techniques commonly employed to extract light from the top surface of an unpackaged vertical led . the numbers describe the multiplicative factor above a reference bare unroughened light emitting device . the numbers are based on an example structure , whereby the mirror is assumed to be 100 % reflective and the location of the multiple quantum well ( mqw ) is optimised to direct most of the light within the light line of the structure and to achieve a cavity type effect . only about 4 . 35 % of the light is extracted out of the top surface of a bare unroughened led . the object of the present invention is to provide a means of increasing the extraction enhancement in a light emitting device of both the lateral and the vertical type current flow . this is achieved by applying elee elements to the top surface of a light emitting device with the aim of further increasing the light extraction by a factor in the range of × 1 to × 2 . 6 , and possibly higher , over that achieved by known roughening techniques . for the purposes of an calculating extraction efficiency , if a light emitting device with a perfectly smooth semiconductor top and bottom surface ( of refractive index n gan ) suspended in an encapsulating medium of refractive index n encap is assumed , then the extraction efficiency η extract of light trapped inside the light emitting device is given by for a gan blue light emitting diode ( n gan = 2 . 45 ) in air the light extraction efficiency is typically computed to be 8 . 7 %. in order to allow for efficient light extraction , an evenly distributed network of substantially elongate indentations or etches is introduced to the top emission surface of a light emitting device . the absolute location of the elongate light extracting elements ( elee ) is randomly defined , but the rotational symmetry is defined along a substantially orthogonal 2 - fold basis axis . the rotational angle is defined as the angle formed between a projection line extending along the elongate edge of the element and the said axis . it is preferred that the elee elements are separated on average by at least a minimum of 1 . 0 micron , more preferably 1 . 5 micron , even more preferably 2 . 0 micron , still more preferably 5 . 0 micron , and most preferably 10 . 0 micron . the elongate light extraction elements ( elee ) are at least larger than one integer effective wavelength in size . preferably , the elongate edge of the element is at least two times longer , more preferably at least 3 times longer , at least 4 times longer , or at least 5 times longer , and most preferably at least 10 times longer than the short edge . this is to enable a substantial difference in optical perturbation between the 2 basis axes along the two edges of the light extracting elements and thereby allow for tunability in the far field emission of the light emitting device across different azimuthal angles . fig1 a and 1 b highlight a plan view of an example light emitting device 100 , with elee elements , 101 and 110 embedded or indented on the top emitting surface of the device in accordance with the present invention . in the case of fig1 a , the elongate elements reside along a substantially parallel plane as depicted in 101 . the rotational orientation of the elee elements can be detuned from the main axes to further improve light extraction of trapped optical modes propagating along different in - plane wave vector directions . in the present example , the light emitting device possesses a lateral current flow from the bottom n contact , 104 , that resides in an etched mesa trench , 103 , and is in contact with the n - doped semiconductor region , to the top p contact region 105 that resides on the top surface of the light emitting device and is contact with the p - doped semiconductor region . the light emitting region resides between the n - doped and the p - doped semiconductor regions . the electrodes for the p contact , 105 , and the n contact , 104 , are both designed to provide improved current spreading across the complete surface of the light emitting device . this may be further improved by the introduction of a current spreading layer over the top surface of the light emitting device . such layer may comprise materials including ni / au , pd or a transparent conductive oxide or nitride such as indium tin oxide ( ito ) or al doped zno ( azo ), but is not limited to these . as it is primarily an object of the present invention to provide a method of improved light extraction , methods of improving current spreading and / or the internal quantum efficiency of the light emitting device are generally beyond the scope of the present invention . however , it is assumed that light emitting devices with improvements in current injection and internal quantum efficiency may also benefit by use of the elee elements to further increase the extraction efficiency of the device . in the present invention , the light extracting elements are at least larger than the effective wavelength of light in the device . moreover , the elongate edge of the element has at least twice the length of the short edge . this is to enable a substantial difference in optical perturbation between the 2 - fold basis axes of the ) light extracting elements and thereby allow alterations to the far field emission from the device . the depth of the elee patterned on the light emitting device is allowed to extend down into the semiconductor material , but is not allowed to penetrate into the light emitting region of the device . the depth of the elee determines the coupling strength between the scattering elee centres and the trapped waveguide modes of the light emitting device . it is also important to note that by tailoring the depth of the elee patterning , tunability in the extraction coupling length and the resulting elevation angle of extracted emission may be achieved . the elee elements are not allowed to penetrate the light emitting region in order to reduce the surface damage that may be caused during etching of the elee indentations . it is an aim of the present invention to avoid etching very close to the light emitting region in order to avoid poor current spreading . it is another aim of the present invention that light extraction arises from individual elee elements and not the combined interaction between neighbouring elements , as is the case when using more complex light extraction techniques such as diffraction gratings and photonic crystal structures . an advantage arising from the use of elee elements with the lack of interaction between neighbouring elements is that of allowing the etch depth to be independent of any undesirable effective reflection effects . this effect may arise in light extraction techniques of the prior art such as roughening or photonic crystal type light extraction , where regions with a dense distribution of interacting light extracting features form an average effective medium with a reduced refractive index when compared to the semiconductor material and hence may introduce a reflection coating type phenomenon . as shown in fig1 a , in one embodiment of the invention , the elee elements 101 extend a significant distance across the top emitting surface of the light emitting device . preferably , the length of the elements is greater than at least a ⅛ , more preferably ⅙ , and most preferably ¼ of the length of the active light emitting device . however , as shown in fig1 b , in another embodiment of the invention , the elee elements 110 extend a substantially shorter distance across the top emitting surface of the light emitting device . preferably , the length of the elements is less than ⅛ , more preferably ⅙ , and most preferably ¼ of the length of the active light emitting device . it is important to note that an even coverage of elee elements across the surface of the led provides for improved light extraction uniformity across the surface of the light emitting device . additionally , it is also important to maintain the high aspect ratio of length to width of the individual elee elements , in order to provide the improved anisotropic nature of the far field emission of the extracting elements . during operation , all light that is emitted outside the escape cone of the semiconductor material and the surrounding medium is trapped . however , as shown in fig2 , the elee elements , 206 , introduce an effective refractive index impedance mismatch for the propagating waveguide modes , 201 , thus allowing the light to scatter out of plane , 105 , and thereby escape to the surrounding medium . the strength of out - of - plane scatter is an interplay between the power of the in - plane incident light , 202 , in each trapped waveguide mode , the resultant in - plane back reflected , or scattered light , 203 , the in - plane forward scattered or transmitted light , 204 , and the out - of - plane scattered or diffracted light , 205 . the percentage of light coupled into any of these mechanisms can be controlled by varying the properties of the elee elements , 206 , and the waveguiding properties of the light emitting device . such properties may include the shape , dimensions , and refractive index of the elee elements , and the thickness and refractive index of the optical waveguiding structure of the light emitting device . in another modification to the present invention , the mesa side walls of the light emitting device are textured to improve light extraction , as shown in 102 . light that is trapped in the light emitting device may experience multiple reflections guiding the photons to the periphery of the mesa device . in order to eliminate any further reflections off the mesa sidewalls , the presence of a corrugated surface introduces multiple non - normal sidewalls , thereby increasing the probability of light extraction . if textured mesa sidewalls are only introduced on two parallel facing sides , then further improvements in the non - symmetrical emission of the light emitting devices are achieved . the pre - defined textured sidewalls accentuate the ellipticity of the profile in the azimuthal axis of the light emitting device , even when the device is of a substantially square shape . the light extraction is increased from a textured sidewall and so the elliptical extremities of the far field profile will tend in the direction of the textured sidewalls . in another embodiment , the mesa sidewalls are textured on all four sides to enhance the isotropic azimuthal emission profile of the light emitting device . in one embodiment of the present invention the elee are arranged so that the longer edges are substantially parallel to each other along one of the basis axes , as shown in fig1 a . this allows the far field profile to exhibit a largely elliptical emission profile in the azimuthal axis . the emission cross section profile along the axis perpendicular to the elongate edge of the elee element , as indicated by 107 , is typically less collimated than a lambertian emitter , while also providing improved light extraction , as shown in the polar plot insert 109 . when the emission cross section profile is parallel to the elongate edge of the elee elements , as shown in 106 , the light extraction is reduced , but comprises a substantially more lambertian emission profile , as shown in the polar plot insert 108 . this flexibility in tailoring the far field allows light emitting devices of the present invention to be employed in many different applications , such as those where a wider emitting far field pattern is desirable as compared to a lambertian profile . light emitting devices of the present invention may be beneficial in applications such as lcd back light units ( lcd blu ), where the wide emission profile improves the illumination uniformity across the lcd panel . additionally , elee elements are substantially easier to fabricate , as compared to light extraction techniques of the prior art such as regular photonic crystal arrays of etched holes , and can be fabricated using conventional photolithography and imprint techniques , as the elements do not require sub 0 . 5 micron resolution patterning techniques . in a preferred application of the present invention , the elee are incorporated on the top surface of a vertical type current injection light emitting device , as shown in fig3 a and 3 b . in the case of a light emitting diode , the top semiconductor surface typically comprises an n - doped semiconductor material . such a structure is typically fabricated by use of a flip chip or wafer bonding process onto a carrier substrate with subsequent growth substrate removal . such wafer processing enables the thick n - doped semiconductor material to be top surface exposed . this is beneficial for the present invention , as the elee elements can penetrate deeper into the light emitting device without adversely affecting current spreading , and without increased surface recombination or active region damage . the current path for such vertical type light emitting devices requires only an n type contact to be present on the top light extracting surface of the light emitting device , while the p contact surface resides beneath the p - doped semiconductor material and typically also acts as a high reflectivity optical mirror across the complete p - doped semiconductor surface . fig3 a shows a vertical type light emitting device with substantially parallel elee elements of length appreciable to the dimension of the light emitting device . in contrast , fig3 b show a vertical type light emitting device comprising de - tuned parallel elee elements of length substantially smaller than the dimensions of the light emitting device . preferably , the high reflectivity bottom optical mirror is designed to reflect at least 50 %, more preferably at least 75 %, 90 %, or 95 %, an most preferably at least 98 % of the light incident on the surface . an example top n - contact layout is depicted in 300 . the layout and design of the n - contact may vary depending on the requirements , but it is a purpose of the contact to provide uniform current spreading across the surface of the light emitting device . in the present example , the centre of the contact is preferably approximately 90 microns or 100 microns in size and is designed to accommodate a wire bond for connection to an external electrical wire . in an embodiment of the present invention , the elee elements may be designed to extend under the top n - contacts 300 . however , in another embodiment , the elee elements do not extend under the contacts , thereby allowing for improved adhesion between the top contact metals and the surface of the n - doped semiconductor material . in another preferred example of the present invention , a transparent current spreading layer is sandwiched between the top n contact 300 and the surface of the n - doped semiconductor surface 301 , as shown in the cross section through the contact region depicted by the insert in fig3 a . this layer may comprise of , but is not limited to , a transparent conductive metal oxide or nitride , ito , aluminium doped zno ( azo ), ga doped zno ( gzo ), a conductive polymer and carbon nanotubes ( cnt ). in an alternative arrangement , the transparent conductive layer may also comprise a complex optically reflective multilayer stack that is optimised to reflect light emitted inside the light emitting device back into the structure and to minimise optical loss due to the absorption in the metal contacts . the multilayer stack may be designed using methods such as , but not limited to , transfer matrix methods or plane wave expansion methods and may be optimised to also act as an omni - directional optical reflector ( odr ), fabry - perot reflection coating , quarter - wavelength stack , rugate reflective coating or a distributed bragg reflector ( bdr ). alternatively , an electrically non - conductive dielectric single layer or multilayer stack embedded with an array of electrically conductive via elements joining the metal contacts with the semiconductor material 300 can be incorporated . the metal contact can be further selected from a group of highly reflective metals at the emission wavelength , such as , but not limited to , ag , al or rh for blue wavelength gan leds . a similar transparent conductive layer or multilayer can also be introduced across at least a portion of the surface between the p - doped semiconductor layer and the p - contact reflective surface . these top surface and bottom surface transparent conductive layers provide combined high current spreading properties , but most importantly they provide greatly improved optical reflectivity for both contact 300 and the bottom p - contact optical mirror , resulting in minimal optical loss via the trapped waveguide light confined in the high refractive index semiconductor material . the optical reflectivity of the combined transparent conductive layer and the p or n contact for light incident on the respective surface is preferably at least 50 %, more preferably at least 75 %, 90 %, or 95 %, and most preferably at least 98 %. in another implementation of the present invention , the elee are arranged to be substantially parallel along two basis axes , which may be either orthogonal or non - orthogonal . this allows the far field profile to exhibit a largely isotropic emission along the azimuthal axis , but a substantially wider emission than lambertian in the elevation axis . in one preferred embodiment of the present invention , the elee is arranged so that the elongate elements associated with the different orthogonal or non - orthogonal basis axes overlap to form a complex network of crossed elongate elements . some example light emitting devices of the present invention may include a device with elee elements having a length appreciable to the dimension of the light emitting device with either a lateral type current path , as shown in fig4 a , or a vertical type current path , as shown in fig4 b . other example light emitting devices of the present invention may include a device with elee elements having a length substantially smaller than the dimensions of the light emitting device , either with a lateral type device , as shown in fig4 c , or a vertical type device , as shown in fig4 d . this allows the far field profile to exhibit a largely isotropic emission along the azimuthal axis , as shown in the two cross - sectional far field schematic inset profiles 402 and 403 taken along two different orthogonal directions 400 and 401 . it is also indicated that the far field emission profile exhibits a substantially wider emission than lambertian in the elevation axis , as indicated by 402 and 403 . it should be noted that it is an object of the present invention that the elee elements provide improved light extraction . in yet another variant of the present invention , the elee elements are introduced on the surface of the light emitting device surface that is also roughened . this allows the light emitting device to exhibit improved light extraction , as compared to a device that is simply roughened . examples of such devices are shown in plan view in fig5 a to 5 d . it is noted that the features are not drawn to scale and that the grey pyramidal roughening features in fig5 a and 5 c are typically smaller than the grey features shown in fig5 b and 5 d . fig5 a and 5 c show a lateral type light emitting device with elee elements introduced on the top roughened surface of a p - doped semiconductor light emitting device . the roughened surface may comprise , but is not limited to , epitaxially grown randomly arranged inverted pyramids , 500 , forming indentations on the surface of the light emitting device . these are typically between 100 nm and 600 nm and do not penetrate into the light emitting region of the device . as shown in fig5 b and 5 d , in the case of a vertical type light emitting device , the randomly arranged pyramids typically comprise , but are not restricted to , protruding pyramids , 501 , wet etched into the top surface of the n doped light emitting device . as the n - doped semiconductor material of a light emitting device is much thicker ( approximately around 4 to 5 microns ), this allows much larger protruding pyramids of sizes ranging from 1 to 3 microns to be formed on the top surface . the far field profile of such devices exhibit a largely isotropic emission along the azimuthal axis as well as an elevation profile closer to a lambertian . a cross section of the far field profile in both orthogonal directions is indicated by the two inserts 502 and 503 . in these implementations of the invention , the etch depth of the elee elements are allowed to be at least deeper than those of the roughened features to provide for stronger optical interaction between the trapped waveguide modes and the elee elements . the surface of the roughened light emitting device is not restricted to inverted and protruding pyramids and may also include selectively grown or etched columnar features or cluster formations on the surface . in other embodiments of the present invention , the non - parallel elee elements can be arranged in repeating sets across the surface of the light emitting device , as shown in fig6 a and 6 b . the left hand side schematic of fig6 a shows the case where the long elee elements extend along the length of the light emitting device . the elee elements are allowed to intersect each other at certain locations , 300 , along the two orthogonal axes . it is preferred that the individual elee elements are arranged at a slightly de - tuned angle from the orthogonal axes . the de - tuning can range between 0 degrees and 45 degrees from the reference axes . preferably , the detuning angle is 5 degrees , 10 degrees or 15 degrees . the elee elements are arranged in an alternating fashion to allow for greater packing of elee elements across the surface of the light emitting device . in one cycle , the elee element is defined with a de - tuning of θ degrees away from the axes 603 , while in the second cycle the elee is defined along a - θ degree de - tuning with respect to the same axes . a similar repeating packing scheme is carried out across the other orthogonal axes as shown by 604 . in another variant of the present invention , the de - tuning repetition can be arbitrarily defined and can follow any pre - determined sequence . also , in a further embodiment of the present invention the sub - regions of elee elements , as depicted by the left hand schematic in fig6 a , can be repeated across a larger area light emitting device , as shown on the right hand side schematic , 605 . as shown in fig6 b , it is preferred that the elee elements of the present invention form sub - regions across the surface of the light emitting device in order to break up the optical mode symmetry . the formation of non - parallel sided shapes eliminates the formation of any resonant or standing waves or whispering type gallery modes within sub - regions of the light emitting device and thus improves the probability of light extraction within each sub - region . this is advantageous , as the sub - regions are small with respect to the overall size of light emitting device and therefore enhances the probability of uniform light extraction across the complete top surface of the light emitting device , rather than purely at the mesa edge of the device . the uniform light extraction also ensures that waveguide modes only propagate a short distance prior to light extraction , thereby reducing the material losses experienced by optical modes in the light emitting device . the inset on the right hand side of fig6 b highlights the increased probability of light escaping from the top surface by experiencing many facets and also the ability of dipole emitted light ( indicated by solid arrows incident on non - parallel sides ) to escape within a sub - region ( as indicated by the hollow arrows ). in a preferred implementation of the present invention , the light emitting device is grown on a regularly patterned sapphire or other suitable growth substrate , as indicated by 701 in fig7 a and 7 b . the n - doped semiconductor material , 702 , is grown using an epitaxial layer overgrowth ( elog ) technique around the typically circular pillars 700 . the elog technique dramatically reduces the thread dislocation densities of the semiconductor crystal growth , as well as increasing the diffuse reflectivity of the light trapped in the light emitting device core region when light is incident on the bottom surface of layer 702 . this increases the probability of the light residing in the escape cone of the light emitting semiconducting material and hence improves the extraction from the top extracting surface . the light emitting layer , 703 , is interdisposed between layer 702 and the p doped semiconductor layer 704 . the elee elements , 705 , are defined in layer 704 and are not allowed to penetrate the light emitting layer 703 . in the present light emitting device , the elee elements allow improved light extraction by introducing an additional means of coupling waveguide modes into leaky escape modes , as well as shortening the light extraction coupling length of the device , which helps to reduce any loss experienced by trapped modes due to absorption in the materials . the bottom n contact 707 is deposited on the n - doped semiconductor material 702 , and hence is defined within an etched trench 708 , while the top p contact 706 is defined on layer 704 . in the example shown in fig7 a , the elee elements 705 extend a distance greater than at least a sizeable portion of the length of the active light emitting device . preferably , the elee elements 705 extend a distance greater than ⅛ , more preferably ⅙ , and most preferably ¼ of the length of the active light emitting device . in the example shown in fig7 b , the elee elements 709 extend a substantially shorter distance than the length of the active light emitting device . preferably , the elee elements 709 extend a distance of less than ⅛ , more preferably less than ⅙ , and most preferably less than ¼ of the length of the active light emitting device . in order to demonstrate the light extraction efficiency of the elee elements , exemplary light emitting devices were simulated using a finite difference time domain ( fdtd ) modelling . in the first example , the light extraction efficiency of a single elee element for individual te waveguide modes trapped in a gan blue light emitting device of 4 microns thickness residing on a sapphire substrate is analysed . the graph of fig8 a shows the calculated light 802 residing in the waveguide mode as a function of te waveguide mode 801 . the calculation is relative to a control light emitting device with no elee elements and a smooth top emitting surface . a greater amount of light in the waveguide indicates lower extraction efficiency . in the present case , the light is assumed to propagate at normal incidence to the elongate edge of the elee elements ( termed width ), and the etch length of the elee ( termed length ) is fixed at 500 nm for all simulations . it is also assumed that the elee width is much larger than the etch length and depth and is at least 3 microns , 5 microns , 10 microns , 25 microns or 50 microns . in the first example , the weakest light extraction efficiency across all waveguide modes was experienced by elee elements with an etch depth of 500 nm , depicted by 803 in fig8 a . stronger light extraction is experienced by all waveguide modes when the etch depth is increased to 1000 nm , as indicated by 804 , and the strongest light extraction is observed for the deepest etch depth of 1500 nm , as indicated by 805 . a general trend for all elee dimensions can also be seen , whereby the light extraction efficiency generally drops with increasing waveguide mode angle , this is most clearly visible with increasing elee etch depths . the normalised arbitrary light trapped in the core for all trapped waveguide modes was also analysed for different single elee elements . the graph of fig8 b shows the results of simulations , with the total trapped light 807 plotted against etch depth ( in micron ). in the present example , with a thickness of 4 micron , approximately 33 te and 33 tm modes are trapped in the waveguiding structure . in order to determine the light extraction efficiency , an integration of all trapped waveguide modes is performed . the etch depth 806 is varied between 500 nm and 1500 nm and simulations are performed for etch lengths of 500 nm , 1000 nm and 1500 nm , as shown at 808 , 809 and 810 , respectively . the light extraction is normalised to a control light emitting device with no elee elements and a smooth top emitting surface . it is important to note that , during the simulations , the calculated trapped light in the waveguide takes account of the energy in all transmitted waveguide modes and also back reflected waveguide modes . hence , a drop in the trapped light is a direct indication of an increase in light extraction efficiency . the graph of fig8 b clearly highlights the increase in light extraction as the elee element length is reduced towards 500 nm , while also showing strong indication of improved light extraction as etch depth is increased towards 1500 nm . the elee elements can comprise of any arbitrary cross sectional shape . the graph of fig8 c shows the calculated trapped light 807 in a light emitting device with a single elee element against varying angle 811 of the sidewall etch . in this example , the elee structure is fixed with a length of 500 nm and an etch depth of 1500 nm , and the sidewall angle is varied between 0 degrees and 26 . 5 degrees . the greatest improvement in light extraction is generally when the elee elements have straight sidewalls or when the etch angle is approximately 20 degrees from the normal to the top surface of the light emitting device . in other embodiments of the present invention , the indentation or sidewall etch angle of the elee element can be tailored to improve both light extraction and for alteration of the far field emission profile . it is an object of the present invention that the light extraction is achieved by individual elee elements and not the combined interaction between neighbouring elee elements . this allows greater control of light extraction and greatly relaxes fabrication tolerances . fig8 d shows the result of the interaction between two neighbouring elee elements of the same dimensions , with their spacing 812 varying between 750 nm and 2500 nm . the elee elements are fixed at length 500 nm and depth 1500 nm and the light 807 trapped in the waveguide is monitored . at a spacing of between 750 nm and 2000 nm it is clear that interactions between the neighbouring elee are visible , as evidenced by the light extraction increasing at approximately 800 nm spacing and sharply dipping at around 1500 nm spacing . however , as the spacing increases past 2000 nm the light trapping / extraction level becomes relatively constant , which is an indication that neighbouring elee elements are no longer interacting with each other . fig9 a and 9 b show a cross section of a vertical type light emitting device , 900 with a roughened top surface 501 . the top n contact 300 , the bottom p contact 905 , and the optical mirror surface 902 are indicated . a light emitting layer , 903 , is disposed between the n - and p - doped semiconductor material and the elee elements , 901 , are formed on the top surface of the device . an optical cavity effect can be formed by finely controlling the spacing , 904 , between the optical mirror 902 and the light emitting region 903 . the light emitting region is typically a multiple quantum well , a single or double heterojunction or quantum dots . during operation the forward emitted light interferes with the reflected light ( from layer 902 ) and alters the dipole emission profile inside the light emitting region . in one embodiment of the present invention , the spacing 904 is optimised for maximum light extraction out of the top surface of the light emitting device . in another embodiment of the present invention , as shown in fig9 b , a diffuse roughening layer , 906 , is introduced between the light emitting region 903 and the optical mirror surface 902 . the diffuse layer acts as a specular scattering centre for light prior to incidence on the optical mirror . this in turn increases the probability of the light being redirected to angles that reside in the light escape cone of the semiconductor material and hence increases the light extraction efficiency . as shown in fig1 , in another adaptation of the present invention , the light extraction capabilities of the elee elements are further improved by disposing scattering elements , 1001 , inside the elee elements , 1002 . these scattering elements may comprise colloids , nanospheres , nanorods , macroporous structures , nanoclusters and other scattering elements of arbitrary shape that have dimensions comparable to the effective wavelength of the emitted light . the dimensions of scatterers can range from approximately 50 nm to approximately the wavelength of light . some examples of materials that can be employed include sio 2 , si 3 n 4 , tio 2 . additionally , the scatterers can also incorporate a wavelength conversion element , such as , but not limited to , a yellow phosphor for white light applications when used in conjunction with a blue gan led . we now examine the optical cavity effect in more detail . fig1 a shows a typical cross sectional dipole emission which arises from an optimised structure . in order to determine the interference pattern residing in the light emitting region the following expression is solved | e | 2 = α ρ 2 + α r 2 + 2α ρ α r cos ( π + φ + φ ′) ( 2 ) where e is the electromagnetic field profile residing in the light emitting device , α ρ is the amplitude of the emitting light , α r is the amplitude of the reflected light , φ is the phase shift due to reflections from the optical mirror 902 and φ ′ is the phase shift due to the optical path length difference . the phase shift φ is determined by a method such as the transfer matrix method for a complex mirror structure or a simple fresnel reflection equation for a single metal mirror or other similar technique . subsequently φ ′ can be determined by the following expression where d is the separation distance , 1104 , between the light emitting region and the optical mirror . the angle of the photon from the normal to the mirror surface is defined by θ , while the effective wavelength in the light emitting device is defined by λ led . the resulting emission profile is indicated in fig1 a by 1100 and it can be seen that the majority of the emission resides within the light escape cone of the material 1101 . this gives rise to improved light extraction , 1102 , from the top surface of a smooth unroughened light emitting device . minimal light , 1103 , is emitted into the waveguide region due to the selected optical cavity spacing 1104 . in the case of an un - optimised optical cavity , as shown in fig1 b , the majority of the dipole emission resides outside the light escape cone , 1105 and minimal light is extracted , 1106 , out of the light emitting device . however , as shown in fig1 c , when an elee element is introduced on to the surface of the light emitting device with an optimised optical cavity , the light extraction is increased and more light escapes in the vicinity of the elee element , 1107 . the extracted light far field emission profile 1108 arising from such as device is substantially lambertian in the elevation angle . in another preferred embodiment of the present invention , shown in fig1 d , the un - optimised optical cavity is selected to substantially emit dipole light outside the escape cone , 1109 . this is typically not desirable in a conventional vertical led designs employing roughening for light extraction . in this case , the energy is redistributed between the different guided modes and more energy is coupled into lower order waveguide modes . however , in the present example , the elee elements are optimised to efficiently extract such waveguide modes , 1110 , that are trapped by the optical cavity . minimal light escapes from the top smooth unroughened surface of the light emitting device , 1106 , and the majority of the light escapes in the vicinity of the elee elements . this device provides advantages in that the light extracted by the elee elements constitutes of a set of trapped waveguides that are of a shallower mode angle than those present in the device shown in fig1 c . in the present embodiment , the extracted light will also escape at a much shallower elevation angle with respect to the top surface of the led . this allows a large tailoring of the far field emission profile of the light emitting device with profiles substantially wider than a lambertian being achieved , as shown at 1111 . in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , the light extracting elements are introduced on the surface of a substantially polarised light emitting device , such as , but not limited to , a non - polar gan light emitting device . in the preferred embodiment , the elee elements are optimised to extract one specific polarisation such as the te polarised waveguide mode . the selected polarisation is matched with the dominant emission polarisation of light emitting device and thus allows for greatly improved light extraction efficiency . example non - polar light emitting devices can be grown on free standing m - plane gan substrates , or a - plane non - polar gan on r - plane sapphire substrates as well as nonpolar m - plane gan on gamma plane lialo substrates . typical non - polar light emitting devices exhibit polarisation selectivity of approximately 75 %, 80 % or 85 %. it is also noted that such devices lend themselves directly to applications such as led blu applications for lcd panels , where the polarisation selectivity can potentially provide improvements of around an order in the efficiency of lcd display . in such an application , the lcd polariser can transmit more than 50 % of the light from an led of the present invention through the lcd on the first incidence of the light without the use of complex light cycling techniques , which are typically hindered by high losses . this may potentially lead to lcd displays with efficiencies greater than 50 %. it was previously mentioned that the elee elements can comprise etched indentations with angled sidewalls . in yet another implementation of the present invention , the cross sectional profile of the elee elements can be arbitrarily defined . this may include polygons , ellipses , or any other shape or multiple shapes . the use of such profiling can provide improvements in both light extraction efficiency , as was shown in fig8 c , and variable far field emission profiles , and can additionally provide a means for a simplified method of manufacture . fig1 a shows how triangular cross section profile elee elements , 1201 , are defined and etched into the light emitting device top surface . these can typically be fabricated using an anisotropic wet etching technique , which etches the semiconductor material along the crystal planes forming triangular sidewalls . in another example the sidewalls can form an angled facet , 1202 , as shown in fig1 b , and can be fabricated using dry etching techniques . alternatively , as shown in fig1 c , a cross sectional profile comprising a more complex polygon shape may be employed , 1203 . in the present example , a dry etch technique may be employed to define a double angled sidewall structure . it is further noted that the shape of the elee elements , when viewed from the top , can also be arbitrarily defined , and may include exemplary shapes such as rectangular , rhombus , polygonal , elliptical or rounded edge rectangles , although other shapes are possible . in another aspect of the present invention , a method of manufacture of a vertical led structure with elee light extraction elements is proposed . fig1 a shows an example gan based led epitaxially grown on a suitable growth wafer 1300 . the growth wafer can comprise , but is not limited to , sapphire , silicon carbide , free - standing gan or any other lattice matched material . the growth wafer may also comprise si , which is particularly beneficial when moving to larger six inch wafer diameters . as shown in fig1 a , the led device comprises at least n - type semiconductor layer 1301 , followed by an active light emitting region 1302 , subsequently followed by a top p - doped semiconductor material 1303 . the active region 1302 can comprise a single quantum well ( qw ) region or multiple quantum wells ( mqw ) or a double heterojunction ( dh ). these layers are grown by conventional semiconductor growth techniques such as metal organic vapour phase epitaxy ( mocvd ) or molecular beam epitaxy ( mbe ), or alternatively atomic layer deposition ( ald ). in the case of n - gan layer 1301 , the layer can have a thickness of about 0 . 5 μm , about 1 . 5 μm , about 2 . 0 μm , about 2 . 5 μm , about 3 μm and about 4 μm . the mqw region 1302 can comprise ingan / gan or algan / gan multilayer stacks . when these layers are forward biased , they can emit light in the region between 240 nm and 680 nm . in the case of the p - doped gan layer , the thickness can vary between 5 nm and 400 nm , and is preferably about 50 nm , about 100 nm , about 150 nm , or about 180 nm . it is important to note that the structure will be inverted for a vertical type structure and hence the top surface as shown will reside at the bottom of the device once the processing steps are complete . as shown in fig1 b , a bottom transparent conductive layer , metal contact and optical mirror stack is deposited . this can be carried out by any conventional deposition technique , such as , but not limited to , any chemical vapour deposition technique ( cvd ), such as low - pressure chemical vapour deposition ( lpcvd ), plasma - enhanced chemical vapour deposition ( pecvd ), atomic layer deposition ( ald ), or other techniques such as sputtering or evaporation . a first metallic low resistivity contact layer 1305 is subsequently deposited on the structure . this layer also acts as a good adhesion layer between the metal permanent substrate and the underlying p - doped gan or semiconductor region . this contact region is preferably formed of one or more of ni / au , ti / au , cr / au , au , pd , pt , ru , ni , cr , zno , cnt , ag , ito , al , and w , although other materials are possible . additional conductive adhesion metal layers are also introduced to act as high reflectivity layers 1304 , which reside between layer 1305 and the p - gan region 1303 . the bottom contact region is defined lithographically and transferred into the transparent conductive layer and the metals , as shown in 1304 and 1305 . the bottom contact region pattern may be etched by any etching technique suitable for materials residing in layers 1304 and 1305 , such as , but not limited to , wet etching or plasma etching including reactive ion etching ( rie ) and inductively coupled plasma ( icp ). following the definition of the bottom contact , the led die regions are defined lithographically and etched to form trenches , 1306 , thereby isolating the individual led die . the formation of the individual led die prior to flip chip and growth wafer removal allows improved stress relief . a passivation layer 1308 is allowed to fill and overcoat the trenches 1306 as shown in fig1 c . the passivation layer may comprise sio 2 , si 3 n 4 , polymer or spin - on - glass , but other materials are possible . subsequently , a metal seed layer 1307 is grown on top of the adhesion layer 1305 . the passivation layer acts to protect the gan from environmental factors as well as avoiding the conductive seed layer shorting the led structure . layer 1307 provides the seeding for any subsequent chemical plating process . this layer can comprise metals such as cr , cu , pt , au , ag , ti , ni , and pd . as shown in fig1 d , an additional metal adhesion layer 1309 may optionally be deposited on the top surface of the passivation layer 1308 . the material for this layer can be selected from the same metals suitable for layer 1305 . following deposition of the optional layer 1309 , the carrier metal substrate layer 1310 is overgrown . this layer may comprise one of , or a mixture of , au , cu , ni , cr , pt , pd , in , al , and w , although other materials are possible . the metal is grown by evaporation , sputtering , electroplating or electro - less plating . a thick layer of metal is formed , which is preferably approximately 20 μm , approximately 50 μm , approximately 100 μm or approximately 150 μm thick . this thick layer 1310 provides a rigid support to hold the underlying led die during removal of the growth substrate 1300 . the removal process can be performed by a selective etching process , a lift - off process such as laser lift - off , wet etching , icp etching or a polishing method . a combination of such devices can also be implemented . following removal of the growth substrate 1300 , the led dies are flipped as shown in fig1 e . as shown in fig1 e , the new permanent carrier is now the thick metal layer 1310 , and the n - doped gan or semiconductor material is the top exposed surface . the elee elements , 1315 , are defined using the deposition of a thin layer of hard mask , typically 50 nm to 100 nm of sio 2 ( or other dielectric such as si 3 n 4 ) followed by a lithographic expose and developing step ( or other alternative technique such as imprint ) for pattern definition , and subsequent pattern transfer into the hard mask by using a dry etch . the pattern is then transferred into the top surface of the led using a gan icp or rie dry etch or a wet etch using an alkali such as koh or other etch technique . the hard mask is then removed and the top conductive contact stack deposited . the different layers in the contact and mirror stack are successively deposited using processes similar to those utilised for the bottom contact and reflector . subsequently an adhesion layer is also deposited to assist with the bonding of the final top metal contact . an additional lithography and etch step is required at this stage to define the shape of the top contact stack . this will comprise similar processing steps to those of 1304 . other elee feature definition techniques may also be employed and may comprise one of the following lithography techniques : standard photolithography , uv , deep uv , x - ray lithography or non - photolithography techniques such as nano - imprinting or colloidal templating . a method of manufacture of a light emitting device containing elee elements is proposed . the elee elements can be defined using either dry or wet etching . the pattern location and rotation orientation of the elee elements is defined using standard photolithography methods , or uv , deep uv , x - ray lithography or non - photolithography techniques such as nano - imprinting or colloidal templating . finally , as shown in fig1 e , an n - type metal electrode contact pad 1314 is patterned on top of the contact and mirror stack 1312 using a lift - off process . a lithography step and negative resist are employed to deposit the metal conformally on the top surface of the metal stack . a wet or dry plasma etch are used to transfer the pattern into the resist . the resulting structure is shown in fig1 f , including elee elements 1315 . in one embodiment of the present invention the top surface the n - gan material is further roughened . this can be accomplished by many techniques such as wet anisotropic etching or photo - assisted wet etching . in this case pyramids , inverted pyramids or whisker type roughness following the crystal plane of the gan are formed by use of chemicals such as , but not limited to , koh . during wet etching , the concentration , temperature , uv irradiation and biasing of the samples can all be controlled to assist in roughening the surface . the pyramid diameter is preferably between 0 . 5 μm and 2 . 5 μm . alternatively , optically transparent clusters of high refractive index ( preferably larger than n = 2 . 0 ) material and size approximately 0 . 5 μm , 1 . 0 μm , 1 . 5 μm , or 2 . 0 μm can also be utilised instead of the wet etching process . nanoclusters of materials such as si3n 4 or gan crystals can be employed to fill the elee elements on the surface of the n - gan to improve light extraction . as shown in fig1 g , the individual led die are then separated along the trenches 1306 . the devices can subsequently be packaged with encapsulant and phosphors to provide solid state lighting modules . | 7 |
referring now to the figure , there is illustrated a buffer - level shifter circuitry 10 which comprises a first inverter - level shifter stage illustrated within dashed line rectangle a and a second inverter - level shifter stage illustrated within dashed line rectangle b . stage a is in accordance with the present invention and comprises depletion mode field effect transistors t1 and t3 and enhancement mode field effect transistor t2 . stage b is well known in the art and comprises depletion mode field effect transistor t4 and enhancement mode field effect transistor t5 . the inclusion of t3 in inverter stage a effectively results in t2 being able to become only weekly biased on when &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; level signals are applied to input terminal 16 which have a magnitude greater than the threshold voltage of t2 . this permits input &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; logic signals to have substantially higher potential levels than can be tolerated by conventional field effect transistor inverter stages such as stage b . t3 acts as a control circuit or control circuit means which selectively increases the potential on the source of t2 so as to control t2 &# 39 ; s gate - to - source voltage and thus control conduction through t2 . circuitry 10 can thus accept conventional ttl input logic signal potential levels ( typically 0 to + 1 . 4 volts ) and produce output potential levels which are essentially the same as produced by conventional field effect transistor buffer circuits . an input terminal 16 of circuitry 10 is coupled to the gates of t2 and t3 . t1 , which acts as a load device , has the gate and source thereof coupled to the drain of t2 , to the gate of t5 , and to a node 18 . the source of t2 is coupled to the drain of t3 and to a node 20 . t4 , which acts as a load device , has the gate and source thereof coupled to the drain of t5 and to a circuitry output terminal 22 . the drains of t1 and t4 are coupled together to a terminal 12 and to a power supply vdd which may be referred to as a potential source . the sources of t3 and t5 are coupled together to a terminal 14 and to a second power supply vss , which is typically , but not necessarily , ground potential ( 0 volts ). vss may be referred to as a potential source . the gate and source of t1 and the drain of t2 serve as the output node or terminal of stage a , and the gate of t5 serves as an input node or terminal of stage b . for the purposes of illustration , t1 , t3 , and t4 are assured to be depletion mode n - channel insulated gate field effect transistors , t2 and t5 are enhancement mode field effect transistors having a threshold potential of + 0 . 5 volt , vdd =+ 3 . 0 volts , and vss = 0 volts . an input &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; logic signal applied to input terminal 16 is assumed to have a potential level of from 0 to + 1 . 4 volts , and an input &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; logic signal applied to input terminal 16 is assumed to have a potential level of + 1 . 8 to 3 . 0 volts . with an input &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; applied to input terminal 16 , t2 is biased on and t3 , which is essentially always biased on , becomes highly conductive . as current begins to flow from t1 through t2 , and then through t3 , the potential of node 20 increases somewhat above vss , but does not increase sufficiently so as to cause the gate - to - source voltage of t2 to become less than the threshold voltage thereof . thus , t2 is biased on heavily and conducts . the ratio of the impedance of t1 versus t2 and t3 is selected such that with an input &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; signal applied to terminal 16 , the potential of node 18 is + 0 . 4 volt or less positive , an output &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, for stage a . a + 0 . 4 volt signal at the gate of t5 biases t5 off and results in output terminal 22 assuming a potential of approximately + 3 . 0 volts , a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; output signal . with an input &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; logic signal having a potential of + 1 . 4 volts applied to input terminal 16 , t3 is conductive , but not as conductive as when the potential level of the input signal is at + 1 . 8 volts or more positive . t2 becomes weakly biased on , and a relatively low level of conduction is established through t1 , t2 , and t3 . t3 has sufficient impedance at this bias level such that the current flow therethrough produces a potential at node 20 which is sufficiently positive to assure that t2 is essentially only weakly biased on . t2 is ideally biased off at this time . this results in a output &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; at node 18 which has a potential level of approximately + 2 . 75 volts . the impedance of t4 is designed to be significantly higher than the impedance of t5 when both are biased on and conducting , as is the case when a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; signal is applied to the gate of t5 . a + 2 . 75 volt signal applied to the gate of t5 causes t5 to be heavily biased on and thereby causes conduction through t4 and t5 . this results in output terminal 22 being at + 0 . 2 volt , a &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; output level . it is thus apparent that a &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; input signal having a potential level up to + 1 . 4 volts results in a &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; output signal having a potential level of + 0 . 2 volt and that a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; input signal having a potential level as low as + 1 . 8 volts results in an output signal &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; having a potential level of + 3 . 0 volts . accordingly , circuitry 10 performs a buffer - level shifting function with stage a providing a first inversion - level shifting function and with stage b providing a second inversion - level shifting function . the net result is that ttl input logic levels are shifted to mos logic levels , and input signals applied to input terminal 16 are isolated from load capacitance ( not illustrated ) on output terminal 22 . stage a has been fabricated as the first stage of an input address buffer of a 4096 bit static field effect transistor random access memory . stage a has been tested and found to be fully functional . the channel lengths ( in microns ) and widths ( in microns ) of t1 , t2 , and t3 are 1 . 25 , 1 . 0 , and 1 . 25 , and 54 , 90 , and 18 , respectively . circuitry 10 has also been fabricated as a buffer - level shifter circuit which is part of the above - described memory and which receives an input signal from a sense amplifier of the memory . circuitry 10 has been tested and found to be fully functional . the channel lengths ( in microns ) and widths ( in microns ) of t1 , t2 , t3 , t4 , and t5 are 1 . 0 , 1 . 25 , 1 . 0 , 1 . 0 , and 1 . 25 , and 4 , 20 , 12 , 3 , and 9 , respectively . the embodiments described herein are intended to be illustrative of the general principles of the present invention . various modifications are possible , consistent with the spirit of the invention . for example , p - channel field effect transistors can be substituted for the n - channel transistors , provided power supply levels and input logic levels are appropriately modified . still further , depletion mode transistor t3 can be replaced by an enhancement transistor , providing the impedance thereof is properly selected . still further , t1 can be replaced by a variety of load devices , including a resistor . still further , stage b can be replaced with many well - known inverter stages . still further , appropriate changes in impedance levels of the transistors , and the magnitudes of the power supplies , can facilitate the use of the circuitry to detect relatively small signal differences such as are common with emitter - coupled logic circuits or other logic families . still further , circuitry 10 can be fabricated in cmos with t1 and t4 being p - channel transistors and t2 , t3 , and t5 being n - channel transistors or with t1 and t4 being n - channel transistors and t2 , t3 , and t5 being p - channel transistors . | 7 |
hereafter , it explains the embodiments of this invention with reference to the drawings . hereafter , it explains embodiment 1 of executing this invention by using fig1 to fig7 . in this embodiment , the width of the cut put from the display side to the diffusion board is the same as the width of a black matrix or example of assumption as the angle of cut achieved the total reflection of incident light from inside of diffusion board to the oblique side of the cut is the same . in the embodiment all , the point part of the cut may not be the pointed one , may have width , and worn roundness . moreover , the cut of the embodiment all is an isosceles triangle whose perpendicular lowered from the cut toward the display passes center of the black matrix between pixels ; however , the requirement need not be strictly met . fig1 is an outline chart where the part of the display of the image of the autostereoscopic display in the embodiment 1 is shown . the above mentioned image display part is an installation of diffusion board 102 between lens sheet 101 and display 106 in fig1 . display 106 is the one that two or more pixels such as pixel 107 a , 107 b , and 107 c are spread . pixel 107 a consists of red subpixel 104 r a , green subpixel 104 g a , blue subpixel 104 b a , and black matrix 105 which is the non - display part between each subpixel . diffusion board 102 has cut 103 put from 106 sides in the same width as the width of black matrix 105 at the position of each black matrix 105 between each pixel on the display , and the cut angle of each cut 103 is a total reflection angle as for incidence light from the inside of the diffusion board of each pixel to the oblique side of cut 103 . fig2 is a plan view where it explains the pixel on the display and the arrangement of a black matrix used by the embodiments of the invention . each three primary color display part ( subpixel ) r , g , and b queue up at equal intervals , and black matrix 105 , which is non - display part , exists between each . length of the short side of each three primary color display part r , g , and b is assumed to be p1 , and length of the long side is assumed to be p2 . the width of black matrix 105 in the direction of the short vicinity of each three primary color display part r , g , and b is assumed to be d1 , and the width of black matrix 105 in the direction of the vicinity of length is assumed to be d2 . in the each embodiment , it is assumed p1 = 35 . 5 μm , p2 = 143 μm , d1 = 28 μm , and d2 = 47 . 5 μm . fig1 is a cross section in one point dot - dashed curve x - x ′ shown in fig2 . fig3 is an outline chart where it explains the ray which passes in the diffusion board in the embodiments . though ray 501 , 502 diffuses in direction 503 of diffusion in diffusion board 102 , the direction of the ray treated in this text is assumed to be a direction of each ray 501 , 502 which passes in the medium without diffusive . in a general diffusion board such as the becoming frosted glass , the direction of each ray 501 , 502 is strong direction of strength of light , and it assumes that it uses such a diffusion board most in the embodiments . it explains the shape of cut 103 in this embodiment in detail by using fig1 , fig4 , and fig5 . fig4 is an outline chart where it explains the angle and the length used by the embodiment . in fig4 , ray 308 emitted by the angle θ with display 106 can be reflected to the oblique side of cut 103 which it is angle φ , height h , and is d in width in reflection angle θi of the same size as incidence and the angle of incidence by angle of incidence θi . moreover , the thickness of diffusion board 102 is assumed to be h = 100 μm , and the refractive index is assumed to be n = 1 . 7 in the example of each execution . when the ray starts going out from the object of refractive index n into the air , angle of incidence θi that do the total reflection of the ray in the boundary of the object and air should be critical angle θm or more given by next formula ( 1 ). it becomes θm ≈ 36 . 03 ° in the embodiments . fig5 is an outline chart where it explains the viewing angle on the display used by the embodiments . when the display viewing angle on display 106 to observer 1501 is θdp , ray 401 from display 106 is emitted by angle θo or more to display 106 in this figure . θo is given by next formula ( 2 ). in the embodiments , it becomes θo = 20 ° assuming display viewing angle θdp = 140 °. in fig1 , if cut 103 is put in diffusion board 102 by the angle φ that do the total reflection of ray 108 emitted at angle θo with display 106 , do the total reflection of all the ray of light incident ones from display 106 to cut 103 . such angle φ should fill next formula ( 3 ). moreover , height h of cut 103 with this angle φ is given by next formula ( 4 ). it is φ & gt ; 32 . 06 °, and when assuming φ = 32 . 1 ° for instance , it becomes h = 48 . 66 μm in this embodiment because of d = d1 = 28 μm . fig6 is an outline chart where the part of the display of the image of the autostereoscopic display seen from the side of red display part 104 ra in this embodiment is shown , and the cross section in one point dot - dashed curve y - y ′ shown in fig2 . angle φ ′ of cut 703 for the total reflection of all the ray of light incident on to the oblique side of cut 703 only has to fill “ φ ′& gt ; 32 . 06 °” in fig6 as well as the case to cut 103 . because the above mentioned formula consists similarly , when assuming d ′ ( width of the cut 703 )= d2 = 47 . 5 μm , φ ′= 32 . 1 °, it becomes h ′ ( height of the cut 703 )= 82 . 55 μm . fig7 is a plan where the relation of the cut of the diffusion board in this embodiment is shown . because do the total reflection of everything , the ray of light incident on from each pixel to the oblique side of the cut of surroundings , the mixture of the color of the pixel is reduced and the image quality of the reproduction stereoscopic image can be improved . hereafter , it explains the modified embodiment of the embodiment 1 by using fig8 to fig1 . in fig8 , the height of the cut is enlarged , and the modified embodiment 1 of increasing the ray of light incident on to the oblique side of the cut is shown . this modified embodiment is an example of explaining the effect when height h of the cut is set by priority . though only the example of the cross section in one point dot - dashed curve x - x ′ shown in fig2 is shown since this modified embodiment , being similarly thought for the cross section in one point dot - dashed curve y - y ′ shown in fig2 as shown in fig6 is clear . fig8 is an outline chart where the part of the display of the image of the autostereoscopic display when the width of the cut of the diffusion board is width of a black matrix is shown in this modified embodiment 1 . it is assumed that it is height h = 80 μm of the cut , and width d = d1 = 28 μm of the cut here . when h and d are given , the angle φ of the cut is given by next formula ( 5 ). it becomes angle φ = 19 . 85 ° of cut 903 in fig8 . at this time , ray 908 emitted from display 106 at angle θo = 20 ° does not only the reflection in the oblique side of cut 903 but also the refraction penetration . moreover , angle θ1 that ray 909 of the total reflection in the oblique side of cut 903 and display 106 form should fill next formula ( 6 ). as a result , θ1 & gt ; 26 . 11 ° can be filled , and all entire ray incidences to the oblique side of cut 903 can be reflected . fig9 is an outline chart of the modified embodiment 2 of the width of the cut of the diffusion board showing the part of the display of the image of the autostereoscopic display when it is smaller than the width of a black matrix . it is assumed height h = 80 μm of the cut and width d = 18 μm & lt ; d1 of the cut here . in fig9 , angle θ1 that ray 1009 of the total reflection in the oblique side of cut 1003 and display 106 do should fill θ1 & gt ; 29 . 61 ° because it becomes angle φ = 12 . 84 ° of cut 1003 . in this modified embodiment , the mixture of the color of the pixel is reduced by enlarging the height of the cut , and increasing an incidence ray to the oblique side of the cut , and the image quality of the reproduction stereoscopic image can be improved . moreover , because the effect of the improvement is achieved even if the width of the cut is reduced more than the width of a black matrix , accuracy , by which the cut is put , need not be strict . it explains the modified embodiment 3 by using fig1 . this modified embodiment enlarged the height of the cut as well as modified embodiment 1 , increased an incidence ray to the oblique side of the cut , it assumed the angle of the cut and an incidence ray was assumed to be a total reflection angle from the inside of the diffusion board to the oblique side of the cut . this modified embodiment is an example of explaining the effect when height h of the cut and the angle φ of the cut are set by priority . fig1 is an outline chart where the part of the display of the image of the autostereoscopic display in this modified embodiment is shown . cut 1103 a is height h = 80 μm , angle φ = 32 . 1 °, and the total reflection of all incidence rays from the diffusion board 102 to the slope of the cut 1103 a goes out of display 106 . here , when h and p are given , width d of the cut is given by next formula ( 7 ). it becomes width d = 46 . 03 μm & gt ; d1 of cut 1103 a in fig1 . at this time , because a part of red subpixel 104 r b and blue subpixel 104 b a becomes arrangement which comes out in cut 1103 a , it goes out of red subpixel 104 r b , it goes out of incidence ray 1109 and blue subpixel 104 b a from the inside of cut 1103 a to the oblique side of cut 1103 a , incidence ray 1107 exists from the inside of cut 1103 a in the oblique side of cut 1103 a , and they do an incidence reflection and the refraction penetration to the oblique side of cut 1103 b of the next . in this modified embodiment , by making the height of the cut enlarged , and an incidence ray to the oblique side of the cut increased , in addition , making the angle of the cut full reflection of all incident light , the mixture of the color of the pixel is reduced , and the image quality of the reproduction stereoscopic image can be improved . moreover , because the effect of the improvement is achieved even if the width of the cut is enlarged more than the width of a black matrix , accuracy , by which the cut needs not be strict . it explains the modified embodiment 4 by using fig1 . this modified embodiment , the height of the cut is enlarged and an incidence ray is increased to the oblique side of the cut as well as the modified embodiment 1 , additionally , not only do total reflection but also the angle of the cut and an incidence ray from the inside of the diffusion board to the oblique side of the cut , and also from part of display in cut to example of assumption to oblique side of cut of incidence refraction penetration doing and the next as angle where do total reflection of incidence ray in oblique side of cut . fig1 is an outline chart where the part of the display of the image of the autostereoscopic display in this modified embodiment 4 is shown . cut 1203 a is h = 80 μm in height . go out of red subpixel 104 r b at angle θo done to display 106 , and ray 1209 which does the refraction penetration in the oblique side of cut 1203 a for total reflection in the oblique side of cut 1203 b of the next to cut 1203 a , the angle φ of the cut should fill next formula ( 8 ). it is φ & gt ; 34 . 37 °, and when assuming φ = 34 . 38 ° for instance , it becomes d = 49 . 5 μm & gt ; d1 from formula ( 8 ) in this modified embodiment . in this modified embodiment , the height of the cut is enlarged and an incidence ray is increased to the oblique side of the cut , in addition , the angle of the cut in going out of the part of the display in the cut and making an incidence ray the oblique side of the cut from the inside of the diffusion board angling of the total reflection once all including the ray which does the refraction penetration ( it goes out of the part of the display in the cut and because strength of light is weak , the ray , which reflects in the oblique side of the cut , is disregarded ). the mixture of the color of the pixel is reduced , and the image quality of the reproduction stereoscopic image can be improved . hereafter , it explains the embodiment 2 of the invention by using fig1 . this embodiment is an example of forming to the cut the shading layer where light is absorbed . fig1 is an outline chart where the part of the display of the image of the autostereoscopic display in this embodiment is shown . fig1 ( a ) is an example of filling shading layer 1308 a to cut 1303 a of the same type as the modified embodiment 3 of the embodiment . moreover , fig1 ( b ) is an example of forming shading layer 1308 b thinly to the inner wall of cut 1303 b of the same type as the modified embodiment 3 . moreover , fig1 ( c ) is an example of thinly forming shading layer 1308 c besides under the inner wall of cut 1303 c of the same type as the modified embodiment 3 , ray 1302 c emitted from blue subpixel 104 b in cut 1303 c is absorbed by shading film 1308 c , and ray 1301 c emitted from red red subpixel 104 r in cut 1303 c does the refraction penetration . moreover , fig1 ( d ), width is smaller than the width of black matrix 105 , and example of filling shading layer 1308 d to cut 1303 d whose shape is a rectangle , when the shading layer is formed . thus , when the reflection layer is formed , the shape of the cut can be freely decided . the shading layer is formed to the cut , the mixture of the color of the pixel is reduced , and the image quality of the reproduction stereoscopic image can be improved in this execution example above . hereafter , it explains the embodiment 3 of the invention by using fig1 . this embodiment is an example of forming the reflection layer where light is reflected to the cut . fig1 is an outline chart where the part of the display of the image of the autostereoscopic display in this embodiment is shown . fig1 ( a ) is an example of filling reflection layer 1409 a to cut 1403 a of the same type as the modified embodiment 3 above described . moreover , fig1 ( b ) thinly forms reflection layer 1409 b to the inner wall of cut 1403 b of the same type as modified embodiment 3 , it is an example of thinly forming shading layer 1408 b in addition , an incidence ray from inside of diffusion board 102 reflects to the oblique side of cut 1403 b , and the ray in cut 1403 b is absorbed . moreover , fig1 ( c ) is an example of thinly forming reflection layer 1409 c besides under the inner wall of cut 1403 c of the same type as modified embodiment 3 , and forming shading layer 1408 c thinly in addition , ray 1402 c emitted from blue in cut 1403 c display part 104 b is absorbed by shading film 1408 c , ray 1401 c emitted from red in cut 1403 c display part 104 r does the refraction penetration . moreover , fig1 ( d ) is an example that the width of the cut 1403 d is smaller than the width of black matrix 105 . and fig1 ( d ) is an example of filling reflection layer 1308 d to cut 1403 d whose shape is a rectangle . thus , when the reflection layer is formed , the shape of the cut can be freely decided . the reflection layer is formed to the cut , the mixture of the color of the pixel is reduced , and the image quality of the reproduction stereoscopic image can be improved in this embodiment . in setting up the diffusion board which puts the cut along the black matrix between pixels between the display and the lens sheet according to the each embodiment , as a black matrix and the color separation do without conspicuous . the blot of the color of the reproduction stereoscopic image by the color of the pixel which is mutually adjacent mixing can be improved . according to this invention above , the phenomenon that a black matrix and the color separation stand out with the lens is not caused because the pixel is separated mutually though three primary colors of each pixel are diffused , moreover , the reproduction stereoscopic image does not cause the phenomenon in which blotting by the mixture of the color of the pixel , and be able to display a & lt ; high - resolution & gt ; stereoscopic image . | 7 |
referring now to the drawings , and particularly to fig1 a multifunction machine 20 has been illustrated which is a wedge making and wedge and coil injection machine of the type shown in the above referenced lauer et al u . s . pat . no . 3 , 829 , 953 ; morr u . s . pat . no . 3 , 872 , 568 ; eminger u . s . pat . no . 3 , 447 , 225 ; hill u . s . pat . no . 3 , 324 , 536 ; and so on . for clarity of illustration , portions of the apparatus 20 not necessary for an understanding of my invention have been omitted , but the relationship of the structure actually shown in fig1 and 3 hereof to the not shown parts of apparatus 20 can be readily appreciated by comparing the structure shown in fig1 and 2 herein with the disclosures in the above referenced patents . for example , the wedge magazine 21 , hook 22 , and ratchet teeth 23 shown in fig1 and 2 correspond with the hook or ratchet mechanism 104 , ratchet teeth 23 , and wedge magazine 96 shown in fig6 of eminger u . s . pat . no . 3 , 447 , 225 . other similarities between eminger &# 39 ; s &# 34 ; slot wedge forming and loading apparatus 113 &# 34 ; and the corresponding structure shown by applicant will also of course be appreciated by persons of ordinary skill in the art . one of the differences between eminger &# 39 ; s arrangement and that of fig1 herein which should be emphasized is that wedges are &# 34 ; formed &# 34 ; by eminger &# 39 ; s &# 34 ; punch member 170 &# 34 ;, while the blade 24 used herein only pushes wedges into slots 26 of the magazine 22 , because the wedges themselves are &# 34 ; formed &# 34 ; by a forming and feeding pinch wheel arrangement described in more detail hereinbelow . it is also noted that , while the ratchet teeth 23 and pawl or hook 22 is shown at the lower end of the wedge magazine 21 in fig1 ; the ratchet mechanism could just as well be located at the upper end of the magazine 21 in the manner described at lines 24 - 34 in column 3 of the referenced hill u . s . pat . no . 3 , 324 , 536 . although the patents to eminger and hill have just been specifically referred to , it will be understood that the relationship of the structure illustrated by the drawings herein is also related to the structures illustrated in the other hereinabove referenced patents . for example , the correspondence between the &# 34 ; wedge maker 112 &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; wedge magazine 86 &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; index ratchet 92 &# 34 ; of morr u . s . pat . no . 3 , 872 , 568 ; the &# 34 ; wedge magazine 220 &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; ratchet plate 212 &# 34 ;, and &# 34 ; pawl 214 &# 34 ; ( hook ) of arnold et al u . s . pat . no . 3 , 579 , 818 ; and the wedge magazine 21 , ratchet teeth 23 , and hook or pawl 22 , all as shown herein , is self - evident . with more specific reference now to fig1 herein , it is noted that although the specific orientation of the apparatus there shown relative to a horizontal plane is not critical ; it usually is preferred that the rotational axis 27 of the magazine 21 ( and thus the central longitudinal axis of the not shown coil injection tooling ) be oriented at approximately forty to forty - five degrees relative to horizontal ( a relative orientation similar to this is shown in fig1 of fohl u . s . pat . no . 3 , 626 , 432 of dec . 7 , 1971 ). however , the apparatus 20 has been oriented in fig1 with the magazine and tooling oriented horizontally in order to illustrate the apparatus to as large a scale as possible . strip insulating material 28 , which typically is a polyester material , is fed into the apparatus 20 from the left as viewed in fig1 . the polyester material suitable for use as insulating material in dynamoelectric machine stator cores is sold under various trade names . however , material that has been utilized while practicing the present invention has been material sold commercially by the e . i . dupont de nemours and company as mylar insulating material . as is well known , mylar material is a polyester material known as polyethylene terephalate . the material 28 is pulled into a track established by a guide 29 and a cover 31 by the co - action of an upper forming roller 32 and a lower forming roller 33 . although the term &# 34 ; roller &# 34 ; will be used herein to describe the elements 32 and 33 , it should be understood that other terminology such as a &# 34 ; forming wheel &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; pinch wheel &# 34 ; could also be utilized . the material 28 is formed to have a predetermined configuration having precise dimensional characteristics that are determined by the peripheral contours of the forming or pinch rollers 32 , 33 . the insulating material so formed then is pushed by the rollers along another trackway that is defined by the guide 34 and cover 36 . the guide 36 and cover 34 in turn terminate at a stationary guide area defined by a lower plate 37 and upper cover 38 . it will be understood that the cover 38 and guide 37 also define a trackway or pathway having a cross - sectional configuration corresponding to the desired configuration of the insulating material which was established by the forming rollers 32 , 33 . continued operation of the forming rollers 32 , 33 cause the formed insulating material to advance from between the cover 38 and guide 37 and move to the end of a track that is established by a lower guide plate 39 ( best seen in fig2 ) and a pair of spacer plates 41 ( also best seen in fig2 ). as will be best appreciated from an inspection of fig2 the guide plate 39 and spacer plates 42 also are formed to have a cross - sectional configuration which will accept the previously formed insulating strip material . the apparatus 20 operates so that the preformed strip material is advanced beyond the end of the trackway defined by the cover 38 and guide 37 a distance generally corresponding to the axial length or height of the stator core into which the insulating material 28 is to be inserted in the form of discrete individual wedges . the end of the trackway defined by cover 38 and guide 37 defines the active location of a cutoff mechanism which includes a cutoff blade 42 ( see fig2 ), a blade carrier 43 , and blade actuating arm 44 to the end of which is fastened a cam follower 46 . the cutoff mechanism just described is known in the art and formed part of the basic apparatus 20 before it was modified as shown herein . however , the various guides 29 , 34 , 37 and guide plates 39 are novel in the apparatus 20 as are the covers 31 , 36 , 38 , and spacers 42 to the extent that they define a trackway that is formed to have a shape that corresponds to the shape of the formed insulating strip material 28 . before being modified as shown herein , the feeding mechanism for the apparatus 20 was quite similar to that shown in fig2 of the above - referenced arnold et al u . s . pat . no . 3 , 579 , 818 . in the arnold patent , a hitch feed mechanism was utilized to feed insulating material while in a flat configuration past the cutoff mechanism at which time the flat material was cut off and then inserted into the wedge magazine 21 . the insertion mechanism of the apparatus 20 is not modified from the prior art and thus the inserter slide 47 , and inserter blade 24 shown herein have been known and used ( prior to the present invention ) in the same form that they appear in the drawings . thus , in summary , novel modifications of the apparatus 20 to the extent shown herein include the provision of the forming rollers 32 , 33 ( along with their associated control and drive mechanisms ), and the specially configured trackway defined by the covers 36 , 38 and guides 34 , 37 . it is noted at this time , that my method ( as distinguished from the work of koenig as represented in the referenced koenig application ) contemplated the use of a flat trackway or guide path for material 28 between the pinch rollers and severing station . the drive for the forming roller 32 is derived from a cam assembly generally denoted by the reference numeral 49 . the drive from the cam assembly is then applied through arm 51 to a wrist pin 52 and thence to an arm 53 . the arm 53 in turn is tied to a clutch 54 , best seen in fig3 and the clutch then rotates shaft 55 to which upper forming roller 32 is keyed for rotation . as best revealed in fig3 the shaft 55 is supported for rotation by a bearing 56 carried by a mounting plate 57 and a bearing which is carried in a bearing retainer 58 . the bearing retainer 58 in turn is supported by main frame member 58 and a lock nut 59 and bearing retainer washer 61 cooperate to hold the shaft 55 in the desired assembled relationship with the mounting plate 57 and main frame member 60 . with continued reference to fig3 ; a support bracket 62 is welded at one end thereof to main frame member 60 . the bracket 62 serves to support a braking means that includes brake bracket 63 , and also to support the previously mentioned mounting plate 57 which is fastened thereto by screws 64 . the brake bracket 63 is fastened by screws 66 to bracket 62 , and is bifurcated as illustrated so as to straddle a portion of upper roller 32 . the bifurcated portions of bracket 63 are bored and tapped as illustrated so as to accommodate two socket head cap screws 67 , a pair of springs 68 , and a pair of brake plugs or pads 69 . the springs 68 are trapped between the screws 67 and plugs 69 , with the result that the plugs 69 are spring biased against opposite faces of roller 32 . the plugs 69 thus continuously frictionally engage roller 32 and apply a braking force thereto . while any suitable material may be used to make brake plugs 69 , satisfactory results have been obtained by using plugs made from textolite material ( marketed under that name by the general electric company ) that were 9 . 53 mm long ( 3 / 8 inch ) and 7 . 92 mm ( 0 . 312 inches ) in diameter . the function of the just described braking means is to insure that upper forming roller 32 will not move except when it is being positively driven by clutch 54 . clutch 54 was a purchased formsprag clutch model fsr5 having a bore of 15 . 88 mm ( 0 . 625 inches ), and left hand rotation . this clutch transmits driving power to shaft 55 only when driven in one direction , and slips when driving power tending to cause reverse rotation is applied thereto . thus , with reference to fig1 as arm 51 reciprocates as indicated by arrows 71 , roller 32 will intermittently rotate in the direction indicated by arrow 72 , with the reciprocating or oscillating motion of arm 51 being converted to periodic rotary motion by means of wrist pin 52 , arm 53 , and one - way clutch 54 . for purposes of safety , guards 73 are provided around upper roller 32 , although the use of such guards would usually be optional . with reference now to fig3 lower forming roller 33 is rotatably supported on a pair of bearings 76 which in turn are supported by a cap screw 78 . the screw 78 passes through a bore 81 in a bifurcation 77 and is retained by threads in a tapped portion 82 of a bifurcation 79 . actually , the bifurcations are bifurcated portions of a lower pulley supporting arm 83 , as will be evident from a comparison of fig3 and 1 . as best revealed in fig1 a bifurcated mounting block 84 is welded to main frame member 60 ; and one end 88 of arm 83 as well as one end 87 of a hydraulic cylinder 86 are secured in the bifurcation of block 84 by pivot pins 89 , 91 . the rod 92 of cylinder 86 is threaded into a tubular adapter 93 , and adapter 93 in turn is pivotally connected with first ends of two links 94 , 96 by means of a pin 97 . since the other end of link 96 is supported on a fixed pivot pin 98 carried by a bifurcated block 99 welded to frame 60 ; and the other end of link 94 is pivotally connected to the bifurcated end of arm 83 at 101 ; a toggle linkage is provided whereby arm 83 will move lower forming roller 33 toward and away from upper forming roller 32 in response to movement of cylinder rod 92 . thus , when rod 92 retracts , arm 83 will swing downwardly ( at least as viewed in fig1 ) roller 33 will move away from roller 32 , and material 28 will not be pinched between the two rollers . because of this , a segment of material 28 will not be advanced from guide 29 to guide 34 even though roller 32 is rotated . thus , cylinder 86 is useful for determining whether or not a wedge will actually be placed in any given slot 26 ( see fig2 ) of wedge magazine 21 . furthermore , cylinder 86 , in conjunction with adjustable stop means 102 , will determine the degree of proximity with which roller 33 will be held to roller 32 . this degree of proximity in turn will determine how tightly a given thickness of material 28 will be pinched between the two rollers and is particularly advantageous for reasons enumerated hereinbelow . it will be appreciated that the illustrated adjustable stop means 102 comprises a socket head cap screw 103 threaded into block 104 and jam or lock nut 106 . the block 104 is securely fixed to frame 20 , e . g ., by welds or screws ; and when welded as shown , it is preferred that a locating dowel 107 be used to insure proper location of the block on frame member 60 . with the arrangement just described , screw 103 may be extended or retracted in order to limit the length of travel of rod 92 , and thus determine the degree of expansion of the toggle linkage , all as should now be fully understood . with reference now to fig2 in conjunction with fig1 the operation of the wedge inserter mechanism and wedge cut - off mechanism , wedge magazine ratcheting mechanism , and wedge maker driving mechanism , ( all of which have been known by others prior to the present invention ) will be explained . motive power for the cam assembly 49 is supplied from a drive sprocket 108 mounted on a hydraulic motor ( see fig1 ) through a chain 109 to a driven sprocket 111 ( see fig2 ). as will be best understood from fig2 the sprocket 111 is keyed or otherwise fastened to a cam shaft 112 which is drivingly connected with the cam assembly 49 which includes a number of cams that rotate together . the cam assembly 49 in turn includes a face cam 113 which drives cam follower 114 and thereby controls the movement of the inserter slide 47 to which inserter blade 24 is attached . as the cam 113 rotates for one revolution , the follower 114 rides in track 116 , and blade 24 undergoes one reciprocation . the blade thus acts to transfer to a wedge magazine slot 26 any severed wedge positioned in the path of travel of the blade 24 . the cam follower 46 , forming part of the wedge cut - off mechanism , is constrained to follow the outer peripheral cam surface of cam 113 ( see fig1 ) by the action of tension spring 117 which is stretched between a retainer 118 on actuating arm 44 and a retainer 119 mounted on guide block 121 . thus , one revolution of cam 113 will cause one reciprocation of cut - off blade 42 , and any wedge segment positioned under the cut - off blade will be severed . with reference now again to fig2 a mounting block 122 , welded to frame 60 , has bolted thereto a pivot plate 123 . the plate 123 in turn pivotally supports , at pivot 124 , a link assembly 126 ( see fig1 ) which carries a cam follower 127 and a ball joint 128 to which a spring holder 129 is attached . a tension spring 131 is stretched between the spring holder 129 and a slide bar support 130 which is held in a stationary position by reason of its attachment ( by welding , bolting , etc .) to part of the frame 60 ( see fig1 ). with this arrangement , the cam follower 127 is constantly urged downwardly against the outer peripheral surface of cam 132 which forms part of the cam assembly 49 . one revolution of the cam assembly 49 causes one reciprocation of link assembly 127 and the rotary advancement of wedge magazine 23 an amount equivalent to the spacing between adjacent slots 26 ( see fig2 ). as will be understood from fig2 a link 133 is connected to the ball joint 128 and a lower ball joint 134 carried on the upper end of a slide bar 136 which is constrained to move up and down in a linear path by the slide bar support 130 . the lower end of slide bar 136 is bifurcated ( see fig1 ) and bored to receive a compression spring 137 and button 138 ( see fig2 ). the pawl or hook 22 is held in the bifurcated end of the slide bar by dowel pin 139 , and the pawl serves as a retainer for the button 138 and spring 137 . in view of the foregoing , it will be understood that the pawl 22 and teeth 23 ( of the wedge magazine ) co - act to form a wedge advancing ratchet mechanism as the link assembly 126 ( see fig1 ) drives the link 133 , slide bar 136 , and pawl hook 22 . cam 141 also forms part of the cam assembly 49 , and this cam drives a cam follower 142 which periodically activates a limit switch 143 . a cam similar to cam 141 could be provided to actuate a limit switch similar to limit switch 143 so that the limit switch could close just prior to the time that arm 51 starts to advance roller 32 in the direction of arrow 72 . the signal from such switch then could be fed to a control circuit which , as will be understood by persons skilled in the art , would be programmed to determine the &# 34 ; pattern &# 34 ; of wedges desired . if the wedge that would otherwise be made is to be &# 34 ; skipped &# 34 ; or omitted , the control circuit then would cause hydraulic cylinder 86 to retract and collapse toggle links 94 . this in turn would withdraw roller 33 and disable advancement of wedge material 28 for that particular sub - cycle of the equipment . thus , a cam and limit switch could provide a signal as to &# 34 ; when &# 34 ; toggle links 94 should be collapsed , while the general controller for the apparatus would determine &# 34 ; whether &# 34 ; the links should collapse and thus &# 34 ; skip &# 34 ; a wedge . on the other hand , any of the wedge pattern controllers currently used in the industry to &# 34 ; skip &# 34 ; a wedge by disabling a wedge material feeding mechanism ( e . g ., a &# 34 ; hitch feed &# 34 ;), could be used to control the condition of cylinder 86 . in the apparatus illustrated in fig1 the cam 141 and limit switch 143 are actually used to indicate a &# 34 ; safe to inject &# 34 ; condition of the wedge maker . in other words , the cam follower 142 will be on the high lobe of cam 141 only during the time that inserter blade 24 ( see fig2 ) is not in an interfering relation with a slot of the wedge magazine 21 . a limit switch 144 is triggered by a lobe 146 on cam 147 once during each revolution of sprocket 108 ( and thus once each revolution of cam assembly 49 ), and the switch 144 thus provides a signal each time the wedge magazine 21 is advanced one slot or &# 34 ; step &# 34 ;. this signal is then utilized in the counter portion of the main control which is used to establish the number of wedges actually made in a given wedge making cycle . this signal of course also could be used when determining which wedges are to be &# 34 ; skipped &# 34 ;. the main control of course is used to disable the wedge maker once the magazine 21 is loaded ( i . e ., once it has been advanced 24 slots if it contains 24 slots , etc .). although the apparatus illustrated herein has been described in conjunction with a wedge magazine that forms the lower part of the tooling package for the equipment , it is to be understood that the wedge feeder and maker described herein could also be used to load wedges into a wedge transfer magazine from whence a full set of wedges would be virtually simultaneously transferred into a magazine such as magazine 21 ( which forms part of the tooling package of a coil injection machine ). the reciprocating driving action imparted to arm 51 is derived from the rotary motion of cam assembly 49 by means of a slider mechanism that includes a pivot pin 148 carried by slider 149 , and guide block 151 which is fastened to cam 141 by means of four socket head cap screws 152 . during one complete revolution of cam assembly 49 , arm 51 will undergo one reciprocation , and the upper forming roller 32 will be driven in the direction of arrow 72 while arm 51 moves toward the right ( as viewed in fig1 ). on the other hand , due to the type of clutch used and the previously described brake ( clutch 54 , brake plugs 69 , see fig3 ), roller 32 will remain stationary during that part of the reciprocation that arm 51 is moving to the left ( as viewed in fig1 ). the slider 149 is held in fixed relation to guide block 151 during normal operation of the apparatus by socket head cap screw 153 . thus , slider 149 does not normally move relative to guide block 151 . however , when it is desired to change the length of wedges being produced , the position of slider 149 within the slot of guide block 151 is adjusted by turning screw 153 and this in turn adjusts the distance between the center of pin 148 and the center of cam assembly 49 . in this manner , the effective &# 34 ; crank arm &# 34 ; dimension of the slider mechanism is changed , thus causing a proportional change in the actual amount of rotation of roller 32 during each &# 34 ; wedge material advance &# 34 ; operation of roller 32 . of course , prior to adjustment of screw 153 , screws 154 in wrist pin 52 are loosened temporarily so that the effective length of arm 51 will also be adjusted . a close inspection of fig1 will reveal that screw 153 is threaded into slider 149 , and that the head of screw 153 is trapped by a cap portion of guide block 151 so that axial movement between screw 153 and guide block 151 is prevented ( although rotation of screw 153 relative to guide block 151 is permitted ). with reference now to fig4 and 5 , some of the advantages of using the illustrated apparatus will be described . with initial reference to fig4 the rollers 32 , 33 co - act to pinch together the strip material and form ( i . e ., permanently stress ) the strip material at predetermined regions so that it will assume a predetermined desired cross - sectional configuration or shape as shown in fig4 . more specifically , this shape is symmetrical relative to the central reference plane 156 , with the legs 157 , 158 being of the same length within close dimensional tolerances ( as compared to shapes formed merely by the action of a blade and die at a wedge magazine loading station as shown , for example , in fig2 of the above - referenced arnold et al u . s . pat . no . 3 , 579 , 818 or in fig6 of the above - referenced eminger u . s . pat . no . 3 , 447 , 225 ). the precise dimensional tolerances of the wedge material shape shown in fig4 is attained because the guide 29 of fig1 is accurately aligned with rollers 32 , 33 to insure that the material 28 will be transversely centered relative to the reference plane 56 shown in fig4 . since the strip material 28 is tightly pinched between the rollers 32 , 33 , the material 28 continues to be centered relative to the plane 156 as it is deformed and permanently stressed by the pinching action of the rollers . it was mentioned hereinabove that the expanding action of the toggle links 94 ( shown in fig1 ) was adjustable in order to control the degree of proximity of the rollers 32 , 33 . it has now been determined that the rollers 32 and 33 should be positioned sufficiently close to one another so that the strip material is permanently stressed by reducing its dimension in the vicinity of the corners 161 , 162 . in addition , the roller 33 is crowned relative to the reference plane 156 so that the central portion 163 of the wedge material 28 is stressed . the dimensions of the rollers 32 and 33 may be closely established by conventional machining and manufacturing methods and , thus , the location of the portions of the rollers that establish the corners 161 , 162 of the wedge material can be precisely established ( within normal machining tolerances ). satisfactory results have been obtained using the apparatus illustrated herein when producing wedges from mylar material having a thickness of about 0 . 355 mm ( 0 . 014 inches ) when the proximity between rollers 32 and 33 has been adjusted so that the final reduced dimension of the mylar material at the corners 161 , 162 had a reduced thickness dimension t ( see fig5 ) of about 0 . 254 mm ( 0 . 010 inches ). once the wedge material has been deformed at the corners 161 , 162 as just described , the location of the corners is essentially permanently established . thus , when the wedge material is severed and inserted as individual wedges into the wedge magazine , symmetry of the wedges relative to the reference plane 156 is assured and continuing symmetry of the wedges as they are inserted into stator core slots is assured . it is believed that this assured symmetrical configuration of the wedges substantially contributes to avoidance of the wire over wedge problems discussed hereinabove in the section of this application identified as the background for the present invention . it should be understood that materials obtained from different sources which are to be used as wedge material , and that materials of initial dimensions other than that described hereinabove for the material 28 , may require adjustment of adjusting screw 103 ( see fig1 ) so that the degree of proximity of the rollers 32 and 33 will be adjusted accordingly . in other words , while suitable results have been obtained by establishing the dimension t as approximately a 29 % reduction from the initial thickness of the strip material 28 ( when it is mylar material of the thickness mentioned ) other percent reductions in thickness may be more optimum for materials of different thicknesses or for materials obtained from other sources . the apparatus shown herein insures that simple and rapid adjustment may be made to the equipment in order to insure continued high volume production usage of the equipment without being burdened by continuing wire over wedge problems . with reference particularly to fig4 and 5 , it will be noted that the corners 164 , 165 of roller 32 are radiused slightly . the exact dimension of such radius ( and the corresponding radiused portions of roller 33 ) are not critical , and those parts of the rollers are radiused simply to insure that sharp corners are not provided which might cut through the insulating strip material and actually sever it rather than merely compress and reduce the dimension of the material at the compression point . it should now be understood that i have devised a new and improved method of making and handling wedges in the environment of a multi - function wedge making and inserting and coil injection machine . moreover , it should be understood that my method initially contemplated pinch forming wedge material and simultaneously feeding the same to a station where wedge lengths are transferred to a wedge magazine with such feeding taking place along apathway that was essentially flat in shape . then , at the wedge transfer location , the wedges were to be re - formed when being inserted into the magazine , and the legs thereof were to again become bent at the reduced thickness locations previously established by the pinch wheel . however , my invention may also be practiced when a track or guide having a shape as taught in the related koenig application is used between the pinch wheels and magazine loading station . while the present invention has been explained by describing a preferred embodiment thereof , and some modification thereto , it should be apparent that many modifications may be made when actually putting the invention into practice without departing from the spirit of the invention . it is therefore intended to cover all such equivalent variations as come within the scope of the appended claims . | 8 |
streptavidin ( sa ) is a tetrameric protein possessing four high affinity binding sites for biotin . chemical derivatives of biotin developed during the last two decades allow covalent coupling of biotin residues to biomolecules ( amino groups , proteins , sugars , lipids , nucleic acids , peptides , etc .) without loss of their specific biological activity . sa crosslinks biotinylated molecules and is widely used as a crosslinking agent ( wilchek , m . and bayer , e . anal . biochem . 1988 171 : 1 – 32 ). sa is non - toxic and induces no harmful side effects in animals and human patients ( hnatowich et al . j . nucl . med . 1987 28 : 1294 – 1302 ; schecter et al . int . j . cancer 1991 48 : 167 – 172 ; rosebrough , s . f . and hartley , d . f . j . nucl . med . 1996 37 ( 8 ): 1380 – 1384 ). several groups have attempted to use sa and biotinylated antibodies for in vivo applications such as gamma - immunoscintography ( hnatowich et al . j . nucl . med . 1987 28 : 1294 – 1302 ) drug - targeting ( bickel et al . proc . natl . acad . sci . 1993 90 : 2618 – 2622 ; muzykantov et al . am . j . physiol . 1996 270 : l704 – 713 ; muzykantov et al . proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 1996 93 : 5213 – 5218 ; muzykantov et al . j . pharmacol . exp . therap . 1996 279 : 1026 – 1034 ) and blood clearance ( taylor et al . proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 1991 88 : 3305 – 3309 ; marshall et al . br . j . cancer 1994 69 : 502 – 507 ). when considering antibodies that could be used as potential carriers for effectors , work has focused on the pulmonary endothelium . binding sites for two particular molecules are found in high concentrations in pulmonary endothelium , platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule - 1 , pecam - 1 ( newman , p . j . j . clin . invest . 1997 99 ( 1 ): 3 – 7 ; delisser et al . trends in cardiovascular medicine 1997 151 : 671 – 677 ) and thrombomodulin , tm ( kennel et al . nucl . med . biol . 1990 17 : 193 – 200 ). therefore , antibodies to these surface antigens would be excellent candidates for targeting drugs or genetic material to the pulmonary endothelium if they could be effectively delivered intracellularly . experiments were performed to determine the effect of biotinylation and conjugation with sa on anti - pecam binding to immobilized purified pecam ( cd31 ) and pecam - expressing cells . the binding characteristics of biotinylated , radiolabeled - anti - pecam was determined with either direct radioimmunoassay or non - direct elisa methods , methods well - known to those of skill in the art . the antibodies used included a polyclonal anti - pecam - 1 antibody named “ houston ” and three monoclonal antibodies known as mab62 ( an igg2a that binds to the first igg like loop ), mab37 ( an igg1 that binds to the same domain ), and mab4g6 ( an igg2b that binds to the sixth - most membrane proximal loop ). antibodies have been biotinylated and designated below as b - ab or b - mab . immobilized pecam - 1 was used in the form of an cd31 / ig - chimera ( sun et al . j . biol . chem . 1996 271 : 19561 – 18570 ). four cell systems were tested : human umbilical vein endothelial cells ( huvec ); eahy926 cells , a pecam - 1 expressing transformed hybrid cell line made by fusing a549 lung cancer cells with huvec ; ren / pecam cells , a non - endothelial cell line obtained from ren mesothelioma transformed cells transfected with human or mouse pecam - 1 cdna ; and ren cells , mesothelioma cells that do not express pecam and served as a negative control cell line . results showed that huvec cells possess high affinity binding for anti - pecam with a maximum binding capacity ( bmax ) ranging from 1 to 2 × 10 6 sites / cell for monoclonal antibodies 37 , 4g6 and 62 to 5 to 8 × 10 6 sites per cell for “ houston ” polyclonal antibody . as a comparison , the bmax values for anti - ace and anti - icam1 did not exceed 3 × 10 5 sites per cell , demonstrating the advantage of pecam - 1 over other potential endothelial targets . the dissociation constant , or kd of anti - pecam binding ranged from 5 nm ( mab37 ) to 200 nm (“ houston ”), while mab62 and mab4g6 had kd values in the range of 10 nm , all values indicating high affinity binding . neither biotinylation generating b - anti - pecam , nor conjugation with sa altered the affinity of anti - pecam for binding to immobilized pecam or to pecam - expressing cells at 4 ° c . the internalization and degradation of anti - pecam and sa - conjugated b - anti - pecam was determined using methods previously described by muzykantov ( am . j . physiol . 1996 270 : l704 – l713 ). although both endothelial cells and non - endothelial cells transfected with pecam have very high capacity to bind anti - pecam , these cells demonstrated very limited ability to internalize anti - pecam . this conclusion is based on the following : first , about 80 % of cell - associated 125 i - anti - pecam could be eluted by acidic buffer , thus indicating that only 20 % of anti - pecam is inaccessible from the medium ; second , cellular uptake of 125 i - anti - pecam at 4 ° c . was equal to that at 37 ° c ., thus indicating lack of active energy - dependent process of cellular internalization of bound antibody ; and third , non - direct fluorescent staining showed that cell - bound anti - pecam was associated with the plasma membrane , not with intracellular compartments . the ability of anti - pecam to undergo internalization following conjugation of biotinylated anti - pecam antibodies with sa was also examined . endothelial cells ( huvec ) were incubated for 90 minutes at 37 ° c . with b - ab “ houston ”, b - mab4g6 , or b - mab62 . a significant increase in antibody internalization was induced by streptavidin conjugation for all three antibodies tested ; internalization increased from 20 % to as much as 90 %. sa conjugation , however , did not affect the rate of degradation of the three antibodies . degradation of b - mab62 / sa complex was only 1 % following internalization . electron microscopy revealed intracellular accumulation of b - mab 62 / sa complex in a large vesicular compartments . importantly , streptavidin stimulated total uptake of biotinylated anti - pecam by huvec by an order of magnitude ( 114 ± 5 . 3 ng / well vs 16 . 2 ± 0 . 5 ng / well for non - conjugated b - mab 62 ). streptavidin has no effect on cellular binding and internalization of control b - igg . therefore , sa facilitated internalization , allowing these antibodies to enter a cell in higher amounts , without marked degradation in lysosomes . importantly , streptavidin provided the same level of enhancement or facilitation of internalization of biotinylated anti - pecam antibodies , from 20 % to 80 – 90 %, in a non - endothelial cell line transfected with pecam antigen ( i . e ., ren / pecam cells ). fluorescent microscopy revealed intracellular accumulation of b - mab 62 / sa in ren / pecam cells at 37 ° c ., whereas non - conjugated b - mab 62 was associated predominantly with plasma membrane . this result , as well as additional data obtained in ren / pecam cells and discussed infra , indicate that the method of the present invention is not limited to endothelium , but rather is applicable to a wide variety of the target cells . the ability of sa to enhance internalization of other antibodies known to be poorly internalizable was also demonstrated . previous studies have shown that endothelial cells poorly internalize a monoclonal antibody recognizing chondroitin sulphate - dependent epitope of thrombomodulin ( muzykantov et al . circulation 1997 8 : 43 – 44 ). sa significantly increased internalization of this monoclonal antibody against thrombomodulin ( anti - tm mab ). in these experiments , anti - tm mab was biotinylated and conjugated with sa . control experiments showed that less than 20 % of cell - associated radiolabeled anti - tm mab underwent internalization in cultures of endothelial cells . in contrast , more than 60 % of the sa - conjugated biotinylated anti - tm mab was internalized . sa also stimulated total binding of this antibody . these data indicate that the method of the present invention is not limited to anti - pecam antibodies , but rather is applicable to a wide variety of poorly internalizable antibodies . sa conjugation was also shown to stimulate or enhance accumulation of the carrier antibody in a selected target tissue , in this case pulmonary vascular endothelium . uptake of radiolabeled antibody was tested in three models : perfused rat lungs , intact rats and intact mice . in the first model , isolated rat lung was perfused for one hour with buffer solution containing test antibody . in the intact animal models , rats or mice were sacrificed one hour after intravenous injection of the test antibody in vivo . anti - pecam antibody accumulated poorly in the lungs of experimental animals , either by perfusion of the organ or in vivo . in both test systems , anti - pecam accumulation in lung tissue was in the range of 2 – 5 %. however , when the same biotinylated antibody was conjugated with sa , tissue uptake increased to 40 % in perfused rat lung , 30 % in intact mice after i . v . injection , and 15 % in intact rats after i . v . injection . in fact , the pulmonary targeting and internalization of b - anti - pecam / sa conjugate exceeded that of anti - ace , one of the most effective and specific affinity carriers for pulmonary targeting currently known ( table 1 ). the fact that the effects of sa on b - anti - pecam internalization occur after intravenous injection and in isolated rat lung preparations , perfused with a blood - free buffer solution , indicates that stimulation of the targeting by sa is mediated by altered interaction of the carrier antibody with the target cell , not by blood or any other systemic activity . control experiments demonstrated that the effect of sa is specific to anti - pecam , since control b - igg conjugated with sa did not bind to cells in culture and did not accumulate in lung tissue . in a separate series of experiments , performed in anesthetized newborn pigs , alterations in uptake in a regional vasculature by local administration of 125 i - anti - pecam / sa conjugate via intravascular catheter were examined . table 2 shows results from these experiments , expressed as % of injected dose accumulated per gram of tissue ( mean ± sd or mean ± sem ). intravenous ( i . e . systemic ) administration of the conjugate provided homogenous pulmonary uptake , similar in all lobes , with total uptake of approximately 30 % of injected conjugate in the lungs ( 50 grams ). heart and kidney uptake was 20 times lower . local administration of the conjugate in the right pulmonary artery provided marked elevation of the uptake in the right lung lobes ( e . g . from 0 . 7 to 2 % id / g in the low lobe ). in contrast , uptake in the left lobes and extrapulmonary tissues was reduced two - fold , most likely due to depletion of the conjugate during the first passage through extended lung vasculature . importantly , intracoronary administration of the conjugate provided a three - fold increase of the targeting to the left ventricle , whereas uptake in the lungs and extrapulmonary tissues ( e . g . kidney ) remained unchanged compared with intravenous administration . thus , since a marked reduction after coronary administration was not observed , pulmonary targeting of anti - pecam / sa can not be the result of mechanical embolization of the pulmonary capillaries by the conjugate . further , local administration of the conjugate via a catheter offers site - selective targeting of tissues . this is particularly useful when the selected tissue is endothelium localized to coronary , renal or tumor blood vessels . the method of the present invention , enhancement of internalization and targeting of antibodies , and in particular poorly internalizable antibodies with an average internalization of less than 20 %, has potential applications for intracellular delivery of a variety of effectors . effectors include , but are not limited to , immunotoxins , drugs , enzymes , antisense oligonucleotides , rna and dna . the ability of this method to avoid lysosomal degradation is especially important . the ability of the method of the present invention to deliver an effector to a target cell and enhance internalization of that effector by the cell was examined using a biotinylated hydrogen peroxide - generating enzyme , glucose oxidase ( gox ). gox was conjugated with biotinylated anti - pecam using sa as a crosslinker , according to the protocol developed in our lab and utilized for conjugation of b - catalase in experiments described below ( muzykantov , v . r . biotech . appl . biochem . 1997 26 : 103 – 109 ). results showed that anti - pecam / gox bound to pecam / cd31 - coated wells , but not to albumin - coated wells , and generated hydrogen peroxide in the cd31 - coated wells thus demonstrating the antigen - binding and enzymatic activity of the conjugate . further , anti - pecam / radiolabeled - gox specifically bound to huvec and ren - pecam cells ( i . e ., pecam - expressing cells ), but not to control ren cells , demonstrating the specificity of the interaction of the antibody conjugate . using glycine elution techniques , experiments showed that more than 69 % of cell - associated anti - pecam / gox conjugate was internalized . experiments also showed that anti - pecam / gox conjugates that bound to ren - pecam cells were able to generate hydrogen peroxide once inside the cells ( using fluorescent dye techniques ) and then killed the target cells , as measured by 51 chromium release . cellular fluorescence did not change in the presence of extracellular catalase , an enzyme that degrades hydrogen peroxide , indicating that hydrogen peroxide generated by the cell - associated anti - pecam / sa / gox is inaccessible from the extracellular medium and confirming that an active gox had been delivered internally . control igg / gox conjugates did not bind to antigen or target cells and produced no physiological effects . fluorescence in the cell lysates was quantitated in a spectrofluorimeter . results showed that 90 % of the fluorescence detected in anti - pecam / sa / gox - treated cells was localized intracellularly , while in igg / gox cells , 90 % of fluorescence was located in the cellular medium . these data confirm the ability of the method of the present invention to provide intracellular delivery of an effector that has biological activity intracellularly . experiments were also performed using the conjugated hydrogen peroxide - degrading enzyme , catalase . the enzyme was conjugated to the same carrier antibody using the sa - crosslinker ( muzykantov , v . r . biotech . appl . biochem . 1997 26 : 103 – 109 ). antibody - conjugated catalase bound to the antigen and the antigen - expressing cells . tracing the radiolabelled catalase showed that 91 % of anti - pecam / sa / catalase was internalized , while only 4 . 4 % of the internalized material was degraded . therefore , the method of the present invention allowed for intracellular delivery of a large amount of a therapeutic enzyme , more than 50 ng / well versus 1 ng / well for non - conjugated catalase or igg / sa / catalase . as before , intracellularly delivered anti - pecam / sa / catalase was biologically active , as shown by its ability to degrade hydrogen peroxide and protect the cells against oxidative injury induced by the hydrogen peroxide . a radiolabelled dna plasmid has also been conjugated to anti - pecam using the sa crosslinker . anti - pecam / sa / 31 p - dna was shown to specifically bind to the antigen - coated plastic wells and to antigen - expressing cells , huvec and ren / pecam . approximately 90 % of cell - associated anti - pecam / sa / dna underwent internalization . neither dna by itself nor igg / sa / dna conjugate bound to or entered the cells . the dna encoded fluorescent green protein and when conjugated with the carrier was able to internalize and lead to synthesis of fluorescent green protein in those cells . neither igg / sa / dna conjugate nor dna mixed with antibody caused transfection of the target cells , demonstrating that the sa - mediated conjugation of dna to the carrier antibody , anti - pecam , was necessary for transfection of the cells . data are shown in table 3 as number of fluorescent cells per well , mean ± s . d ., n = 3 . cells transfected with dna encoding fluorescent green protein synthesize this protein and render green fluorescence . in a control experiment , lipofectin provided relatively more effective , but non - specific ( in terms of targeting to the specific antigen , pecam ) transfection of either ren cells or ren cells expressing pecam . in contrast , dna conjugated with anti - pecam / sa carrier provided transfection of pecam - positive , but not control ren cells . transfection is clearly mediated by anti - pecam / sa carrier , since igg / sa carrier provided no significant transfection of either ren or ren / pecam cells . several in vivo experiments were performed to confirm that an enzyme delivered to the pulmonary endothelium is active and capable of producing a local effect . two in vivo models were used , isolated rat lungs and intact mice . to test the ability of anti - pecam / sa to deliver an active drug to the pulmonary endothelium , b - anti - pecam / sa / b - 125 i - catalase or b - igg / sa / b - 125 i - catalase were injected intravenously into intact animals . in rats , b - mab 62 / sa / b - 125 i - catalase specifically accumulated in rat lungs after intravenous injection , with lung / blood ratio in rats 39 . 8 ± 4 . 1 for b - mab 62 / sa / b - 125 i - catalase versus 1 . 1 ± 0 . 2 for b - igg / sa / b - 125 i - catalase . similar results were seen in mice , with lung / blood ratios equal to 7 . 5 ± 1 . 1 for b - mab 390 / sa / b - 125 i - catalase versus 0 . 6 ± 0 . 1 for b - igg / sa / b - 125 i - catalase . therefore , anti - pecam / sa , but not igg / sa , delivers catalase to the pulmonary vasculature after intravenous administration in intact animals . the ability of b - mab 62 / sa / b - catalase to protect the lung against intravascular oxidative insult in the perfused rat lungs was examined . in the first experiment , the uptake of b - mab 62 / sa / b - 125 i - catalase and b - igg / sa / b - 125 i - catalase in isolated perfused lungs was determined to be 37 . 3 ± 4 . 4 % versus 2 . 1 ± 0 . 2 % id / g ( 1 hour perfusion ). in the second experiment , perfusion of 5 mm h 2 o 2 was performed in isolated perfused rat lungs . this intervention causes lung injury resulting in elevation of the lung wet - to - dry ratio which reflects lung edema . isolated rat lungs were first perfused for 1 hour with 100 μg of either b - mab 62 / sa / b - catalase , b - igg / sa / b - catalase or buffer alone . after elimination of non - bound material , lungs were further perfused with 5 mm h 2 o 2 for 60 minutes . in perfused lungs treated with b - igg / sa / b - catalase , the wet - to - dry weight ratio ( 8 . 1 ± 0 . 7 ) was markedly higher ( p & lt ; 0 . 001 ) than that in the control lungs not treated with h 2 o 2 ( 5 . 1 ± 0 . 2 ), thus indicating lack of protection against h 2 o 2 . in contrast , in isolated perfused lungs treated with b - mab 62 / sa / b - catalase , the wet - to - dry weight ratio remained normal ( 5 . 5 ± 0 . 1 ), thus indicating protection of the lung against h 2 o 2 - induced oxidative vascular injury . for the perfused lung experiments , an isolated organ in vivo model , lungs were perfused with either 100 μg anti - pecam / sa / gox or 100 μg of igg / gox . before addition of the conjugate to the perfusate , lungs were perfused with a fluorescent probe , h2dcfda . in this reaction , generation of hydrogen peroxide in the lung leads to conversion of h2dcfda to a fluorescent dye , dcf . results showed that dcf fluorescence in the lungs perfused with anti - pecam / sa / gox was several times higher ( approximately a 5 - fold increase ) than that in lungs perfused with igg / gox . this result indicates that gox had accumulated in lung tissue and retained its functional activity , generation of hydrogen peroxide . the effect of generation of hydrogen peroxide in lung was then examined by determining the activity of ace , where elevation of ace activity is indicative of endothelial injury . studies have shown this endpoint to be a sensitive and cell - specific marker of oxidative endothelial stress in the lung ( atochina et al . ajrccm 1997 156 : 1114 – 1119 ). activity of ace was increased significantly , approximately 3 - fold , with perfusion of anti - pecam / sa / gox . pulmonary uptake of anti - pecam / 125 - gox in the isolated rat lungs attained 20 % injected dose / gram ( id / g ), while that of igg / 125 i - gox did not exceed 0 . 5 % id / g . one hour after intravenous injection in intact balb / c mice , the blood level of anti - pecam / 125 i - gox was similar to that of igg / 125 i - gox ( 2 . 9 ± 0 . 2 versus 2 . 7 ± 0 . 1 % id / g . in contrast , pulmonary uptake of anti - pecam / 125 i - gox achieved 30 % id / g and was ten times higher than that of igg / 125 i - gox . the lung / blood ratio was 10 . 6 ± 1 . 6 for anti - pecam / 125 i - gox versus 0 . 9 ± 0 . 1 for igg / 125 i - gox . therefore , anti - pecam / sa , but not igg / sa , delivers glucose oxidase to the pulmonary vasculature either in the isolated animal lungs or after intravenous administration in intact animals . the functional effects of anti - pecam / sa / gox were also tested in intact mice , a whole animal in vivo model . mice were injected intravenously with either anti - pecam / sa / gox or igg / gox or anti - pecam ( 100 μg of each conjugate ). the goal was to evaluate whether tissue - specific intracellular accumulation of gox would lead to detectable manifestations of gox activity in lung tissue . high lethality was seen in the first several hours after injection of 100 μg of anti - pecam / sa / gox , with more than 80 % of animals dying due to treatment with this antibody - enzyme conjugate . in contrast , neither igg / gox or anti - pecam caused significant lethality ; only one death was reported in either of these groups and was attributed to anesthesia overdose . the induction of lethality was dose - dependent , occurring at doses of anti - pecam / sa / gox exceeding 50 μg ( dose range of 0 , 25 , 50 and 100 μg ). the results showed that lethality increased from 0 % at doses of 25 μg anti - pecam / sa / gox , to approximately 70 % at 50 μg anti - pecam / sa / gox , to more than 80 % at the highest dose ( 100 μg anti - pecam / sa / gox ). in addition , injection of the anti - pecam / sa / gox conjugate led to a significant increase in lung wet / dry ratio , indicative of an elevation of pulmonary vascular permeability and lung injury ; the ratio increased from less than 5 with control treatments ( pbs , antibody alone , or igg / gox ) to more than 7 in animals administered anti - pecam / sa / gox . morphological examination revealed that anti - pecam / sa / gox induced specific and local injury to the lung , with no injury seen in heart , liver or spleen . electron microscopy showed that pulmonary endothelium was the site of the injury . each of these experiments with conjugated enzymes ( gox and catalase ) and conjugated dna demonstrates that the method of the present invention provides specific recognition of antigen - expressing target cells , internalization of the conjugate , escape from intracellular degradation , and a functional conjugate capable of producing specific physiological effects intracellularly . the method also has been shown to be capable of specifically targeting pulmonary vascular endothelium after systemic administration in vivo . further , experiments in intact mice administered conjugated gox indicate the method of the present invention would be useful for targeting selected cells and killing such cells . one embodiment of this would be targeting tumor cells in a tissue with an antibody carrier targeted to the particular tumor and conjugated with an enzyme that produces cell death , such as gox . the conjugated effectors can be selected from , but are not limited to , a wide variety of drug classes that include immunotoxins , antisense oligonucleotides , nucleic acids , intracellular hormones , and antioxidants . one of skill would be able to determine which effector to conjugate with the biotinylated - sa - antibody . one of skill would be familiar with methods to formulate the conjugated antibody for administration to an animal . an animal in this case would be any human or non - human species . the conjugated antibody - effector compounds could be administered either systemically ( i . e ., intravenously , intramuscularly , subcutaneously , by inhalation ) or locally to the site of desired action . administration would be in any pharmaceutically acceptable carrier , including but not limited to saline , carboxymethylcellulose , or other polyethylene glycol - derived vehicles . one of skill in the art would be able to choose the appropriate vehicle and then determine dosage based on their training and knowledge of the disease or condition to be treated and their knowledge concerning the effector chosen for administration . the following non - limiting examples are presented to further illustrate the claimed invention . biotin ester , 6 - biotinylaminocaproic acid n - hydroxysuccinimide ester ( bxnhs ) was dissolved in 100 % dimethylformamide to a final concentration of 10 mm or 1 mm . control mouse igg , anti - ace mab 9b9 , anti - pecam - 1 mab 62 , mab 4g6 , mab 37 , mab 390 , and polyclonal antibody “ houston ” were biotinylated at ten - fold molar excess of bxnhs . eight μl of fresh 1 mm bxnhs were added to 100 μl of antibody colution ( 1 mg / ml in borate buffered saline , bbs , ph 8 . 1 ). after a 1 hour incubation on ice , excess non - reacted bxnhs was eliminated by overnight dialysis . catalase was biotinylated by the same reagent at 15 - fold molar excess of bxnhs , as described above . biotinylated glucose oxidase was from sigma ( b - gox ). biotinylated antibodies , b - gox and b - catalase were radiolabeled with 125 iodine using iodogen - coated tubes according to the manufacturer &# 39 ; s recommendations ( pierce ), by the conventional procedure described by hiemish et al . nucl . med . biol . 1993 20 : 435 – 444 . incubation of 100 μg of a biotinylated protein and 100 μci of sodium 125 iodide in a tube coated with 100 μg of iodogen for 20 minutes on ice yields streptavidin with a specific radioactivity of approximately 500 cpm per ng . excess iodine was eliminated by dialysis . more than 95 % of radiolabeled proteins were precipitable by tca . tri - molecular heteropolymer complexes , b - catalase / sa / b - igg or b - catalase / sa / b - anti - pecam , were prepared by a two - step procedure . specifically , at the first step , streptavidin ( sa ) and b - catalase were mixed at molar ratio sa : b - catalase equal 5 , in order to form bi - molecular complexes b - catalase / sa . accordingly , 10 μl of bbs containing 10 μg of radiolabeled b - catalase was mixed with 10 μl of bbs containing 15 μg of streptavidin and incubated for 1 hour on ice . the mixture was then divided by two portions , 10 μl each . to the first portion was added 15 μl of bbs containing 15 μg of biotinylated anti - pecam . to the second portion was added 15 μl of bbs containing 15 μg of control igg . these mixtures were then incubated for two hours on ice , in order to form tri - molecular conjugates b - catalase / sa / b - anti - pecam or b - catalase / sa / b - igg . the same procedure has been utilized to generate tri - molecular complexes b - gox / sa / b - igg , b - gox / sa / b - anti - pecam , dna / polylysin / sa / b - anti - pecam and dna / polylysin - sa / b - igg . catalase activity was determined by the rate of hydrogen peroxide decomposition . ten microliters of bbs - bsa containing 0 . 1 or 1 μg of catalase , b - catalase or b - antibody / sa / b - catalase conjugate were added to a cuvette containing 3 ml of 10 mm solution of h 2 o 2 . optical density in the cuvette was measured at 234 nm before addition of catalase and each 30 seconds during the first three minutes after catalase addition . to determine h 2 o 2 concentration in the cuvette , a calibration curve of h 2 o 2 optical density at 234 nm was plotted in the concentration range 0 . 5 – 10 mm . catalase activity was calculated as units per mg of protein ( 1 unit decomposes 1 μm of h 2 o 2 per minute ). to determine antigen - binding capacity of anti - pecam , anti - pecam / sa or anti - pecam / sa / b - enzymes , 96 - well microtest plates coated with an antigen , pecam - 1 ( cd31 ) were used . for immobilization , 100 μl of bbs ( ph 8 . 1 ) containing 100 ng of pecam - 1 was incubated overnight in the wells at 4 ° c . the wells were then washed , blocked with bbs buffer containing 2 mg / ml of bovine serum albumin , bsa ( bbs - bsa ) for 1 hour at room temperature to block sites for non - specific binding . one hundred microliters of bbs - bsa containing 10 , 30 , 100 , 300 or 1 , 000 ng of biotinylated 125 i - antibodies or the conjugates was incubated in wells for 1 hour . after washing , radioactivity in the wells was measured . binding , internalization and cellular degradation of radiolabeled anti - pecam , b - anti - pecam / sa or enzymes and dna conjugated with b - anti - pecam / sa , were determined . specifically , cultivated cells ( huvec , ren / pecam or control ren cells ) were cultured in gelatin - coated plastic dishes (“ falcon ”) using medium 199 with earle &# 39 ; s salts supplemented with 10 % fetal calf serum , 200 μg / ml endothelial growth factor from human brain and 100 μg / ml heparin , 2 mm glutamine , 100 mu / ml penicillin and 100 μg / ml streptomycin . cells were subcultivated from first to third passage by treatment with 0 . 05 % trypsin / 0 . 02 % edta mixture . for binding experiments , cells were subcultured in 96 - well microtiter plates for 5 days to reach confluence . for estimation of cellular binding , 10 – 10 , 000 ng of 125 i - antibody or control 125 i - igg was added to washed cells in 300 μl of m199 culture medium containing 0 . 2 % bsa and incubated for 60 minutes at 4 ° c . or 37 ° c . after washing with m199 , cells were detached using standard trypsin / edta mixture and cell - associated radioactivity was estimated in a gamma - counter . to determine the internalization of antibodies by the endothelium , cells were incubated with 300 μl of culture medium containing 1 μg 125 i - b - anti - pecam or 125 i - b - anti - pecam / sa for 90 minutes at 37 ° c . after washing to remove unbound radioactivity , cells were incubated with 50 mm glycine , 100 mm nacl , ph 2 . 5 ( 15 minutes at room temperature ) to release surface associated antibody . there was no detectable cell detachment after treatment with glycine buffer as determined by light microscopy . after collection of the glycine eluates , cells were detached by incubation with standard trypsin / edta solution . surface associated radioactivity ( i . e ., radioactivity of the glycine eluates ) and cell associated radioactivity ( i . e ., radioactivity of trypsin / edta extracts ) were determined in a gamma counter . percent of internalization was calculated as %=( total radioactivity − glycine eluted )× 100 / total radioactivity . to determine degradation of the antibody and detachment of radiolabel from the antibody molecule a standard assay of tca soluble radiolabel was used . specifically , 200 μl of 100 % tca was added to 1 ml of a sample of the cellular lysate . after a 1 hour incubation at 4 ° c ., samples were centrifuged at 2 , 000 rpm for 10 minutes and radioactivity in the pellet and supernatants was determined . the percentage of tca soluble radiolabel ( i . e ., percent of degradation ) was calculated as %=( radioactivity of supernatant )× 100 / total radioactivity . sprague - dawley male rats , weighing 170 – 200 g , were anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital , 50 mg / kg , i . p ., and prepared for isolated lung perfusion using recirculating perfusate as previously described by muzykantov et al . am . j . physiol . 1996 270 : l704 – 713 . the trachea was cannulated and lungs were ventilated with a humidified gas mixture ( airco inc ., philadelphia , pa .) containing 5 % co 2 and 95 % air . ventilation was performed using a sar - 830 rodent ventilator ( cwe inc ., ardmore , pa .) at 60 cycles / minute , 2 ml tidal volume , and 2 cm h 2 o end - expiratory pressure . the thorax was then opened and a cannula was placed in the main pulmonary artery through the transected heart . the lungs were isolated from the thorax and initially perfused in a non - recirculating manner for a 5 minute equilibration period , in order to eliminate blood from the pulmonary vascular bed . the lungs were then transferred to the water - jacketed perfusion chamber maintained at 37 ° c . perfusion through the pulmonary artery was maintained by a peristaltic pump at a constant flow rate of 10 ml / minute . the perfusate ( 45 ml per lung ) was krebs - ringer buffer ( ph 7 . 4 ), containing 10 mm glucose and 3 % fatty acid - free bsa . perfusate was filtered through a 0 . 4 μm filter prior to perfusion to eliminate particulates . intratracheal and pulmonary arterial pressures were continuously recorded throughout the experiment with pressure transducers pm 131tc and p23dc ( statham instruments , oxnard , calif . ), direct writing oscillographs ( gould , cleveland , ohio ) and ac recorders ( primeline , sun valley , calif .). zero reference for perfusion pressure was determined at the end of each experiment and was defined as a pressure measured at the experimental flow rate without the lungs being connected to the circuit . following isolation of the lungs , the lungs were initially perfused with krb - bsa solution for a 5 minute equilibration period . one microgram of 125 i - antibodies or antibody - conjugated compounds was then added to the perfusate . after a one hour perfusion , lungs were perfused in a non - recirculating manner for 5 minutes with krb - bsa solution to eliminate non - bound radiolabeled albumin . a similar protocol was utilized to determine the pulmonary uptake of radiolabeled antibodies conjugated with streptavidin , as well as radiolabeled catalase or gox conjugated with antibodies . after elimination of non - bound radiolabeled material , lungs were removed from the chamber , rinsed with saline , blotted with a filter paper , and the extraneous cardiac and bronchial structures were dissected away . the left lobe was removed , blotted with a filter paper , its wet weight was determined and its radioactivity was measured in a gamma - counter and expressed as a percentage of perfused radioactivity per gram of the lung tissue (% id / g ). ace activity in the perfusates , serving a parameter of endothelial oxidative injury by gox / sa / anti - pecam , was measured by the rate of generation of his - leu formed from the ace substrate z - phe - his - leu using a fluorometric assay . ten microliters of the perfusate was added to 200 μl of 50 mm tris - hcl , 0 . 15 m nacl , ph 8 . 3 buffer , containing 0 . 5 mm substrate . samples of perfusate were incubated at 37 ° c . for 120 minutes . the reaction was terminated by the addition of 1 . 5 ml of 0 . 28 n naoh . o - phthalaldehyde ( 1 mg in 100 μl methanol ) was added for 10 minutes before stopping this reaction with 200 μl 2 n hcl . his - leu was measured with a fluorescence spectrophotometer at an excitation wavelength of 363 nm and an emission wavelength of 500 nm . results were calculated as milliunits ( mu ) of ace activity per total perfusate ( 45 ml ), where 1 mu represents the generation of 1 nmole his - leu / minute . to study biodistribution of radiolabeled preparations in rats or mice , injection of 0 . 5 ml of saline containing 1 μg of radiolabeled anti - pecam or b - anti - pecam conjugate was made into the tail vein under anesthesia . control animals were injected with radiolabeled igg or complexes containing b - igg instead of b - anti - pecam . animals were sacrificed by exsanguination 60 minutes after injection . radioactivity in the blood and tissues was determined as described by muzykantov et al . proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 1996 93 : 5213 – 5218 . internal organs were washed with saline to remove blood and radioactivity in tissues was determined in a rack - gamma counter . the data were calculated as mean ± standard error ( m ± se ). statistical comparisons were made using one - way analysis of equal variance ( anova ) followed by student - newman - keuls method . the level of statistical significance was taken as p & lt ; 0 . 05 . | 0 |
in general , the gasification of black liquor is carried out by using a gasifier for heating the liquor solids with a substoichiometric amount of oxygen . the gasification products are a fuel gas stream rich in hydrogen and carbon monoxide and a stream of sodium salts . because of the well known potential for violent smelt - water reactions , it is desirable to operate the gasifier at low temperatures so as not to produce smelt . when the gasification is carried out at a temperature below the melting point of the sodium salts , the salts exist in the reactor as a solid phase . the sodium salts consist primarily of sodium carbonate with minor amounts of sodium - sulfur compounds . it is envisionable that other alkali salts would include potassium salts like potassium carbonate . most of the sulfur in the black liquor is released to the gas phase as hydrogen sulfide in a low temperature gasifier . a fluidized bed reactor with preferably granular sodium carbonate or calcium carbonate as a start - up solid as the bed material is well suited to carry out the low temperature gasification reactions . if no oxygen is supplied to the reaction zone beyond that in the solids and water phase of the liquor , the process is referred to as pyrolysis . equilibrium calculations , however , have shown that under pyrolysis conditions large quantities of unreacted carbon remain in the product sodium carbonate stream and the endothermic reaction requires the input of significant quantities of heat . in order to gasify this residual carbon an additional source of oxygen is required . this oxygen can be supplied by atmospheric air , steam , pure oxygen , malodorous gas , carbon dioxide , or combinations of these gases . it is best to use oxygen ( o 2 ) to gasify the black liquor solids , however , due to economic constraints a mixture of air and steam is employed . direct addition of air to the bed will result in dilution of the product gas with nitrogen but it also supplies part of the heat requirements through partial combustion of a portion of the black liquor solids . the use of steam leads to higher heating values for the product gas at the expense of greater external heat requirements . the optimum combination of air and steam to provide a product gas with a heating value in the range of 70 to 300 btu / dscf ( dry standard cubic feet ) with minimum external heat input is liquor specific . without air or oxygen the overall gasification reactions are endothermic , additional heat must be added to the gasification zone . at high enough fraction of stoichiometric oxygen , combustion of some of the gasification products within the reactor will generate sufficient heat to sustain the process but this tends to produce a product gas with low heating value . a large fraction of the total heat can be added via the gasifying medium , i . e . air or steam heated externally to the gasifier bed , but there is an upper limit to the air / steam temperature to avoid melting of the sodium salts . the remaining heat is added in an indirect manner by a heat exchanger located within the bed . as shown in fig1 the system of the present invention comprises a black liquor gasification reactor comprising a reactor , generally designated 10 , receiving a supply of black liquor sprayed or injected therein . an air / steam heater ( 14 ) provides heat to the gasifier ( 10 ) for gasifying the black liquor . the term black liquor as used herein is meant to include a variety of residual waste liquors including but not limited to liquors from wood and non - wood sources ( straw , bamboo , bagasse ). any carbonaceous or cellulosic liquor may be used in the system of the present invention . the product gas from gasifying the liquor exits reactor ( 10 ) through a duct ( 16 ) to a multicyclone dust collector ( 18 ) where dust from the gaseous stream is removed and returned to the reactor through duct ( 20 ) which has a rotary seal . the hot product gas passes through duct ( 22 ) into a waste heat boiler ( 24 ) which recovers heat from the hot product gas stream to generate low pressure saturated steam . a condensing heat exchanger ( 26 ) which will be described in greater detail later is an indirect , counter - flow condensing type heat exchanger used to extract both sensible and latent heat from the product gas stream , serve as a secondary dust / particle collector , and strip some of the hydrogen sulfide from the product gas . any remaining hydrogen sulfide , if any , is removed in an optional scrubber ( 28 ). the tower ( 28 ) is equipped with a high surface area packing or other mass transfer device with associated hardware known in the art . the bottom of the tower ( 28 ) is an internal sump for recirculated green liquor ( 30 ). as the product gas exits tower ( 28 ), it is reheated in product gas reheater ( 32 ) where it is transported to one of several locations . the clean product gas can be exported for combustion ( 34 ), flared in vent stack ( 36 ), and / or used to provide heat for the system ( 38 ). the clean product gas ( 38 ) is mixed with heated combustion air provided through steam coil air heater ( scah ) ( 40 ). fan ( 42 ) provides air for combustion in air / steam heater ( 14 ). the gasifier air is introduced by fan ( 44 ) and heated in scah ( 46 ) and mixed with steam and then further heated in air / steam heater ( 14 ). waste heat boiler ( 48 ) recovers heat from this combustion process to generate steam for use in the system . the flue gas is discharged from stack ( 50 ). referring to fig2 black liquor ( 52 ) is provided near the top of reactor 10 with supply means ( 12 ) at the low temperature gasifier bed ( 54 ) which produces gasification reactions . while supply means ( 12 ) is depicted as a nozzle sprayer , any means of introducing the black liquor is suitable whether it is in liquid or dry form . preferably , it is injected above the bed , but alternately directly into the bed . the gasifier bed ( 54 ) comprises sodium salts , preferably sodium carbonate which is formed from the black liquor ( 52 ), and operates at an operating temperature range of 900f . to 1400f . and preferably at a temperature of approximately 1200f . this temperature prevents the formation of smelt . black liquor ( 52 ) is provided at a concentration ranging from 40 to 80 % by weight solids , and preferably 65 %- 75 % by weight solids , and is sprayed or injected into the freeboard ( 56 ) above fluidized bed ( 54 ) where the black liquor ( 52 ) contacts the hot product gas ( 58 ) leaving bed ( 54 ) which produces the gasification reaction . if a powdered form ( dried black liquor ) is available , it may be pneumatically injected directly into gasifier bed ( 54 ). the black liquor ( 52 ) is further concentrated while cooling the gas ( 58 ) . this increases the efficiency of the process since heat used to evaporate water is supplied at a lower temperature than the heat added to bed ( 54 ) through perforated plate ( 60 ) with the bubble caps contained therein , or by a heat exchanger optionally located in bed ( 54 ). the product gas ( 58 ), after leaving the reactor 10 , is treated in the manner previously described in fig1 . the material of bed ( 54 ) has a melting point ranging approximately 1400f . to 1550f . depending on the amount of sulfur , potassium and chloride impurity in the black liquor ( 52 ). thus , the surface of an in - bed heat exchanger ( 62 ) if employed should remain below this temperature range in order to prevent melting of particulate at the heater surface , and formation of smelt . this is because localized melting at the heat exchanger ( 62 ) causes particles to adhere to the surface of the heat exchanger ( 62 ) and thus reduces the efficiency of the heat transfer surface which can lead to complete defluidization of the bed ( 54 ). when a heat exchanger ( 62 ) is employed as seen in fig3 it indirectly heats the bed material ( 54 ) and should be operated with a surface temperature as near the lowest melting limit as possible in order to maximize the temperature difference between the heating surface ( 62 ) and the bed material ( 54 ). by spraying black liquor ( 52 ) above bed ( 54 ), the liquor ( 52 ) scrubs some of the dust from product gas ( 58 ) for assisting in cleaning the gas ( 58 ). however , most of the dust particles elutriated from the bed ( 54 ) and contained within the product gas ( 58 ) is collected in a particulate separator such as a multi - cyclone ( 18 ) and recycled back into the bed ( 54 ). sodium salts , i . e . the reaction product of the black liquor ( 52 ), are removed from the gasifier bed ( 54 ) primarily as sodium carbonate with some sodium sulfide and sodium sulfate by an overflow pipe ( 64 ) and dissolved in tank ( 66 ) as best seen in fig2 . also , residual unreacted carbon is also removed from the bed ( 54 ). a filter may be used in conjunction with the tank ( 66 ) in a pipe ( 68 ) to collect the carbon from the reaction product . the carbon is in turn recycled to bed ( 54 ). fig2 shows the preferred embodiment of the gasifier reactor ( 10 ) which contains the bubbling fluidized bed and is constructed of preferably an externally ribbed , stainless steel welded substantially cylindrical vessel . reactor ( 10 ) contains an inlet plenum ( 11 ), distributor plate ( 60 ) with bubble caps and bed drain ( s ) ( 64 ) for discharge of the solid reaction products . reaction zone ( 13 ) contains the bed ( 54 ) and at least one recycle port ( 20 ). optionally , there are observation ports ( 70 ) and a drain ( 72 ). reactor ( 10 ) also includes a larger diameter drying zone ( 15 ) with the black liquor spray assembly ( 12 ), fill nozzles ( 74 ), and product gas outlet ( 16 ). as mentioned earlier , in the preferred embodiment , a hot fluidizing means ( 19 ) enters the plenum ( 11 ) at a pressure in the range of 6 to 12 psig with the preferred pressure of about 8 psig and at a temperature ranging from about 800 - 1250f . the fluidizing means heats and fluidizes bed ( 54 ) at a preferred temperature range of 1000f .- 1250f . the fluidizing velocity is within the range of 3 to 8 ft / sec with the preferred value of 6 ft / sec . fluidizing means ( 19 ) includes oxygen , air , steam , carbon dioxide , malodorous gas , or mixtures thereof . fig3 is an alternate embodiment of gasifier reactor ( 10 ). in this embodiment , there are two fluidized beds ( 54 ), ( 76 ) operating in series with respect to gas flow . throughout the several views , like numerals designate like or similar features . fluid bed ( 76 ) provides the fluidizing means ( 19 ) and may be used in conjunction with or as a substitute for air / steam heater ( 14 ). the fluidizing gases for the gasification reactions enter the process as relatively cold streams at the lower fluidized bed ( 76 ). air ( 2 ) is provided to the bed ( 76 ) as a fluidizing gas at approximately 250 ° f . air at this temperature is obtained in a steam coiled preheater ( 46 ) with 50 psi steam . processed steam ( 3 ) is also provided to the reactor ( 10 ) for the bed ( 76 ). the processed steam ( 3 ) is generated using a flue gas waste heat boiler ( 48 ). both the air stream ( 2 ) and the steam stream ( 3 ) are too cold to add directly to the gasification bed ( 54 ). a significant fraction of the total heat input is required just to bring them up to bed temperature . thus , a heat exchanger ( 78 ) is preferably used in bed ( 76 ). any other suitable external heating method may also be used . the air stream ( 2 ) and the steam stream ( 3 ) are heated to the operating temperature of the bed ( 76 ) which is approximately 1000f . to 1400f . but in some circumstances may be as low as 800f ., through the use of indirect heat exhaust provided by heat exchanger ( 78 ). the fluid stream ( 19 ) will very rapidly cool or heat to the actual operating temperature of the upper fluidized bed ( 54 ) but does not heat the upper bed ( 54 ) above the particle melting point . the lower fluidized bed ( 76 ) uses inert bed materials such as calcium sulfate , sand or aluminum oxides which have a high melting temperature . because there is no danger of melting the bed material , the surface temperature of the lower heat exchanger ( 78 ) can be much higher than the temperature of the upper heat exchanger ( 62 ). if desired , heat input ( 79 ) to the lower external heat exchanger ( 78 ) can be supplied by burning a fraction of the product gas ( 58 ) within the heat exchanger ( 78 ), or any known combustion source like a natural gas burner can be employed . any unreacted carbon removed by the filter at the dissolving tank ( 66 ) can be recycled back into the system . by recycling the carbon , an improvement in the overall process gasification efficiency for the reactor ( 10 ) is provided . this recycling not only solves the problem of disposing of dregs but also maintains a high thermal efficiency for the reactor ( 10 ). the present invention maintains good heating value for the product gas stream ( 58 ) produced by reactor ( 10 ) while operating as a simple air , and / or steam blown gasifier which requires minimum direct heat input to the fluidized beds through the mixing of air and steam . another method of increasing the heating value of the product fuel gas ( 58 ) is to use pure oxygen ( 4 ) if available , as the gasifying medium in place of the air ( 2 ). the use of oxygen increases the caloric value of the product gas . however , the use of pure oxygen ( 4 ) as a supplement to the air stream ( 2 ) results in oxygen enriched air and gains the advantage of increased heating value of the product gas ( 58 ) while maintaining adequate fluidization of the reactor ( 10 ). using pure oxygen ( 4 ) to enrich the gasifying air stream ( 2 ) is practicable in many paper mills . oxygen bleaching is also widely used to replace chlorine bleaching in these mills . the use of oxygen in waste water aeration systems is not uncommon ; and the additional oxygen demand of the gasifier should be enough for the paper mill to utilize an on - site air separation plant which would lower the overall oxygen costs for the paper mill . another source of air for the gasifier ( 10 ) is a malodorous gas source ( 5 ) such as a high volume low concentration ( hvlc ) waste gas which is a stream which originates in the vents and hoods at many locations of the mill . the waste gas stream ( 5 ) contains low concentrations of many malodorous gases such as mercaptans and is generally saturated with water vapor . these gases are normally disposed of by incineration or as air supply to the lime kiln but are normally a thermal drain due to their high moisture content . because both steam and air are used in the present invention , the malodorous gases 5 provide a means for solving the disposal problem encountered by the paper mills . additionally , a low volume high concentration ( lvhc ) steam source can also be used as an oxygen source for the reactor ( 10 ). this offers the advantage of capturing additional sulfur and reducing mill sulfur make - up . the present invention provides a division of the indirect external heat input between the low temperature gasifier bed ( 54 ) and the high temperature air / steam heater ( 14 ) or lower fluidized bed ( 76 ). the present invention uses a blend of air ( 2 ), steam ( 3 ), and oxygen ( 4 ) in order to achieve a higher btu efficient product gas ( 58 ). carbon filtration and recycling provide an efficient carbon conversion and result in low external heat input . by burning the ungasified carbon ( 80 ) in the lower fluidized bed ( 76 ), the indirect heat input is supplemented and increases the overall thermal efficiency of the reactor ( 10 ). additionally , the present invention provides a more efficient paper mill process by using the gasifier ( 10 ) in order to dispose of hvlc waste gas 5 produced by the mill . returning to fig1 the product gas ( 58 ) exits the gasifier reactor ( 10 ) and eventually enters the condensing heat exchanger ( 26 ). an aspect of this invention uses a condensing heat exchanger ( chx ) ( 26 ) as a heat recovery unit and h 2 s scrubbing system for the product gas resulting from gasification of fuels containing sulfur particularly black liquor from pulp and paper production . in the preferred embodiment , all surfaces exposed to product gas are covered with an inert substance or coating like polytetrafluoroethylene ( ptef ) or other fluoroplastic such as fluorinated ethylene propylene ( fep ) or tetrafluoroethylene ( tfe ). other inert materials such as glass , graphite , alloys , metals , or other inert coverings can be used . this provides an environment where low temperature heat recovery can be accomplished without concern for gas side corrosion . therefore , sensible and latent heat can be recovered and added back to the process for increased cycle efficiency . the coating also resists scale formation in the condensing section . referring to fig4 the product gas ( 58 ) flows through two heat exchangers ( 82 , 84 ) in series followed by a polishing section ( 28 ) for final h 2 s removal and a water / reactant separator ( 96 ). the result is a clean dry product gas . product gas enters the first heat exchanger ( 82 ) at about 500f . or less and is cooled to about 200f .- 300f . boiler feedwater ( 83 ) or process water can be used as the cooling fluid . the heated feedwater can be used elsewhere to generate necessary process steam . process water could be used elsewhere in the system , or for reheating the product gas as in reheater ( 32 ). product gas is then channeled to the second heat exchanger ( 84 ) section which operates in a condensing mode . product gas is cooled to below the adiabatic saturation temperature . in this section both particulate and h 2 s removal take place . droplets form around the gas born particulate matter and condense on the cooled fluoroplastic coated tubes . reagent ( 88 ) in the form of typical green liquor is introduced such as by spraying ( 90 ) in the polishing section ( 28 ) and as required at the inlet ( 92 ) to and the exit from ( 91 ) the second heat exchanger section ( 84 ). other suitable reagents include soda ash , caustic soda , amines , alkali salts , water - soluble alkali salts , or mixtures thereof . h 2 s removal takes place in this condensing section . a sump ( 98 ) receives condensed liquid and liquor and supplies it to tank ( 100 ) through a pipe ( 102 ) where it is recycled via pump ( 104 ). water preferably at or below 80f . or air ( 85 ) is used as the cooling medium in the second stage heat exchanger ( 84 ). the temperature and quantity of water can be varied to control the product gas temperature for optimum h 2 s removal and to minimize undersirable co 2 absorption . the condensing section is followed by an optional polishing section ( 28 ) where counter current gas - liquid contacting and final h 2 s removal takes place . this section can utilize either a packed tower , trays or other mass transfer device , or an inert heat exchanger as previously described to supply the appropriate amount of mass transfer surface . fresh chemical make - up ( 94 ) is supplied to the upper spray zone ( 90 ) to optimize chemical usage and maximize h 2 s removal efficiency . a separator ( 96 ) such as a cyclone separator or mist eliminator follows the polishing section to remove mists or fluids from the product gas ( 58 ) which exits this section to be processed in the manner previously described in fig1 . the system of the present invention is readily extendable to pressurized operation . pressuring the system will result in higher capacity / volume designs . the entire system can be pressurized in one of two ways . the first option is to pressurize the entire system consisting of pressure vessels for each subsystem or component . the second option is to employ low pressure components or subsystems surrounded by a larger pressure vessel ( 105 ) as seen in fig5 to provide a high pressure environment . high pressure operation is desirable and often necessary for use with a gas turbine . of course , the exported product gas may be pressurized just prior to use with a gas turbine . other advantages of the present invention include but are not limited to the following . the system of the present invention is self - contained , i . e ., for steady state operation ( not start up / shut down ). the system takes in black liquor , air , and electricity for fan / blower and discharges green liquor and product gas . feedwater intake and steam production are quite minimal . the system is adaptable to a variety of liquors ( from wood , bagasse , straw etc .) and can be used to produce product gases of varying quality . there are no heating surfaces in contact with the bubbling fluid reaction bed in the embodiment of fig2 during normal operation . some heaters may be used for start - up . the low temperature design eliminates the formation of smelt and the possibility of smelt - water reactions , reduces fouling potential , and reduces the need for cooling the gasifier vessel . there are no moving parts nor mechanical devices except the fans , blowers , and rotary seals . the present invention includes reheat of the product gas for transport . the reheated gas will also facilitate the combustion of the low btu gas in the boiler . the advantages of the chx scrubbing system in the present invention include but are not limited to the following . it combines heat recovery with h 2 s removal . sensible and latent heat are recovered for improved cycle efficiency . it removes fine particulate . there is selective h 2 s absorption by controlling scrubbing conditions such as temperature and chemistry . there is selective h 2 s absorption by controlling chemical make - up location . the system provides corrosion resistant gas side heat transfer and mass transfer surfaces . the system also provides scale resistant gas side heat transfer and mass transfer surfaces . it allows for boiler feedwater heating for improved efficiency . while specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention , it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles . | 8 |
there is a need to provide a tpa member with a configuration that helps to prevent inadvertent movement from a preset position to a final lock position . for example , a tpa member can be partially inserted into a connector before shipping , and that position can correspond to a preset position . then the connector , having the tpa in the preset position , can be shipped to a customer . at that time , the customer can put the connector to use , and then can lastly move the tpa member from the preset position to the final lock position . the customer typically does not want to receive a connector with a tpa member already in the final lock position , because this could mean that the customer needs to take one or more additional steps which would be inconvenient and not desirable . for example , the customer will need to move the tpa member from the final lock position to the preset position , then put the connector to use , and then move the tpa member from the preset position to the final lock position . additional steps , or secondary operations , are not desired . thus , in view of the above , there is a need to provide a tpa member with a configuration that helps to prevent inadvertent movement from a preset position to a final lock position , during shipping and / or handling , for example . fig1 is a perspective view of a first tpa member that has flexible features , in accordance with the principles of the present invention . fig1 illustrates a first tpa member , generally referred to by reference numeral 100 . the first tpa member 100 has a body that has a first side which includes flexible feature 102 and flexible feature 104 . the body of the first tpa member 100 has a second side which includes flexible feature 106 and flexible feature 108 . the body of the first tpa member 100 forms at least one terminal aperture 110 . when the first tpa member 100 is inserted into a connector , it is desirable for the first side to be even , balanced , or in alignment with the second side , so that flexible feature 102 will be engaged with a first tab of the connector at substantially the same time as the flexible feature 106 is engaged with a second tab of the connecter . when flexible feature 102 engages with a first tab of the connector at substantially the same time as the flexible feature 106 engages with a second tab of the connector , this corresponds to a single peak force . if the first tpa member 100 is inserted into a connector in a lopsided manner , such that flexible feature 102 engages a first tab of the connector before flexible feature 106 engages a second tab of the connector , wherein the first side of the tpa member 100 is inserted into the connector before the second side of the tpa member 100 , this can correspond to two or more peak forces , which is not desirable . fig2 is a graph showing the forces used to insert the first tpa member of fig1 into a connector . fig2 shows the forces used to insert the first tpa member 100 into a connector , or to extract the first tpa member 100 from a connector . the first tpa member 100 does not have locating / guide features 220 , 222 . because the first tpa member 100 does not have locating / guide features 220 , 222 , the flexible feature 102 might be engaged before the flexible feature 106 is engaged . that is , the first tpa member 100 might be inserted into a connector in a lopsided manner , such that one side is inserted before another side . because the first tpa member 100 does not have the locating / guide features 220 , 222 of the present invention , the first tpa member 100 can be lopsided during insertion and this can lead to an imbalance of force , and the corresponding force curve can have two or more peaks of force . it is desirable to just have one peak of force when a tpa member is inserted into a connector . in fig2 , each different colored curve represents threes from a different sample , when a tpa member that does not have the locating / guide features 220 , 222 of the present invention is inserted into a connector . it is easy and common to insert a tpa member in a lopsided manner or uneven manner , when that tpa member does not have the locating / guide features 220 , 222 of the present invention . in fig2 , most or all of the different colored curves have two or more peak forces , because it is easy and common to insert a tpa member in a lopsided manner or uneven manner , when that tpa member does not have the locating / guide features 220 , 222 of the present invention . to achieve the maximum force and / or a single peak three during insertion , a tpa member can be configured to have the locating / guide features 220 , 222 of the present invention . to achieve the maximum force and / or a single peak force when a tpa member is extracted from a connector , a tpa member can be configured to have the locating / guide features 220 , 272 of the present invention . the locating / guide features 220 , 222 , in a middle area of a tpa member 200 as shown in fig3 , help to enable the flexible features 102 and 106 to engage a tab substantially simultaneously . the locating / guide features 220 , 222 help to enable the flexible features 104 and 108 engage substantially simultaneously . the locating / guide features 220 , 222 help to have flexible features 102 and 106 engage a connector substantially simultaneously . fig3 is a perspective view of a second tpa member that has location / guide features and flexible features , in accordance with the principles of the present invention . fig3 depicts a second tpa member 200 that has a body 201 . the body has flexible features 102 , 104 , 106 , and 108 formed thereon . the flexible features 102 , 104 , 106 , and 108 can also be referred to as protrusions 102 , 104 , 106 , and 108 extending outward from sides of the body of the second tpa member 200 . fig3 shows that the body of the second tpa member 200 has a top 224 . the body also has a location / guide feature 220 extending outward from the body in a first direction , and a location / guide feature 222 extending outward from the body in a second direction opposite to the first direction . the body forms at least one terminal aperture 110 . a plurality of terminal apertures 110 are shown in fig3 . the flexible features 102 , 104 , 106 , and 108 are more flexible than the location / guide features 220 and 222 . fig3 shows that the location / guide features 220 , 222 are at or near a middle area of the top 224 , but the location / guide features 220 , 222 could be located at one or more different areas of the second tpa member 200 , in accordance with the principles of the present invention . one of the purposes of the location / guide features 220 , 222 is to help the second tpa member 200 be even and balanced during insertion and extraction , and is not lopsided during insertion or extraction . fig4 is an exploded perspective view of the second tpa member of fig3 and a connector , in accordance with the principles of the present invention . fig4 indicates the top 224 and bottom 226 of the second tpa member 200 . fig4 shows a connector 300 which has an aperture 302 . the aperture 302 receives the bottom 226 of the second tpa member 200 . the connector 300 has ribs 304 and 306 . the location / guide feature 220 extends from the top 224 of the body of the second tpa member 200 in a first direction outward away from the body as shown in fig4 , and the location / guide feature 222 extends from the top 224 of the body of the second tpa member 200 in a second direction opposite to the first direction , outward away from the body as shown in fig4 . the location / guide feature 220 also extends downward in a direction toward the bottom 226 of the body of the second tpa member 200 , as shown in fig4 . the location / guide feature 222 also extends downward in a direction toward the bottom 226 of the body of the second tpa member 200 , as shown in fig4 . as shown in fig4 , the connector 300 has an aperture 320 for receiving the locating / guide feature 220 of the second tpa member 200 . the connector 300 also has an aperture 322 for receiving the locating / guide feature 222 of the second tpa member 200 . fig5 is an elevational view of the second tpa member of fig4 partially inserted into the connector of fig4 , in a preset position , in accordance with the principles of the present invention . fig5 depicts the preset position , wherein the second tpa member 200 is partially inserted into the aperture 302 of the connector . in the preset position , the flexible features 104 and 108 are visible in fig5 , but the flexible features 102 and 106 are not visible in fig5 . fig6 is a cross - sectional view , taken along line 6 - 6 in fig5 . fig6 depicts the preset position , wherein the second tpa member 200 is partially inserted into the aperture 302 of the connector . fig6 shows that connector 300 forms a receiving area 330 and a tab 332 on an interior of aperture 302 , at one side . fig6 also shows that connector 300 forms a receiving area 340 and a tab 342 on an interior of aperture 302 , at an opposite side . when the bottom 226 of the second tpa member 200 is first inserted into the aperture 302 , the flexible feature 102 of the second tpa member 200 will engage with the tab 332 of the connector 300 , and then the flexible feature 102 will be held in the receiving area 330 by the tab 332 , so that the second tpa member 200 is held in the preset position . when the bottom 226 of the second tpa member 200 is inserted into the aperture 302 , the flexible feature 106 of the second tpa member 200 will engage with the tab 342 of the connector 300 , and then the flexible feature 106 will be held in the receiving area 340 by the tab 342 , so that the second tpa member 200 is held in the preset position . in the preset position , as shown in fig6 , the flexible feature 104 is not in the receiving area 330 , and the flexible feature 108 is not in the receiving area 340 . fig7 is an enlarged view of the portion denoted in fig6 . the scale of fig7 is 30 : 1 . fig8 is an elevational view of the second tpa member of fig4 fully inserted into the connector of fig4 , in a final lock position , in accordance with the principles of the present invention . fig8 depicts the final lock position , wherein the second tpa member 200 is fully inserted into the aperture 302 of the connector . in the final lock position , the tabs 332 and 342 are visible in fig8 , but the flexible features 104 and 108 are not visible in fig8 . fig9 is a cross - sectional view , taken along line 9 - 9 in fig8 . fig9 depicts the final lock position , wherein the second tpa member 200 is fully inserted into the aperture 302 of the connector . fig9 shows that connector 300 forms a receiving area 330 and a tab 332 on an interior of aperture 302 , at one side . fig9 also shows that connector 300 forms a receiving area 340 and a tab 342 on an interior of aperture 302 , at an opposite side . when the second tpa member 200 is moved from the preset position to the final lock position , the flexible feature 104 of the second tpa member 200 will engage with the tab 332 of the connector 300 , and then the flexible feature 104 will be held in the receiving area 330 by the tab 332 . when the second tpa member 00 is moved from the preset position to the final lock position , the flexible feature 108 of the second tpa member 200 will engage with the tab 342 of the connector 300 , and then the flexible feature 108 will be held in the receiving area 340 by the tab 342 . in the final lock position , as shown in fig9 , the flexible features 102 and 104 are both in the receiving area 330 , and the flexible features 106 and 108 are both in the receiving area 340 . fig1 is an enlarged view of the portion denoted in fig9 . the scale of fig1 is 30 : 1 . although the foregoing description is directed to the preferred embodiments of the invention , it is noted that other variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art , and may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . moreover , features described in connection with one embodiment of the invention may be used in conjunction with other embodiments , even if not explicitly stated above . 110 terminal aperture , formed by the body of the terminal position assurance member 302 aperture for receiving bottom of body of terminal position assurance member 330 receiving area for receiving flexible features 102 and 104 340 receiving area for receiving flexible features 106 and 108 | 7 |
a physical pointer is visible indicia on a display surface that is due to light directly projected by a direct pointing device at a display surface . therefore , a physical location of the physical pointer corresponds directly to a pose of the direct pointing device . for example , a laser pointer always displays a red dot as a physical pointer at the spot where it is aimed . similarly , a stylus inputs at the point of contact . a virtual pointer is visible indicia on a display surface that is due to light indirectly projected onto a display surface by a direct pointing device . a virtual pointer may or may not correspond to the pose of the pointing device . a virtual pointer is a set of pixels in an output image generated by a projector . a physical location of a pointer on a display surface corresponds exactly to the pose of the pointing device . a virtual pointer may be displayed at the physical location . however , this is not a requirement . a physical pointer is always displayed at the physical location . a virtual location of a pointer on a display surface can be determined from the physical location . the virtual location can also consider other factors , such as jitter , speed and acceleration of a direct pointing device , and application constraints . for an indirect pointing device such as a mouse , touchpad or joystick , the pose of the device and movement of the device is only indirectly related to the location of the pointer on the display surface . for example , a mouse typically moves in a horizontal plane , while the pointer moves in a vertical plane . fig1 shows a handheld direct pointing device 200 according one embodiment of the invention . the invention includes a projector subsystem 250 , a pose subsystem 210 , and user controls 290 . the pointing device can display an uncorrected output image 101 on a display surface 102 . the output image 101 includes a corrected and stabilized region 103 . a virtual pointer 104 can be displayed within the stabilized region . the virtual pointer 104 substantially follows the movement of the pointing device 200 . the movement can be controlled by a hand 105 or some other mechanical projector platform . fig2 shows details of the direct pointing device 200 , including the pose subsystem 210 , the projector subsystem 250 , a microprocessor 215 , a memory 220 , and an i / o interface 230 connected by buses 240 , generally referred to as a processing unit . further details are described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 764 , 185 incorporated herein by reference . the processing unit is conventional in its electronic structure , but unconventional in its operation when performing the method steps described herein . a network sub - system 270 allows the projector to communicate with other similar devices , or other computing devices and memories , local or remote . therefore , the network system can be connected to an antenna or infrared transceiver 280 , depending on the communications medium . the network connection can also be wired . the controls 290 can be used to provide input . the pose subsystem 210 determines the pose of the projector with respect to the display surface 102 , for further details , see u . s . pat . no . 6 , 811 , 264 issued to raskar et al . on nov . 2 , 2004 , “ geometrically aware projector ” incorporated herein by reference . pose means the 3d location and 3d orientation . the pose subsystem can include a camera subsystem 208 , motion detectors , accelerometers , tilt sensors , and the like 209 . the pointing device can also be equipped with four laser pointers 211 . the laser pointers project physical pointers in the form of laser dots 107 at actual locations on the display surface . the camera subsystem 208 can observe the physical locations of dots 107 to determine the pose of the pointing device . alternatively , the display surface 102 can be instrumented as described in u . s . patent application publication no . 2005 / 0030486 filed by lee et al . on feb . 10 , 2005 , “ method and system for calibrating projectors to arbitrarily shaped surfaces with discrete optical sensors mounted at the surfaces ” incorporated herein by reference . in another method , the display surface includes visual location markers 217 . any of the above methods can be used to determine the 3d pose , i . e ., 3d position and 3d orientation , of the pointing device with respect to the display surface . from the pose , the method can correct for rotation , movement , and distortion in order to generate the stable region 103 . pointer - based interaction is achieved by projecting the virtual pointer 104 at a center of the uncorrected output image 101 . the end effect is a stable region within the output image , and a pointer moving according to the motion of the hand 105 . although the pose information , as described above , enables the generation of a stable region 103 within the jittery output image 101 , the pointer which is mapped to the center of the output image remains susceptible to hand jitter . this makes precise pointing difficult . this problem is inherent with all direct freehand pointing devices , whether they project a physical or virtual pointer . this problem is corrected without the delays inherent in prior art systems with a pointer stabilization method . the above described technique to display a stable region within an output image wastes some pixels of the uncorrected output image . all of the pixels outside the stable region 103 , shown stippled in fig1 , are essentially wasted . this is due to the fact that a rectangular display region needs to be inscribed within a possibly distorted output image , see u . s . pat . no . 6 , 729 , 733 issued to raskar et al . on may 4 , 2004 , “ method for determining a largest inscribed rectangular image within a union of projected quadrilateral images ”, incorporated herein by reference . in addition , pixels are wasted to accommodate movement of the virtual pointer 104 . for example , in order for the virtual pointer that is displayed at the center of the output image 101 to be able to traverse the full extent of the stable region 103 in a most direct one - to - one mapping , the stable region 103 must have less than about ¼ of the number of pixels in the output image 101 . because the stable region has fewer pixels , the stable region has a lower resolution , making it more difficult to see details and to position the pointer accurately . in an effort to alleviate both jitter and resolution limitations of interactive handheld projectors , the invention provides a method that eliminates jitter of a pointer without introducing delay , and selectively magnifies portions of an output . the method enables the user to magnify an area of interest in the displayed image , and then point at pixels within the area of interest with high - precision and without jitter . although the method is described with reference to an interactive handheld projector , it should be understood that the method can also be applied to direct laser projectors and conventional static projectors used with a separate pointing devices . fig3 a shows schematically pixels 300 of the stable region 103 as a checker board pattern . the schematic also shows a pointer stabilizer 400 described in greater detail below . the method uniformly magnifies a first portion 301 of the stable image 103 centered on the virtual pointer 104 . a second portion 302 is progressively magnified . the purpose of the second portion is to provide visual continuity and context between the first magnified portion and the remaining unmagnified portions of the output image . the level of magnification is adjustable using a ‘ zoom ’ function described below . the magnified portions 301 - 302 follow the virtual pointer 104 as the pointer moves . this enables a display at a higher resolution near the pointer for precise selection . fig3 b shows a partially magnified output image of an example application . as shown in fig4 , the pointer stabilizer 400 is defined to include an outer boundary 410 and an inner boundary 420 . the area between the inner and outer boundaries is denoted as the rim 425 of the pointer stabilizer . the black and white ‘ checkerboard ’ squares 440 represent pixels . the span of the inner portion of the pointer stabilizer is about five pixels or less . this corresponds to the typical amount of pointer travel due to unavoidable jitter . a distance 430 between the outer and inner boundaries is based on a sampling rate of the pointer . if the sampling rate is high , the distance can be small , and if the sampling rate is low , then the distance is made large . it should be noted that the sizes for the pointer stabilizer can be adapted to particular applications . it should be noted that the pointer stabilizer does not need to be displayed . that is , the pointer stabilizer exists as a defined region with special properties . the pointer stabilizer 400 is centered at the virtual pointer 104 . a path 450 indicates the jittery movement of pointer , if the pointer is not stabilized as described herein . the black dots 451 on the path would indicate successive instantaneous actual physical locations of the pointer due to jitter . however , the virtual pointer 104 is displayed at the center of the pointer stabilizer 400 at a static virtual location as long as the path remains within the inner boundary 420 . this eliminates undesired short distance jitter . that is , if the movement of the physical pointer , as reflected by the pose of the pointing device , is less than a first threshold , i . e ., the distance to the first boundary , the virtual pointer 104 is not moved , and the virtual location of the pointer is at the center of the pointer stabilizer . however , if the user rapidly moves the projector past the inner and outer boundaries so that the pointer would be at physical location 460 , then the pointer stabilizer is moved , in a direction of the movement , so that the inner boundary touches the physical location 460 , and the position of the virtual pointer 104 is adjusted accordingly to the center of the pointer stabilizer at its new location . this eliminates the effect of long distance jitter . if the user slowly moves the pointer so that the pointer would be at some location 470 on the rim 425 between the outer and inner boundaries , then the pointer stabilizer is moved 471 a move amount in the direction of the pointing device . typically , the move amount is equal to a very small number of pixels , or the amount is some fraction of a pixel . for example , the move amount is about five pixels or less . this enables pixel accuracy for a handheld pointer . this is difficult to achieve even with an indirect pointing device , such as a mouse . this movement could be less to enable sub - pixel accuracy when positioning the pointer . in an actual implementation , the pointer stabilizer does not need to be displayed to the user and , surprisingly , the user still has a better interaction with the displayed image using the handheld projector . it should be noted that the distance between the inner and outer boundary of the pointer stabilizer is preferably greater than one pixel . best results are had if the distance is proportional to the amount of magnification and the sampling rate of the pointer . the method works because the pointer movement , i . e ., motion of the handheld projector , is sampled in a discrete manner . the pointer can only be moved beyond the outer boundary of the pointer stabilizer when the pointing device is moved faster than the sampling rate . therefore , the method provides magnification , as well as fine and coarse pointer positioning without delay . as shown in fig5 a , movement of the pointer in the x direction 501 can be achieved by moving the projector left and right or by yawing . moving the projector up and down or pitching moves the pointer along the y direction 502 . rotating 503 ( roll ) the projector about the optical or z axis 510 controls the magnification or zoom . the optical axis is assumed to be substantially normal to the plane of the display surface 102 . with conventional projectors , zoom is controlled by only rotating the lens . in contrast , the pointing device according to an embodiment of the invention controls zoom or magnification by rotating the entire device . the rotation can be determined from the pose of the projector . clockwise rotation can increase magnification , and counter - clockwise rotation can decrease the magnification , or the inverse . thus , to the user , the rotational magnifying or zoom effect appears natural . as shown in fig5 b , this technique can also be used for devices that do not include zoom capabilities otherwise . for example , a laser pointer 550 can be given the zoom effect , by rotating the entire laser as described herein . fig5 c is a front view of a rotated pointing device . the magnification effect can be further facilitated according to the amount of angular rotation . if the pointing device ( projector ) is held in its normal orientation , i . e ., zero degrees , the magnification is absent . rotating from 0 ° to 50 ° also has no effect on magnification . the full range of magnification is effected from 5 ° to about 45 °. it should be noted that the wrist can comfortably rotate through about 180 °. at the maximum rotation , the magnification is a gain factor of about 25 ×. thus , the gain on the rotation does not require the user to hold the pointing device in an awkward position . this is in contrast , with conventional zoom lenses , which might need to be turned several full circles to get the full ‘ zoom ’ effect . this makes it convenient for the user to quickly zoom in on some detail to make a selection with the pointer , and then return the pointing projector to its normal orientation to resume normal operation . in an alternative embodiment , the rotational angles can be partitioned into multiple zones to give the zooming fine and coarse granularities , as well as perhaps infinite zooming capabilities , perhaps even increasing and decreasing the size of the displayed image well beyond its normal form factor . the rate of rotation can also be used to control the amount of zooming . in another embodiment , ‘ ratchet ’ zooming is used . for example , the pointing device is slowly rotated clockwise , and then rapidly reversed for a small angel in a counterclockwise opposite direction , followed by a slow clockwise rotation to effectively successively increase or ‘ crank - up ’ the zooming factor . as shown in fig6 , the effect of the pointer stabilizer region can be refined . in alternative embodiment , the rim 425 between the first and second boundaries is partitioned into sectors 601 - 602 having different widths . when the pointer is moved into the thick sector 601 , the pointer stabilizing region is moved the distance corresponding to one pixel . when the pointer is moved in the wide sector 602 , the pointer stabilizer region is ‘ dragged ’. fig7 shows an alternative embodiment . as before , the rim is partitioned into multiple sectors , e . g ., sectors 710 - 720 . each sector has a different effect on the pointer . when the actual pointer 701 is moved in sector 710 , rotation is mapped to linear position control of magnification level . in sector 720 , rate of increase of magnification is controlled . the cut - out sector 730 indicates a ‘ dead - zone ’, where rotation has no effect . thus , no magnification is effected as long as the pointing device is held in a substantial vertical orientation . sector 740 at the extreme range of rotation also has no effect . if ratchet magnification is implemented , then moving in the direction of the dotted lines 750 zooms , and moving backwards in the direction of the dashed line 751 ratchets . fig8 shows the steps of a stabilization method according to embodiment of the invention . first , determine 810 a distance d 1 between a current virtual location of the virtual pointer 104 and a next physical location as determined by the pose subsystem 210 . the virtual pointer is displayed at the center of the pointer stabilizer 400 . next , determine whether the distance d 1 is less than a first threshold t 1 , which is equivalent to a radial distance to the inner boundary 420 . if true , then do nothing 830 . that is , the virtual pointer 104 remains stabilized in place , and it is presumed that the movement of the direct pointing device is due to jitter . otherwise , if false , determine 840 if the distance d 1 is greater than a second threshold t 2 , which is equivalent to the radial distance to the outer boundary 410 . if true , then move 850 the virtual pointer towards the physical location by an amount ( d 1 − t 1 ). that is , the virtual pointer is moved to a new virtual location , and the pointer stabilizer is recentered at that location . otherwise , if false , then move 860 the virtual pointer towards the physical location by a move amount m . the move amount m is equal to a desired precision , e . g ., one pixel , two pixels , or a fraction of a pixel . in this case , the pointer has been moved into the rim area 425 , and precision movement is desired . this means that the second threshold is greater than the first threshold by at least the amount m , i . e ., t 2 − t 1 & gt ; m . in one embodiment of the invention , the stabilization method described above is extended for use with input devices that provide three dimensional positional input . such a 3d input device can be used with a 3d display , e . g ., the display surface is curved , or a dome . alternatively , the display surface is still two - dimensional , but images displayed on the surface appear to be three - dimensional , as in a virtual reality display . that is , the images obey perspective rules . thus , the user can position the pointer in depth by moving the pointing device towards and away from the display surface . in this embodiment , the pointing device controls the position of a 3d pointer on the display surface , and the pointer stabilizer is in the form two concentric spheres , an inner sphere and an outer sphere . in this variation , we first determine a distance d 1 between a next 3d physical location provided by the 3d input device and a current virtual 3d location of the 3d pointer at the center of a 3d pointer stabilizer . next , we determine if this distance d 1 is less than a first threshold t 1 , which is equivalent to the radial distance of the inner sphere . if true , then do nothing . that is , the virtual 3d pointer remains stabilized in place and it is presumed that the movement is due to jitter . otherwise , if false , determine if the distance d 1 is greater than a second threshold t 2 , which is equivalent to the radial distance to the outer sphere . if true , then move the virtual pointer toward the physical location by an amount ( d 1 − t 1 ). that is , the virtual 3d pointer is moved to a new location and the pointer stabilizer is recentered at that 3d location . otherwise , if false , then move the virtual pointer towards the physical location by a move amount m . the move amount m is equal to a desired precision , e . g ., one pixel , two pixels , or a fraction of a pixel . in this case , the pointer has been moved into the rim area , and precision movement is desired . although the invention has been described by way of examples of preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that various other adaptations and modifications may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention . therefore , it is the object of the appended claims to cover all such variations and modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the invention . | 6 |
the invention provides a method of posting data and interrupt transactions for devices in a computer system . the method employs a fabric controller , a concurrent bridge , and an interrupt controller to alleviate the need of burdening the cpu with every transaction in the system . accordingly , unnecessary control and data flow through the host processor bus is minimized . additionally , by directing necessary transactions to the cpu , concurrent data and control transactions in a single system are supported . [ 0016 ] fig1 shows a functional block diagram of a computer system employing one embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig1 a computer system 100 comprises a plurality of host devices communicating via a concurrent bridge 108 using standard i / o data buses . these host devices include , for example , a central processing unit (“ cpu ”) 112 , one or more memory units 116 , and a local input / output (“ i / o ”) interface 120 for connecting one or more local i / o devices . the invention is implemented independently of the bus protocol used . accordingly , the concurrent bridge ( cb ) bus 104 may be one of a variety of bus protocols which are well known in the art . for example , in one embodiment , the cb bus 104 may be a scaleable coherent interface (“ sci ”) bus , or a high performance parallel interface (“ hippi ”) bus . a fabric controller 124 is connected to the cb 108 via a data port ( not shown ) to manage the flow of transaction requests among peer devices , and among peer and host devices . additionally , an interrupt controller 128 is connected to the cb 108 via a control port 106 to manage the flow of interrupt activity among peer devices , and among peer and host devices . the design of the cb 108 , fabric controller 124 , and interrupt controller 128 may be based on an application specific integrated circuit ( asic ). the cb 108 includes four data ports to connect the cpu 112 , memory 116 , local i / o 120 , and the fabric controller 124 . the cb 108 further includes a control port 106 to connect the interrupt controller 128 to other host devices . the cb 108 establishes communication for up to two links simultaneously . as used in this patent document , a link refers to an internal connection between two ports within the cb 108 . hence , for example , the cpu 112 may communicate with the local i / o 120 , while the fabric controller 124 accesses the memory 116 simultaneously . in addition to its ability to establish concurrent links , the cb 108 includes an arbiter which coordinates access by competing devices to same resources . the cb 108 may utilize an internal pipeline buffer ( not shown ) to coordinate access to the same resource . hence , for example , if the fabric controller 124 is communicating to the memory 116 and the cpu 112 requests access to write into the memory 116 at the same time , the cb 108 allows the cpu 112 to write into the pipeline buffer of the cb 108 . after the fabric controller 124 completes its communication with the memory 116 , the cb 108 writes data stored in its pipeline buffer into the memory 116 . hence , the cb 108 provides virtual access by competing devices to the same resource simultaneously . in addition to the main host bus , computer systems typically include other buses to support communication among peripheral devices , and between the cpu 112 and peripheral devices . one very common bus is the peripheral component interconnect (“ pci ”) bus which supports communication by pci devices to host and other devices in the system . a plurality of fabric - pci bridges (“ fpbs ”) provide bus protocol conversion to connect pci buses to the cb bus 104 . in this embodiment , a fpb 1 132 , fpb 2 136 , and fpbn 140 are connected to the cb bus 104 to provide communication for a plurality of pci devices . as noted above , typical pci devices (“ peer devices ”) include an audio card , a motion video card , a local area network ( lan ) interface , a scsi card , an expansion bus interface , a graphics card , or other pci - pci bridges . as shown in fig1 peer devices resident on pci buses include peer 1 142 , peer 2 146 , and peern 150 . data and control traffic transmitted by peer and host devices travel through , and under the management of , the fabric controller 124 . interrupt traffic transmitted by peer and host devices travels through , and under the management of , the interrupt controller 128 . [ 0019 ] fig2 is a functional flow chart describing the decisional steps of one embodiment of the fabric controller 124 . the fabric controller 124 may be a processor - based unit which includes hardware and software in its design . the computer hardware architecture shown in fig1 may be used as the basis for applying the decisional steps as executed by the fabric controller 124 . typically , transaction requests by peer and host devices are issued continuously in the computer system 100 . when a peer or host device is not issuing , receiving , or processing a transaction , the device is in an idle state as indicated at the beginning of the process at step 200 . there are at least three identifiable categories of transactions in the system 100 . the first category is known as a “ local ” transaction which includes transactions being issued by and processed within the peer device itself . the second category is known as a “ global peer ” transaction which includes transactions being issued by a peer device to one or more other peer devices for further action . a third category is known as a “ global ” transaction which includes transactions transferred between one or more peer devices and one or more host devices . more particularly , examples of a global transaction include a transfer between the cpu 112 and peer 1 142 , the memory 116 and peer 1 142 , and the local i / o 120 and peer 1 142 . to perform its sophisticated management functions , the fabric controller 124 monitors the issuance , transfer , and completion of transactions using the following process . at step 210 , a peer device detects or issues a transaction . the form of a transaction depends on the bus protocol employed among peer devices . in some bus protocols , the transaction command is communicated in the form of a packet . the packet includes , among other things , a source address , a destination address , a transaction address , a transaction type , one or more status bits , and one or more error correction bits ( e . g ., cyclic redundancy checksum crc ). a peer device ( e . g ., peer 1 142 of fig1 ) may detect a transaction command which is received from another device or , alternatively , issued by peer 1 142 itself . at step 220 , peer 1 142 checks for the availability of the fabric controller 124 for managing the transaction command being issued or transferred . typically , peer 1 142 sends a synchronizing packet to establish a handshake with the fabric controller 124 , and waits for an acknowledgment packet from the fabric controller 124 . if the fabric controller 124 is not available , then peer 1 142 waits for the fabric controller 124 to send the acknowledgment packet to peer 1 142 . the waiting arises when the fabric controller 124 is managing other transaction commands from other devices in the system . when the fabric controller 124 becomes available , then at step 230 , the fabric controller 124 issues an acknowledgment packet to and receives the transaction command from peer 1 142 via the fpb 1 132 . as noted above , the transaction command may be a read , write , or a compound subaction . the fabric controller 124 determines the intended destination of the transaction command pursuant to the destination address field in the packet . if the transaction command is intended for a host device , then at step 240 , the fabric controller 124 forwards the transaction command to the cb 108 ( fig1 ) for further action . at step 250 , the cb 108 , in turn , forwards the transaction command to its intended destination ( e . g ., cpu 112 , memory unit 116 , or local i / o interface 120 ) for processing . at step 260 , the recipient host device returns a response packet to the issuing device to acknowledge that the transaction command has been received for processing . if , on the other hand , the fabric controller 124 determines in step 230 that the transaction command is intended for another peer device , then the fabric controller 124 moves to step 270 . at step 270 , the fabric controller 124 checks for the availability of the fabric - pci bridge ( e . g ., fpb 2 136 ) to which the intended peer device ( e . g ., peer 2 146 ) is connected . if the fpb 2 136 is not available , the fabric controller 124 waits until it receives an acknowledgment packet from the fpb 2 136 . when the fpb 2 136 becomes available , the fpb 2 sends an acknowledgment packet to the fabric controller 124 and , at step 280 , the fabric controller 124 directs the transaction command to peer 2 146 via the fpb 2 136 for further action . at step 290 , the recipient peer device responds to the transaction command by returning a response packet acknowledging receipt of the transaction request . by forwarding the transaction request directly to the intended peer device without involving the cpu 112 , the possibility of bottle neck traffic on the cb bus 104 is minimized . moreover , concurrent transactions among host devices and among peer devices are supportable . the process terminates at step 299 . [ 0023 ] fig3 is a flow chart describing the decisional steps of one embodiment of the interrupt controller 128 ( fig1 ). as shown in fig3 at step 300 , a typical interrupt process commences by setting the interrupt controller 128 in a “ watchdog ” state and waiting for the issuance of interrupts by one or more peer devices . at step 310 , the interrupt controller 128 determines if an interrupt has been issued by a peer device . if no interrupt has been issued , the interrupt controller 128 returns to its watchdog state as described in step 300 . if an interrupt is detected then , at step 320 , the interrupt controller 128 analyzes the state of the current transaction , which is being performed by the interrupt - issuing peer device (“ source peer device ”). additionally , in response to the interrupt request by the source peer device , the interrupt controller 128 determines whether to interrupt a destination peer device ( i . e ., the peer device targeted by the source peer device ) and / or interrupt the cpu 112 (“ speculative interrupt ”). in analyzing the state of the current transaction , the interrupt controller 128 determines whether the transaction is in its early stages of execution or nearing completion . the interrupt controller 128 may evaluate one or more factors to assess the state of the current transaction . the factors may include , among other things , the destination address , transaction address , one or more status bits , and type of transaction . hence , for example , a source peer device ( e . g ., peer 1 142 ) may request to read certain data ( e . g ., an image ) from the memory 116 . if the transaction address specifies a block of data at the end of the image data for this type of transaction , the interrupt controller 128 determines that the read transaction is nearing completion . alternatively , a system operator may set a counter to a threshold rate to determine at which point ( e . g ., percentage ) a transaction is nearing completion . for instance , if the image size is 8k , and peer 1 142 is reading the image data in blocks of 1k during each memory access , then the read transaction is nearing completion on the 8th access to memory . therefore , if the interrupt controller determines that peer 1 142 is accessing the memory 116 for the 8th time , then the read transaction is nearing completion . if the transaction is nearing completion , the interrupt controller 128 may interrupt the cpu 112 . such interrupt may be necessary to prepare the cpu 112 for further action after the peer 1 142 completes executing its current transaction . moreover , in some instances , the interrupt controller 128 may interrupt the cpu 142 even when the transaction is not nearing completion . such interrupt may be in response to an express request by the source peer device . additionally , the interrupt controller 128 may interrupt the cpu 142 upon detecting an error in the transaction ( e . g ., a data overflow ). in such case , the interrupt controller 128 interrupts the cpu 142 to take appropriate measures , e . g ., instruct the source peer device to cancel or re - initiate the transaction . at step 330 , the interrupt controller 128 determines whether transaction packets sent by the source peer device to a destination device involve passage through the cb 108 ( fig1 ). typically , a source peer device issues an interrupt command to communicate with another device in the system . more particularly , peer 1 142 issues an interrupt command indicating the address of the memory 116 . based on the address , the interrupt controller 128 determines whether interrupting the cb 108 is necessary to establish a data path between the peer 1 142 and the memory 116 . hence , if establishing a data path with the destination device involves passage through the cb 108 , then at step 340 , the interrupt controller 128 interrupts the cb 108 for this purpose . on the other hand , if establishing a data path with the destination device does not involve passage through the cb 108 , the interrupt controller 128 does not interrupt the cb 108 . the process continues directly from step 330 to step 350 . at step 350 , the interrupt controller 128 establishes a data path between the peer 1 142 and the memory 116 . the peer 1 142 , in turn , reads the desired data from the memory 116 . at step 360 , the interrupt controller 142 terminates the data path between the peer device 142 and the memory 116 . at step 370 , the source device determines whether to issue another interrupt to communicate with another device . for instance , after reading and processing ( e . g ., expanding the image ) the desired data , the peer device 142 may issue an interrupt to send out a request to write the processed ( i . e ., expanded image ) data into another peer device ( e . g ., peer 2 146 ). hence , if the peer 1 142 issues another interrupt to the interrupt controller 128 , the process repeats at step 320 . if , on the other hand , the peer 1 142 does not issue an interrupt to the interrupt controller 128 , the process terminates at step 380 . in view of the foregoing , it will be appreciated that the invention overcomes the long - standing need for a method of managing data and interrupt commands issued by peer devices without the disadvantage of involving the central processor in every transaction . the invention ensures an effective utilization of central processors by minimizing unnecessary interruptions by other devices in a computer system . the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics . the described embodiment is to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive . the scope of the invention is , therefore , indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description . all changes which fall within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope . | 6 |
please refer to fig1 for a power supply device 1 that has an ac connection structure 11 and a dc connection structure 10 located therein separately to replace the conventional connection structure that mixes the ac and dc power supply on a same connection structure . the dc connection structure 10 includes a main circuit board 100 and an electric processing unit 101 located on the main circuit board 100 . the main circuit board 100 has a dc connection end 102 . the ac connection structure 11 includes a secondary circuit board 110 electrically connecting to the dc structure that has an ac connection end 111 . the power supply device 1 in the embodiment is adopted to the commonly used 1u specification as an example , and has a standard width of 100 mm in the present standard specification . due to the ac connection structure 11 is located individually on the secondary circuit board 110 on a upper side of the power supply device 1 , the main circuit board 100 of the dc power structure 10 may be fully expanded to the entire width of the power supply device 1 . hence the dc connection end 102 on the width of 92 mm can have output legs with maximum power capacity up to 600 w . such a power output is sufficient to meet the requirements of many hardware equipment . therefore it provides the economic effectiveness of delivering the performance of a large power supply at a smaller size . refer to fig2 for another embodiment of the invention that has one single power supply device 1 serving as a retrieval power supply device 1 for backup purpose . the retrieval power supply device 1 is a horizontal type to serve as an example . it is located in one of a plurality of housing compartments 14 formed by dividing a case 12 by partitions 13 . the case 12 has one end corresponding to each housing compartment 14 to couple with an ac connection port 15 and a dc connection port 16 that are coupled on an electric connection board 17 . the electric connection board 17 is connected to cables 18 which are extended outside the case 12 to deliver electric power . the power supply device 1 has an ac connection end 111 and a dc connection end 102 corresponding respectively to the ac connection port 15 and the dc connection port 16 . hence with the power supply device 1 is installed in the housing compartment 14 of the case 12 , the ac connection end 111 can be coupled with the ac connection port 15 and the dc connection end 102 can be coupled with the dc connection port 16 to establish electric connection . therefore each power supply device 1 can deliver maximum power output . when the power supply device 1 is coupled in parallel , output power may be multiplied to meet the requirements of various types of hardware equipment . when adopted for backup purpose , each power supply device 1 can deliver maximum output power to meet the computer hardware requirement . refer to fig3 and 4 for yet another embodiment of the invention . it adopts a technique similar to that shown in fig2 . the difference is that the ac connection port 15 and the dc connection port 16 are jointly located on an electric connection board 17 , and the power supply device 1 is installed by stacking . other details are same as previously discussed . refer to fig5 for an embodiment of a power supply module 2 that includes a plurality of electric processing units 101 . a case 20 is divided into at least two housing compartments 22 by partitions 21 corresponding to the number of the electric processing units 101 . one end of the case 20 corresponding to each housing compartment 22 is coupled with an ac connection port 15 and a dc connection port 16 . each electric processing module consists of a main circuit board 100 and one electric processing unit 101 . on the main circuit board 100 , there is a dc connection end 102 corresponding to the dc connection port 16 . on the upper side of each housing compartment 22 , there is a secondary circuit board 110 which has an ac connection end 111 corresponding to the ac connection port 15 . the secondary circuit board 110 is electrically connected to the electric processing module . the ac connection port 15 and the dc connection port 16 are individually located on an electric connection board 17 ( or jointly located on the electric connection board 17 ). the connection board 17 is connected to cables 18 which are extended outside the case 20 to deliver electric power . such a structure allows multiple modules to be installed simultaneously and makes installation easier . the case 20 may have a separated anchor board 19 to install the ac connection port 15 and the dc connection port 16 . the anchor board 19 and the case 20 have respectively an anchor lug 190 and an anchor hole 191 . after the main circuit board 100 , secondary circuit board 110 and radiation fans 23 are installed in the housing compartment 22 , wedge the anchor board 19 in the case 20 to align and fasten the anchor lug 190 to the anchor hole 191 , then the ac and dc connection end 111 , 102 and the ac and dc connection port 15 , 16 may be connected electrically . thus in the existing width of the present specification , the dc connection end 102 may be fully expanded to the width of the housing compartment 22 to maximize the output power of the power supply module 2 . while the preferred embodiments of the invention have been set forth for the purpose of disclosure , modifications of the disclosed embodiments of the invention as well as other embodiments thereof may occur to those skilled in the art . accordingly , the appended claims are intended to cover all embodiments which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 6 |
referring now to the drawings , particularly fig1 there is shown a computerized coiling control system having selectable coiler reels and selectable reel speed wobble patterns in the environment of a hot steel bar rolling mill . moving bar 10 exits from finishing stand 11 at a variable speed as determined by mill drive motor 12 . mill speed is sensed by a pulse type tachometer 13 which has a pulse output signal proportional to mill speed processed in mill speed electronics 14 to better define pulse waveform . pulsed output from mill speed electronics 14 is fed to programmed digital computer 15 where it is corrected and converted to a calibrated bar speed signal and a bar length signal as described below . as bar 10 moves toward coiling station 16 it passes through commercially available bar gage 17 where two signals are generated . a dimension signal is generated proportional to the lateral dimension of bar 10 . a shape signal is generated relative to the lateral profile of bar 10 . both of these signals are processed in bar dimension and shape gage electronics 18 , the output of which is also fed to computer 15 for use as described below . as an alternative , the bar 10 dimension and shape signals may be provided from bar order information by other bar mill data source 19 . source 19 also provides bar 10 material and grade data signals , which together with the bar dimension and shape signals are fed to computer 15 for use as described below . the finishing temperature of bar 10 is sensed by pyrometer 20 which sends a raw temperature signal to pyrometer electronics 21 . here the signal is first processed and linearized and then fed a linear temperature signal to computer 15 for use as described below . the leading and trailing ends of hot bar 10 are first sensed by first hot metal detector 22 which sends a raw pulse to hot metal detector electronics 23 . this pulse is processed in hot metal detector electronics 23 so that first leading and trailing end pulses are generated which correspond to the first presence and absence of hot bar 10 at a first location in coiling station 16 . the leading and trailing ends of hot bar 10 are also sensed by a second hot metal detector 24 - 1 located a known distance l 1 from the first hot metal detector 22 . this second detector also produces a raw pulse which is processed in hot metal detector electronics 25 . device 25 generates second leading and trailing end pulses which also correspond to the presence and absence of hot bar 10 at the second location in coiling station 16 . the first and second leading and trailing end pulses are fed from hot metal detector electronics 23 , 25 to computer 15 where , as explained below , they are used to calibrate the bar speed and bar length signals with reference to the known distance l 1 . in addition , these first and second pulses are also used in computer 15 for pouring reel and shear control purposes as described below . coiling station 16 includes a number of coiler switches 26 - 1 to 26 - n for selectively directing movement of hot bar 10 through one of coiler bar guides 27 - 1 to 27 - n and an associated one of a plurality of pouring reels 28 - 1 to 28 - n located in coiling station 16 . each of the pouring reels is located a different distance from first hot metal detector 22 , therefore pouring reels 28 - 1 to 28 - n require a second hot metal detector 24 - 2 to 24 - n , each located a different known distance l n from detector 22 . each second hot metal detector 24 - 2 to 24 - n is preselected by computer 15 to operate one at a time with hot metal detector electronics 25 . in this manner , computer 15 makes a uniform correction of bar speed and bar length calculations , even though a different length standard l 1 to l n is associated with each pouring reel 28 - 1 to 28 - n . selection of which pouring reel 28 - 1 to 28 - n will receive moving bar 10 is carried out under control of a group of coilar switches 26 - 1 to 26 - n . each of these coiler switches is operated by a corresponding motor ( or by solenoid valve ) 29 - 1 to 29 - n . each motor is energized from a related coiler switch controller 30 - 1 to 30 - n which , together with computer 15 , receive coiler switch position feedback signals from corresponding position transmitters 31 - 1 to 31 - n . computer 15 feeds coiler switch control signals to controllers 30 - 1 to 30 - n . these control signals are based on an automatic selection of one or more coiler switch sequential operations that are required to direct moving hot bar 10 to a predetermined pouring reel 28 - 1 to 28 - n . pouring reel 28 - 1 to 28 - n selection and coiler switch 26 - 1 to 26 - n selection may also be controlled from manually operated selector switches located in coiler control panel 32 described below . in order to deal with the variety of coiling situations in high - speed bar mills , the coiling station operator must be free of doing any calculations before and during coiling operations , yet have the latitude to make adjustments in coiling parameters if such is desired . therefore , not only are coiler switch and pouring reel selections made at coiler control panel 32 , but so are the selections of numerous other setup and operating parameters , all of which are fed to computer 15 . the following operating parameters are selected independently of each other and are duplicated on coiler control panel 32 for each pouring reel 28 - 1 to 28 - n located in coiling station 16 : ( a ) coil outside dimension ( o . d . ); ( b ) coil inside dimension ( i . d . ); ( c ) reel speed wobble time period , or rate ; ( d ) reel speed wobble pattern generated in computer 15 and involving stored tabular data therein , the latter being exemplified in table 1 , parts 1 , 2 , 3 ; ( e ) reel start request ; ( f ) reel start wobble request ; ( g ) reel stop wobble request ; and ( h ) reel stop request . parameters a , b , c and d , along with the bar speed , bar size , bar length , and optionally bar grade , temperature and shape parameters mentioned above , are used by computer 15 to calculate a variable reel speed reference signal and a variable motor current reference signal for every pouring reel 28 - 1 to 28 - n selected to receive moving hot bar 10 . the waveforms of variable reel speed and current reference signals are shown in fig5 to 11 . still referring to fig1 the reel speed reference signals , reel motor current reference signals , and the reel start and stop requests are all fed to respective reel speed controller 33 - 1 to 33 - n . each controller is a commercially available device circuited to vary the speed and regulate the torque of reel drive motors 34 - 1 to 34 - n proportional to their respective variable reel speed and variable motor current reference signals fed from computer 15 . regulation of each controller 33 - 1 to 33 - 4 is adjusted so that a substantially zero error signal is always maintained between respective variable reel speed reference signals and corresponding reel speed feedback signals fed from reel speed tachometers 35 - 1 to 35 - n . all reference signals are limit - checked in computer 15 , as described below , so that reel speed variations during coiling of bar 10 will be maintained within limits related to bar speed and respective pouring reel tube outside diameter ( o . d .) 36 - 1 to 36 - n and inside diameter ( i . d .) 37 - 1 to 37 - n . actual speed of each coiling reel 28 - 1 to 28 - n is read on corresponding reel speed indicators 38 - 1 to 38 - n . these indicators sample the reel speed signals from corresponding tachometers 35 - 1 to 35 - n and feed them to computer 15 . the reel speed signals are used in computer 15 for display and logging purposes , as described below , but they are not used for the calculation of either the reel speed or motor current reference signals . after the selected pouring reel 28 - 1 to 28 - n is filled from bottom to a predetermined level with coiled bar 10 , a shear cut signal is initiated and fed from computer 15 to shear motor controller 39 . controller 39 energizes shear motor 40 so that shear 41 will rotate one revolution and make a divide shear cut in bar 10 . shear 41 rotational position is determined by shear position transmitter 42 and fed back to computer 15 which in turn feeds control signal to shear motor controller 39 to ensure that only one revolution of shear 42 is made for a divide shear cut of bar 10 when hot metal detector 22 senses bar 10 exiting from finishing stand 11 . when a divide shear cut of bar 10 is made , or when the trailing end of bar 10 is sensed by hot metal detector 22 , computer 15 scans ready - to - receive - product signals fed from all remaining pouring reels 28 - 2 to 28 - n . computer 15 decides on which of these pouring reels is the next available coiler and activates coiler switches 26 - 1 to 26 - n to guide the new front of bar 10 into the selected pouring reel 28 - 2 to 28 - n . corresponding devices in block 43 are also energized and the above - described coiling procedure is repeated . if no pouring reels are available , or all reels are incapacitated , computer 15 sends a cobble shear cut signal to shear motor controller 39 and motor 40 to continuously rotate shear 41 , or an equivalent , so that bar 10 will be cut into pieces and disposed of rather than causing a bar cobble at the coiling area . all operating signals fed to or from computer 15 may be called for and displayed on coiler crt terminal 43 , as well as duplicating coiler control panel 42 signals , when using predetermined mnemonics . likewise , all these operating signals may be called for by coiler printing terminal 45 and printed on log sheet 46 in response to predetermined mnemonics . all bar mill order information and other signals relating to bar speed , size , grade , temperature and / or shape may be called from their respective sources through computer 15 and displayed on bar mill crt terminal 47 , also in response to predetermined mnemonics . turning now to fig1 , a block diagram is shown of computer 15 used in the selectable coiling control system shown in fig1 . computer 15 is a commercially available digital mini - computer programmed to perform the various functions described below . if desired , computer 15 may be shared with other functions in an overall rolling and coiling mill control computer installation . computer 15 is provided with conventional main components including input buffer 48 , output buffer 49 , storage 50 , all communicating by various channels with data processing unit 51 . computer 15 operations are controlled sequentially according to computer programs 52 which comprise : service programs 53 , bar mill tachometer calibration 54 , bar speed and length calculations 55 , bar reel switching decision 56 , reel speed wobble pattern reference signal calculation 57 , bar grade compensation calculation 58 , bar temperature compensation calculation 59 , bar shape compensation calculation 60 , bar theoretical weight calculation 61 , reel inertia calculation 62 , and reel drive current reference signal calculation 63 . flow charts for each of these computer programs are shown in fig1 to 23 and described below . all cmmunications to computer 15 from external sources are by way of input buffer 48 which includes means for acquiring and converting analog and digital signals into computer digital form , and includes means for counting digital pulses . a list of signals fed to input buffer 48 from coiler control panel 32 is shown in fig1 a , and from the bar mill and coiling station 16 are shown in fig1 b . in addition , input buffer 48 is adapted to receive operator interaction command signals from coiler crt terminal 44 , coiler printing terminal 45 and bar mill crt terminal 47 . all communications from computer 15 to external sources are by way of output buffer 49 which includes means for converting and transmitting computer digital form signals into analog and other digital signals . a list of signals fed from output buffer 49 to reel speed controllers 33 - 1 to 33 - n is shown in fig1 c , and to coiler switches 26 - 1 to 26 - n and shear motor controller 39 is shown in fig1 d . in addition , output buffer 49 is adapted to transmit operator interactive display signals from coiler crt terminal 44 , coiler printing terminal 45 to produce log sheet 46 , and bar mill crt terminal 47 . service program 53 . this is a standard auxiliary subroutine appended before each of the other program routines and is discussed without benefit of a flow chart because of its commonality . this subroutine is used within input and output buffers 48 , 49 and storage and data processing units 50 , 51 for automatically directing the aquisition , conversion , manipulation , transmission and storage of data within computer 15 . bar mill tachometer calculation 54 , see fig1 flow chart . this program is run as an initial part of bar 10 speed and length measurements and calculations performed by the selectable coiler control system shown in fig1 . briefly , bar speed calibration is established , checked and corrected , if necessary , by measuring bar speed at mill speed tachometer 13 , detecting the effect of changes in mill roll diameter relationship to bar speed pulses / min . and first correcting bar speed input signal at computer 15 , then automatically correcting reel speed reference signal sent to controllers 33 - 1 to 33 - n . bar speed measurements begin when bar 10 exits from mill finishing stand 11 and the front end of bar 10 is sensed by hot metal detector 22 , or when a bar divide cut is completed . computer 15 stores in a counter the initial reading of pulses from mill speed tachometer 13 . when the front end of bar 10 is sensed by one of the selected hot metal detectors 24 - 1 to 24 - n , computer 15 stores the present counter reading and takes the difference between the present and initial counts and stores this count difference . based on this count difference , computer 15 calculates what the theoretical length of bar 10 would be if a theoretical pulses - per - foot of bar 10 length were used , the latter factor being based on tachometer 13 pulse count in relation to finishing stand 11 roll circumference . next , computer 15 calculates the ratio of theoretical length to the actual length selected from l 1 to l n to obtain a correction factor to the theoretical pulses - per - foot . finally , computer 15 limit - checks the correction factor and produces a corrected bar speed signal . an advantage in using this method of measuring bar speed is that in the event of a bad calibration of mill speed tachometer 13 occuring , or inaccurate effective roll diameter input , the theoretical pulse - per - foot may still be used by maintaining the correction factor at 1 . 0 , or at the last good correction factor , until recalibration of tachometer 13 is made . bar speed and length calculation 55 , see fig1 flow chart and fig1 block diagram . this program is run as a companion part of program 54 to calculate the speed and length of bar 10 instead of calibrating bar speed as in program 54 . computer 15 runs a bar speed and length calculation every 15 msec . first , it reads the count on a time counter and reads the count on the pulse counter driven by mill speed tachometer 13 , then takes the difference from the last reading on both counters . the difference in pulses is converted to length of bar 10 using the theoretical pulse - per - foot and correction factor used in program 54 . bar length is stored for the duration of the program run and for use in calculating bar 10 speed by dividing bar length by time . bar reel switching decision 56 , see fig1 flow chart and fig1 block diagram . this program is started when bar 10 exits from bar mill finishing stand 11 and the front end of bar 10 is sensed by hot metal detector 22 , or when a decision is made to start shear 41 to divide cut bar 10 but before the cut is actually initiated . computer 15 then checks the availability of one of the pouring reels 28 - 1 to 28 - n by sensing their respective ready - to - receive signals . it selects the next available pouring reel for coiling that is at base speed . at the same time computer 15 selects one or more of coiler switches 26 - 1 to 26 - n to direct bar 10 movement into the selected pouring reel . during roation of the selected pouring reel 28 - 1 to 28 - n , computer 15 queries the predetermined coiling level , inhibits a divide shear cut signal until the reel is at the predetermined coiling level , then either causes shear 41 to cut bar 10 or permits the coiler operator to do so manually only if an operable pouring reel is available . if none of the pouring reels 28 - 1 to 28 - n are ready or available to receive moving bar 10 , computer 15 sends a &# 34 ; start cobble shear &# 34 ; signal to shear motor controller 39 , or to an equivalent , and causes bar 10 to be cut up to prevent a cobble . at the same time , computer 15 sends an &# 34 ; inhibit mill &# 34 ; signal to the bar rolling mill to prevent entry of another billet into the bar mill . reel speed wobble reference signal calculation 57 . see fig1 a , 17b flow charts , fig1 block diagrams , fig5 to 8 speed reference graphs , and fig2 , 4 plan - view coiling diagrams . this program is run to generate each of the entire reel speed reference signals shown in fig5 , 8 , and fed the preselected one of these to the selected reel speed controller 33 - 1 to 33 - n for the purpose of starting , stopping , and controlling the speed wobble patterns of the selected pouring reel 28 - 1 to 28 - n . flow charts 17a , 17b cover only the program for the three different four - segment roll speed wobble patterns shown in fig6 but not the entire speed reference signal waveform shown in either fig5 or 8 . generating the remaining portion , that is , the reel speed start , stop and idle sections , is believed obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art . in order to achieve maximum theoretical coil density , reel speed at the point of contact with bar 10 must always be equal to bar speed regardless of where bar 10 is located laterally between pouring reel o . d . and i . d . this means that pouring reel speed must vary cyclically and that reels 28 - 1 to 28 - n must make fewer r . p . m . when bar 10 is at pouring reel o . d . 36 than at i . d . 37 . heretofore , this cyclic reel speed variation , or reel speed wobble , has been referred to as an archimedes spiral pattern to explain the behaviour of bar 10 during coiling between pouring reel o . d . and i . d . limits as shown in fig2 , 4 . three four - segment reel speed wobble patterns programmed herein for computer 15 solution are shown in fig6 . the present computerized coiling control system is programmed to solve reel speed wobble pattern equations stated below in general form for each of the four segments a , b , c , d shown in fig6 . numerical values for precalculated portions of these equations pertaining to characteristics of waveform and other parameters programmed herein is tabularized in appended table 1 , parts 1 , 2 , 3 . each of these parts corresponds to the three different wobble patterns shown in fig6 . changes to the basic reel speed wobble pattern to compensate for variations in bar 10 outside dimension ( o . d .) say from 0 . 500 to 2 . 000 inches ( 1 . 27 to 5 . 08 cm .) o . d ., occurs automatically by computer 15 searching table 1 for the bar o . d . range closest to the bar dimension signal fed to computer 15 from device 15 in fig1 . changes to the basic reel speed wobble patterns to further compensate for bar grade , bar temperature , and bar shape are discussed below under programs for calculations 58 , 59 , 60 , respectively . further , computer 15 may be programmed to choose between different sets of tables for the purpose of generating completely different reel speed wobble patterns to fit a variety of coiling situations other than those covered by fig6 . in addition , each segment a , b , c or d in any of the reel speed wobble patterns may be changed independently of the others by way of instructions from coiler crt terminal 44 for changing appropriate values in table 1 , parts 1 , 2 , 3 or other additional parts . this affords greater operator flexibility in attempting to produce denser coils under less than ideal operating conditions . as mentioned above , coiler control panel 32 is provided to minimize coiler operator setups for the variety of coiling situations encountered in practice . one operator control on this panel is the reel speed wobble pattern switch for selecting one of the three or more four - segment reel speed wobble patterns that are shown in fig6 . the first of these patterns is identified as the archimedes spiral , the second a spiral with dwell , and the third a triangular waveform . each of these wobble patterns , together with table 1 , parts 1 , 2 , 3 , cause computer 15 to generate a reel speed reference signal which varies in accordance with fig5 , 8 . under ideal coiling conditions the three reel speed wobble patterns will produce spiral layer coils corresponding to the plan - view diagrams shown in fig2 , 4 . when less than ideal operating conditions are encountered , the reel speed wobble pattern selector may have another advantage to the coiler operator to get rid of bar hang - ups in the pouring reels by switching from one reel speed wobble pattern to another , thereby improving coil density . coiler control panel 32 is also provided with three additional operator controls which permit the coiler operator to preselect coil o . d . size , coil i . d . size , and reel speed wobble time , or rate , independently of each other as well as independently , of bar speed . all of these adjustments provide for improved coil density . the coil o . d . size control establishes a value for the o . d . variable in the equations stated below , as well as establishing the pouring reel base speed in fig5 , 8 . increasing coil o . d . size control reduces reel base speed and moves bar 10 closer to reel o . d . but , of course , cannot exceed this value . reducing coil o . d . size control increases reel base speed and moves bar 10 away from reel o . d . but cannot equal coil i . d . size . the coil i . d . size control establishes a value for the i . d . variable in the equations below , as well as establishing the pouring reel peak speed in fig5 , 8 . increasing coil i . d . size control increases reel peak speed and moves bar 10 closer to the reel i . d . but , of course , cannot be smaller than this value . reducing coil i . d . size control reduces reel peak speed and moves bar 10 toward reel o . d . but cannot equal coil o . d . size . when the coiler operator preselects the wobble time control , a value is established for the lf length factor in the equations below , as well as a value being established for the wobble time interval between valleys in the waveforms shown in fig5 , 8 . increasing the wobble time increases the length of bar that lies between the coil o . d . and i . d ., and vise versa . thus , it will be appreciated that the controls on panel 32 , which are preselected by the coiler operator , affect the reel base speed , reel peak speed and the time of the reel speed wobble pattern cycle . in practice , these controls are independent of reel speed and are related to the physical parameters identified as coil o . d . and i . d . and the wobble time ratioed to a theoretical wobble time . hence , when setting up the coiler , the coiler operator need only remember the control settings , not the actual base and peak speeds and wobble time period in relation to bar speed . a major portion of the reel speed reference signal is generated by computer 15 calculating the three four - segment reel speed wobble patterns shown in fig6 and based on the following equations : ______________________________________equation for segment a ( eq . 1 ) ## str1 ## a . sub . 2 ( l × lf ). sup . 2 + a . sub . 3 ( l × lf ). sup . 3 ] ] for ≦ l × lf ≦ sl . sub . aequation for segment b ( eq . 2 ) ## str2 ## for o ≦ l × lf ≦ sl . sub . bequation for segment c ( eq . 3 ) ## str3 ## c . sub . 2 ( sl . sub . c - l × lf ). sup . 2 + c . sub . 3 ( sl . sub . c - l × lf ). sup . 3 ] ] for o ≦ l × lf ≦ sl . sub . cequation for segment d ( eq . 4 ) ## str4 ## for o ≦ l × lf ≦ sl . sub . d______________________________________ s r = linear reel speed based on reel o . d . and r . p . m . d e = the effective bar dimension used for calculating incremental increase in the reel speed above base speed vs . length of bar product in reel since start of wobble . this parameter is the hot bar dimension of the largest bar in the range of cold bar dimension that will fit n rings in one layer . n varies from 4 to 15 for a reel i . d . of 38 . 5 &# 34 ; and o . d . of 54 . 5 &# 34 ;. rmf = ratio multiply factor . ## equ1 ## tmr = theoretical maximum ratio . ## equ2 ## l = length of bar from start of segment , length counter is set to zero for each segment . lf = length factor , preset by coiler operator with wobble time control . thus , the coiler operator can change the od and id speeds simply by changing the coil od and coil id control settings on panel 32 . it should be noted that the coil od and coil id controls do not interact with each other when making a change in either the base reel speed or peak reel speed . it should be further noted that changes in the wobble time control on panel 32 changes the time it takes for the pouring reel 28 - 1 to 28 - n to go from od base speed to id peak speed . the wobble time control changes the lf ( length factor ) which changes the length of bar product that goes into one spiral layer in the reel . the lf range is determined by this calculation 57 and will be easily changed . the reel speed pattern reference signal calculation program 57 , fig1 a , 17b flow charts , is started when bar 10 exits from finishing stand 11 and the front end reaches hot metal detector 22 , or receives a divide cut from shear 41 , or the front end of bar 10 reaches the selected hot metal detector 24 - 1 to 24 - n . a calculation is made of the time the head end of bar 10 will reach the selected pouring reel 24 - 1 to 24 - n based on known length l 1 to l n and the bar speed . when this time has elapsed , a start wobble request is initiated and computer 15 will start calculation of the reel speed wobble pattern equations and call tabular data from table 1 , part 1 , 2 or 3 corresponding to the selected wobble pattern . the reel speed wobble pattern reference signal calculation 57 is run every 15 msec . it starts the selected pouring reel 28 - 1 to 28 - n and builds reel speed up to base speed , wobbles the selected pouring reel speed between base speed and peak speed , and when all of the bar 10 is in the pouring reel , reduces reel speed to zero . one of fig5 , 8 illustrate the reel speed reference signal generated , and one of fig2 , 4 show a plan - view diagram of the coil of bar 10 in the selected pouring reel 28 - 1 to 28 - n . when the start wobble request is received , the start of the reel speed wobble is delayed for a fixed length of bar 10 in the first layer of coil . fig2 , 4 show this initial delay length to be the same length in each coiling pattern . however , in practice the initial delay length may be a different value for each pattern , or may be a full turn or more . in any event , the purpose of the initial delay length is to insure that the first portion of the bar coil lays on the outside diameter of the pouring reel . after the initial delay is over , computer 15 selects the parameters for calculating the reel speed wobble pattern reference signals . these parameters include : bar dimension , such as diameter of round bar ; coil o . d ., coil i . d . and wobble time ; and reel speed wobble pattern preselected by the coiler operator according to a number . when the reel speed wobble pattern is selected , computer 15 accesses the wobble pattern number and calls the stored data from table 1 , part 1 , 2 , or 3 , depending on which wobble pattern was selected . thus , with this method it is possible to have different wobble patterns stored for all pouring reels , if desired . next , computer 15 calls for a bar speed signal from connection 1 in fig1 , and calls for a confirmation that the pouring reel is running from connection 4 , fig1 a . then , computer 15 selects a segment a , b , c or d of the wobble pattern to be used in calculations and selects a predetermined length of bar 10 for that segment . thereafter , the computer calculates the reel speed reference signal according to the segment a equation ( eq . 1 ) and outputs the reel speed signal on connection 5 , fig1 b for use in calculating the reel motor current reference signal described below . both the reel speed reference signal and the reel motor current reference signal are limit - checked in computer 15 and then fed to the selected reel speed controller 33 - 1 to 33 - n for controlling the speed of the selected pouring reel 28 - 1 to 28 - n . on the next 15 msec . interrupt , computer 15 again calculates the reel speed reference signal according to segment a equation . this calculation is repeated again on each successive interrupt until the bar length counter for that segment exceeds the sl a ( sumlength a ) value in table 1 , part 1 , 2 or 3 . after sl a is exceeded , computer 15 chooses the segment b equation ( eq . 2 ) and rezeroes the bar length counter . segment b is used in calculating the reel speed wobble pattern reference signal in the same manner as segment a until sl b ( sumlength b ) is exceeded in table 1 , part 1 , 2 or 3 , and the bar length counter is rezeroed . this same procedure is used sequentially in selecting and calculating segments c and d equations ( eq . 3 and 4 ) until their respective sl c and sl d ( sumlength c and sumlength d ) are exceeded in table 1 , part 1 , 2 or 3 . thereafter , segment a equation is again selected and the entire procedure repeated to generate a continuous reel speed wobble pattern reference signal . this program is concluded when the tail end of bar 10 generates an interrupt signal at hot metal detector 24 , or an initiation of a shear cut of bar 10 is made at shear 41 . a calculation is then made of the time the tail end of bar 10 will be at the selected pouring reel 281 to 28 - n . after this time has elapsed , a stop wobble is initiated , then after a time delay a stop reel motion request is sent to reel speed controller 33 - 1 to 33 - n . bar grade compensation 58 , see fig2 and fig1 b flow charts . if bar grade or material compensation of the reel speed wobble pattern reference signal is desired , this program 58 may also run at 15 msec . intervals the same as those for calculating segment equations a , b , c , d in program 57 . this program is started when bar grade information is fed into computer 15 and a selection is made of the reel speed wobble pattern . instead of calling data from storage based on only bar dimension range , table 1 is extended to include tabular data based on both a range of bar dimensions and a range of bar grades . if the coiler operator has already selected a reel speed wobble pattern without the benefit of grade compensation , use the preselected wobble pattern . otherwise , computer 15 will use the reel speed wobble pattern modified by grade information as the selected wobble pattern . this modification occurs through connection 6 on fig2 and 17b flow charts and runs for the same duration as program 57 . bar temperature compensation calculation 59 , see fig2 and 17b flow charts . if bar temperature compensation of the reel speed wobble pattern reference signal is desired , this program 59 is also run at 15 msec . intervals the same as those for calculating equations a , b , c , d in program 57 . this program is started by selecting and storing temperature factors t 1 , t 2 , t 3 based on range of temperature of hot bar 10 and then storing these factors . next , replace the preselected term &# 34 ; coil od &# 34 ; in reel speed wobble pattern segment equations 1 , 3 and 4 with a modified term &# 34 ; coil od × t 1 .&# 34 ; next , replace the preselected term &# 34 ; coil id &# 34 ; in reel speed wobble pattern segment equation 2 with a modified term &# 34 ; coil id × t 2 .&# 34 ; thereafter , replace the preselected term &# 34 ; lf &# 34 ; ( length factor ) everywhere in reel speed wobble pattern segment equations 1 , 2 , 3 and 4 with a modified term lf × t 3 . this modification occurs through connection 7 on fig2 and 17b flow charts and also runs for the same duration as program 57 . bar shape compensation calculation 60 , see fig2 and 17b flow charts . if bar shape compensation of the reel speed wobble pattern reference signal is desired , this program 60 may also run at 15 msec . intervals the same as those for calculating segment equations a , b , c and d in program 57 . this program is started by reading the shape and dimension information fed to computer 15 from gage 17 or other sources . next , calculate the pouring width of bar 10 or other product being coiled in pouring reel 28 - 1 to 28 - n and use this parameter in place of &# 34 ; bar dimension &# 34 ; in table 1 , all parts . the pouring width is the lateral dimension of bar 10 as it lays adjacent one another in flat spiral turns in the selected pouring . when bar 10 is round or square , round being exemplified by stored data in table 1 , parts 1 , 2 , 3 , etc ., then the pouring width is bar diameter for rounds or width for squares . when bar 10 is a flat and poured standing on edge , the pouring width is the flat thickness . conversely , when a flat is poured flat instead of on edge , then the pouring width is the flat width . when bar 10 has a hexagonal , oval , or other cross - sectional shape with one lateral dimension larger than another lateral dimension , the pouring width is the lateral dimension across adjacent surfaces in the flat spiral . when the pouring width has been determined , the resulting dimension is used to modify the bar dimension value in determining bar dimension range in table 1 , part 1 , 2 , 3 , etc . this modification occurs through connection 8 on fig2 and 17b flow charts and also runs for the duration of program 57 . bar theoretical weight calculation 61 , see fig1 , 15 and 19 flow charts . program 61 shown in fig1 flow chart is run with programs 62 and 63 at 15 msec . intervals the same as those for calculating segment equations a , b , c and d in program 57 . this program is started by determining bar length from start of reel speed wobble by calling the stored bar length value through connection 1 in fig1 flow chart . next , computer 15 calculates the weight w of bar 10 or other product in the selected pouring reel 28 - 1 to 28 - n by the following equation : a = crossectional area of bar based on bar dimension and shape information the theoretical weight calculated data is fed through connection 9 to fig1 flow chart in reel inertia calculations . this program concludes when program 57 is concluded . reel inertia calculation 62 , see fig1 , 18 and 17b flow charts . program 62 shown in fig1 flow chart is run to determine total inertia of the pouring reel and coil during coiling operations . this program is run at the same 15 msec . intervals as those for calculating segment equations a , b , c and d in program 57 . program 62 is started by computer 15 calculating : ## equ4 ## where : w 1 = weight of bar coil as it builds up , value determined by program 61 and obtained through connection 9 in fig1 . r 1 = radius of gyration of bar coil , a standard calculation using coil dimensions . where : ## equ5 ## where : w 2 = weight of empty pouring reel . r 2 = radius of gyration of pouring reel , a standard calculation using reel dimensions . the total inertia calculation data is fed through connection 10 to fig2 flow chart in reel drive current reference signal calculations . this program concludes when program 57 is concluded . reel drive current reference signal calculation 63 , see fig2 , 19 and 17b flow charts ; and fig9 and 11 graphs . program 53 is shown in fig2 flow chart is run to generate reel drive current reference signals fig9 , 11 graphs which is combined with the reel speed reference signal through connection 11 on fig1 b flow chart . this program is also run at the same 15 msec . intervals as those for calculating segment equations a , b , c and d in program 57 . program 63 is started by computer 15 calculating the change in reel speed reference signal since last interrupt using the reel speed reference signal data received over connection 5 from fig1 b flow chart . next , measure the change in time since last interput when reel speed reference signal was calculated . thereafter , calculate the reel drive currect reference signal according to : ## equ6 ## where : s r1 = present reel speed reference signal . δtime = change in time since last reel speed reference signal calculation . the reel drive current reference signal , shown in either fig9 or 11 graph , is fed through connection 11 to fig1 b flow chart where it is limit - checked along with the reel speed reference signal . both of these reference signals are converted in a d / a converter in order that separate analog speed and current reference signals may be fed to reel speed controller 33 - 1 to 33 - n where they are combined to control the speed and torque of pouring reels 28 - 1 to 28 - n . program 63 concludes when program 57 is concluded . | 1 |
a lure in accordance with the present invention includes a lure main body and a thin rod with a hook which are connected with one another by a preserve element for one time use ( destructible ) and multiple time use ( non - destructible ). fig1 shows an artificial lure which has a lure main body 1 , a rod 2 with a hook 3 . the rod passes through an eye 4 provided on the main body . a preserve element 5 is connected with its one end to the eye 4 and with its another end to a front eye of the rod or with a buckle 6 connected with a fishline 7 . the prongs of the hook can be temporarily fixed in fixing members 8 formed for example as rubber pieces with upper slot . this permits loose swinging of the hook , but at the same time does not permanently fix it to the body . the preserve element is disposable and is destroyed during strike after the hook has been bitten . its length is selected so that it provides a sufficient supply of movement of the rod 2 with the hook 3 for efficient engagement of the fish mouth by the hooks . during throwing of the lure with a spinning and manipulations with the bait in water it is not destroyed ; the preserve element can be formed as a fishline with a strength of 2 pounds , where the weight of the lure does not exceed 1 . 5 ounce . the throwing is performed by a spinning . with a flexible fishing rod the setting is performed with the fishing rod inclined forwardly so that it is aligned with the fish line . during trolling the preserve element must not be destroyed during manipulation of the lure in water , and at the same time after fish has bitten the bait the setting must destroy the preserve element . fig2 shows a lure with a lure main body 9 , a rod 10 with a hook 11 , wherein the rod passes through an eye 12 on the main body . an open u - shaped eye 13 forms a multiple use preserve element and is arranged in the rear part of the main body . the position of the u - shaped eye 13 and the length of the hook 11 are selected to as to provide a sufficient supply of movement of the rod with the hook for efficient engagement of the fish mouth . the front eye of the rod 10 is connected with a buckle 14 attached to a fishline 15 . fig3 shows a lure with a main body 16 , a rod 17 with a hook 18 , wherein the rod 17 passes through an eye 19 arranged in the main body . the rod 17 is connected with a buckle 20 attached to the fishline 21 . the main body is provided with a multiple use preserve element 22 which has a special shape and fixes the eye of the hook in a predetermined position relative to the main body . the preserve element is composed of spring steel and permits movement of the rod with the hooks relative to the main body upon reaching of a certain force during a setting . fig4 shows a plug including a plug main body 23 resembling a natural fish , and a rod 24 with a hook 25 . the rod 24 is connected with the main body through an eye 26 arranged in the body . a preserve element of one time use 27 is connected with a loop of the rod 24 or a buckle 28 on the one hand , and with a loop 26 in the main body on the other hand . the buckle 28 is connected with a fishline 29 . the rear part of the main body has a fixing member 30 which holds a hook 25 immovably relative to the main body . fig5 shows a plug similar to the plug of fig4 . the difference is that the main body of the plug in fig5 has a blade 31 for improved game of the plug in water . fig6 shows a plug with a plug main body 32 provided with an inner chamber 33 , a rod 34 with a hook 35 , wherein the hook is hidden in the chamber 33 . a preserve element for multiple use is an open u - shaped spring eye 36 . the rod 34 passes through the eye 37 located in the main body and is fixed to the buckle 38 connected with the fishline 39 . fig7 shows a plug with a plug main body 40 having an inner chamber 41 , a rod 42 with a hook 43 . the preserve element of one time use 44 is connected with an eye 45 in the main body with a buckle 46 attached to the fishline 47 . the rear side of the chamber 41 has a step 48 which fixes the position of the hook 43 in the chamber . fig8 shows a plug with a plug main body 49 with a blade 50 and an eye 51 for passing a rod 52 with a hook 53 . a preserve element 54 of one time use is connected with the eye 55 mounted in the blade 50 , and with the buckle 56 connected with the fishline 57 . the main body has a fixing member which holds one of the hook prongs . fig9 shows a plug which has a plug main body 59 with a blade 60 and an eye 61 for passing a rod 62 with a hook 63 . a preserve element of multiple use includes an additional rod 64 and an open u - shaped springy loop 65 connected with an eye 66 in the blade 60 . the rod 62 is connected with a buckle 67 attached to a fishline 68 . the main body 59 has a fixing member which holds one of the hook prongs . fig1 shows a plug with a plug main body 70 having an eye 71 for passing a rod 72 with the hook 73 . the preserve element of multiple use 74 has a special shape and fixes the eye of the hook 73 in a predetermined position relative to the main body . the rod 72 is connected with the buckle 75 connected to a fishline 76 . fig1 shows a device for fishing of fish or prey with dead fish as a bait . it has a wire device 77 for holding dead fish 78 . the latter has a floating bladder and tends to turn upside down . to avoid this , the wire device is connected by a loop in the shape of numeral 8 with a weight 80 . a rod 81 passes through the loop and has a hook 82 . the hook is engaged with one prong under the fish skin . the rod 81 is connected with a buckle 83 attached to a fishline 84 . the preserve element of one time use 85 is connected with a spring of the wire device 77 or the loop 79 on one hand , and with the buckle 83 or the front eye of the rod 81 . fig1 shows a wire device including a spring loop 85 , a long prong 86 insertable through the mouth of dead fish into its interior , and a short prong insertable into bone structure of fish head . fig1 shows a device for fishing of fish or prey with the use of dead fish , which includes a wire device 88 , a loop 89 connecting the wire device with a weight 90 , dead fish 91 , a rod 92 with a hook 93 connected with a buckle 94 which is attached to a fishline 95 . the multiple use preserve element includes the rod additional 96 and an open u - shaped spring eye 97 connected to an eye 98 . the latter is built in a weight 90 . fig1 shows a lure including a lure main body 99 with an eye 100 and a preserve element of multiple use 101 . it is formed as an open u - shaped eye inserted into an opening in the main body . a hook 102 passes through an eye 100 and is connected with a buckle 103 attached to a fishline 104 . fig1 shows a lure including a main lure body 105 with an eye 106 provided with a multiple use preserve element 107 , and an eye 108 with a dobble hook 109 . a rod 110 is connected with the hook eye 109 and with the buckle 111 attached to a fishline 112 . fig1 shows a plug with a main plug body 113 provided with an eye 113 . the preserve element of multiple use 114 is mounted in the eye 115 . the plug further has an eye 116 and a double hook 117 . a rod 118 is connected with the hook eye 117 and with a buckle 119 attached to a fishline 120 . the construction shown in fig1 , as well as in fig1 does not need an additional fixation of hook prongs , since the eye mounted on the main body and the preserve element sufficiently fix the hook relative to the bait . the invention is not limited to the details shown since various modifications and structural changes are possible without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention . what is desired to be protected by letters patent is set forth in particular in the appended claims . | 0 |
the reactants comprised 146 . 14 g of adipic acid , 120 g of hexamethylene diamine , 49 g of water , and 0 . 276 g of sodium hypophosphite . after the reactants were charged into the reactor , nitrogen gas was introduced into the reactor several times to purge air from the reactor . then the reactor was closed and the external temperature of the reactor was maintained at 250 ° c . for 1 hour . subsequently , the external temperature of the reactor was raised to 270 ° c . for 1 hour . thereafter , the temperature was raised to 320 ° c . during the temperature increase sequence , if the pressure inside the reactor exceeded 3 kg / cm 2 , the pressure would be released to 0 kg / cm 2 . finally when the temperature inside the reactor reached 260 ° c ., the reactor pressure was released to 0 kg / cm 2 , and the material was removed from the reactor . this completed the polymerization reaction . after the polymerization reaction , nylon 66 prepolymer was produced which has a relative viscosity of 1 . 36 . the relative viscosity assumed that the viscosity of concentrated sulfuric acid ( more than 96 %) is 1 g / dl in a cannon ubbelohde size 200 ( b194 ) capillary viscometer at 30 ° c . prepare prepolymers which are synthesized according to the method described in example 1 . add 0 . 3 g to 0 . 4 g of the nylon 66 prepolymer into a stainless steel tube reactor . seal the stainless steel tube reactor , and place the reactor into tin bath at 360 ° c . for 6 minutes . the inner temperature of the reactor is approximately 260 ° c . the inner pressure of the reactor is approximately 73 cm hg ( 76 cm hg being absolute vacuum ). remove the reactor from tin bath and cool the reactor in the air for 1 minute . then cool the reactor with water until the temperature of the reactor reached room temperature . open the reactor to remove the sample . the product is a nylon 66 polymer . measure the relative viscosity of the sample . the relative viscosity of the polymer is 1 . 56 . prepare the nylon 66 prepolymer which is synthesized according to the method described in example 1 , and all the reaction conditions are the same as those in example 2 , except that 2 phr ( parts per hundred parts of reactants , by weight ) of isooctyl diphenyl phosphite ( commercial name mark c , a general type phosphite ) were added into the reactor . after the reaction is completed according to the method described in example 2 , the relative viscosity is measured . the product is a nylon 66 polymer . the relative viscosities of reaction products from examples 1 through 3 are listed in table 1 . the relative viscosities of the nylon 66 polymers that are synthesized using the organic phosphite as cocatalyst are higher than those without the organic phosphite cocatalyst , indicating a more complete reaction within the same reaction time by the addition of the organic phosphite cocatalyst disclosed in this invention . table 1______________________________________ relativeexample no . polymer composition viscosity______________________________________1 nylon 66 prepolymer 1 . 362 nylon 66 polymer ( w / o cocatalyst ) 1 . 563 nylon 66 polymer ( with organic phos - 1 . 90 phite as cocatalyst ) ______________________________________ the reactants comprised 160 g of isophthalic acid , 120 g of hexamethylene diamine , 49 g of water , and 0 . 276 g of sodium hypophosphite . after the reactants were charged into the reactor , nitrogen gas was introduced into the reactor several times to purge air from the reactor . then the reactor was closed and the external temperature of the reactor was maintained at 250 ° c . for 1 hour . subsequently , the external temperature of the reactor was raised to 270 ° c . for 1 hour . thereafter , the temperature was raised to 340 ° c . during the temperature increase sequence , if the pressure inside the reactor exceeded 3 kg / cm 2 , the pressure would be released to 0 kg / cm 2 . finally when the temperature inside the reactor reached 270 ° c ., the reactor pressure was released to 0 kg / cm 2 , and the material was removed from the reactor . this completed the polymerization reaction . after the polymerization reaction , nylon 6i prepolymer was produced which has a relative viscosity of 1 . 96 . use nylon 6i prepolymer from example 4 instead of the nylon 66 prepolymer in example 2 . all the other conditions are the same as those in example 2 . the relative viscosity of nylon 6i polymer from this reaction is 4 . 0 . use nylon 6i prepolymer in example 4 instead of nylon 66 prepolymer in example 2 . the reactants are nylon 6i prepolymer and 1 phr of isooctyl diphenyl phosphite , which is a general type phosphites . all the other conditions are the same as those in example 2 . the relative viscosity of the nylon 6i polymer prepared using the organic phosphite as cocatalyst is higher than that of the nylon 6i polymer prepared without cocatalyst . table 2 compares the relative viscosities of nylon 6i polymers from examples 4 through 6 . table 2______________________________________ relativeexample no . polymer composition viscosity______________________________________4 nylon 6i prepolymer 1 . 965 nylon 6i polymer ( w / o cocatalyst ) 4 . 006 nylon 6i polymer ( with organic 4 . 83 phosphite as cocatalyst ) ______________________________________ the reactants comprised 3650 g of adipic acid , 4150 g of terephthalic acid , 6000 g of hexamethylene diamine , 2450 g of distilled water , and 13 . 8 g of sodium hypophosphite . the diamine was first added to the distilled to make a mixture solution . after the reactants were charged into the reactor at room temperature , nitrogen gas was introduced into the reactor several times to purge air from the reactor . then the reactor was closed and the external heat was applied to the reactor . after about 50 - 60 minutes , the external temperature of the reactor reached 240 ° c . and the internal temperature of the reactor was about 200 ° c . subsequently , the external temperature of the reactor was maintained at 240 °- 250 ° c . for thirty minutes . at this time , the internal temperature of the reactor was about 200 °- 210 ° c . thereafter , the external temperature of the reactor was raised to 250 °- 260 ° c . and the internal temperature increased to 210 °- 230 ° c . finally when the temperature inside the reactor reached 230 ° c . ( the external temperature was at 270 ° c . ), the reactor pressure was released to 0 kg / cm 2 , and the material was removed from the reactor . at anytime during the reaction stage , the pressure would be released to 3 kg / cm 2 if the pressure exceeded 10 kg / cm 2 . this completed the polymerization reaction . after the polymerization reaction , nylon 66 t prepolymer was produced which has a relative viscosity of 1 . 13 . prepare prepolymers according to the procedures described in example 7 . add 0 . 3 g to 0 . 4 g of the nylon 66 t prepolymer into a stainless steel tube reactor . seal the stainless steel tube reactor , and place the reactor into a tin bath at 385 ° c . for 20 minutes . the inner temperature of the reactor is approximately 320 ° c . the inner pressure of the reactor is approximately 30 cm hg ( 76 cm hg being absolute vacuum ). remove the reactor from the tin bath and cool the reactor in the air for 1 minute . then cool the reactor with water until the temperature of the reactor reached room temperature . open the reactor to remove the sample . the product is a nylon 66 t polymer . measure the relative viscosity of the sample . the relative viscosity of the polymer is 2 . 75 . the prepolymer is synthesized according to the method described in example 7 , and all the reaction conditions are the same as those in example 8 , except that 0 . 5 phr of various types organic phosphite cocatalysts were added into the reactor . the compositions of the organic phosphites are shown in table 3 . after the reaction is completed according to the method described in example 8 , the relative viscosity is measured . the product is a nylon 66 t polymer . the relative viscosities of reaction products from examples 7 through 9 are listed in table 4 . the relative viscosities of the nylon 66 t polymers that are synthesized using the organic phosphite as cocatalyst are higher than those without a cocatalyst , indicating a more complete reaction within the same reaction time by the addition of the organic phosphite cocatalyst disclosed in this invention . table 3______________________________________example no . organic phosphite composition______________________________________9 - a trinonylphenyl phosphite ( a general type organic phosphite ) 9 - b phosphorous acid cyclic neopentanetetrayl dioctad - ecyl ester ( a hindered type organic phosphite ) ______________________________________ table 4 compares the relative viscosities of nylon 66 t polymers from examples 7 through 9 . table 4______________________________________ relativeexample no . polymer composition viscosity______________________________________7 nylon 66t prepolymer 1 . 138 nylon 66t polymer ( w / o cocatalyst ) 2 . 759 - a nylon 66t polymer ( with organic 4 . 10 phosphite as cocatalyst ) 9 - b nylon 66t polymer ( with organic 3 . 51 phosphite as cocatalyst ) ______________________________________ prepare prepolymers according to the procedures described in example 7 . add 0 . 3 g to 0 . 4 g of nylon 66 t propolymer into a stainless steel tube reactor . seal the stainless steel tube reactor , and place the reactor into a tin bath at 380 ° c . for 12 minutes . the inner temperature of the reactor was approximately 312 ° c . the inner pressure of the reactor is approximately 30 cm hg ( 76 cm hg being absolute vacuum ). remove the reactor from the tin bath and cool the reactor in the air for 1 minute . then cool the reactor with water until the temperature of the reactor reached room temperature . open the reactor to remove the sample . the product is a nylon 66 t polymer . measure the relative viscosity of the sample . the viscosity of the polymer is 1 . 67 . the prepolymer is synthesized according to the method described in example 7 , and the other reaction conditions are the same as those in example 10 , except that 0 . 5 phr of various types organic phosphites were added into the reactor . the compositions of the organic phosphites are shown in table 5 . after the reaction is completed according to the method described in example 10 , the relative viscosity is measured . the product is a nylon 66t polymer . the relative viscosities of reaction products from examples 7 , 10 and 11 are listed in table 6 . the relative viscosities of the nylon 66t polymers that are synthesized using the organic phosphites as cocatalyst are higher than those without a cocatalyst , indicating a more complete reaction within the same reaction time by the addition of the organic phosphite cocatalyst disclosed in this invention . table 5______________________________________example no . organic phosphite composition______________________________________11 - a triisodecyl phosphite ( a general type organic phos - phite ) 11 - b isooctyl diphenyl phosphite ( a general type organic phosphite ) 11 - c phosphorous acid cyclic neopentanetetrayl bis ( 2 , 4 - d - i - tert - butylphenyl ) ester ( a hindered type organic phosphite ) ______________________________________ table 6______________________________________ relativeexample no . polymer composition viscosity______________________________________ 7 nylon 66t prepolymer 1 . 1310 nylon 66t polymer ( w / o cocatalyst ) 1 . 6711 - a nylon 66t polymer ( with organic 3 . 26 phosphite as cocatalyst ) 11 - b nylon 66t polymer ( with organic 2 . 57 phosphite as cocatalyst ) 11 - c nylon 66t polymer ( with organic 1 . 90 phosphite as cocatalyst ) ______________________________________ the reactants comprised 120 g of hexamethylene diamine , 116 . 2 g of isophthalic acid , 49 . 8 g of terephthalic acid , 49 g of water , and 0 . 276 g of sodium hypophosphite . after the reactants were charged into the reactor , nitrogen gas was introduced into the reactor several times to purge air from the reactor . then the reactor was closed and the external temperature of the reactor was maintained at 250 ° c . for 40 minutes . subsequently , the external temperature of the reactor was raised to 270 ° c . for 40 minutes . thereafter , the temperature was raised to 340 ° c . during the temperature increase sequence , if the pressure inside the reactor exceeded 3 kg / cm 2 , the pressure would be released to 0 kg / cm 2 . finally when the temperature inside the reactor reached 290 ° c ., the reactor pressure was released to 0 kg / cm 2 , and the material was removed from the reactor . this completed the polymerization reaction . after the polymerization reaction , nylon 6it prepolymer was produced which has a relative viscosity of 2 . 04 . prepare prepolymers which are synthesized according to the method described in example 12 . add 0 . 3 g to 0 . 4 g of nylon 6it prepolymer into a stainless steel tube reactor . seal the stainless steel tube reactor , and place the reactor into tin bath at 360 ° c . for 6 minutes . the inner temperature of the reactor was approximately 260 ° c . the inner pressure of the reactor is approximately 73 cm hg ( 76 cm hg being absolute vacuum ). remove the reactor from tin bath and cool the reactor in the air for 1 minute . then cool the reactor with water until the temperature of the reactor reached room temperature . open the reactor to remove the sample . the product is a nylon 6it polymer . measure the relative viscosity of the sample . the relative viscosity of the polymer is 2 . 58 . prepare the nylon 6it prepolymer which is synthesized according to the method described in example 12 , and all the reaction conditions are the same as those in example 13 , except that 2 phr of isooctyl diphenyl phosphite ( commercial name mark c ) were added into the reactor . after the reaction is completed according to the method described in example 13 , the relative viscosity is measured . the product is a nylon 6it polymer . the relative viscosities of the reaction products from examples 12 through 14 are listed in table 7 . the relative viscosities of the nylon 6it polymers that are synthesized using the organic phosphite as cocatalyst are higher than those without the organic phosphite cocatalyst , indicating a more complete reaction within the same reaction time by the addition of the organic phosphite cocatalyst disclosed in this invention . table 7______________________________________ relativeexample no . polymer composition viscosity______________________________________12 nylon 6it prepolymer 2 . 0413 nylon 66 polymer ( w / o cocatalyst ) 2 . 5814 nylon 66 polymer ( with organic 3 . 10 phosphite as cocatalyst ) ______________________________________ the reactants comprised 120 g of hexamethylene diamine , 73 g of adipic acid , 40 g of isophthalic acid , 43 g of terephthalic acid , 49 g of distilled water , and 0 . 276 g of sodium hypophosphite . after the reactants were charged into the reactor , nitrogen gas was introduced into the reactor several times to purge air from the reactor . then the reactor was closed and the external temperature of the reactor was maintained at 250 ° c . for one hour . subsequently , the external temperature of the reactor was raised to 270 ° c . for one hour . thereafter , the temperature was raised to 340 ° c . during the temperature increase sequence , if the pressure inside the reactor exceeded 3 kg / cm 2 , the pressure was released to 0 kg / cm 2 . finally when the temperature inside the reactor reached 275 ° c ., the reactor pressure was released to 0 kg / cm 2 , and the material was removed from the reactor . this completed the polymerization reaction . after the polymerization reaction , nylon 66it prepolymer was produced which has a relative viscosity of 2 . 26 . prepare prepolymers which are synthesized according to the method described in example 15 . add 0 . 3 g to 0 . 4 g of the nylon 66it prepolymer into a stainless steel tube reactor . seal the stainless steel tube reactor , and place the reactor into tin bath at 360 ° c . for 8 minutes . the inner temperature of the reactor is approximately 285 ° c . the inner pressure of the reactor is approximately 72 cm hg ( 76 cm hg being absolute vacuum ). remove the reactor from tin bath and cool the reactor in the air for 1 minute . then cool the reactor with water until the temperature of the reactor reached room temperature . open the reactor to remove the sample . the product is a nylon 66it polymer . measure the relative viscosity of the sample . the relative viscosity of the polymer is 5 . 96 . prepare the nylon 66it prepolymer which is synthesized according to the method described in example 15 , and the other reaction conditions are the same as those in example 16 , except that 1 phr of triisooctyl phosphite ( commercial name weston tdd ) was added into the reactor . after the reaction is completed according to the method described in example 16 , the relative viscosity is measured . the product is a nylon 66it polymer . the relative viscosities of reaction products from examples 15 through 17 are listed in table 8 . the relative viscosities of the nylon 66it polymers that are synthesized using the organic phosphite as cocatalyst are higher than those without the organic phosphite cocatalyst , indicating a more complete reaction within the same reaction time by the addition of the organic phosphite cocatalyst disclosed in this invention . table 8______________________________________ relativeexample no . polymer composition viscosity______________________________________15 nylon 66it prepolymer 2 . 2616 nylon 66it polymer ( w / o cocatalyst ) 5 . 9617 nylon 66it polymer ( with organic 7 . 12 phosphite as cocatalyst ) ______________________________________ grind the nylon 66t prepolymer from example 7 into powders , and feed the powder into a twin screw extruder ( w & amp ; p zsk 30 model , with a diameter of 30 mm and an l / d of 27 ). then extrude the reactants . the conditions of extrusion are described in the following paragraph . the reaction temperatures are 280 ° c . in the first stage , 320 ° c . in the second stage , 340 ° c . in the third stage , 340 ° c . in the fourth stage , and 340 ° c . in the fifth stage . the temperature of the die is 340 ° c . the pressure of the fourth stage is 30 cm hg . the rotation speed of the screw is 100 rpm , representing an average resident time of about two minutes . the reactants are nylon 66t prepolymer and 0 . 3 phr of various types organic phosphites as listed in table 9 . all the other conditions are the same as those in example 18 . the relative viscosities of reaction products from examples 18 and 19 are listed in table 10 . the relative viscosities of the nylon 66t polymers that are synthesized using the organic phosphite as cocatalyst are higher than those without the organic phosphite cocatalyst . table 9______________________________________example no . organic phosphite composition______________________________________19 - a phosphorous acid cyclic neopentanetetrayl dioctad - ecyl ester ( a hindered organic phosphite ) 19 - b phosphorous acid cyclic neopentanetetrayl bis ( 2 , 4 - d - i - tert - butylphenyl ) ester ( a hindered organic phosphite ) ______________________________________ table 10______________________________________ relativeexample no . polymer composition viscosity______________________________________ 7 nylon 66t prepolymer 1 . 1318 nylon 66t polymer ( w / o cocatalyst ) 2 . 7719 - a nylon 66t polymer ( with organic 4 . 10 phosphite as cocatalyst ) 19 - b nylon 66t polymer ( with organic 3 . 28 phosphite as cocatalyst ) ______________________________________ from all the tables shown above , it is evident that the addition of organic phosphite as a cocatalyst , in the presence of a primary catalyst , increases the reaction rate to produce polyamide and / or copolyamide . | 2 |
fig1 is a perspective view of an exemplary electronic package 100 including a socket 102 and a cover assembly 104 attached to the socket 102 . as explained in detail below , cover assembly 104 overlays socket 102 and prevents socket 102 from warping such as during solder reflow processes in surface mount installations and such as in ball grid array (“ bga ”) packaging . package 100 is particularly suited for larger socket openings , such as for , example , a distributed power delivery system for an electronic device , although it is understood that the benefits of the invention and / or disclosed embodiments may be used in other applications . for example , while package 100 has been found to be advantageous for bga packaging , it is recognized that package 100 may also be used in land grid array (“ lga ”) packaging . the embodiments described hereinbelow are therefore set forth for purposes of illustration rather than limitation , and the invention is not intended to be limited to any particular socket configuration or to sockets for any particular end application . socket 102 , as further described below , is generally rectangular in shape in an exemplary embodiment and includes four sides 106 extending substantially perpendicular to one another and joined at respective ends thereof . each side 106 of socket 102 includes a pair of projections or tabs 108 , sometimes referred to as fences , extending upwardly therefrom for secure engagement with cover assembly 104 . socket 102 further includes a number of openings therein for receiving power and / or signal contacts of a mating electronic card interposer ( not shown ). in an illustrative embodiment , socket 102 is fabricated from known materials , including but not limited to injection molded plastic , and is configured for surface mounting to a printed circuit board ( not shown ). in other words , a bottom surface of socket 102 is substantially flat and coplanar to form a secure mechanical and electrical connection when surface mounted to the printed circuit board . while a generally rectangular socket configuration is illustrated , it is appreciated that other socket shapes having a greater or fewer number of sides may be employed . it is further recognized that a greater or fewer number of projections or tabs 108 may be employed . as illustrated in fig1 , cover assembly 104 is generally complementary in shape to socket 102 and is configured to be hingedly attached to socket 102 through projections 108 . upstanding side walls extend about the remaining sides of cover assembly 104 and include pivotally mounted latch members thereon ( explained further below ) for securing cover assembly 104 to socket 102 . cover assembly 104 is adapted for use with a known pick and place machine for placement of socket 102 on the printed circuit board , and further is adapted to prevent warping and deformation of socket 102 during heating , such as during a solder reflow process . more particularly , cover assembly 104 includes a reinforcing rigid member 110 therein that is heat resistant and maintains socket 102 in a planar arrangement . optionally , rigid member 110 is fabricated from a known metal , such as stainless steel into a flat , planar plate according to known processes or techniques . alternative rigid member 110 may be fabricated from a known ceramic material according to a known process to produce a heat resistant reinforcement member that does not deform during heating and thereby maintains socket 102 in a planar arrangement . fig2 is a top plan view of pick and place cover 120 which receives rigid member 110 therein to form cover assembly 104 ( shown in fig1 ). as illustrated in fig2 , cover 120 is generally rectangular and includes four substantially orthogonal side walls 122 , 124 , 126 , 128 with a planar top surface 130 extending therebetween and including angled corners between the side walls . while the top surface 130 of the cover 120 extends entirely between side walls 122 , 124 , 126 , 128 , it is understood that top surface 130 may include one or more openings therethrough in alternative embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the instant invention . in an exemplary embodiment , one side wall 122 includes hinge elements 132 , 134 extending therefrom , while the remaining three sides walls 124 , 126 , 128 include latch elements 136 depending outwardly therefrom . side walls 124 , 126 , 128 further include brackets 138 extending upward above the top cover surface 130 and extending inward toward one another over a portion of the top surface 130 . each hinge element 132 , 134 includes a respective slot 140 , 142 for receiving projections 108 along one side of socket 102 ( as shown in fig1 ). brackets 138 form a pocket for receiving the rigid reinforcement member 110 ( shown in fig1 ). latch elements 136 on the cover 120 are arranged in pairs along side walls 124 , 126 , 128 and are disposed symmetrically on either side of lateral and longitudinal axes 144 , 146 extending through a center 148 of cover 120 . each latch element 136 includes a latch beam 150 extending substantially parallel to respective side walls 124 , 126 , 128 . each latch beam 150 is joined to the side walls 124 , 126 , 128 by a web 152 projecting substantially perpendicularly to the side walls 124 , 126 , 128 . latch beams 150 include grip portions 154 on lateral ends thereof . the grip portions 154 are located adjacent the cut - out corners of cover surface 130 . the latch beams 150 also include rounded pivot ends 156 that are located adjacent cover axes 144 , 146 . in an exemplary embodiment , and as illustrated in fig2 , grip portions 154 extend inwardly from latch beams 150 . as explained below , grip portions 154 resiliently receive projections 108 of socket 102 ( shown in fig1 ) and maintain the projections 108 between grip portions 154 and side walls 124 , 126 , 128 . fig3 is an end elevational view of cover 120 to better illustrate brackets 138 extending upwardly from and extending over cover top surface 130 . each bracket 138 includes a slot 170 that receives an edge of rigid member 110 ( shown in fig1 ) in an interference fit to securely retain the rigid member 110 in a planar position with respect to cover 120 . thus , when cover assembly 104 ( shown in fig1 ) is engaged by vacuum pickups of a pick and place machine , cover 120 and rigid member 110 are maintained in their respective planar orientations , thereby imparting structural strength and stiffness to socket 102 ( shown in fig1 ) to resist heat - related stresses and deformation during solder reflow operations when surface mounting the electronic package . as also illustrated in fig3 , latch members 136 , and more specifically , latch beams 150 are elevated above cover surface 130 at pivot ends 156 . as such , pivot ends 156 are located above rigid member 110 when the rigid member 110 is received in brackets 138 . this clearance of the rigid member 110 allows pivot ends 156 to be actuated as explained below to release cover assembly 104 from the socket 102 after being soldered to the printed circuit board . in an exemplary embodiment , cover 120 is integrally fabricated according to a known process , including but not limited to a molded piece fabricated from a high temperature nylon material a unitary construction suitable for transferring structural rigidity of rigid member 110 to socket 102 to maintain socket 102 in a planar relationship to the printed circuit board is thereby provided . it is contemplated , however , that other known materials ( e . g . injection molded plastic and thermoplastic materials , metallic materials and alloys , and ceramic materials ) and processes appropriate for those materials may be used in lieu of plastic molding to produce cover 120 in both integral construction and constructions of multiple pieces . fig4 is an exploded perspective view of rigid member 110 and cover 120 . the rigid member 110 is fabricated into a planar element complementary in shape to the top surface 130 of the cover 120 , and is dimensioned to a sufficient thickness to resist warping stresses in socket 102 and prevent deformation of socket 102 during heating . the rigid member 110 slides over top surface 130 and is snugly engaged in brackets 138 to complete cover assembly 104 ( shown in fig1 ). due to the structural strength and rigidity of rigid member 110 , the cover 120 need not be as structurally rigid as it would otherwise . accordingly , cover 120 may be fabricated from less costly materials in a less costly manner while still ensuring that socket 102 is maintained in a coplanar relationship with the printed circuit board . fig5 is a top plan view of package 100 ( shown in fig1 ) illustrating cover assembly 104 attached to socket 102 in a latched position . the latch elements 136 are fitted over respective socket projections 108 along one side of the assembly 100 . along the remaining sides , socket projections 108 are received between outer surfaces of side walls 124 , 126 , 128 and grip portions 154 of latch elements 136 . rigid member 110 is received in brackets 138 and provides a sturdy reference plane to maintain socket 102 in a planar orientation and to counteract the tendency of the socket 102 to deform during solder reflow operations . when cover assembly 104 is attached to socket 102 in the latch position , package 100 may be positioned on a printed circuit board with a pick and place machine , and socket 102 may be surface mounted to the printed circuit board with a solder reflow operation . fig6 is a magnified view of a portion of package 100 . the grip portion 154 includes a tapered shelf 180 extending beneath a lower surface 182 of one of socket projections 108 . thus , latch element 136 forms a wrap - around engagement with socket projection 108 . hence , when cover assembly 104 is lifted for positioning on a printed circuit board , tapered shelves 180 of latch elements 136 afford support from beneath socket projections 108 . gravitational forces tending to separate the cover assembly 104 and socket 102 , when package 100 is lifted , are therefore counteracted . accordingly , the socket 102 is maintained in a desired position relative to cover assembly 104 . a bottom surface of the grip portion 154 in fig6 is located to extend a predetermined distance above the printed circuit board once the socket 100 is installed . for example , in one embodiment , a vertical clearance of greater than 2 . 0 mm is provided so that desired electrical components may be located underneath the grip portions 154 when the package 100 is installed on a circuit board . it is contemplated that greater or lesser clearances and other dimensional variations may be used for alternative installations of package 100 . fig7 is a top plan view of electronic package 100 illustrating cover assembly 104 in an unlatched position for removal from socket 102 once solder reflow operations are complete . latch elements 136 are actuated to the unlatched position by depressing pivot ends 156 inward toward respective side walls 124 , 126 , 128 . as pivot ends 156 are depressed , latch beams 150 are pivoted about webs 152 where the latch elements 136 are attached to the side walls 124 , 126 , 128 . in turn , grip portions 154 are deflected outwardly and away from respective side walls 124 , 136 , 128 until projections 108 are released from the grip portions 154 . once projections 108 are released , the cover 104 may be rotated upward about hinge elements 132 , 134 ( as shown in fig1 ) until hinge elements 132 , 134 are released from tab projections 108 and the cover assembly 104 may be removed . when the cover assembly 104 is removed , the socket 102 remains in secure mechanical and electrical connection to the printed circuit board in a planar relationship thereto . likewise , cover assembly 104 may be latched to socket 102 by inserting hinge elements 132 , 134 socket projections 108 on one end of the socket 102 , and rotating the cover assembly 104 downward about hinge elements 132 , 134 toward socket 102 . by depressing pivot ends 156 , grip portions 154 are deflected outwardly as latch beams 150 pivot about webs 152 . hence , socket projections 108 may be aligned between side walls 124 , 126 , 128 and grip portions 154 as shown in fig7 . when the pivot ends 156 are released ( i . e ., not depressed ) latch elements 136 resiliently return to the latched position ( shown in fig5 ) wherein cover assembly 104 is securely engaged to the socket 102 . in an illustrative embodiment , flexibility of the latch elements 136 to pivot about webs 152 is provided by the molded properties of the cover 120 . in particular , the webs 152 are resilient in one direction ( as denoted by arrow a in fig7 ) to allow resilient flexing of latch elements 136 to latch or unlatch the cover assembly 104 to the socket 102 . the arrow a represents an actuator path about an axis of rotation extending perpendicular to the plane containing the rigid member 110 . in addition , the webs 152 are appreciably stiff in other directions to impart structural strength to the socket 102 to resist deformation of the side walls 124 , 126 , 128 along the axis of rotation . specifically , webs 152 are stiff in a direction perpendicular to the surface of cover 120 , together with side walls 124 , 126 , 128 . as such , the rigid member 110 of the cover assembly 104 provides horizontal and vertical stiffness to the socket 102 , while the cover 120 provides vertical stiffness to the socket 102 to maintain socket 102 in a planar position and orientation with respect to the printed circuit board . according to another aspect of the present invention , and in an illustrative embodiment , the cover assembly 104 is configured to be maintained within a predetermined envelope 200 ( shown in phantom in fig7 ) regardless of whether the cover 120 is in the latched position ( shown in fig5 ) or the unlatched position ( shown in fig7 ). interference of the latch elements 136 with other circuit board components is therefore avoided , and space on the printed circuit board is preserved . in an exemplary embodiment , envelope 200 is a square . it is appreciated that other design envelopes of various shapes and sizes may be provided in alternative embodiments and other applications of package 100 . fig8 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a cover assembly for an electronic package 250 including a stiffening cover or frame 254 situated about a socket 256 and maintaining socket 256 in a coplanar position relative to a printed circuit board . the frame 254 includes multiple walls 258 extending generally complementary to the outer profile of the socket 256 , and the socket 256 is received in the frame 254 . once the socket 256 is received in the frame 254 , the socket and frame assembly is then located on the printed circuit board ( not shown in fig8 ) for solder reflow operations as described above . as illustrated in fig8 , the socket 256 includes oppositely positioned c - shaped elements contained in either end of the socket frame 254 and connected to one another . the c - shaped elements of socket 256 defines a cross - shaped opening 262 therebetween . it is contemplated , however , that in alternative embodiments the socket 256 may assume a variety of shapes defining various openings therebetween to accommodate various socket applications . in an exemplary embodiment the socket 256 is fabricated from , for example , injection molded plastic according to known techniques , while the frame 254 is fabricated from metal . as such , the frame 254 is fabricated from a much stiffer or rigid material than the material from which the socket 156 is fabricated . the stiffness of the frame 254 resists heat related stress and deformation and maintains the socket 256 in a planar orientation relative to the printed circuit board . further , in various embodiments , the frame 254 and the socket 256 may be fabricated from any of the foregoing materials and processes to produce suitable stiffness to resist deformation during solder reflow processes . fig9 is a partial cross sectional view of a portion of the electronic package 250 illustrating an exemplary tongue - in - groove latch connection of the socket 256 within the frame 254 . a side wall 258 of the frame 254 abuts against the socket 256 and retains the socket 256 in a planar position . specifically , a tongue 280 extends laterally outward from the socket 256 and is received in a groove 282 extending on the interior portion of the frame 254 . while in the illustrated embodiment the tongue 280 extends from an edge of the socket 256 and is received in the groove 282 extending in the interior surface of the frame 254 , it is appreciated that in an alternative embodiment a tongue extending from the frame 254 could be accommodated by a groove in an edge of the socket 256 . the tongue and groove arrangement may extend wholly or partially around the mating surfaces of the socket 256 and the frame 254 to provide a suitable latching engagement of the socket 256 and frame 254 . it is contemplated that in further and / or alternative embodiments , other connection and latch arrangements familiar to those in the art may be used to attach the socket 256 to the frame 254 . additionally , the socket 256 and / or the frame 254 may exhibit flexiblity to install and remove the socket 256 to the frame 254 while achieving a sufficient rigidity to withstand solder reflow operations without deformation . as such , associated nonplanarities of the socket and the printed circuit board are avoided . while the invention has been described in terms of various specific embodiments , those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the claims . | 8 |
the digital optical switch 1 shown in fig1 (&# 34 ; dos &# 34 ;) is built up from asymmetric waveguides 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 . the asymmetry arises here both between the waveguides 2 and 3 and also first of all between the waveguides 2 and 5 or 2 and 6 and the waveguides 3 and 5 or 3 and 6 , in that , for example , the cross sections of the waveguide 2 and 3 are different from each other , and also differ from the identical cross sections of the waveguides 5 and 6 . the propagation properties of the waveguides can be affected by means of electrodes 7 and 8 , in that their refractive index n is electro - optically increased to n + δn eo or reduced to n - δn eo . in this manner , a light wave fed into the waveguide 2 can arrive either in the waveguide 5 or the waveguide 6 , and simultaneously another light wave , fed into the waveguide 3 , can arrive in the waveguide 6 or 5 . the function of such a dos is based on the principle of adiabatic coupling in a central region 4 and is known per se . the crosstalk is about - 20 db in so far as known photonic components are used , or in favorable cases - 30 db , and is not sufficient if several dos are to be cascaded , e . g . in switching matrices . the invention consists of providing such a dos 1 with a grid arrangement 10 , with which the waveguide eigenmodes are affected , in its central region 4 ( here and in what follows , by way of example , always seen in the direction of propagation of the light waves , at the input region of the central region 4 ). the effects on the eigenmodes consist in that the amplitude and phase of the waveguide eigenmodes are adjusted to each other such that their amplitude ratio and phase ratio at the outputs of the dos 1 is respectively 1 . the grid arrangement 10 and the waveguides 5 and 6 thus represent a mode transformer , which drastically reduces the crosstalk , whose main cause lies in the conversion between the two eigenmodes . the reduction of crosstalk by at least - 20 db brought about in this manner is superposed as an independent physical effect on the crosstalk of about - 20 db in the adiabatic coupling , so that overall a crosstalk of better than - 40 db is attained in digital optical switches according to the invention and their embodiments . the grid arrangement 10 is indicated in fig1 as an electro - optical , optionally directable electrode structure and will be described in more detail in connection with the explanation of fig4 . however , it should be indicated here that the grid structure 10 must have respectively 4 electrode strips per period , and in general requires one period or two periods . thus there results for the grid arrangement 10 , from the constructional point of view , an overall length of e . g . only 2 × 4 × λ / 4 = 2λ , and from the functional point of view , outstanding wide band characteristics . the dos 1 shown in fig2 is constructed as a single photonic component with substantially vertical layers formed on a substrate . such a construction presents advantages both in production , in comparison with the construction of lateral structures , and also as regards shorter overall lengths for many partial regions of such components . moreover a few special features are shown in fig2 and 3 , and can be transferred to other embodiments of the invention if so required . thus a dos 1 according to fig2 can be constructed as a changeover switch . only one of the waveguides 2 and 3 on the input side of the dos 1 is used . the light wave introduced there goes either into the waveguide 5 or into the waveguide 6 on the output side of the dos 1 . both waveguide paths 2 / 5 or 3 / 6 have identical and constant cross sections ; they differ , however , by δn with regard to the refractive indices n 1 and n 2 . by means of an electrode 7 which partially covers the waveguide 2 with the refractive index n 1 , the refractive index can be electro - optically reduced there by δn eo to a refractive index of n 2 . the refractive index n 1 in the waveguide path 2 / 5 otherwise remains constant , i . e ., the light wave introduced into the waveguide 2 emerges via the waveguide 5 . the grid arrangement 10 in the central region 4 -- here again merely indicated , in view of fig4 and the associated explanation -- can be constructed in the same process step as the electrode 7 . a lossy layer 9 is provided between the waveguides 2 and 3 and also between 5 and 6 , which reduces undesired side effects . the dos 1 shown in fig3 has further special features . first of all , it is characterized in that the waveguide paths 2 / 5 and 3 / 6 neither cross nor come into contact , but must however be arranged to run closely adjacent over a short path length . furthermore , in embodiments of the invention in which the crosstalk is independent of the two possible switching states of the dos 1 , the grid structure 10 can be constructed as a passive element , that is , as a fixed , predetermined digital surface structure . in a construction of the dos 1 with substantially vertical layers it is advantageous to construct this surface structure on that waveguide or waveguide line which is situated above the other waveguide or waveguide line . also such a surface structure as a grid arrangement 10 in the central region 4 of a dos 1 has four steps per period ( the steps correspond to electrode strips 12 of an electro - optical grid arrangement , as can be seen from the portion which is shown enlarged ), requires few periods , in particular one or two , and is wide - band . if a narrow - band working region is desired , the number of periods , and thus the overall length , has to be increased . finally , fig3 also shows that the waveguides 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 respectively outside the path length in which the grid arrangement 10 is located which affects the waveguide eigenmodes can have at least one section 11 which displaces the direction of their course parallel and which respectively has a length of λ / 4 . such a displacement of direction causes a phase displacement , so that a backward coupling takes place instead of a forward coupling . fig4 shows both a section of a dos 1 with a detailed representation of an electro - optical , optionally controllable grid arrangement 10 , and also in a graph , the course of the amplitude ratio ↓ of the coupled waveguide eigenmodes and a wiring pattern of the electrode strips 12 which brings about this course . the grid arrangement 10 is located in the waveguide line 5 / 6 , e . g . at the beginning of the central region 4 . each four electrode strips 12 form a period . only two periods are required . the digital wiring pattern of the electrode strips is made up of a total of , for example , four potential steps u . the adjustment of the waveguide eigenmodes is improved with each step . the graphical course of the power p ( db ) over the length z ( μm ) of the overall length of digital optical switches , as shown in fig5 show the following : the central region 4 begins at a distance of about 800 μm from the input side . the signal has the same power at the output as at the input . in a dos of the conventional kind , the overall length of which is 1 , 700 μm , the crosstalk amounts to - 20 db . a digital optical switch with reduced crosstalk ( crosstalk reduced digital optical switch -- crdos ) according to the invention attains a crosstalk damping of more than 40 db by means of the correction member which is provided as a converter for waveguide eigenmodes . with the constructional length δl conv required for this converter , the overall length l crdos is only about 3 % larger than the overall length l dos . a report was given concerning digital optical switches of the kind according to the invention in x - structure ( paper # tu a4 , pages 213 - 216 ), on the occasion of the &# 34 ; 7th european conference on integrated optics &# 34 ; ecio &# 39 ; 95 , technical university delft ( nl ), apr . 3 - 6 , 1995 . a digital optical switch in y - structure is shown in fig6 . the waveguide branch is on the input side , and leads to the central region 4 with the grid arrangement 10 , formed by a passive waveguide 13 . a symmetrically formed mode taper 14 is located between the said waveguide 13 and the waveguides 5 , 6 which have the electrodes 12 of the grid arrangement 10 . this mode taper 14 produces the first mode . the second mode arises according to the wiring pattern of the electrodes 12 . a splitting taper 17 is located between the mode taper 14 and the central region 4 , for the reduction of optical losses . the function of the digital optical switch 1 in the two branching waveguides 5 , 6 is effected by means of the wiring of the electrodes 7 , 8 . at their ends , the two waveguides 5 , 6 have passive sections 15 , 16 , which are identical in their light conducting properties to those of the waveguide 13 . such structures can be directly connected together in this manner , and make possible the construction of cascaded matrices , in particular in integrated circuit technology . | 6 |
in this example , a coating composition is prepared for use in manufacturing the sensitized record sheet of this invention . the active components are 3 , 5 - di - tert - butylsalicylic acid , zinc oxide and ammonium hydroxide . as a first step , the active materials , that is , the salicylic acid derivative , the zinc compound and the ammonium hydroxide , are combined . the composition is then completed by adding whatever fillers , inactive pigments , and binders are required or desired . about 10 parts of salicylic acid derivative -- in this example , 3 , 5 - di - t - butylsalicylic acid -- and about 30 parts of zinc compound -- in this example zinc oxide -- are dispersed together in about 210 parts of water . a few parts of a dispersing agent can be used , if desired . about 16 parts of aqueous ammonium hydroxide solution ( 28 - 30 weight percent nh 3 ) is added to the combination with agitation . for best results , the system is permitted to stand for about 16 hours . about 70 parts of that dispersion is added to about 210 parts of 35 percent inactive kaolin clay in water and thoroughly mixed . to that mixture is added 100 parts of 10 percent , aqueous , cooked starch binder and 12 parts of 50 percent , aqueous , styrene - butadiene latex binder . the clay , the starch , and the latex are inactive materials and do not serve functional purposes insofar as the record sheet sensitivity is concerned . the clay is used as a filler material and the starch and latex are binder materials . the amount of any of those components is not critical and can be varied to a large extent . the filler materials are used as a matter of coating convenience and an improved and operable sheet is made if those materials are omitted altogether . in the first step , after addition of the ammonium hydroxide , the ph of the dispersion is above 8 . 0 . after the inactive clay and all of the other , additional , materials are combined , the ph is about 9 . 6 . for testing purposes , the formulation is coated onto sheets to achieve a dry coating weight of about 7 . 5 grams per square meter . when a sheet is made with only binders and active material and without inactive clay and other inactive filler pigments , the coating weight is only about 2 . 3 grams per square meter . here will be described a capsule - coated transfer sheet for use in testing the receiving sheets prepared in examples which follow . the capsules contain a liquid solution of chromogenic material and are prepared , as follows : an aqueous emulsion having oil droplets of 2 to 3 microns diameter is prepared by mixing the following materials at 55 ° centigrade . ( all water used herein is deionized water .) with continual stirring and maintenance of the temperature at 55 ° centigrade , the ph of the stirred emulsion is adjusted to 6 . 5 , and the emulsion is treated with 133 grams of 10 percent aqueous gum arabic solution and then diluted with 700 grams of water . the stirred mixture is then treated with 12 grams of 5 percent aqueous poly ( methylvinylether - co - maleic anhydride ) solution , added dropwise . about 15 milliliters of 14 percent acetic acid are added to adjust the ph to about 4 . 5 . with continued stirring , the mixture is cooled to about 15 ° centigrade , treated with 10 milliliters of 25 percent aqueous glutaraldehyde and allowed to stir at room temperature for about 48 hours . an aqueous slurry of the capsules is made up having the following composition : ______________________________________ parts ( wet ) ( dry ) ______________________________________capsules 485 100arrowroot starch granules 24 24cooked cornstarch 50 10water 41 -- ______________________________________ paper sheets are coated with the above slurry with a no . 15 mayer rod to give a dried coating weight of about 4 . 5 grams per square meter . for this example 1 ( a ) transfer sheet , the capsule contents include a solution mixture of substantially water insoluble liquids dissolving a mixture of four chromogenic materials . the liquids are about 60 percent of ethyl diphenyl methane , 30 percent of a saturated hydrocarbon oil with a distillation range of about 190 °- 250 ° centigrade , and 10 percent of heptyl undecyl phthalate . the chromogenic materials are dissolved in the liquid in total amount of about 3 . 3 percent of the liquid . the chromogenic materials are about 1 . 70 percent of crystal violet lactone , 0 . 50 percent of benzoyl leuco methylene blue , 0 . 55 percent of 2 &# 39 ;- anilino - 6 &# 39 ;- diethylamino - 3 &# 39 ;- methyl fluoran , and 0 . 55 percent of 3 , 3 - bis ( 1 - ethyl - 2 - methylindol - 3 - yl ) phthalide . the dried capsule coating is made to be about 3 . 0 - 3 . 7 grams per square meter . the formulations of the following examples are tested against the transfer sheets of example 1 ( a ). a capsule coated sheet surface is placed against a receiving sheet surface from the examples and the capsule coated sheet is struck in an image pattern using an electric typewriter . the capsules are ruptured and a colored image is formed where the released chromogenic materials contact the receiving sheet coating . the resulting pattern images are tested for print intensity by use of a reflectance spectrophotometer ( opacimeter ). typewriter intensity indexes are reported here for the receiving sheets described in examples 1 - 6 . a typewriter intensity index ( ti ) of 100 indicates no detectable print and the lower numbers indicate more intense prints , showing greater contrast with the background . generally , a typewriter intensity index of less than 60 , for a black print , indicates a print which is sufficiently intense to be esthetically pleasing and readily read by the human eye . initial typewriter intensity is designated as ( iti ). the typewriter intensity of a mark after aging 24 hours is designated as ( ati ). a mark exposed for 24 hours to ultraviolet radiation is designated as ( uvti ). a mark made using a receiving sheet which has been exposed for 24 hours to ultraviolet light before marking is designated as ( uv sheet ). to commence the comparisons , the sheet of example 1 , which is the preferred sheet of this invention , exhibited the following values : the same formulation is made in this example as was described in example 1 with the exception that the salicylic acid derivative is 3 , 5 - di - iso - propylsalicylic acid . the ph of the final composition is 8 . 9 . when no salicylic acid derivative is used the ph of the final composition is 10 . 1 ; and when unsubstituted salicylic acid is used the ph is 7 . 1 ( designated as example 2 ( a )). ______________________________________ uvexample iti ati uvti sheet______________________________________1 56 56 78 622 63 57 76 842 ( a ) 85 83 92 90______________________________________ the use of 3 - tert - butyl - 5 - methyl salicylic acid provides results comparable to those of 2 . increasing the ph when using unsubstituted salicylic acid does not appreciably alter the results of 2 ( a ). the same formulation is made in this example as was described in example 1 with the exception that sodium hydroxide is substituted for the ammonium hydroxide . the ph of the final coating composition is adjusted to be about 9 . 8 . ______________________________________ uvexample iti ati uvti sheet______________________________________1 56 56 78 623 79 68 89 88______________________________________ sodium hydroxide is an unacceptable ph adjusting material . similar results are obtained from potassium hydroxide . it is believed that ammonium hydroxide is especially suited for the coating system of this example because it is volatile and it is removed when the coating is dried . the same formulation is made in this example as was described in example 1 with the exception that , for purposes of the test , twice the amount of zinc oxide was used ( 60 parts in this example ) and a varying amount of ammonium hydroxide was used . the varying amounts of ammonium hydroxide and the coating system ph , are designated as follows , along with the test results . ______________________________________ uvexample parts nh . sub . 4 oh ph iti ati uvti sheet______________________________________1 16 9 . 6 56 56 78 624 ( a ) 0 7 . 2 83 78 90 854 ( b ) 4 8 . 2 71 64 84 714 ( c ) 8 8 . 7 56 56 77 624 ( d ) 12 9 . 3 60 58 82 664 ( e ) 16 9 . 6 59 58 79 624 ( f ) 20 9 . 8 59 59 82 64______________________________________ note that examples 4 ( c ), 4 ( d ) and 4 ( e ) yield very good results and that examples 4 ( b ) and 4 ( f ) yield results which are acceptable . the same formulation is made in this example as was described in example 1 with the exception that , for purposes of the test , a varying amount of 3 , 5 - di - tert - butylsalicylic acid is used . the varying amounts of salicylic acid derivative , and the resulting coating system ph , are designated as follows : ______________________________________ parts salicylicexample acid derivative ph iti ati uvti uv sheet______________________________________1 10 9 . 6 56 56 78 625 ( a ) 0 10 . 1 89 88 93 905 ( b ) 4 9 . 7 73 70 88 835 ( c ) 10 9 . 6 59 58 79 625 ( d ) 16 9 . 3 55 56 74 615 ( e ) 22 8 . 8 55 56 73 59______________________________________ the same formulation is made in this example as was described in example 1 with the exception that , for purposes of the test , a varying amount of zinc oxide is used . the ph for the resulting coating system is constant within a narrow range of about 9 . 4 to 9 . 6 . the varying amounts of zinc oxide , and the resulting weight ratio of zinc compound to salicylic acid derivative are designated as follows : ______________________________________ ratio of zinc compound to parts zinc salicylic acidexample compound derivative iti ati uvti uv sheet______________________________________1 30 3 56 56 78 626 ( a ) 0 -- 72 72 91 916 ( b ) 10 1 60 61 83 666 ( c ) 20 2 60 59 82 686 ( d ) example 1 , repeated 56 56 78 626 ( e ) 40 4 59 58 80 626 ( f ) 50 5 58 59 -- -- 6 ( g ) 60 6 59 58 79 62______________________________________ in the test of this example , a capsule transfer sheet is used which has capsules in an amount , and of a size , similar to those of example 1 ( a ), above . the substantially water insoluble liquid is a 2 - to - 1solution mixture of 2 , 2 , 4 - trimethyl - 1 , 3 - pentanediol diisobutyrate and the hydrocarbon oil of example 1 ( a ). the same formulation is made in this example as was described in example 1 with the exception that , for purposes of the test , different zinc compounds are used . ______________________________________example zinc compound iti ati uvti uv sheet______________________________________1 zinc oxide 57 54 64 567 ( a ) zinc phenol sulfonate 66 59 71 697 ( b ) zinc carbonate 60 55 67 567 ( c ) zinc phosphate 76 66 77 79______________________________________ while the different zinc compounds do not yield test results as good as the preferred zinc oxide , they are acceptable . combinations of the zinc compounds can be used . materials with cations other than zinc are not found to be acceptable for use in this invention . as an additional matter of comparison , the zinc phenol sulfonate tested against the sheet of example 1 ( a ) yielded the following test results : iti - 58 ; ati - 58 ; uvti - 83 ; and uv sheet - 70 . in this example , test receiving sheets are prepared using a specially - prepared salicylic acid / formaldehyde polymer in the place of the salicylic acid derivative of example 1 . the polymer is prepared by reacting 138 parts of salicylic acid and 325 parts of formalin in 250 parts of 12 n sulfuric acid at 95 ° to 97 ° centigrade for one hour . twenty parts of the resulting polymer are combined with 300 parts of ethanol and 100 parts of one of three , below - identified metallic compounds . this formulation is applied to sheets to yield coatings of about 5 - 6 grams per square meter . the above receiving sheet coatings are tested against the transfer sheet of example 1 ( a ) and the results are compared with the test results of the receiving sheet of example 1 , herein . the sheets of this example 8 contain more than even times as much salicylic acid polymer as there is salicylic acid derivative in the sheets of example 1 . moreover , the sheets of example 8 contain more than ten times as much metallic compound . the different receiving sheets , identified by metallic compound , are set out below . the typewriter intensity indexes are provided for several time periods to show the speed of print development . ______________________________________example metallic compound iti 20 minutes 16 hours ati______________________________________1 zinc oxide 56 -- -- 568 ( a ) zinc oxide 84 79 78 768 ( b ) calcium carbonate 88 81 78 768 ( c ) zinc carbonate 84 80 76 74______________________________________ the receiving sheet formulations can be applied by several methods , as previously disclosed . in this example , several methods of such application are discussed . the receiving sheet of this invention can be made by adding components of the formulation of example 1 at selected positions on a paper making machine . for instance , the zinc compound can be added at the head box and the salicylic acid derivative can be added at a size press on the machine . an appropriate head box formulation is : ______________________________________ parts______________________________________hardwood kraft pulp 125softwood kraft pulp 125alum 1 . 25modified starch ( cationic ) 1 . 75water soluble rosin 1 . 00calcium carbonate 16 . 7 - 20 . 9zinc oxide 4 . 2 - 8 . 4acrylamide retention aid 0 . 1 - 0 . 2______________________________________ water is added to the pulp with agitation to a consistency of 3 . 0 - 3 . 3 ( percent oven - dry fiber in water ) and this suspension is refined to a freeness of 340 ± 20 ( milliliters ). then the alum , rosin and fillers are added , and the ph is adjusted with ammonium hydroxide . starch and retention aid are finally added . ______________________________________starch gum 4 parts3 , 5 - di - tert - butyl salicylic acid 2 . 5 - 5 . 0ammonium hydroxide ( 28 %) 1 - 2water 90______________________________________ sheets made using the above head box formulation and coated at the size press yield test results comparable to the sheets of example 1 . analysis of the coating , as applied above , shows that the salicylic acid derivative is present at 0 . 2 to 0 . 4 gram per square meter and that zinc oxide is present at 1 . 0 to 1 . 8 gram per square meter . alternatively , the entire receiving sheet formulation can be built into the web at the head box or can be added to the web at a size press . for either alternative , care must be exercised to assure that the ratio of salicylic acid derivative to zinc compound is within the previously described ranges . an increased amount of active materials is required in the head box application to make up for loss of materials through the web , during web formation . the size press formulation may require an additional amount of adhesive binder . as another alternative , the coating formulation of example 1 can be applied onto a moving paper machine web from a curtain coating apparatus . in such an operation , the formulation is substantially as previously disclosed with the exception that additional water may be used for better control of the coating weight . | 1 |
hereinafter , the hybrid vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig1 to 3 . a hybrid vehicle includes an engine and an electric motor and can run with the engine or the electric motor , or can run by the cooperation between the engine and the electric motor , and thus can use the regeneration torque of the electric motor as braking force instead of the engine braking . accordingly , in the hybrid vehicle 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention , when the vehicle decelerates during the “ regeneration ” of the post - processing device , the regeneration torque of the electric motor provides braking force equivalent to the engine braking and the engine continues the high load operation for the “ regeneration ” even if the engine braking is required . fig1 is a block diagram for illustrating an exemplary structure of a hybrid vehicle 1 . the hybrid vehicle 1 is an example of a vehicle . the hybrid vehicle 1 includes the engine 10 , an engine electronic control unit ( ecu ) 11 , a clutch 12 , the electric motor 13 , an inverter 14 , a battery 15 , a transmission 16 , a motor ecu 17 , a hybrid ecu 18 , a wheel 19 , a post - processing device 20 , an exhaust braking electromagnetic valve 21 , a key switch 22 , and a shift unit 23 . the transmission 16 includes an automated mechanical / manual transmission , and is operated by the shift unit 23 including a drive range ( hereinafter , referred to as a d ( drive ) range ). note that the automated mechanical / manual transmission is a transmission that can automatically perform a gear shifting operation while having the same structure as a manual transmission . further , the “ driving system ” in claims includes , for example , the clutch 12 , the electric motor 13 , the transmission 16 , and the wheel 19 . the engine 10 is an example of an internal combustion engine , and is controlled by the engine ecu 11 . the engine 10 internally combusts gasoline , light oil , compressed natural gas ( cng ), liquefied petroleum gas ( lpg ), alternative fuel , or the like in order to generate power for rotating a shaft and transmit the generated power to the clutch 12 . the engine ecu 11 is a computer working in coordination with the motor ecu 17 according to the instructions from the hybrid ecu 18 , and controls the engine 10 , for example , the amount of fuel injection and the valve timing . for example , the engine ecu 11 includes a central processing unit ( cpu ), an application specific integrated circuit ( asic ), a microprocessor ( micro - computer ), a digital signal processor ( dsp ), and the like , and internally has an operation unit , a memory , an input / output ( i / o ) port , and the like . the clutch 12 is controlled by the hybrid ecu 18 , and transmits the shaft output from the engine 10 to the wheel 19 through the electric motor 13 and the transmission 16 . in other words , the clutch 12 mechanically connects the rotating shaft of the engine 10 to the rotating shaft of the electric motor 13 by the control of the hybrid ecu 18 in order to transmit the shaft output of the engine 10 to the electric motor 13 . on the other hand , the clutch 12 cuts the mechanical connection between the rotating shaft of the engine 10 and the rotating shaft of the electric motor 13 so that the shaft of the engine 10 and the rotating shaft of the electric motor 13 can rotate at different rotational speeds from each other . for example , the clutch 12 mechanically connects the rotating shaft of the engine 10 to the rotating shaft of the electric motor 13 , for example , when the hybrid vehicle 1 runs by the power of the engine 10 and this causes the electric motor 13 to generate electric power , when the driving force of the electric motor 13 assists the engine 10 , and when the electric motor 13 starts the engine 10 . further , for example , the clutch 12 cuts the mechanical connection between the rotating shaft of the engine 10 and the rotating shaft of the electric motor 13 when the engine 10 stops or is in an idling state and the hybrid vehicle 1 runs by the driving force of the electric motor 13 , and when the hybrid vehicle 1 reduces the speed or runs on the downgrade and the electric motor 13 generates ( regenerates ) electric power while the engine 10 stops or is in an idling state . note that the clutch 12 differs from a clutch operated by the driver &# 39 ; s operation of a clutch pedal , and is operated by the control of the hybrid ecu 18 . the electric motor 13 is a so - called motor generator that supplies a shaft output to the transmission 16 by generating the power for rotating the shaft using the electric power supplied from the inverter 14 , or that supplies electric power to the inverter 14 by generating the electric power using the power for rotating the shaft supplied from the transmission 16 . for example , when the hybrid vehicle 1 gains the speed or runs at a constant speed , the electric motor 13 generates the power for rotating the shaft to supply the shaft output to the transmission 16 in order to cause the hybrid vehicle 1 to run in cooperation with the engine 10 . further , the electric motor 13 works as an electric generator , for example , when the electric motor 13 is driven by the engine 10 , or when the hybrid vehicle 1 runs without power , for example , when the hybrid vehicle 1 reduces the speed or runs on the downgrade . in that case , electric power is generated by the power for rotating the shaft supplied from the transmission 16 and is supplied to the inverter 14 in order to charge the battery 15 . the inverter 14 is controlled by the motor ecu 17 , and converts the direct voltage from the battery 15 into an alternating voltage or converts the alternating voltage from the electric motor 13 into a direct voltage . when the electric motor 13 generates power , the inverter 14 converts the direct voltage from the battery 15 into an alternating voltage and supplies the electric power to the electric motor 13 . when the electric motor 13 generates electric power , the inverter 14 converts the alternating voltage from the electric motor 13 into a direct voltage . in other words , in that case , the inverter 14 works as a rectifier and a voltage regulator for supplying a direct voltage to the battery 15 . the battery 15 is a secondary cell capable of being charged and discharged . the battery 15 supplies electric power to the electric motor 13 through the inverter 14 when the electric motor 13 generates power . alternatively , the battery 15 is charged with the electric power generated by the electric motor 13 when the electric motor 13 generates electric power . the transmission 16 includes an automated mechanical / manual transmission ( not shown in the drawings ) that selects one of a plurality of gear ratios ( change gear ratios ) according to the shift instruction signal to shift gears from the hybrid ecu 18 in order to shift the change gear ratios and transmit the gear - shifted power of the engine 10 and / or of the electric motor 13 to the wheel 19 . alternatively , the transmission 16 transmits the power from the wheel 19 to the electric motor 13 , for example , when the vehicle reduces the speed or runs on the downgrade . note that the automated mechanical / manual transmission can also shift the gear position to a given gear number by the driver &# 39 ; s hand operation of the shift unit 23 . the motor ecu 17 is a computer working in coordination with the engine ecu 11 according to the instructions from the hybrid ecu 18 , and controls the electric motor 13 by controlling the inverter 14 . for example , the motor ecu 17 includes a cpu , an asic , a microprocessor ( micro - computer ), a dsp , and the like , and internally has an operation unit , a memory , an i / o port , and the like . the hybrid ecu 18 is an example of a computer . for hybrid running , the hybrid ecu 18 obtains accelerator opening information , brake operation information , vehicle speed information , the gear position information obtained from the transmission 16 , and the engine rotational speed information obtained from the engine ecu 11 in order to refer to the information , control the clutch 12 and supply the shift instruction signal to shift gears in order to control the transmission 16 . for hybrid running , the hybrid ecu 18 further gives the instructions to the motor ecu 17 to control the electric motor 13 and the inverter 14 based on the obtained state of charge ( soc ) information on the battery 15 and other information , and gives the instruction to the engine ecu 11 to control the engine 10 . further , once receiving a “ clogging warning ” sent from the post - processing device 20 , the hybrid ecu 18 gives instructions for implementing the process for “ regeneration ” to the engine ecu 11 , the clutch 12 , and the motor ecu 17 . for example , the hybrid ecu 18 includes a cpu , an asic , a microprocessor ( micro - computer ), a dsp , and the like , and internally has an operation unit , a memory , an i / o port , and the like . note that a computer program to be executed by the hybrid ecu 18 can be installed on the hybrid ecu 18 that is a computer in advance by being stored in a non - volatile memory inside the hybrid ecu 18 in advance . the engine ecu 11 , the motor ecu 17 , and the hybrid ecu 18 are connected to each other , for example , through a bus complying with the standard of the control area network ( can ) or the like . the wheel 19 is a drive wheel for transmitting the driving force to the road surface . note that , although only a wheel 19 is illustrated in fig1 , the hybrid vehicle 1 actually includes a plurality of the wheels 19 . the post - processing device 20 is for cleaning up the exhaust gas from the engine 10 and sends the clogging warning of a filter ( not illustrated in the drawings ) to the hybrid ecu 18 . to prevent the filter from getting clogged , it is necessary to implement the process for “ regeneration ” with operating the engine 10 under high load when the filter almost gets clogged . note that the clogging warning is the information warning that the filter can get clogged , so that the filter has not been clogged yet at the time when the clogging warning is sent . the exhaust braking electromagnetic valve 21 is positioned at an exhaust pipe of the engine 10 provided at the rear part of the post - processing device 20 . closing the exhaust braking electromagnetic valve 21 increases the resistance generated when the exhaust gas is emitted outside . this increases the friction of the engine 10 and thus can increase the effect of the engine braking . in the present embodiment , the exhaust braking electromagnetic valve 21 is not used for increasing the effect of the engine braking but for increasing the load on the engine 10 in order to complete the “ generation ” in a short time . the key switch 22 is a switch that is turned on / off , for example , by insertion of a key by the user at the start of drive . turning on the key switch activates each unit of the hybrid vehicle 1 , and turning off the key switch 22 stops each unit of the hybrid vehicle 1 . fig2 is a block diagram for illustrating an exemplary configuration of a function implemented in the hybrid ecu 18 executing a computer program . in other words , when the hybrid ecu 18 executes a computer program , a post - processing device regeneration control unit 30 is implemented . once receiving the clogging warning from the post - processing device 20 , the post - processing device regeneration control unit 30 sends instructions to each part in order to implement the process of the “ regeneration ”. next , the process for a regeneration control of the post - processing device 20 implemented in the hybrid ecu 18 executing a computer program will be described with reference to the flowchart in fig3 . at the start in fig3 , the hybrid ecu 18 has executed a computer program and the post - processing device regeneration control unit 30 is implemented in the hybrid ecu 18 . then , the process goes to step s 1 . note that the fact that a value indicating the soc of the battery 15 is equal to or less than a predetermined value can be added as a condition of the “ start ” because the regeneration for obtaining the regeneration torque equivalent to the engine braking cannot be performed in step s 5 if the value indicating the soc of the battery 15 is high . in step s 1 , when the post - processing device regeneration control unit 30 receives the clogging warning from the post - processing device 20 , the process goes to step s 2 . in step s 2 , the post - processing device regeneration control unit 30 performs the “ regeneration ” and the process goes to step s 3 . in step s 3 , the post - processing device regeneration control unit 30 determines whether the hybrid vehicle 1 reduces the speed . when it is determined in step s 3 that the hybrid vehicle 1 reduces the speed , the process goes to step s 4 . on the other hand , when it is determined in step s 3 that the hybrid vehicle 1 does not reduce the speed , the process goes back to step s 2 . in step s 4 , the post - processing device regeneration control unit 30 disengages the clutch 12 and the process goes to step s 5 . in step s 5 , the post - processing device regeneration control unit 30 performs regeneration for obtaining regeneration torque generated by the electric motor 13 and equivalent to the engine braking . then , the process goes to step s 6 . in step s 6 , the post - processing device regeneration control unit 30 determines whether to shorten the regeneration time . note that the driver can set the shortening of the regeneration time from a setting unit ( not illustrated in the drawings ) in advance . when it is determined in step s 6 that the regeneration time is shortened , the process goes to step s 7 . on the other hand , when it is determined in step s 6 that it is not necessary to shorten the regeneration time , the process goes to step s 8 . in step s 7 , the post - processing device regeneration control unit 30 closes the exhaust braking electromagnetic valve 21 in order to use the exhaust brake with the engine braking and the process goes to step s 8 . in step s 8 , the post - processing device regeneration control unit 30 determines whether the clogging warning has been resolved . when it is determined in step s 8 that the clogging warning has been resolved , the process is terminated . on the other hand , when it is determined in step s 8 that the clogging warning has not been resolved yet , the process goes back to step s 2 . when decelerating in the duration of the regeneration of the post - processing device 20 , the hybrid vehicle 1 runs with the electric motor 13 , controls the engine 10 to maintain a rotational speed appropriate to the regeneration of the post - processing device 20 independently from the driving system , and generates braking force equivalent to the braking force of the engine braking by the regeneration of the electric motor 13 . thus , the engine 10 can continue the high load operation appropriate to the “ regeneration ” independently from the driving system as long as necessary , so that the process for the “ regeneration ” can be completed in a short time and the fuel efficiency can be improved . further , closing the exhaust braking electromagnetic valve 21 during the regeneration of the post - processing device 20 increases the load on the engine 10 more , and thus can complete the “ regeneration ” in a shorter time . as described above , completing the “ regeneration ” in a shorter time can improve the fuel efficiency . although the clogging warning sent by the post - processing device 20 causes the post - processing device regeneration control unit 30 to implement the “ regeneration ” in the above - mentioned description of the embodiment , the “ regeneration ” can periodically be implemented once every predetermined travel distance or predetermined travel time without using such a clogging warning . although the exhaust brake is used with the engine braking for the purpose of shortening the regeneration time in the above - mentioned embodiment , the exhaust braking can further be used with the engine braking for the purpose of regenerating the device with excessively accumulated particulate matter within a predetermined time . for example , once the post - processing device regeneration control unit 30 receives the clogging warning , regeneration is automatically implemented in the above - mentioned description of the embodiment . on the other hand , the vehicle can have a structure in which the clogging warning is notified also to the driver so that the driver can suspend the implementation of the regeneration . it seems that the driver suspends the implementation of the regeneration for the reason , for example , that the driver performs home delivery with the hybrid vehicle 1 in a quiet residential area and needs to reduce the noise of the regeneration from the engine 10 . in such a case , particulate matter is accumulated in the post - processing device 20 more than in the case in which a normal regeneration process is started . the exhaust braking can be used with the engine braking in order to complete burning off such particulate matter within a normal regeneration process time . however , it is preferable that the usage of the exhaust braking with the engine braking be not easily allowed because the usage causes the increase in the fuel consumption for the regeneration . for example , a threshold is set for the excess of accumulated particulate matter over the amount of accumulated particulate matter enough to start a normal regeneration so that the exhaust braking is used with the engine braking when the excess exceeds the threshold . further , a threshold is provided for the value indicating the soc of the battery 15 so that the post - processing device regeneration control unit 30 can control the regeneration process . for example , two - stage thresholds b & lt ; a are provided for the value indicating the soc . the threshold a is the upper limit of the value indicating the soc . the threshold b is a value smaller than threshold a and in which the value indicating the soc of the battery 15 reaches the threshold a in a relatively short time once a regenerative charge is performed . when the value indicating the soc is equal to or more than the threshold a in that case , the regenerative charge cannot be performed any more . thus , the regeneration is halted and the clutch 12 is engaged in order to perform a usual control . further , if the value indicating the soc is equal to or more than the threshold b and less than the threshold a , it is highly possible that the value indicating the soc could reach the threshold a a short time later although the process currently goes without a problem . thus , yes is selected in step s 6 of the flowchart in fig3 in order to perform a control in step s 7 to shorten the regeneration time by using the exhaust braking with the engine braking . this enables the regeneration using the engine braking before the regenerative braking cannot be performed , and thus can reduce the usage of a service brake . further , when the value indicating the soc is less than the threshold b , the control as described in the flowchart of fig3 is performed . although the engine 10 has been described as an internal combustion engine , the engine 10 can also be a heat engine including an external combustion engine . further , while the computer program executed by the hybrid ecu 18 is installed on the hybrid ecu 18 in advance in the above - mentioned descriptions , the computer program can be installed on the hybrid ecu 18 as a computer by attaching removable media recording the computer program ( storing the program ), for example , to a drive ( not shown in the drawings ) and storing the computer program read from the removable media in a non - volatile memory inside the hybrid ecu 18 or receiving , with a communication unit ( not shown in the drawings ), a computer program transmitted through a wired or wireless transmission medium and storing the computer program in a non - volatile memory inside the hybrid ecu 18 . further , each ecu can be implemented by an ecu combining some or all of the functions of the ecus . alternatively , an ecu can newly be provided by the further subdivision of the function of each ecu . note that the computer program executed by the computer can be for performing the process in chronological order according to the order described herein or can be for performing the process in parallel or at the necessary timing , for example , when the computer program is invoked . further , the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above - mentioned embodiment , and can variously be modified without departing from the gist of the invention . | 1 |
1 -[ 2 -( dimethylamino )- 1 -( 4 - methoxyphenyl ) ethyl ] cyclohexanol hydrochloride is polymorphic . of the forms isolated and characterized to date , form i is considered to be the kinetic product of crystallization which can be converted to form ii upon heating in the crystallization solvent . forms i and ii cannot be distinguished by their melting points but do exhibit some differences in their infrared spectra and x - ray diffraction patterns . any of the polymorphic forms such as form i or form ii may be used in the formulations of the present invention . the extended release formulations of this invention are comprised of 1 -[ 2 -( dimethylamino )- 1 -( 4 - methoxyphenyl ) ethyl ] cyclohexanol hydrochloride in admixture with microcrystalline cellulose and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose . formed as beads or spheroids , the drug containing formulation is coated with a mixture of ethyl cellulose and hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose to provide the desired level of coating , generally from about two to about twelve percent on a weight / weight basis of final product or more preferably from about five to about ten percent ( w / w ), with best results obtained at from about 6 to about 8 percent ( w / w ). more specifically , the extended release spheroid formulations of this invention comprise from about 30 to 40 percent venlafaxine hydrochloride , from about 50 to about 70 percent microcrystalline cellulose , nf , from about 0 . 25 to about 1 percent hydroxypropylmethylcellulose , usp , and from about 5 to about 10 percent film coating , all on a weight / weight basis . and preferably , the spheroid formulations contain about 35 percent venlafaxine hydrochloride , about 55 to 60 percent microcrystalline cellulose nf ( avicel ® ph101 ), about one half percent hydroxypropylmethylcellulose 2208 usp ( k3 , dow , which has a viscosity of 3 cps for 2 % aqueous solutions , a methoxy content of 19 - 24 % and a hydroxypropoxy content of 4 - 13 %), and from about 6 to 8 percent film coating . the film coating is comprised of 80 to 90 percent of ethyl cellulose , nf and 10 to 20 percent hydroxypropylmethylcellulose ( 2910 ), usp on a weight / weight basis . preferably the ethyl cellulose has a ethoxy content of 44 . 0 - 51 % and a viscosity of 50 cps for a 5 % aqueous solution and the hydroxypropylmethylcellulose is usp 2910 having a viscosity of 6 cps at 2 % aqueous solution with a methoxy content of 28 - 30 % and a hydroxypropoxy content of 7 - 12 %. the ethyl cellulose used herein is aqualon hg 2834 . other equivalents of the hydroxypropylmethylcelluloses 2208 and 2910 usp and ethyl cellulose , nf , having the same chemical and physical characteristics as the proprietary products named above may be substituted in the formulation without changing the inventive concept . important characteristics of suitable hydroxypropylmethylcelluloses include a low viscosity , preferably less than 10 cps and more preferably 2 - 5 cps , and a gel temperature above that of the temperature of the extrudate during extrusion . as explained below , these and other characteristics which enable the extrudate to remain moist and soft ( pliable ) are preferred for the hydroxypropylmethylcellulose . in the examples below , the extrudate temperature was generally 50 - 55 ° c . it was completely unexpected that an extended release formulation containing venlafaxine hydrochloride could be obtained because the hydrochloride of venlafaxine proved to be extremely water soluble . numerous attempts to produce extended release tablets by hydrogel technology proved to be fruitless because the compressed tablets were either physically unstable ( poor compressibility or capping problems ) or dissolved too rapidly in dissolution studies . typically , the tablets prepared as hydrogel sustained release formulations gave 40 - 50 % dissolution at 2 hrs , 60 - 70 % dissolution at 4 hrs and 85 - 100 % dissolution at 8 hrs . numerous spheroid formulations were prepared using different grades of microcrystalline cellulose and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose , different ratios of venlafaxine hydrochloride and filler , different binders such as polyvinylpyrrolidone , methylcellulose , water , and polyethylene glycol of different molecular weight ranges in order to find a formulation which would provide a suitable granulation mix which could be extruded properly . in the extrusion process , heat buildup occurred which dried out the extrudate so much that it was difficult to convert the extruded cylinders into spheroids . addition of hydroxypropylmethylcellulose 2208 to the venlafaxine hydrochloride - microcrystalline cellulose mix made production of spheroids practical . the encapsulated formulations of this invention may be produced in a uniform dosage for a specified dissolution profile upon oral administration by techniques understood in the art . for instance , the spheroid components may be blended for uniformity with a desired concentration of active ingredient , then spheronized and dried . the resulting spheroids can then be sifted through a mesh of appropriate pore size to obtain a spheroid batch of uniform and prescribed size . the resulting spheroids can be coated and resifted to remove any agglomerates produced in the coating steps . during the coating process samples of the coated spheroids may be tested for their distribution profile . if the dissolution occurs too rapidly , additional coating may be applied until the spheroids present a desired dissolution rate . the following examples are presented to illustrate applicant &# 39 ; s solution to the problem of preparation of the extended release drug containing formulations of this invention . a mixture of 44 . 8 parts ( 88 . 4 % free base ) of venlafaxine hydrochloride , 74 . 6 parts of the microcrystalline cellulose , nf , and 0 . 60 parts of hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose 2208 , usp , are blended with the addition of 41 . 0 parts water . the plastic mass of material is extruded , spheronized and dried to provide uncoated drug containing spheroids . stir 38 . 25 parts of ethyl cellulose , nf , hg2834 and 6 . 75 parts of hydroxypropylmethylcellulose 2910 , usp in a 1 : 1 v / v mixture of methylene chloride and anhydrous methanol until solution of the film coating material is complete . to a fluidized bed of the uncoated spheroids is applied 0 . 667 parts of coating solution per part of uncoated spheroids to obtain extended release , film coated spheroids having a coating level of 3 %. the spheroids are sieved to retain the coated spheroids of a particle size between 0 . 85 mm to 1 . 76 mm diameter . these selected film coated spheroids are filled into pharmaceutically acceptable capsules conventionally , such as starch or gelatin capsules . same as for example 1 except that 1 . 11 parts of the film coating solution per part of uncoated spheroids is applied to obtain a coating level of 5 %. same as for example 1 except that 1 . 33 parts of the film coating solution is applied to 1 part of uncoated spheroids to obtain a coating level of 6 %. same as for example 1 except that 1 . 55 parts of the film coating solution is applied to 1 part of uncoated spheroids to obtain a coating level of 7 %. in the foregoing failed experiments and in examples 1 - 4 , the extrusion was carried out on an alexanderwerk extruder . subsequent experiments carried out on hutt and nica extruders surprisingly demonstrated that acceptable , and even improved , spheroids could be made without the use of an hydroxypropylmethylcellulose . in such further experiments the applicability of the invention was extended to formulations wherein the weight percentage of venlafaxine hydrochloride is 6 % to 40 %, preferably 8 % to 35 %. thus , the extended release spheroid formulations of this invention comprise from about 6 to about 40 percent venlafaxine hydrochloride , from about 50 to about 94 percent microcrystalline cellulose , nf , optionally , from about 0 . 25 to about 1 percent hydroxypropylmethylcellulose , and from about 2 to about 12 percent , preferably about 3 to 9 percent , film coating . spheroids of the invention were produced having 8 . 25 % ( w / w ) venlafaxine hydrochloride and the remainder ( 91 . 75 %, w / w ) being microcrystalline cellulose , with a coating of from 3 to 5 % ( w / w ), preferably 4 %, of the total weight . the spheroids with 8 . 25 % venlafaxine hydrochloride and 4 % coating were filled into no . 2 white opaque shells with a target fill weight of 236 mg . further spheroids of the invention were produced having 16 . 5 % ( w / w ) venlafaxine hydrochloride and the remainder ( 83 . 5 %, w / w ) being microcrystalline cellulose , with a coating of from 4 to 6 % ( w / w ), preferably 5 %, of the total weight . the spheroids 16 . 5 % venlafaxine hydrochloride and 5 % coating were filled into no . 2 white opaque shells with a target fill weight of 122 mg . the test for acceptability of the coating level is determined by analysis of the dissolution rate of the finished coated spheroids prior the encapsulation . the dissolution procedure followed uses usp apparatus 1 ( basket ) at 100 rpm in purified water at 37 ° c . conformance with the dissolution rate given in table 1 provides the twenty - four hour therapeutic blood levels for the drug component of the extended release capsules of this invention in capsule form . where a given batch of coated spheroids releases drug too slowly to comply with the desired dissolution rate study , a portion of uncoated spheroids or spheroids with a lower coating level may be added to the batch to provide , after thorough mixing , a loading dose for rapid increase of blood drug levels . a batch of coated spheroids that releases the drug too rapidly can receive additional film - coating to give the desired dissolution profile . batches of the coated venlafaxine hydrochloride containing spheroids which have a dissolution rate corresponding to that of table 1 are filled into pharmaceutically acceptable capsules in an amount needed to provide the unit dosage level desired . the standard unit dosage immediate release ( ir ) tablet used presently provides amounts of venlafaxine hydrochloride equivalent to 25 mg , 37 . 5 mg , 50 mg , 75 mg and 100 mg venlafaxine . the capsules of this invention are filled to provide an amount of venlafaxine hydrochloride equivalent to that presently used in tablet form and also up to about 150 mg venlafaxine hydrochloride . dissolution of the venlafaxine hydrochloride er capsules is determined as directed in the u . s . pharmacopoeia ( usp ) using apparatus 1 at 100 rpm on 0 . 9 l of water . a filtered sample of the dissolution medium is taken at the times specified . the absorbance of the clear solution is determined from 240 to 450 nanometers ( nm ) against the dissolution medium . a baseline is drawn from 450 nm through 400 nm and extended to 240 nm . the absorbance at the wavelength of maximum absorbance ( about 274 nm ) is determined with respect to this baseline . six hard gelatin capsules are filled with the theoretical amount of venlafaxine hydrochloride spheroids and measured for dissolution . standard samples consist of venlafaxine hydrochloride standard solutions plus a gelatin capsule correction solution . % venlafaxine hydrochloride released = ( as ) ( wr ) ( s ) ( v1 ) ( 0 . 888 ) ( 100 ) ( ar ) ( v2 ) ( c ) where as is absorbance of sample preparation , wr is weight of reference standard , mg ; s is strength of the reference standard , decimal ; v1 is the volume of dissolution medium used to dissolve the dosage form , ml ; 0 . 884 is the percent free base , ar is the absorbance of the standard preparation , v2 is the volume of reference standard solution , ml ; and c is the capsule claim in mg . table 2 shows the plasma level of venlafaxine versus time for one 75 mg conventional immediate release ( ir ) tablet administered every 12 hours , two 75 mg extended release ( er ) capsules administered simultaneously every 24 hours , and one 150 mg extended release ( er ) capsule administered once every 24 hours in human male subjects . the subjects were already receiving venlafaxine hydrochloride according to the dosage protocol , thus the plasma blood level at zero time when dosages were administered is not zero . table 2 shows that the plasma levels of two 75 mg / capsule venlafaxine hydrochloride er capsules and one 150 mg / capsule venlafaxine hydrochloride er capsule provide very similar blood levels . the data also show that the plasma level after 24 hours for either extended release regimen is very similar to that provided by two immediate release 75 mg tablets of venlafaxine hydrochloride administered at 12 hour intervals . further , the plasma levels of venlafaxine obtained with the extended release formulation do not increase to the peak levels obtained with the conventional immediate release tablets given 12 hours apart . the peak level of venlafaxine from ( er ), somewhat below 150 ng / ml , is reached in about six hours , plus or minus two hours , based upon this specific dose when administered to patients presently under treatment with venlafaxine hydrochloride ( ir ). the peak plasma level of venlafaxine , somewhat over 200 ng / ml , following administration of ( ir ) is reached in two hours and falls rapidly thereafter . table 3 shows venlafaxine blood plasma levels in male human subjects having zero initial blood plasma level . again , a peak blood plasma concentration of venlafaxine is seen at about 6 hours after dosing with venlafaxine hydrochloride extended release capsules in the quantities indicated . the subjects receiving the single 50 mg immediate release tablet showed a peak plasma level occurring at about 4 hours . for comparative purposes , the plasma levels of venlafaxine for subjects receiving the conventional formulated tablet can be multiplied by a factor of three to approximate the plasma levels expected for a single dose of 150 mg . conventional formulation . the blood plasma levels of venlafaxine were measured according to the following procedure . blood samples from the subjects were collected in heparinized evacuated blood tubes and the tubes were inverted gently several times . as quickly as possible , the tubes were centrifuged at 2500 rpm for 15 minutes . the plasma was pipetted into plastic tubes and stored at − 20 ° c . until analysis could be completed . to 1 ml of each plasma sample in a plastic tube was added 150 μl of a stock internal standard solution ( 150 μg / ml ). saturated sodium borate ( 0 . 2 ml ) solution was added to each tube and vortexed . five ml of ethyl ether was added to each tube which were then capped and shaken for 10 minutes at high speed . the tubes were centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 5 minutes . the aqueous layer was frozen in dry ice and the organic layer transferred to a clean screw cap tube . a 0 . 3 ml portion of 0 . 01 n hcl solution was added to each tube and shaken for 10 minutes at high speed . the aqueous layer was frozen and the organic layer removed and discarded . a 50 μl portion of the mobile phase ( 23 : 77 acetonitrile : 0 . 1m monobasic ammonium phosphate buffer , ph 4 . 4 ) was added to each tube , vortexed , and 50 μl samples were injected on a supelco supelcoil lc - 8 - db , 5 cm × 4 . 6 mm , 5μ column in a high pressure liquid chromatography apparatus equipped with a waters lambda max 481 detector or equivalent at 229 nm . solutions of venlafaxine hydrochloride at various concentrations were used as standards . manufactured by the techniques described herein , another preferred formulation of this invention comprises spheroids of from about 30 % to about 35 % venlafaxine hydrochloride and from about 0 . 3 % to about 0 . 6 % hydroxypropylmethylcellulose . these spheroids are then coated with a film coating , as described above , to a coating level of from about 5 % to about 9 %, preferably from about 6 % to about 8 %. a specific formulation of this type comprises spheroids of about 33 % venlafaxine hydrochloride and about 0 . 5 % hydroxypropylmethylcellulose , with a film coating of about 7 %. lower dosage compositions or formulations of this invention may also be produced by the techniques described herein . these lower dosage forms may be administered alone for initial titration or initiation of treatment , prior to a dosage increase . they may also be used for an overall low - dose administration regimen or in combination with higher dosage compositions , such as capsule formulations , to optimize individual dosage regimens . these lower dose compositions may be used to create encapsulated formulations , such as those containing doses of venlafaxine hydrochloride from about 5 mg to about 50 mg per capsule . particular final encapsulated dosage forms may include , but are not limited to , individual doses of 7 . 5 mg , 12 . 5 mg , 18 . 75 mg , or 28 . 125 mg of venlafaxine hcl per capsule . the spheroids useful in these lower dose formulations may comprise from about 5 % to about 29 . 99 % venlafaxine hcl , preferably from about 5 % to about 25 %, from about 75 % to about 95 % microcrystalline cellulose , and , optionally from about 0 . 25 % to about 1 . 0 % hydroxypropylmethylcellulose . the spheroids may be coated as described above , preferably with a film coating of from about 5 % to about 10 % by weight . in some preferred formulations , the spheroids comprise the cited venlafaxine hcl and microcrystalline cellulose , with no hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose . spheroids comprising 16 . 5 % venlafaxine hcl and 83 . 5 % microcrystalline cellulose were mixed with approximately 50 % water ( w / w ) to granulate in a littleford blender model fm - 50e / 1z ( littleford day inc ., p . o . box 128 , florence , ky . 41022 - 0218 , u . s . a .) at a fixed speed of 180 rpm . the blended material was extruded through a 1 . 25 mm screen using a nica extruder / speronization machine ( aeromatic - fielder division , niro inc ., 9165 rumsey rd ., columbia , md . 21045 , u . s . a .) for a 12 / 20 mesh cut after drying . two portions of the resulting spheroids were coated with a 5 % and 7 % coating level , respectively , by techniques described above using the coating formulation : ingredient % ( w / w ) methylene chloride 60 . 000 methanol anhydrous 35 . 500 ethylcellulose , nf , hg 2834 , 50 cps 3 . 825 hydroxypropyl methylcellulose , 2910 usp , 0 . 675 6 cps the 5 % and 7 % coated lots were tested for dissolution on a hewlett packard automated dissolution system over a 24 hour period , resulting in the following dissolution patterns : % dissoluded % dissolved time / hr 16 . 5 %/ 5 % 16 . 5 %/ 7 % 2 12 . 4 5 . 6 4 42 . 8 25 . 4 8 70 . 7 60 . 4 12 82 . 2 75 . 4 24 94 . 3 92 . 7 a formulation of spheroids containing 8 . 25 % venlafaxine hcl and 91 . 75 % microcrystalline cellulose was prepared according to the techniques of example no . 6 and coated with a 5 % film coating . in the hewlett packard automated dissolution system these spheroids provided the following dissolution profile : % dissolved time / hr 8 . 25 %/ 5 % 2 4 . 4 4 24 . 2 8 62 . 9 12 77 . 8 24 93 . 5 thus , the desired dissolution rates of sustained release dosage forms of venlafaxine hydrochloride , impossible to achieve with hydrogel tablet technology , has been achieved with the film - coated spheroid compositions of this invention . | 0 |
in the preparation of blood - derived biopharmaceuticals , it is desirable for the processes involved to either remove or inactivate ( i . e ., kill ) at least several log cycles of microbial infectivity . whether a partial killing of microorganisms ( e . g ., a bactericidal or viricidal processes ) or a total killing of microorganisms ( e . g ., a sterilizing process ) such inactivation provides some assurance that adventitious agents , including contaminants that may be introduced by the starting material , are not present in the final product . the method of the present invention may be carried out with a fixative selected from the group consisting of formaldehyde , paraformaldehyde and glutaraldehyde . fixation with such agents requires careful modification of the procedure set forth in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 287 , 087 to avoid loss of viability of the platelets . in general , washed platelets are fixed by incubating them , typically at room temperature , for up to 60 minutes ( and preferably at least 30 or 45 minutes , with some viruses being inactivated in as little as 30 minutes ) in a solution of up to 1 . 8 % fixative ( preferably , from 1 to 2 % fixative ). as discussed in greater detail below , care must also be taken to sufficiently fix the platelets or undue lysis will occur during drying thereof . an alternative technique is to fix platelets by incubating the platelets in a permanganate solution ( e . g ., sodium permanganate , potassium permanganate ). in general , washed platelets may be prepared by this technique by incubating them for from 5 to 20 minutes in from 0 . 001 to 1 g / dl of kmno 4 or namno 4 solution , more preferably by incubating them for from 5 to 15 minutes in from 0 . 005 to 0 . 5 g / dl of kmno 4 or namno 4 solution , and most preferably by incubating them for 8 to 12 minutes in from 0 . 005 to 0 . 05 g / dl of kmno 4 or namno 4 solution . blood platelet preparations for use in preparing pharmaceutical formulations should be essentially free of extraneous matter , particularly lysed blood platelets which would present free thrombogenic agents to a patient administered the preparation . hence , care must be taken to sufficiently fix the platelets ( without destroying the viability thereof , as indicated by the characteristics set forth above ) prior to drying , as undue lysis will otherwise occur during the drying step . for example , platelet preparations suitable for use in preparing human pharmaceutical formulations preferably show , on reconstitution of 10 9 platelets in one milliliter of solution , less than 10 × 10 6 microparticles ( the fragmentary remains of lysed platelets ) per milliliter , and preferably show less than 150 international units ( iu ) per liter of lactate dehydrogenase in the supernatant after resuspension and pelleting ( where 2200 iu per liter represents total lysis of 10 9 cells in 1 milliliter ). drying of platelets after fixation may be carried out by any suitable means , but is preferably carried out by lyophilization . care must be taken to stabilize the platelet preparation prior to drying as an unacceptable level of platelet lysis may otherwise occur . stabilization may be carried out by suspending the platelets in a solution containing a suitable water replacing molecule ( or &# 34 ; stabilizer &# 34 ;), such as albumin or trehalose , and then drying the solution . in one embodiment , from 0 . 1 to 20 percent by weight albumin is employed , more preferably from 1 to 10 percent by weight albumin is employed , and most preferably from 5 to 10 percent by weight albumin is employed . for administration to a subject , the albumin in the preparation should be of the same species as the subject ( e . g ., human albumin ). in the alternative , the preparation may be dried with albumin of a different species , the albumin separated from the platelets on reconstitution , and albumin of the same species added back to the reconstituted preparation for administration to the subject , but care should be taken to remove all non - species specific albumin as it may be antigenic in the subject being treated . pharmaceutical formulations of the present invention may simply comprise dried ( preferably lyophilized ) platelets , pyrogen - free and sterile in a sterile aseptic package . albumin may be included , as noted above . pharmaceutical formulations may also comprise a platelet preparation of the present invention reconstituted in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier . any aqueous carrier which rehydrates the platelets so that they possess the characteristics enumerated above and are suitable for intravenous injection may be used ( e . g ., sterile , pyrogen free , physiological saline solution ). additional agents , such as buffers , preservatives , and other therapeutically active agents , may also be included in the reconstituted formulation . see , e . g ., u . s . pat . no . 4 , 994 , 367 ( the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference ). reconstituted pharmaceutical formulations of the present invention are typically administered to human patients by intravenous injection . patients in need of such treatment include patients afflicted with thrombocytopenia ( including washout thrombocytopenia ), patients afflicted with hemorrhagic platelet dysfunction , and trauma victims experiencing severe bleeding . the amount of the pharmaceutical formulation administered will vary depending upon the weight and condition of the patient , but will typically range from 20 to 350 milliliters in volume , and from 1 × 10 9 to 3 × 10 9 platelets per milliliter ( and more preferably from 2 × 10 9 to 3 × 10 9 platelets per milliliter ) in concentration . pharmaceutical formulations may be packaged in a sterile , pyrogen free container to provide these volumes and dosages as a unit dose . the present invention is explained in greater detail in the following examples . these examples are for illustrative purposes only , and are not to be taken as limiting of the invention . a . preparation of lyophilized human platelets ( protocol 1 ). human platelets are prepared from blood drawn into acid citrate dextrose ( acd ) anticoagulant ( 0 . 085m trisodium citrate , 0 . 0702m citric acid , 0 . 111m dextrose , ph 4 . 5 ), one part anticoagulant to 5 . 66 parts blood . platelets were isolated by differential centrifugation and washed three times with acid citrate saline ( 0 . 00544m trisodium citrate , 0 . 154m nacl , adjusted to ph 6 . 5 with 0 . 1n hcl ). after washing , platelets are fixed by incubating the washed platelets from 100 ml of blood in 5 . 0 ml of 1 . 8 % paraformaldehyde solution ( prepared as 9 . 0 ml 4 % paraformaldehyde solution plus 1 . 0 ml acd plus 10 . 0 ml 0 . 135m nah 2 po 4 ) for 45 minutes at room temperature ( the fixation time may be extended to 60 minutes ). an alternative is to incubate the washed platelets from 100 ml of blood in a 1 . 0 % paraformaldehyde solution for 45 minutes at room temperature ( the fixation time may be extended to 60 minutes ). to remove the paraformaldehyde , after paraformaldehyde incubation , an equal volume of imidazole buffered saline ( 0 . 084m imidazole ; 0 . 146m nacl , adjusted to ph 6 . 8 with 1 . 0n hcl ), is added to each tube and the platelets pelleted by centrifugation at 1500 times g for 8 minutes at room temperature . the supernatant is decanted and the platelets washed by resuspending the platelet pellets in 5 - 10 ml imidazole buffered saline ph 7 . 35 . the wash is repeated twice more to remove the paraformaldehyde . following the third wash the platelets are resuspended in a 5 % solution of serum albumin ( 5 gm albumin per 100 ml of citrate saline solution , 0 . 0054m sodium citrate , 0 . 154m nacl , ph 6 . 5 ). the platelets are counted using a phase contrast microscope and an american optical bright - line hemocytometer . the platelet concentration is adjusted to 800 , 000 per cubic millimeter ( cmm ). aliquots ( 10 ml ) of concentration - adjusted platelets in the serum albumin solution are placed in 20 ml glass vials and frozen at - 70 ° c . the platelets are then lyophilized for 12 hours or until a cracked , white powder is evident . the platelet product can also be shell frozen in large quantities of 100 to 500 ml and lyophilized at - 40 ° c . for four hours , after which the temperature is raised to - 25 ° c . for the duration of the drying time . the lyophilized product is stored at - 20 ° c . to - 70 ° c . until use . lyophilized platelets are rehydrated with 0 . 084m imidazole buffer ( no salt added ), adjusted to a ph of 7 . 35 with 1 . 0m naoh . after addition of imidazole buffer , the solution is allowed to sit , undisturbed for several minutes , then gently mixed by rolling or rotating the vial to produce an even suspension of rehydrated single platelets . b . preparation of lyophilized human platelets ( protocol 2 ). whole blood is obtained from healthy volunteer donors into commercial blood collection packs ( fenwal 4r6402 , baxter health care ) containing its standard complement of anticoagulant ( cpda - 1 ). the final volume of each unit of citrated whole blood collected is 500 cc . each bag of whole blood is centrifuged to obtain platelet - rich plasma ( prp ), which is aspirated from the bag and washed by three centrifugation / resuspension steps in phosphate - buffered saline solution ( same as described in a above ). the washed platelets are then centrifuged again and the pellet treated with a buffered solution containing 1 . 8 % paraformaldehyde ( same as described in a above ) for from 45 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature . the yield of platelets after removal of the stabilization reagent and further platelet washing to remove paraformaldehyde is 60 - 80 % of the count in the platelet suspension prior to stabilization . when albumin is not included in the washing buffer after stabilization , then the platelet yield falls . the composition of the final platelet resuspension before freeze - drying is important to obtaining appropriate yields . in general , an effective amount of a stabilizer such as albumin or trehalose in buffered saline is necessary to obtain yields of 85 - 100 % of the platelets through the lyophilization / rehydration steps . albumin should be included in an amount ranging from 0 . 1 to 50 g / dl , more preferably an amount ranging from 1 to 25 g / dl , and most preferably in an amount ranging from 5 - 10 g / dl . trehalose should be included in an amount ranging from 0 . 1 - 10 . m , more preferably from 0 . 2 to 5m , and most preferably from 0 . 5 - 1 . 0m . several types of rehydration solutions have been employed without noticeable differences in parameter outcomes : phosphate - buffered saline ph = 7 . 3 , tris - buffered saline ph = 7 . 4 , imidazole - buffered saline , or unisol ™ physiologic balanced salt solution . the purpose of this study was to demonstrate the kinetics of bacterial inactivation by 1 . 8 % paraformaldehyde in the platelet preservation process . twelve bags of platelets were obtained from the american red cross . bacillus cereus was injected in each bag to obtain a final concentration of 50 colony forming units ( cfu )/ ml in all units . platelets from six of the bags were processed into lyophylilized platelets as described in example 1 , protocol 1 , above and returned to a platelet storage bag . the six other samples remained in the original storage bag . all bags were followed for seven days with daily quantitative bacterial cultures ( serial dilutions with 0 . 1 ml spread on a blood agar plate and incubated at 37 ° c . for 48 hours in duplicate ) until grossly contaminated . result : bacillus cereus grew in all six routinely stored units , but not in the processed platelets . in a second experiment , six bags of platelets were inoculated with staphylococcus epidermis to a final concentration of 50 cfu / ml . each platelet bag was divided into two equal samples . one sample from each platelet bag was processed through the fixing and washing steps described in example 1 , protocol 1 , and then returned to a new platelet storage bag . the remaining samples were stored normally . result : in the samples that were not processed , s . epidermis growth was seen in all bags by day 3 of storage . previous experiments have shown that s . epidermis inoculated to a final concentration of 50 cfu / ml in a platelet unit results in growth in 100 % of units by day 7 . see , e . g ., m . brecher et al ., transfusion 34 , 750 - 755 ( 1994 ). platelets processed through the fixing and washing steps described in example 1 remained sterile through the entire 7 day observation period . in this study , model viruses representing a wide range of viral characteristics were tested for inactivation at five separate time points by incubation with 1 . 8 % paraformaldehyde , essentially as described in example 1 above . the following viruses , which represent a range of biophysical and structural features that may reflect those of potential contaminants in the starting material were selected for this study : 1 ) bovine viral diarrhea virus ( bvd , strain ky - 22 ) is a 40 - 70 nm , enveloped , rna - containing virus . recent studies of the viral genome and physical characteristics of hepatitis c virus ( hcv , formerly known as non - a and non - b hepatitis ) have shown it to be a member of the flavivirus family , most closely related to the pestivirus genus . since hcv cannot be propagated in vitro , and there are no animal models available for hcv infection other than chimpanzees , bvd has been used as a model for hcv in process validation studies . 2 ) encephalomyocarditis virus ( emc , strain emc ) is a 28 - 30 nm , nonenveloped , rna - containing picornavirus which is very resistant to many standard virus inactivation techniques . this virus is from the same family as hepatitis a virus , and thus serves as a good model for this virus . 3 ) human immunodeficiency virus ( hiv , strain htlv - iiib ) is an 80 - 100 nm , enveloped , rna - containing retrovirus which is a potential contaminant of human blood . hiv is titrated in vitro by a cem - a syncytium assay . upon infection with hiv , cem - a cells develop easily - detectable multinucleated cells or syncytia in 7 - 10 days . all work involving hiv is performed is quality biotech &# 39 ; s bsl - 3 facility . the aliquots of sterile starting material ( platelets in citrate / saline buffer ) were prepared as described above . the test material was stored at 22 ° c . - 28 ° c . aliquots of 4 % paraformaldehyde , 0 . 135m sodium phosphate buffer , acd buffer , and imidazole / saline buffer were stored at room temperature . in a preliminary study , the test material to be used in this study was tested for toxicity to the bt - 1 indicator cells used for titration of bvd , the vero indicator cells used for titration of emc , and the cem - a indicator cells used for titration of hiv - 1 . for each virus , the following test samples were tested for toxicity : upon initiation of testing , 1 . 8 ml of &# 34 ; platelet solution before paraformaldehyde treatment &# 34 ; ( pv - 001 ) was &# 34 ; mock spiked &# 34 ; with 0 . 2 ml of virus resuspension buffer . 1 . 8 ml of 4 % paraformaldehyde was then added . this generated samples pv - 004 , pv - 006 , and pv - 008 . a second aliquot was prepared by &# 34 ; mock spiking &# 34 ; 3 . 3 ml of platelet solution ( pv - 001 ) with 0 . 7 ml of virus resuspension buffer . this generated samples pv - 003 , pv - 005 , and pv - 007 . all samples were tested in duplicate for cytotoxicity to the appropriate indicator cells at full strength , and at 10 - fold , and 100 - fold dilutions ( in emem - eagle &# 39 ; s minimal essential medium ) via the standard titration protocol appropriate for each virus ( see section 4 . 60 ). samples which caused the indicator cells monolayers to be less than 50o confluent were considered cytotoxic . the results of the preliminary toxicity studies showed a significant level of toxicity in the samples containing paraformaldehyde . therefore , additional samples were submitted consisting of platelets after paraformaldehyde treatment and paraformaldehyde removal by centrifugation and washing . these samples were tested directly ( without &# 34 ; mock spiking &# 34 ;) for toxicity as described above . this generated samples pv - 032 , pv - 033 , and pv - 034 . for each of the viruses assayed , the following test samples were generated : starting material ( 3 . 6 ml of platelets in citrates / saline buffer ) that was at 25 °± 3 ° c . was spiked with 0 . 4 ml of high titer virus . the sample was adjusted to ph 6 . 8 - 7 . 6 , and divided into two equal aliquots . one aliquot was frozen immediately at or below - 70 ° c . to serve as a backup . the remaining aliquot was immediately tested using the appropriate virus titration protocol as described in section e below . this served as the &# 34 ; t initial &# 34 ; sample . 21 . 6 ml of starting material ( platelets in citrate / saline buffer ) at 25 °± 3 ° c . was centrifuged at 800 × g for 8 minutes at 25 °± 3 ° c . to pellet the platelets . a 2 . 0 % paraformaldehyde solution was freshly prepared by mixing 12 . 5 ml of 4 % paraformaldehyde with 11 . 5 ml of 0 . 135m sodium phosphate buffer , and 1 . 0 ml of acd buffer . after removing the citrate / saline supernatant , the pelleted platelets were resuspended in 21 . 6 ml of the freshly prepared 2 . 0 % paraformaldehyde solution . this platelet suspension was spiked with 2 . 4 ml of high titer virus to bring the paraformaldehyde concentration to 1 . 8 %. the spiked starting material with 1 . 8 % paraformaldehyde was then divided into three 4 ml aliquots and one 10 ml aliquot , and the samples were incubated at 25 °± 3 ° c . in a water bath . the temperature of the water bath ( 25 °± 3 ° c .) was monitored and recorded . for the t 30 minutes , t 1 hour , and t 1 . 5 hours time points ( times are ± 1 minute ), the 4 ml samples were removed . four ml of imidazole buffered saline was added to each 4 ml aliquot . these samples were inverted three times and centrifuged at 800 × g for 8 minutes at 25 °± 3 ° c . the supernatant was poured off and the platelets were resuspended in 4 ml of imidazole / saline buffer . the samples were inverted three times and centrifuged at 800 × g for 8 minutes at 25 °± 3 ° c . this washing step was repeated two more times . after the final centrifugation , 4 ml of imidazole / saline buffer was used to resuspend the platelets . the samples were then divided into two equal aliquots . one aliquot was frozen immediately at or below - 70 ° c . to serve as a backup . the remaining aliquot was tested immediately using the appropriate virus titration protocol as described in section e below . for bvd and emc , 0 . 5 ml of the undiluted and diluted samples was plated in each of 3 wells for a total of 1 . 5 ml . for hiv , 0 . 2 ml of the undiluted and diluted samples was plated in each of 4 wells ( for a total of 0 . 8 ml ). for the t 2 hours time point ( times ± 1 minute ), the 10 ml sample was removed . ten ml of imidazole buffered saline was added to each 10 ml aliquot . these samples were inverted three times and centrifuged at 800 × g for 8 minutes at 25 °± 3 ° c . the supernatant was poured off and the platelets were resuspended in 10 ml of imidazole / saline buffer . the samples were inverted three times and centrifuged at 800 × g for 8 minutes at 25 °± 3 ° c . this washing step was repeated two more times . after the final centrifugation , 10 ml of imidazole / saline buffer was used to resuspend the platelets . the samples were then divided into two equal aliquots . one aliquot was frozen immediately at or below - 70 ° c . to serve as a backup . the remaining aliquot was tested immediately at or below - 70 ° c . to serve as a backup . the remaining aliquot was tested immediately using the appropriate virus titration protocol as described in section e below . for bvd and emc , 0 . 5 ml of the undiluted samples was plated in each of 8 wells for a total of 4 ml . for hiv , 0 . 2 ml of the undiluted samples was plated in each of 20 wells ( for a total of 4 ml ). all diluted samples were plated as described above for the first four time points . ( 1 ) stock virus controls . for each virus , stock virus solution served as the positive control . ( 2 ) negative controls the cell culture medium used for each virus titration served as a negative control for each assay . upon initiation of viral titrations , one aliquot of each sample and control ( the other was reserved as a backup ) was diluted in cell culture medium to the end point ( 10 0 , 3 - fold , 10 - 1 , 10 - 2 , 10 - 3 , 10 - 4 , 10 - 5 , 10 - 6 , 10 - 7 , and 10 - 8 , as appropriate ). each dilution was tested for infectious viral particles by the standard virus titration protocol , as described below for each virus . bvd : each dilution of bvd - containing samples was assayed for infectious viral particles by the bvd plaque assay using bovine turbinate ( bt ) indicator cells . fmc : each dilution of emc - containing samples was assayed for infectious viral particles by the emc plaque assay using vero indicator cells . hiv : each dilution of hiv - containing samples was assayed for infectious viral particles by the cem - a syncytium assay using cem - a indicator cells . the test was valid . the positive controls displayed evidence of infectious virus , and no virus was detected in the negative controls . results of toxicity studies for the bt , cem - a , and vero indicator cell lines used for viral titration are shown in table 1 . the post paraformaldehyde wash significantly decreased the toxicity from this treatment ( pv - 032 , pv - 033 , and pv - 034 ); all viral studies were performed utilizing this wash step . table 1______________________________________results of toxicity studiespv indicatornumber sample description cell line cytotoxicity______________________________________pv - 003 platelet solution before bt not toxic paraformaldehyde treatmentpv - 004 platelet solution after 1 . 8 % bt toxic paraformaldehyde treatment undilute , 10 . sup .- 1 , 10 . sup .- 2pv - 032 post paraformaldehyde wash bt not toxicpv - 005 platelet solution before vero not toxic paraformaldehyde treatmentpv - 006 platelet solution after 1 . 8 % vero toxic paraformaldehyde treatment undilute , 10 . sup .- 1 , 10 . sup .- 2pv - 033 post paraformaldehyde wash vero not toxicpv - 007 platelet solution before cem - a not toxic paraformaldehyde treatmentpv - 008 platelet solution after 1 . 8 % cem - a toxic paraformaldehyde treatment undilute , 10 . sup .- 1 , 10 . sup .- 2 , 10 . sup .- 3pv - 034 post paraformaldehyde wash cem - a toxic undilute______________________________________ the virus titers for each sample and control in the inactivation studies are shown in table 2 through table 4 . viral titers are expressed as plaque forming units ( pfu ) per ml of syncytium forming units ( sfu ) per ml . titers are expressed as ≦ 5 . 0 × 10 0 pfu ( sfu )/ ml when no virus or fewer than 5 pfu ( sfu ) per ml are detected . for the hiv assay in cem - a cells a 3 - fold dilution was utilized ; titers are expressed as ≦ 1 . 5 × 10 1 pfu ( sfu )/ ml when no virus or fewer than 5 pfu ( sfu ) per ml are detected in the 3 - fold dilution and the undilute samples are cytotoxic . log 10 reduction values were calculated by subtracting the log 10 pfu ( sfu / ml of each treated sample from that of the t initial sample . the paraformaldehyde viral inactivation process reduced the viral titer for bvd by as much as 6 . 93 log 10 ( virus brought to non - detectable levels ), for emc by as much as 8 . 78 log 10 ( virus brought to non - detectable levels ), for emc by as much as 4 . 77 log 10 ( virus brought to non - detectable levels ). a poisson - based statistical analysis was employed for the 2 hour samples to determine changes in virus titers resulting from the plating of additional test article using additional wells . for such instances , the assay sensitivity can be reduced below the current level . for bvd and emc , if no virus is detected in a dilution scheme using additional wells , the titer is reported as 0 . 58 pfu / ml . for hiv , if no virus is detected in a dilution scheme using additional wells , the titer is reported as 0 . 29 sfu / ml . table 2______________________________________bovine viral diarrhea virus titerspv virus titer log . sub . 10 log . sub . 10number sample description ( pfu / ml ) pfu / ml reduction______________________________________pv - 014 stock virus control 6 . 5 × 10 . sup . 7 7 . 81 napv - 009 t . sub . initial 4 . 9 × 10 . sup . 6 6 . 69 napv - 010 t . sub . 30 minutes 3 . 3 × 10 . sup . 3 3 . 52 3 . 17pv - 011 t . sub . 1 hour =≦ 5 . 0 × 10 . sup . 0 ≦ 0 . 70 ≧ 5 . 99pv - 012 t . sub . 1 . 5 hours =≦ 5 . 0 × 10 . sup . 0 ≦ 0 . 70 ≧ 5 . 99pv - 013 t . sub . 2 hours =≦ 5 . 8 × 10 . sup . 1 - 0 . 24 6 . 93______________________________________ =: virus brought to nondetectable levels . pfu : plaque forming units na : not applicable log . sub . 10 reduction values were calculated by subtracting the log . sub . 10 pfu / ml of each treated sample from that of the &# 34 ; t . sub . initial &# 34 ; sample ( pv009 ). table 3______________________________________encephalomyocarditis virus titerspv virus titer log . sub . 10 log . sub . 10number sample description ( pfu / ml ) pfu / ml reduction______________________________________pv - 020 stock virus control 2 . 1 × 10 . sup . 9 9 . 32 napv - 015 t . sub . initial 3 . 5 × 10 . sup . 8 8 . 54 napv - 016 t . sub . 30 minutes 3 . 8 × 10 . sup . 5 5 . 58 2 . 96pv - 017 t . sub . 1 hour =≦ 5 . 0 × 10 . sup . 0 ≦ 0 . 70 ≧ 7 . 84pv - 018 t . sub . 1 . 5 hours =≦ 5 . 0 × 10 . sup . 0 ≦ 0 . 70 ≧ 7 . 84pv - 019 t . sub . 2 hours =≦ 5 . 8 × 10 . sup . 1 - 0 . 24 8 . 78______________________________________ = virus brought to nondetectable levels . pfu = plaque forming units na = not applicable log . sub . 10 reduction values were calculated by subtracting the log . sub . 10 pfu / ml of each treated sample from that of the &# 34 ; t . sub . initial &# 34 ; sample ( pv015 ). table 4______________________________________human immunodeficiency virus titerspv virus titer log . sub . 10 log . sub . 10number sample description ( sfu / ml ) sfu / ml reduction______________________________________pv - 026 stock virus control 5 . 6 × 10 . sup . 5 5 . 75 napv - 021 t . sub . initial 1 . 7 × 10 . sup . 4 4 . 23 napv - 022 t . sub . 30 minutes =≦ 1 . 5 × 10 . sup . 1 ≦ 1 . 18 ≧ 3 . 05pv - 023 t . sub . 1 hour =≦ 1 . 5 × 10 . sup .- 1 ≦ 1 . 18 ≧ 3 . 05pv - 024 t . sub . 1 . 5 hours =≦ 1 . 5 × 10 . sup . 1 ≦ 1 . 18 ≧ 3 . 05pv - 025 t . sub . 2 hours = 2 . 9 × 10 . sup . 1 - 0 . 54 4 . 77______________________________________ =: virus brought to nondetectable levels . sfu : syncytium forming units na : not applicable log . sub . 10 reduction values were calculated by subtracting the log . sub . 10 sfu / ml of each treated sample from that of the &# 34 ; t . sub . initial &# 34 ; sample ( pv021 ). the foregoing examples are illustrative of the present invention , and are not to be construed as limiting thereof . the invention is defined by the following claims , with equivalents of the claims to be included therein . | 0 |
the invention relates to a sprayable coating composition of silver flake suspended in an aqueous vehicle . the coating composition can be applied by spraying onto a resistive or dielectric substrate followed by removing most of the water in a low temperature drying step at ambient or slightly higher temperature . after low temperature drying the silver flake will be temporarily but firmly adhered to the substrate . in a subsequent , optional process step , the dried part is heated sufficiently to sinter inorganic adhesive components which permanently attach the silver to the substrate . the silver component is finely divided flake typically produced in a ball mill by bead milling silver powder in the presence of a lubricant . lubricants that are suitable for use in the present invention include saturated and unsaturated , organic fatty acids and salts , preferably alkaline earth metal salts , of organic fatty acids . these organic fatty acids are straight - chain carboxylic acids , preferably monocarboxylic acids , having from 6 to 18 carbon atoms . representative saturated organic fatty acids are lauric acid , palmitic acid and stearic acid . representative unsaturated organic fatty acids are oleic acid , linoleic acid , linolenic acid . although a single acid or salt can predominate in the lubricant composition , frequently the lubricant comprises a mixture of the acids or salts . the lubricant is charged to the mill as solution in alcohol or mineral spirits . the silver is milled into generally thin flat particles having a thickness in the range from about 0 . 1 to about 0 . 5 μm and an average long dimension in the range of about 3 to about 10 μm . preferably , the long dimension is less than 15 μm . the lamellar shape of flake allows the particles to pack more closely than powder particles and gives the flake a high bulk density . silver flake suitable for use in this invention has a tap density , i . e . , bulk density , greater than about 2 . 0 g / cm 3 , and preferably in the range of about 2 . 5 to about 3 . 5 g / cm 3 . in comparison , the tap density of silver powder is roughly about 0 . 8 to about 1 . 5 g / cm 3 . surface area of silver flake of this invention is about 1 . 1 to about 1 . 8 m 2 / g . the coating composition preferably contains about 60 to about 75 wt % silver flake . the coating composition preferably contains about 1 . 7 to about 3 . 0 wt % of a polymer binder for securing the silver flake to the substrate after the low temperature drying . preferably the polymer binder is a water - soluble , aqueous emulsion , acrylic polymer . acrylic polymer means homopolymers or copolymers of monomers which include acrylic acid , methacrylic acid , occasionally referred to collectively as ( meth ) acrylic acid , c 1 - c 12 alkyl esters of ( meth ) acrylic acid and mixtures of these monomers . representative acrylic polymers include , poly ( methyl methacrylate ); poly ( stearyl methacrylate ); poly ( methacrylate ); poly ( ethylacrylate ); and poly ( butylacrylate ). comonomers of acrylic copolymers can have styrenic or hydroxyl functionality . the aqueous emulsion polymer binder can be neutralized to a ph of about 7 - 12 , and preferably about 8 - 10 with alkali or amine . neutralization causes the polymer chains to extend so that the emulsion particles absorb water , swell and substantially completely dissolve in the aqueous medium . incorporation of substantially completely water soluble polymer binder importantly keeps the coating composition viscosity low which is best for spraying . by &# 34 ; substantially completely water soluble &# 34 ; is meant that the solid material dissolves to a sufficient extent to form a single phase mixture with water . it is believed that the carboxylate functionality of the dissolved polymer synergistically helps to disperse silver flake in the aqueous vehicle . suitable alkali and amine neutralizing agents include ammonium hydroxide , sodium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide , dimethylaminoethanol , monoethanolamine and morpholine . monoethanolamine is preferred . the polymer binder suitable for use in the present invention has an average molecular weight in the range from about 5 , 000 to about 80 , 000 , and preferably in the range from 15 , 000 to about 60 , 000 . acid number of the polymer binder is at least 60 mg koh / g polymer . the polymer binder has glass transition temperature , tg , in the range from about - 10 ° c . to about 80 ° c ., and preferably from about 25 ° c . to about 60 ° c . it is also important that the polymer binder of this invention burns off nearly completely during the firing step so that little residue remains to interfere with high temperature sintering . representative commercially available polymer binders include , joncryl ® 142 , from s . c . johnson company , an acrylic polymer with molecular weight about 48 , 000 , acid no . about 130 mg koh / g , and tg below about 7 ° c . ; carboset ® ga1914 , from b . f . goodrich , an acrylic emulsion polymer with acid no . about 125 and tg about 35 ° c . ; and sokalon ® cp - 45 , from basf , an acrylic / maleic acid copolymer with molecular weight of about 70 , 000 and acid no . about 210 . acrysol ® i - 62 ( molecular weight 15 , 000 ; acid no . 100 ; and tg 45 ° c . ), and acrysol ® i - 2426 , ( molecular weight 60 , 000 ; acid no . 115 and tg 54 ° c . ), products of rohm and haas company , philadelphia , pa ., are particularly effective as the polymer binder . preneutralized , i . e . , solution form , commercial polymer binder , such as carboset ® ga1594 , from b . f . goodrich , an acrylic polymer with tg about 28 ° c ., an acid no . of 65 mg koh / g and preneutralized with dimethylaminoethanol is also acceptable . water , preferably , deionized water is present in the aqueous vehicle in solvent effective amount . that is , it is the major liquid phase component and is a solvent for polymer binder , co - solvent and any water soluble surfactant and defoamer additives . the aqueous vehicle also contains a minor amount of an organic , substantially completely water soluble co - solvent . the co - solvent has a boiling point higher than that of water . the co - solvent compatibilizes the silver , polymer binder and water system . it increases dispersability of hydrophobic silver flake in the vehicle ; it promotes coalescing and film - forming properties of the coating composition ; and it optimizes coating composition viscosity . some co - solvent may remain on the coated part after low temperature drying . accordingly , the co - solvent should burn cleanly to leave minimal carbonaceous residue after firing . preferably , the co - solvent is from about 0 . 8 to about 6 . 0 wt %, based on the total weight of the coating composition . lower concentrations of co - solvent are preferred in order to minimize the amount of volatile organic compound in the coating composition . co - solvents which can be used in the aqueous vehicle include strongly polar , substantially completely water soluble organic solvents having 6 to 18 carbon atoms , including aliphatic alcohols ; ethylene and propylene oligomer glycols ; ethers and esters of such alcohols and glycols ; and mixtures of them . representative co - solvents include diethyleneglycol monoethylether , diethyleneglycol monobutylether and 2 - butoxyethanol . diethyleneglycol monobutylether is preferred . the coating composition optionally contains at least one sintering adhesive . a representative sintering adhesive for bonding metal coatings to ceramic substrates includes one or more metal oxides , such as cupric oxide , cadmium oxide , zinc oxide , barium oxide , manganese oxide , aluminum oxide , silicon dioxide , and a modified - borosilicate glass frit with modifiers such as barium and lead . the sintering adhesive will be present in the coating composition preferably from about 0 . 1 to about 2 wt %, and more preferably from about 0 . 1 to about 0 . 5 wt %. although the coating composition is primarily intended for coating on substrates which will be later fired , it may also serve to deposit thin silver films on dielectric or resistive materials not intended for firing , such as ceramic , quartz , alumina , and plastic or elastomeric polymers . when the coating composition is used to coat articles not intended for firing , sintering adhesive can be excluded from the composition without detriment . the coating composition normally contains additives selected from among a wide variety of conventional surfactants , defoamers and anti - settling agents . such additives foster dispersion of the silver flake in the aqueous vehicle . the silver can also settle on standing for long periods . if the silver does not easily redisperse in the solvent with agitation , the composition is said to &# 34 ; settle hard .&# 34 ; the coating composition of the present invention settles soft , i . e ., settled solids will readily disperse with brief and / or mild agitation . surfactant and defoamer additives constitute about 0 . 3 to about 6 . 0 wt % of the coating composition . a preferred recipe of surfactant and defoamer additives includes from about 0 . 1 to about 1 . 6 wt % of the coating composition , more preferably about 0 . 4 wt %, ammonium salt of polyelectrolyte dispersing agent available from r . t . vanderbilt company under the tradename darvan ® c - no . 7 ; from about 0 . 1 to about 0 . 8 wt % of the coating composition , more preferably about 0 . 2 wt %, of 2 , 4 , 7 , 9 - tetramethyl - 5 - decyn - 4 , 7 - diol defoaming , non - ionic surfactant available from air products and chemicals , inc . under the tradename surfynol ® 104 surfactant ; and from about 0 . 1 to about 0 . 8 wt % of the coating composition , more preferably about 0 . 2 wt %, of modified polysiloxane copolymer defoamer available from byk - chemie usa under the tradename byk ®- 020 . anti - settling agents useful in the present invention are high surface area , finely divided particulate , inert mineral compounds , such as fumed alumina , fumed titania and fumed silica . fumed silica with particle size of about 7 to about 12 nm and having a specific surface area of about 200 to about 300 m 2 / g is preferred . anti - settling agent concentration is generally about 0 . 1 to about 5 . 0 wt %, preferably about 0 . 3 to about 1 . 0 wt % of the coating composition . the coating composition can be prepared using conventional equipment . generally , the substantially completely water soluble polymer binder is supplied as about 50 wt % emulsion in water . it is neutralized by adding alkali or amine . below a certain ph which depends on the type of polymer binder , viscosity of the aqueous vehicle will vary with ph . in order to reduce the sensitivity of viscosity on ph , alkali or amine is added to obtain ph in the range of about 7 - 12 , preferably about 8 to about 10 , and more preferably , about 9 . alternatively , commercially available , preneutralized polymer binder , i . e ., in which the polymer as supplied is dissolved in an aqueous medium , can be used . water and co - solvent are added to the neutralized polymer binder to make the aqueous vehicle . it is also possible to dilute the polymer binder emulsion with water and co - solvent and then to neutralize the polymer binder by adding alkali or amine to the dilute emulsion . significantly , the polymer binder is present in the coating composition in the dissolved state prior to spraying . this is different from conventional paint technology in which a coalescing agent activates a pigment binder after the solvent has begun to evaporate . while not wishing to be bound by a particular theory , it is believed that the coating compositions of this invention have adequate &# 34 ; green strength &# 34 ; in large part because the polymer binder is dissolved before the solvent begins to evaporate . the term &# 34 ; green strength &# 34 ; as used herein means the adhesive strength of the silver to the surface of the low - temperature dried , but unfired substrate . surfactant and defoaming additives are usually charged and mixed with the liquid prior to addition of the remaining solid ingredients . preferably , the silver flake , sintering adhesive , if any , and anti - settling agent are premixed to obtain a uniform composition prior to charging to the aqueous vehicle . minor amounts of water and / or co - solvent can be added to adjust the coating composition viscosity to a value within the range from about 0 . 3 to about 4 . 0 pa . s ( 300 cps - 4000 cps ). when such adjustments are made it should be borne in mind that addition of water and co - solvent dilutes the concentration of silver flake which reduces the ability to spray the desired thickness of silver onto the substrate in one high speed application . for spray application , the preferable coating composition viscosity will be in the range of about 0 . 3 to about 1 . 6 pa . s ( 300 - 1600 cps ). the ingredients are mixed with mild agitation until a uniform dispersion is produced . the coating composition can be sprayed , dipped or applied to the substrate by other traditional methods . coating compositions of this invention are ideal for spraying . after application , the coating composition is dried which causes the binder to form a film that adheres the silver flake as a metal layer on the substrate . typically , drying is performed at temperature from ambient to about 200 ° c ., preferably up to about 150 ° c . drying continues until most , usually at least about 95 %, of the water evaporates . some of the co - solvent is also removed . the composition is used to apply a conductive metal layer on an otherwise low - or non - conductive , i . e ., resistive or dielectric , surface . it is particularly useful for coating ceramic parts for the electronics industry . to more firmly bind the metal layer , these parts are fired at high temperature , normally from about 600 ° c . to about 950 ° c ., for sufficient duration to permit the sintering adhesive component of the coating composition to activate . the part is subsequently cooled to allow the sintering adhesive to attach the metal to the ceramic . during firing , polymer binder and residual co - solvent will evaporate and / or pyrolyze . components of the coating composition of this invention are selected so that pyrolysis products do not leave significant amounts of non - conductive residue which might interfere with the electrical properties of the conductive metal layer after firing . the inventive coating composition can also be applied to resistive or dielectric substrates not intended for firing . for example , it can be coated onto plastic or elastomer parts to allow those parts to be electroplated thereafter . in these applications , the coating composition can be formulated without sintering adhesive and the proportion of polymer binder can be increased to the high end of the inventive range to provide greater green strength . this invention is now illustrated by examples of certain representative embodiments thereof , wherein all parts , proportions and percentages are by weight unless otherwise indicated . all units of weight and measure not originally obtained in si units have been converted to si units . viscosity of the coating composition is determined using a brookfield rvt viscometer with no . 3 spindle and rotation at 10 rev ./ min . the vehicle ingredients in the quantities shown in table i were mixed and agitated to produce an aqueous vehicle . the ph was adjusted to 9 . 5 by adding small amounts of monoethanolamine . this vehicle was charged to a 3 . 8 l ceramic jar to which 50 volume %, 1 . 25 cm diameter × 1 . 25 cm high burundum cylinders were added . solids ingredients in the quantities shown in table i were then added to the jar . the contents of the jar were ball milled overnight to produce a coating composition . after standing two days , the coating composition was gently rolled in a container for 15 minutes to redisperse solids which had settled . brookfield viscosity was measured to be 1 . 55 pa . s ( 1550 cps ), which is considered acceptable for use with a pressure fed type spray gun . this coating composition was slightly thinned by adding about 2 - 5 wt % water in order to reduce the viscosity to about 0 . 5 - 0 . 6 pa . s ( 500 - 600 cps ) which is suitable for a siphon fed type spray gun . the 1 . 55 pa . s viscosity coating composition was sprayed with a pressure fed spray gun in a single pass onto small ceramic bodies of barium titanate and neodymium titanate . the wet - coated bodies were forced - air dried at 150 ° c . for 10 minutes . the low temperature dried bodies were fired on a belt furnace with a temperature profile that peaked at 875 ° c . for 10 minutes . total furnace cycle time was 50 minutes . the thickness of silver on the fired bodies was 14 . 8 ± 0 . 94 μm . adhesion was tested by soldering a flathead pin onto the surface using a 63 sn / 37 pb solder . the solder was held in the molten state for 2 minutes before cooling . the force necessary to pull the pin from the body was greater than 20 pounds . a 600 square serpentine pattern of coating composition was printed on a 0 . 025 μm × 2 . 5 cm × 5 . 3 cm sheet of alumina and fired . sheet resistivity of less than 2 milliohms / square / 25 . 4 μm was measured . a coating composition as shown in table 2 was prepared as described in example 1 . this composition was designed for lower viscosity for better spray performance and increased polymer binder content to obtain high green strength . viscosity of the coating composition was 1 . 35 pa . s ( 1350 cps ). the coating composition was sprayed with a pressure fed spray gun onto a small ceramic body which was then dried in air at 150 ° c . a strip of clear pressure sensitive adhesive tape was stuck to , then peeled from , the coated surface . little silver flake was observed on the peeled tape , indicating that the surface coating had good green strength . a dipping ink coating composition with the recipe of table 3 was prepared as described in example 1 . viscosity of the coating composition was 2 . 9 pa . s ( 2900 cps ). small ceramic bodies were readily dip coated by slow manual immersion into and withdrawal from a bath of the ink . the coated bodies were dried and fired as in example 1 to achieve a coating thickness of 27 . 9 μm ± 3 . 8 μm and similar adhesion and resistivity as observed in that example were obtained . coating compositions listed in table 4 were prepared according to the procedure of example 1 . each composition contained 0 . 3 wt % fumed silica , 0 . 12 wt % cu 2 o , 0 . 24 wt % cdo and 0 . 33 wt % lead - borosilicate glass frit . as each composition was transferred from the milling jar to a storage container , it was examined by visual inspection , the results of which are summarized in the table . comparative examples 4 and 5 each employed a non - water soluble acrylic polymer binder . the silver was not well dispersed and it agglomerated . additionally , an excess of co - solvent was incorporated in the composition of comparative example 4 . poor dispersion observed in comparative example 6 is attributed to excessive polymer binder and co - solvent . significant air entrainment was caused by the lack of surfactants and defoamers in the formulation . silver powder was used in comparative example 7 . the coating composition viscosity was greater than about 10 pa . s ( 10 , 000 cps ), and therefore , generally too high for spraying . the sample was stored for a while without agitation , which caused the solids to settle . vigorous stirring with a spatula failed to redisperse the solids . the silver flake used in comparative example 8 had large particle sizes . some flake particles were bigger than 20 μm . a coating composition suitable for spraying was not obtained . in comparative example 9 , it is believed that the lubricant on the silver flake was not a fatty acid . the silver did not disperse well enough in the vehicle to produce a viable coating composition . table 1__________________________________________________________________________grams wt % description grams wt % descriptionvehicle solids__________________________________________________________________________122 . 5 * 2 . 00 acrysol ® i - 2426 2190 73 . 0 silver flake546 . 1 deionized water 9 . 0 0 . 30 aerosil ® 300 fumed silica12 . 6 0 . 42 monoethanolamine 3 . 6 0 . 12 cu . sub . 2 o78 . 0 2 . 60 diethyleneglycol 7 . 2 0 . 24 cdo monobutylether4 . 8 0 . 16 surfynol ® 104 9 . 9 0 . 33 lead borosilicate glass frit ** 4 . 8 0 . 16020 byk ® 11 . 1 0 . 37 darvan ® c - no . 7__________________________________________________________________________ * weight of emulsion containing 49 wt % solids . ** softening point 546 ° c . table 2__________________________________________________________________________grams wt % description grams wt % descriptionvehicle solids__________________________________________________________________________174 . 9 * 3 . 00 acrysol ® i - 62 2190 73 . 0 silver flake470 . 2 deionized water 9 . 0 0 . 30 aerosil ® 300 fumed silica14 . 0 0 . 47 monoethanolamine 3 . 6 0 . 12 cu . sub . 2 o90 . 2 3 . 0 diethyleneglycol 7 . 2 0 . 24 cdo monobutylether6 . 1 0 . 20 surfynol ® 104 9 . 9 0 . 33 lead borosilicate glass frit ** 6 . 1 0 . 20020 byk ® 13 . 9 0 . 36 darvan ® c - no . 7__________________________________________________________________________ * weight of emulsion containing 49 wt % solids . ** softening point 546 ° c . table 3__________________________________________________________________________grams wt % description grams wt % descriptionvehicle solids__________________________________________________________________________75 . 6 * 1 . 26 acrysol ® i - 62 2130 71 . 0 silver flake57 . 5 ** 0 . 94 acrysol ® i - 2426 12 . 0 0 . 40 aerosil ® 300 fumed silica497 . 2 deionized water 3 . 6 0 . 12 cu . sub . 2 o11 . 8 0 . 40 monoethanolamine 7 . 2 0 . 24 cdo174 . 3 5 . 81 diethyleneglycol 9 . 9 0 . 33 lead borosilicate glass frit *** monobutylether4 . 8 0 . 16 surfynol ® 1044 . 8 0 . 16020 byk ® 11 . 0 0 . 37 darvan ® c - no . 7__________________________________________________________________________ * weight of emulsion containing 50 wt % solids . ** weight of emulsion containing 49 wt % solids *** softening point 546 ° c . table 4__________________________________________________________________________silver polymer binder co - solvent surfactant . sup . ( 7 ) wt % type wt % type wt % type wt %/ wt %/ wt % results__________________________________________________________________________comp . 60 hcf - 38 . sup . ( 1 ) 2 . 3 rhoplex ® 13 2 - butoxy - 0 . 16 / 0 . 16 / 0 . 37 poor dispersion ; ex . 4 wl - 81 . sup . ( 5 ) ethanol agglomeratedcomp . 65 hcf - 38 3 . 4 degmbe . sup . ( 8 ) ryl ® 0 . 16 / 0 . 16 / 0 . 37 poor dispersion ; ex . 5 1535 . sup . ( 6 ) agglomeratedcomp . 60 hcf - 38 4 . 6 acrysol ® 10 2 - butoxy - 0 / 0 / 0 poor dispersionex . 6 i - 2426 ethanol with air bubblescomp . 61 hcp - 3701 2 . 0 acrysol ® 5 . 3 2 - butoxy - 0 . 16 / 0 . 16 / 0 . 37 viscosity too high ; settledex . 7 powder . sup . ( 2 ) i - 2426 ethanol solids did not redispersecomp . 73 metz # 4 . sup . ( 3 ) 2 . 0 acrysol ® 2 . 6 degmbe 0 . 16 / 0 . 16 / 0 . 37 poorly wet silverex . 8 i - 2426 with foamcomp . 73 metz 2 . 0 acrysol ® 2 . 6 degmbe 0 . 16 / 0 . 16 / 0 . 37 silver flake incompatibleex . 9 # 10e . sup . ( 4 ) i - 2426 with vehicle__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . ( 1 ) unsaponified , acidiccoated heraeus cermalloy flake . sup . ( 2 ) heraeus cermalloy powder . sup . ( 3 ) coarse flake lubricated with saturated fatty acid ; 0 . 7 - 1 . 1 m . sup . 2 / g ; 2 . 8 - 3 . 2 g / cm . sup . 3 tap density . sup . ( 4 ) flake lubricated with nonfatty acid lubricant ; 0 . 8 - 1 . 0 m . sup . 2 / g ; 2 . 3 - 2 . 7 g / cm . sup . 3 tap density . sup . ( 5 ) rohm and haas high molecular weight , low acid no . = 49 , 41 . 5 wt solids , preneutralized acrylic latex . sup . ( 6 ) s . c . johnson co ., preneutralized , styrene / acrylic copolymer emulsion with wax additive . . sup . ( 7 ) surfynol ® 104 / byk ® - 020 / darvan ® c no . 7 . sup . ( 8 ) diethyleneglycol monobutylether | 7 |
as illustrated in fig1 there is provided a rotatable cutting roller 1 , operable as a crosscutter for a web or other sheet of material ( not shown ). the roller 1 is driven by a drive motor 2 . a pinion 9 on the drive motor 2 meshes with the gear wheel 8 of the cutting roller 1 to effect the drive . a pneumatic spring 4 is connected to gear wheel 8 on one front side thereof by a pin 12 formed on the piston rod 7 . part 13 of the pneumatic spring 4 is firmly secured on the housing of the machine in which the apparatus is mounted ( not shown ). the cylinder space of the pneumatic spring 4 is connected with an air supply 6 by conduits 10 and 11 . a solenoid valve 5 is disposed between conduits 10 and 11 . the solenoid valve 5 is controlled by an electronic control device 3 which simultaneously controls the drive motor 2 . the cutting roller 1 is caused to rotate at slow speed by operation of the drive motor 2 . the desired speed variations are produced by the electronic control device 3 . since during slow speed rotation of roller 1 accelerations and retardations thereof are not great , the pneumatic cylinder 4 is very nearly depressurized . with an increasing number of revolutions of the roller as the web to be cut passes therebelow at increasing speed , the control device 3 registers an increase in the required torque for motor 2 . the control device thereby causes solenoid valve 5 to open to let air pass from the supply 6 into the cylinder space of the pneumatic cylinder 4 through conduits 10 and 11 . the subsequent operation is then as follows . assuming the pin 12 to be at a first location at the upper dead - center position of gear 8 ( possibly even stopped ), the pneumatic piston 4 is tensioned with high compression . subsequently , the drive motor 2 rotates gear 8 to move pin 12 beyond the upper dead - center position ; the air in the cylinder 4 then begins to de - compress to effect acceleration of the piston rod 7 and thereby to impart increasing momentum to the gear wheel 8 . in the bottom dead - center position of pin 12 , i . e . with the piston rod 7 completely withdrawn from the cylinder space of the spring 4 , the maximum speed of the device is achieved . this speed may be corrected , within certain limits , by the controlled drive motor 2 . when the gear wheel 8 continues to rotate beyond the bottom dead - center position of pin 12 , the air in the cylinder 4 is again compressed and thereby retards the drive speed of the cutting roller 1 . the drive motor 2 then adds or supplies the differential energy which has been lost , for instance , in operation of the cutting roller 1 to cut the web . during continued revolution of gear 8 , the upper dead - center position of pin 12 again is reached and the speed of the device is reduced in such a way that the desired expiration of time is achieved . in cases where very long intervals of time are desired , the drive motor is stopped in the upper dead - center position . the course of movement described above is illustrated in fig2 . the circumferential speed v u increases and then decreases again ; a small jump in speed k results because of the use of the cutting energy of the roller 1 . the broken lines represent the possibility of correction by the drive motor 2 . fig2 also shows a corresponding torque curve m d which results because of the effect of the pneumatic spring 4 , the solenoid valve 5 , the electronic control device 3 and the drive motor 2 . if the maximum speed of the device is changed , the characteristics of the spring 4 must also be changed because the drive motor 2 can effect slight corrections only . the spring characteristics preferably are varied by supplying air to the pneumatic cylinder 4 so that the spring becomes more tensile and a higher speed results , or by decreasing the air volume in the pneumatic cylinder 4 whereby the spring becomes less tensile and a lower speed results . the control of this action can take place , for example , by varying the number of revolutions and the torque rating of the drive motor 2 . adjustment of the location of piston pin 12 is another manner in which the influence of the spring may be changed . this can be accomplished by mechanical means . such adjustment by changing the location of pin 12 would be appropriate if a steel spring were used in place of the pneumatic spring 4 ; however , the force constant of such a steel spring can be changed only with difficulty . in summary , it is possible to achieve a changeable angular speed of the roller 1 during one revolution thereof by means of a construction in which a spring 4 in the form of an crankslide oscillator is connected with the gear wheel 8 of the cutting roller of the crosscutting device by way of a piston rod 7 , and a crankshaft pin 12 , and by control through an electronically controlled drive motor 2 connected electrically therewith , all without the need of excessive energy for effective acceleration or retardation of the device . | 1 |
the present invention provides ‘ 01pm0212 ’ as a new , distinct and stable variety of loblolly pine that is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the inventor ( s ) in 2000 in ravenel , s . c . the objective of the planned breeding program was to develop a new loblolly pine tree with vigorous growth ; high biomass production for timber , fiber or fuel use ; straight stem ; and high resistance to fusiform rust infection that would achieve commercial maturity sooner than typical loblolly pine trees in the southeast coastal zone of the united states . for purposes of this application , the term “ variety ” is equivalent to clone , as ‘ 01pm0212 ’ may be reproduced asexually and all resulting individuals are essentially identical genetically . for the purposes of this application , during “ mass control pollination ” ( mcp ) a large number of female strobili are pollinated and produce seedlings ( or rooted cuttings ) for use in regeneration . the large scale of mcp distinguishes this process from traditional “ controlled pollination ” ( cp ), which is used to produce seed for progeny tests in order to evaluate the genetic value of the parents . bramlett , d . l ., “ genetic gain from mass controlled pollination and topworking ”, journal of forestry , vol . 95 ( 1997 ) pp . 15 - 19 . another difference between mcp and cp is the amount of control that is used to reduce contamination . cp flowers are isolated from any outside pollen contamination and pollen is collected and processed to be nearly 100 % free of contaminating pollen . in cp , the goal is that every seed has a known mother and father . the mcp process allows some contamination , so faster and less expensive techniques are used to produce large quantities of seed with the majority of seed having a known mother and a known father . the following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be unique characteristics of ‘ 01pm0212 ’ which in combination distinguish this loblolly pine tree as a new and distinct loblolly pine variety : in comparison to the full - sibling family of which it is a member , ‘ 01pm0212 ’ differs primarily in the traits listed in table 1 . of the many commercial varieties known to the present inventor ( s ), the most similar in comparison to the new loblolly pine ‘ 01pm0212 ’ is pinus aa - 32 ( unpatented ), in the following characteristics described in table 2 : the examples described herein are illustrative of the present invention and are not intended to be limitations thereon . different embodiments of the present invention have been described according to the present invention . many modifications and variations may be made to the methods and plants described and illustrated herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . the new pinus variety is a product of a controlled breeding program conducted by the inventor ( s ), in ravenel , s . c . the objective of the breeding program was to develop a new loblolly pine tree with vigorous growth , straight stem and high resistance to fusiform rust infection that would achieve commercial maturity sooner than typical trees in the southeast coastal zone . the new pinus variety originated from a cross made by the inventor ( s ) in 2000 in ravenel , s . c . the new pinus variety is a progeny of a first - generation selection pollinated by a second - generation selection . the female or seed parent is the unpatented pinus taeda variety ag - 373 selected in williamsburg county , south carolina , and is a first - generation selection . the male or pollen parent is the unpatented pinus taeda variety designated ag - 76 selected in a progeny test in georgetown county , south carolina , and is a second - generation selection . cross pollination occurred in 2000 followed by induction of somatic embryogenesis tissue and cryopreservation of embryogenic tissue in 2001 in summerville , s . c . the first somatic seedlings of the new pinus variety were produced in 2002 . rooted cuttings were produced from the somatic seedling hedges and then planted in 2004 in 3 field experiments located in berkeley county , south carolina . among these 3 field experiments , a total of 16 ramets of the new pinus variety were planted ranging from about 4 - 8 ramets per field experiment . the new pinus variety was discovered and selected by the inventors within the progeny of the stated cross in 2005 . the new pinus variety was selected by the inventors based on its superior growth , stem straightness , and low rates of forking and stem sinuosity . asexual reproduction of the new pinus variety by somatic embryogenesis , a tissue culture technique for embryo multiplication , was first performed in august , 2001 , in summerville , s . c ., and the propagated variety has demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for the new variety are firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction . the new variety reproduces true to type . the new pinus ‘ 01pm0212 ’ has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions . the phenotype of the new loblolly pine tree variety may vary with environmental variations such as temperature , light intensity and day length , as well as , growing conditions variations such as irrigation , fertilization , pruning , and pest control , without any change in the genotype of the new loblolly pine tree variety . the aforementioned photographs , together with the following observations , measurements and values describe loblolly pine trees of ‘ 01pm0212 ’ as grown in the pine farm in berkeley county , south carolina , under conditions which closely approximate those generally used in commercial practice . unless otherwise stated , the detailed botanical description includes observations , measurements and values based on 4 - year old ‘ 01pm0212 ’ trees grown in the pine farm in berkeley county , south carolina , from autumn of 2004 to summer of 2008 . quantified measurements are expressed as an average of measurements taken from a number of trees of ‘ 01pm0212 ’. the measurements of any individual tree , or any group of trees , of the new variety may vary from the stated average . color references are made to the mcc munsell color charts for plant tissues ( mcc ), 1968 edition , except where general colors of ordinary significance are used . color values were taken under daylight conditions at approximately 11 a . m . in summerville , s . c . all of the trees of ‘ 01pm0212 ’, insofar as they have been observed , have been identical in all the characteristics described below . female or seed parent : pinus taeda variety designated ‘ ag - 373 ’ ( unpatented ), selected in williamsburg county , south carolina , and is a first - generation selection . male or pollen parent : pinus taeda variety designated ‘ ag - 76 ’ ( unpatented ), selected in georgetown county , south carolina , and is a second - generation selection . light intensities : full sunlight . temperature : average summer maximum temperature of 90 degrees f ., and average minimum winter temperature of 36 degrees f . fertilization : none . growth regulators : none . pruning or trimming requirements : none . age : observed trees were 4 years old vigor : the growth rate of ‘ 01pm0212 ’ is 2nd among 108 loblolly pine varieties , at about 180 cm to 230 cm terminal growth per year . form and habit : a pine tree that is upright and conical in shape with whorled , straight stems with moderate to long internodes . the occurrence of rust infections is very low . a mature tree of ‘ 01pm0212 ’ is expected to approach about 33 m in height at age 25 . branching habit : whorled . main branches angle is 20 ° to 45 ° with respect to the perpendicular to the trunk if allowed to grow naturally . size ( 4 years old ): height : about 1 m to 1 . 5 m to lowest live limb . diameter : about 14 . 0 cm . texture : bark texture varies by age . immature bark is scaly and mature bark is irregular blocky . bark color : primarily mcc 7 . 5 yr 5 / 2 , with mcc 7 . 5 yr 5 / 4 , underbark . trunk lenticels none visible . number per tree : about one set of 2 - 5 branches / whorl every 80 cm along trunk . length : varies due to conical shape of tree ; maximum of about 230 cm ; minimum of about 30 cm . on average , branches grow about 20 cm to 30 cm , and then new branchlets form , radiating from the older , primary branch . diameter ( at 3 . 5 years ): about 20 mm to 25 mm surface texture : somewhat scaly and rough pubescence : none . number per primary branch : about 3 - 4 every 15 - 20 cm along branch length : maximum of about 60 cm ; minimum of about 15 cm diameter : about 4 mm to 10 mm surface texture : smooth to rough pubescence : none . color : internode length : 4 to 6 growth cycles per year . length varies by growth condition , averaging greater than 30 cm per cycle . second growth cycle internode often is greater than 80 cm in length . internode diameter : varies by position on the tree . ranges from about 15 cm at base to 1 . 0 cm at top . branch lenticels : none arrangement : single and arranged in spiral duration : produced for about 3 months to 1 year . size : upper surface : fascicle base , mcc 7 . 5 gy 4 / 4 , graduating to mcc 7 . 5 gy 4 / 4 at needle under surface : fascicle base , mcc 7 . 5 gy 4 / 4 , graduating to mcc 7 . 5 gy 4 / 4 at needle tip arrangement : evergreen needles , typically 3 needles per fascicle . duration : without injury , needles can persist for about 2 years . size : length ( including sheath ): about 120 mm to 220 mm width : about 0 . 5 mm to 1 . 0 mm margin : entire orientation : lateral aspect : straight to somewhat twisted texture : glabrous color : upper surface : fascicle base , mcc 7 . 5 gy ¾ graduating to mcc 7 . 5 gy ¾ at needle under surface : fascicle base , mcc 7 . 5 gy ¾ graduating to mcc 7 . 5 gy ¾ at needle tip type : terminal and secondary shape : narrowly ovoid length : about 5 mm to 15 mm width : about 3 mm to 6 mm texture : covered with scales color : apex , mcc 5 yr 6 / 4 , and base , mcc 5 yr 6 / 4 scales : number : about 8 to 10 overall shape : triangular apex shape : mucronate base shape : broadly rounded color : overall shape : ovoid to cylindrical length : about 75 mm to 130 mm width : about 20 mm to 30 mm weight : about 30 gm to 150 gm texture : irregular surface with short spine on each scale color : apex , mcc 2 . 5 yr 6 / 4 , and base , mcc 2 . 5 yr 6 / 4 peduncle ( rachis ): length : about 60 mm to 100 mm width : about 3 mm to 6 mm texture : not visible in unopened cone , covered with scales color : mcc 5 yr 4 / 8 scales : number per peduncle ( rachis ): about 120 overall shape : exposed portion ( apex ) loosely quadrilateral apex shape : loosely quadrilateral base shape : not visible in unopened cone color : mcc 5 yr 5 / 4 age : generally by about 10 years overall shape ovoid to narrowly conical length : about 75 mm to 150 mm width : about 40 mm to 60 mm weight : about 10 gm to 40 gm texture : scale surfaces smooth except for short spine color : apex , mcc 2 . 5 y 8 / 4 , and base , mcc 2 . 5 y 8 / 4 peduncle ( rachis ): inseparable from scales that cover it length : about 60 mm to 100 mm width : about 3 mm to 6 mm texture : not visible , covered with scales scales : number per peduncle ( rachis ): about 120 type : umbo dorsal . overall shape : rectangular , flared at apex and narrowing at base apex shape : mucronate umbo base shape : narrowing to juncture with peduncle color : mcc 2 . 5 y 8 / 4 number per scale : about 2 type : anemophilous overall shape somewhat triangular , with a raised center length : about 5 mm diameter : about 4 mm texture : smooth color : dark ( mcc 5 yr 3 / 2 ) to light brown ( mcc 7 . 5 yr 6 / 8 ), sometimes mottled seed wing : attachment : articulate length : about 20 mm width : about 8 mm color : mcc 5 yr 4 / 6 disease / pest resistance : free of fusiform rust infection in field trees through age 3 . usda resistance screening center testing , using artificial inoculation with rust spores , yielded a 68 % infection rate . very low rust infection has been observed in the field molecular markers are widely used to assess genetic variation and relationships among and within a species ( tautz , 1989 ). simple sequence repeat ( ssr ) markers have been useful for studying genetic relationships in loblolly pine ( liewlaksaneeyanawin , c . et al ., 2004 ). here , a set of 13 loblolly pine ssr markers were used to generate a unique dna fingerprinting profile for loblolly pine genotype ‘ 01pm0212 ’. the ssr primer sequences used for this analysis and genbank accession numbers are provided below . in order to generate microsatellite marker fingerprints for 12 different loblolly clonal varieties , nq26 , nq90 , on10 , pm212 , pm229 , ge34 , pm51 , pt1056 , pt5992 , nq857 , pt6615 , and pt7207 ), 13 markers ( tables 3a and 3b ) that were highly informative , easy and unambiguous to score , and well spaced across the genome were selected . two of these markers , sifg - 0493 and ript - 1040 were from the same linkage , although they were still almost completely independent with a genetic map distance of 41 cm . the 5 ′ ends of all forward primers were modified with the universal m13 sequence cacgacgttgtaaaacgac ( seq id no : 1 ), and the reverse primers all had the sequence gtttctt at the 5 ′ end . these were used with a fluorescently labeled m13 primer of the same sequence as the 5 ′ modification of the forward primers . data was generated for one negative reagent control , the 12 ctab extracted template dna &# 39 ; s , and three ctab extracted dna &# 39 ; s of previously genotyped reference control samples of loblolly pine ; b - 145 - l , 487ncs (= 7 - 56 ), and 8 - 1070 ). the following reagents and concentrations were used in a 6 μl volume pcr reaction to amplify products : 20 ng template dna , 5 × colorless gotag ™ r × n buffer with 15 mm mgcl 2 dilute to 1 . 0 ×, promega dntps at 66 μm each base , 0 . 04 μm forward primer , 0 . 16 reverse primer , 0 . 16 μm fluorescently labeled m13 primer ( dye label based on product pool in table ), and 1 unit hot start taq polymerase . thermocycling was conducted in 96 - well format using ptc - 200 thermocyclers with heated bonnets from mj - research using the following parameters : 94 ° c . for 2 minutes , followed by 20 cycles of 94 ° c . for 30 seconds , 65 ° c . minus 0 . 5 ° c . per cycle for 30 seconds , 72 ° c . for 1 minute , then 25 cycles of 92 ° c . for 30 seconds , 55 ° c . for 30 seconds , and 72 ° c . for 1 minute thirty seconds followed by a final extension at 72 ° c . for 15 minutes . the products were then held at 4 ° c . until analyzed . pcr products were combined and diluted in 18 mega - ohm water into 4 product pools ( tables 3a and 3b ) such that one template and several markers could be analyzed in the same capillary . two microliters of each product pool were then loaded on an abi 3130 genetic analyzer using the default run module for a 36 cm capillary array modified by the addition of 5 minutes to the run time . an abi liz600 internal size standard was used in each well at a concentration of 10 μl size standard / ml abi hidi formamide . product fragments were then analyzed with genemapper ™ 3 . 7 analysis software using microsatellite default settings as the analysis method . binning and naming of alleles were done using a scheme which allows for freedom of marker dye modification among projects to meet specific needs while still maintaining the same allele names for unifying data sets among projects . allele names were first assigned to pcr products from each marker run with a 15 - tree reference panel . markers from these initial reference runs were labeled in one of four dye - labels , vic , 6 - fam , ned , or pet . the allele names for a marker were based on fragment size as it appeared for whatever dye used in the reference sample runs . any novel allele fragments in a subsequent project are named based on their relative base pair sizing within this reference frame , and subsequently become part of an additive set of named allele bins for that marker . the largest bin set for a marker is then used for all consecutive projects . dye migration sizing differences among project runs are corrected when needed ( i . e . marker a was run with 6 - fam in project 1 , but vic in project 2 ) for by shifting the positions of all bins in a set to the left (−) or right (+) based on dye migration difference values collected previously . any further refinements needed due to slight run - to - run variation can also be judged by the binning of the reference controls and should be applied to all bins in a set equally . the three positive control reference samples included in pcr and sizing in this project matched previous allele calls . sas and perl procs were used to process the data and genalex v . 6 . 1 to calculate a genetic distance ( methods = codom - genotypic ) matrix . all 13 markers gave excellent results for the 12 loblolly variety samples , plus our three control samples . allelic peaks were easily binned and called using our existing marker panels and bin sets . of the possible 13 * 12 = 156 data points ( i . e ., co - dominant genotypes ), 155 were scored (& lt ; 0 . 7 % missing data ). all 12 variety samples provided distinct allelic profiles , with one pair of varieties ( pt6615 and pt7207 ) showing high allele similarity . the sample genotypes for all 13 markers and 12 varieties plus 3 control trees are provided in tables 4a - 4c . one missing data point is contained in the table for ‘ 01pm0212 ’ and is denoted by a 0 at each allele . ‘ 01pm0212 ’ can be distinguished from other pine genotypes using the primer : ptrip — 1077 . tables 4a - 4c .— allele fingerprinting data from twelve loblolly pine genotypes using thirteen primer sets the examples described herein are illustrative of the present invention and are not intended to be limitations thereon . different embodiments of the present invention have been described according to the present invention . many modifications and variations may be made to the methods and plants described and illustrated herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . although the foregoing refers to particular preferred embodiments , it will be understood that the present invention is not so limited . it will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications may be made to the disclosed embodiments and that such modifications are intended to be within the scope of the present invention , which is defined by the following claims . all publications and patent applications mentioned in this specification are indicative of the level of skill of those in the art to which the invention pertains . all publications and patent applications are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference in its entirety . | 0 |
a hand - held electric motor driven reciprocating power saw 10 , usefully embodying the invention , is shown in fig1 . a motor housing 12 and a handle 14 jointly form the main bulk of the tool while a transmission housing 16 , tapered and shaped for convenient hand gripping , extends forward from the motor housing 12 . at its forward end , the transmission housing 16 carries a workpiece engaging shoe 18 . saw blade carrier 20 extends forwardly from the transmission housing 16 and includes a saw blade clamp 22 for removably attaching a saw blade b to the power saw . by means of a trigger switch 24 in the handle 14 , electrical power brought to the tool by line cord 26 may be selectively applied to the power saw motor ( not shown ). a saw , generally similar to that of the present embodiment , is described in detail in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 550 , 501 moores , also assigned to the assignee of the present invention and hereby incorporated by reference , and the construction and operation of the saw will be described here only in sufficient detail to support the description of the present invention . inside the transmission housing 16 a cast metal gear case 30 serves as a main frame or support for the transmission which is essentially a rotary to reciprocation converting mechanism 32 ( fig2 and 4 ). the input portion of this mechanism is a speed reducing bevel gear set 34 in which an input pinion 36 ( driven by the tool &# 39 ; s electric motor , not shown ), drives a relatively large diameter , shallow depth crown wheel 38 . the crown wheel is journaled on a spindle 40 , rigidly mounted in the gear case or frame 30 , by a single short radial anti - friction bearing 42 , one end of which is approximately flush with the upper or back face 44 of the crown wheel 38 . the back face 44 of the crown wheel is relieved at its periphery to form a shoulder 46 . a drive pin 48 , mounted rigidly and eccentrically in the crown wheel 38 , extends upwards from the back face 44 and carries an anti - friction bushing 50 . forming a partial cover for the cast metal gear case 30 , a flat generally y - shaped yoke plate 52 ( seen most clearly in fig4 ) overlies the crown wheel 38 and extends forward to the forward end of the transmission housing 16 . the yoke plate 52 is , in part , a dividing or separating wall , effectively dividing the transmission housing 16 into upper and lower spaces 53a , 53b containing the saw blade carrier 20 and the bevel gear set 34 respectively . the yoke plate 52 is necessarily notched or apertured to provide clearance for the eccentric pin 48 with bushing 50 which extend up through it ( fig2 ). the resulting form includes opposite arms 54 , 56 , defining , with a semi - circular root 58 a large open - ended notch 60 . the stem 62 of the y forms a floor for a forward bearing pocket 64 of the gear case 30 . the form of yoke plate shown ( in full line ) in fig4 provides clearance for the additional mechanism needed for an &# 34 ; orbital &# 34 ; blade action -- to be described below . but , as a minimum , a circular opening or aperture as indicated in phantom at 66 is required to provide clearance for the eccentric drive pin 48 . an annular thrust ring 68 is carried loosely and concentrically on the shoulder 46 of the crown wheel 38 . its depth is such that it extends just proud of the back face 44 of the crown wheel . the thrust ring 68 may be of simple rectangular cross section as in the ring 68 &# 34 ; of the embodiment of fig7 but here a more complex form with an internal rib 69 is used . the widths of the bearing contact annulus 70 and the crown wheel shoulder 46 may be unequal and may be set or chosen independently so as to , for example , satisfy particular thrust bearing design parameters or crown wheel manufacturing optimization respectively . the saw blade carrier 20 rides on top of the yoke plate 52 . a forward saw blade carrier bar portion 72 extends forwardly through the gear case bearing pocket 64 , and externally of the transmission housing 16 . the inner end of the saw blade carrier bar 20 is in the form of a transverse yoke 74 with a symmetrical transverse oval slot 76 , which receives the eccentric drive pin 48 , surrounded by its bushing 50 . the yoke portion 74 is of sufficient width that its opposite sides may engage and ride upon the parallel opposite arms 54 , 56 of the yoke plate 52 . a forward bearing or guide for the carrier bar stem portion 72 is defined by the yoke plate stem portion 62 ( below ) and an inverted u - shaped bearing member 78 ( top and sides ), which engages and is positioned by the bearing pocket 64 of the gear case 30 . a partially domed cover plate 80 ( fig2 and 3 ) with an external shape and size similar to that of the yoke plate 52 forms a cover for the gear case 30 and includes offset opposite side wall portions 82 , which engage the yoke portion 74 and cooperate with the inverted bearing 78 and the yoke plate ( below ) to guide and control the saw blade carrier 20 in its linear rciprocating motion . the domed top 84 provides running clearance for the eccentric pin 48 . suitable hardware such as machine screws 86 keep the yoke plate 52 and the cover plate 80 in register and secure them to the gear case 30 . in an alternative embodiment ( fig5 ), the form of the crown wheel 38 &# 39 ; is as it would be in the first embodiment ( fig1 to 4 ), if the thrust ring 68 was integral with the crown wheel 38 . in this second embodiment , a thrust annulus or rim 90 stands proud of the gear back face 44 &# 39 ; adjacent yoke plate 52 &# 39 ;. an even simpler flat - backed crown wheel design 38a , with no especial provision for limited or specific annular contact with the yoke plate 52a is shown in fig6 in a third embodiment . here the thrust bearing is established with a thrust ring 68a rigidly attached to the yoke plate 52a by a suitable means such as welding . in a fourth embodiment , ( fig7 ), the environment of the invention has been augmented to include mechanism for imposing a secondary motion to the saw blade -- a motion in the plane of the blade and transverse to the direction of reciprocation . the combination motion is usually called orbital . it requires a slight rocking of the saw blade carrier 20 &# 34 ; and to facilitate , this the yoke plate 52 &# 34 ; stops short of the bearing insert pocket 64 &# 34 ;, where a blade carrier linear bearing 78 &# 34 ; is biased upward by a spring 94 . the actuator for rocking the blade carrier is a rocker arm 96 . the input for the motion is a cam surface or track 98 on the back face 44 &# 34 ; of the crown wheel 38 &# 34 ;, immediately concentrically inside a peripheral shoulder 46 &# 34 ; carrying a loose thrust ring 68 &# 34 ;. the &# 34 ; signal &# 34 ; to the rocker arm 96 is by way of a pivoted cam follower / lifter 100 . the effective throw of the saw blade b in transverse motion is adjusted by rotation of cam pin 102 through an external control lever ( not shown in the drawings ). a smaller orbital - action arrangement is described in more detail in the patent to moores referred to above . the fifth embodiment illustrated in fig8 and 10 is functionally similar to the embodiment of fig2 . structurally it is simplified by the omission of any dividing or separating wall , corresponding to the yoke plate 52 of the first embodiment . crown wheel 138 is now positioned by the direct engagement of saw blade carrier 120 with thrust ring 168 and hence the circumferential periphery or shoulder 146 of the crown wheel 138 . in absorbing thrust forces from the crown wheel the saw blade carrier 120 is backed up and guided by the cover plate 180 rigidly secured to the transmission housing 130 . guide surfaces 182 and 183 of the cover plate 180 guide the reciprocating motion of the yoke portion 120b of the saw blade carrier . the stem or bar portion 120a of the saw blade carrier is guided by a square tubular linear bearing 178 retained in a bearing insert pocket 164 of the transmission housing 130 . in operation of the first embodiment ( fig1 - 4 ), rotary power input through the pinion 36 rotates the crown wheel 30 so that the eccentric pin 48 , oscillating in the slot 76 of the yoke 74 of the saw blade carrier bar 20 , causes the saw blade carrier bar to reciprocate linearly guided by the insert bearing 78 , the side walls 82 of the cover plate 80 and the upper surface of the yoke plate 52 . thus the yoke plate may be considered a guide or bearing plate for the saw blade carrier bar 20 . as can be seen from the drawings ( fig2 for example ) the line of action from the thrust load imposed in the crown wheel 38 by the normal tendency of gears ( such as pinion 36 and crown wheel 38 ) to separate under load , will fall substantially within the supported perimeter of the thrust ring 68 . this will be true whether this effective thrust bearing arrangement for the crown wheel is used in conjunction with the open or notched yoke plate 52 ( fig4 ) or with the closed yoke plate having only a simple circular opening or aperture as indicated in phantom at 66 in fig4 . thus , the thrust support for the crown wheel 38 provided by the thrust ring 68 bearing on the yoke plate 52 is inherently stable . even with normal manufacturing tolerances , the opportunities for the crown wheel 38 to rock about its axis of rotation leading to relatively rapid wear rates in the gear teeth , crown wheel , radial bearing , etc ., are , compared with the conventional crown wheel thrust bearing arrangements of moores and o &# 39 ; banion , proportionately greatly reduced due to the bigger radius of the effective bearing . as well as being inherently more stable this large effective diameter thrust bearing arrangement for the crown wheel may offer larger bearing surface area and long wear life for the crown wheel thrust bearing itself . and dimensional stability at that point prolongs the life of the crown wheel radial bearing and the gear teeth themselves through maintaining satisfactory gear mesh . in contrast , conventional arrangements ( such as moores and o &# 39 ; banion ) are inherently unstable , in large part due to the radially inward remoteness of the perimeter of their small diameter crown wheel thrust bearing surfaces from the meshing gears of the bevel gear set , and thus from the origin of the thrust loads . in the gear case arrangement of the present invention , the crown wheel spindle 40 , radial bearing 42 , and the spindle mount in gear case 30 , no longer have to sustain , in cantilever , the bending loads imposed by the thrust load on the crown wheel 38 by the gear forces . the yoke plate 52 substitutes as a gear case wall and provides an effective thrust surface for , and positions the crown wheel 38 , through thrust ring 68 , within the gear case . the yoke plate 52 thus has a dual bearing function -- thrust bearing surface on one side , reciprocating sliding bearing surface on the other . the thrust ring 68 in the first embodiment ( fig1 to 4 ), &# 34 ; floats &# 34 ; on the shoulder 46 of the crown wheel 38 and may rotate with the crown wheel , or remain stationary with the yoke plate 52 , or &# 34 ; walk &# 34 ; between the two , moving more slowly than the crown wheel . in any event it has been found that wear rates of the mating parts comprising the thrust bearing for the crown wheel are very low and simple lubrication arrangements are satisfactory . however an oil impregnated material may be advantageous for the thrust ring 68 . the design flexibility offered by the ribbed cross section of the thrust ring 68 has been referred to above . but the rectangular cross section of thrust ring 68 &# 34 ; of fig7 is also efficient and economical . other shapes may suit other applications . similar operational results and advantages are true for the second embodiment shown in fig5 where , in effect , a thrust ring ( thrust annulus 90 ) is integral with the crown wheel 38 &# 34 ;. potential manufacturing cost reduction is an additional advantage here . a further cost reduction and potential gain in compactness would result from using the flat - backed crown wheel 38a of fig6 in direct contact with a yoke plate ( 52a ). ( this is not shown in the drawings ). given the presence of an aperture , such as 60 or 66a , in the yoke plate the contact of crown wheel with yoke plate is still only annular although wider ( as can be seen in fig6 ) than when a specific thrust ring is used . however this direct contact thrust bearing arrangement would be satisfactory for the thrust load and rotational speed of many power tools . the third embodiment ( fig6 ) provides a fixed , specific annulus in combination with the simple flat - backed crown wheel 38a , a potentially low cost arrangement with the added advantage , when used with a notched yoke plate ( such as 52 in fig4 ) of providing 360 ( continuous ) bearing support for the crown wheel . a relatively thin thrust ring is shown but of course the ring could be thicker ( or thinner ) as desired , for particular space or bearing capacity requirements . the invention is also compatible with the orbital drive embodiment of fig7 . the addition of the secondary motion to the saw blade b need do nothing to change the proportions and relationship of the principal drive components . the outside diameter of the thrust ring 68 &# 34 ; may still approximate that of the crown wheel 38 &# 34 ; with the cam follower 100 straddling or reaching in over the thrust ring to engage the cam track 98 on the back face 44 &# 34 ; of the crown wheel . the relative proportions and functions of the crown wheel thrust and radial bearing arrangements remain as in the first embodiment , so that the same operational and functional advantages result . the embodiment of fig8 and 10 may be used for lighter duty reciprocating tools , and the structural simplification potentially reduces manufacturing cost . the advantages resulting from providing a large diameter annular thrust bearing remain generally as described above for the first embodiment . these advantages would obtain also for other configurations of thrust ring , such as those shown in fig5 and 7 . the total effective bearing contact area between thrust ring 168 and saw blade carrier 120 is reduced compared with that between the thrust ring 68 and yoke plate 52 , but the contact points between thrust ring and carrier substantially diametrically span the thrust ring in both the linear or longitudinal direction and the transverse direction so that stability of the bearing arrangement is insured . as may be seen particularly in fig1 , the width of the yoke portion 120b of the carrier 120 is substantially equal to the outside diameter of the thrust ring 168 so that contact between them is maximized as the carrier reciprocates . in a power tool transmission with a speed reducing bevel gear set , such as a reciprocating power saw , the invention offers important durability and reliability advantages through the inventive step of removing the thrust bearing of the crown wheel from the conventional confined and cantilevered quarters exemplified by moores and o &# 39 ; banion , out beyond the swept diameter of the reciprocating drive pin to utilize the stable footing of an internal dividing wall or other extensive surface of the transmission . the arrangement maintains and potentially improves the compactness desired especially in hand held tools . an important contribution to compactness which has been maintained is having the crown wheel &# 39 ; s back face , its effective thrust surfaces , and an end of its short radial bearing all substantially coplanar . in addition manufacturing is simplified and there is potential cost reduction . possible additional cost of machining the crown wheel and of producing a thrust ring ( if used ) may easily be offset by the elimination of parts such as the retaining screw and thrust washer of the conventional designs and by a simpler spindle design . the feasibility of using wider manufacturing tolerances and lower strength materials inherent in absorbing the crown wheel thrust at a significantly increased diameter may also yield manufacturing cost savings . | 5 |
the reaction system according to the invention always comprises at least the following four elements : the monomers which are capable of polymerization according to the process of the invention are compounds containing at least one ethylenic linkage , such as notably butene - 2 , isobutene , butadiene , isoprene , dimethyl - 2 , 3 butadiene , methyl and ethyl acrylates , acrylic and methacrylic acids , methyl methacrylate , acrylonitrile , methacrylonitrile , vinyl acetate and chloride , styrene , α - methyl - styrene , vinyl pyrrolidone , acrylamide , piperylene , or compatible mixtures of such monomers . the wave length of the uv radiation used is , for reasons explained above , equal to 2537 a . however , within the range of ultra - violet radiation ( 1800 to 4000 a ), any wave length capable of causing the homolytic splitting of perhydrol into hydroxyl radicals may be used . by the present process , the polymerisations are carried out in an original manner , always in solution and if necessary in a precipitated phase , without any surfactant . the concentrations of hydrogen peroxide are always superior to quantities usually used in catalytic systems and are from about 1 % to about 20 % or more by weight of the polymerization mixture ; the reaction system is hence ternary . the use of photolysis for obtaining hydroxytelechelic polymers according to the invention allows the high concentrations in h 2 o 2 ; these concentrations were not possible in the polymerization processes by the thermic route owing to the instability of h 2 o 2 . the polymers obtained are soluble or insoluble in the reaction mixture , according to the nature of the monomer , the composition of the reaction mixture and the amount of polymers in the mixture . when the polymer is soluble in its monomer and in alcohol , the gpc shows a unimodal distribution of molecular weights . when the polymer is not soluble in alcohol , the molecular weight distribution may be multimodal . without wishing to be bound to a particular theory , it is probable that this multimodal distribution of the macromolecules obtained is due on the one hand to a non - solvent effect exerted by the medium on the polymeric chains , favoring high molecular weights , and on the other hand , to the presence of zones of local over - concentration in solution , respectively of the monomer and of the hydrogen peroxide , favoring the formation of macromolecular chains of average and low dpn . it has now been discovered that it is possible through an appropriate choice of the alcoholic diluent to influence the unior multimodal repartition of the obtained polymers . thus , the composition and dpn of the polymers obtained by the process of the invention are different as on the one hand the monomer is polymerized in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and of an alcohol , said alcohol being a bad solvent of hydrogen peroxide but a good solvent of the monomer and polymer , or on the other hand the polymer is polymerized in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and of an alcohol , said alcohol being a good solvent of hydrogen peroxide and monomer but bad solvent of the polymer . when the alcoholic diluent is a good solvent of hydrogen peroxide and monomer but a bad solvent of polymer , the gpc shows the existence , in the case of polymethylmethacrylate , of two , sometimes three or even four types of products clearly characterized by the length of chain : a fraction of low average molecular weight comprised between about 500 and about 2000 , according to the quantity of the ingredients in the original reaction mixture , these products are called &# 34 ; oligomers &# 34 ;; a fraction of higher average molecular weight comprised between about 1000 and about 50 , 000 , called polymers ; moreover , it has sometimes been put in evidence the production of &# 34 ; high polymers &# 34 ; of about 340 , 000 average molecular weight or &# 34 ; low oligomers &# 34 ; of about 400 average molecular weight . on the contrary , when the alcoholic diluent is a bad solvant of hydrogen peroxide , but a good solvent of monomer and polymer , a bi - or unimodal repartition may be reached , the average molecular weight of the obtained polymers being increased . thus it will be possible for a man skilled in the art to obtain the required oligomers or polymers by using the process of the invention and by selecting a suitable alcohol diluent . as a diluent , it is possible to use any alcohol , aliphatic or cyclic , which is liquid under the conditions of the experiment , such as , for example , methanol , ethanol , isopropanol , tertiary amyl alcohol , ter - butyl alcohol , cyclo hexanol , n - butanol , hexanol and the like . methanol constitutes the preferred diluent . a mixture of the precited alcohols may be used . in the case of poly ( methyl methacrylate ) for example , the following alcohols may be used as diluent medium being a solvent of the polymer and a bad solvent of hydrogen peroxide : all the aliphatic or cyclic c 4 , c 5 or c 6 . . . alcohols such as n - butanol , tert - butyl alcohol , tertiary amyl alcohol , hexanol , cyclohexanol , 2 - butanol and the like . a mixture of two or more of these alcohols may be used . the polymerization reactions are carried out preferably at ordinary temperature for the liquid monomers , for example between 10 ° and 20 ° c ., and at boiling point for gaseous monomers . the technician skilled in the art will understand that , in the case of gaseous monomers , the polymerization can be carried out if necessary at ordinary temperature under pressure . it is possible to use hydrogen peroxide with any concentration of perhydrol ; preferably 110 or 130 volume hydrogen peroxide is used . the hydrogen peroxide can be introduced in any proportion into the reaction mixture ; generally , between 5 and 15 % of hydrogen peroxide is used . the concentration of the monomer may be at least of about 10 % in weight of the reaction mixture . the concentration of the diluent is always the complement to 100 of the hydrogen peroxide and of the monomer . the uv radiation may be obtained , notably , from a low - pressure mercury vapor lamp , for example of the pcq 9gl type , manufactured by &# 34 ; ultra - violet products inc &# 34 ; ( san gabriel , california ) 80 % of the energy provided of which corresponds to a wavelength of 2537 a and whose power is 2 . 5 watts . this lamp may be for example dipped into the reaction medium . the tube of the lamp may be enclosed in a quartz tube , in order to obtain better exposure of the reaction mixture to the uv radiation . it is another object of the present invention to provide oligomers and polymers obtained by the polymerization of monomers containing at least one ethylenic linkage in the presence of hydrogen peroxide under the effect of uv radiation in a diluent medium comprising essentially an alcohol . these oligomers and polymers are hydroxytelechelic and have a number average weight comprised respectively between about 100 and about 2 , 000 and between about 2000 and about 1 , 000 , 000 in the case of polymethylmethacrylate . the oligomers and polymers may be separated by any method known in itself and , for example , by a solvent / non solvent mixture such as , for example , a 15 : 85 benzene - methanol mixture by volume or a 15 : 25 by volume mixture of chloroform - ether . table ix below gives by way of example the molecular weight of some polymers and oligomers obtained by the process according to the invention and compares these weights with those obtained by the previously - used process of heat polymerization . it is evident that the weights of the oligomers obtained by the effect of uv radiation are notably less ; thus , it is possible in certain cases to obtain dimers or trimers . the number of hydroxyl groups may be determined by several methods ; for example , nmr or determination by the action of acetyl chloride , may be mentioned . thus , the determination can be carried out from the nmr spectrum by the action of trifluoroacetic acid or by the reaction of the alcohol with trimethylchlorosilane . it is also possible to carry out a determination with soda after reaction of the alcohol with acetyl chloride . the results obtained are brought together in table x below . it will be noted that the results obtained by the first method are systematically superior to those obtained with the two other methods . the following examples of polymerisation are intended to illustrate the invention , and not to be limiting in any way . 40 g of methyl methacrylate were polymerized in the presence of 10 g of 110 volume hydrogen peroxide in 50 g of methanol . the reaction was carried out at 18 ° c . in the presence of ultra - violet radiation emitted by a pcq 9gl lamp provided with a quartz tube and with stirring . table ix______________________________________ polymerization under the effect of polymerization ultra - violet by heat ( at radiation 120 ° c . for 4 hours ) vapor pressure vapor pressure osmometry osmometrymonomer mn -- solvent mn -- solvent______________________________________isoprene 360 toluene 1500 toluenedimethyl - 2 , 3 buta - 360 toluene 1500 toluenedienebutadiene 200 et co me 700 tolueneisobutene 120 et co mebutene - 2 160 et co me 285 thfmethyl acrylate 1100 et co me 12 , 000 toluenemethyl methacrylate 20 , 000 toluene 100 , 000 toluenemethacrylonitrile 260 et co meα - methyl styrene 240 toluene______________________________________ table x__________________________________________________________________________ determination of the hydroxyl groups by nuclear magnetic resonance direct indirect nmr by clsi by acetylation nmr by tfa ac . ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 3 by ch . sub . 3 co cl amount oh / amount oh / amount oh / monomer solvent mole solvent mole solvent mole__________________________________________________________________________isoprene dc cl . sub . 3 2 hccl . sub . 3 0 . 3 etcome 1 . 9dimethyl - 2 , 3 dc cl . sub . 3 4 hccl . sub . 3 1 . 4 toluene 1 . 4butadienebutadiene dc cl . sub . 3 2 hccl . sub . 3 0 . 3 etcome 1 . 8isobutene 1 dc cl . sub . 3 4 . 5 hccl . sub . 3 1 . 6 etcome 1 . 6isobutene 2 dc cl . sub . 3 3 hccl . sub . 3 0 . 7 etcome 1 . 2isobutene 3 dc cl . sub . 3 2 . 4 hccl . sub . 3 0 . 2 etcome 0 . 8butene - 2 dc cl . sub . 3 3 hccl . sub . 3 0 . 7 etcome 1 . 1methyl acrylate dc cl . sub . 3 -- hccl . sub . 3 0 . 7 etcome 0 . 1methyl methacrylate dc cl . sub . 3 5 benzene 1 . 1 toluene 1 . 1methacrylonitrile dc cl . sub . 3 1 . 6 hccl . sub . 3 1 . 2 etcome 1α - methyl - styrene dc cl . sub . 3 0 . 7 -- butene - 2 isobutene dc cl . sub . 3 2 hccl . sub . 3 1 . 8 etcome 1 . 4copolymer__________________________________________________________________________ in this way , 20 g of a polymer was obtained , having an average weight mn = 15 , 970 and 8 g of an oligomer of average weight mn = 524 . these macromolecules were hydroxytelechelic and possessed an average number of oh groups per molecule equal to 1 . 3 ( measured by silylation ). it has now been studied the polymerization of methylmethacrylate from the mixture [ hydrogen peroxide ( 110 vol )-- methyl methacrylate - methanol ] u . v . ( 2537 a ) at room temperature . the evolution of the conversion rates , average molecular weights , polydispersity indexes of polymers and oligomers , average number of oh / mole of oligomers , was studied as a function of the reaction duration , and the results are brought together in table i . table i__________________________________________________________________________ average num - ber of oh / reaction mole of oli - duration , conversion rates mn ( gpc )-- i polydispersity gomer ( si - hourspolymers oligomers polymers oligomers polymers oligomers lylation ) __________________________________________________________________________1 12 3 16610 683 2 . 76 2 . 27 1 . 22 29 7 16826 817 2 . 77 3 . 46 0 . 93 45 11 15970 524 2 . 86 3 . 25 1 . 55 83 17 17232 529 2 . 93 2 . 36 1 . 07 85 15 15471 428 3 . 15 2 . 25 0 . 9__________________________________________________________________________ it has now been studied the polymerization of methyl methacrylate from the mixture [ hydrogen peroxide ( 110 vol )-- methyl methacrylate - methanol ]- u . v . ( 2537 a ) during four hours at room temperature . it was studied the evolution of the conversion rates , average molecular weights , polydispersity indexes of polymers and oligomers , and of molecular weight at the top of the gpc peak of each simple fraction , as a function of the hydrogen peroxide quantities . reaction mixture ( mixture h 2 o - h 2 o 2 ( 110 vol ): 6 . 7 g -- methyl methacrylate : 20 g - methanol : 40 g the results are brought together in table ii . table ii__________________________________________________________________________ i ( gpc ) hydrogen conversion polydispersity ms weight at the topperoxide rates ( gpc ) mn ( gpc )-- index of the gpc peak110 vol oli - poly - oli - poly - oli - poly - oli - poly - g gomers mers gomers mers gomers mers gomers mers__________________________________________________________________________0 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 2 . 5 19 1158 45564 2 . 22 3 . 05 400 and 60000 and 2100 3400002 3 . 5 23 . 5 928 39140 2 . 02 3 . 25 400 and 49999 and 1750 3300003 6 . 5 43 760 36284 1 . 79 4 . 6 400 and 40000 and 1200 340000__________________________________________________________________________ it was studied the evolution of the conversion rates of polymers and oligomers , the average number of oh / mole of oligomer , as a function of the percentage in monomer . the reaction mixture comprised : hydrogen peroxide ( 110 vol ): 10 % in weight ; methyl methacrylate ; methanol , uv . 2537 a ). table iii______________________________________ average number conversion of oh / molemethyl metha - rates ( gpc ) of oligomercrylate % in methanol poly - oli - sily - acety - weight % in weight mers gomers lation lation______________________________________10 80 26 42 0 . 7 0 . 820 70 48 22 1 . 4 0 . 830 60 56 19 1 . 3 0 . 540 50 50 20 1 . 3 1 . 150 40 69 15 0 . 9 0 . 260 30 77 13 1 . 2 0 . 970 20 82 15 1 . 9 0 . 680 10 82 14 2 . 2 1 . 290 0 50 10 -- -- ______________________________________ it was studied the evolution of the average molecular weights ( mn ), polydispersity indexes ( i ) of oligomers and polymers and of weights ( ms ) of simple fractions of oligomers and polymers at the top of the peak of gpc , as a function of the percentage in monomer . the reaction mixtures comprised : hydrogen peroxide ( 110 vol ): 10 % in weight ; methyl methacrylate ; methanol , u . v . ( 2537 a ). the results are brought together in table iv . table iv__________________________________________________________________________methyl me - ithacrylate mn ( gpc )-- polydispersity ms % in methanol poly - oli - poly - oli - poly - oli - weight in weight mers gomers mers gomers mers gomers__________________________________________________________________________10 80 3270 334 4 . 42 1 . 3 3350 25020 70 7728 407 3 . 89 1 . 4 10500 38030 60 11622 490 3 . 13 1 . 6 16500 42040 50 18994 524 2 . 5 2 . 2 24000 95050 40 30140 919 1 . 2 2 . 2 28000 122060 30 20488 936 2 . 1 2 . 7 30000 152070 20 31732 1446 2 . 2 3 . 3 49000 175080 10 37873 1695 2 . 4 3 . 7 65000 217090 0 48034 2441 2 . 8 4 . 2 73000 3124__________________________________________________________________________ table v______________________________________list a list b______________________________________acrylic acid isoprenemethacrylic acid dimethyl - 2 , 3 - butadieneacrylamide butadieneacrylonitrile isobuteneethyl acrylate butene - 2vinyl acetate methyl acrylatestyrene methyl methacrylatevinyl chloride methacrylonitrile α - methyl styrene______________________________________ the monomers of list a might be polymerized as indicated in table vi hereinafter , that is to say without h 2 o 2 ; in this case it is evident that hydroxytelechelic polymers would not be obtained . on the contrary , the monomers of list b imply the use of h 2 o 2 for polymerizing through u . v . photolysis process according to the present invention . table vi__________________________________________________________________________reaction mixture % in weight reaction global h . sub . 2 o . sub . 2 metha - duration conversionmonomer ( 110 vol ) h . sub . 2 o monomer nol t ° c . ( minutes ) rates remarks__________________________________________________________________________vinyl 10 -- 50 40 24 16 75 colorlessacetate 30 -- 40 30 24 22 85 viscous -- 10 30 60 24 10 90 liquid - -- -- 30 70 24 24 60 -- -- 100 -- 24 24 70styrene 10 -- 20 70 16 27 38 10 -- 20 70 2 22 30 yellow -- 10 20 70 16 22 20 oilvinyl 20 -- 30 50 - 14 1 . 00 2chloride -- 20 30 50 - 14 0 . 20 2 white -- -- 50 50 - 14 0 . 20 2 powder -- -- 100 -- - 14 0 . 10 2acrylic 10 -- 20 70 17 22 90 whiteacid -- 10 20 70 17 7 75 powdermethacry - 10 -- 20 70 16 22 88 whitelicacid -- 10 20 70 16 22 90 powder -- -- 30 70 16 22 90 -- -- 100 -- 16 3 100acrylamide 10 -- 20 70 11 22 100 viscous -- 10 20 70 11 22 100 colorless liquidacryloni - 10 -- 50 40 14 2 7 whitetrile -- 10 50 40 14 2 7 powder -- -- 50 50 14 2 9 -- -- 100 -- 14 2 7ethyl 10 -- 40 50 13 5 100 coloressacrylate -- 10 40 50 13 0 . 10 100 viscous -- -- 60 40 13 0 . 10 100 liquid -- -- 100 -- 15 0 . 05 100isoprene 10 -- 20 70 14 22 30 yellow 10 -- 50 40 14 22 15 oil -- 10 20 70 14 22 8 -- -- 50 50 14 22 6 -- -- 100 -- 14 22 1dimethy 10 -- 20 70 25 22 452 , 3 - -- 10 20 70 25 22 3 yellowbutadiene -- -- 40 60 25 22 5 oil -- -- 100 -- 25 22 3butadiene 10 -- 20 70 14 17 12 colorless 20 -- 30 50 - 7 17 17 oil -- 20 30 50 - 7 17 0 . 3 -- -- 30 70 - 7 17 0 . 5 -- -- 100 -- - 7 17 0 . 2isobutene 20 -- 30 50 - 3 22 20 20 -- 30 50 - 12 22 20 -- 20 30 50 - 3 22 0 . 2 colorless -- 20 30 50 - 12 22 0 . 2 oil -- -- 30 70 - 12 22 0 . 2 -- -- 100 -- - 12 22 0butene - 2 20 20 30 50 4 22 10 colorless -- -- 20 80 4 22 0 . 7 oilmethyl 10 -- 20 70 13 7 95 colorlessacrylate -- 10 20 70 13 22 0 viscous -- -- 20 80 13 22 0 liquid -- -- 100 -- 13 22 0methyl 10 -- 40 50 18 22 55 whitemethacry - -- 10 40 50 18 22 3 powderlate -- -- 40 60 18 22 4 -- -- 100 -- 18 22 0methacry - 10 -- 20 70 13 22 90 yellowlontrile -- 10 40 50 13 22 9 oil -- -- 50 50 13 22 4 -- -- 100 -- 13 22 4α - methyl 10 -- 20 70 16 22 15 yellowstyrene -- 10 20 70 16 22 0 oil -- -- 30 70 16 22 0 -- -- 100 -- 16 22 0__________________________________________________________________________ it was studied the influence of the kind of the alcoholic diluent on the repartition of molecular weights , conversion rates , average molecular weights and polydispersity indexes , by comparison with methyl methacrylate when polymerized from a simple mixture ( h 2 o 2 - monomer - methanol - u . v .) polymerization of methyl methacrylate from the reaction mixture ( h 2 o 2 - methyl methacrylate cyclohexanol ; u . v . ( 2537 a ); reaction durational hour . table vii__________________________________________________________________________composition of the reactionmixture % in weightmethyl conversionh . sub . 2 o . sub . 2methyacry - cycloho - rates mn gpc -- polydispersity index ( 110 vol ) late xanol olig . polym . global olig . polym . global olig . polym . __________________________________________________________________________10 20 70 9 32 7936 1971 26208 5 . 73 1 . 47 2 . 0310 50 40 2 28 27116 2442 45320 3 . 80 1 . 51 2 . 0610 70 20 1 19 38373 5340 76387 3 . 71 1 . 36 2 . 31__________________________________________________________________________ polymerization of methyl methacrylate from the reaction mixture h 2 o 2 - methyl methacrylate - tertio amyl alcohol ; uv ( 2537 a ). table viii__________________________________________________________________________composition of the reactionmixture % in weightmethyl conversionh . sub . 2 o . sub . 2methacry - rates mn gpc -- polydispersity index ( 110 vol ) late t . am . oh olig . polym . global olig . polym . global olig . polym . __________________________________________________________________________5 60 35 1 . 6 22 . 3 23898 2220 46628 3 . 90 1 . 43 2 . 15__________________________________________________________________________ | 8 |
referring now to the drawings and particularly to fig1 a chimney fire extinguishing apparatus according to the present invention is seen generally at 10 to be mounted on the upper exposed end of a chimney liner 12 which forms a portion of a conventional masonry chimney 14 . while the liner 12 in fig1 is represented as a conventional ceramic / clay liner such as is required by code regulations for conventional masonry chimney structures , it is to be understood that the present apparatus 10 can be configured to mate with metal liners as well as other liners and chimney structures other than as explicitly shown in fig1 the depiction of fig1 simply being for purposes of illustration . the appparatus 10 can be seen to include a cap 16 which is substantially identical to caps which are presently employed to cover chimney structures from the elements as well as to prevent entry of foreign matter into the chimney . the cap 16 is provided with the usual upper cover 18 and has wire side walls 20 which allow gas and material flow through the chimney . use of the wire side walls 20 , with appropriate spacing between the wires forming said walls 20 , can advantageously act to prevent the passage of cinders during a chimney fire . in many chimney fires , burning cinders emanating from the chimney land on the roof of the structure and initiate additional combustion which accounts for substantial damage . while the present apparatus 10 could be fitted to the upper end of the chimney which is not fitted with a liner such as the liner 12 , it should be understood that the present apparatus 10 is structured to fit over a liner and is not intended for use without a liner . building codes rightfully require the use of liners in chimney structures due in part to the fact that liners act to prevent air leakage through chimney walls which can cause a chimney fire or increase the likelihood of the occurrence of a chimney fire . referring now to fig1 through 4 in particular , the apparatus 10 is seen to be comprised of a tubular housing 22 which is substantially square in cross - section and which may have rounded corners as are best seen in fig4 . it should be understood that the tubular housing 22 can have cross - sections other than as shown and have 90 ° corners or the like depending upon design choice . the particular configuration shown is chosen primarily to mate with the usual contours of a chimney liner such as the liner 12 and to provide a cross - sectional area of the housing 22 which is as close as practical to the cross - sectional area of the liner 12 . the tubular housing 22 is preferably formed of a metal such as aluminum , tin or the like or which is otherwise treated to resist the influence of the elements to which the apparatus 10 is exposed . the tubular housing 22 has an upper section 24 and a lower section 26 , the lower section being substantially received within the liner 12 and extending thereinto to a distance which typically constitutes over half the length of the tubular housing 22 . although for purposes of illustration , the walls of the lower section 26 are seen to be spaced from the inner walls of the liner 12 . in practice , this fitting is made as flush as is practical in order to provide an effective passageway for combustion gases and the like to move upwardly through the liner 12 and then through the tubular housing 22 . a collar 28 which is u - shaped in section is attached to the tubular housing 22 about the periphery thereof by means of rivets 30 or similar attachment means , the collar 28 acting to fit over upper edges of the liner 12 to mount the apparatus 10 in place on the liner 12 . those portions of the tubular housing 22 which are &# 34 ; below &# 34 ; the collar 28 constitute the lower section 26 while those portions of the tubular housing 22 which lie &# 34 ; above &# 34 ; the collar 28 constitute the upper section 24 of said tubular housing 22 . the upper section 24 of the housing 22 is preferably covered with insulation 32 which can be held in place by a cover 34 formed of weather - resistant metal . the insulation 32 , which is optional , acts to maintain somewhat higher temperatures within the upper section 24 of the apparatus 10 such that operation of the apparatus 10 is not inhibited by extremely cold temperatures . in most climate zones , temperatures do not reach sufficiently low levels as to cause a freezing up of moving parts operable within the apparatus 10 and thus the insulation 32 is not necessary to an effective functioning of the invention under usual circumstances . the cap 16 , referred to primarily relative to fig1 is seen in fig2 to be mountable to the upper end of the tubular housing 22 and can be attached to the cover 34 , or in the absence of the insulation 32 and thus the cover 34 , directly to the uppermost end of the tubular housing 22 , by means of screws or other fasteners ( not shown ). as best seen in fig1 and 2 , an indentation 36 is formed substantially within the surface of the upper section 24 of the housing 22 , the indentation 36 extending diagonally across two opposite sides of the tubular housing 22 and horizontally across the two other opposite sides of said housing 22 . in essence , the indentation 36 is continuous and substantially circumscribes a rectangular form though with corners which conform in shape to corners of the housing 22 . inner wall surfaces of the indentation 36 provide contact surfaces or lips 38 and 40 , the lip 38 being the uppermost surface of the indentation 36 &# 34 ; above &# 34 ; the location of a pivot bar 42 and the lip 40 being a contact surface formed of the lowermost portions of the indentation 36 &# 34 ; below &# 34 ; the pivot bar 42 . the pivot bar 42 , as best seen in fig2 and 7 , is mounted for pivotal movement between the two sides of the tubular housing 22 on which the indentation 36 is disposed diagonally . the pivot bar 42 can be seen to be mounted slightly &# 34 ; below &# 34 ; the center of the diagonal portion of the indentation 36 on each opposite side wall of said housing 22 . as is best seen in fig7 the pivot bar 42 is mounted at each end by conventional washers 44 and cotter key 46 . the pivot bar 42 , as best seen in fig1 - 3 , 5 and 7 , extends externally of the tubular housing 22 at a right angle for a length sufficient to extend to the farmost corner of the housing 22 whereupon the bar 42 again turns at a right angle and extends along essentially the full side wall of the tubular housing 22 before doubling back at an angle of 180 ° for a length substantially equal again to the side wall of the housing 22 . this exterior portion 48 of the pivot bar 42 effectively comprises a balancing weight which acts to pivot the pivot bar 42 in a clockwise direction as seen fig5 when no other constraints hold the pivot bar 42 . as is best seen in fig2 and 5 , the pivot bar 42 has fastened to it an air flow restriction plate 50 which has an uppermost section 52 and a lowermost section 54 , the sections 52 and 54 being parallel to each other but out of plane due to formation of the plate 50 in a tight s - curve at the juncture of said plate 50 and of the pivot bar 42 . the plate 50 is joined to the pivot bar 42 by means of screws 56 or similar fasteners . the air flow restriction plate 50 is sized and shaped to form essentially a full blockage of the channel defined by the tubular housing 22 when the plate 50 is in the position shown in fig5 . when in the position shown in fig5 edge portions of the uppermost section 52 of the plate 50 bias downwardly against the lip 38 of the indentation 36 while the peripheral edges of the lowermost section 54 of the plate 50 bias upwardly against the lip 40 of the indentation 36 . the plate 50 is held in the position shown in fig5 by virtue of the weight provided by the external portion 48 of the pivot bar 42 as described above . it is to be understood that the weight represented by the exterior portion 48 can be otherwise provided . however , the exterior portion 48 is conveniently formed and is easily observed visually from externally of the apparatus 10 and the chimney 14 so that it can be readily determined that the apparatus 10 is in an operable position . the uppermost section 52 of the air flow restriction plate 50 can be seen particularly in fig3 to be greater in area than the lowermost section 54 , a difference of approximately 10 % being preferred . the function of this size difference between the sections 52 and 54 of the plate 50 will be described in detail hereinafter . referring now primarily to fig2 and 4 , the apparatus 10 is seen in a &# 34 ; set &# 34 ; position wherein the air flow restriction plate 50 is disposed in a substantially vertical orientation and held in this orientation by means of fusible element , the element 58 being best seen in fig6 . an aperture 60 formed near the lower end of the section 54 of the plate 50 has a yoke 62 held therein , an aperture 64 being formed in an oppositely facing wall of the housing 22 and further having a yoke 66 held therein , loop portion 68 of the yokes 62 and 64 extending toward each other when the plate 50 is in the vertical position as shown . the fusible element 58 is formed of a plug 70 of fusible material such as is well known in the art , the plug 70 being solid not only at ordinary environmental temperatures but also at temperatures existing in upper sections of a chimney during the burning of usual fires in a fireplace serviced by the chimney . the plug 70 has u - shaped connector 72 extending oppositely therefrom , the connector 72 having outer legs 74 which fit into the loop portion 68 of the yoke 62 and 66 , thereby to hold the air flow restriction plate 50 in a vertical orientation as shown particularly in fig2 and 4 . in this &# 34 ; set &# 34 ; position , the normal flow of gaseous and other products of combustion are free to flow upwardly through the liner 12 and the tubular housing 22 such that the chimney 14 functions normally . in this &# 34 ; set &# 34 ; position , the exterior portion 48 of the pivot bar 42 is seen to be located in an upward position against outer walls of the apparatus 10 and can be so observed to be in this position from externally of the chimney 14 . thus , the existence of a &# 34 ; set &# 34 ; condition is readily observed without the need for the inconvenience of looking up into a chimney from the fireplace or looking down into the chimney from an unsafe position on top of a building . referring now to fig5 a representation of the operation of the apparatus 10 is provided under conditions such as would occur during the first instants of a chimney fire , such a fire burning with sufficient intensity to cause a virtually immediate melting of the plug 70 so as to disconnect the connector 72 and thus allow the air flow restriction plate 50 to be pivoted by the pivot bar 42 to the position as shown in fig5 whereby the uppermost section 52 of the plate 50 impinges against the lip 38 and the lowermost section 54 of the plate 50 impinges against the lip 40 of the indentation 36 as noted above . the weight of the exterior portion 48 of the pivot bar 42 acts to maintain the air flow restriction plate 50 in position such that air flow through the liner 12 and thus the chimney 14 is restricted to the point that insufficient oxygen is available for combustion . the fire in the chimney 14 which caused actuation of the apparatus is thus starved of oxygen and is extinguished . as is best seen in fig5 it will be noted that a portion of the expanding gas moving through the liner 12 and thus through the tubular housing 22 causes a &# 34 ; lifting &# 34 ; pressure against the uppermost section 52 while a portion of the expanding gases causes a &# 34 ; closing &# 34 ; pressure against the lowermost section 54 . the weight provided by the exterior portion 48 as aforesaid also produces a force which acts to hold the plate 50 in a blocking position . however , the greater surface area of the uppermost section 52 relative to the area of the lowermost section 54 provides a degree of &# 34 ; lifting &# 34 ; pressure of approximately 10 % relative to the &# 34 ; closing &# 34 ; pressure exerted on the section 54 . the existence of this slightly greater &# 34 ; lifting &# 34 ; pressure allows the plate 50 to be intermittently displaced in an angular fashion about the pivot bar 42 such that pressure can be relieved in essentially a &# 34 ; burping &# 34 ; fashion to prevent a &# 34 ; backing up &# 34 ; of smoke and the like into the interior of the building in which the chimney is installed , thereby acting to reduce smoke damage while still extinguishing a fire within the chimney 14 . the weight provided by the exterior portion 48 or the equivalent is not critical but is chosen to be sufficient to readily close the plate 50 but to allow intermittently large pressure buildups within the chimney 14 to be relieved for the purposes noted . the exterior portion 48 of the bar 42 can be seen to comprise approximately two 8 - inch lengths of approximately 1 / 2 - inch bar stock , this weight along with the remaining exterior portion of the bar 42 being sufficient to operate in the manner indicated . the fusible element 58 can be formed conventionally of lead or other fusible metals such as is well known in the art . the fusible element 58 can be formed other than is shown and described herein , it being possible to form the element 58 from a single length of fusible material without the requirement for the connector 72 , as an example . elemental lead and common lead alloys are seen to have appropriate melting points so as to be operable to melt under conditions which occur during a chimney fire . it is to be understood that the present apparatus 10 can be configured other than as explicitly described herein yet remain within the intended scope of the invention . for example , the present apparatus is described as being used on a chimney which serves a fireplace . however , the apparatus can be used in association with a chimney structure operable with a woodburning stove or any woodburning apparatus useful within the confines of a building and which is vented to ambient by means of a chimney or flue . further , the present apparatus 10 can be readily caused to operate an audible alarm or other alarm such as is represented schematically at 100 in fig1 . the alarm 100 is intended to provide a clear warning of the existence of a condition requiring attention and can be caused to operate an actuation of the apparatus 10 . while the structure herein described is preferred , variations can occur and it is apparent to those skilled in the art that , given the above teachings , variations are possible and that the scope of the invention is defined appropriately according to the recitation of the appended claims . | 0 |
the present invention is described with reference to a consumable toilet paper roll holder ; however , the invention is equally applicable to other types of consumable roll holders , for example , a paper towel roll holder used in a kitchen or a shop towel roll holder found in a garage . a roll holder 10 in accordance with one aspect of the invention is shown in fig1 mounted adjacent a mounting surface or wall 12 . a surface mount 14 is secured to the wall 12 by any technique known to those in the art . for example , the surface mount 14 may include a mounting plate 16 ( shown in fig2 ) that is screwed , bolted , adhered , or the like to the wall 12 and coupled to the balance of the surface mount 14 with a set screw 18 ( shown in fig4 ). in the example embodiment , an escutcheon 20 surrounds the surface mount 14 adjacent the wall 12 to provide an aesthetically pleasing transition from the wall 12 to the surface mount 14 . one skilled in the art will appreciate the variety of escutcheons 20 and ways available to mount the surface mount 14 to the wall 12 . a spherical mount head 22 is positioned proximate the distal end 24 of the surface mount 14 and may be integrally formed with the surface mount 14 , or may alternatively comprise a separate component of the roll holder 10 . a support arm 26 includes a proximal end 28 that is securely coupled to or integrally formed with the mount head 22 . a distal end 30 of the support arm 26 extends outward and downward ( as shown in fig1 ) from the substantially central mount head 22 and surface mount 14 . the distal end 30 of the support arm 26 terminates in a support head 27 that is securely coupled or integrally formed with a first end 32 of a spindle 31 . as shown in fig5 , the example embodiment includes a spindle 31 that is secured to the support head 27 with a fastener 35 that engages a threaded hole 37 formed in the support head 27 . in yet another alternative construction , the spindle 31 may be rotatably coupled to the distal end 30 of the support arm 26 to reduce the rotational resistance between the spindle 31 and the consumable roll 38 ( shown as dashed lines in fig1 and 4 ). the spindle 31 is substantially straight between the first end 32 and a second end 34 and defines a spindle axis 36 between the first end 32 and the second end 34 . alternatively , the spindle 31 may be bowed , arced , oval , and the like . in any event , the spindle 31 is preferably sized to accommodate the consumable roll 38 used in the particular application . returning to the mount head 22 , a pivot arm 40 includes a proximal end 42 that is preferably pivotally coupled to the mount head 22 to allow the pivot arm 40 to rotate or pivot about the pivot axis 44 . as best shown in fig4 , the pivot axis 44 is preferably substantially parallel to the spindle axis 36 ; however , the pivot axis 44 may be skewed with respect to the spindle axis 36 . moreover , the pivot axis 44 and / or the spindle axis 36 may be skewed with respect to the wall 12 . the distal end 46 of the pivot arm 40 terminates in a pivot head 41 . the pivot head 41 captures the second end 34 of the spindle 31 when in the closed or lowered position shown in fig1 . with additional reference to fig2 , the spindle 31 preferably includes a necked portion 48 that is captured in a pocket 50 formed in the pivot head 41 when the pivot arm 40 is in the lowered position ( shown in dashed lines in fig2 ). one skilled in the art will appreciate the variety of constructions available to capture the consumable roll 38 on the spindle 31 . the pivot arm 40 is moveable or pivotable between the closed or lowered position , shown in fig1 and 4 , to the open or raised position , shown in fig3 . to raise the pivot arm 40 , a user urges the pivot arm 40 as shown by arrow f in fig2 . the pivot arm 40 is preferably configured to rotate about the substantially horizontal pivot axis 44 to the open position shown in fig3 . the surface mount 14 is preferably sized to allow the pivot arm 40 to rotate past vertical in the raised position toward the wall 12 , helping to maintain the pivot arm 40 in the open position . with the pivot arm 40 in the raised position , the spent consumable roll 38 can be easily slid from the spindle 31 and a new consumable roll 38 installed . as a result , the replacement of the consumable roll 38 may be accomplished with a single hand . the pivot arm 40 is preferably substantially self - supporting in the opened position . in the example embodiment , the pivot arm 40 includes components to maintain the pivot arm 40 in the raised position and to prevent the pivot arm 40 from making contact with and damaging the wall 12 . specifically , the pivot arm 40 of the example embodiment is restrained in the open or raised position by frictional engagement between various components . with reference to fig6 and 7 , a threaded rod 52 extends from the mount head 22 . as shown best in fig7 , the rod 52 is rotatably driven into a threaded hole 54 formed in the proximal end 28 of the support arm 26 by inserting a tool ( not shown ) into a keyway 55 formed in the threaded rod 52 . an exposed portion 56 of the rod 52 is configured to extend into a threaded hole 58 formed in the proximal end 42 of the pivot arm 40 . the engagement is such that as the pivot arm 40 is rotated about the pivot axis 44 as shown in fig2 , the engagement between the exposed portion 56 of the threaded rod 52 and the threaded hole 58 of the pivot arm 40 draws or translates the pivot arm 40 along the pivot axis 44 toward the mount head 22 to close the gap 45 shown in fig7 . the length of the exposed portion 56 that engages the threaded hole 58 formed in the pivot arm 40 is adjusted such that an engagement surface 60 of the pivot arm 40 cams or wedges against a bearing surface 62 of a recess 64 formed in the mount head 22 . in operation , as the pivot arm 40 is rotated upward as shown in fig2 to the raised position shown in fig3 , the pivot arm 40 is drawn along the pivot axis 44 until the engagement surface 60 abuts the bearing surface 62 , effectively preventing the pivot arm 40 from hitting the wall 12 . also , the friction developed at the interface between the engagement surface 60 and the bearing surface 62 resists unintentional rotation of the pivot arm 40 toward the lowered , closed position shown in fig1 . as a result , the pivot arm 40 is essentially self - supporting in the raised position . to maintain the desired frictional engagement throughout repeated use , the threaded rod 52 is configured such that the rod 52 will not rotate with respect to the support arm 26 as the pivot arm 40 rotates about the pivot axis 44 . this can be accomplished in a variety of ways . for example , and as shown in the example embodiment , the engagement or fit between the threaded rod 52 and the threaded hole 54 may be very close such that rotation of the rod 52 in the threaded hole 54 formed in the support arm 26 requires more force than is generated by raising and lowering the pivot arm 40 . additionally , once the appropriate amount of exposed portion 56 is determined , an adhesive may be used to further prevent rotation of the rod 52 . one skilled in the art will appreciate the variety of constructions available to maintain the orientation of the pivot arm 40 , either in the lowered position , the raised position , or any intermediate position . for example , a spring - loaded ball may be secured in the recess 64 and selectively extend into a series of detents in the engagement surface 60 of the pivot arm 40 . the spring - loaded ball may be configured , for example , to selectively engage a detent in the lowered position and another detent in the raised position . in the example embodiment , the support arm 26 is press fit into and / or secured with adhesive to the mount head 22 . alternatively , the support arm 26 may be coupled to the mount head 22 to be pivotable about the pivot axis 44 , however , the range of rotation of the support arm 26 is preferably substantially less than that of the pivot arm 40 . if the support arm 26 is allowed to pivot too far , the replacement of a spent consumable roll 38 becomes more difficult . one skilled in the art will appreciate the numerous alternative constructions that are within the scope of the present invention . in an alternative construction , the roll holder 10 may be configured such that the spindle 31 is secured to the pivot arm 40 . as a result , the pocket 50 may be oriented in the support head 27 of the support arm 26 to allow the spindle 31 to pivot with the pivot arm 40 . moreover , one skilled in the art will appreciate the various mounting orientations available for the roll holder 10 . the support arm 26 , spindle 31 , and pivot arm 40 are preferably cylindrical as shown in fig1 ; however , each may take on a variety of other cross - sections and shapes . for example , the spindle 31 may be rectangular in cross - section to engage a matching opening formed in a consumable roll 38 . with further reference to fig1 , the roll holder 10 is preferably substantially symmetric about an essentially vertical plane that extends along the surface mount 14 and is substantially perpendicular to pivot axis 44 and / or the spindle axis 36 . this provides a balanced aesthetic appearance and reduced moment arm available to torque the surface mount 14 . in addition , the distance from the proximal end 28 to the distal end 30 of the support arm 26 is essentially equal to the distance from the proximal end 42 to the distal end 46 of the pivot arm 40 . the distances may be measured either along the support arm 26 and pivot arm 40 , or from the mount head 22 to the respective support head 27 and pivot head 41 . the components of the roll holder 10 may be made of a variety of suitable materials that are generally known to those having ordinary skill in the art . for example , the roll holder 10 may be mainly metallic or may comprise a plastic core coated or plated with a metal or other suitable finish . a preferred example embodiment of the present invention has been described in considerable detail . many modifications and variations of the preferred example embodiment described will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art . therefore , the invention should not be limited to the example embodiment described . the invention provides a consumable roll holder for holding rolls that allows for easy replacement of spent rolls . | 0 |
referring now to the drawings , we show in fig1 and 2 three agitator elements 1 in the form of blades or bar - shaped aerating vanes each of which is molded integrally with a common hub part 2 which is a segment of a cylindrical sleeve . the rotor unit consists of a plurality of the agitator elements and their respective hub parts or segments which are made of a suitable synthetic plastic material . that is , adjoining the hub part or segment 2 in a circumferential direction is an identical hub part or segment 3 having agitator elements 4 . the entire circumference of the rotor unit is thus covered with hub segments 2 and 3 and their agitator elements 1 and 4 respectively . the agitator elements 1 and 4 may be in the form of blades , bars or the like and in operation they are at least partly submerged in the fluid to be aerated so as to introduce the gas into the fluid whereby their rigidity , shape and velocity cause the formation of air entraining eddies . each annular row of hub segments 2 and 3 and their respective agitator elements 1 and 4 define a generally star - shaped agitator assembly . each annular row of hub parts or segments are fastened to a hollow shaft 5 by means of clamping straps 6 and suitable retaining bolts 6a . as shown in fig1 and 2 , a plurality of agitator elements 1 and 4 are disposed in parallel vertical planes extending transversely of the axis of the rotor unit and are molded integrally with the hub segments 2 and 3 . the axially adjoining star - shaped assemblies are shown as being assembled with adjacent hub parts or segments staggered relative to each other and are arranged to cover the entire length of the hollow shaft 5 . if desired , the arrangement may be such that several axially adjoining hub segments carrying the agitator elements 1 and 4 may be formed integrally as one common hub part . in fig1 and 2 we show the vertical faces of the hub parts of segments 2 and 3 as being smooth , continuous surfaces with torque forces being transmitted by frictional engagement of adjacent surfaces . we show a modified form of our invention in fig2 a , which is a developed view showing the outer surface of a hub part 2 &# 39 ;, wherein each hub part has a boss or projection 7 on one side , and a recess 8 on the opposite side . fig2 b is a developed view showing the assembly of hub parts 2 &# 39 ; and 3 &# 39 ; of three adjoining star - shaped assemblies . as the projections of one star - shaped assembly engage the recesses of the adjoining star - shaped assembly , a positive connection is provided between adjoining star - shaped assemblies . it should be noted that the hub parts or segments may engage each other with a predetermined clearance which compensates for any deformation in the surface of the hollow shaft 5 . an important feature of the design shown in fig2 a and 2b is that forces are , at least to a certain extent , transferred directly between the adjacent star - shaped assemblies . accordingly , it is possible to mold the agitator elements 1 and 4 and their hub parts or segments of corrosion - resistant , synthetic plastic material without reducing the stability of the unit . as shown in fig2 b the projections 7 on one hub part or segment is staggered relative to the projection 7 on the hub part adjacent thereto . accordingly , there is an angular displacement between adjacent hub parts of adjoining star - shaped assemblies which is substantially one - half of the angular pitch of the agitator elements 1 and 4 . accordingly , the agitator elements 1 and 4 of adjoining star - shaped assemblies are not disposed in the same axial plane . this results in a helical formation of the agitator elements 1 and 4 whereby the agitator elements of adjoining star - shaped assemblies are angularly spaced a small distance relative to each other , so as to strike the water or other fluid in rapid succession . in the embodiment shown in fig3 the hub parts are assembled to form a continuous hollow shaft , thus eliminating the necessity of providing a supporting shaft , such as shaft 5 . in fig3 we show three synthetic plastic hub parts or segments 9 , 10 and 11 , having agitator elements 12 , 13 and 14 molded integrally therewith . the hub parts are provided with bosses or projections 15 which engage corresponding recesses 16 formed in adjacent hub parts . accordingly , the hub parts interlock circumferentially as well as axially . the hub parts 9 , 10 and 11 are held together by angularly spaced tie rods 17 disposed in the interior of the hollow shaft member defined by the assembled hub parts so as to be protected against corrosion . the tie rods 17 extend through and are connected to end plates 18 which in turn are connected to stub shafts 19 . interposed between all or certain ones of the hub parts 9 , 10 and 11 are rings 20 which receive all or certain ones of the tie rods 17 . the rings 20 are also provided with projections 15 and recesses 16 but have no agitator elements formed thereon . instead of employing the rings 20 , the hub parts 9 , 10 and 11 may be provided with additional bosses having openings therethrough for receiving and supporting the tie rods 17 . as shown in fig4 axially extending pressure absorbing members 21 formed of a suitable resistant material , such as steel pins , are provided in the hub parts . these members increase the stability of the unit so that it may be subjected to considerable compressive forces . as shown in fig4 and 5 , the members 21 provide a continuous chain of contact through the unit ; and being completely embedded in the hub parts 9 , 10 and 11 , the members 21 are protected against corrosion . the pressure absorbing members 21 are provided with bosses or projections 22 and recesses 23 at opposite ends thereof , with the projections 22 of each hub part engaging recesses 23 in an adjacent hub part , as shown . the interlocking projections and recesses may be provided in addition to the projections 15 and recesses 16 shown in fig3 or may replace the latter . the bosses or projections 22 and recesses 23 are staggered relative to each other to provide a helical arrangement as shown . fig4 shows clearly the integral molding of the plastic material at the transition points where the roots of the agitator elements merge with their respective hub parts . while we have shown our invention in several forms , it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited , but is susceptible of various other changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof . | 2 |
the present invention consists of a receiver coil double - suspension system directed towards maximizing the signal - to - noise ratio ( snr ) by reducing microphonic noise . the most troublesome noise may occur in the low frequency portion of the spectrum , and as such the present invention is intended to reduce noise in the low frequency range . the present invention may offer a mechanical isolation system achieving a low cut - off frequency . the double - suspension receiver coil system of the present invention may enhance the performance of the single - suspension receiver coil system and may minimize the microphonic noises . the double - suspension system may reduce the noise at low frequencies and improve the receiver coil snr by reducing the transmission of vibration from the outer frame to the receiver coil . it may further reduce the noise produced by the suspension system itself . fig1 and fig2 show embodiments of the present invention and in particular the concentric double - suspension system . in these embodiments of the system a set of first suspension members 10 , preferably formed of an elastic material , such as rubber , although other materials may also be used , may be used to support the receiver coil 14 at the approximate center of the inner frame 12 . a set of second suspension members 20 , preferably formed of a rubber material , although other materials may be used , may be used to support the inner frame 12 and cause it to be located at or near the center of the outer frame 22 . the first and second suspension members may be mounted at an angle close to the transversal direction to maintain the inner frame and the receiver coil in a position concentric to the structure . this arrangement may prevent the receiver coil and the internal frame from moving away from the centered position , as well as from moving along the transversal direction . mounting at an angle close to the transversal direction may further provide lateral and vertical support which is required for both the inner and outer frame sets . the positioning may cause a damping of vibration vertically and horizontally . in one embodiment of the invention , as shown in fig1 , the first suspension members may be connected to the receiver coil 14 and the inside wall of the inner frame 12 by cable ties 18 . whereas the second suspension members may be connected to outside wall of the inner frame 12 and either the inside wall of the outer frame , or the inner rings 16 by cable ties 18 . both ends of a suspension member may be connected to a cable tie . this double - suspension system may have the effect of reducing noise at the receiver coil which would otherwise arise from the outer frame 22 as well as noise produced by the rubbing of the suspension . embodiments of the double - suspension configuration can be effective in lowering the low - pass cut - off frequency of the system , thus lowering the microphonic noise at the receiver coil . in a preferred embodiment the cable ties may be covered with silicone or a similar material to prevent the coil and the inner frame from rubbing against their suspension and thus eliminating the noise produced by rubbing . in one embodiment of the invention the second suspension members may be mounted on the inner rings close to the transverse position , but may also have a vertical component thereto . the second suspension members may have one end attached radially onto the inner rings , while the other end may be laterally displaced and attached to the inner frame . this structure may be affected for both sides of the inner ring to keep the inner frame in place . in yet another embodiment of the invention it is possible to use both transverse and vertical suspension to accomplish the same result for each of the first and second suspension members . in one embodiment of the invention the inner ring may have pre - drilled holes . the cable ties can be fit through the holes and through loops in the first and second suspension members and then may be tied together . silicone can be applied on the attachment points to prevent any squeaking noise caused by rubbing of the parts . as is evident to a skilled reader , any number of other possible methods can be used to attach the first and second suspension members including : hooks , or a machined hook - like attachment point connected to the attachment points whereby the suspension members may be looped around the hooks and then covered by silicone . alternatively , loops on the first and second suspension members can be screwed into the attachment points , in a manner similar to the attachment of plugs and sockets of electrical fixtures . another possibility is to glue the first and second suspension members to the inner frame , and to the outer frame or inner rings . in all possible means of attaching the first and second suspension members to the inner frame or to the outer frame or inner rings , the attachment should be firm and may be coated with silicone , or any equivalent substance to reduce squeaking . fig2 shows an embodiment of the present invention whereby the receiver coil may be placed at the approximate center of the inner frame 12 , and be supported in this position by first suspension members 10 attached to the inside wall of the inner frame 12 . the inner frame 12 , positioned at the center of the outer frame 22 , may be supported in this location by second suspension members 20 attached to the inner rings 16 . the inner rings 16 may have cuts 15 therein , preferably positioned at the bottom , to allow for assembly . in one embodiment of the invention , the supporting ring 16 may not be a full circle , to facilitate assembly of the receiver coil double - suspension system . as shown in fig2 , in one embodiment of the invention the inner frame 12 may have an open top - end , whereby the receiver coil , 14 is not fully enclosed by the inner frame 12 . an open top - end inner frame may facilitate assembly of the receiver coil within the inner frame . as shown in fig3 and fig4 , in the htem receiver coil , the double - suspension system may be mounted inside an outer frame 22 structure constructed of molded fiberglass , although other materials may also be utilized . in a preferred embodiment the structure may be polygonal , for example octagonal , and have an overall size of approximately 1 . 2 m . the outer frame 22 may be shaped so as to have an approximately 150 mm circular cross - section and include walls of approximately 6 mm thickness . the inner frame 12 may be shaped to have an approximately 50 mm cross - section and include walls of approximately 3 mm thickness . the receiver coil may be positioned at or close - to the centre of the inner frame by way of a multi - point double - suspension system . the inner frame 12 may be positioned at the center of the outer frame 22 by another multi - point suspension system . the receiver coil and inner frame positioning multi - point suspension systems may be constructed of first and second suspension members 10 and 20 formed from elastic material , such as rubber , secured by way of cable ties 18 that may be silicone - covered . fig3 shows an embodiment of the present invention that may function as a htem receiver coil double - suspension system . in this embodiment the second suspension members 20 may keep the inner frame 12 positioned at the center or close to the centre , of the outer frame 22 , and the receiver coil 14 may be positioned at the center or near the centre of the inner frame 12 and held in this position by first suspension members 10 . the first and second suspension members 10 and 20 may be placed in alternating diagonal positions in order to maintain tension along the transversal direction . fig4 and fig2 show an embodiment of the present invention wherein the outer frame may be constructed as a two sections 17 and 19 . in one embodiment the two - piece section may be shaped as a two - piece shape . the two sections 17 and 19 may be constructed of molded glass fiber , or any other appropriate material . as shown in fig2 the sections may be held together by screws 21 . the combination of the inner frame 12 having an open top - end , the sectional structure of the outer frame , and the screw mechanism for releaseably attaching the outer frame sections , may allow for easy access to the receiver coil for the purposes of assembly , mounting , testing , and repair , including repair in the field . in one embodiment of the invention the suspension members may be replaced and covered by silicone should they break in the field . inner rings may also be replaced in the field and the outer frame can either have a broken section replaced , or can be mended through the use of materials , such as fiberglass , in the field . in one embodiment wherein the outer frame is constructed of two sections 17 and 19 , the second suspension members 20 may connect to the inner rings 16 . this structure allows the two sections 17 and 19 to be separable without affecting the suspension of the receiver coil . as shown in fig4 an embodiment of the invention may include multiple inner rings 16 . in one embodiment of the present invention inner rings 16 may be fastened to the internal wall of the outer frame 22 , at approximately the mid - point of each side of the outer frame . fig5 shows an embodiment of the receiver coil frame as it may be utilized in conjunction with an htem transmitter coil frame . in this embodiment , the htem receiver coil frame 24 may be positioned at the centre of the transmitter coil frame 28 . in one embodiment of the invention the transmitter coil frame may be a dodecagonal shape and approximately 26 m in diameter . in one embodiment of the invention the receiver coil frame 24 and the transmitter coil frame 28 may be connected by a system of radial cables 26 . each of the receiver coil frame 24 and transmitter coil frame 28 may be held in place by an external mesh suspension system 32 attached to the corners 34 of the receiver coil frame 24 and transmitter coil frame 28 . both coil suspensions systems may be attached to a cable 30 which may be towed by an aircraft , such as a helicopter . fig6 shows an embodiment of the present invention that may be preferable for use as an htem receiver coil frame 24 in conjunction with a transmitter coil 28 wherein the combination of coils may be in flight being towed by a helicopter 36 flying at a speed capable of suspending the coils in a near - horizontal position . in one embodiment of the present invention , the htem transmitter 28 and receiver coil frames 24 may be in flight progress at an appropriate surveying speed , for example an approximate speed of 30 m / s , or any other surveying speed that is capable of suspending the coils in a near - horizontal position . in another embodiment of the invention , the transmitter coil frame 28 maybe supported by the external mesh suspension system 32 from a point away from the centre of the coil , for example approximately 20 m away from the centre of the coil , and this suspension point 31 may be attached to the helicopter 36 by a long cable , for example a cable approximately 21 m long 30 . in this embodiment of the invention , the receiver coil frame may be suspended by multiple cables of varying lengths converging at a point distant from the centre of the receiver coil frame and even more distant from the helicopter , for example a point located approximately 1 m away from the center of the receiver coil frame 24 , and approximately 40 m away from the helicopter 36 . as shown in fig6 , in one embodiment of the invention , while in flight the transmitter and receiver coils may be suspended in a near - horizontal or horizontal position , with the towing cable at an angle from the vertical , for example an angle of approximately 35 degrees from the vertical . the suspension structure may maintain the horizontal positions of the coils during flight due to a combination of the drag produced by the wind , the weight of the structure and the two suspension meshes . fig7 shows another embodiment of the present invention that may be preferable for application as an afmag receiver coil double - suspension system , as an afmag system does not have a transmitter coil . in this embodiment of the present invention the afmag receiver coil frame 54 may be an octagon formed of non - conductive material having an overall size of approximately 8 m . in this embodiment there may be no inner rings , the inner frame may be non - continuous , and the inner frame may be composed of sections along each side of the octagon to a total of 16 sections . in one embodiment the receiver coil frame 54 may be separated into pieces for ease of transportation . in another embodiment the receiver coil frame 54 may be separated into a number of pieces equal to the number of sides of the frame , such as eight pieces for an octagonal - shaped frame . in another embodiment the outer frame 52 is shaped to a circular cross - section , for example an approximate 300 mm circular cross - section , that has walls , for example of an approximately 5 mm thickness . in a further embodiment the segmented inner frame 46 may be shaped to be smaller than the outer frame , for example to have an approximate 150 mm cross - section and to have walls of an approximate 5 mm thickness . in yet a further embodiment , the receiver coil 42 may be held at the centre of the open - top inner frame 46 , using a multi - point double - suspension system , and the inner frame 46 may be held at the center of the outer frame 52 by another multi - point suspension system 50 . in one embodiment the double - suspension system and multi - point suspension system 50 , may be comprised of first and second suspension members and cable ties 48 , the first and second suspension members being positioned to diagonally alternate to maintain tension along the transversal direction . fig8 shows an embodiment of the present invention that may be preferable for application as an afmag receiver coil . in this embodiment the receiver coil frame 54 may be supported by a suspension mesh 56 . in one embodiment of the invention the receiver coil frame 54 may have an overall size that may measure , for example approximately 8 . 0 m . the receiver coil frame 54 may be suspended by cables of varying lengths to a point 51 of connection to a tow rope 30 located , for example approximately 9 m away from the center of the receiver coil frame 54 . fig9 shows an embodiment of the present invention that may be preferable for application as an afmag receiver coil frame wherein the receiver coil is in flight towed by a helicopter 36 that may be flying at a constant speed to maintain the coil in a horizontal or near horizontal position . in this embodiment the receiver coil frame 54 may be supported by the suspension mesh 56 from a point that is approximately 9 m away from the centre of the receiver coil frame 54 , this suspension point further being suspended from the helicopter 36 by a cable 30 that may measure , for example approximately 90 m long . in this embodiment the length of each suspension cable 58 may vary such that during flight the receiver coil frame 54 is maintained in a horizontal position or near - horizontal position . the towing cable 30 may be at an angle from the vertical during flight , for example approximately 35 degrees from the vertical , to support the near - horizontal positioning of the receiver coil frame 54 . the receiver coil system may maintain the horizontal or near - horizontal position during flight due to a combination of the drag produced by the wind , the weight of the structure and the meshes . fig1 shows an embodiment of the present invention that may be preferable for application as a double - suspension afmag ground - station receiver coil . ground - station coils may typically be mounted in pairs in a vertical position , with the two coils orthogonal to each other , in such way that is possible to measure the magnetic field vector in the horizontal plane . whenever a third coil is necessary to measure the vertical component of the magnetic field , it may be placed on the ground . as fig1 shows , in yet another embodiment of the present invention as a ground - station receiver coil 62 , two coils may be mounted vertically perpendicular to each other to measure the magnetic field in the horizontal plane . in this embodiment , each receiver coil may be supported by a double - suspension system with suspension members 60 and 70 that may be constructed of an elastic material , such as rubber , or any other material having requisite tensile strength to accommodate the weight of the receiver coils and the inner frame 64 . it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other variations of the embodiments described herein may also be practiced without departing from the scope of the invention . other modifications are therefore possible . | 8 |
reference now will be made in detail to the embodiments of the invention , one or more examples of which are set forth below . 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 on 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 . other objects , features , and aspects of the present invention are disclosed in or may be determined from the following detailed description . repeat use of reference characters is intended to represent same or analogous features , elements or steps . it is to be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present discussion is a description of exemplary embodiments only , and is not intended as limiting the broader aspects of the present invention . for the purposes of this document two or more items are “ mechanically associated ” by bringing them together or into relationship with each other in any number of ways including a direct or indirect physical connection that may be releasable ( snaps , rivets , screws , bolts , etc .) and / or movable ( rotating , pivoting , oscillating , etc .) similarly , two or more items are “ electrically associated ” by bringing them together or into relationship with each other in any number of ways including : ( a ) a direct , indirect or inductive communication connection , and ( b ) a direct / indirect or inductive power connection . additionally , while the drawings may illustrate various electronic components of a system connected by a single line , it will be appreciated that such lines may represent one or more signal paths , power connections , electrical connections and / or cables as required by the embodiment of interest . refer now to fig1 showing a side view in elevation of a preferred embodiment tablet decomposing apparatus ( 10 ) which comprises a housing assembly ( 11 ), a pressor foot assembly ( 12 ), and a rotor associated with a crank assembly ( 13 ) further associated with housing ( 11 ). the housing ( 11 ) is provided with a tapered feed hopper ( 14 , 14 a ) in which tablets may be placed directly or pre - crushed ( pre - fractured ) by placing the tablet in the pre - fracturing recess ( 15 ) and crushing and fracturing the tablets placed in the pre - fracturing recess ( 15 ) by engaging them with the pre - fracturing blade ( 16 ) mounted on the pressor foot assembly ( 12 ). blade ( 16 ) may be made from a piece of sharp metal or integrally molded as a blade as part of the assembly ( 12 ). the pressor foot ( 17 ) is provided with a partial cylindrical shape which is adapted to match and fit the tops of the slicing ribs ( not shown ) which rotate in the cylindrical plane ( 18 ). as will be explained in more detail hereinafter , tablets caught between the pressor foot ( 17 ) and the plane of revolution ( 18 ) of the slicing ribs will be sliced and pulverized while being held by the forward portion of the feed hopper ( 14 ). discharge chute ( 19 ) is shown having the same width as the diameter of the cylindrical plane ( 18 ) of the slicing ribs and is larger than the opening of the tapered feed hopper ( 14 ) at its engagement point with the slicing rotor . a patient &# 39 ; s cup ( 21 ) is shown held in place against the bottom surface ( 22 ) of the housing ( 11 ). the patient &# 39 ; s cup ( 21 ) is a standard plastic cup having different types of calibrations or graduations thereon . normally the cup is provided with graduations up to one fluid ounce , graduations up to eight drams , graduations up to two tablespoons , graduations up to 30 cubic centimeters and graduations up to 30 milliliters . such cups are known as universal patients &# 39 ; cups and are used throughout the world . since the cup ( 21 ) is standard and of uniform size throughout the world , it readily fits into an annular tapered ring provided as an extension on the housing assembly ( 11 ). it should be appreciated , however , that apparatus ( 10 ) may be used with non standard cups without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention . in the process of decomposing tablets , the size of the powder can be controlled by controlling the height of the slicing ribs as will be explained hereinafter . since a very fine powder traps below the top of the slicing rib , a cleaning brush ( not shown ) may be inserted in the brush recess ( 24 ) and forms an effective means for dislodging powder . a thumb rest ( 25 ) is provided on pressor foot assembly ( 12 ) and is positioned there along to permit a person holding the decomposing apparatus ( 10 ) in one hand to apply sufficient pressure on the pre - fracturing blade ( 16 ) and pressor foot ( 17 ) to completely decompose tablets in the decomposing apparatus . refer now to fig2 showing a front view of the apparatus ( 10 ) shown in fig1 . the patient &# 39 ; s cup ( 21 ) is shown mounted in the annular tapered ring ( 23 ) which has an opening ( 26 ) which permits the top of the patient &# 39 ; s cup ( 21 ) to be squeezed at the top and slid into place tightly against bottom surface ( 22 ). the flexing of cup ( 21 ) tightly holds the cup ( 21 ) against the surface ( 22 ) when released . the rotor assembly ( 13 ) is shown comprising a crank having a rotatable knob ( 27 ) which snaps through recess ( 28 ) during assembly . housing ( 11 ) is provided with cylindrical bearing recesses ( 33 ) which are adapted to receive the bearings associated with the rotor in a manner which provides a seal and yet provides rotatable movement as will be explained hereinafter . similarly end cap ( 29 ) snaps into recess ( 32 ) as shown in fig2 . end cap ( 29 ) may comprise an anti - friction flange ( 31 ) and is preferably configured to urge the opposite anti - friction flange ( 31 a ) into engagement with the side of the housing ( 11 ). referring now to fig9 , one alternative exemplary embodiment of the end cap ( end cap ( 50 )) is presented . end cap ( 50 ) comprises a discontinuous annular ring ( 52 ) associated with at least one depending section ( 54 ). for the presently preferred embodiment , there are two depending sections ( 54 ). depending section ( 54 ) extends from side ( 60 ) of discontinuous annular ring ( 52 ) to a point distal from discontinuous annular ring ( 52 ) thereby defining distal end ( 53 ). for such embodiment , depending section ( 54 ) comprises a partially cylindrical surface defined by two opposing faces , outer face ( 65 ) and inter face ( 64 ). while the two depending sections are shown opposing each other it will be appreciated that other configurations may be used . depending section ( 54 ) further comprises latching surface ( 56 ) configure to mechanically associate with rotor assembly ( 13 ). as depicted in fig9 , latching surface ( 56 ) defines a raised surface which is configured to reasably associate with rotor assembly ( 13 ). end cap ( 50 ) further comprises two opposed pinching surfaces ( 58 ) configured to compress the discontinuous ring by at least partially closing gap ( 56 ) when a pinching force is applied to the opposed pinching surfaces ( 58 ). for the presently preferred embodiment , such pinching surfaces are finger grips . it will be appreciated that when a pinching force is applied to pinching surfaces ( 58 ), discontinuous ring ( 52 ) is compressed or deformed along gap ( 56 ) thereby disassociating latching surface ( 56 ) from rotor assembly ( 13 ). such an end cap ( 50 ) configuration allows the end cap ( 50 ) to be disassociated from rotor assembly ( 13 ) thereby allowing rotor assembly ( 13 ) to be removed from apparatus ( 10 ) without the use of an end cap removal tool . to identify a particular apparatus ( 10 ) device or apparatus ( 10 ) use , at least one pinching surface ( 58 ) may be configured to receive a coding tab ( 66 ). coding tab ( 66 ) is simply a tab that may be used to distinguish one apparatus ( 10 ) from another . for example , coding tab ( 66 ) may be of a particular color or display a particular number . such coding tabs are useful in performing several functions including : ( a ) distinguishing a first apparatus ( 10 ) owned by person a from a second apparatus ( 10 ) owned by person b , ( b ) distinguishing apparatus ( 10 ) blade configurations , ( c ) distinguishing an apparatus ( 10 ) that should only be use to process a particular type of pill or substance . as shown in fig9 , for the presently preferred embodiment , coding tab ( 66 ) is an insert that fits over pinching surfaces ( 58 ). refer back to fig3 showing a top view of the housing assembly ( 11 ) with rotor assembly ( 13 ) mounted therein and the pressor foot assembly ( 12 ) removed . the pre - fracturing recess ( 15 ) is shown tapered and becoming progressively deeper as it approaches the tapered feed hopper ( 14 ) having a tapered side wall ( 14 a ). a hinge extension ( 34 ) is provided on the handle of the housing assembly ( 11 ) and adapted to receive a pin in the recess ( 35 ) to pivotally mount the pressor foot assembly ( 12 ) thereon . when using modern injection molded techniques , it is possible to eliminate the hinge extension ( 34 ) and substitute a flexible and narrow molded sheet of plastic for the hinge ( 34 ) and pin ( 35 ). for one embodiment of the invention , the shaving means ( 36 ) preferably fills the hopper ( 14 ) and comprises raised ribs or other slicing / pulverizing means on an imperforate cylinder which preferably completely fills the hopper from wall to wall . refer now to fig4 showing an enlarged view of the shaving means ( 36 ) on a rotor assembly ( 13 ). cylindrical bearings ( 33 a ) and ( 33 b ) fit snugly but rotatably in the bearing recesses ( 33 ) shown in fig2 and 3 . shaving means ( 36 ) comprise a pair of raised ribs ( 37 ) that are discontinuous . the forward edges of ribs ( 37 ) are indicated at the lead line of the numerals ( 37 ) and are sharp protruding edges which cut or shave the bottom of a tablet which is placed in the tapered feed hopper ( 14 ). as will be explained hereinafter , the trailing edges ( 37 a ) may be tapered to minimize buildup of powder from the tablets . when the rotor is rotated clockwise in the direction of the arrow , the leading or cutting edge ( 37 ) will cause powder from the tablet to collect below the top of the rib and shift to the right to the end point ( 38 ). as the powder leaves the end point ( 38 ) of the rib ( 37 ), it soon engages the next leading edge ( 37 ) of the companion rib ( 37 ) and is then shifted to the right until it either slips by the end ( 38 ) or is deposited in the discharge chute ( 19 ). it will be understood that the rotor assembly ( 13 ) may be injection molded and is preferably made as a hollow cylindrical form in which the shaving means ( 36 ) is an imperforate part of the cylindrical . thus any powder that is sliced from a tablet is shifted to the left and back to the right and to the left and back to the right until it is discharged in the discharge chute ( 19 ) as is clearly shown in fig1 through 3 . refer now to fig5 showing another form of dual rib shaving means . the leading edges of this dual spiral rib configuration tend to trap powder in the crotch of the v shown in the center of the shaving means ( 36 ). however , the nature of this device tends to move the powder shaved from the tablets towards the center of the discharge chute ( 19 ) and has been found to be an effective shaving means for most tablets . when used in conjunction with the cleaning brushes and combs to be described hereinafter , this dual rib configuration is extremely effective and when used in conjunction with tapered trailing edges of the ribs little or no residue is accumulated even without the cleaning brushes . rotors made from hard glass - like finish plastic do not tend to clog . refer now to fig6 showing a singular helical rib ( 39 ) having leading cutting edges ( 37 ) and tapered trailing edges ( 41 ). while this single helical rib is extremely effective in slicing tablets by removing portions at no more than the height h of the rib ( 39 ), it tends to move the powder to the right and traps powder against the side of the rib ( 39 ) which engages the right most bearing ( 33 a ), however , deposits which form in this v shaped cavity can be easily removed by a resilient brush ( 41 ) which cleans the cavities below the tops of the ribs when properly inserted in the brush recess ( 24 ) shown in fig1 . it will be understood that the brush 41 may be replaced with a resilient comb ( 42 ) or resilient comb shaped brush ( 42 ) as the case may be . refer now to fig7 showing a front view of a motorized version of the decomposing apparatus shown in fig1 to 6 . the major modification required for simplification or a motorized version is to change the axial direction of the shaving means ( 36 ) by 90 degrees so that the shaft ( 42 ) of the motor ( 43 ) in housing ( 44 ) can directly couple to the rotor means ( 13 a , 36 ) thus replacing the need for a crank arm . the motor ( 43 ) is preferably driven by a rechargeable battery pack ( 45 ). in the preferred embodiment of the motorized version an actuation switch ( 46 ) is provided in the thumb area and completely clear of the pressor foot assembly ( 12 a ) ( not shown ). it will be appreciated that the rotor assembly ( 13 a ) may be provided with a cap having an anti - friction flange ( 31 ) which is adapted to hold the rotor assembly in place against the housing ( 44 ) and may be inserted in the housing assembly from the flange ( 31 ) end to engage a spline or recess in the shaft ( 42 ). the side walls ( 14 b ) of the hopper are shown having a taper , thus , the pressor foot ( not shown ) is provided with a similar taper and cylindrical shape so as to engage firmly against the slicing or cutting ribs of the rotor . refer now to fig8 showing an enlarge schematic view of a continuous spiral slicing rib ( 39 ) of a rotor assembly ( 13 ) mounted in a housing assembly ( 11 ) and having a curved pressor foot ( 17 ) engaging a tablet ( 47 ) between the pressor foot and the rotor surface ( 48 ). the force of the pressor foot ( 17 ) is seldom great enough to permit the leading edge ( 37 ) of the rib ( 39 ) to make a slice from the tablet ( 47 ) which is as thick as the height h of the rib ( 39 ). this is to say that the slicing action of the leading edge ( 37 ) actually shaves portions from the tablet ( 47 ) which never exceed the height h . the tablet ( 47 ) is urged by the inclined or helical direction of the rib ( 39 ) into engagement with a side of the housing ( 11 ) as shown . as portions of the tablet ( 47 ) are shaved or removed , the force of the pressor foot ( 17 ) will eventually cause the tablet to be crushed or fractured which further enhances the powdering and decomposition procedure even if the tablet has not been pre - fractured using the prefracturing means ( 15 , 16 ) described hereinbefore . it will be appreciated that the diagonal or helical direction of the cutting edge ( 37 ) enhances the shaving action and reduces the force required to rotate the rotor , however , various forms of ribs have been considered . a horizontal rib or protrusion provided on the rotor ( 13 ) is not as effective as a helical shape . if the ribs are placed too close together then the tablet ( 47 ) does not have adequate space to drop between the helical ribs and perform the desirable shaving action . other forms and shapes of ribs are operable but are not as effective as the helical shape described herein as the preferred embodiment of the present invention . it will be appreciated that for the presently preferred embodiment , the universally standard patient &# 39 ; s cup ( 21 ) fits so tightly against the bottom surface ( 22 ) that substantially no spillage will occur even when the apparatus is accidentally dropped after decomposing a tablet . in the preferred embodiment of the present invention it was found that the height h of the slicing rib ( 39 ) when made approximately 1 / 30th of an inch produced the best results . a feature of the present invention is that it may be made for right handed persons or left handed persons by reversing the rotor assembly in the standard housing . unlike prior art devices , improved apparatus ( 10 ) may be configured easily by a user by removing improved end cap ( 50 ). as described above , by applying a pinching force to opposed pinching surfaces ( 58 ), gap ( 56 ) is collapsed in some degree thereby disassociating latching surface ( 56 ) from rotor assembly ( 13 ) allowing end cap ( 50 ) to be removed from apparatus ( 10 ) without the use of removal tools . once end cap ( 50 ) has been removed , rotor assembly ( ) may be removed from a first side of apparatus ( 10 ) and inserted into a second side of apparatus ( 10 ). once rotor assembly ( 13 ) has been reinserted into housing ( 11 ), end cap ( 50 ) is snapped into recess ( 32 ) thereby securing rotor assembly ( 13 ) at least partially within housing ( 11 ). it should be appreciated that a blade ( 39 ) comprising a reverse helical shape may be used so that the leading edge cuts in the direction in which the left handed or right handed model would ordinarily be turned . further , the motorized version shown in fig7 has been made so that the rotor - shaving means is completely removable as a unit and may be cleaned and reused by standard cleaning and / or sterilization procedures . while the novel decomposing apparatus was designed to reduce compressed tablets to a powder of a predetermined size it has been used to decompose peppercorns and coffee beans , thus , has a desirable secondary use for powdering hard and semi - hard condiments and food items . powdered custom blend coffee may be deposited directly into a filter paper holder of the type used for a single cup of coffee made in a microwave oven or a larger filter of the type used in coffee machines . thus , the preamble of the claims is not intended to restrict the claims to the preferred mode of use . while the present subject matter has been described in detail with respect to specific embodiments thereof , it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art , upon attaining an understanding of the foregoing may readily adapt the present technology for alterations to , variations of , and equivalents to such embodiments . accordingly , the scope of the present disclosure is by way of example rather than by way of limitation , and the subject disclosure does not preclude inclusion of such modifications , variations , and / or additions to the present subject matter as would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art . | 8 |
in fig1 an apparatus according to the invention is generally denoted by 10 . it comprises a wheel speed sensor 12 , wiring 14 and a signal processing unit 16 . the vehicle sensor 12 comprises two signal paths , namely a signal path 18 that delivers a “ high ” current of e . g . 14 ma when the sensor 12 detects a specific event , e . g . an inductive excitation , and the signal path 20 that delivers a “ low ” current of e . g . 7 ma when the sensor 12 is in its idle state . the wheel speed sensor 12 is connected by the wiring 14 to the signal processing unit 16 . the signal processing unit comprises a power supply unit 22 for the wheel speed sensor 12 , a first low - pass filter 24 and a second low - pass filter 26 . the signal processing unit 10 further comprises an evaluation device 28 , which interrogates specific properties of the output signal of the wheel speed sensor 12 obtained by the low - pass filter 24 . more details about this will be provided below . the power supply unit 22 for the wheel speed sensor 12 as well as the interrogation filter 28 are combined into an application - specific integrated circuit ( asic ) 30 . this is connected to a main processor 32 . the main processor 32 comprises a high - resolution time generator 34 and an analogue - to - digital converter 36 . the time generator 34 is connected to the evaluation device 28 . the analogue - to - digital converter 36 is connected to the low - pass filter 26 . according to fig1 , the apparatus 10 according to the invention measures a wheel speed by means of a wheel speed sensor 12 and supplies a corresponding analogue a . c . signal via the wiring 14 to the signal processing unit 16 . this output signal is then first filtered by means of the low - pass filters 24 and 26 and subjected to further processing , which is described in more detail below with reference to fig2 to 5 . fig2 shows various characteristics of the analogue output signal of the speed sensor 12 . in fig2 the current intensity is of the sensor 12 is plotted in ma against time . an ideal characteristic of the output signal supplied by the speed sensor 12 is denoted by 40 . this signal characteristic 40 presents substantially two discrete signal levels , namely a “ low ” level at 7 ma and a “ high ” level at 14 ma . from the period of the change of the signal levels between 7 ma and 14 ma the wheel speed may be determined . within a predetermined time period t , which is subdivided into n equal time intervals δt , the output signal is sampled n times . thus , at each instant t 1 , t 2 , t 3 , . . . t n a specific sampled value of a signal amplitude assigned thereto , which corresponds to the respective signal level , is obtained . fig2 further shows how disturbing influences or malfunctions of the speed sensor 12 may lead to other signal characteristics that differ from the signal characteristic 40 . thus , for example , the signal characteristics 42 and 44 , because of disturbing influences in the vehicle electronics , a faulty power supply unit of the speed sensor 12 or the like , are indeed displaced , in terms of the occurring current intensities , relative to the signal characteristic 40 . they do however , despite this value - related displacement , allow rotational speed measurement since they present substantially two discrete signal levels . however , given such voltage signals 42 and 44 displaced on account of disturbing influences or the malfunction of various components , fault recognition may already be necessary . it may lead , for example , to deactivation of various electronic systems for safety reasons . conventional systems are capable of such fault recognition either not at all or only with a high hardware outlay in order to be able to effect sampling in accordance with shannon &# 39 ; s sampling theorem . fig2 additionally shows two further signal characteristics 46 and 48 , which lie above and below specific threshold values 50 and 52 respectively . such markedly displaced signal characteristics are already detectable even by conventional systems , e . g . through the use of threshold value sensors , which detect a short circuit or a line interruption . according to the invention , in the time period t the output signal produced by the speed sensor 12 is sampled n times . this occurs according to the flowchart of fig5 after the start of the procedure according to step s 1 in step s 2 . at a discrete instant , e . g . t 1 , t 2 , etc ., in each case the actual sensor current is measured . at the same time , the amplitude of the sensor current is measured and an amplitude counter , to which an amplitude range including this amplitude is assigned , is incremented by the value 1 . in step s 3 , the respective values of the amplitude counter are entered into a histogram according to fig3 . in this histogram , the respective counter readings n are plotted against the amplitude values . in other words , to each amplitude value between 0 and 19 ma with an amplitude range width of in each case 0 . 5 ma an amplitude counter is assigned . the interrogation of the actual sensor current according to step s 2 and the entry into a histogram according to step s 3 is carried out n times . this means that in step s 4 after each interrogation a counter n is incremented and in step s 5 it is checked whether a limit value , e . g . the value 1000 given a sampling frequency of 1000 hz , has already been reached . if not , steps s 2 to s 5 are repeated . if , however , the condition according to step s 5 is met , then the actual measuring cycle is terminated and a determination of current may be effected from current levels from the histogram according to fig3 . fig3 further shows how during the measuring cycle in the amplitude range between 7 and 7 . 5 ma sampled values have occurred at a rate of approximately 315 and in the amplitude range between 15 and 15 . 5 ma sampled values have occurred at a rate of approximately 395 . the remaining rates of occurrence of sampled values of different amplitudes are markedly lower . the next lower rate of occurrence is approximately 55 . fig3 then allows easy determination of the two signal levels characterizing the output signal 40 in that in each case one amplitude value from the two amplitude ranges having the sampled values with the relatively highest rate of occurrence during the measuring cycle is used as a signal level . this occurs in step s 6 of fig5 . the remaining sampled values arise , for example , because of sampling during an ascending or descending edge or because of disturbing influences . fig4 shows a histogram that differs markedly from the histogram according to fig3 . according to this histogram , the rate of occurrence of sampled values in a measuring cycle is approximately 860 for amplitudes between 15 . 0 and 15 . 5 ma . the remaining sampled values of an amplitude differing therefrom occur at an almost negligible rate . only the sampled values of an amplitude between 7 . 0 and 7 . 5 ma still occur at a rate of approximately 40 . a histogram according to fig4 arises , for example , when the sampling rate n per measuring cycle is substantially identical to the frequency of the output signal produced by the speed sensor 12 . this means that sampling of the output signal occurs substantially every time this signal has reached a specific signal level , e . g . the “ high ” current . in the case of other signal levels , in accordance with the predetermined sampling rate sampling occurs comparatively seldom . a histogram according to fig4 cannot however be used to determine two current levels . in order to distinguish measuring cycles with usable measuring results from measuring cycles with unusable measuring results , in an embodiment of the invention it is provided that the signal processing unit 16 checks the output signal of the speed sensor 12 for the fulfilment of predetermined conditions . this occurs in step s 7 . such conditions may be : the amplitude counter readings belonging to the two signal levels to be determined have to contain in each case a minimum fraction of all of the measurements , e . g . 15 % or 20 % or more ; the amplitude counter readings belonging to the signal levels to be determined have to be higher than the sum of all of the remaining counter readings that arise from measurements during the edge or because of disturbing influences , the difference between the two signal levels has to be at least a specific current intensity value , e . g . 1 ma . these conditions may be logically combined with one another , e . g . as an and operation or an or operation . in the present embodiment , they are combined in an and operation , i . e . each of the conditions has to be met to allow an effective signal level determination . if the result of step s 7 according to fig5 is that all of the conditions are met , then the histogram may be correspondingly evaluated , i . e . the current levels may be determined and used for further signal processing . this is represented by step s 8 . the counter n is then set to zero and ( step s 9 ) and the procedure is then terminated in step s 10 , thereby allowing it to be started anew for a further measuring cycle . if the result of step s 7 is that not all of the predetermined conditions are met by the current levels determined from the histogram , then according to step s 11 an error handling procedure is initiated , which may lead for example to deactivation of a traction control system or the like . the invention therefore presents a way of reliably monitoring the function of a speed sensor and sampling the output signal thereof that is relatively easy to carry out and in particular may be realized with a low hardware outlay . in accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes , the principle and mode of operation of this invention have been explained and illustrated in its preferred embodiments . however , it must be understood that this invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically explained and illustrated without departing from its spirit or scope . | 1 |
various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings , wherein like reference numerals represent like parts and assemblies throughout the several views . reference to various embodiments does not limit the scope of the claims attached hereto . additionally , any examples set forth in this specification are not intended to be limiting and merely set forth some of the many possible embodiments for the appended claims . it is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient , but these are intended to cover applications or embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims attached hereto . also , it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting . fig1 through 6 illustrate the frame of one embodiment of the vehicle in images shown from different angles . the frame is composed of 1 ″ diameter hollow aluminum tubing , welded together . an aluminum battery box made of ⅛ ″ thick aluminum sheet metal is located at the bottom of the frame in the center of the vehicle . a ¼ ″ thick aluminum sheet metal plate is bolted onto the frame rails on top of the battery box . the battery box is located here because it is the lowest center of gravity for the vehicle . fig7 through 18 illustrate the front suspension of one embodiment of the vehicle in images shown from different angles . the front suspension is composed of an a - arm on each side , 2 tie - rods on each side , a shock absorber , a 5 ″ diameter hydraulic disk brake on each side , and wheel hubs on each side . a lever on the left side of the steering wheel actuates both front left and front right hydraulic disk brakes . the steering is a mechanical quadrant type and consists of rods attached to a central steering column on one end and attached to steel tabs connected to a bearing on either side of the front end that rotates to turn the wheel on the other end . fig1 through 21 illustrate the rear suspension of one embodiment of the vehicle in images show from different angles . the rear wheel is connected to the frame via a welded steel swing arm 101 ( see fig1 and 21 ). for strength , the swing arm is hinged to a ½ ″ thick aluminum plate 102 in the rear of the frame ( see fig2 ). one shock absorber 103 on each side of the swing arm is connected to the frame ( see fig2 ). an 8 ″ disk hydraulic brake 104 is part of the rear end suspension ( see fig2 ). a lever on the steering wheel on the right side actuates the rear brake . fig2 through 32 illustrate the body of the vehicle . in one embodiment , the vehicle body is made of layers of carbon fiber and flexible structural foam core ( see fig2 and 28 ). structural mount points and body strength will be achieved through sandwiching the foam core between layers of the carbon fiber . the thickness of the body is approximately ¼ ″. alternatively , the body could be made of other lightweight metal or composite materials , such as kevlar , aluminum or fiberglass . the vehicle body is , in a preferred embodiment , a single piece for greatly increased strength . it is lightweight , durable and aesthetically appealing . in one embodiment , the vehicle &# 39 ; s body has external dimensions as noted in fig2 through 25 . these dimensions permit a range of user or driver body dimensions to be sized for different body types , whether a child or small adult , or a larger adult . the vehicle body is designed in an elongated , semi - ovoid shape in the form depicted in fig2 , 27 , and 29 through 32 . the shape depicted is low profile and permits low aerodynamic drag . further , the vehicle &# 39 ; s exterior color could be varied to match those of user preference . depending on the vehicle body material , the color could be integrated into the body material or applied the body exterior . in one embodiment , the electric vehicle uses an internal hub , brushless dc motor , including two separate motor windings 105 ( see fig3 ) and housing 106 for the motor windings , with a peak power of 50 kw and constant power of 20 kw , 100 a - 300 a ( 19 - 24 hp ), 10 rpm / volt . placing the motor in the wheel hub increases efficiency , saves space and reduces complexity by utilizing a smaller number of moving parts . in one embodiment , the vehicle uses a 16 . 6 khz , continuous 200 a , peak 400 a regenerative braking motor controller that manages the power flow of the battery , and motor . the motor controller monitors battery voltage . it will stop driving if battery voltage is too high . it will cut back , then stop driving if voltage is going too low . the motor controller provides regenerative braking through the motor , turning it into a generator to slow the vehicle and charge the battery . the regenerative braking feature is fully programmable and can be adjusted from little or no regenerative braking , which will allow the vehicle to coast , to maximum braking , which would slow the vehicle very quickly . the motor controller monitors motor temperature to prevent damage . the motor controller further cuts back current at low temperature and high temperature to protect battery and controller . the current will ramp down quickly if controller &# 39 ; s temperature is higher than 90 ° c ., and shut down at 100 ° c . low temperature current ramping down usually starts at 0 ° c . fig3 shows a schematic of how the motor controller is wired into the vehicle &# 39 ; s electrical system . alternatively , the vehicle could use other motors or motor controllers , with varying performance capabilities . in a preferred embodiment , the vehicle uses a 4 . 6 kwh battery pack made up of 36 , 3 . 2v , 40 ah batteries in parallel , nominal voltage 120v . fig3 shows the battery . the battery charge / discharge activity is handled by an energy management system ( ems ) which is described in more detail below . there is an 115v ac battery charger that takes in power from a standard ac wall outlet . the ac battery charger may have an input voltage range that goes beyond 115v , for example , an ac input voltage range of 85v ˜ 265v . fig3 shows the ac battery charger in place in the vehicle . as an alternative , the vehicle could have an on - board gas or cng ( natural gas ) generator to provide additional or alternative power to the drive - train . the ems displays the condition of , and maintains the health of the batteries . it consists of two major components , the computer and the cell sense boards . the computer will tell information like the battery state - of - charge , battery current , battery voltage as well as the voltage and temperature of individual cells . fig3 shows the ems in place in the disclosed vehicle . there are alarm outputs from the computer for cell over voltage and cell under voltage . in addition , there are warnings to let the driver know that error conditions are approaching . the ems is designed so that the battery monitoring is completely isolated from the regular vehicle 12v system . the ems is powered by an 8 core 32 - bit microprocessor . the vehicle as disclosed may include a pedal - driven generator system with two essential parts that make it work , as described in detail below . the pedal function of the vehicle is intended to mimic the operation of an electronic exercise bicycle . that is , the disclosed vehicle is programmable like an exercise bicycle . the overall goal of the ecvrr component is to allow the user to dynamically adjust the “ feel ” of resistance at the pedals based on an arbitrary workout profile , independent of varying load on the main battery . the increased resistance felt by a user as the program varies the pedaling intensity comes from the battery pack . a dimmer switch and servomotor - controlled gear shifter are placed between the battery and the pedal generator , and are controlled by a tablet computer built into the vehicle . when the exercise program &# 39 ; s profile calls for steep hills , the electronic dimmer switch opens up , putting a greater battery recharge load on the generators , and the servo - controlled gear shifter adjusts the gear ratio to a higher gear , making it harder to pedal . when the program calls for flat stretches , the dimmer switch closes and the servo adjusts the gear ratio to a lower gear and permits less current to go to the battery . one program mode would use gps or other location - tracking software to use terrain data as the basis for adjusting pedal resistance higher and lower . the computer , in conjunction with the generator , mimics the incline and decline of the roadway and thus produces artificial hills to provide the rider a more realistic biking experience based on actual terrain . any energy generated recharges the vehicle &# 39 ; s battery bank . fig4 illustrates the design / function of the ecvrr . electric exercise bicycles employ resistance systems to simulate hills and are powered by an ac outlet , or by the machines themselves with a built - in generator . any excess power generated by the rider is thrown away . the disclosed vehicle works in a similar fashion , but power ( electrical current ) produced by the rider is sent to recharge the battery . in some embodiments , the pedal system of the disclosed vehicle is not tied to a generator and does not generate any power for the vehicle ; the pedal system is simply used as a means of exercise or to move the vehicle while pedaling , but excess energy created by pedaling is not stored for later use . in one embodiment , the vehicle may be programmable like an exercise bicycle and ideally will behave like an exercise bicycle . as a user pedals , the user &# 39 ; s work output is fed into two flywheel ac generators 107 ( see fig4 ). fig4 and 42 illustrate the flywheel generator 107 used . both generators are identical and connected by belt to an infinitely variable in - hub bicycle transmission 108 , such as the nuvinci technology from fallbrook technologies , inc . of san diego , calif ., which in turn is connected by belt to a pulley with the pedals & amp ; cranks attached . in some embodiments , the flywheel generator 107 may have the following specifications : 1 . torque : 68 ± 10 % kgf - cm at 1 . 6 a , 600 rpm ( air gap 0 . 6 mm ± 0 . 2 ). ( 1 kgf = 9 . 8 newtons ) 2 . no load torque : under 3 kgf - cm at 600 rpm ( brake only ) 3 . dc resistance of 3 phase ac generator : ( for u . v or u . w or v . w . ): 26 . 8ω ± 10 % ( v . v . w . )/ 27 ° c . 4 . dc resistance of field coil : 12 . 1ω ± 10 %/ 27 ° c . 5 . insulation : dc 500v , 10mω ( min ) coil to core 6 . balance under ( flywheel ): 1000 rpm / 0 . 24 m - g 7 . hi - pot test : 1200vac / 10 ma / 1 min 8 . winding magnet wire : eiw φ0 . 55 ( 180 ° c .) both generators are connected to the battery and both are controlled by a computing device . the computing device is connected to a microcontroller , such as an arduino circuit board that can receive input from a computing device and then control a servomotor and gear shifter . in one embodiment of the vehicle , there are two ways the computer controls pedal resistance . one output from the microcontroller goes to a dc voltage controlled electronic dimmer switch ; another output goes to a servomotor connected to the gear shifter . the microcontroller output going to the dimmer switch is wired in between the flywheel generators and battery . a computer program activates the microcontroller , which then in turn activates the dimmer switch to open and close the dimmer . when open , more current is allowed to flow through ; when closed , current flow is prevented . the varying pedal resistance the user feels as he / she pedals the vehicle is a result of varying levels of charge current going to the battery . the more open the dimmer switch is , the harder it is to pedal ; the more closed , the easier it is to pedal . the exercise program on the computing device controls the electronic dimmer switch . when the exercise profile calls for steep hills , the electronic dimmer switch opens up all the way , allowing the most current to pass through , thus putting a greater load on the generators and making it harder to pedal . when the program calls for flat stretches , the dimmer switch closes and permits less current to go to the battery . the microcontroller output going to the servomotor physically moves the controller of a gear adjustment dial of the infinitely variable in - hub bicycle transmission internal hub gear . when the computing device calls for more resistance , the servo shifts the gear - adjusting dial to a higher ( more difficult ) gear and when the computing device calls for less resistance , the servo shifts the gear dial to a lower ( easier ) gear . the electronic dimmer switch system and the servo gear shifting systems work in concert to provide the most efficient and variable pedal resistance charging possible . conventional bike - powered generators rely on a large bike tire ( 26 ″ and bigger ) to turn the much smaller crank on the generator . this reduction causes the generator to spin fast — the bigger the bike wheel , the faster the generator and the higher the power output . ideally , you would have a 35 ″ or larger wheel spinning the generator , but that is not practical for a small vehicle like that disclosed herein . the solution is a double reduction gearing that will spin the generator faster than a 35 ″ wheel , but in a smaller , more compact space . the use of an infinitely variable in - hub bicycle transmission 108 ( see fig4 and 44 ) saves more space . instead of having to have two large pulleys for the double reduction , one smaller pulley and the in - hub gear system will accomplish the same task . pedals are directly connected to an 11 ″ pulley that is connected by a belt to the in - hub gear system . the in - hub gear system is in turn connected directly to the two ac generators with clutches . the in - hub gear system is an infinitely variable , totally enclosed rear wheel bicycle hub gear . it is intended for use with bicycles , but works in the disclosed vehicle because even though it is a high - speed electric vehicle , the pedal cadences are still those of a typical bicycle . fig4 through 52 illustrate the double reduction , dual generator pedal system . as illustrated in fig4 through 52 , the infinitely variable in - hub bicycle transmission 108 is attached to the flywheel generators 107 by belts 111 . a pulley 109 is attached to the pedal cranks 110 . the generators are wired in parallel . two generators won &# 39 ; t necessarily make twice as much power , but two generators in parallel will provide the amps the disclosed vehicle needs at lower generator rpm &# 39 ; s . the human power energy generation system can be switched to outboard mode . in this mode , appliances , batteries , or other items requiring a power source can be plugged into the vehicle . in this mode , the vehicle becomes a portable human generator . this feature makes the vehicle a form of transportation and a transportable source of electric power . the vehicle could , for instance , be used for emergencies or in locations without access to a conventional electrical grid . the ecvrr system and the double reduction , dual generator systems enable the vehicle and rider to vary the resistance , send all the power that the person generates to the batteries without throwing any of it away and generate enough power so that the rider contributes to the battery as much as physically possible . the disclosed vehicle is designed to achieve highly efficient electrical power production . in some embodiments , the vehicle includes a computing device , for example , a touchpad or tablet computer . the vehicle may use a simple touchpad screen situated in front of the driver to control vehicle functions . typical electric vehicle information such as speed , odometer , percentage of charge remaining , battery drain rate , amps , charging stations , lighting controls , ventilation controls and alarm could be displayed on one screen of the tablet . the driver can switch screens to access the exercise program functions . fig5 and 54 show examples of screen graphics that might be displayed on the vehicle &# 39 ; s touchpad screen . fig5 is a schematic block diagram of an example computing device 302 that may be used in some embodiments of the vehicle . computing device 302 can be , for example , a smart phone or other mobile device , a tablet computing device , a netbook , a computing device built in to the vehicle or any other portable or mobile computing device . computing device 302 can be a stand - alone computing device 302 or a networked computing device that communicates with one or more other computing devices 306 across network 304 . computing device 306 can be , for example , located remote from computing device 302 , but configured for data communication with computing device 302 across network 304 . computing device 306 can be , for example , a server . in some examples , the computing device 302 includes at least one processor or processing unit 308 and system memory 310 . depending on the exact configuration and type of computing device , the system memory 310 may be volatile ( such as ram ), non - volatile ( such as rom , flash memory , etc .) or some combination of the two . system memory 310 typically includes an operating system 312 suitable for controlling the operation of the computing device , such as the windows ® operating systems from microsoft corporation of redmond , wash . or a server , such as windows sharepoint server , also from microsoft corporation . to provide further example , if the computing device 302 is a smart phone , tablet or other mobile device , the operating system 312 may be android , ios , or any other available mobile operating system . the system memory 310 may also include one or more software application ( s ) 314 and may include program data 316 . the one or more software applications 314 may be in the form of mobile applications in examples wherein the computing device is a mobile device . the computing device may have additional features or functionality . for example , the device may also include additional data storage devices 318 ( removable and / or non - removable ) such as , for example , magnetic disks , optical disks , or tape . computer storage media 318 may include volatile and nonvolatile , removable and non - removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information , such as computer readable instructions , data structures , program modules , or other data . system memory , removable storage , and non - removable storage are all examples of computer storage media . computer storage media includes , but is not limited to , ram , rom , eeprom , flash memory or other memory technology , cd - rom , digital versatile disks ( dvd ) or other optical storage , magnetic cassettes , magnetic tape , magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices , or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by the computing device . an example of computer storage media is non - transitory media . in some examples , the computing device 302 can be a tablet computer or other mobile device positioned in front of the driver in the vehicle described herein . the computing device 302 may have input device options including , but not limited to , a keypad 320 , a screen 322 , a touch screen controller 324 , and / or a touch screen 326 . in some embodiments , electric vehicle information and exercise program functions are stored as data instructions for a software application 314 on the computing device 302 . a network 304 may facilitate communication between the computing device 302 and one or more servers , such as computing device 306 , to facilitate the electric vehicle operations , displays and functions associated with the computing device 302 , as described herein . the network 304 may be a wide variety of different types of electronic communication networks . for example , the network may be a wide - area network , such as the internet , a local - area network , a metropolitan - area network , a cellular network or another type of electronic communication network . the network may include wired and / or wireless data links . a variety of communications protocols may be used in the network 304 including , but not limited to , ethernet , transport control protocol ( tcp ), internet protocol ( ip ), hypertext transfer protocol ( http ), soap , remote procedure call protocols , and / or other types of communications protocols . in some examples , computing device 306 is a web server . in this example , computing device 302 includes a web browser that communicates with the web server to request and retrieve data . the data is then displayed to the user , such as by using a web browser software application . in some embodiments , the various operations , methods , and rules disclosed herein are implemented by instructions stored in memory . when the instructions are executed by the processor of one or more of computing devices 302 and 306 , the instructions cause the processor to perform one or more of the operations or methods disclosed herein . examples of operations include displaying vehicle information , exercise program functions , and providing location information / directions using gps - enabled software applications . the computing device 302 may include image capture devices , whether a dedicated video or image capture device , smart phone or other device that is capable of capturing images and video . further , the computing device 302 may be a tablet computer or smart phone with native or web - based applications that can capture , store and transmit time - stamped video and images to a central server . the computing device 302 can also include location data captured by a gps - enabled application or device . the computing device 302 may also have wifi or 3g capabilities . in one embodiment , steering can be accomplished by a number of different means , including a standard steering wheel sized to fit the internal dimensions of the vehicle , handlebars , plane - style yolk , or other means . in addition , the vehicle can be outfitted with brake and accelerator pedals in a floor mount position or by the steering control ( as on a motorcycle ). fig5 and 56 illustrate the steering wheel controls , including a throttle 112 , steering wheel 113 , front brakes lever 114 , steering column 115 , and steering column pivot adjust 116 . turn signals and lights may also be utilized . such lights could be mounted to the body or made integral to the body ( built in ) to reduce aerodynamic drag . the various embodiments described above are provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed to limit the claims attached hereto . those skilled in the art will readily recognize various modifications and changes that may be made without following the example embodiments and applications illustrated and described herein and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the following claims . | 8 |
an exemplary speech synthesis system 100 is illustrated in fig1 . system 100 includes a text - to - speech synthesizer 104 that is connected to a data source 102 through an input link 108 , and is likewise connected to a data sink 106 through an output link 110 . text - to - speech synthesizer 104 , as discussed in detail below in association with fig2 , functions to convert the text data either to speech data or physical speech . in operation , synthesizer 104 converts the text data by first converting the text into a stream of phonemes representing the speech equivalent of the text , then processes the phoneme stream to produce an acoustic unit stream representing a clearer and more understandable speech representation . synthesizer 104 then converts the acoustic unit stream to speech data or physical speech . in accordance with the teachings of the present invention , as discussed in detail below , database units ( phonemes ) accessed according to their triphone context , are processed to speed up the unit selection process . data source 102 provides text - to - speech synthesizer 104 , via input link 108 , the data that represents the text to be synthesized . the data representing the text of the speech can be in any format , such as binary , ascii , or a word processing file . data source 102 can be any one of a number of different types of data sources , such as a computer , a storage device , or any combination of software and hardware capable of generating , relaying , or recalling from storage , a textual message or any information capable of being translated into speech . data sink 106 receives the synthesized speech from text - to - speech synthesizer 104 via output link 110 . data sink 106 can be any device capable of audibly outputting speech , such as a speaker system for transmitting mechanical sound waves , or a digital computer , or any combination of hardware and software capable of receiving , relaying , storing , sensing or perceiving speech sound or information representing speech sounds . links 108 and 110 can be any suitable device or system for connecting data source 102 / data sink 106 to synthesizer 104 . such devices include a direct serial / parallel cable connection , a connection over a wide area network ( wan ) or a local area network ( lan ), a connection over an intranet , the internet , or any other distributed processing network or system . additionally , input link 108 or output link 110 may be software devices linking various software systems . fig2 contains a more detailed block diagram of text - to - speech synthesizer 104 of fig1 . synthesizer 104 comprises , in this exemplary embodiment , a text normalization device 202 , syntactic parser device 204 , word pronunciation module 206 , prosody generation device 208 , an acoustic unit selection device 210 , and a speech synthesis back - end device 212 . in operation , textual data is received on input link 108 and first applied as an input to text normalization device 202 . text normalization device 202 parses the text data into known words and further converts abbreviations and numbers into words to produce a corresponding set of normalized textual data . for example , if “ st .” is input , text normalization device 202 is used to pronounce the abbreviation as either “ saint ” or “ street ”, but not the / st / sound . once the text has been normalized , it is input to syntactic parser 204 . syntactic processor 204 performs grammatical analysis of a sentence to identify the syntactic structure of each constituent phrase and word . for example , syntactic parser 204 will identify a particular phrase as a “ noun phrase ” or a “ verb phrase ” and a word as a noun , verb , adjective , etc . syntactic parsing is important because whether the word or phrase is being used as a noun or a verb may affect how it is articulated . for example , in the sentence “ the cat ran away ”, if “ cat ” is identified as a noun and “ ran ” is identified as a verb , speech synthesizer 104 may assign the word “ cat ” a different sound duration and intonation pattern than “ ran ” because of its position and function in the sentence structure . once the syntactic structure of the text has been determined , the text is input to word pronunciation module 206 . in word pronunciation module 206 , orthographic characters used in the normal text are mapped into the appropriate strings of phonetic segments representing units of sound and speech . this is important since the same orthographic strings may have different pronunciations depending on the word in which the string is used . for example , the orthographic string “ gh ” is translated to the phoneme / f / in “ tough ”, to the phoneme / g / in “ ghost ”, and is not directly realized as any phoneme in “ though ”. lexical stress is also marked . for example , “ record ” has a primary stress on the first syllable if it is a noun , but has the primary stress on the second syllable if it is a verb . the output from word pronunciation module 206 , in the form of phonetic segments , is then applied as an input to prosody determination device 208 . prosody determination device 208 assigns patterns of timing and intonation to the phonetic segment strings . the timing pattern includes the duration of sound for each of the phonemes . for example , the “ re ” in the verb “ record ” has a longer duration of sound than the “ re ” in the noun “ record ”. furthermore , the intonation pattern concerning pitch changes during the course of an utterance . these pitch changes express accentuation of certain words or syllables as they are positioned in a sentence and help convey the meaning of the sentence . thus , the patterns of timing and intonation are important for the intelligibility and naturalness of synthesized speech . prosody may be generated in various ways including assigning an artificial accent or providing for sentence context . for example , the phrase “ this is a test !” will be spoken differently from “ this is a test ? ”. prosody generating devices are well - known to those of ordinary skill in the art and any combination of hardware , software , firmware , heuristic techniques , databases , or any other apparatus or method that performs prosody generation may be used . in accordance with the present invention , the phonetic output and accompanying prosodic specification from prosody determination device 208 is then converted , using any suitable , well - known technique , into unit ( phoneme ) specifications . the phoneme data , along with the corresponding characteristic parameters , is then sent to acoustic unit selection device 210 where the phonemes and characteristic parameters are transformed into a stream of acoustic units that represent speech . an “ acoustic unit ” can be defined as a particular utterance of a given phoneme . large numbers of acoustic units , as discussed below in association with fig3 , may all correspond to a single phoneme , each acoustic unit differing from one another in terms of pitch , duration , and stress ( as well as other phonetic or prosodic qualities ). in accordance with the present invention , a triphone preselection cost database 214 is accessed by unit selection device 210 to provide a candidate list of units , based on a triphone context , that are most likely to be used in the synthesis process . unit selection device 210 then performs a search on this candidate list ( using a viterbi search , for example ), to find the “ least cost ” unit that best matches the phoneme to be synthesized . the acoustic unit stream output from unit selection device 210 is then sent to speech synthesis back - end device 212 which converts the acoustic unit stream into speech data and transmits ( referring to fig1 ) the speech data to data sink 106 over output link 110 . fig3 contains an example of a phoneme string 302 – 310 for the word “ cat ” with an associated set of characteristic parameters 312 – 320 ( for example , f 0 , duration , etc .) assigned , respectively , to each phoneme and a separate list of acoustic unit groups 322 , 324 and 326 for each utterance . each acoustic unit group includes at least one acoustic unit 328 and each acoustic unit 328 includes an associated target cost 330 , as defined above . a concatenation cost 332 , as represented by the arrow in fig3 , is assigned between each acoustic unit 328 in a given group and an acoustic units 332 of the immediately subsequent group . in the prior art , the unit selection process was performed on a phoneme - by - phoneme basis ( or , in more robust systems , on half - phoneme — by — half - phoneme basis ) for every instance of each unit contained in the speech database . thus , when considering the / æ / phoneme 306 , each of its acoustic unit realizations 328 in speech database 324 would be processed to determine the individual target costs 330 , compared to the text to be synthesized . similarly , phoneme - by - phoneme processing ( during run time ) would also be required for / k / phoneme 304 and / t / phoneme 308 . since there are many occasions of the phoneme / æ / that would not be preceded by / k / and / or followed by / t /, there were many target costs in the prior art systems that were likely to be unnecessarily calculated . in accordance with the present invention , it has been recognized that run - time calculation time can be significantly reduced by pre - computing the list of phoneme candidates from the speech database that can possibly be used in the final synthesis before beginning to work out target costs . to this end , a “ triphone ” database ( illustrated as database 214 in fig2 ) is created where lists of units ( phonemes ) that might be used in any given triphone context are stored ( and indexed using a triphone - based key ) and can be accessed during the process of unit selection . for the english language , there are approximately 10 , 000 common triphones , so the creation of such a database is not an insurmountable task . in particular , for the triphone / k /-/ æ /-/ t /, each possible / æ / in the database is examined to determine how well it ( and the surrounding phonemes that occur in the speech from which it was extracted ) matches the synthesis specifications , as shown in fig4 . by then allowing the phonemes on either side of / k / and / t / to vary over the complete universe of phonemes , all possible costs can be examined that may be calculated at run - time for a particular phoneme in a triphone context . in particular , when synthesis is complete , only the n “ best ” units are retained for any 5 - phoneme context ( in terms of lowest concatenation cost ; in one example n may be equal to 50 ). it is possible to “ combine ” ( i . e ., take the union of ) the relevant units that have a particular triphone in common . because of the way this calculation is arranged , the combination is guaranteed to be the list of all units that are relevant for this specific part of the synthesis . in most cases , there will be number of units ( i . e ., specific instances of the phonemes ) that will not occur in the union of possible all units , and therefore need never be considered in calculating the costs at run time . the preselection process of the present invention , therefore , results in increasing the speed of the selection process . in one instance , an increase of 100 % has been achieved . it is to be presumed that if a particular triphone does not appear to have an associated list of units , the conventional unit cost selection process will be used . in general , therefore , for any unit u 2 that is to be synthesized as part of the triphone sequence u 1 - u 2 - 3 , the preselection cost for every possible 5 - phone combination u a - u 1 - u 2 - u 3 - u b that contains this triphone is calculated . it is to be noted that this process is also useful in systems that utilize half - phonemes , as long as “ phoneme ” spacing is maintained in creating each triphone cost that is calculated . using the above example , one sequence would be k 1 - æ 1 - t 1 and another would be k 2 - æ 2 - t 2 . this unit spacing is used to avoid including redundant information in the cost functions ( since the identity of one of the adjacent half - phones is already a known quantity ). in accordance with the present invention , the costs for all sequences u a - k 1 - æ 1 - t 1 - u b are calculated , where u a and u b are allowed to vary over the entire phoneme set . similarly , the costs for all sequences u a - k 2 - æ 2 - t 2 - u b are calculated , and so on for each possible triphone sequence . the purpose of calculating the costs offline is solely to determine which units can potentially play a role in the subsequent synthesis , and which can be safely ignored . it is to be noted that the specific relevant costs are re - calculated at synthesis time . this re - calculation is necessary , since a component of the cost is dependent on knowledge of the particular synthesis specification , available only at run time . formally , for each individual phoneme to be synthesized , a determination is first made to find a particular triphone context that is of interest . following that , a determination is made with respect to which acoustic units are either within or outside of the acceptable cost limit for that triphone context . the union of all chosen 5 - phone sequences is then performed and associated with the triphone to be synthesized . that is : preslectset ( u 1 , u 2 , u 3 ) = ⋃ a ∈ ph ⋃ b ∈ ph cc n ( u a , u 1 , u 2 , u 3 , u b ) where cc n is a function for calculating the set of units with the lowest n context costs and cc n is a function which calculated the n - best matching units in the database for the given context . ph is defined as the set of unit types . the value of “ n ” refers to the minimum number of candidates that are needed for any given sequence of the form u a - u 1 - u 2 - u 3 - u b . fig5 shows , in simplified form , a flowchart illustrating the process used to populate the triphone cost database used in the system of the present invention . the process is initiated at block 500 and selects a first triphone u 1 - u 2 - u 3 ( block 502 ) for which preselection costs will be calculated . the process then proceeds to block 504 which selects a first pair of phonemes to be to the “ left ” u a and “ right ” u b phonemes of the previously selected triphone . the concatenation costs associated with this 5 - phone grouping are calculated ( block 506 ) and stored in a database with this particular triphone identity ( block 508 ). the preselection costs for this particular triphone are calculated by varying phonemes u a and u b over the complete set of phonemes ( block 510 ). thus , a preselection cost will be calculated for the selected triphone in a 5 - phoneme context . once all possible 5 - phoneme combinations of a selected triphone have been evaluated and a cost determined , the “ best ” are retained , with the proviso that for any arbitrary 5 - phoneme context , the set is guaranteed to contain the top n units . the “ best ” units are defined as exhibiting the lowest target cost ( block 512 ). in an exemplary embodiment , n = 50 . once the “ top 50 ” choices for a selected triphone have been stored in the triphone database , a check is made ( block 514 ) to see if all possible triphone combinations have been evaluated . if so , the process stops and the triphone database is defined as completed . otherwise , the process returns to step 502 and selects another triphone for evaluation , using the same method . the process will continue until all possible triphone combinations have been reviewed and the costs calculated . it is an advantage of the present invention that this process is performed only once , prior to “ run time ”, so that during the actual synthesis process ( as illustrated in fig6 ), the unit selection process uses this created triphone database . fig6 is a flowchart of an exemplary speech synthesis system . at its initiation ( block 600 ), a first step is to receive the input text ( block 610 ) and apply it ( block 620 ) as an input to text normalization device 202 ( as shown in fig2 ). the normalized text is then syntactically parsed ( block 630 ) so that the syntactic structure of each constituent phrase or word is identified as , for example , a noun , verb , adjective , etc . the syntactically parsed text is then converted to a phoneme - based representation ( block 640 ), where these phonemes are then applied as inputs to a unit ( phoneme ) selection module , such as unit selection device 210 discussed in detail above in association with fig2 . a preselection triphone database 214 , such as that generated by following the steps as outlined in fig5 is added to the configuration . where a match is found with a triphone key in the database , the prior art process of assessing every possible candidate of a particular unit ( phoneme ) type is replaced by the inventive process of assessing the shorter , precalculated list related to the triphone key . a candidate list of each requested unit is generated and a viterbi search is performed ( block 650 ) to find the lowest cost path through the selected phonemes . the selected phonemes may then be further processed ( block 660 ) to form the actual speech output . although the above description may contain specific details , they should not be construed as limiting the claims in any way . other configurations of the described embodiments of the invention are part of the scope of this invention . accordingly , the appended claims and their legal equivalents should only define the invention , rather than any specific examples given . | 6 |
fig1 depicts another embodiment of a hypodermic syringe 100 . the hypodermic syringe 100 includes a needle cover 102 , a luer nut 104 , a needle 106 , a needle collar 108 , a barrel 110 , a piston 112 , a plunger 114 and an extractor 116 . in one embodiment , the needle 106 is inserted and held by the needle collar 108 . the needle collar 108 is then inserted into the luer nut 104 which connects to the barrel 110 . the piston 112 connects to one end of the plunger 114 before the plunger 114 is inserted into the barrel 110 . fig2 depicts one embodiment of the needle collar 108 . the needle collar 108 is mostly cylindrical in shape and includes an upper portion 302 , a lower portion 304 , a neck portion 306 which separates the lower portion 304 from the upper portion 302 and a central channel 308 extending through the upper portion 302 , the neck 306 and at least midway through the lower portion 304 . the central channel 308 includes a first portion 307 that is sized to engage and hold the needle 106 and a second portion 309 that has a larger diameter than the first portion 307 to accommodate an adhesive for securing the needing in the central channel 308 . the upper portion 304 includes a first side 310 and a second side 312 with the first side 310 being narrower in cross sectional width than the second side 312 such that the lower portion 304 tapers from the second side 312 towards the first side 310 . the neck portion 306 is positioned at the end of the upper portion 302 closest to the lower portion 304 and the neck portion 306 connects to the lower portion 304 by a shaft 314 . the neck portion 306 has a cross sectional width that is wider than the widths of each of the upper portion 302 and the lower portion 304 . the neck portion 306 has an lower end 316 , a central portion 318 and an upper end 320 . the central portion 318 tapers towards the lower end 316 where it meets the shaft 314 and the central portion 318 includes a tapered section 320 that tapers towards the upper end 322 where it meets the upper portion 302 . the shaft 314 is connected to the second side 312 of the lower portion 304 of the needle collar 108 . fig3 depicts one embodiment of a luer nut 104 used in a hypodermic syringe 100 . consistent with this embodiment , the needle 106 is coupled to the needle collar 108 which is inserted into the luer nut 104 . the luer nut 104 has a substantially cylindrical shape and includes an upper portion 202 and a lower portion 204 with a first opening 206 on the upper portion 202 and a second opening 208 on the lower portion 204 . the first opening 206 is sized to accommodate the needle collar 108 . the needle collar 108 is held in the luer nut 104 by the flexible seal 212 . a central channel 216 extends through the luer nut 104 with the central channel 216 having a larger cross sectional width in the lower portion 204 than in the upper portion 202 . in one embodiment , the luer nut 104 includes a threaded portion 210 that is coupled to a corresponding threaded portion of the barrel 110 . in another embodiment , the luer nut 104 is a luer slip which slips onto the end of the barrel 111 and is held in place by friction . the flexible seal 212 is created at an interconnection of the upper portion 202 with the lower portion 204 . the flexible seal 212 is configured to create a seal between the luer nut 104 and the needle collar 108 such that fluid in the barrel does not escape when transferred from the barrel 110 to the needle 106 . when the needle collar 108 engages the flexible seal 212 , the flexible seal 212 expands to create a seal with the tapered section 320 of the neck portion 306 of the needle collar 108 the lower portion 302 of which is inserted into the second opening 208 . fig4 depicts one embodiment of the luer nut 104 engaging the barrel 110 , the needle collar 108 , the needle 106 and the needle cover 102 . consistent with this embodiment , the tapered section 320 of the neck portion 306 of the needle collar 108 engages the flexible seal 212 of the luer nut 104 preventing the needle collar 108 from disengaging the luer nut 104 . to engage the needle collar 108 with the flexible seal 212 , the needle collar 108 is inserted into the second opening 208 of the luer nut 104 and moved towards the first opening 206 . as the neck portion 306 of the needle collar 108 moves past the flexible seal 212 , the flexible seal 212 is pushed away from the needle collar 108 until the sides of the neck portion 306 engage the flexible seal 212 preventing the needle collar 108 from moving further into the luer nut 104 . further , in this position , the flexible seal 212 is in contact with the sides of the neck portion 306 in such a manner as to create a seal between the flexible seal 212 and the neck portion 306 preventing liquid or air from passing through the seal . fig5 depicts another embodiment of a luer nut 104 and a needle collar 108 . consistent with this embodiment , the flexible seal 212 is replaced by a ring 414 made of a material having memory characteristics . in one embodiment , the ring is an o - ring . the neck portion 406 of the needle collar 408 tapers towards the shaft 314 , but does not taper towards the upper portion 402 . the ring 414 engages the neck portion 406 of the needle collar 408 where the neck portion 406 meets the upper portion 402 . in addition , the flexible seal 212 of the luer nut 104 is replaced with an opening 418 in the inner portion of the luer nut 104 where the lower portion 202 meets the upper portion 204 . the opening 418 includes two ledges with the first ledge 420 positioned between the upper portion 204 and the lower portion 202 of the luer nut 104 . the first ledge 420 is sized such that the upper portion 402 of the needle collar 408 does not engage the first ledge 420 , but a portion of the neck 406 of the needle collar 408 engages the first ledge 420 . the second ledge 422 is sized to accommodate the ring 414 such that the neck 406 of the needle collar 408 compresses the ring 414 into the second ledge 422 . in one embodiment , the upper portion of the first ledge 420 tapers towards the lower portion of the second ledge 422 and the upper portion of the second ledge 422 tapers towards the upper portion 204 of the luer nut 104 . consistent with this embodiment , the ring 414 rests on the second ledge 422 . as the needle collar 108 moves from the second opening 208 of the luer nut 104 towards the first opening 206 of the luer nut 104 , the neck portion 406 of the needle collar 408 engages the ring 414 forcing the ring 414 upward towards the upper portion of the second ledge 422 . in addition , the ring 416 is sized such that the ring 416 protrudes into the path of the needle collar 408 which causes the upper portion 402 of the needle collar 408 to press against the ring 414 creating a seal between the ring 414 and the second ledge 422 and also holding the needle collar 408 in the luer nut 104 . fig6 depicts one embodiment of the plunger 114 . the plunger 114 includes the extractor unit 116 positioned at one end of the plunger 114 , an elongated slide 506 and a gripping unit 508 . the extractor unit 116 includes an opening 504 configured to engage the upper portion 304 of the needle collar 108 of fig1 when the needle collar 108 is coupled to the barrel 110 by the luer nut 104 . in one embodiment , the extractor unit 116 tapers towards the opening 504 . the opening 504 has a cross sectional width that is wider than the cross sectional width of the first side 310 of the lower portion 304 of the needle collar 108 and smaller than the second side 312 of the lower portion 304 . a force is applied to the plunger 114 which pushes the extractor unit 116 towards the luer nut 104 holding the needle collar 108 such that the opening 504 engages lower portion 304 of the needle collar 108 . when the plunger 114 is pulled away from the luer nut 104 , the needle 106 is pulled into the barrel 110 by the extractor unit 116 . the force required to disengage the extractor unit 116 from the needle collar 108 should be greater than the force required to remove the needle collar 108 from the luer nut 104 . in one embodiment , the force required to disengage the extractor unit 116 from the needle collar 108 is at least twice the amount of force required to pull the needle collar 108 from the luer nut 104 . in another embodiment , the force required to disengage the extractor unit 116 from the needle collar 108 is 5 %, 10 %, 15 %, 20 %, 25 %, 30 %, 35 %, 40 %, 45 %, 50 %, 55 %, 60 %, 65 %, 70 %, 75 %, 80 %, 85 %, 90 %, 95 %, 100 %, 105 %, 110 %, 115 %, 120 %, 125 %, 130 %, 135 %, 140 %, 145 %, 150 %, 155 %, 165 %, 175 %, 180 %, 185 %, 190 % or more than 190 % greater than the amount of force required to pull the needle collar 108 from the luer nut 104 . in one embodiment , the force required to push the extractor unit 116 over the needle collar 108 is approximately 650 grams . in an additional embodiment , the force required to remove the needle collar 108 from the extractor unit 116 is at least 500 grams and the force required to remove the needle collar 108 from the luer nut 104 is at least 50 grams . in an additional embodiment , the force required to push the extractor unit 116 over the needle collar 108 is 525 grams , 530 grams , 535 grams , 540 grams , 545 grams , 550 grams , 555 grams , 560 grams , 565 grams , 570 grams , 575 grams , 580 grams , 585 grams , 590 grams , 595 grams , 600 grams , 605 grams , 610 grams , 615 grams , 620 grams , 625 grams , 630 grams , 635 grams , 640 grams , 645 grams or any other force capable of pushing the extractor unit 116 over the needle collar 108 , and the force required to remove the needle collar 108 from the luer nut 104 is 55 grams , 60 grams , 65 grams , 70 grams , 75 grams , 80 grams , 85 grams , 90 grams , 95 grams , 100 grams , 105 grams , 110 grams , 115 grams , 120 grams , 125 grams , 130 grams , 135 grams , 140 grams , 145 grams , 150 grams , 155 grams , 160 grams , 165 grams , 170 grams , 175 grams or any other force capable of removing the needle collar 108 from the luer nut 104 without disengaging the extractor unit 116 from the needle collar 108 . this guarantees that the extractor unit 116 will not pull off the needle collar 108 after actuation as the plunger 114 is pulled back . in another embodiment , the force required to pull the needle out of the needle collar is at least 5 kg . fig7 a depicts one embodiment of the needle collar 108 . consistent with this embodiment , the lower portion 304 of the needle collar 108 includes at least one groove 612 or depression formed longitudinally in the lower portion 304 of the needle collar 108 . in one embodiment , the groove 612 extends along one portion of the lower portion 304 such that a channel is formed through the lower portion 304 . in another embodiment , two or more grooves 612 are longitudinally formed in the lower portion 304 of the needle collar 108 . in another embodiment , the groove 612 acts to prevent the plunger 114 from becoming hydraulically locked in the barrel 110 by providing a path for fluid to flow from the area between the shaft 314 and the extractor unit 116 , down groove 612 and into the needle through opening 311 when the needle collar 108 is engaged by the extractor unit 116 . fig7 b depicts another embodiment of the needle collar 108 . consistent with this embodiment , the lower portion 304 of the needle collar 108 is substantially cylindrical in shape and includes a channel 316 extending the length of lower portion 304 and connecting to and allowing liquid to flow through the needle . the channel 316 is sized to accommodate the extractor unit 116 such that the extractor unit 116 extends into the opening and the sides of the extractor unit 116 are in contact with the sides of the channel 316 . in one embodiment , the channel 316 is sized such that the extractor unit 116 is secured in the channel 316 by friction . consistent with this embodiment , the amount of force required to remove the extractor unit 116 from the channel 316 is approximately twice the force required to insert the extractor unit 116 into the channel 316 . in another embodiment , the interior surface of the lower portion 304 includes a plurality of ridges which engage corresponding ridges on the surface of the extractor unit 116 to secure the extractor unit 116 in the channel 316 . consistent with this embodiment , the amount of force required to remove the extractor unit 116 from the channel 316 is approximately twice the force required to remove the extractor unit 116 from the channel 316 . in another embodiment , the lower portion 304 includes at least one hole 314 that extends to the channel 316 preventing the extractor unit 116 from being hydraulically locked from entering the channel 316 . in one embodiment the extractor unit 116 is shaped like the lower portion 304 shown in fig7 a , including the groove 612 , to allow for the extractor unit 116 and the lower portion to effectively and more easily mate . fig8 depicts a cross section of one embodiment of the piston 112 . the piston 112 is made from a material having memory characteristics such as , for example , natural rubber , synthetic rubber and latex free rubber . the material may also include silicone , polyethylene , plastic or any other malleable material having memory characteristics . the piston 112 includes a first opening 702 , a second opening 704 and a ridge 706 on the inner surface of the piston 112 between the first opening 702 and the second opening 704 . in one embodiment , the first opening 702 and second opening 704 are sized such that the cross sectional width of the first opening 702 and second opening 704 are substantially identical to the cross sectional width of the extractor unit 116 . the piston 112 is slid over the extractor unit 116 such that the ridge 706 engages the flange 510 on the plunger positioned between the extractor unit 116 and the elongated slider 506 ( as depicted in fig6 ) such that the piston 112 is securely coupled to the plunger 114 . the plunger 114 is sized such that the plunger 114 slides into the barrel 110 with the sides of the elongated slider 506 and the piston 112 contacting the inner sides of the barrel 110 . in one embodiment , the end of the piston 112 closest to the needle 106 is tapered towards the needle 106 . by tapering the piston 112 , the force required to move the piston is reduced . in another embodiment , the extractor unit 116 is tapered such that the end of the extractor unit 116 closest to the plunger 114 has a larger cross sectional width than the portion of the extractor unit 116 closest to the opening 702 . fig9 a depicts one embodiment of a cross section of the inner surface of the barrel 110 . consistent with this embodiment , the inner surface of the barrel 110 includes a first opening 808 and a second opening 810 and a first row of bumps 802 arranged circumferentially around the inner surface of the barrel 110 with a gap between each of the bumps . in one embodiment , a second row of bumps 804 is arranged on the side of the first row of bumps 802 closest to the first opening 808 . consistent with this embodiment , each of the bumps in the second row 804 is arranged such that they align with the gap between the bumps in the first row of bumps 802 . in one embodiment , each row includes three to four bumps . in another embodiment each row includes more than four bumps . in yet another embodiment one row includes at least three bumps and the other row includes more than three bumps . the rows of bumps 802 and 804 are configured such that the stop disc 512 disposed between the piston 112 and notch 514 ( as shown in fig6 ) is able to move over the first row of bumps 802 in a direction away from the second opening 810 , but are only able to move over the second row of bumps 804 in a direction away from the second opening 810 with the use of a large amount of force . in one embodiment , the notch 514 separates the piston 112 into an upper portion 516 and a lower portion 518 . consistent with this embodiment , the depth of the notch 514 is sufficient to allow the piston to be separated into two pieces comprising the upper portion 516 and the lower portion 518 of the piston 112 when the piston 112 is bent at the notch 514 . this can be more easily facilitated when the stop disc 512 engages the second row of bumps 804 . at that position , the piston 112 may be bent using the barrel 110 to provide leverage . with sufficient bending force , the piston can be separated into two portions with the upper portion 516 remaining inserted in the barrel 110 and the lower portion 518 remaining exterior to the barrel 110 . in one embodiment , the notch 514 is continuously formed around the circumference of the piston 112 . in another embodiment , the notch 514 is formed from a plurality of individual notches made around the circumference of the piston 112 . in another embodiment , the height of the bumps 802 and 804 are set such that the piston 112 cannot move back towards the needle 102 once the piston is pulled over the bumps 802 or 804 or can only be moved back with a large amount of force in one embodiment , the portion of the bumps 802 and 804 nearest to the first opening 808 rise to a higher level above the inner surface of the barrel 110 than the portion of the bumps 802 and 804 furthest from the first opening 808 . in another embodiment , the bumps 802 and 804 taper from the higher point to the lower point . in another embodiment , the first row of bumps 802 are lower than the second row of bumps 804 . in one embodiment , the force required to pull the piston 112 over the first row of bumps 802 is 1 . 2 - 1 . 6 kg . in another embodiment , the force to pull the piston 112 over the second row of bumps 804 is at least 5 kg . fig9 b depicts another embodiment of the barrel 110 that includes a first row of bumps 802 along the inner wall of the barrel 110 , a third row of bumps 806 and a second row of bumps 804 arranged between the first row of bumps 802 and the third row of bumps 806 . consistent with this embodiment , the bumps 806 in the third row are raised higher above the inner surface of the barrel 110 than the second row of bumps 804 and the second row of bumps are raised higher than the bumps 802 in the first row . in another embodiment , the bumps 806 in the third row are raised above the inner surface of the barrel 110 such that the piston assembly is prevented from passing over the bumps 806 . fig1 a depicts one embodiment of a syringe . consistent with this embodiment , the barrel 110 includes a rim 900 which engages a flange 902 on a fitting in the form of a securing cap 904 . in one embodiment , the rim 900 of the barrel 110 and the flange 902 of the securing cap 904 are welded together . in another embodiment , the rim 900 and the flange 902 are secured together by an adhesive . in yet another embodiment , the rim 900 and the flange 902 are secured using a pressure fit . in a further embodiment , as shown in fig1 b , the rim 900 and the flange 902 are secured using offset ridges or locking ridges 908 on the exterior of the tip of the barrel 110 and corresponding offset ridges or locking ridges 910 on the interior of the securing cap 904 . fig1 b depicts one embodiment of a securing cap 904 engaging a barrel 110 . consistent with this embodiment , the tip of the barrel 906 includes one or more ridges 908 arranged around the external surface of the barrel tip 906 . the ridges 908 taper away from the rim 900 such that the portion of each ridge 908 closest to the rim 900 extends further from the surface of the barrel tip 906 than the portion of the ridge 908 furthest from the rim 900 . the securing cap 904 includes corresponding ridges 910 which are arranged on the inner surface of the securing cap 904 . the securing cap 904 ridges taper towards the flange 902 such that the portion of each ridge farthest from the flange 904 extends further from the inner surface of the securing cap 904 than the portion of each ridge 910 closer to the flange 904 . the ridges 908 are arranged on the barrel tip 906 and the ridges 910 are arranged on the securing cap 904 such that the ridges 910 are positioned between the ridges 908 when the rim 900 is in contact with the flange 902 with the high points of the ridges 908 and 910 contacting each other thereby securing the securing cap 904 to the rim 900 . in one embodiment , the syringe is a 1 cc syringe used with an intravenous needle system . in another embodiment , the syringe is marked with an insulin scale . in yet another embodiment , the syringe is a ½ cc syringe . in one embodiment , the piston 112 and / or the inside of the barrel 110 are treated with a silicone lubricant to provide for smooth motion relating to the movement of the plunger 114 through the barrel 110 . fig1 depicts one embodiment of a catheter 1000 . the catheter 1000 includes a catheter fitting 1002 having an opening 1004 at one end of the catheter fitting 1002 and a plastic tube 1006 at the opposing end of the catheter fitting 1002 . in one embodiment , the opening 1004 is sized to accommodate the upper portion 202 of a luer nut 104 ( as shown in fig3 ) or the upper portion 910 of the securing nut 904 ( as shown in fig1 a ) and the plastic tube 1006 is sized to accommodate a needle 106 . consistent with this embodiment , the luer nut 104 engages the catheter fitting 1002 allowing the needle 106 to enter into the plastic tube 1006 . the length of the plastic tube 1006 is sized such that the end of the needle 106 extends beyond the end of the plastic tube 1006 allowing the needle to pierce the skin of a patient before the plastic tube 1006 is inserted into the patient and to also allow extraction of the needle 106 from the plastic tube 1006 after the plastic tube 1006 is inserted below the patient &# 39 ; s skin . fig1 depicts one embodiment of the catheter fitting 1002 engaging a luer nut 104 . consistent with this embodiment , the upper portion 202 of the luer nut 104 , which is coupled to the barrel 110 , is inserted into the opening 1004 of the catheter fitting 1002 . in addition , the needle 106 extends through the plastic tube 1006 to a point beyond the end of the plastic tube 1006 to expose the sharpened end of the needle 1008 . accordingly , to insert the catheter 1000 , the needle 106 first pierces the skin of the patent allowing the tube 1006 to be inserted into the patient . in one embodiment , the catheter fitting 1002 is configured to accommodate an intravenous connector which allows an iv bag to be coupled to the catheter fitting 1002 . retraction of the needle may be accomplished in the same manner as retraction of the needle described above . however , upon retraction of the needle , the plastic tube will remain intact in the patient . after retraction of the needle , the catheter fitting 1002 may be disengaged from the luer nut 104 to allow the catheter fitting 1002 to be coupled to an iv bag or another object . fig1 a through 13c depict one embodiment of a syringe 1100 with a luer nut 1102 attached to a barrel 110 of the syringe 1100 . consistent with this embodiment , the end of the barrel 111 closest to the needle collar 108 ( not shown ) includes a plurality of extensions 1104 approximately evenly spaced around the periphery . a removable collar 1106 includes a lower portion 1108 , an upper portion 1110 , a flat bottom portion 1112 and an open upper portion 1114 . the lower portion 1108 is formed with a plurality of notches 1116 located on the inside of the lower portion 1108 that are each designed to engage a corresponding extension 1104 at the bottom portion of the end of the barrel 111 . the engagement of the extensions 1104 with the notches 1116 prevents the removable collar 1106 from rotating around the center axis of the barrel 110 as shown in fig1 d below . the barrel 110 includes a ridge 1120 adjacent to the lower portion of the end of the barrel 111 which is configured to engage a portion of the notches 1116 on the removable collar 1106 when the notches 1116 are engaged with the extensions 1104 on the end of the barrel 111 . each notch 1116 rises above an inner surface of the lower portion 1108 of the collar 1106 such that a portion of each notch 1116 closest to the upper portion 1110 of the removable collar 1106 engages the ridge 1120 on the end of the barrel 111 . the ridge 1120 is of sufficient height to secure the notches 1116 and the collar 1106 to the barrel 110 as discussed in fig1 b below . the inside of the upper portion 1110 of the removable collar 1106 includes a spiral groove 1122 that correspond to ridges 1124 on the lower end of the luer nut 1102 . in one embodiment , the ridges 1124 are formed around the entire circumference of the lower portion of the luer nut 1102 . in another embodiment , the ridges 1124 are formed around a portion of the circumference of the lower portion of the luer nut 1102 . in another embodiment , the luer nut 1102 includes two tabs extending from the lower portion of the luer nut 1102 on opposing sides . in one embodiment , the spiral grooves 1122 on the inner surface of the upper portion 1110 of the removable collar 1106 are angled in relation to the bottom of the luer nut 1102 . in another embodiment , the spiral grooves 1122 have an upper portion which taper away from the collar 1106 such that the ridges 1124 are pushed over the spiral grooves 1122 in a direction towards the barrel 110 , but cannot be pushed over the grooves in a direction away from the barrel 110 . in another embodiment , a luer slip is used where the luer slip is held in place on the barrel by pressure and / or friction . the grooves may be other than spiral depending on the design of the luer nut 1102 . fig1 b depicts a top view of one embodiment of the collar 1106 . consistent with this embodiment , a plurality of notches 1116 extend around the periphery of the inside of the lower portion 1108 of the collar 1106 . the notches 1116 have a rectangular or square base that extends from about the lower third of the upper portion 1110 towards the flat bottom portion 1112 with the end of each notch 1116 that is closest to the flat bottom portion 1112 converging to a point . in addition , the base extends above the inside surface of the lower portion 1108 such that a portion of the base closest to the upper portion 1110 engages the ridge 1120 on the tip of the barrel 110 to prevent the collar 1106 from disengaging the barrel 110 . in one embodiment , the collar 1106 includes four notches 1116 that are approximately equally spaced and separated from each other by four separating gaps with the separating gaps being sized to accommodate the extensions 1104 on the end of the barrel 111 . fig1 c depicts one embodiment of the end of the barrel 111 . consistent with this embodiment , a plurality of extensions 1104 are arranged around the periphery of the end of the barrel 111 with the bottom surface of each extension 1104 being substantially flush with the top surface of the barrel 110 . the extensions 1104 have a rectangular or square base that extend from the top of the barrel 110 at ridge 1120 towards the upper portion of the end of the barrel 111 with the end of each extension 1104 converging to a point . the number of extensions 1104 on the barrel 110 is equal to the number of notches 1116 on the collar 1106 . further the extensions 1104 are substantially equally spaced from each other and are separated by gaps . the extensions 1104 are sized to engage the gaps between the notches 1116 on the collar 1106 . in addition , the gaps between the extensions 1104 are sized to engage the notches 1116 on the collar . the ridge 1120 is positioned on the barrel tip such that the pointed ends of the notches 1116 contact the ledge of the barrel 110 while the end of each notch 1116 opposite the pointed end engages the ridge 1120 . fig1 d depicts one embodiment of the collar 1106 engaging the end of the barrel 111 . consistent with this embodiment , the notches 1116 are pushed over the ridge 1120 such that the non pointed end of each notch 1116 is in contact with the bottom of the ridge 1120 preventing the collar 1106 from disengaging the barrel 110 . in addition , the extensions 1104 engage the gaps between the notches 1116 and the notches 1116 engage the gaps between the extensions 1104 such that the collar is prevented from rotating around the center axis of the barrel 110 . another hypodermic syringe with needle retraction can be found in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 336 , 198 , titled “ hypodermic syringe with needle retraction feature ,” which is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference . while various embodiments of the present invention have been described , it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scope of this invention . accordingly , the present invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents . | 0 |
referring to fig2 there is shown hydroforming apparatus that includes a hydroforming die set 100 comprising a lower die 102 and an upper die 104 . the dies 102 and 104 cooperatively define a die cavity 105 with cylindrical openings 105 a ( only one such opening being shown ) capturing a tubular metal part 106 to be formed , such part having been positioned between the dies prior to their having been pressed together by a die operating portion ( not shown ) of the apparatus which may be of any suitable conventional type . the die cavity openings 105 a capture the ends of the part and provide access to the interior thereof for the hydroforming fluid as described later . and the part to be formed may for example be a frame member for a motor vehicle where both strength and weight of the part are important factors . hydroforming of the part 106 in the die cavity 105 is performed with a pair of like seal units which are located at opposite ends of the part , only one such seal unit together with the right hand end of the part being shown and with such seal unit being generally designated as 108 . and it will be understood in the detailed description of the seal unit 108 and its interaction with the part 106 that follows , such description equally applies to the other seal unit and that the two seal units operate conjointly and simultaneously to form the part . as shown in fig2 the seal unit 108 comprises a housing generally designated as 110 that is rigidly fixed to a base portion 112 of the apparatus in a location opposite the associated one end of the tubular part 106 . the housing 110 comprises a hydraulic cylinder 114 having an integral end cap 116 at one end , a docking rod cylinder 118 having an integral end cap 120 at one end and fixed at the other end to the cylinder end cap 116 , and a separate end cap 122 fixed to the other end of the hydraulic cylinder 114 . and it will be understood that the separate parts forming the housing 110 are fixed together and to the base portion 112 by suitable fastener means ( not shown ) such as bolts and cap screws . the seal unit housing 110 is fixed in position on the base portion 112 with the outer side of end cap 122 facing directly opposite the respective end of the die set 100 . and it will also be understood that the base portion 112 supporting the seal unit 108 in the apparatus may itself be fixed in position in the apparatus or movable to and from the position shown by conventional seal unit positioning devices to facilitate accessing the die set and / or loading a part in the die set . a one - piece , hydraulic piston / docking rod member 124 is mounted for reciprocal movement in the housing 110 and comprises a double - ended hydraulic piston 126 and a cylindrical docking rod 128 of smaller diameter that is integral with and extends in opposite axial directions from the center of the piston . the hydraulic piston 126 is received in the hydraulic cylinder 114 while one cylindrical end portion 128 a of the docking rod 128 is received in the docking rod cylinder 118 and the other cylindrical end portion 128 b is received in a cylindrical bore 132 in the end cap 122 coaxial with the docking rod cylinder 118 and extends outward of this end cap . the docking rod portions 128 a and 128 b are provided with the same diameter as the inner diameter of the part and particularly the docking rod portion 128 a for the purpose of counterbalancing as described later . and with the end portion 128 a thus constituting an oppositely extending extension of a conventional docking rod like in fig1 that extends from only one end of the hydraulic piston . the projecting end of the docking rod end portion 128 b is adapted to dock with and sealing engage the respective end of the tubular part by the provision of a collar 134 that is threadably fastened to this end . the collar 134 has a conical end 134 a that terminates at a cylindrical step 134 b having a radial shoulder 134 c that extends radially outward to a cylindrical piloting portion 134 d . the diameter of the step 134 b and radial dimension of the shoulder 134 c correspond to the inner diameter and wall thickness of the tubular part , respectively , and the diameter of the piloting portion 134 d is slightly less than the diameter of the cylindrical openings 105 a of the die cavity . on extension of the docking rod , the piloting portion 134 d is closely received in the respective die cavity opening 105 a and thereafter pilots collar movement wherein the conical end 134 a enters the end of the part and guides the step 134 b into the tube end with an interference fit while the piloting portion 134 d eventually guides the shoulder 134 c into engagement with the annular end edge of the tubular part . with such operation thus providing metal - to - metal sealing between the docking rod collar and the part . the hydraulic piston 126 and cylinder 114 , cylinder cap 116 and docking rod end portion 128 a cooperatively form an annular chamber 136 at one end of the hydraulic piston 126 for seal unit docking operation by the hydraulic piston . and the hydraulic piston 126 and cylinder 114 , docking rod end portion 128 b and end cap 122 cooperatively form an annular chamber 138 at the other end of the hydraulic piston 126 for seal unit undocking ( retracting ) operation by the hydraulic piston . for such hydraulic piston operation , entry - exit ports 140 and 142 provide hydraulic fluid entry to and exit from the chambers 136 and 138 , respectively , in the wall of the hydraulic cylinder 114 . the docking rod cylinder 118 , end cap 120 and the end 144 of the docking rod end portion 128 a cooperatively define a fluid chamber 146 that is open to a centrally located hydroforming fluid entry - exit port 148 in the end cap 120 . and a hydroforming fluid entry - exit passage 150 formed by a bore extending axially through the center of the docking rod end portions 128 a , 128 b , hydraulic piston 126 and collar 134 provides for entry and exit of hydroforming fluid with respect to the interior of the tubular part while the seal unit is sealingly docked therewith . in the seal unit assembly above described there are several potential paths for leakage and suitable seals of conventional type are shown at these sites as shown in fig2 but are not designated by reference numbers . during hydroforming of the part , the hydroforming pressure developed in the part 106 also acts on the exposed end area of the collar 134 thus creating a very substantial force tending to force the docking rod 128 to retract and thus break the sealed engagement of the seal unit with the part . this force , which increases in direct proportion to increasing hydroforming pressure , is counterbalanced or overpowered by making the pressure responsive area at the end 144 of the docking rod end portion 128 a at least equal to or greater than that of the collar 134 exposed to the hydroforming pressure in the tubular part . operation of the seal units 108 is provided by a hydraulic fluid system 154 with variable pressure control and selective delivery and exhaust control that employs oil and is connected by hydraulic lines 156 and 158 to the hydraulic entry - exit ports 140 and 142 respectively in each seal unit . and for the hydroforming operation and force assistance in the seal units 108 , there is provided a hydroforming fluid system 160 also with variable pressure control and selective delivery and exhaust control that employs a high water based liquid solution as the hydroforming fluid and is connected by a hydraulic line 162 to the hydroforming entry - exit port 148 in each seal unit . describing now the operation of the above apparatus following closure of the tubular part 106 in the die set and with both seal units 108 in their operating position , hydraulic fluid such as oil is delivered at a predetermined relatively low pressure by the hydraulic system 154 to the hydraulic chamber 136 in both seal units 108 while the other hydraulic chamber 138 in the seal units is opened to exhaust by the hydraulic system . this pressure on the hydraulic piston 126 in the seal units forces their docking rod 128 to extend to the position shown engaging their docking rod collar 134 with the respective end of the tubular part 106 . this results in both seal units 108 pushing on the ends of the part with a preload force sufficient at this low hydraulic pressure to create metal - to - metal sealing between the tube ends and the docking rod collars . hydroforming fluid is then delivered by the hydroforming system 160 to fill the tubular part 106 and also the fluid chamber 146 in both seal units . both the hydraulic pressure and the hydroforming fluid pressure are then increased by the hydraulic and hydroforming systems 154 and 160 , respectively , with the latter pressure being increased sufficiently to form the part to the die cavity and the hydraulic pressure being increased sufficiently to maintain the sealing and also compress or shorten the tubular part between its ends and thereby add material to the wall portions of the part being stretched to prevent or minimize their thinning . following hydroforming of the part whereby the part has been stretched from the shape shown in solid lines to that shown in phantom lines , the hydroforming fluid is exhausted from the seal units through the entry - exit port 148 by the hydroforming system 160 . and hydraulic fluid is delivered by the hydraulic system 154 to the hydraulic chamber 138 in both seal units while their other hydraulic chamber 136 is exhausted by the latter system thereby causing retraction of their docking rod 128 to clear their collar 134 from the finished part . considering the magnitude of the forces required in the above operations of the present invention for an exemplary part and comparing same with that required in the prior art apparatus in fig1 it will be assumed that the outer diameter of the tubular part prior to hydroforming is 2 . 750 inches and that the tube wall thickness is 0 . 080 inches resulting in a cross - sectional tube area of 0 . 671 square inches . it will also be assumed that the yield strength of tube material is 50 , 000 psi . therefore , in order to compress or yield the tube between its ends , there will be required a force of at least 33 , 550 pounds . and this is therefore the absolute minimum force that the prior art hydraulic piston 24 in fig1 would have to produce just to yield the tube . further assuming that the hydroforming pressure will reach 25 , 000 psi in forming the part and again referring to the prior art in fig1 it will be seen that this 25 , 000 psi pushes outward on the end of the docking rod 28 as well as the interior of the part . if the pressure responsive area of the docking rod 28 is 5 . 268 square inches , there is thus created a back driving force on the docking rod of 131 , 713 pounds . and therefore the piston 24 in fig1 must produce 165 , 263 pounds of force ( 131 , 713 + 33 , 550 ), which is almost five times the minimum force required to yield the tube . if the hydraulic pressure is limited for example to 3000 psi for safety reasons as is known to be the case in many manufacturing plants , the diameter of the piston 24 in fig1 would need to be 8 . 375 inches without any safety factor . with the present invention , the hydroforming pressure pushing back on the collar 134 and thus on the docking rod in the seal units 108 is counterbalanced by this same pressure simultaneously acting on an equal size area at the opposite end 144 of the docking rod with the result that the hydraulic piston 126 in the seal units 108 only needs to develop enough force to yield the tube , i . e . it does not have to overcome the hydroforming pressure back - force on the docking rod . moreover , this countering force can be made to overpower this back - force , if desired , by simply increasing the diameter of the docking rod portion 128 a and accordingly its cylinder 118 to increase the pressure responsive area of the docking rod end 144 . again assuming theoretical minimums and with no safety factor , the hydraulic piston 126 in the seal units 108 would require a diameter of only 4 . 576 inches as compared with the much larger 8 . 375 inch diameter that would be required for the fig1 piston 24 and cylinder 22 . furthermore , if a surplus of force is desired to ensure sufficient power reserves to adequately feed material by the compression or yielding of the tubular part during its hydroforming as well as overcome high friction losses between the part and the dies , the hydraulic piston force can be more than doubled with the available oil pressure indicated above while still maintaining a significant advantage in compactness over the prior art seal unit in fig1 . it will be appreciated by those skilled in this art that the above - described embodiments of the method and apparatus of the present invention are intended to adequately disclose and teach the present invention and that various modifications can be made without departing from the invention . for example , the collar 134 is shown as a separate piece attached to the docking rod 128 with the latter formed integral with the hydraulic piston 126 . alternatively , the collar could be made integral with the docking rod and thus the hydraulic piston 126 , and the docking rod 128 could be made as a separate piece extending through the center of the hydraulic piston and suitably fixed thereto . moreover , there are other possible modifications that will likely become apparent to those skilled in this art from the above disclosure and therefore it is intended that the scope of the present invention is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims . | 1 |
while the making and using of various embodiments of the present invention are discussed in detail below , it should be appreciated that the present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts . the specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention and do not delimit the scope of the invention . to facilitate the understanding of this invention , a number of terms are defined below . terms defined herein have meanings as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the areas relevant to the present invention . terms such as “ a ”, “ an ” and “ the ” are not intended to refer to only a singular entity , but include the general class of which a specific example may be used for illustration . the terminology herein is used to describe specific embodiments of the invention , but their usage does not delimit the invention , except as outlined in the claims . the present invention provides an elastic adjustable hand held device holder for carrying hand held devices such as , e . g ., mobile phones , tablets , metronomes , and tuners . it is an object of the present invention to provide a removable means to support or suspend a hand held device from various contact points , singularly or in multiple , of the elastic adjustable holder . it is another objection of the present invention to provide a removable elastic adjustable hand held device holder that may be secured or released with the use of one hand , such as with a hook or loop material . it is another object of the present invention to provide a means to hand held device holder the device to clothing for the use of recording while moving when hands are necessary to hand held device holder safe movement from one place to another , such a riding a bike . the present invention secures the separate device to obtain optimum security in carrying or suspending the hand held device . another object of present invention is to provide assistance for the following usual activities : suspension of a cell during bathing to avoid water contact but not miss important messages ; suspension of a cell or tablet in a cluttered and / or active area that provided clear line of sight ( such as a work area or during cooking ); easy access to a cell while shopping or walking the dog that did not require pulling the device from a pocket or pouch but allowed use with one hand while it remained securely attached to a person ; and hand held device holder suspension to wearable clothing that allowed for the hand held device to record , hands - free , while physically active ( such as riding a bike ). additionally , other aspects of the present invention includes the removable elastic holder being thin enough to slide into a pocket while on the cell phone ; the present invention being easy to attach and remove while still providing ample tension and security ; and the presenting invention sized to support a range of cell phone sizes while also adaptable to fit a tablet or other hand held device , such as an electronic device . as used herein , the term “ elastic ” refers to any material that exhibits recovery from stretching or deformation . fig1 depicts an isometric view of the back of the hand held device holder 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention . in hand held device holder 100 , elastic members 4 a - 4 d are secured to anchor 2 . in this embodiment , a portion of elastic member 4 a is further secured to a portion of elastic member 4 b by a fastener 14 a . fastener 14 a - d provide hand held device holder 100 with additional support and tension when engaged to a hand held device case 20 that protects a hand held device 21 . elastic members 4 b and 4 c , 4 c and 4 d , and 4 d and 4 a are also similarly secured together by a fastener 14 b - d , respectively . fig1 shows hand held device holder 100 encasing hand held device case 20 by engaging elastic members 4 a - 4 d to the corners of hand held device case 20 . fig1 also depicts hand held device holder 100 with optional vertical support ring 6 connected to elastic members 4 a and 4 d , and optional lateral support ring 10 connected to the elastic members 4 a and 4 b . both can be used to provide hand held device holder 100 with a suspension point . an optional fastener 14 e is used in this embodiment to further secure elastic members 4 a and 4 d to provide a suspension base for vertical support ring 6 . a fastener 14 f is also used to further secure elastic members 4 b and 4 c together to further hand held device holder the engagement of hand held device holder 100 on hand held device holder 20 . vertical support ring 6 and lateral support ring 10 can optionally be further connected to a hook 8 ( shown here connected to vertical support ring 6 ) for easier suspension or carrying of the hand held device holder 100 on any side of the hand held device case 20 . fig2 depicts a back view of hand held device holder 100 encasing a hand held device case 20 . here , elastic members 4 a - 4 d are secured to anchor 2 . a portion of elastic member 4 a is further secured to a portion of elastic member 4 b by a fastener 14 a . elastic members 4 b and 4 c , 4 c and 4 d , and 4 d and 4 a are also similarly secured together by a fastener 14 b - d , respectively . fig2 also depicts hand held device holder 100 with optional vertical support ring 6 connected to elastic members 4 a and 4 d , and optional lateral support ring 10 connected to the elastic members 4 a and 4 b . an optional fastener 14 e also securing elastic members 4 a and 4 d is used to provide a suspension base for vertical support ring 6 . an optional fastener 14 f is also depicted securing elastic members 4 b and 4 c for additional tension . an optional a hook 8 is shown connected to vertical support ring 6 for easier suspension . fig3 depicts a front view of hand held device holder 100 encasing hand held device case 20 . elastic members 4 a - 4 d are engaged to hand held device case 20 by looping over the corners of hand held device case 20 creating a frame like appearance . elastic members 4 a and 4 d are secured together by a fastener 14 e to provide a suspension base for optional vertical support ring 6 . optional hook 8 is shown connected to vertical support ring 6 for easier suspension of hand held device holder 100 . elastic members 4 b and 4 c are also optionally secured together by fastener 14 f for additional tension . fig4 and 5 depict side views of hand held device holder 100 encasing hand held device case 20 . in fig4 , elastic member 4 a and 4 b are secured to anchor 2 and engaged to hand held device case 20 by being looped over the corners of hand held device case 20 . fastener 14 a is shown securing elastic member 4 a and 4 b . fastener 14 d and 14 b are shown securing portions of elastic members 4 a and 4 b . vertical support ring 6 is shown connected to elastic member 4 a . hook 8 is shown engaged to vertical support ring 6 . lateral support ring 8 is shown connected to elastic members 4 a and 4 b . fastener 14 e is shown securing a portion of elastic member 4 a . fastener 14 f is shown securing a portion of elastic member 4 b . fig5 shows an opposite side view of hand held device holder 100 encasing hand held device case 20 . in fig5 , elastic member 4 d and 4 c are secured to anchor 2 and engaged to hand held device case 20 by being looped over the corners of hand held device case 20 . fastener 14 c is shown securing elastic member 4 d and 4 c . fasteners 14 d and 14 b are shown securing portions of elastic members 4 d and 4 c . vertical support ring 6 is shown connected to elastic member 4 d . hook 8 is shown engaged to vertical support ring 6 . fastener 14 e is shown securing a portion of elastic member 4 d . fastener 14 f is shown securing a portion of elastic member 4 c . fig6 depicts a top view of hand held device holder 100 encasing hand held device case 20 . elastic members 4 a and 4 d are secured to anchor 2 and looped over the corners of hand held device case 20 . fastener 14 d and 14 e both secure elastic members 4 a and 4 d together . fastener 14 a secures a portion of elastic member 4 a . fastener 14 c secures a portion of elastic member 4 d . vertical support ring 6 is connected to elastic members 4 a and 4 d . hook 8 is connected to vertical support ring 6 . lateral support ring 10 is connected to elastic member 4 a . fig7 depicts a bottom view of hand held device holder 100 encasing hand held device case 20 . elastic members 4 b and 4 c are secured to anchor 2 and looped over the corners of hand held device case 20 . fastener 14 c and 14 f both secure elastic members 4 b and 4 c together . fastener 14 a secures a portion of elastic member 4 b . fastener 14 c secures a portion of elastic member 4 c . lateral support ring 10 is connected to elastic member 4 b . fig8 depicts an isometric view of the front of hand held device holder 100 encasing hand held device case 20 and hand held device 21 . elastic members 4 a - 4 d are engaged to hand held device case 20 by looping over the corners of hand held device case 20 creating a frame like appearance . elastic members 4 a and 4 d are secured together by a fastener 14 e to provide a suspension base for optional vertical support ring 6 . optional hook 8 is shown connected to vertical support ring 6 for easier suspension of hand held device holder 100 . optional lateral supporting ring 10 is connected to elastic members 4 a and 4 b . elastic members 4 b and 4 c are also optionally secured together by fastener 14 f for additional tension . fig9 depicts an isometric view of the front of hand held device holder 100 encasing hand held device case 20 and being used for a proposed use . fig9 shows hook 8 connected to a necklace enabling a user to wear hand held device holder 100 around the neck . fig1 depicts an isometric view of the back of the hand held device holder 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention . in hand held device holder 200 , elastic members 4 a - 4 d are secured to anchor 2 . in this embodiment , a portion of elastic member 4 a is further secured to a portion of elastic member 4 b by a fastener 14 a . fastener 14 a - d provide hand held device holder 200 with additional support and tension when engaged to a hand held device case 20 . elastic members 4 b and 4 c , 4 c and 4 d , and 4 d and 4 a are also similarly secured together by a fastener 14 b - d , respectively . fig1 shows hand held device holder 200 encasing hand held device case 20 by engaging elastic members 4 a - 4 d to the corners of hand held device case 20 . fig1 also depicts hand held device holder 200 with optional vertical support ring 6 connected to elastic members 4 a and 4 d , and optional lateral support ring 10 connected to the elastic members 4 a and 4 b . both can be used to provide hand held device holder 200 with a suspension point . hand held device holder 200 also contains an optional camera lens partition 12 secured between elastic member 4 a and 4 d to provide hand held device case 20 with a camera - viewing opening . the optional camera lens partition 12 can be removable . an optional fastener 14 e is used in this embodiment to further secure elastic members 4 a and 4 d to provide a suspension base for vertical support ring 6 . a fastener 14 f is also used to further secure elastic members 4 b and 4 c together to further hand held device holder the engagement of hand held device holder 200 on hand held device case 20 . vertical support ring 6 and lateral support ring 10 can optionally be further connected to a hook 8 ( shown here connected to vertical support ring 6 ) for easier suspension or carrying of the hand held device holder 200 on any side of the hand held device case 20 . fig1 depicts a back view of hand held device holder 200 encasing a hand held device case 20 . here , elastic members 4 a - 4 d are secured to anchor 2 . a portion of elastic member 4 a is further secured to a portion of elastic member 4 b by a fastener 14 a . elastic members 4 b and 4 c , 4 c and 4 d , and 4 d and 4 a are also similarly secured together by a fastener 14 b - d , respectively . fig1 also depicts hand held device holder 200 with optional vertical support ring 6 connected to elastic members 4 a and 4 d , and optional lateral support ring 10 connected to the elastic members 4 a and 4 b . hand held device holder 200 also contains an optional camera lens partition 12 secured between elastic member 4 a and 4 d to provide hand held device case 20 with a camera - viewing opening . an optional fastener 14 e also securing elastic members 4 a and 4 d is used to provide a suspension base for vertical support ring 6 . an optional fastener 14 f is also depicted securing elastic members 4 b and 4 c for additional tension . an optional a hook 8 is shown connected to vertical support ring 6 for easier suspension . fig1 depicts a front view of hand held device holder 200 encasing hand held device case 20 . elastic members 4 a - 4 d are engaged to hand held device case 20 by looping over the corners of hand held device case 20 creating a frame like appearance . elastic members 4 a and 4 d are secured together by a fastener 14 e to provide a suspension base for optional vertical support ring 6 . optional hook 8 is shown connected to vertical support ring 6 for easier suspension of hand held device holder 200 . elastic members 4 b and 4 c are also optionally secured together by fastener 14 f for additional tension . fig1 and 14 depict side views of hand held device holder 200 encasing hand held device case 20 . in fig1 , elastic member 4 a and 4 b are secured to anchor 2 and engaged to hand held device case 20 by being looped over the corners of hand held device case 20 . fastener 14 a is shown securing elastic member 4 a and 4 b . fastener 14 d and 14 b are shown securing portions of elastic members 4 a and 4 b . camera lens partition 12 is engaged partially into elastic members 4 d . vertical support ring 6 is shown connected to elastic member 4 a . hook 8 is shown engaged to vertical support ring 6 . lateral support ring 8 is shown connected to elastic members 4 a and 4 b . fastener 14 e is shown securing a portion of elastic member 4 a . fastener 14 f is shown securing a portion of elastic member 4 b . fig1 shows an opposite side view of hand held device holder 200 encasing hand held device case 20 in fig1 , elastic member 4 d and 4 c are secured to anchor 2 and engaged to hand held device case 20 by being looped over the corners of hand held device case 20 . fastener 14 c is shown securing elastic member 4 d and 4 c . fasteners 14 d and 14 b are shown securing portions of elastic members 4 d and 4 c . camera lens partition 12 is engaged partially into elastic members 4 a . vertical support ring 6 is shown connected to elastic member 4 d . hook 8 is shown engaged to vertical support ring 6 . fastener 14 e is shown securing a portion of elastic member 4 d . fastener 14 f is shown securing a portion of elastic member 4 c . fig1 depicts a top view of hand held device holder 200 encasing hand held device case 20 . elastic members 4 a and 4 d are secured to anchor 2 and looped over the corners of hand held device case 20 . fastener 14 d and 14 e both secure elastic members 4 a and 4 d together . fastener 14 a secures a portion of elastic member 4 a . fastener 14 c secures a portion of elastic member 4 d . vertical support ring 6 is connected to elastic members 4 a and 4 d . hook 8 is connected to vertical support ring 6 . lateral support ring 10 is connected to elastic member 4 a . fig1 depicts a bottom view of hand held device holder 200 encasing hand held device case 20 . elastic members 4 b and 4 c are secured to anchor 2 and looped over the corners of hand held device case 20 . fastener 14 c and 14 f both secure elastic members 4 b and 4 c together . fastener 14 a secures a portion of elastic member 4 b . fastener 14 c secures a portion of elastic member 4 c . lateral support ring 10 is connected to elastic member 4 b . fig1 depicts an isometric view of the front of hand held device holder 200 encasing hand held device case 20 . elastic members 4 a - 4 d are engaged to hand held device case 20 by looping over the corners of hand held device case 20 creating a frame like appearance . elastic members 4 a and 4 d are secured together by a fastener 14 e to provide a suspension base for optional vertical support ring 6 . optional hook 8 is shown connected to vertical support ring 6 for easier suspension of hand held device holder 200 . optional lateral supporting ring 10 is shown connected to elastic members 4 a and 4 b . elastic members 4 b and 4 c are also optionally secured together by fastener 14 f for additional tension . fig1 depicts an isometric view of the front of hand held device holder 200 encasing hand held device case 20 and being used for a proposed use . fig1 shows hook 8 connected to a necklace enabling a user to wear hand held device holder 200 around the neck . fig1 depicts an isometric view of the back of the hand held device holder 300 according to another embodiment of the present invention . hand held device holder 300 has a dual anchor system with anchor 2 a and anchor 2 b . hand held device holder 300 is essentially two hand held device holders secured together at fastener 14 g and 14 h . fastener 14 g secures elastic member 4 b , which is secured to anchor 2 a and elastic member 4 c secured to anchor 2 b . fastener 14 h secures elastic member 4 c secured to anchor 2 a with elastic member 4 b secured to anchor 2 b . in hand held device holder 300 , a set of elastic members 4 a - 4 d is secured to anchor 2 a . a second set of elastic members 4 a - 4 d is secured to anchor 2 b . in this embodiment , a portion of elastic member 4 a on both is further secured to a portion of elastic member 4 b on both by a fastener 14 a . fastener 14 a - d on both devices provide hand held device holder 300 with additional support and tension when engaged to a hand held device 24 . elastic members 4 b and 4 c , 4 c and 4 d , and 4 d and 4 a on both devices are also similarly secured together by two sets of fastener 14 b - d , respectively . fig1 also shows hand held device holder 300 encasing hand held device 24 by engaging elastic members 4 a and 4 d of both devices to the corners of hand held device 24 . elastic members 4 a and 4 d secured to anchor 2 a are looped over the corners of hand held device 24 , and elastic members 4 a and 4 d secured to anchor 2 b looped over the other two remaining corners of hand held device 24 . fig1 also depicts hand held device holder 300 with optional vertical support ring 6 connected to elastic members 4 a and 4 d secured to anchor 2 a . vertical support ring 6 can optionally be further connected to a hook 8 for easier suspension or carrying of the hand held device holder 300 encasing hand held device 24 . fig2 depicts a back view hand held device holder 300 encasing hand held device 24 . hand held device holder 300 has a dual anchor system with anchor 2 a and anchor 2 b . hand held device holder 300 is essentially two hand held device holders secured together at fastener 14 g and 14 h . fastener 14 g secures elastic member 4 b , which is secured to anchor 2 a and elastic member 4 c secured to anchor 2 b . fastener 14 h secures elastic member 4 c secured to anchor 2 a with elastic member 4 b secured to anchor 2 b . in hand held device holder 300 , a set of elastic members 4 a - 4 d is secured to anchor 2 a . a second set of elastic members 4 a - 4 d is secured to anchor 2 b . in this embodiment , a portion of elastic member 4 a on both devices is further secured to a portion of elastic member 4 b on both by a fastener 14 a . two sets of fastener 14 a - d used for both devices provide hand held device holder 300 with additional support and tension when engaged to a hand held device 24 . elastic members 4 b and 4 c , 4 c and 4 d , and 4 d and 4 a on both devices are also similarly secured together by two sets of fastener 14 b - d , respectively . fig2 also shows hand held device holder 300 encasing hand held device 24 by engaging elastic members 4 a and 4 d of both devices to the corners of hand held device 24 . elastic members 4 a and 4 d secured to anchor 2 a are looped over the corners of hand held device 24 , and elastic members 4 a and 4 d secured to anchor 2 b looped over the other two remaining corners of hand held device 24 . fig2 also depicts hand held device holder 300 with optional vertical support ring 6 connected to elastic members 4 a and 4 d secured to anchor 2 a . vertical support ring 6 can optionally be further connected to a hook 8 for easier suspension or carrying of the hand held device holder 300 encasing hand held device 24 . fig2 depicts a front view of hand held device holder 300 encasing hand held device 24 . elastic members 4 a and 4 d secured to anchor 2 a ( not shown ), and elastic members 4 a and 4 d secured to anchor 2 b ( not shown ) are engaged to hand held device 24 by looping over the corners of hand held device 24 creating a frame like appearance . optional hook 8 is shown connected to vertical support ring 6 for easier suspension of hand held device holder 300 . fig2 and 23 depict side views of hand held device holder 300 encasing hand held device 24 . in fig2 , elastic member 4 a secured to anchor 2 a and elastic member 4 d secured to anchor 2 b are engaged to hand held device 24 by being looped over the corners of hand held device 24 . a fastener 14 d is shown securing a portion of elastic member 4 a secured to anchor 2 a . another fastener 14 d secures a portion of elastic member 4 d secured to anchor 2 b . fastener 14 g secures elastic member 4 b , which is secured to anchor 2 a with elastic member 4 c secured to anchor 2 b . vertical support ring 6 is shown connected to elastic member 4 a . hook 8 is shown engaged to vertical support ring 6 . fig2 shows an opposite side view of hand held device holder 300 encasing hand held device 24 in fig2 , elastic member 4 d secured to anchor 2 a and elastic member 4 a secured to anchor 2 b are engaged to hand held device 24 by being looped over the corners of hand held device 24 . a fastener 14 d is shown securing a portion of elastic member 4 d secured to anchor 2 a . another fastener 14 d secures a portion of elastic member 4 a secured to anchor 2 b . fastener 14 h secures elastic member 4 c secured to anchor 2 a with elastic member 4 b secured to anchor 2 b . vertical support ring 6 is shown connected to elastic member 4 a . hook 8 is shown engaged to vertical support ring 6 . fig2 depicts a top view of hand held device holder 300 encasing hand held device 24 . elastic members 4 a and 4 d are secured to anchor 2 a and looped over the corners of hand held device 24 . fastener 14 c secures a portion of elastic member 4 d . fastener 14 a secures a portion of elastic member 4 a . vertical support ring 6 is connected to elastic members 4 a and 4 d . hook 8 is connected to vertical support ring 6 . fig2 depicts a bottom view of hand held device holder 300 encasing hand held device 24 . elastic members 4 a and 4 d are secured to anchor 2 b and looped over the corners of hand held device 24 . fastener 14 c secures a portion of elastic member 4 d . fastener 14 a secures a portion of elastic member 4 a . fig2 depicts an isometric view of the front of hand held device holder 300 encasing hand held device 24 . elastic members 4 a and 4 d secured to anchor 2 a ( not shown ), and elastic members 4 a and 4 d secured to anchor 2 b ( not shown ) are all engaged to hand held device 24 by each looping over a corner of hand held device 24 creating a frame like appearance . optional hook 8 is shown connected to vertical support ring 6 for easier suspension of hand held device case 100 . vertical support ring is connected to elastic member 4 a and 4 d that are secured to anchor 2 a ( not shown ). fig2 depicts an isometric view of the front of hand held device holder 300 encasing hand held device 24 and being used for a proposed use . fig2 shows hook 8 connected to a mount enabling a user to hand held device holder hand held device holder 300 encasing hand held device 24 around the headrest of a car . fig2 depicts an isometric view of the back of the hand held device holder 400 according to another embodiment of the present invention . hand held device holder 400 has a dual anchor system with anchor 2 a and anchor 2 b . hand held device holder 400 is essentially two hand held device holders connected together by an additional elastic member 4 e . a series of fastener 15 are used to secure elastic member 4 b and 4 c that are secured to anchor 2 a to elastic member 4 e . fastener 15 is also used to secure elastic members 4 b and 4 c that are secured to anchor 2 b to elastic member 4 e . in hand held device holder 400 , a set of elastic members 4 a - 4 d is secured to each of anchor 2 a and 2 b . in this embodiment , a portion of elastic member 4 a on both devices ( one device centered on anchor 2 a being connected to the other device centered on anchor 2 b ) is further secured to a portion of elastic member 4 b on both by a fastener 14 a . elastic members 4 a and 4 b on both devices are further secured by an additional fastener 14 a ′ for additional tension and security . fastener 14 a - d on both devices provide hand held device holder 400 with additional support and tension when engaged to a hand held device 100 . elastic members 4 b and 4 c , 4 c and 4 d , and 4 d and 4 a on both devices are also similarly secured together by two sets of fastener 14 b - d , respectively . elastic members 4 c and 4 d on both devices are also further secured by an additional fastener 14 c ′ for additional tension and security . fig2 also shows hand held device holder 400 encasing hand held device 100 by engaging elastic members 4 a and 4 d of both devices to the corners of hand held device 100 . elastic members 4 a and 4 d secured to anchor 2 a are looped over the corners of hand held device 100 , and elastic members 4 a and 4 d secured to anchor 2 b looped over the other two remaining corners of hand held device 100 . fig2 also depicts hand held device holder 400 with optional vertical support ring 6 connected to elastic members 4 a and 4 d secured to anchor 2 a . vertical support ring 6 can optionally be further connected to a hook 8 for easier suspension or carrying of the hand held device holder 400 encasing hand held device 100 . fig2 depicts a back view of hand held device holder 400 encasing a hand held device case 100 . hand held device holder 400 has a dual anchor system with anchor 2 a and anchor 2 b . hand held device holder 400 is essentially two hand held device holders connected together by an additional elastic member 4 e . a series of fastener 15 are used to secure elastic member 4 b and 4 c that are secured to anchor 2 a to elastic member 4 e . fastener 15 is also used to secure elastic members 4 b and 4 c that are secured to anchor 2 b to elastic member 4 e . in hand held device holder 400 , a set of elastic members 4 a - 4 d is secured to each of anchor 2 a and 2 b . in this embodiment , a portion of elastic member 4 a on both devices ( one device centered on anchor 2 a being connected to the other device centered on anchor 2 b ) is further secured to a portion of elastic member 4 b on both by a fastener 14 a . elastic members 4 a and 4 b on both devices are further secured by an additional fastener 14 a ′ for additional tension and security . fastener 14 a - d on both devices provide hand held device holder 400 with additional support and tension when engaged to a hand held device case 100 . elastic members 4 b and 4 c , 4 c and 4 d , and 4 d and 4 a on both devices are also similarly secured together by two sets of fastener 14 b - d , respectively . elastic members 4 c and 4 d on both devices are also further secured by an additional fastener 14 c ′ for additional tension and security . fig2 also shows hand held device holder 400 encasing hand held device 24 by engaging elastic members 4 a and 4 d of both devices to the corners of hand held device case 100 . elastic members 4 a and 4 d secured to anchor 2 a are looped over the corners of hand held device case 100 , and elastic members 4 a and 4 d secured to anchor 2 b looped over the other two remaining corners of hand held device 24 . fig2 also depicts hand held device holder 400 with optional vertical support ring 6 connected to elastic members 4 a and 4 d secured to anchor 2 a . vertical support ring 6 can optionally be further connected to a hook 8 for easier suspension or carrying of the hand held device holder 400 encasing hand held device case 100 . fig3 depicts a front view of hand held device holder 400 encasing hand held device case 100 . elastic members 4 a and 4 d secured to anchor 2 a ( not shown ), and elastic members 4 a and 4 d secured to anchor 2 b ( not shown ) are engaged to hand held device case 100 that protects hand held device 24 by looping over the corners of hand held device case 100 creating a frame like appearance . optional hook 8 is shown connected to vertical support ring 6 for easier suspension of hand held device holder 400 . fig3 and 32 depict side views of hand held device holder 400 encasing hand held device 24 . in fig3 , elastic member 4 a secured to anchor 2 a and elastic member 4 d secured to anchor 2 b are engaged to hand held device 24 by being looped over the corners of hand held device 24 . a fastener 14 d is shown securing a portion of elastic member 4 a that is secured to anchor 2 a . another fastener 14 d secures a portion of elastic member 4 d secured to anchor 2 b . fastener 15 secures elastic member 4 b secured to anchor 2 a with elastic member 4 e . another fastener 15 also secures elastic member 4 c secured to anchor 2 b with elastic member 4 e . vertical support ring 6 is shown connected to elastic member 4 a . hook 8 is shown engaged to vertical support ring 6 . fig3 shows an opposite side view of hand held device holder 400 encasing hand held device 24 in fig3 , elastic member 4 d secured to anchor 2 a and elastic member 4 a secured to anchor 2 b are engaged to hand held device 24 by being looped over the corners of hand held device 24 . fastener 15 secures elastic member 4 c secured to anchor 2 a with elastic member 4 e . another fastener 15 also secures elastic member 4 b secured to anchor 2 b with elastic member 4 e . vertical support ring 6 is shown connected to elastic member 4 a . hook 8 is shown engaged to vertical support ring 6 . fig3 depicts a top view of hand held device holder 400 encasing hand held device 24 . elastic members 4 a and 4 d are secured to anchor 2 a and looped over the corners of hand held device 24 . fastener 14 c secures a portion of elastic member 4 d . fastener 14 c ′ also secures another portion of elastic member 4 d . fastener 14 a ′ secures a portion of elastic member 4 a . fastener 14 d secures elastic member 4 d to elastic member 4 a . vertical support ring 6 is connected to elastic members 4 a and 4 d . hook 8 is connected to vertical support ring 6 . fig3 depicts a bottom view of hand held device holder 400 encasing hand held device 24 . elastic members 4 a and 4 d are secured to anchor 2 b and looped over the corners of hand held device 24 . fastener 14 c secures a portion of elastic member 4 d . fastener 14 c ′ secures another portion of elastic member 4 d . fastener 14 a secures a portion of elastic member 4 a . fastener 14 a ′ secures a portion of elastic member 4 a . fastener 14 d secures elastic member 4 a to elastic member 4 d . fig3 depicts an isometric view of the front of hand held device holder 400 encasing hand held device case 100 surrounding hand held device 24 . elastic members 4 a and 4 d secured to anchor 2 a ( not shown ), and elastic members 4 a and 4 d secured to anchor 2 b ( not shown ) are all engaged to hand held device case 100 by each looping over a corner of hand held device case 100 creating a frame - like appearance . optional hook 8 is shown connected to vertical support ring 6 for easier suspension of hand held device case 100 . vertical support ring is connected to elastic member 4 a and 4 d that are secured to anchor 2 a ( not shown ). fig3 depicts an isometric view of the front of hand held device holder 400 encasing hand held device case 100 and being used for a proposed use . fig3 shows hook 8 connected to a mount enabling a user to hand held device holder hand held device holder 400 encasing hand held device case 100 surrounding a hand held device 24 around the headrest of a car . it is contemplated that any embodiment discussed in this specification can be implemented with respect to any method , kit , reagent , or composition of the invention , and vice versa . furthermore , compositions of the invention can be used to achieve methods of the invention . it will be understood that particular embodiments described herein are shown by way of illustration and not as limitations of the invention . the principal features of this invention can be employed in various embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention . those skilled in the art will recognize , or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation , numerous equivalents to the specific procedures described herein . such equivalents are considered to be within the scope of this invention and are covered by the claims . all publications and patent applications mentioned in the specification are indicative of the level of skill of those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains . all publications and patent applications are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference . the use of the word “ a ” or “ an ” when used in conjunction with the term “ comprising ” in the claims and / or the specification may mean “ one ,” but it is also consistent with the meaning of “ one or more ,” “ at least one ,” and “ one or more than one .” the use of the term “ or ” in the claims is used to mean “ and / or ” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives only or the alternatives are mutually exclusive , although the disclosure supports a definition that refers to only alternatives and “ and / or .” throughout this application , the term “ about ” is used to indicate that a value includes the inherent variation of error for the device , the method being employed to determine the value , or the variation that exists among the study subjects . as used in this specification and claim ( s ), the words “ comprising ” ( and any form of comprising , such as “ comprise ” and “ comprises ”), “ having ” ( and any form of having , such as “ have ” and “ has ”), “ including ” ( and any form of including , such as “ includes ” and “ include ”) or “ containing ” ( and any form of containing , such as “ contains ” and “ contain ”) are inclusive or open - ended and do not exclude additional , unrecited elements or method steps . the term “ or combinations thereof ” as used herein refers to all permutations and combinations of the listed items preceding the term . for example , “ a , b , c , or combinations thereof ” is intended to include at least one of : a , b , c , ab , ac , bc , or abc , and if order is important in a particular context , also ba , ca , cb , cba , bca , acb , bac , or cab . continuing with this example , expressly included are combinations that contain repeats of one or more item or term , such as bb , aaa , ab , bbc , aaabcccc , cbbaaa , cababb , and so forth . the skilled artisan will understand that typically there is no limit on the number of items or terms in any combination , unless otherwise apparent from the context . all of the compositions and / or methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure . while the compositions and methods of this invention have been described in terms of preferred embodiments , it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations may be applied to the compositions and / or methods and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the method described herein without departing from the concept , spirit and scope of the invention . 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 . | 6 |
the present invention provides a process of producing p - benzoquinone by using iodine , hydrogen iodide , or an iodine compound of a metal as a catalyst when hydroquinone is oxidized with hydrogen peroxide in a liquid phase . as the catalyst , use is made of simple iodine , hydrogen iodide or a iodine compound of a metal . as the iodine compounds of metals are preferably used ones soluble in water before and after the reaction such as sodium iodide , potassium iodide , lithium iodide , zinc iodide , magnesium iodide , and iodates of alkali metals . generally , the amount of these catalysts to be used is 0 . 01 to 20 % by weight ( hereinafter the percentages quoted represent percent by weight ), preferably 0 . 5 to 5 % based on the hydroquinone . the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution used in the present invention is generally 20 to 70 % by weight , and preferably 35 % by weight , which concentration is industrially most easily available . the amount of hydrogen peroxide to be used is preferably 0 . 8 to 2 . 0 times the amount of the hydroquinone in terms of mol . as the medium used in the reaction , use can be made of water , or an aqueous solution of an inorganic acid such as a 0 . 5 to 10 % aqueous sulfuric acid or hydrochloric acid solution , or an inert polar organic solvent such as methyl alcohol , ethyl alcohol , isopropyl alcohol , and ethylene glycol , or a mixture of water with one of the above polar organic solvents , with isopropyl alcohol , or a mixture of water with isopropyl alcohol preferable . although the amount of the reaction medium to be used depends on the solubility of hydroquinone , it is generally preferable that the amount is 2 to 3 times the hydroquinone in terms of weight . it is not necessarily required that all of the hydroquinone is dissolved in the medium . the reaction temperature is generally 10 ° to 80 ° c ., preferably 25 ° to 50 ° c . according to a preferable mode of the present invention , hydroquinone and a reaction medium are charged at room temperatures , then after iodine , hydrogen iodide or a metal iodine compound is added at 25 ° c ., a hydrogen peroxide solution is added dropwise , then the temperature is raised to 45 ° to 50 ° c ., and the temperature is retained for several hours to complete the reaction . since the reaction product obtained after the completion of the reaction in the above mode is quite low in solubility in the reaction medium , when it is filtered near at room temperatures , yellow crystals of p - benzoquinone can be easily obtained . further , the polar organic solvent used in the reaction can be recovered by simple distillation , and even if the recovered solvent contains water , the solvent can be used again in the reaction as it is . 55 g of hydroquinone , 115 g of isopropyl alcohol as a reaction medium , and 1 g of iodine as a catalyst were charged into a 300 ml four - necked glass reaction vessel with a stirrer , a dropping funnel , and a thermometer . then stirring was started , and after 58 g of a 35 % hydrogen peroxide solution were added over about 3 hours while keeping the temperature at 30 ° to 35 ° c ., the temperature was raised to about 45 ° c ., which was kept for about 3 hours to complete the reaction . after the completion of the reaction , the reaction mixture was cooled gradually to about 15 ° c ., and the reaction product was filtered by suction . the reaction product was washed with a small amount of isopropyl alcohol , and dried under reduced pressure to yield 49 . 5 g of p - benzoquinone . the yield was 91 . 6 % ( based on the charged hydroquinone , hereinafter the same being applied ), the melting point was 111 ° to 112 ° c ., and the purity resulted from high - speed liquid chromatography ( the same being applied hereinafter ) was 99 . 0 %. the filtered mother liquor containing isopropyl alcohol that had been obtained by filtering the reaction product by suction was distilled under normal pressures or reduced pressure in a usual manner to recover aqueous isopropyl alcohol containing about 12 % of water . the recovered isopropyl alcohol can be used again as a reaction medium in the next reaction . example 1 was repeated , except that the water - containing isopropyl alcohol recovered by distillation in example 1 was used as a reaction medium . that is , 115 g of the isopropyl alcohol containing 12 % of water recovered by distillation , 55 g of hydroquinone , and 1 g of iodine were charged into a reaction vessel . the reaction was effected using 58 g of a 35 % hydrogen peroxide solution , then after the completion of the reaction , cooling , drying , washing , and then drying were effected to yield 49 g of p - benzoquinone . the yield was 90 . 7 %, the melting point was 111 . 0 ° to 112 . 0 ° c ., and the purity was 98 . 8 %. example 1 was repeated , except that 55 g of hydroquinone , 100 g of distilled water , and 1 g of iodine were charged into a reaction vessel , and the reaction was effected by using 58 g of a 35 % hydrogen peroxide solution . after the completion of the reaction , cooling , filtering , and drying were effected to yield 46 . 5 g of p - benzoquinone . the yield was 86 . 1 %, the melting point was 111 . 0 ° to 112 . 0 ° c ., and the purity was 98 . 0 %. example 3 was repeated , except that a 3 % aqueous dilute sulfuric acid was used instead of 100g of distilled water , thereby obtaining 48 . 5 g of p - benzoquinone . the yield was 89 . 8 %, the melting point was 111 . 0 ° to 112 . 0 ° c ., and the purity was 98 . 5 %. example 1 was repeated , except that 2 g of potassium iodide dissolved in 5 g of water were used instead of 1 g of iodine , thereby obtaining 47 . 3 g of p - benzoquinone . the yield was 87 . 5 %, the melting point was 111 . 0 ° to 112 . 0 ° c ., and the purity was 98 . 8 %. example 1 was repeated , except that 2 . 2 g of hydriodic acid ( containing 47 % of hi ) was used instead of 1 g of iodine , thereby obtaining 47 . 8 g of p - benzoquinone . the yield was 88 . 4 %, the melting point was 111 . 0 ° to 112 . 0 ° c ., and the purity was 98 . 7 %. | 2 |
this invention relates to a shakeout apparatus and more particularly to a high frequency , low amplitude vibratory apparatus for bulk storage container shakeout with reduced risk of container frame fracture . bulk storage containers such as railway hopper cars loaded with granular or particulate type material ( i . e . coal , ore , stone ) are desirably off - loaded as rapidly and as completely as is possible . two of the more popular systems for off - loading such cars are ( 1 ) car tipping or dumping and ( 2 ) car shaking . the car tipping and dumping apparatus , one of which is known as a rotary - power dumper , engages the loaded car and turns it over sideways to dump the load into a hopper . some such equipment rotates the car a complete 360 ° and places the empty car back on the track . obviously the rotary dump - type equipment is expensive to build and expensive to maintain but it does have the advantage of being fast and generally complete in its dumping . the second popular system is called a car - shaker and comprises a heavy yoke which has each arm resting on a car side with the body of the yoke straddling the inside of the car . an unbalanced pulley driven by a motor mounted directly on the yoke delivers brute force blows to the sides of the car to shake the contents loose for flowing out the sloping discharge chutes of the car . the unbalanced pulley operates at 20 , 000 rev ./ min ., applying a rapid pounding on the car sides . the brute force rapid blows damages the cars and has been suspected of contributing to the fracturing of car frames . the flanges on the top edges of the car side become flattened and cold worked until they rupture , thereby weakening the car sides and limiting its load carrying capacity . the present invention overcomes the disadvantages and problems of the prior art and provides an improved bulk storage container shakeout apparatus using a unique three - mass design which draws less power and isolates the drive system from the hammer action . a rigid reinforced exciter frame has a pair of spaced apart self - contained vibratory drives mounted on each end portion thereof . a coil spring reactor system is mounted beneath each end portion of the frame and suspends an impact hammer therefrom . the hammers and spring systems are aligned with the vibratory drives . the apparatus is lowered onto the container or car with the impact hammers engaging on the top flanges of the sides of the container or car . with the hammers resting on the car sides , the vibratory drives are operated as a single mass system with the natural frequency of the drives being substantially equal to or slightly greater than the operating speed of the motors . as a result , a low amplitude , high frequeny vibratory force is produced by the vibratory drives ( first mass ) and is amplified through the spring reactor systems and transferred to the hammers . as the vibratory drives stabilize , the hammers will leave the car sides and become two mass systems with an operating natural frequency about 20 % above the operating speed of the motor . the hammers deliver a series of rapid , high energy , vertical impacts directly into the car sides to loosen compacted , sluggish or frozen material and enhance free flow through the hopper bottom . the high frequency , low amplitude vibration reduces risk of frame fracture . fig1 is a perspective view of a loaded railway hopper car with my improved car shaker apparatus lowered into operating position on the car sides ; fig2 is a cross - sectional view taken along line 2 -- 2 of fig1 showing the car shaker assembly in front elevation ; and fig3 is a view similar to fig2 only with the car shaker assembly at a raised intermediate stage of a vibratory cycle . referring to fig1 an improved shaker apparatus 10 is shown being lowered by a cable or chain 12 from a fixed location or a traveling hoist into position on the lip or flange 14 on the top edge of the side walls 16 , 18 of a railway hopper car 20 . it is to be understood that the shaker apparatus may be used to loosen and enhance the flow of material in any bulk storage container whether fixed or mobile . the present disclosure will proceed to describe the use of the shaker on a railway hopper car 20 . the car 20 has truck mounted wheels 22 riding on railway tracks 24 . a pair of gate operated discharge outlets 26 are built on the bottom of the car through which material carried in the car can be discharged . the car 20 will be moved to a position over the entrance to a storage bunker 28 or a storage chamber from the bottom of which bunker or chamber the material can be removed as by use of a vibratory apparatus such as is shown and described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 131 , 193 , issued dec . 26 , 1978 to the present inventor . frequently the material 30 , such as coal , ore , grain or the like , has become compacted in the car due to freezing , moisture or just the settling effect caused by the motion of the car over the tracks from the mine . when the gates of the outlets 26 are opened , the material flows into the storage area . to loosen the compacted , sluggish or frozen material and to enhance the free flow of the material from the car , the car shaker apparatus 10 is used . the car shaker apparatus 10 is comprised of a weighted and rigid reinforced steel frame 32 which , in the illustrated form , is rectangular in configuration and has a reinforcing plate 34 attached in the mid - portion thereof . a pair of lifting eyes 36 are secured to the plate 34 in symmetrical locations on the frame so that hooks 38 or the like on the chain or cable 12 , when attached to the eyes 36 , can be used to lift the frame and the apparatus . when the apparatus is lowered into position on the car , the cable is extended so that the full weight of the apparatus is on the car . a pair of motor mounting supports 40 are mounted on the opposite end portions of the frame 32 along the major long axis of the rectangular frame . a motor 42 having a pair of eccentric weights 44 is secured to each mounting support 40 . the eccentric weights are carried on the opposite ends of the motor shaft , are compact and are enclosed in a sealed compartment 46 for dust and moisture protection . no belts , sheaves , guards or moving parts are exposed to dirt , moisture or accidental damage . it is contemplated that an apparatus such as shown in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 168 , 774 , issued sept . 25 , 1979 to the present inventor , may be used in the compartments 46 to vary the vibratory force of the system from a remote location . the vibratory force is varied to suit the conditions , i . e . type of material , moisture content , frozen material or the like . a plurality of coil springs 48 are assembled into two groups with one group attached to the underside of each end portion of the frame 32 . the two groups of springs make up a coil spring reactor system 50 . attached to the lower ends of the springs of each group is a pair of hammers or anvils 52 , 54 , which hammers and attached groups of springs are generally vertically aligned with one of the motor and eccentric vibratory drives . each hammer 52 , 54 has downwardly depending plates 56 attached on the opposite sides of the contact pad 58 of the hammer . the plates 56 are parallel to each other and lie in planes perpendicular to the long axis of the frame 32 . the plates 56 serve as guides in placing the apparatus 10 on the car sides and prevent the hammers 52 , 54 from misaligning with the car sides due to walking of the apparatus during impacting of the car . the apparatus is designed with each motor and eccentric weight set independently operated such that the weights of the two sets will self - synchronize . the apparatus when resting upon the sides of the car and when the motors 42 are started , will initially operate as a single mass system with the synchronized vibratory drives operating at a natural frequency equal to or slightly greater than the speed of the motors 42 . as an example , the motors are driven at 1200 rev ./ min . wth the natural frequency of the vibratory drives being 20 cycles / sec or slightly higher , i . e . 22 cycles / sec . as the vibrations travel to and through the springs 48 to the hammers 52 , 54 , the hammers begin to impact the sides of the car . the amplitude of the impacts increase until the hammers 52 , 54 bounce upward from the sides of the car whereupon the single mass system becomes a two - mass system with a natural frequency about 20 % higher than the speed of the motors 42 . as an example , the motor is driven at 1200 rev ./ min . with the natural frequency of the two - mass system ( motors and eccentrics being one mass and the hammers being the second mass ) being 24 to 25 cycles / sec . the continued operation of the system is a combination of the natural frequency of a single mass system and a two mass system generating rapid high energy vertical impacts . the stroke ( amplitude ) of the single mass system starts to build up until the hammers leave the car sides whereupon the natural frequency changes to a two mass system reducing the stroke ( amplitude ). in this way the stroke ( amplitude ) never builds or amplifies to a point where the apparatus destroys itself . using the principle of natural frequency , a low amplitude , high frequency vibratory force produced by the motorized exciter assembly ( first mass ) is amplified through the coil spring reactor system and transferred to the pair of impact hammers ( second and third masses ). the hammers transmit a series of rapid , high energy vertical impacts directly into the car sides to loosen the compacted , sluggish or frozen material and to expedite its flow through the hopper discharge outlets 26 . the apparatus using the natural frequency system combines low power requirements with superior operation . the self contained vibratory drives , the rigid exciter frame , the heavy duty coil springs and the massive hammers provide a highly reliable and efficient car shaker . the vibratory forces of the vibratory drives can be varied to accommodate for optimum flow characteristics of different materials being handled . the hammers are suspended by the springs from the rigid frame so as to assure that the vibratory drives are isolated from the impacts of the hammers , thereby assuring longer life for the apparatus . the drive isolation , the independent hammer action , the stress relieved construction and the few moving parts all contribute to long , trouble free operation . after each car is emptied , the hoist is used to raise the car shaker apparatus , whereupon the car is moved on and a new loaded car is moved into position over the bunker . the car shaker apparatus is lowered into contact with the car sides , the cable on the hoist is extended so that no tension remains in the cable ( the weight of the apparatus is fully bearing on the car sides ), and the motors are started and run at a preselected output for the drives whereupon the exciter assembly applies high frequency , low amplitude vibratory force through the spring reactor system to the hammers for transmitting a series of rapid , high energy vertical impacts to the car sides . | 1 |
embodiments of the present invention will be described below in association with the accompanying drawings . fig2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a nand eeprom ( flash memory ) as a nonvolatile semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention . a nand flash memory 10 includes a memory cell array 11 , a bit line control circuit 12 , a column decoder 13 , a data input / output buffer 14 , a data input / output terminal 15 , a word line control circuit 16 , a control signal and control voltage generation circuit 17 , and a control signal input terminal 18 . the memory cell array 11 includes plural nand memory cell units , plural bit lines , plural word lines , and a source line , as described later in detail in association with fig3 . the nand memory cell unit includes a memory cell column formed of plural memory cells connected in series to each other and selection transistors connected to both the ends of the memory cell column . the source line is shared by all the memory cell units . the bit line control circuit 12 reads out data in memory cells via bit lines in the memory cell array 11 , and detects the states of memory cells via bit lines . furthermore , the bit line control circuit 12 writes data to memory cells by applying write control voltages to the memory cells via bit lines . the bit line control circuit 12 includes plural data memory circuits . the data memory circuit is provided for a column of the memory cell array 11 . data in memory cells read out by a data memory circuit selected by the column decoder 13 passes through the data input / output buffer 14 so as to be read out from the data input / output terminal 15 to the external . furthermore , data to be written input from the external to the data input / output terminal 15 passes through the data input / output buffer 14 so as to be latched as initial control data by a data memory circuit selected by the column decoder 13 . the control data in the data memory circuit is used to control a write control voltage to be applied via a bit line to a selected memory cell in the memory cell array 11 . the word line control circuit 16 selects one word line from the plural word lines in the memory cell array 11 , and supplies the selected one word line with a predetermined potential necessary for read operation , write operation , or erase operation . fig3 is a diagram showing one example of the configuration of the memory cell array 11 and the bit line control circuit 12 of fig2 . a nand memory cell unit mcut includes a memory cell column mcc formed of four memory cells mc 0 to mc 3 connected in series to each other , a selection transistor st 11 connected between one end of the memory cell column mcc and a bit line bl , and a selection transistor st 12 connected between the other end of the memory cell column mcc and a source line src . the control gate of a memory cell mc is connected to a word line wlm ( m denotes one of 1 to 4 ). the selection transistor st 11 on the bit line side is connected to a selection gate line sg 1 . the selection transistor st 12 on the source line side is connected to a selection gate line sg 2 . the plural memory cells mc sharing one word line wlm form a unit called a page pg . in the present example , one block blk is composed of four pages . although only two blocks are shown in the present example , a practical memory cell array 11 is formed of any number of blocks ( e . g ., 1024 blocks ). furthermore , although the number of the bit lines is 4096 ( bl 0 , bl 1 , . . . bl 4095 ) in the present example , the number may be any ( e . g ., 2048 , 2112 , or 4224 ). the bit line control circuit 12 includes plural data memory circuits 19 . in the present example , one data memory circuit 19 is provided for two bit lines bli and bli + 1 ( i denotes 0 or an even number ). however , one data memory circuit 19 may be provided for any number of bit lines , such as one , four , six , or nine bit lines . column selection signals csl 0 , csl 1 , . . . csl 4095 are signals output from the column decoder 13 . the column selection signals csli and csli + 1 are input to the data memory circuit 19 connected to the bit lines bli and bli + 1 . at the time of data reading , data in memory cells latched in the data memory circuit 19 selected by the column selection signals csli and csli + 1 is led to the data input / output buffer 14 as read - out data . furthermore , prior to writing , based on the column selection signals csli and csli + 1 , control data for controlling a write control voltage to be applied to a memory cell at the time of writing is initially transferred to either one of the bit lines bli and bli + 1 . in write - state detection , the write states of memory cells connected to either one of the bit lines bli and bli + 1 are detected . fig4 is a diagram schematically showing the structures of the memory cell mc and the selection transistor st of fig3 . as shown in fig4 , on the surface side of a p - type semiconductor substrate 21 , n - type diffused layers 22 each serving as a source or drain are formed . the memory cell mc includes the n - type diffused layers 22 in the semiconductor substrate 21 , a gate insulating film 23 on the semiconductor substrate 21 , a floating gate 24 on the gate insulating film 23 , an insulating film 25 on the floating gate 24 , and a control gate ( word line ) 26 on the insulating film 25 . the selection transistor st includes the n - type diffused layers 22 in the semiconductor substrate 21 , a gate insulating film 27 on the semiconductor substrate 21 , and a selection gate 28 on the gate insulating film 27 . when a potential equal to or higher than the threshold value of the memory cell mc is supplied to the control gate 26 of the memory cell mc , a channel is formed in the surface part of the substrate semiconductor 21 directly beneath the floating gate 24 . if it is assumed that the capacitance between the control gate 26 and the floating gate 24 is 1 ff , the capacitance between the floating gate 24 and the channel is 1 ff , the capacitance between the channel and the semiconductor substrate 21 is 0 . 25 ff , and the capacitance between the n - type diffused layer 22 and the semiconductor substrate 21 is 0 . 25 ff , the capacitance coupling ratio between the control gate 26 and the channel and the capacitance coupling ratio between the control gate 26 and the n - type diffused layer 22 are each 50 %. in this case , when the channel and the n - type diffused layer 22 are in the floating state , increase in the potential of the control gate 26 by 1 v leads to increase in the potentials of the channel and the n - type diffused layer 22 by 0 . 5 v . fig5 is a diagram schematically showing the structure of the nand memory cell unit of fig3 . in the present embodiment , the memory cell column mcc is formed of four memory cells mc 0 to mc 3 . one end of the memory cell column mcc is connected to the source line src via the selection transistor st 12 . the other end of the memory cell column mcc is connected to the bit line bl via the selection transistor st 11 . fig6 is a circuit diagram showing a specific configuration example of the data memory circuit disposed in the bit line control circuit according to the present embodiment . the data memory circuit 19 of fig6 includes p - channel mos ( pmos ) transistors pt 1 to pt 10 , n - channel mos ( nmos ) transistors nt 1 to nt 19 , capacitors c 1 and c 2 , nodes n 1 to n 4 , n 3 c , n 4 c , n 5 c , and n 6 c , and a selection circuit sel . the source of the pmos transistor pt 1 is connected to a supply line for the voltage vcc , and the drain thereof is connected to the sources of the pmos transistors pt 2 and pt 3 . the drain of the pmos transistor pt 2 is connected to the drain of the nmos transistor nt 2 , and the connecting node therebetween is the node n 3 . the drain of the pmos transistor pt 3 is connected to the drain of the nmos transistor nt 3 , and the connecting node therebetween is the node n 4 . the sources of the nmos transistors nt 2 and nt 3 are connected to each other , and the connecting node therebetween is connected to the drain of the nmos transistor nt 1 . the source of the nmos transistor nt 1 is connected to a reference potential . the drain of the nmos transistor nt 5 is connected to the node n 3 . the source thereof is connected to the node n 1 , and the connecting node n 7 therebetween is connected to the drain of the pmos transistor pt 4 . the source of the pmos transistor pt 4 is connected to the drain of the pmos transistor pt 5 , and the source of the pmos transistor pt 5 is connected to a supply line for the voltage vcc . the drain of the nmos transistor nt 6 is connected to the node n 4 . the source thereof is connected to the node n 2 , and the connecting node n 8 therebetween is connected to the drain of the pmos transistor pt 6 . the source of the pmos transistor pt 6 is connected to the drain of the pmos transistor pt 7 , and the source of the pmos transistor pt 7 is connected to a supply line for the voltage vcc . the nodes n 4 and n 4 c are connected to each other via the gate of the nmos transistor nt 2 . the nodes n 3 and n 3 c are connected to each other via the gate of the nmos transistor nt 3 . the source and drain of the nmos transistor nt 4 are connected between the nodes n 3 c and n 4 c . the gate of the pmos transistor pt 1 is connected to a supply line for a signal sap 1 , and the gate of the nmos transistor nt 1 is connected to a supply line for a signal san 1 . the gate of the pmos transistor pt 3 , the gate of the nmos transistor nt 3 , and the gate of the pmos transistor pt 6 are connected to the node n 3 ( n 3 c ). the gate of the pmos transistor pt 2 , the gate of the nmos transistor nt 2 , and the gate of the pmos transistor pt 4 are connected to the node n 4 ( n 4 c ). the gate of the nmos transistor nt 5 is connected to a supply line for a signal rv 1 a , and the gate of the nmos transistor nt 6 is connected to a supply line for a signal rv 1 b . the gate of the pmos transistor pt 5 is connected to a supply line for a signal vrfybac , and the gate of the pmos transistor pt 7 is connected to a supply line for a signal vrfybbc . the node n 3 c is selectively connected to a data input / output line i / o by the selection circuit sel , and the node n 4 c is selectively connected to a data input / output line # i / o by the selection circuit sel . the source of the pmos transistor pt 8 is connected to a supply line for the voltage vcc , and the drain thereof is connected to the sources of the pmos transistors pt 9 and pt 10 . the drain of the pmos transistor pt 9 is connected to the drain of the nmos transistor nt 8 , and the connecting node therebetween is the node n 5 c . the drain of the pmos transistor pt 10 is connected to the drain of the nmos transistor nt 9 , and the connecting node therebetween is the node n 6 c . the sources of the nmos transistors nt 8 and nt 9 are connected to each other , and the connecting node therebetween is connected to the drain of the nmos transistor nt 7 . the source of the nmos transistor nt 7 is connected to the reference potential . the drain of the nmos transistor nt 10 is connected to the node n 5 c . the source thereof is connected to the node n 1 , and the connecting node n 9 therebetween is connected to the drain of the nmos transistor nt 12 . the source of the nmos transistor nt 12 is connected to the drain of the nmos transistor nt 13 , and the source of the nmos transistor nt 13 is connected to a supply line for the voltage vcc . the drain of the nmos transistor nt 11 is connected to the node n 6 c . the source thereof is connected to the node n 2 , and the connecting node n 10 therebetween is connected to the drain of the nmos transistor nt 14 . the source of the nmos transistor nt 14 is connected to the drain of the nmos transistor nt 15 , and the source of the nmos transistor nt 15 is connected to a supply line for the voltage vcc . the gate of the pmos transistor pt 8 is connected to a supply line for a signal sap 2 , and the gate of the nmos transistor nt 7 is connected to a supply line for a signal san 2 . the gate of the pmos transistor pt 10 , the gate of the nmos transistor nt 9 , and the gate of the nmos transistor nt 15 are connected to the node n 5 c . the gate of the pmos transistor pt 9 , the gate of the nmos transistor nt 8 , and the gate of the nmos transistor nt 13 are connected to the node n 6 c . the gate of the nmos transistor nt 10 is connected to a supply line for a signal rv 2 a , and the gate of the nmos transistor nt 11 is connected to a supply line for a signal rv 2 b . the gate of the nmos transistor nt 12 is connected to a supply line for a signal vrfyba 1 c , and the gate of the nmos transistor nt 14 is connected to a supply line for a signal vrfyb 1 c . the source of the nmos transistor nt 16 is connected to the bit line bli , and the drain thereof is connected to the node n 1 . the drain of the nmos transistor nt 17 is connected to the node n 1 , and the source thereof is connected to a supply line for a voltage va . the source of the nmos transistor nt 18 is connected to the bit line bli + 1 , and the drain thereof is connected to the node n 2 . the drain of the nmos transistor nt 19 is connected to the node n 2 , and the source thereof is connected to a supply line for a voltage vb . the gate of the nmos transistor nt 16 is connected to a supply line for a signal blca , and the gate of the nmos transistor nt 17 is connected to a supply line for a signal prea . the gate of the nmos transistor nt 18 is connected to a supply line for a signal blcb , and the gate of the nmos transistor nt 19 is connected to a supply line for a signal preb . the capacitor c 1 is connected to the node n 1 , and the capacitor c 2 is connected to the node n 2 . in the data memory circuit having such a configuration , a latch circuit ff 1 is formed by the pmos transistors pt 1 to pt 7 , the nmos transistors nt 1 to nt 6 , and the selection circuit sel . in addition , a latch circuit ff 2 that can function as a cache register is formed by the pmos transistors pt 8 to pt 10 , and the nmos transistors nt 7 to nt 15 . write operation by use of the data memory circuit 19 having the configuration of fig6 will be described below . fig7 is a flowchart for explaining a first writing method . fig8 a to 8v are diagrams showing a sequence from write verify to the next writing , relating to the first writing method . in writing of binary data , only the latch circuit ff 1 in fig6 is used for reading and writing . in the case of binary data , the latch circuit ff 2 is used mainly as a cache register . in the following , the case where an even - numbered bit line ( bli ) is selected will be described . initially , from the data input / output terminal 15 , binary data of “ 0 ” or “ 1 ” are input in units of a predetermined data amount ( in this example , 512 bytes ) ( st 1 ). the data pass through the data input / output buffer 14 ( st 2 ), and are stored in the latch circuit ff 1 via the write data input / output lines i / o and # i / o ( st 3 ). if the input data is “ 0 ”, the node n 4 c in fig6 is turned to “ h ( high level )”, while the node n 3 c is turned to “ l ( low level )” ( st 4 , st 5 ). in contrast , if the input data is “ 1 ”, the nodes nc 4 and nc 3 are turned to the opposite levels . that is , the node n 4 c is turned to “ l ”, while the node n 3 c is turned to “ h ” ( st 4 , st 6 ). initially , the voltage va is set to 0 v , and the signals prea and blca are turned to “ h ”, to thereby fix the potentials of all the bit lines bl at 0 v ( st 5 ). thereafter , the signal prea is turned to “ l ”, and the signal vrfybac is turned to “ l ”. due to this operation , the bit line of data “ 0 ”, which is a writing target , is fixed at 0 v without change . in contrast , the bit line of data “ 1 ”, which is not a writing target , is supplied with the voltage vcc because the node n 4 c is at “ l ”. in this state , a write pulse vpp is applied to the word line wl corresponding to the writing - target page ( st 7 ). at this time , writing is carried out for the bit of data “ 0 ” because the bit line potential is 0 v . in contrast , the bit line potential of the bit of data “ 1 ” is vcc . therefore , the channel potential of the memory cell is boosted and thus writing thereto is not carried out . after the writing , write verify is carried out to detect whether or not the writing has been advanced to a desired threshold value ( st 8 ). in the write verify , initially the signals prea and blca are turned to vcc , and the voltage va is set to 1 . 8 v . this operation precharges the potentials of all the bit lines to 1 . 8 v ( t 1 of fig8 ). a write verify voltage ( about 0 . 5 v ) is applied to the selected word line wl corresponding to the writing - target page , while the voltage vcc is applied to the non - selected word lines wl . if the voltage vcc is applied to the selection gate lines sg 1 and sg 2 in this state , a memory cell current dependent upon the threshold value of the memory cell of the writing - target page flows from the bit line to the common source line src via the serially - connected memory cells . in response to this current flow , the potential of the bit line decreases transiently . after the current flow during a certain period , the potentials of the word lines wl and the selection gate lines sg 1 and sg 2 of the target block are turned to 0 v to thereby cut off the current . due to this operation , charges dependent upon the threshold value of the memory cell are left in the bit line , and the potential thereof is kept by the capacitance of the bit line ( t 2 of fig8 ). subsequently , the signal blca is turned to “ h ” so that the potential of the bit line may be charge - shared with the node n 1 , and then the node n 1 is isolated from the node of the bit line bl ( the signal blca is turned to “ l ”). this operation allows the data to be held by the capacitor c 1 connected to the node n 1 . because the capacitance of the capacitor c 1 connected to the node n 1 is sufficiently lower than that of the bit line bl , the potential of the node n 1 becomes substantially equal to that of the bit line bl . thereafter , when the signal vrfybac is turned to “ l ”, the node n 1 in the latch circuit ff 1 in which data “ 1 ” is originally stored , i . e ., the node n 1 of the bit that is not selected for writing , is fixed at vcc ( t 3 of fig8 ). thereafter , the signal vrfybac is returned to “ h ”, and the signals sap 1 , san 1 , and ech 1 are turned to “ h ”, “ l ”, and “ h ”, respectively , to thereby equalize the nodes n 3 c and n 4 c . this clears the data in the latch circuit ff 1 . subsequently , upon turning of the signal rv 1 a to “ h ”, sensing is started ( t 4 of fig8 ). after the sensing during a certain period , the signals sap 1 and san 1 are turned to “ l ” and “ h ”, respectively , so that the latch data of the latch circuit ff 1 is determined and stored ( t 5 of fig8 ). if at this time the potential of the node n 1 is equal to or higher than vref ( e . g ., 0 . 9 v ), the writing has been sufficiently carried out . therefore , the write verify results in a determination of “ pass ”, and the node n 4 c in the latch circuit ff 1 is turned to “ l ”, so that data “ 1 ” is stored therein . in contrast , if the potential of the node n 1 is lower than vref , the writing is insufficient yet . therefore , the write verify results in a determination of “ fail ”, and the node n 4 c in the latch circuit ff 1 is kept at “ h ”, so that data “ 0 ” is stored therein . at this timing , data “ 1 ” has been stored in , of the latches in all the bit line control circuits 12 , only the latches in which data “ 1 ” is originally stored and those for which it has been determined through the verify that the bit line potential is equal to or higher than vref ( st 9 , st 10 , st 11 ). that is , the bit of which latch circuit ff 1 stores therein data “ 0 ” demands rewriting because of insufficiency of the writing . if all the latch circuits ff 1 have been given data “ 1 ” ( st 12 ), the writing is ended ( st 13 ). if not so , the sequence is returned to the writing processing from the step st 4 again . in the rewriting , the voltage va is kept at 0 v , and the signals blca and prea are turned to “ h ”, to thereby ground all the bit lines ( t 6 of fig8 ). subsequently , the voltage vcc is charged to the bit lines for which the write verify has resulted in “ pass ” and the bit lines of the distribution of “ 1 ”. in contrast , the bit line for which data “ 0 ” is stored , i . e ., the bit line for which the previous verify has resulted in “ fail ” because of insufficiency of writing , is set to 0 v ( t 7 of fig8 ). the write pulse is applied in this state . as described above , for this write pulse application , the word line voltage is increased by δvpp in order to prevent the lowering of a write electric field due to increase in the threshold value . fig9 is a flowchart for explaining the second writing method . fig1 a to 10v are diagrams showing a sequence from write verify to the next writing , relating to the second writing method . in fig9 , the same processing as that in the first writing method is given the same step numeral for easy understanding . in the above - described first writing method , in write pulse application , the word line voltage is increased by δvpp in order to prevent the lowering of a write electric field due to increase in the threshold value . however , if the voltages vpp and δvpp are increased to too high values for early completion of the writing , the extent of the writing to a bit in which the write speed is high will be too large , and thus the threshold value of the bit will surpass the voltage vread . therefore , there are limitations on the voltages vpp and δvpp . to address this , the processing to be described below is executed in the second writing method . the second writing method is different from the above - described first writing method in the following point . specifically , in the second writing method , before write pulse application , whether the data stored in the bit line control circuit 12 is “ 0 ” or “ 1 ” is determined . if the data is “ 0 ”, writing is carried out in the state in which the potential of the bit line is kept at the potential at the timing of completion of verify ( st 5 a ). in order to keep the potential of the bit line bl in rewriting , the processing for turning the bit line potential to 0 v , executed in the period t 6 of fig8 , is not executed , but writing is carried out with both the signals prea and rv 1 a kept at “ l ” ( t 6 , t 7 , t 8 of fig1 ). in this rewriting , the bit line as the writing target is in the floating state . however , this leads to no problem because the capacitance of the bit line is sufficiently lower than the local channel capacitance in the memory array block . a discussion will be made below about the write speed in the first and second writing methods . fig1 a to 11d are diagrams showing the potential state of a voltage vwl of a selected word line and bit line potentials vbl ( 1 ), vbl ( 2 ), and vbl ( 3 ), employed when the sequence of the first writing method is applied . specifically , fig1 a shows the potential state of the voltage vwl of a selected word line . fig1 b shows the bit line potential vbl ( 1 ). fig1 c shows the bit line potential vbl ( 2 ). fig1 d shows the bit line potential vbl ( 3 ). the potential vbl ( 1 ) indicates the potential state of a bit line connected to a bit in which the write speed is low , among writing - target memory cells . the potential vbl ( 2 ) indicates the potential state of a bit line connected to a bit in which the write speed is high , among the writing - target memory cells . the potential vbl ( 3 ) indicates the potential state of a bit line connected to a bit of which latch in the bit line data control circuit stores therein initial data “ 1 ”. fig1 a to 11d show an example in which write pulse application and write verify are repeated until write verify for the bit in which the write speed is low results in a determination of “ pass ” ( vbl & gt ; vref ). the noteworthy point in this example is that the bit line potential vbl is set to 0 v at the time of the write pulse application for both the bit of high write speed and the bit of low write speed . therefore , as shown in fig1 , writing is carried out at constant write speed for both the bit of high write speed and the bit of low write speed . if the initial data in the bit line control circuit 12 is “ 1 ” or if “ pass ” has been determined through write verify , the voltage vcc is selectively applied as the bit line potential vbl in the bit line control circuit 12 . fig1 a to 13d are diagrams showing the potential state of a voltage vwl of a selected word line and bit line potentials vbl ( 1 ), vbl ( 2 ), and vbl ( 3 ), employed when the sequence of the second writing method is applied . the noteworthy point here is that in the write pulse application , writing is carried out in the state in which the potential state obtained at the time of the previous write verify is kept . specifically , at the time of the write pulse application , writing is carried out in the state in which the history of the threshold value of each writing - target memory cell is held in the corresponding bit line in an analogous manner : the potential of the bit line for a bit having a high threshold value is set high , while the potential of the bit line for a bit having a low threshold value is set low . thus , as shown in fig1 , writing is carried out strongly when the threshold value is greatly lower than the desired value that allows write verify to result in a determination of “ pass ”. in contrast , in the state in which the threshold value has been increased to near the desired value , writing is carried out weakly . therefore , even when the write speed is enhanced through increase in the voltages vpp and δvpp , narrowed distribution can be obtained and influence due to variation in the original write speed can be suppressed . in the second writing method , through every write verify , the write speed is adjusted for each bit based on the history of the corresponding bit line . therefore , even when the voltage vpp is set sufficiently high originally , too much increase in the threshold value due to overwriting is suppressed , which permits even a control scheme that does not demand an increment of the write bias by δvpp . according to fig9 , in the second writing method , the bit line potential is fixed at 0 v when n is zero . alternatively , read operation may be carried out in advance before the start of the above - described write operation and the history of the bit line may be left so that writing with the bit line - potential kept can be carried out when n is zero . binary data writing has been described above . an example of application of an embodiment of the present invention to a multiple - valued memory will be described below . for a multiple - valued memory , increasing of the write speed and reliability enhancement through distribution narrowing are big challenges . however , an embodiment of the present invention is effective also for multiple - valued data writing . fig1 is a diagram showing one example of distributions in a multiple - valued ( four - valued ) memory . in this example , one memory cell includes the distribution states of four threshold values “ a ” to “ d ”. the states of the upper and lower pages each corresponding to a respective one of four threshold values are defined as shown in the drawing . in writing of memory threshold value distributions like those in fig1 , the processing of a first step and a second step is executed . in the first step , initially writing for the lower page is carried out . in the second step , after the completion of the writing for the lower page , writing for the upper page is carried out . in the first step , writing can be carried out similarly to the first and second writing methods , and the distribution “ a ” or “ b ” is obtained as the resultant distribution . in the writing for the upper page , the already - written lower page data is read out with the potential of a selected word line set to vcr 1 , so that the read data is stored in the latch circuit ff 2 in fig6 . the bit line of the distribution “ a ” is at “ l ”, while the bit line of the distribution “ b ” is at “ h ”. therefore , the node n 5 c is set to “ l ” when the read data corresponds to the distribution “ a ”, while the node n 5 c is set to “ h ” when the read data corresponds to the distribution “ b ”. subsequently , similarly to binary writing , the upper page data is loaded from the host into the latch circuit ff 1 . when the upper page data is “ 0 ” and thus the memory cell is a writing target , writing is carried out with the bit line potential fixed at 0 v similarly to binary writing . when the upper page data is “ 1 ” and thus the memory cell is not a writing target , the voltage vcc is applied to the bit line and thus writing is not carried out . fig1 a to 16z are diagrams showing a sequence from write verify for the upper page to the next writing . in the write verify for the upper page , initially the signals blca and prea are turned to “ h ”, and the voltage va is set to 1 . 8 v . this operation precharges all the bit line potentials to 1 . 8 v ( t 1 of fig1 ). subsequently , a potential vrf 01 is applied to a selected word line , so that memory - discharge is carried out ( t 2 of fig1 ). subsequently , the signal blca is turned to “ h ” so that the potential of the bit line may be transferred to the node n 1 , and then the node n 1 is isolated from the node of the bit line ( the signal blca is turned to “ l ”). this operation allows the data to be held by the capacitor c 1 connected to the node n 1 . thereafter , when the signal vrfybac is turned to “ l ”, the node n 1 corresponding to a bit that is not selected for the upper page writing , i . e ., a bit of the distribution “ a ” or “ b ”, is charged to vcc ( t 3 of fig1 ). in this state , the signal vrfybac is returned to “ h ”, and the signals sap 1 , san 1 , and ech 1 are turned to “ h ”, “ l ”, and “ h ”, respectively , to thereby equalize the nodes n 3 c and n 4 c . this clears the data in the latch circuit ff 1 . subsequently , upon turning of the signal rv 1 a to “ h ”, sensing is started ( t 4 of fig1 ). when the latch data in the latch circuit ff 1 is determined , data “ 1 ” is given to the latch circuits ff 1 for the bits of the distributions “ a ” and “ b ”, and for , of the bits to which the distribution “ d ” should be written , the bits of which threshold value has been set to vrf 01 or more through the writing , i . e ., the bits for which the write verify for “ d ” has resulted in “ pass ” ( t 5 of fig1 ). at this time , the write pulse should be so adjusted that the threshold values of the bits to which the distribution “ c ” should be written are not suddenly set to vrf 01 or more . subsequently , all the bit lines are set to 0 v ( t 6 of fig1 ), and then all the bit lines are precharged to 1 . 8 v again ( t 7 of fig1 ), followed by memory - discharge in the state in which the potential of the selected word line wl is set to vrf 00 ( t 8 of fig1 ). thereafter , the signal blca is turned to “ h ” so that the bit line potential may be charge - shared with the node n 1 . in this state , the signal vrfyba 1 c is set to “ h ”. due to this operation , charges are drawn out selectively from the bit line for the bit of which node n 5 c is at “ l ”, i . e ., the bit to which the distribution “ d ” should be written , so that the potential of the bit line becomes 0 v ( t 9 of fig1 ). subsequently , the signal vrfybac is returned to “ l ”, so that the bit line potentials of the bit that is not selected for the upper page writing and the bit for which the write verify for “ d ” has resulted in “ pass ” are precharged to vcc ( t 10 of fig1 ). in this state , similarly to the above description , the latch circuit ff 1 is cleared , and then the signal rv 1 a is turned to “ h ” for sensing ( t 11 of fig1 ), followed by determination of the latch data in the latch circuit ff 1 ( t 12 of fig1 ). due to this operation , data “ 0 ” is stored in the latch circuits ff 1 connected to the bits for which the verify has resulted in “ fail ” due to insufficiency of writing of “ c ” and “ d ”, so that one time of the write verify is completed . when the sequence moves to the next writing , the signal vrfybac is turned to “ l ”, and the signal blca is turned to “ h ”. thus , the bit lines of the bits that are not selected for writing , i . e ., the bit lines of the bits of the distributions “ a ” and “ b ” and the bit lines of the bits to which the distributions “ c ” and “ d ” have been written sufficiently are charged to vcc . in contrast , for the bits to which the distribution “ c ” has not been written sufficiently , writing is carried out in the state in which the bit line potentials obtained at the time of completion of the previous write verify are kept . furthermore , as for the bits to which the distribution “ d ” has not been written sufficiently , rewriting is carried out with all the bit line potentials set to 0 v ( t 13 , t 14 , t 15 of fig1 ). by this writing with such bit - line states , strong writing is carried out for the bits to which “ d ” should be written . furthermore , due to advantages of the present embodiment , the writing to the bits to which “ c ” should be written is carried out at high speed and offers a narrowed distribution . in the above - described example , an embodiment of the present invention is applied to the distribution “ c ” for high speed writing and distribution narrowing , and a window margin for the distribution “ d ” is assured . alternatively , it is also possible to apply an embodiment of the present invention to the distribution “ d ” for high speed writing and distribution narrowing . fig1 is a diagram showing another configuration example of a data memory circuit in a bit line control circuit for a multiple - valued memory . a data memory circuit 19 b of fig1 has a configuration obtained by adding , to the data memory circuit 19 of fig6 , pmos transistors pt 11 and pt 12 connected to the node n 9 and pmos transistors pt 13 and pt 14 connected to the node n 10 . the drain of the pmos transistor pt 11 is connected to the node n 9 , and the source thereof is connected to the drain of the pmos transistor pt 12 . the source of the pmos transistor pt 12 is connected to a supply line for the voltage va . the gate of the pmos transistor pt 11 is connected to a supply line for a signal selcap , and the gate of the pmos transistor pt 12 is connected to the node n 6 c similarly to the gate of the nmos transistor nt 13 . the drain of the pmos transistor pt 13 is connected to the node n 10 , and the source thereof is connected to the drain of the pmos transistor pt 14 . the source of the pmos transistor pt 14 is connected to a supply line for the voltage vb . the gate of the pmos transistor pt 13 is connected to a supply line for a signal selcbp , and the gate of the pmos transistor pt 14 is connected to the node n 5 c similarly to the gate of the nmos transistor nt 15 . also in writing by use of the circuit of fig1 , the operation sequence is similar to that in the above - described method until the completion of the lower page writing . furthermore , also in the upper page writing , the operation sequence is similar to that in the above - described embodiment until the first writing subsequent to loading of the upper page data from the host into the latch circuit ff 1 is completed after the already - written lower page data is read out and stored in the latch circuit ff 2 with the potential of a selected word line set to vcr 1 . fig1 a to 18 a are diagrams showing the sequence of write verify for the upper page , employed when the circuit of fig1 is used . in the write verify for the upper page , initially all the bit line potentials are precharged to 1 . 8 v ( t 1 of fig1 ), and then a potential vrf 00 is applied to a selected word line , so that memory - discharge is carried out ( t 2 of fig1 ). subsequently , the potential of the bit line is charge - shared with the node n 1 , and then the signal vrfba 1 c is turned to “ h ”, so that the node n 1 of the bit to which “ d ” should be written is turned to “ l ” ( t 3 of fig1 ). thereafter , the signal vrfybac is turned to “ l ”, so that the nodes n 1 connected to the bits that are not selected for the upper page writing , i . e ., the bits of the distributions “ a ” and “ b ”, are charged to vcc ( t 4 of fig1 ). in this state , sensing is carried out ( t 5 of fig1 ), and then the latch data in the latch circuit ff 1 is determined . due to this operation , data “ 1 ” is stored in the latch circuits ff 1 for the bits that are not selected for the upper page writing and the bits to which “ c ” has been written sufficiently ( t 6 of fig1 ). subsequently , all the bit lines are set to 0 v ( t 7 of fig1 ), and then all the bit lines are precharged to 1 . 8 v again ( t 8 of fig1 ), followed by memory - discharge in the state in which the potential of the selected word line is set to vrf 01 ( t 9 of fig1 ). thereafter , the signal blca is turned to “ h ” so that the bit line potential may be charge - shared with the node n 1 , and then the signal vrfybac is turned to “ l ”. due to this operation , the bit line potentials are precharged to vcc only for the bits that are not selected for the upper page writing and the bits for which the write verify for “ c ” has resulted in “ pass ” ( t 10 of fig1 ). in this state , as described above , the latch circuit ff 1 is cleared , and then the signal rv 1 a is turned to “ h ” for sensing ( t 11 of fig1 ), followed by determination of the latch data in the latch circuit ff 1 . due to this operation , data “ 0 ” is stored in the latch circuits ff 1 connected to the bits for which the verify has resulted in “ fail ” due to insufficiency of writing of “ c ” and “ d ”, so that one time of the write verify is completed ( t 12 of fig1 ). when the sequence moves to the next writing , the potential va is set to any potential ( e . g ., 1 v , 1 . 8 v , or 2 v ), and the signal selcap is turned to “ l ”. this allows the potential va to be charged to the bit lines of the bits to which “ b ” and “ c ” are written , while the potentials of the bit lines of the bits to which “ d ” should be written are kept ( t 13 of fig1 ). subsequently , the signal selcap is returned to “ h ”, and then the signal vrfybac is turned to “ l ”. due to this operation , the bit lines of the bits to which “ a ” and “ b ” are written and the bits to which “ c ” and “ d ” are written sufficiently and thus for which the verify has resulted in “ pass ” are charged to vcc ( t 14 of fig1 ). in this state , the write pulse is applied to a selected word line . because the potential va is applied to the bit lines of the bits for which the verify has resulted in “ fail ” due to insufficiency of writing for the distribution “ c ”, the writing for “ c ” is weakly carried out . furthermore , because the bit line potentials obtained at the time of completion of the write verify for “ d ” are held as the potentials of the bit lines of the bits for which the verify for the distribution “ d ” has resulted in “ fail ”, the writing for “ d ” is carried out at high speed and offers a narrowed distribution due to advantages of an embodiment of the present invention . for the embodiment of fig1 , pmos transistors should be added to the circuit configuration of fig6 as shown in fig1 . however , similar operation can be realized even with the circuit configuration of fig6 . fig1 is a diagram showing the sequence of write verify for the upper page , employed when not the circuit of fig1 but the circuit of fig6 is used . in this sequence , the operation of charging the bit line for weak writing for the distribution “ c ”, from the timing of the completion of the write verify in the above - described embodiment , can be realized by using the potential at the node n 5 c in the latch circuit ff 2 . specifically , the bit line charging , which is carried out based on the signal selcap in the period t 13 in fig1 , is controlled based on the potential of the signal rv 2 a . however , sharp rising - up of the signal rv 2 a will possibly lead to destruction of the latch data in the latch circuit ff 2 . therefore , control to increase the potential of the signal rv 2 a in a stepwise manner or with a gentle slope is requisite . in the above - described examples , in the upper page writing , either one of writing for the distribution “ c ” and writing for the distribution “ d ” is carried out in the state in which the bit line potential obtained at the time of completion of verify is kept . however , there is also a method that allows both the writing to be carried out in this manner . in this method , write verify is carried out in a manner similar to that of the sequence of the embodiment shown in fig1 . however , in the selective discharging of the bit lines of the bits to which “ d ” should be written in the period t 9 of fig1 , the potential of the signal vrfyba 1 c is set to a potential lower than vcc ( e . g ., 1 . 8 v ) and the discharging is selectively carried out for a short period so that the bit line potential will not become 0 v . furthermore , in the above - described examples , in the upper page writing , the threshold values according to the lower page are read out in advance so as to be latched in the latch circuit ff 2 . it is also possible to hold the bit line potential obtained at the time of the data reading and carry out the first writing with this bit line potential held . it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications , combinations , sub - combinations and alterations may occur depending on design requirements and other factor in so far as they are within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof . | 6 |
reference is now made to fig1 of the drawing which schematically illustrates the laser system 10 of this invention . although not limited thereto , laser system 10 preferably incorporates therein a ring resonator 12 . the resonant or optical cavity , defined by resonator 12 , is made up of a pair of reflecting elements , shown in fig1 of the drawing as mirrors 14 and 16 , a beam expander 18 formed by a pair of mirrors 20 and 22 , a laser gain region 24 , an output coupler in the form of , for example , hole scraper mirror 26 and a high efficiency diffraction grating 28 to be described in detail hereinbelow in conjunction with fig2 - 4 of the drawing . in addition to the above elements being in optical alignment with each other a mode injection laser 30 also has its injection laser beam 33 of preselected wavelength optically aligned with the high efficiency diffraction grating 28 . an active medium 31 located within gain region 24 of resonator 12 is in the form of any suitable gas capable of producing a lasing action such as a mixture comprising 16 % co 2 , 34 % n 2 and 50 % he which may be supplied from any suitable conventional source ( not shown ). laser operation takes place when a suitable electron beam 32 from a conventional electron source such as an electron gun ( not shown ) produces free electrons and ionizes the gaseous laser medium 31 in a conventional manner as described in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 702 , 973 . the above action produces a beam of radiant energy which propagates within resonator 12 and a portion of which is output from laser system 10 by means of output coupler 26 . the remainder of the beam which is not output from laser system 10 continues to propagate within the resonator 12 . with the instant invention an additional input in the form of a low power injection beam 33 of approximately 1 w from mode injection laser 30 strikes the high efficiency diffraction grating of resonator 12 . at this point , the diffracted order of the injection beam 33 propagates colinearly with one of the diffracted orders of the originally produced resonator beam and continues therewith toward mode symmetrizing aperture 36 . the combined beams produce the desired high output laser beam 34 of approximately 100 kw which is eventually output from system 10 . as a result of the combining of the injection beam 33 and the undeviated portion of the laser beam transmitted by output coupler 26 , laser beam 34 is produced which is locked to the wavelength of injection beam 33 . in this invention , for example , the resultant wavelength may be 10 . 6 μm . the actual combining of the resonator beam and the injection beam is assisted by a conventional mode symmetrizing aperture 36 which is optically interposed within resonator 12 between grating 28 and beam expander 18 . the function of aperture 36 is to correct for the area distortion of the beams introduced by grating 28 . these beams are then magnified to the cross sectional area of gain region 24 by conventional off - axis beam expander 18 and redirected through the laser gain region 24 . for proper operation of the laser system of this invention and in order to maximize the output derived therefrom the following analysis is presented : there are two independent solutions for the diffracted power from lamellar gratings , depending on the two independent polarization directions of the incident beam , these are transverse electric ( te ) and transverse magnetic ( tm ). for a working embodiment of the signal injection diffraction grating 28 in this invention we choose the former , transverse electric polarization state ( the electric field parallel to the groove ), however , the choice is independent of grating 28 . initially we must solve maxwell &# 39 ; s equations for a bare , perfectly conducting lamellar grating 28 , as shown in fig2 of the drawing . this amounts to using plane wave solutions above grating 28 and solving the helmholtz equation , subject to the appropriate boundary conditions in the groove . these two solutions are then joined across the surface ( x , y , z = 0 ) by the use of boundary conditions . the vector plane wave solution has two eigenstates corresponding to the electric field polarized perpendicular to the plane of incidence . in our development we consider the plane of incidence to be perpendicular to the groove profile . in referring to the equations set forth hereinbelow as well as fig2 of the drawing the following notations should be kept in mind ; x , y , z define the coordinate system , d = period , b depth , a = width , θ o the angle of incidence ( positive to the left of the grating normal ), θ n the diffraction angle ( negative to the left of normal ) and k o = k = 2π / wavelength . the following is presented to solve the signal injection grating 28 as well as the final solution parameters ( contained in parenthesis ). the specific values of these parameters can be obtained by a trial - and - error method . the incident electric field is assumed to have complex amplitude e o and is propagating in the k o direction at an angle of incidence of θ o . the diffracted electric field is composed of a sum over complex fourier amplitudes a n propagating in the direction k n at an angle θ n as clearly shown in fig2 . thus for z ≧ 0 we have the solution ## equ1 ## where β o = k sin θ o , γ o = k cos θ o and k = 2π / λ . the periodicity ( d ) of grating is contained in the grating equation ## equ2 ## equation ( 3 ) ensures that the evanescent waves decay away from the surface . we have also assumed the standard time dependence of exp (- iωt ). the solution in the groove has to satisfy the boundary conditions that e tangential vanishes on the surface x = 0 , a and z =- b , and that it is continuous across z = 0 . thus , the electric field has only a y component and a magntitude ## equ3 ## where b is the groove height and the separation constant λ m is related to the groove width a by ## equ4 ## with λ m imaginary representing the evanscent wave in the z - direction . note that the m = 0 solution is not allowed . the complex expansion coefficients b m are linked to the a n &# 39 ; s by the boundary conditions along the z = 0 surface . the tangential electric field plane wave solutions at z = 0 are ## equ5 ## and the tangential electric field for z & lt ; 0 at the z = 0 surface is ## equ6 ## and since for x : [ a , d ] the field is zero in the conductor . settings eqs . ( 6 ) and ( 7 ) equal , then multiplying by ## equ7 ## and using the orthogonality of the exponentials on the interval ( o , d ) leads to the projection of a n ## equ8 ## the values of the tangential magnetic fields on the z = 0 surface are ## str1 ## where j s is the surface current density . setting eqs . ( 10 ) and ( 11 ) equal , multiplying by sin ( πx )/ a and integrating x : [ o , a ] leads to ## equ9 ## combining eqs . ( 8 ) and ( 11 ) gives the matrix equation ## equ10 ## the solution to te diffraction is obtained by solving the matrix equation ( 12 ) for the amplitudes a n . equation ( 12 ) is an infinite number of complex linear equations with a n as unknowns and the coefficients t sn being infinite sums over the groove index m . our method of solution is to arbitrarily truncate the number of equations as well as the sum over m . we then invert the matrix and solve for a n . the size of the array and the number of terms in t sn are determined by the convergence of a n to within 0 . 001 . this criterion can be easily satisfied by using an array which contains the first 10 orders i . e ., - 10 ≦ n ≦ 10 , and a maximum m of about 40 . in fact , many cases converge with fewer terms . therefore , knowing the desired output wavelength λ for the electrically excited n 2 co 2 he laser system 10 of this invention , we choose , under the trial - and - error method , a reasonable angle of incidence (+ 30 °) and period of the grating 28 ( d = 1 . 8λ ). we want just three diffracted orders since there are three beams , feedback , injection and diagnostic . using this information in eq . ( 2 ) we obtain three diffracted orders at angles θ o =+ 30 , θ - 1 = 3 . 18 °, θ - 2 = 37 . 8 °. the next step is to get the diffracted efficiencies (| a n | 2 ) in these orders . to do so , we must solve eq . ( 12 ), a standard matrix equation , with the accompanying equations eqs . ( 13 -( 17 ) along with eq . ( 3 ) and eq . ( 5 ). in order to proceed we choosse the depth ( b = 1 . 2λ ) and width ( a = 0 . 6λ ). now everything is defined and by use of a well known converging truncation method solve eq . ( 12 ). the above procedure also determines the values of m and n as is outlined hereinbelow . from this we obtain the diffraction efficiency of the grating parameters ( d , a , b ) and the wavelength λ have now been fixed . furthermore , we want one order of the diffracted injection laser beam to be colinear with θ - 2 (=- 37 . 8 °) of the feedback beam ; and again we want just 3 diffracted orders . thus , returning to eq . ( 2 ) we get the angle of incidence of the injection beam and find the diffracted orders are n =- 1 , 0 , + 1 with diffraction angles of θ - 1 =- 37 . 8 °, θ o =- 3 . 18 °, θ + 1 =+ 30 ° for an angle of incidence of - 3 . 18 °. the remaining step is to use eq . ( 12 ), and the associated equations , with the new angle of incidence along with the old values of a , b , d , λ . this gives the diffraction efficiency | a - 1 | 2 = 3 . 7 %. as a result of appropriate numerical substitution within the above equations it has been determined that a desirable high output having a wavelength of 10 . 6 μm can be accomplished with a diffraction grating 28 having a groove height , b , equal to 1 . 2λ , a groove width , a , equal to 0 . 6λ and a periodicity , d , equal to 1 . 8λ . reference is now made to fig3 and 4 of the drawing which schematically represent the relation between the incident resonator beam and the incident injection beam 30 on grating 28 , respectively . for the design considered here both the incident resonator beam and the incident injector beam each has only 3 diffracted orders . as a result of the above calculations 95 % of the incident power is diffracted at an angle of - 37 . 6 ° the normal . colinear with this diffracted beam is the - 1 diffracted order of the injection laser beam , at an efficiency of 3 . 7 % if the injection beam is aligned at an angle of - 3 . 18 ° to the grating normal . the other two diffracted orders of both beams are colinear ; that is , the 0 (+ 1 ) order of the injection beam is colinear with the - 1 ( 0 ) order of the resonator beam at an angle of - 3 . 18 ° (+ 30 °), respectively . these beams can be used for alignment and / or diagnostic purposes . although this grating operates in the transverse electric configuration , in which the laser beam is polarized with its electric field parallel to the grooves , other designs for both the transverse electric and transverse magnetic operations can be employed similarly . for example , a transverse magnetic grating can be used with 99 % of the resonator beam specularly reflected and 1 % of the injection beam directed along the resonator beam . with such a configuration no mode symmetrizing is necessary . although this invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment , it will be understood to those skilled in the art that this invention is also capable of further and other embodiments within the spirit and scope of the appended claims . | 7 |
with reference to the drawings , an embodiment of the present invention is described . the powder feeder comprises a final - stage powder container ( 1 ), a spreading feeder ( 2 ), and a multi - joint robot arm ( 3 ). the final - stage powder container ( 1 ) is equipped with a powder inlet line 13 and is mounted on the end of the revolving arm ( 12 ) held on the top of a column ( 11 ). final - stage powder container ( 1 ) is mounted at a position close to the base end of the tip arm ( 12a ). this revolving arm and tip arm are adequately driven by a driving device ( not shown ). here , the column ( 11 ) is taller than the height of an operator ( a ), thereby the revolving arm ( 12 ) and the final - stage powder container ( 1 ) are arranged above the working space of the mold . thus , the final - stage powder container ( 1 ) can be arranged on the operator side ( a ), for example , overhead of an operator . in fig2 two final - stage powder containers ( 1 )( 1 ) are arranged on the operator side . in the drawing , ( b ) indicates the side opposite an operator . a final - stage powder container ( 1 ) is provided with a meter such as a load cell platform scale ( 14 ) to weigh the spread quantity of casting powder . particularly , use of the &# 34 ; loss - in - weight &# 34 ; system permits recording of accurate spreading quantity and higher accuracy of control by a main computer of the continuous casting unit . the robot arm ( 3 ) comprises a base end arm ( 31 ), an intermediate arm ( 32 ), and a tip hand ( 33 ) movably connected by a first joint ( 34 ) and a second joint ( 35 ). the base end arm ( 31 ) is attached to the end of the tip arm ( 12a ) of the revolving arm . to the tip hand ( 33 ) is mounted a spreading feeder ( 2 ). the spreading feeder ( 2 ) rotates a spring in a tube by a motor ( 21 ) mounted at the tube &# 39 ; s base end to spread the casting powder from its tip on to the molten steel surface of the mold . in place of such mechanical means , other transfer means such as pneumatic transfer means can also be used . in the drawings , ( 5 ) represents a tundish car with a tundish ( 6 ) mounted thereon , a strand nozzle ( 6a ) ( 7 ) a ladle ( 7 ). to the tip on the intermediate arm ( 32 ) of the multi - joint robot arm , a sensor ( 9 ) for monitoring the spreading conditions of the casting powder is arranged . this sensor can be an infrared sensor or thermal sensor , and is used for detecting the exposed molten steel ( hot spot ) in the mold ( 4 ). based on the detection by the sensor , the multi - joint robot arm ( 3 ) is moved under automatic control of a computer so as to move the tip of the spreading casting powder feeder ( 2 ) to the hot spot for spreading . it is also possible to move the robot arm ( 3 ) according to a predetermined program for spreading , not using such a sensor . the base end of the spreading feeder ( 2 ) and the discharge port in the final - stage powder container ( 1 ) are connected with a flexible transfer path ( 8 ). the flexible transfer path comprises a transfer path having the flexibility to follow the movement of the robot arm , such as flexible pipe . therefore , non - flexible pipe may be used only in sections of the path where flexibility is not required . the flexible transfer path ( 8 ) is arranged from the discharge port of the powder container ( 1 ) above the tip arm ( 12a ) and along the robot arm ( 3 ) to the spreading feeder ( 2 ). however , to simplify the drawing , the illustration of the part along the robot arm ( 3 ) is omitted . it is possible to equip a feeding device in the flexible transfer path ( 8 ) along with the tip arm ( 12a ). the casting powder is transferred by said feeding device and dropped by gravity from the final - stage container ( 1 ) to the spreading feeder ( 2 ). this gravity drop is based on the energy saving concept using the height difference between the final - stage powder container ( 1 ) arranged in a high position and the spreading feeder ( 2 ) placed in low position , but forced transfer means can be added . ( i ) when the tundish car ( 5 ) stops at the position above the mold ( 4 ), the revolving arm ( 12 ) swings to move the feeder from the stand - by position ( i ) to the feed position ( ii ). ( ii ) the tip arm ( 12a ) of the revolving arm turns to face the powder feeder toward the mold . ( iii ) the robot arm ( 3 ) moves the tip of the spreading feeder ( 2 ) above a hot spot to spread the casting powder from its tip . in fig2 the area designated ( b ) shows the spreading area . ( iv ) in replacing the tundish , the powder feeder is returned to the stand - by position by the reverse operation of steps ( i ) and ( ii ) mentioned above . the flexibility of the multi - joint robot arm ( 3 ) removes the dead angle above the mold surface , and prevents contact between the spreading feeder ( 2 ) and the tundish strand nozzle ( 6a ), when the powder feeder is moved . the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment . if there is a high position such as a deck near the workshop , the final - stage container can be mounted on the deck and the column and revolving arm can be eliminated . the final - stage powder container may be also hung from a high position . since the final - stage powder container is arranged in a position higher than the working space on the powder feeder according to the invention , provision of this feeder in the operator side does not interfere with the work of an operator . since the operator side is free of the scattered dust and molten steel of the side opposite the operator , the following effects are obtained : ( i ) sharp decrease in trouble due to scattered dust and molten steel ,; ( iii ) improved work environment permitting use of precision instruments such as the robot arm ,; ( v ) the smaller distance to the control board or the operation board making the anti - nozzle provision for cpu wiring easier . in spreading the casting powder on the mold , the flexibility of the robot arm removes the dead angle on the spreading surface of the mold , and the powder is uniformly spreaded all over the mold surface . and the precision instruments and control equipment used in the robot arm can continue good operation in the good work environment as described in the item ( iii ) mentioned above . the provision of the spreading conditions monitor sensor on the robot arm , makes complete automation of hot spot detection and spreading possible by computer control of the spreading . this promotes labor saving , stabilizes the continuous casting and improves quality . this invention can be used in full automation of continuous casting . in further progress of continuous casting of highgrade steel , a powder feeder in continuous casting has been provided which can cope with feed automation of highgrade steel billet size casting powder use . | 1 |
referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first , particularly to fig1 thereof , there is shown a schematic view of a system 10 for observing and / or controlling an installation which is not shown in fig1 for the sake of clarity . the installation may be , for example , an electrical energy supply network or a switching station of an energy supply network . such an installation has individual components , for example lines , cables , switches , transformers , generators , motors , converters , electrical loads , electrical energy generators , electrical stores etc ., the state of which is detected using field devices 11 a - i by recording corresponding measured values and / or is influenced by carrying out particular actions ( for example controlling a switch ). the field devices 11 a - i may be , for example , sensors or actuators or so - called ieds . in order to observe and / or control the installation , provision is also made of a control center arrangement 12 which may be , for example , one or more data processing devices in a control center . the control center arrangement forms the interface to the operating personnel of the installation and is used to evaluate and display operating states of the installation and / or to receive or independently generate control commands for influencing the operating state of the installation . the system 10 also contains a telecontrol arrangement 13 which has a communication connection both to the control center arrangement 12 and to the field devices 11 a - i . the telecontrol arrangement 13 is formed in a data processing cloud . the data processing cloud may be provided , for example , by a server installation or a computing center . in the example according to fig1 , the field devices 11 a - i , the control center arrangement 12 and the telecontrol arrangement 13 are connected at least indirectly via a communication network 14 which may be the internet , for example . the individual field devices 11 a - i are indirectly connected to the telecontrol arrangement 13 via the communication network 14 . specifically , the field devices 11 a - c are connected to a first switch 15 a which is in turn connected to a second switch 15 b . the further field devices 11 d - f are also connected to the second switch 15 b , the field devices 11 d and 11 e being directly connected to the switch 15 b and the field device 11 f being connected to the switch 15 b via a communication coupler 15 c . this is because , whereas the field devices 11 a - e each comprise a suitable interface 16 a ( for example an ethernet interface ) for direct coupling to a communication medium ( for example an ethernet cable ) connected to the switch 15 a or 15 b , the field device 11 f lacks such an interface 16 a . instead , the field device 11 f has another interface 16 b ( for example a serial interface ). the communication coupler 15 c has a corresponding interface 16 b , via which it is connected to the field device 11 f . in addition , the communication coupler 15 c also contains an interface 16 a which is suitable for connection to the switch 15 b . the communication coupler is consequently used to communicatively couple the field device 11 f to the switch 15 b and , for this purpose , carries out corresponding communication conversion between the two interfaces 16 a and 16 b . the switch 15 b is finally connected to the communication network 14 . a communication access device 17 which provides an access point for wireless communication connections is also connected to the communication network 14 . the communication access device 17 is , for example , a wifi router or a wlan access point accordingly configured for operation in installation environments . the field devices 11 g - i are connected to the communication access device 17 , the field device 11 g having its own communication device for wireless communication and being directly connected to the communication access device 17 via the communication device . in contrast , the field devices 11 h and 11 i do not have their own communication devices for wireless communication and are instead connected to a suitable communication coupler 15 d via cable connections . this communication coupler provides an interface for wireless connection to the communication access device 17 . the telecontrol arrangement 13 is likewise connected to the communication network 14 . this connection may be established directly or indirectly ( for example via a dsl connection ). in this manner , the telecontrol arrangement 13 is also connected to the field devices 11 a - i . for this purpose , the telecontrol arrangement 13 has a suitable interface ( for example one or more physical ethernet interfaces ). in addition to the wired or wireless connection of the field devices 11 a - i in the form of a communication network formed in a tree structure or by a communication access device for wireless communication , as illustrated in fig1 , other connection possibilities may also be used . for example , the individual field devices 11 a - i may each be connected directly , that is to say without the interposition of an additional communication structure , to the communication network 14 . a direct connection of the individual field devices 11 a - i to the telecontrol arrangement 13 is also conceivable provided that the telecontrol arrangement provides a sufficient quantity of interfaces suitable for this purpose . the control center arrangement 12 is likewise connected to the communication network 14 . this connection can be established directly or indirectly ( for example via a dsl connection ). in this manner , the telecontrol arrangement 13 is also connected to the control center arrangement 12 . for this purpose , the control center arrangement 12 has a suitable interface ( for example a physical ethernet interface ). field - device - specific messages which contain , for example , measured values from field devices in the form of sensors or control commands for field devices in the form of actuators are transmitted between the field devices 11 a - i and the telecontrol arrangement 13 . the field - device - specific messages can be designed according to different communication protocols which are supported by the respective field devices 11 a - i . tcp / ip , for example , may be chosen as the transport or transmission protocol in order to be able to use widespread internet technology to transmit the field - device - specific messages . for the purpose of communication , the field devices may have , for example , individually permanently predefined communication addresses , for example ip addresses according to the ipv6 standard . control - center - specific messages which contain , for example , control commands for field devices 11 a - i , which are generated by the control center through an action of the operating personnel or are generated automatically , or values indicating a state of one or more components of the installation are transmitted between the telecontrol arrangement 13 and the control center arrangement 12 . the control - center - specific messages may be configured , for example , according to a telecontrol protocol supported by the control center 12 . tcp / ip , for example , may be chosen as the transport or transmission protocol in order to also be able to use widespread internet technology to transmit the control - center - specific messages . the telecontrol arrangement 13 provides suitable interfaces and communication protocols for the control center arrangement 12 and the field devices 11 a - i . since the telecontrol arrangement 13 is not in the form of a specifically configured local telecontrol device , but rather is formed in a data processing cloud , simple and flexible adaptation to the respectively required communication protocols can be carried out by accordingly programming the telecontrol arrangement 13 . in contrast , there is no need for any adaptations on the part of the field devices 11 a - i or the control center arrangement 12 . the telecontrol arrangement 13 is used , on the one hand , as a communication gateway , that is to say it converts the field - device - specific messages into control - center - specific messages and vice versa . in this case , the information contained in the field - device - specific messages may also be compressed or processed in another manner before being forwarded to the control center arrangement 12 . in addition , the telecontrol arrangement 13 can also use the data contained in the field - device - specific messages to look after independent automation functions , for example can itself generate a field - device - specific message if a threshold value is exceeded and can transmit it to a field device in order to effect a predefined control action . in order to carry out the respective functions , the telecontrol arrangement 13 has an application module with corresponding programming . the telecontrol arrangement 13 may be , for example , outside the area of influence 18 a of the operator of the installation indicated in fig1 and instead may be assigned to an operator ( different from the installation operator ) of the data processing cloud , the area of influence 18 b of which is likewise indicated in fig1 . in this manner , the operator of the data processing cloud can offer the functions of the telecontrol arrangement 13 to the operator of the installation as a service . alternatively , the data processing cloud may also naturally be operated by the same operator as the installation . fig2 shows another exemplary embodiment of a telecontrol arrangement 13 . the general method of operation of the telecontrol arrangement 13 and its communication connections to field devices and control center arrangements correspond to the method of operation already explained with respect to fig1 . however , in the exemplary embodiment according to fig2 , the data processing cloud is connected to two installations 20 a and 20 b . the telecontrol arrangement 13 formed in the data processing cloud therefore has two data areas which are separate from one another and are protected from one another with respect to any access operations , with the result that no write and read access operations can take place between the individual data areas , for example . in addition , the data in the different data areas may be encrypted using different keys in order to further increase the data security . in this embodiment , the telecontrol arrangement 13 is configured in such a manner that the functionalities respectively provided for the two installations and the actions carried out for the two installations are each carried out only in one data area assigned to the relevant installation or to the operator of the relevant installation . therefore , the telecontrol arrangement 13 can provide and carry out services for more than one installation in a parallel manner . in this case , the installations 20 a and 20 b can be operated by the same installation operator or by different installation operators . the data processing cloud can be operated by one of the installation operators or by a third party . it goes without saying that the telecontrol arrangement 13 is not restricted to operation for up to two installations ; rather , any desired number of installations may be connected to the telecontrol arrangement 13 provided that the service provided by the data processing cloud allows this . | 8 |
preferred embodiments of the switchably controlled liquid sealed type vibration isolator according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments . referring to fig1 - 4 , a liquid sealed type vibration isolator a has a vibration isolating base member 2 , formed of an elastic rubber member which receives a load of a power unit , such as an engine , etc . the vibration isolating base member 2 is joined to an upper opened side of a cylindrical main metal member 1 , and a first metal fixing member 3 . that is , the main metal member 1 is joined to the first metal fixing member 3 via the vibration isolating base member 2 . in the illustrated vibration isolator a , the vibration isolating base member 2 is formed in a substantially trapezoid - conical shape , and fixed air - tightly at an upper smaller - diameter end portion and a lower larger - diameter outer circumferential portion to the first metal fixing member 3 and the opened portion of the main metal member 1 respectively by a vulcanization bonding device . a first diaphragm 4 , opposed to the vibration isolating base member 2 and formed of a rubber film , and a second metal fixing member 5 , covering a an outer side of the first diaphragm 4 , are fixed in a sealed state at a lower opened side of the main metal member 1 by a swaging device to be described later . a reference numeral 41 denotes an annular reinforcing member vulcanization bonded to the diaphragm 4 . the first metal fixing member 3 is substantially disc - shaped , and a fixing bolt 31 fixed to a central portion of the first metal fixing member by a press fitting device or a welding device projects upward therefrom , by which fixing bolt 31 the first metal fixing member 3 is secured to a power unit of an automobile . the second metal fixing member 5 has a substantially cylindrical shape bottom wall portion 52 , and a flange - like opened edge portion 51 thereof is swaged with a partition , which will be described later , to a lower end portion 1 a of the main metal member 1 . the bottom wall portion 52 of the second metal fixing member 5 has a fixing bolt 53 fitted therein by a press fitting device so that the fixing bolt 5 projects downward therefrom . the second metal fixing member 5 is secured to a vehicle body - side member by the fixing bolt 53 . a space between the second metal fixing member 5 and first diaphragm 4 is formed as an air chamber 6 . this air chamber is communicated with the atmosphere in some cases , and formed as an air - tight chamber in some cases . a partition 10 is air - tightly fitted in an inner circumference of a portion of the main metal member 1 which is between the vibration isolating base member 2 and first diaphragm 4 , via a seal rubber layer 2 a integral with the vibration isolating base member 2 . an incompressible liquid , such as water or ethylene glycol is sealed in an inner chamber between the vibration isolating base member 2 and the first diaphragm 4 . this inner chamber is divided by the partition 10 so as to form a space between the vibration isolating base member 2 and partition 10 as a main liquid chamber 7 , and a space between the first diaphragm 4 and partition 10 as a first auxiliary liquid chamber 8 . the portion of the partition 10 which is on the side of the main liquid chamber 7 is provided therein with a second auxiliary liquid chamber 9 , a change - over chamber 12 which is separated from the second auxiliary liquid chamber 9 by a second diaphragm 11 , and which permits an atmospheric pressure and a negative pressure to be introduced thereinto switchably , and first and second orifices 13 , 14 which communicate the main liquid chamber 7 with the first and second auxiliary liquid chambers 8 , 9 respectively , and which have different liquid passage resistances . in the illustrated embodiment , the first auxiliary liquid chamber 8 communicates with the first orifice 13 having a higher liquid passage resistance ( smaller cross - sectional area ), and the second auxiliary chamber 9 communicates with the second orifice 14 having a lower liquid passage resistance ( larger cross - sectional area ). as shown in fig1 - 4 , the partition 10 includes a main partition member 15 , a partition plate member 16 and a partition receiving plate 17 , and has the following structure . the main partition member 15 is made integral of a metal material , such as aluminum , or a rigid material , such as a synthetic resin , and has an annular shape as shown in fig2 . the main partition member 15 is provided in a portion of an outer circumference thereof , which is on the side of the first auxiliary liquid chamber 8 , with an orifice - forming recess 19 so that a portion 18 on the side of the main liquid chamber 7 remains as a flange - shaped portion . the recess 19 is defined by the partition receiving plate 17 and main metal member 1 , whereby the recess 19 is formed as the first orifice 13 which communicates the main liquid chamber 7 and the first auxiliary liquid chamber 8 with each other . the flange - shaped portion 18 is provided with a recessed communication section 13 a which communicates the first orifice 13 and main liquid chamber 7 with each other . an upper inner portion , which is on the side of the main liquid chamber 7 , of the main partition member 15 has a second diaphragm 11 . an annular metal collar 20 is fixed to an outer circumferential portion of of the second diaphragm 11 by a vulcanization bonding device . the second diaphragm 11 is fixed coaxially with the central axis by press fitting the metal collar 20 into the main partition member 15 . a clearance between the second diaphragm 11 and the main partition member 15 is formed as the change - over chamber 12 having a predetermined height . a reference numeral 12 a denotes a projection for maintaining the clearance of not smaller than a predetermined height . in the illustrated embodiment , the central portion of an - upper surface which corresponds to the change - over chamber 12 of the main partition member 15 is recessed curvilineally , and a groove 15 b for press fitting the metal collar thereinto is formed around this recessed portion 15 a . the second diaphragm 11 is fixed to the main partition member so as to cover the recessed portion 15 a by press fitting the metal collar 20 into the groove 15 b . the change - over chamber 12 is joined to a change - over device ( not shown ), such as a valve , etc . which can be switchably connected to either a negative pressure source or an atmospheric pressure source via a communication passage 21 extending through an inner portion of the main partition member 15 and communicating at a side surface of the main metal member 1 with an outer portion thereof . thus , either a negative pressure or an atmospheric pressure can be introduced into the change - over chamber 12 by operating the change - over device in accordance with an instruction signal , etc . from a control unit . as a result of the above arrangement , the second diaphragm 11 can be controlled in a switching manner to an operating condition and a non - operating condition . in order to work mainly the second orifice 14 of a lower liquid passage resistance ( larger cross - sectional area ), the second diaphragm 11 is maintained in a movable condition . in order to work the first orifice 13 of a higher liquid passage resistance , the movement of the second diaphragm 11 is stopped so as not to operate the second orifice 14 of a larger cross - sectional area . thus , a sufficient damping effect can be displayed with respect to vibrations in different frequency regions , by the respective orifices 13 , 14 . the partition plate member 16 is a pressure molded product formed mainly of a steel plate , and has an annular projection 16 a on a lower surface thereof . the partition plate member 16 is fitted firmly in the main liquid chamber 7 and engaged with the main partition member 15 , as described below , by a swaging device to engage the outer circumference of the main partition member 15 so as to seal the circumferential edge portion 11 a of the second diaphragm 11 against the projection 16 a . thus , a space between the partition plate member 16 and the diaphragm 11 on an inner side of the projection 16 a is formed as the second auxiliary liquid chamber 9 . a space on an outer side of the second auxiliary liquid chamber 9 and defined by the main partition member 15 and partition plate member 16 forms the second orifice 14 communicating the main liquid chamber 7 and second auxiliary liquid chamber 9 with each other via communication ports 23 , 24 and has a comparatively large cross - sectional area . the first orifice 13 communicates with the main liquid chamber 7 through the communication port 23 of the second orifice 14 . namely , the first and second orifices 13 , 14 have a common exit with respect to the main liquid chamber 7 . the partition plate member 16 is engaged with and fitted firmly around the main partition member 15 by swaging the outer circumferential portion 26 of the partition plate member 16 into a cylindrical portion of such a diameter that permits a cylindrical bent portion thus formed to be press fitted in the inner circumference of the main metal member 1 , fitting firmly the outer circumferential portion 26 around the outer circumference of the flange - shaped portion 18 by swaging into the orifice - forming recess 19 at least a part of the circumferential end section 26 a of the outer circumferential portion 26 to thereby swage the circumferential end section 26 a to the flange - shaped portion 18 . the swaging of the circumferential end section 26 a is done preferably at substantially all parts of the circumference thereof , i . e ., over the whole circumferential length of the recess 19 as shown in the drawings but the circumferential end section 26 a can also be swaged partially at plural portions thereof spaced from one another at predetermined intervals to the main partition member 15 . in this case , the portions to be swaged can be formed like projecting claws which are swaged . the outer circumferential portion 26 is provided with one or plural circumferentially spaced openings 22 for carrying out easily the replacement of air with a liquid when the partition plate member 16 is incorporated into the main metal member 1 . the openings 22 are closed with a seal rubber layer 2 a when the outer circumferential portion 26 of the partition plate member 16 is fitted firmly in the inner circumference of the main metal member 1 . the partition receiving plate 17 is a pressure molded product obtained from a steel plate identical with the steel plate mentioned above , having an opening in the central portion thereof and formed of a doughnut - shaped disc of a diameter slightly larger than that of the main partition member 15 . the partition receiving plate 17 is positioned on a portion of the main partition member 15 which is on the side of the first auxiliary liquid chamber 8 and an opened edge portion 28 in a central section thereof is press fitted into the recess 25 provided in a lower surface of the main partition member 15 . thus , the outer circumferential edge portion 27 is fixed firmly projecting outward beyond an outer edge of the main partition member 15 . in this condition , a recess 13 b , continuing from the recess 19 , is aligned with an opening 17 a so that the first orifice 13 communicates with the first auxiliary liquid chamber 8 . in this structure , the partition 10 is in a initially assembled state as shown in fig4 in which the outer circumferential portion 26 of the partition plate member 16 is press fitted liquid - tightly in the inner circumference of the main metal member 1 up to a position in which the outer circumferential portion 26 engages a circumferential edge portion 2 b of the surface ( lower surface in fig1 ) on the side of the main liquid chamber 7 of the vibration isolating base member 2 . in addition , the outer circumferential edge portion 27 of the partition receiving plate 17 , the first diaphragm 4 having the reinforcing member 41 , and opened edge portion 51 of the second metal fixing member 5 are swaged together using the lower end portion 1 a of the main metal member 1 . in the case of the illustrated embodiment , a larger diameter portion of the vibration isolating base member 2 has , at a part of a circumferential section thereof , a projection 2 c reinforced with a part of the main metal member 1 . a stabilizer 29 , fixed to the first metal fixing member 3 with a common tightening member , is disposed so as to extend near upper and lower surfaces of the projection 2 c , and function as a stopper for restricting excessive vertical displacement of the projection 2 c . in order to assemble the liquid sealed type vibration isolator a constructed as described above , the metal collar 20 is press fitted into the press fitting groove 15 b first , in the recess 15 a in the upper surface of the main partition member 15 while in air , whereby the second diaphragm 11 is fixed so as to form the change - over chamber 12 between the second diaphragm 11 and main partition member 15 . the partition plate member 16 is press fitted in an engaged state at the outer circumferential portion 26 thereof around the outer circumference of the flange - shaped portion 18 of the main partition member 15 , and swaged thereto by a swaging member provided at the circumferential end section 26 a of the outer circumferential portion 26 . thus , the circumferential edge portion of the second diaphragm 11 is pressed by the projection 16 a of the partition plate member 16 , and the second auxiliary liquid chamber 9 and second orifice 14 are formed . the partition receiving plate 17 is fixed firmly at the press fitting portion in the central portion thereof to a lower side portion of the main partition member 15 which is on the side of the first auxiliary liquid chamber 8 , whereby the partition 10 is tentatively assembled as shown in fig4 . during this time , the parts can be positioned as the positions of the orifice - forming openings and communication ports are ascertained visually with ease , and the tentative combining of the parts can be done reliably and easily without the parts being misplaced . next , the partition 10 assembled tentatively as described above is press fitted and combined in a liquid tank into and with the main metal member 1 , which is vulcanization bonded to the vibration isolating base member 2 into a unitary body , as the air is discharged . during this time , the outer circumferential portion 26 of the partition plate member 16 is press fitted firmly and liquid - tightly in the inner circumference of the main metal member 1 via the seal rubber layer 2 a up to the position in which the outer circumferential portion 26 engages the circumferential edge portion 2 b of the main liquid chamber - side surface ( lower surface in the drawings ) of the vibration isolating base member 2 . after the air is extracted , the outer circumferential edge portion 27 of the partition receiving plate 17 , a portion of the first diaphragm 4 including the reinforcing member 41 , and the opened edge portion 51 of the second metal fixing member 5 are clamped together by swaging the lower end portion 1 a of the main metal member 1 . a liquid entering the change - over chamber 12 is discharged by taking out the same from the liquid tank . a rubber plug is inserted into the communication passage 21 before the assembling of the vibration isolator so the change - over chamber 12 may be used by removing the rubber plug after the liquid is taken out from the liquid tank . accordingly , the switchably controlled liquid sealed type vibration isolator a of fig1 is assembled easily and is formed so that a movement of the second diaphragm 11 on the side of the second auxiliary chamber 9 can be switchably controlled to a moving condition and a non - moving condition by a switching regulating operation introducing a negative pressure and an atmospheric pressure into the change - over chamber 12 , which is provided along with the main liquid chamber 7 , first and second auxiliary liquid chambers 8 , 9 , first and second orifices 13 , 14 , and first and second diaphragms 4 , 11 , and which is adjacent to the second auxiliary liquid chamber 9 joined to the second orifice 11 of a lower liquid passage resistance . in the vibration isolator thus assembled , the partition plate member 16 which presses the second diaphragm 11 to form the second auxiliary liquid chamber 9 and second orifice 14 is fitted firmly in an engaged state around the outer circumference of the main partition member 15 by a swaging device for the same outer circumference . therefore , the main partition member 15 and partition plate member 16 are combined together thus preventing their being separated from each other , and the second diaphragm 11 is retained in a pressed state reliably . accordingly , even when the fluctuation of the liquid pressure ascribed to the vibration of the vibration isolating base member 2 , and permanent set in fatigue of parts due to heat occur , there is not the possibility that the deficiency of the sealability of parts and the short - circuiting of orifices occur . when the partition plate member 16 is swaged to the main partition member 15 as mentioned above , the circumferential edge portion of the second diaphragm 11 can be held in a clamped state between the projection 16 a and the main partition member 15 . therefore , as shown in , for example , fig5 this vibration isolator can also be practiced by clamping the circumferential edge portion of the second diaphragm 11 by the projection 16 a and main partition member 15 with the metal collar 20 of the second diaphragm 11 omitted . as described above , in the switchably controlled liquid sealed type vibration isolator according to the present invention , the inner partition dividing the inner chamber into the main liquid chamber 7 and two auxiliary liquid chambers 8 , 9 , is formed so that the partition 10 can be assembled initially in the air . this enables the plural constituent parts to be combined together reliably and easily without the parts being mislocated . furthermore , relative displacement of the constituent parts in a vehicle - mounted state due to the variation thereof and the lapse of time is reduced , and the sealed condition of the parts is maintained in excellent condition , and contributes to the improvement of the durability of the vibration isolator . | 5 |
at its broadest level , and as generally depicted in fig1 - 5 , and with particular reference to illustrative fig4 , the present invention is directed to a standing wheelchair 2 that comprises : chassis 4 having a front portion 80 , a rear portion 81 , a left portion 82 , a right portion 83 , a center portion 84 , a top portion 85 , and a bottom portion 86 ; a lower extremity support structure 14 affixed in a substantially vertical fashion at the front portion of chassis 4 ; frontal directional support wheels 20 movably affixed ( and rotably affixed through use of caster - type wheels in one embodiment ) at a bottom of the lower extremity support structure ; convertible user support section 11 affixed to the top portion of chassis 4 with an optional support bracket 38 , wherein . convertible user support section 11 comprises at least seat support section 13 and back support section 10 , such that seat support section 13 and back support section 10 are hingably connected together at 15 ; adjustment actuator 30 for raising and lowering convertible user support section 11 between a seated position and a standing position and any intermediate positions therebetween , wherein , in one embodiment , adjustment actuator 30 has a bottom end and atop end , and is hingably affixed at its bottom end to the top portion of chassis 4 , and is hingably affixed at its top end to convertible user support section 11 ; user propulsion wheel support structure 8 ( also termed a “ bracket ” herein ) affixed to convertible user support section 11 ; drive system 50 having a matching left side drive system and a matching right side drive system , the left side drive system being functionally situated on the left side of chassis 4 and aright side drive system being functionally situated on the right side of chassis 4 ; wherein the left side drive system and the matching right side drive system each have a corresponding multiplicity of wheels comprising at least a ground drive wheel 16 with a concentrically mounted ground drive drum 42 therewith , the ground drive wheel being rotably affixed to chassis 4 , and user propulsion wheel 6 with a concentrically mounted propulsion drum 40 therewith , user propulsion wheel 6 being rotably affixed , in one embodiment , to propulsion wheel support structure 8 ; the lefi side drive system and the matching right side drive system of the drive system each further having a corresponding a drive linkage system 52 having at least one independent intermediate drum 36 ( or alternatively , a second intermediate drum 37 where two intermediate drums are utilized ) for providing a rotable hub ( s ) between concentrically mounted ground drive drum 42 of ground drive wheel 16 and concentrically mounted propulsion drum 40 of user propulsion wheel 6 , and links 51 , 54 for connecting the aforementioned multiplicity of wheels of the wheel system via the at least one independent intermediate drum 36 , 37 together in a cooperative drive fashion ; wherein the drive system is configured so that user propulsion wheel 6 is maintained in a position so as to be a relatively constant access position for a user when propelling wheelchair 2 ; and a bi - directional fixed hub system 60 ( having a bi - directional , multi - gear hub 62 and switching means 64 , not explicitly depicted in fig1 - 5 , concentrically mounted on propulsion drum 40 , for engaging the drive system 50 at one of several predetermined gear ratios , the bi - directional fixed hub system having a user switching means for transitioning between several predetermined gear ratios . in one embodiment , the independent intermediate drum comprises two independent intermediate drums , which may be chosen from the group comprising toothed sprockets . toothed pulleys , flat pulleys , grooved pulleys , flanged pulleys or crowned pulleys , while the links for connecting the multiplicity of wheels via the at least one independent intermediate drum together in a cooperative drive fashion are chosen from the group comprising chains , smooth sheaved belts , or toothed belts . thus , as seen in the above - mentioned figures , as well as in figures described hereafter , are each of the above components which are discussed in greater detail below . a central part of the present invention is wheelchair frame or chassis 4 , and situated on the chassis is convertible user support section system 11 that allows wheelchair 2 to easily transition between seated and standing positions , as well as positions between each of those terminal positions , known herein as “ a transition ”. as seen in fig6 a - 6c and in the figures described hereafter , the trunk and the lower part of the legs ( shanks or lower extremities ) of a user can maintain roughly the same orientation with respect to each other , as the chair transitions between the seated and standing positions . during any transition , the upper part of the legs ( thighs ) of the user rotate while staying connected to the user &# 39 ; s trunk and lower legs through the user &# 39 ; s hip and knee joints , respectively , the aforementioned user body portions being supported by convertible user support section 11 of the inventive standing wheelchair . to this end , convertible user support section llcomprises seat back or back support section 10 ( which supports the trunk of a user ), a seat bottom or seat support section 13 ( which supports the buttocks and thighs of a user ), and leg rests or lower extremity support structure 14 ( supporting the shanks or lower extremities of a user ), each of which is hingably connected in turn through each other by use of simple hinge joints 15 . furthermore , as generally illustratively seen in fig6 a - 6c and elsewhere , with additional illustrative specific reference to fig5 a four segment linkage system may also be provided wherein lower extremity support section 14 , seat support section 13 , and back support section 10 , each of which may be termed a segment linkage , or alternatively , a linkage bar , given . that in one embodiment , each may each be provided with linkage bars at the side edges of - the platform surface of each , so as to interface ( e . g ., hingably connect ) with each other proximally at hinges 15 , and so as to extend in a distal fashion in order to provide the support for the overall framework of the respective platforms in each given segment . further included in the four segment linkage system is an anti - rotation link 12 which may be thought of as a supplemental linkage bar that can be connected between lower extremity support section 14 and back support section 10 so as to create a linkage with each of the aforementioned linkage bars , such that back support section 10 and seat support section 13 members will translate , but not rotate , with respect to one another during a transition . . in order to provide this anti - rotation feature , anti - rotation link 12 should be chosen to be approximately equal in length to the linkage bar of seat support section 13 and is arranged in parallel with the linkage bar of seat support section 13 , along a respective long axis of each . also , optional provision may be made for lower extremity support structure 14 to further include at least one securing bracket 90 for securement of lower extremities ( of a user ) back against the lower extremity support structure , wherein the securing bracket 90 for securement of lower extremities is affixed to lower extremity support structure 14 and may further include two curved inward facing cushion pieces or the like for the further securement of the lower extremities of a user during a transition , the occupant is therefore secured to standing wheelchair 2 at least at the lower extremities and optionally , higher up by use of a securing feature ( not depicted ) in order to prevent falling out of the chair while standing , and so as to assist in maintaining correct posture in the standing position . in order to assist in any transition , or more specifically , the transition between a seated position and a standing position , and back thereto , a lift assistance mechanism or adjustment actuator 30 may be employed on the convertible user support section . adjustment actuator 30 may take many different forms , but in one illustrative embodiment , may comprise the use of devices such as commercially available gas springs that can be readily employed to assist in the transition between the seated and standing positions , and virtually any position therebetween . as seen in fig7 a - 7c , one illustrative embodiment may be provided for use of a position changing handle 24 to engage the actuation of adjustment actuator 30 so as to allow the transition of the inventive system , as well as for holding convertible user support section 11 in a particular position , and further to this point , pin 26 or the like may optionally be provided for arresting the same more securely . in one advanced illustrative embodiment , provision may even be made for use of a remote release gas spring that allows the transition of the inventive system to be held in a particular position using a remote release mechanism ( not depicted ), but which may be described as a remote release gas springs with a ball joint fitting as known in the art of gas springs . to this end , adjustment actuator 30 has a bottom end and a top end , and may be hingably affixed at the bottom end , to the top portion of wheelchair chassis 4 , and can be hingably affixed at the top end , to convertible user support section 11 , more preferably hingably affixed at seat support section 13 , as illustratively shown in fig7 a - 7c , or alternatively , may be affixed elsewhere between hinges 15 of the four bar linkage system ( not depicted ). as can be appreciated , alternative variants of actuator adjustment 30 may be provided for , such as through flexible portions or springs , etc ., as generally shown in fig1 a - 11c . to this end , adjustment actuator 30 may , in one alternative embodiment , also involve the use rotating pulley wheels that connect to bracket 8 under the linkage bars of seat support section 13 through a center of each linkage bar , and which connect to the illustrative gas springs on their outer rims , as seen in fig7 d . provision of such pulleys may be useful in that rotation of these pulleys can change the effective moment arm of the gas springs , thereby making them more effective for lifting the body of a user into the standing position . typically , such pulleys will have mechanical limits allowing a range of motion of about 30 degrees . at one of these limits , the gas springs can connect to the bottom of the pulley , providing a negligible moment arm with respect to seat support section 13 / lower extremity support structure 14 pivot joint ( s ) 15 . as the pulley is rotated forward , the end of the gas spring will rotate backward and upward , creating a larger moment arm with respect to seat support section 13 / lower extremity support structure 14 pivot joint ( s ) 15 . increasing the moment arm of the gas spring will cause the transition to the standing position . rotation of the pulleys is accomplished through a rotation switch 100 , which initiates rotation of the pulleys through known pulley initiators , such as movement of a lever , or from rotation of the push rims of propulsion wheel 6 . in some applications , it may be preferable to provide for the use the push rims of the wheelchair for this task , but such provision will require the use of a standard clutch mechanism ( not depicted ) to switch power from the push rims of propulsion wheel 6 between the raise pulleys and the drive mechanism . a significant feature of the inventive mobile manual standing wheelchair 2 is the fact that , in addition to being movable in the standing position , it can also offer the distinct advantage of permitting user 3 to propel wheelchair 2 manually through standard pushing of the rim ( s ) of user propulsion wheel ( s ) 6 , this not only offers the benefit of allowing the user to propel wheelchair 2 by pushing the rims of the main wheels ( e . g ., user propulsion wheels 6 ) in a way in which they are accustomed to already , hut the invention features drive system 50 wherein user propulsion wheels 6 can be used to move wheelchair 2 in either seated or standing positions at approximately the same user arm reach and arm positioning along a radius 7 as seen in fig8 a - 8c . in order to provide this , fig1 - 5 and , with specific reference now to fig4 showing that drive system 50 provides for the user propulsion wheels 6 to be rotably affixed to user propulsion wheel support structure 8 , which is in turn affixed to convertible user support section 11 , and for ground drive wheels 16 to be functionally connected to user propulsion wheel 6 through a system of cooperatively engaged pulley drums ( which include independent intermediate drums 36 , 37 , as well as cooperating concentrically mounted ground drive drum 42 and concentrically mounted propulsion drum 40 ) and links or belts 51 , 54 , 56 ( also termed links for connecting multiplicity of wheels 16 ) so that user propulsion wheel 6 can maintain the aforementioned constant user arm reach and length positioning , regardless of the particular transition or position of convertible user support section 11 . to this end , the inventive drive system has a matching left side drive system and a matching right side drive system ( not specifically depicted ), with the left side drive system being functionally situated on the left side of the chassis , and the right side drive system being functionally situated . on the right side of chassis 4 . the left side drive system and the matching right side drive system each have on their respective sides , a corresponding multiplicity of wheels comprising at least : ( i ) ground drive wheel 16 with concentrically mounted ground drive drum 42 therewith , wherein ground drive wheel 16 is rotably affixed to chassis 4 ; ( ii ) and user propulsion wheel 6 with a concentrically mounted propulsion drum 40 therewith , whereby propulsion wheel 6 is rotably affixed to user propulsion wheel support structure 8 . the left side drive system and the matching right side drive system of the drive system each also have a corresponding drive linkage system 52 for operatively connecting ground drive wheel 16 with user propulsion wheel 6 . in doing so , the drive linkage system 52 on each side has at least one independent intermediate drum 36 , 37 for providing a rotable hub between concentrically mounted ground drive drum 42 of ground drive wheel 16 and concentrically mounted propulsion drum 40 of the user propulsion wheel 6 . links or belts 51 , 54 , 56 are provided connecting , in a cooperative drive fashion , between the multiplicity of wheels ( e . g ., ground drive wheel 16 and the user propulsion wheel 6 ) via at least one independent intermediate drum 36 , 37 . independent intermediate drum ( s ) 36 , 37 is a ( are ) drum ( s ) that is ( are ) “ independent ” of concentric affixment to ground drive wheel 16 and user propulsion wheel 6 , but which act interconnectedly therewith as a pulley wheel ( e . g ., when belts are used ) or sprocket ( e . g ., when chains are used ), and therefore provides for the directional transfer of the angular moment of power from the user pushing the rims of user propulsion wheel 6 to ground drive wheel 16 , regardless of the exact location of user propulsion wheel 6 in relation to ground drive wheel 16 that may result from any given transition of convertible user support section 11 . in one embodiment with one independent intermediate drum 36 , the independent intermediate drum is affixed to anti - rotation link 12 , as illustratively depicted generally fig1 a - 10c . however , it is noted that , in one embodiment , provision of two independent intermediate drums 36 , 37 between ground drive wheel 16 and user propulsion wheel 6 offer far more transition possibilities , namely virtually unlimited intermediate positions between the standing and seated positions , especially when user propulsion wheel 6 is rotably affixed to user propulsion wheel support structure 8 , as illustratively seen in fig1 a and 11c . in such a case , a first , or lower independent intermediate drum 36 is provided , and may be rotably affixed in proximity to hinge 15 connecting seat support section 13 and the lower extremity support section 14 , and in one embodiment , will be affixed specifically to a first end of anti rotation link 12 , near hinge 15 , as seen , for example , in fig4 and 11c . conversely , a second or upper independent intermediate drum 37 is provided , and may be rotably affixed in proximity to hinge 15 connecting seat support section 13 and back support section 10 , and in one embodiment , will be affixed specifically to a second end of anti rotation link 12 , near hinge 15 , or elsewhere closer to any separate hinges on anti rotation link 12 , as depicted in fig9 a . the above referenced components of the drive system are respectively connected together by chains or belts , as depicted in the above - referenced figures . in one embodiment , a belt drive system may be employed instead of a chain drive system , in order to reduce the noise inherent in metallic chain based systems . in such a case , the sheave of belts 51 , 54 , 56 may be smooth ( devoid of discrete interlocking members as would commonly be found on systems involving a chain sprocket , spur gear , or timing belt ), or may be fixed by the ratio of teeth on a drum or pulley , as with gears or sprocket based systems . in this embodiment , three bells or chains 51 , 54 , 56 will be used ( per side ) with two single - strand sprockets or drums 40 , 42 and two double - strand sprockets or drums ( independent intermediate drums 36 , 37 ) as depicted illustratively in fig4 and elsewhere . the first belt 56 will connect a single strand sprocket or drum ( concentrically mounted propulsion drum 40 ) on user propulsion wheel 6 to a doublestrand sprocket ( independent intermediate drum 37 ) located , in some cases , proximate to anti rotation link 12 . a second belt 54 will go between two doable - strand sprockets or drums ( independent intermediate drums 36 , 37 ) such that , in one embodiment , the two double - strand sprockets or drums ( independent intermediate drums 36 , 37 ) may respectively be situated on or proximate to the two ( pivot ) ends of anti - rotation link 12 . lastly , a third belt 51 will go between the double - strand sprocket or drum ( independent intermediate drum 36 ) and a single - strand sprocket or drum ( concentrically mounted ground drive drum 42 ) mounted on ground drive wheel 16 of wheelchair 2 . figures depicted herein of the three chain or belt system generally show the structure and operation for one side of the wheelchair . however , both sides of the wheelchair will nonetheless have the same three ( or in some embodiments , two ) belt system for independent control of a respective ground drive wheel 16 by the respective user propulsion wheel 6 , thereby allowing full independent movement of the each left and right side , so that the user can rotate ( e . g ., turn ) in the same manner as with a standard wheelchair . in either case , the challenge of connecting the user propulsion wheels with the ground drive wheels , whether via a chain or belt , is the change in distance between their respective axles ( not depicted ) as the wheelchair transitions from the seated to the standing positions , this change in distance , may in one embodiment , be managed with an appropriately positioned idler sprocket or pulley ( as shown in the above referenced figures , and as structurally provided for in the manner discussed above ) and / or by using a moving “ elbow ” type system depicted in , for example , fig4 . in such a case , the elbow system will be a generally doglegged , pivoting bracket that is affixed to the structure of wheelchair 2 and will generally not protrude in a posterior direction from the chair , thereby providing the advantage of reduced structural interference when the user maneuvers around neighboring objects in his environment . provision of all of the above ensures that drive system 50 is configured so that user propulsion wheel 6 is maintained in a position so as to be a relatively constant access position to a user , thereby avoiding any real change in the distance between the shoulders of the user and the rims and / or axle of user propulsion wheel 6 . this is deemed important in actual use , as changing the distance between the shoulders of the user and the rims or axle of user propulsion wheel 6 is undesirable because the user &# 39 ; s shoulders are largely important for wheelchair ambulation , and accordingly , changing this distance may reduce the effectiveness of the user &# 39 ; s shoulders in applying appropriate forces to the push rim for propulsion and braking purposes . further to this point , the user propulsion wheel is therefore , as discussed above , affixed to user propulsion wheel support structure 8 , which is in turn affixed to the upper or back end of seat support structure 13 , so that the torso of a user is closely aligned with user propulsion wheel support structure 8 whether in seated or standing positions ( or therebetween ), thereby ensuring that the distance from the shoulders to the axle or rim of user propulsion wheel 6 is more consistent in all positions , as seen in fig8 a - 8c , which depicts the theoretical radius of movement of the axle of user propulsion wheel 6 about joint 15 which is located between lower extremity support section 14 and seat support section 13 . thus , each given user propulsion wheel 6 ( and the rims associated therewith ) are maintained in a position so as to be a relatively constant access position for the user to push or propel user propulsion wheel 6 . depending on whether the user is traversing an incline , decline , or an unconventional surface , inventive standing wheelchair 2 . provides for a gearing system 60 that allows the user to change the gain between the push rims and drive wheels in order to help offset for factors such as incline , added weight , or terrain . although such gearing could relate to a derailleur system similar to those used on many bicycles , such bicycle gearing mechanisms are designed to transfer torque in one direction only , for example , systems with hubs that “ freewheel ” when driven in the reverse direction . it is noted that this behavior is not necessarily optimal for a wheelchair because the push rims typically control the wheels in forward and reverse directions , and a “ free wheel ” system would eliminate the possibility of backwards movement . similarly , other types of bicycle hubs , such as true “ fixed - gear ” hubs provide a more direct connection between the bicycle crank and the drive wheel ( thereby removing “ free - wheel ” or “ coasting ” behaviors ), and remove the need for brakes on bicycles , given that the drive wheel can be decelerated by using the lower limbs to resist movement of the crank or propulsion means . however , the rearward or backwards movement is necessarily prevented by the inclusion of this gearing system , too , given that reversing the bicycle crank direction backwards performs a braking effect or other effect that does not permit multi - gear ration propulsion . to this end , a unique bi - directional fixed hub 62 system is provided for in the present invention , which permits the user to push the rims of user propulsion wheel 6 in either a forward or backwards direction in order to achieve respectively , a forwards or backwards propulsion in one of several gear ratios . this hub , can be concentrically mounted ( not specifically depicted ) on the axle of at least one user propulsion wheel 6 for engaging the drive wheel system at one of several ( or as depicted , three ) predetermined gear ratios . the bidirectional fixed hub system may further have a user switching means 64 , such as a small lever 100 as illustratively shown in fig4 , for transitioning between said one of several predetermined gear ratios . such a system may be selected from the recent advances in bi - directional fixed . hub , three - gear systems for bicycles , such as those available from sturmey - archer of napa , ca , sold under the name s3x ™. such a hub is , in one embodiment , an internal gear hub , meaning the gearing is internal and protected from many environmental elements . in one embodiment , two bi - directional multiple ( 3 - speed ) fixed - gear internal hubs are provided , one on each side , concentrically mounted on the user propulsion wheel , and will have sprocket sizes that provide an appropriate gearing for say slow , normal , and fast ( backwards and forwards ) propulsion of wheelchair 2 in seated and / or standing positions , both hubs being further simultaneously controlled by one switching means in an illustrative embodiment . in implementing this system in the context of the present invention , it is noted that for the standing position , one embodiment may include the option for blocking the fast propulsion speed for safety reasons . in either case , the aforementioned approach should allow the user to move forward , backward , to the side ( turning ), and to stop , using the push rims of user propulsion wheel 6 in the same manner as a standard wheelchair . separately , it is further noted that provision may also be made for brakes on the wheelchair which involves levers attached to the frame that push into one or more of the multiplicity of wheels , as such , in one embodiment , connection may be made for brakes on the back support section that will interact with the push rims of user propulsion wheel 6 , or alternatively provision maybe made for incorporating the brakes within the transition system as known in the art of bicycle braking , which could mechanically brake drum 50 to the user propulsion wheel support structure 8 , or which could effectuate braking between user propulsion wheel 6 and user propulsion wheel support structure 8 . intermediate drums 36 or 37 could alternatively have braking mechanisms built - in that could be remotely activated . with such remote activation , drum 42 could also contain the brakes which , in some embodiments may be preferred because wheelchair could still be stopped or held in place with the brakes in case of belt or chain failure due to slippage or breakage . in an optional embodiment of the present invention , as soon as a transition is made from a seated position to an elevated position , a spring - loaded mechanism may be provided that deploys a pair of anti - tip wheels , not depicted herein , but described in u . s . pat . nos . 7 , 165 , 778 , 7 , 784 , 815 , each of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety . the anti - tip wheels extend the wheelbase of wheelchair 2 , providing a more stable platform for safe operation of wheelchair 2 on smooth , level surfaces . with the pair of anti - tip wheels deployed , wheelchair 2 has six wheels in contact with the ground : a pair of ground drive wheels 16 , a pair of front directional wheels 20 , and the pair of anti - tip wheels . advantageously , this plurality of wheels also can , in one embodiment , be modified so as to limit the operation of the wheelchair on extreme inclines or very rough terrain , where use of wheelchair 2 may be dangerous for an occupant . in any case , when convertible user support section system 11 is fully raised , the occupant is pulled up and backwards towards the now - elevated convertible user support section system 11 . this transition means that the erect , standing position of user 3 and convertible user support section system 11 may accordingly raise up the overall center of gravity of wheelchair 2 . however , standing wheelchair 2 features already features a relatively low center of gravity , but when combined with anti - tip wheels , it is nevertheless possible to move or propel . wheelchair 2 in the standing position in an improved fashion on moderately inclined and / or rough surfaces . by way of yet another embodiment , it is noted that as depicted in fig1 a - 10c and fig1 a - 11c , that the present invention can be modified such that the center of gravity and the locus of the ground drive force can be expressed through an alternate positioning of ground drive wheels 16 towards the center portion 84 , rather than rear portion 81 , of wheel chair 2 . when provisioned as such , ground drive wheels 16 may be rotably affixed towards the ( respective ) side ( s ) ( e . g ., left portion 82 , a right portion 83 ) and center portion 84 of chassis 4 , instead of the side of the rear part of chassis 4 , as previously discussed . this positioning may offer different stability and drive traction options , especially when provided with an optional set of stabilizing rear wheels that are similar , but structurally opposite of directional wheels 20 . the invention being thus described , it will be evident 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 are intended to be included within the scope of the claims . | 0 |
the system provides a simple , lightweight , and high performance way to share a user interface surface among multiple users through multiple sources . in one implementation , the system employs client - server architecture that includes ruby on rails ® on the server - side and microsoft . net libraries to deploy client - side applications running on windows platforms , including windows xp and vista . the system may employ alternative technologies such as asp . net and server - side java to create web services , and / or server - side frameworks such as django ® and lift ®. in one implementation , the client - side applications ( e . g ., web page showing a rss feed running on a mobile device ) may be written using java , c ++, and / or any other client - side technology . in one implementation , the system resembles a drawing program and / or a digital whiteboard that produces a semi - structured document ( e . g ., canvas ) similar in appearance to a microsoft onenote page . the system may employ the representation state transfer ( rest ) software application architecture that is modeled after the way data is represented , accessed and modified on the web . the system considers data and functionality to be resources that are accessible using uniform resource identifiers ( uris ) ( e . g ., links on the internet ). the system employs restful web services that use a standardized interface ( e . g ., xml files ) and stateless communication protocol ( e . g ., http ) to exchange representations of resources between clients and servers . local canvases and local canvas shared surface object representations may correspond to client - side resources , while group canvases and group canvas shared surface object representations correspond to server - side resources . a local canvas may display the local canvas state of a shared surface object , communicate local canvas user interactions to the system , poll the system for the group canvas state of the shared surface object , and fetch and update the local canvas with the group canvas state of the shared surface object . a local canvas may be used as a standalone executable program and / or as a rich internet application . a local canvas may be maintained continuously , minimized and left running in the background . drawing and sketching capabilities using a local canvas may be supported by the addition of a stylus on a tablet pc and / or with outboard tablet hardware . in one implementation , the system comprises web applications that expose resources ( e . g ., data and functionality ) through web uris and use http methods ( e . g ., get , post , put and delete ) to create , retrieve , update and delete resources . the function calls may be in the form of http :// servername / admin / functionname . in one implementation , the method calls used by the system include credentials in the http header that are authenticated against an extended security option ( eso ) web service . the http get method may use the local canvas identifier to request a resource . http get with specially formatted url may return a list of shared surface objects in the local canvas identified by the local canvas identifier and information about the shared surface object , including : the shared surface object identifier and the group canvas shared surface object version . the http post method call may create a resource , including images , drawings , and other binary - based content . the http post method call may include a field encoded into a text format compatible with url encoding and storage in a database ( e . g ., mysql database and / or other databases compatible with ruby on rails ®). the http put method call modifies a resource identified by a local canvas identifier . a local canvas may compare the local canvas shared surface object version to the group canvas shared surface object version to determine whether to update the local canvas shared surface object representation with the group canvas shared surface object representation . in one implementation , in the event a local canvas communicates a non - universally unique local canvas identifier , shared surface object identifier , group canvas shared surface object version and / or local canvas shared surface object version to the system , the system returns an ‘ unknown / undefined ’ value as a consequence . multiple simultaneous local canvas user interactions may occur corresponding to different local canvases , referred to as the collision scenario . in one implementation , the system determines whether an update of a local canvas shared surface object representation is “ stale ”. the system may consider an attempt to update a local canvas shared surface object representation that does not correspond to the group canvas shared surface object version to be stale . in other words , a local canvas shared surface object version that is earlier than a corresponding group canvas shared surface object version is considered stale . for example , a first user and a second user , through different local canvases corresponding to a common group canvas , simultaneously perform local canvas user interactions , a first local canvas user interaction and a second local canvas user interaction , respectively . the system determines the first local canvas user interaction to be received first and accepted , the group canvas shared surface object version is updated , the group canvas shared surface object representation is updated with the first local canvas shared surface object representation . the system determines the second canvas user interaction to be received second and declared stale . the second local canvas user interaction may be discarded . in one implementation , the second local canvas user interaction is stored for use by the second user . the second local canvas may discover the collision by polling the system for the state of the local canvas shared surface object representation and determine that the local canvas shared surface object representation is stale . for example , the second local canvas may compare the local canvas shared surface object version and group canvas shared surface object version , and determine that the group canvas shared surface object version is more recent . the second local canvas may fetch the group canvas shared surface object representation to update the local canvas shared surface object representation and local canvas shared surface object version . when a shared surface object is added to a local canvas ( e . g ., a user adds a file and / or other content to the local canvas ) the local canvas shared surface object representation of the local canvas shared surface object may be displayed directly in the local canvas ( e . g ., text or images ). a service provider responsive to the local canvas shared surface object may be employed to present the local canvas shared surface object representation of the local canvas shared surface object in the local canvas . for example , the shared surface object may be an audio clip and when the shared surface object is added to the local canvas an audio player and / or editor ( e . g ., service provider ) is enlisted to present the local canvas shared surface object representation in the local canvas . in the event the local canvas cannot display the local canvas shared surface object representation ( e . g ., a service provide is unavailable to the local canvas to present the local canvas shared surface object representation ), the local canvas shared surface object may be represented in the local canvas as a stub ( e . g ., a hyperlink reference to the local canvas shared surface object . a local canvas shared surface object corresponding to a stub may be stored in a shared documents folder of the local canvas user ( e . g ., sharepoint site ) and the stub points to location of the local canvas shared surface object in the shared documents folder . when group canvas users select the stub in the respective local canvases , the local canvas shared surface object loads directly from the shared documents folder . fig1 illustrates a shared user interface surface system architecture ( hereinafter “ architecture ”) 100 . the architecture 100 includes the shared user interface surface system ( hereinafter the “ system ”) 102 , multiple users 104 , a shared surface object repository 106 , service providers 108 , graphical displays 110 , and non - display peripherals 112 . the components of the system architecture 100 may communicate with each other through networks 114 ( e . g ., the internet ). the system 102 may generate group canvases ( e . g ., a first group canvas 116 , a second group canvas 118 and third group canvas 120 ). a group canvas ( e . g ., 116 , 118 and 120 ) represents a shared representation of a shared surface corresponding to a local representation of the shared surface represented by a local canvas ( e . g ., first local canvas 122 , a second local canvas 124 and a third local canvas 126 ). in other words , the multiple users 104 access local representations of a shared surface through local canvases , while a group representation represents a synchronized version of the shared surface and corresponds to a group canvas . from time to time local canvases may include user interactions from the multiple users 104 that have not been synchronized , and differences between local canvases and corresponding group canvas reflect such user interactions . the non - display peripherals 112 may include various non - visual communication devices , including : speakers ; microphones ; touch pads ; and malleable surfaces ( e . g ., used for brail or to replicate terrain ). the non - display peripherals 112 may utilize the microsoft accessibility layer functionality and augment and / or substitute for the capabilities provided by the graphical displays 110 . in one implementation , the system 102 employs the service providers 108 and non - display peripherals 112 to provide non - visual representations of local canvases and local canvas shared surface object representations , and allow users to non - visually manipulate the local canvases and local canvas shared surface object representations . for example , a user may communicate audio commands through a microphone ( non - display peripheral 112 ) to manipulate a local canvas and / or local canvas shared surface object representation . fig1 illustrates a local canvas comprising multiple local canvas shared surface object representations 1100 . local canvas shared surface object representations ( e . g ., 1102 , 1104 , 1106 , 1108 , 1110 , 1112 , 1114 and 1116 ) may vary in size and content , and comprise any number of unique characteristics . a local canvas may comprise a local canvas side - bar 1118 that includes local canvas tools 1120 . inactive local canvas shared surface object representations and icons and / or avatars of group canvas users ( e . g ., a buddy list ) may be positioned in the local canvas side - bar 1118 . a user may create in a first local canvas a short - cut to a second local canvas so that the user can quickly move between canvases . in one implementation , the system 102 generates a number of persistent group canvases ( e . g ., 100 , 000 group canvases ) the number of which an administrator may pre - configure and periodically generate as needed . a user may browse the group canvases and select a particular group canvas to use . a user may use the local canvas tools 1120 to invoke a ‘ get next available canvas ’ selection that locates an unused group canvas . fig2 illustrates a detailed embodiment 200 of the shared user interface surface system 102 . the system 102 includes a communications interface 202 that the system 102 uses to communicate with the various components through the networks 114 , a processor 204 and a memory 206 . the memory 206 may includes shared surface logic 208 , interaction detection logic 210 and service provider logic 212 . in one implementation , the shared surface logic 208 , interaction detection logic 210 and service provider logic 212 correspond to web services that exchange representations of shared surface object representations between local canvases and group canvases . the shared surface logic 208 may generate local canvases ( e . g ., 122 , 124 and 126 ) responsive to user interactions from the multiple users 104 . a local canvas comprises local canvas boundaries ( e . g ., first lc boundaries 214 ) that define the dimensions of the local canvas and a local canvas identifier ( e . g ., first lc identifier 216 ) that uniquely identifies the local canvas . a local canvas identifier 216 corresponds to a graphical display area 218 identified by a graphical display identifier 220 . the shared surface logic 208 may generate group canvases ( e . g ., 116 , 118 and 120 ). a group canvas ( e . g ., 116 , 118 and 120 ) represents a shared representation of a shared surface . a group canvas ( e . g ., 116 , 118 and 120 ) includes a group canvas identifier ( e . g ., first gc identifier 222 ), and group canvas boundaries ( e . g ., first gc boundaries 224 ) that define the dimensions of the group canvas . a local canvas may correspond to more than one group canvas . for example , the shared surface logic 208 may generate the first group canvas 116 and the second group canvas 118 corresponding to a first and a second set of local canvases , respectively , from the local canvases ( e . g ., 122 , 124 and 126 ) so that the first set of local canvases include 122 and 124 and correspond to the first group canvas 116 , while the second set of local canvases include 122 and 126 and correspond to the second group canvas . in the aforementioned example , the first local canvas 122 corresponds to two group canvases ( e . g ., 116 and 118 ). a first local canvas 122 and a second local canvas 124 that comprise first local canvas boundaries and second local canvas boundaries ( e . g . 214 ), respectively , where at least a portion of the first local canvas boundaries and second local canvas boundaries are common to both the first local canvas and the second local canvas may define a group canvas ( e . g ., 116 ) comprising group canvas boundaries ( e . g ., 224 ) corresponding to the portion of the first local canvas boundaries and the second local canvas boundaries that are common to both local canvases . a first local canvas 122 and second local canvas 124 that comprise first local canvas boundaries and second local canvas boundaries where the first local canvas boundaries are within the second local canvas boundaries may define a group canvas comprising group canvas boundaries corresponding to the first local canvas boundaries . a local canvas may comprise local canvas boundaries where at least two different portions of the local canvas boundaries correspond to two different group canvases . a first group canvas 116 and second group canvas 118 may comprise first group canvas boundaries and second group canvas boundaries where the first group canvas boundaries and the second group canvas boundaries define a third group canvas 120 where the first group canvas boundaries and the second group canvas boundaries are within the third group canvas boundaries . the local canvases ( e . g ., 122 , 124 and 126 ) and group canvases may each include a user interaction ( ui ) mode specifier ( e . g ., first lc ui mode 226 and first gc ui mode 228 , respectively ) that specifies the types of interactions to which the corresponding local and group canvases may be responsive . the local canvas ui mode ( e . g ., first lc ui mode 226 ) may be user configurable ( discussed further below ). the group canvas ui mode ( e . g ., first gc ui mode 228 ) may be configurable by an administrator , the 102 system , and / or at least one of the multiple users 104 designated with the authorization to set the group canvas ui mode ( discussed further below ). the system 102 includes a group canvas user status 260 and group canvas user identifier 262 for each group canvas to which each of the multiple users 104 correspond . the group canvas user status 260 indicates the state of a user of a local canvas corresponding to a group canvas . for example , the group canvas user status 260 indicates whether a user is currently interacting with a corresponding local canvas , whether the user is available to interact with the local canvas , and whether the user has recently interacted with the local canvas . the group canvas user identifier 262 uniquely identifies a local canvas user corresponding to a group canvas . the interaction detection logic 210 may detect the user interaction modes 230 ( e . g ., 226 and 228 ), the group canvas user status 260 and the group canvas user identifier 262 to determine the level of collaboration and interaction available between the multiple users 104 . the system 102 may use the group canvas user status 260 and the group canvas user identifier 262 to present an icon and / or avatar corresponding to a user for each of the respective group canvases to which a user corresponds . local canvases ( e . g ., 122 , 124 and 126 ) may include a local canvas shared surface object representation ( e . g ., first lc shared surface objects representations 232 ). group canvases ( e . g ., 116 , 118 and 120 ) may include group canvas shared surface object representation to which respective local canvas shared surface object representations correspond . the system 102 may synchronize a local representation with a corresponding group canvas shared surface object representation based on the user interaction modes 230 ( e . g ., 226 and 228 ), the group canvas user status 260 and the group canvas user identifier 262 . the multiple user interactions 234 may represent respective local manipulations ( e . g ., first lc manipulations 236 and second lc manipulations 238 ) of a local canvas shared surface object representation 232 , wherein at least a portion of the local canvas shared surface object representation 232 is within the local canvas boundaries of a corresponding local canvas . the interaction detection logic 210 may detect the local canvas shared surface object representation 232 using a shared surface object identifier 240 . the interaction detection logic 210 may detect the multiple user interactions 234 corresponding to the local canvases ( e . g ., 122 , 124 and 126 ), detect whether at least two of the multiple user interactions 234 correspond to one of the local canvases and whether the multiple user interactions 234 correspond to at least two different users of the multiple users 104 . for example , where at least two of the multiple users 104 simultaneously interact with the first local canvas 122 , the interaction detection logic 210 can detect whether the simultaneous interactions with the first local canvas 122 represent interactions from separate users . the service provider logic 212 may analyze shared surface object metadata 242 corresponding to the local canvas shared surface object representation 232 . the service provider logic 212 may communicate the shared surface object metadata 242 and the local manipulations of the local canvas shared surface object representations 244 to service providers 108 responsive to the local canvas shared surface object representation 232 and shared surface object metadata 242 . the service providers 108 generate updates of the local canvas shared surface object representation 246 for each of the local canvases corresponding to the respective local manipulations of the local canvas shared surface object representations 244 . the updates of the local canvas shared surface object representation 246 may be different for each local canvas ( e . g ., 122 , 124 and 126 ) until the local canvases are synchronized with an updated group canvas shared surface object representation . for example , a service provider 108 that provides a videoconferencing service may fetch the contents of a videoconference window from a web server and rendered the content in a local canvas using a web browser component . the system 102 may orchestrate the collaboration of services provided by service providers 108 . in one implementation , the system 102 is representation neutral so that a local canvas can be presented in any number for formats . for example , a local canvas may be represented in a list format such as provided by a rss feed . the interaction detection logic 210 may generate a group canvas shared surface object record 248 , based on the shared surface object metadata 242 and the updates of the local canvas shared surface object representation 246 received from the service provides 108 . the interaction detection logic 210 may store the group canvas shared surface object record 248 in the shared surface object repository 106 . the interaction detection logic 210 may update each of the local canvases ( e . g ., 122 , 124 and 126 ) with the update of the local canvas share surface object representations 246 and the respective update of the local canvas ( e . g ., 250 ). in other words , in one implementation , the interaction detection logic 210 updates a local canvas share surface object representation with updates that result from local manipulations 236 before updating the local canvas share surface object representation with a corresponding update of the group canvas share surface object representation . the interaction detection logic 210 may retrieve the group canvas shared surface object record 248 from the shared surface object repository 106 , using the shared surface object identifier ( e . g ., 216 ), and update the local canvas shared surface object representation 246 using the group canvas shared surface object record 248 . fig3 illustrates user interaction ( ui ) modes 230 of the system 102 . the user interaction modes 230 include local canvas ui modes ( e . g ., first lc ui mode 226 ) and group canvas ui modes ( e . g ., first gc ui mode 228 ). the local canvas ui mode ( e . g ., 226 ) may be user configurable . the group canvas ui mode ( e . g ., 228 ) may be configurable by an administrator , the 102 system , and / or at least one of the multiple users 104 with the authorization to set the group canvas ui mode . the user interaction modes for both the local canvas ui modes and group canvas ui modes include a gadget mode 302 , a local annotation mode 304 , a group annotation mode 306 , passive mode 308 and communication modes 310 . one or more of the user interaction modes 230 may be concurrently specified in order to configure a local canvas and / or group canvas . referring briefly to fig1 , local canvases of varying sizes set to different user interaction modes 1300 are shown . local canvases may be used in a variety of settings , sizes and user interaction modes , including : a miniature size 1302 , as a desktop computer gadget or widget ; the display size of a computer 1304 , suitable for direct viewing and interaction by a local canvas user ; a large size 1306 ( e . g ., on a projected surface in a meeting room ), in a passive read - only mode for group visibility ; and large size in an interactive mode on a digital whiteboard or a touchable interactive wall . a local canvas may be scaled up with the use of digital whiteboards , touch displays , and / or large interactive walls . a local canvas may be used with an interactive wall for a user that desires to review existing contents , arrange the content and / or sketch over the content . returning to fig3 , the gadget mode 302 may provide an awareness function that indicates the mode of each of the local canvases corresponding to a group canvas . the awareness function of the gadget mode 302 may also allow the system 102 to present the group user status 260 and group user identifier 262 of each group canvas user to which the local canvas corresponds ( e . g ., a buddy list in messaging program ). the system 102 may use the awareness function information of the gadget mode 302 to present an icon and / or avatar that indicates the local canvas ui mode ( e . g ., 226 ), the group canvas user status 260 and the group canvas user identifier 262 to which a local canvas user corresponds . in one implementation , a local canvas user may disable the gadget mode 302 of the local canvas user so that the local canvas user may interact with the local canvas in a cloaked mode and corresponding group canvas users cannot discover the group user status 260 and group user identifier 262 of the local canvas user . in one implementation , the gadget mode 302 may present a local canvas in a miniature size , with a reduced amount of visual detail , at the edge of the screen . when group canvas users modify a group canvas share surface object representation , a visual indicator may appear across the gadget and then slowly fade over time , so that the gadget makes the local canvas user peripherally aware of the share surface object . referring briefly to fig1 , a local canvas comprising a semi - transparent annotation layer overlaying local canvas shared surface object representations 1200 is shown . the system may employ a semi - transparent annotation ‘ layer ’ ( e . g ., 1202 , 1204 and 1206 ) to overlay a local canvas shared surface object representation with local and / or group annotations , allowing for non - destructive highlighting , commentary , annotation and markup . returning to fig3 , the local annotation mode 304 may allow updates of a local canvas and local canvas shared surface object representation , in response to a respective local canvas user interaction with the local canvas , while preventing the local canvas user interaction to be used to update a corresponding group canvas . in other words , the local annotation mode 304 may allow local canvas interactions to be limited to the corresponding local canvas . for example , under the local annotation mode 304 a local canvas interaction corresponding to a first local canvas is used to update the first local canvas , but the system 102 does not use the local canvas interaction to update a second local canvas that corresponds to a group canvas that the first local canvas also corresponds . the system 102 may allow a user to store local annotations separately from group annotations so that local canvas and group canvas annotations can be maintained . the group annotation mode 306 may allow updates of the local canvases corresponding to a group canvas , in response to a local canvas user interaction with at least one of the local canvases corresponding to the group canvas . the group annotation mode 306 may represent the most collaborative of the user interactive modes 230 . in one implementation , the group annotation mode 306 may allow a local canvas user to specify a group canvas user from which the local canvas user will accept and / or exclude interactions , based on the authority and / or role of the local canvas user . the passive mode 308 may set a local canvas to read - only to prevent updates of a local representation in response to a local canvas user interaction with the local canvas . the passive mode 308 may not prevent updates of the local canvas with a corresponding group canvas representation . in one implementation , the system 102 may use the passive mode 308 as a default for local canvases that do not have local canvas user interaction capabilities . for example , a local canvas may be presented in a graphical display area of a kiosk that does not provide local canvas user interaction capabilities . in another example , a local canvas may be set to passive mode 308 and displayed on a physically large screen ( e . g ., wall ) for a group of people to occasionally use for a meeting and / or brainstorming session and / or continuously use as a shared group display and / or bulletin board . in one implementation , a group canvas may be accessed using a machine - consumable web service and / or rss feed ( e . g ., really simple syndication ) using an rss reader ( e . g ., igoogle ® and google reader ®). a user interaction with a shared surface object may trigger the creation of an event , task and / or email . a web service ( e . g ., service provider ) may be configured with a watch list of user interactions that trigger the initiate events , tasks and / or emails . for example , a group canvas may be monitored for interactions that correspond to a particular subject and / or manipulation of a particular shared surface object . the user interaction may represent and / or result in the creation of an assignment and / or completion of a task by a user and / or group of users . a task and status of the task may be communicated simultaneously to multiple applications used to track the progress of tasks ( e . g ., microsoft project ®, outlook tasks ®, and / or a calendar ) so that the system may be used to impose a workflow . for example , a canvas user may create a text snippet and designate the text snippet a task corresponding to a workflow of an organization , assign the task and send the task to the assignee . the task becomes a task item on the canvas and reflects the status ( e . g ., in - progress , unassigned , and complete ). a service provider may monitor task tracking applications for completion of a task and communicate the status of the task to a corresponding group canvas . the communication mode 310 allows each local canvas user to specify one or more preferred methods of communication to use when communicating with group canvas users corresponding to a group canvas that the local canvas user corresponds . the communication mode 310 may include any combination of communication methods , including : text ; multimedia web cam ; audio ; and e - mail . in one implementation , local canvases comprise built - in audio conference and / or video conference links so that a corresponding local canvas user may communicate with corresponding group canvas users ( e . g ., connecting to a ‘ party line ’). the system 102 evaluates the communication mode 310 of a local canvas user and a group canvas user to determine the one or more communication methods available for communications between the local canvas user and the group canvas user . for example , a local canvas user may set the communication mode 310 to indicate a particular written and / or spoken language that is different from the written and / or spoken language indicated by the group canvas user . the system 102 may translate content between to two languages so that the local canvas user and the group canvas user can communicate . similarly , a local canvas user may set the communication mode 310 to indicate that a non - display peripheral be used because the user is visually impaired . for example , a group canvas user may specify audio as the communication mode 310 , while the local canvas user may specify text as the communication mode 310 . the local canvas user may select the icon and / or avatar corresponding to the group canvas user to which the local canvas user corresponds to initiate communication with the group canvas user . the system 102 evaluates the communication modes 310 and when the local canvas user originates a text message to the group canvas user the system 102 translates the text message into an audio message for the group canvas user , and when the group canvas user originates an audio message ( e . g ., response or reply ) the system translates the audio message into a text message . the system 102 may evaluate each of the communication modes 310 specified by the local canvas user and group canvas user , respectively , and determine a combination of communication methods provide the best communication method . for example , although a local canvas user and group canvas user both specify multimedia web cam as the communication mode 310 , the system 102 may determine the multimedia web cam quality of service unreliable and to ensure that the local canvas user and group canvas user receive the communications between the two use text and / or e - mail messaging to send a written transcript of the multimedia web cam to both the local canvas user and group canvas user . the group canvas ui modes ( e . g ., 228 ) supersede the local canvas ui modes ( e . g ., 226 ) of corresponding local canvases . an administrator and / or collaboration leader may configure how the group canvas ui modes ( e . g ., 228 ) supersede the local canvas ui modes ( e . g ., 226 ). for example , a group canvas set to the group canvas ui mode of local annotation mode 304 limits the local canvas ui modes to which a local canvas may be set to only include : local annotation mode 304 ; passive mode 308 ; and communication mode 310 . an administrator and / or collaboration leader may set the group canvas ui mode ( e . g ., 228 ) to local annotation mode 304 so that a local canvas is only updated in response to user interactions with a corresponding administrator and / or collaboration leader canvas and in response to a user interaction with the respective local canvas . a group canvas ui mode ( e . g ., 228 ) set to local annotation mode 304 may prevent a local canvas from being updated in response to user interactions with other local canvases corresponding to the group canvas , except in response to user interactions with the administrator and / or collaboration leader canvas . an administrator and / or collaboration leader may set the group canvas ui mode ( e . g ., 228 ) to passive mode 308 so that a local canvas is only updated in response to user interactions with a corresponding administrator and / or collaboration leader canvas . a group canvas ui mode ( e . g ., 228 ) set to passive mode 308 may prevent a local canvas from being updated , except in response to user interactions with the administrator and / or collaboration leader canvas . the group canvas ui mode ( e . g ., 228 ) set to group annotation mode 306 may allow the local canvas ui mode ( e . g ., 226 ) to which a local canvas may be set to include : the gadget mode 302 ; the local annotation mode 304 ; the group annotation mode 306 ; the passive mode 308 ; and the communication mode 310 . fig4 shows shared surface object metadata 242 . the shared surface object metadata of a shared surface object includes : group canvas shared surface object metadata ( e . g ., 402 , 404 , and 406 ) that corresponds to each group canvas shared surface object representation ; local canvas shared surface object metadata ( e . g ., 408 , 410 , and 412 ) that corresponds to each local canvas shared surface object representation ; and a shared surface object identifier 414 . the group canvas shared surface object metadata ( e . g ., 402 , 404 , and 406 ) includes : a group canvas identifier 416 that identifies the group canvas to which the shared surface object corresponds ; a group canvas shared surface object data type 418 ; and group canvas display properties 420 ; a group canvas shared surface object version 440 . the group canvas identifier 416 identifies a group canvas the boundaries of which at least a portion of a local canvas shared surface object representation is within . the group canvas shared surface object data type 418 may be from a group of data types consisting of : audio 420 ; image 422 ; text 424 ; blob 426 ; and composite 428 that comprises a combination of any two or more of the data types from the group of data types . the group canvas shared surface object data type 418 may include multiple content types , including text snippets , freehand sketches and annotations , images , pointers to shared files , live web pages , and multi - media conferences . the local canvas shared surface object metadata ( e . g ., 408 , 410 , and 412 ) includes : a local canvas identifier 430 ; a local canvas shared surface object version 432 ; local canvas shared surface object presentation preferences 434 ; local canvas display properties 436 ; and a local canvas shared surface object data type 438 . the local canvas identifier 430 identifies the local canvas the boundaries of which at least a portion of the local canvas shared surface object representation is within . the local canvas shared surface object version 432 specifies the time stamp of a last local manipulation of the local canvas shared surface object representation . the system 102 may use the local canvas shared surface object version 432 to determine how the local canvas shared surface object is presented in the local canvas . the system 102 may also use the local canvas shared surface object version 432 to determine a priority ranking of simultaneous local manipulations of local canvas shared surface object representation . for example , a local manipulation corresponding to a more recent local canvas shared surface object version 432 value may correspond to lower priority ranking . in other words , a simultaneous local manipulation of a local canvas shared surface object representation with the most recent local canvas shared surface object version 432 may be used to generate the corresponding group canvas shared surface object representation . in one implementation , an administrator of the system 102 may configure the local canvas shared surface object metadata ( e . g ., 408 , 410 , and 412 ) to correspond to the group canvas shared surface object metadata ( e . g ., 402 , 404 , and 406 ). the group canvas shared surface object metadata ( e . g ., 402 , 404 , and 406 ) may determine the range of values and types of available local canvas shared surface object metadata ( e . g ., 408 , 410 , and 412 ). the service provider logic 212 may analyze the resources available to a local canvas and / or the configuration of the local canvas to determine the availability of particular local shared surface object presentation preferences 434 , the local canvas display properties 436 and the available local canvas shared surface object data types 438 . the service provider logic 212 may analyze the local canvas shared surface object presentation preferences 434 , the local canvas display properties 436 and the available local canvas shared surface object data types 438 to determine whether to update a local canvas shared surface object representation using a translation of a corresponding group canvas shared surface object data type 418 . for example , a group canvas shared surface object data type of a group canvas shared surface object representation may correspond to a composite group canvas shared surface object data type 428 that comprises the data types of audio 420 and image 422 , while local canvas shared surface object presentation preferences 434 may indicate a preference for text . the corresponding local display properties 436 may also indicate that audio is unavailable . the service providers 108 responsive to translating audio ( e . g ., a song arranged with vocals and instruments ) to text ( e . g ., lyrics to a song and / or musical notation of the arrangement of the song ) may translate the group canvas share surface object data type 418 so that the local canvas shared surface object representation is presented in the local canvas as text . fig5 illustrates shared surface object records 500 , including a group canvas shared surface object record 502 and a local canvas shared surface object record 504 . the system 102 may maintain and store in the shared surface object repository 106 , for each group canvas shared surface object representation 506 , a group canvas shared surface object record 502 comprising the group canvas shared surface object representation 506 based on the shared surface object metadata 242 and the updates of the local canvas shared surface object representation 246 received from the service provides 108 . the group canvas shared surface object record 502 further includes group canvas shared surface object representation metadata 508 ( e . g ., 402 , 404 and 406 ), and a group canvas identifier 510 ( e . g ., 416 ) that identifies the group canvas in which a portion of the local canvas shared surface object representation 232 is within the group canvas boundaries of ( e . g ., 224 ). the group canvas identifier 510 and shared surface object identifier 414 together uniquely identify the group canvas shared surface object representation 506 . in other words , multiple group canvases ( e . g ., 116 , 118 and 120 ) may comprise , within the group canvas boundaries of the respective group canvases , at least a portion of a group canvas shared surface object representation 506 . the system 102 may use the group canvas identifier 510 and shared surface object identifier 414 together to uniquely identify each group canvas shared surface object representation 506 . the system 102 may maintain and store in the shared surface object repository 106 a local canvas shared surface object record 504 for each local canvas shared surface object representation 512 ( e . g ., 232 ). the local canvas shared surface object record 504 includes the local canvas shared surface object representation 512 based on the local canvas shared surface object metadata 514 ( e . g ., 408 , 410 and 412 ) and the local canvas manipulations ( e . g ., 236 and 238 ) corresponding to the respective local canvas ( e . g ., 122 , 124 and 126 ). the local canvas shared surface object record 504 further includes a local canvas identifier 510 ( e . g ., 430 ) that identifies the local canvas in which at least a portion of the local canvas shared surface object representation 512 ( e . g ., 232 ) is within the local canvas boundaries of ( e . g ., 214 ). the local canvas identifier 516 and shared surface object identifier 414 together uniquely identify the local canvas shared surface object representation 232 . fig6 a shows correlations between shared surface objects , group canvases , group canvas shared surface object representations , local canvases and local canvas shared surface object representations 600 a . fig6 a illustrates an example correlation of shared surface object identifiers ( e . g ., 602 , 604 , and 606 ) corresponding to shared surface objects , group canvas identifiers ( e . g ., 608 , 610 , 612 , and 614 ), group canvas shared surface object representations ( e . g ., 616 , 618 , 620 , and 622 ), local canvas identifiers ( e . g ., 624 , 626 , 628 , 630 , 632 , 634 , and 636 ) and local canvas shared surface object representations ( e . g ., 638 , 640 , 642 , 644 , 646 , 648 , 650 , 652 and 654 ). a shared surface object may correspond to a group canvas comprising a group canvas shared surface object representation , where the group canvas corresponds to multiple local canvases comprising multiple local canvas shared surface object representations . for example , a shared surface object identified by the shared surface object identifier 602 may correspond to a group canvas ( e . g ., identified by group canvas identifier 608 ) comprising a group canvas shared surface object representation ( e . g ., 616 ) and corresponding to local canvases ( e . g ., identified by local canvas identifiers 624 and 626 ). the local shared surface object representations ( e . g ., 638 and 640 ) of the shared surface object identified by the shared surface object identifier 602 correspond to respective local canvases ( e . g ., identified by local canvas identifiers 624 and 626 ). fig6 b illustrates a first graphical display area 656 that includes a first local canvas 122 ( e . g ., identified by local canvas identifier 624 ) comprising the local canvas shared surface object representation 638 corresponding to the shared surface object identified by the shared surface object identifier 602 . fig6 c illustrates a second graphical display area 658 that includes a fourth local canvas 660 ( e . g ., identified by local canvas identifier 626 ) comprising the local canvas shared surface object representation 640 corresponding to the shared surface object identified by the shared surface object identifier 602 . the first graphical display area 656 and the second graphical display area 658 may represent multiple respective sources through which a shared user interface surface ( e . g ., a group canvas identified by group canvas identifier 608 ) is accessible simultaneously by multiple users . in other words , multiple users may use respective graphical display areas ( e . g ., 656 and 658 ) to simultaneously manipulate local canvas shared surface object representations ( e . g ., 638 and 640 ) of a shared surface object within corresponding local canvases ( e . g ., 624 and 626 ). fig6 b further illustrates the first local canvas 122 ( e . g ., identified by local canvas identifier 624 ), a second local canvas 124 ( e . g ., identified by local canvas identifier 628 ) and a third local canvas 126 ( e . g ., identified by local canvas identifier 630 ) comprising respective local canvas shared surface object representations 662 ( e . g ., 642 , 644 and 646 ) corresponding to the shared surface object identified by the shared surface object identifier 604 . although shown as one local canvas shared surface object representation 662 , each local canvas ( e . g ., 122 , 124 and 126 comprise a respective local canvas shared surface object representation ( e . g ., 642 , 644 and 646 ) corresponding to the shared surface object identified by the shared surface object identifier 604 . fig6 b illustrates that the first local canvas and the second local canvas comprise local canvas boundaries , respectively , where at least a portion of the respective local canvas boundaries common to the first local canvas 122 and the second local canvas 124 may define the third local canvas 126 . the first local canvas 122 and the second local canvas 124 may define the third local canvas 126 may correspond to a group canvas ( e . g ., 610 ) comprising group canvas boundaries corresponding to at least a portion of the first local canvas boundaries , the second local canvas boundaries and third local canvas boundaries common to the respective local canvases . a shared surface object may correspond to multiple group canvases and local canvases comprising respective group canvas shared surface object representations and local canvas shared surface object representations . for example , a shared surface object identified by the shared surface object identifier 606 may correspond to multiple group canvases ( e . g ., identified by group canvas identifiers 612 and 614 ) and corresponding local canvases ( e . g ., identified by local canvas identifiers 632 , 634 , 636 and 628 ). the local shared surface object representations ( e . g ., 646 , 648 , 650 and 652 ) of the shared surface object identified by the shared surface object identifier 606 correspond to respective local canvases ( e . g ., identified by local canvas identifiers 632 , 634 , 636 and 628 ). the group canvases may comprise corresponding group canvas shared surface object representations ( e . g ., 620 and 622 ) that correspond to the shared surface object identified by the shared surface object identifier 606 . a local canvas may comprise a local canvas shared surface object representation of which at least two different portions correspond to at least two different group canvases . multiple portions of a local canvas ( e . g ., 122 ) may correspond to different group canvases ( e . g ., group canvases identified by group canvas identifiers 616 and 618 ). a local canvas ( e . g ., 122 ) may indicate the group canvas identifiers 232 ( e . g ., 616 and 618 ) to which the local canvas corresponds . fig6 b illustrates the second local canvas 124 ( e . g ., identified by local canvas identifier 628 ) comprising local canvas shared surface object representation 654 of the shared surface object identified by the shared surface object identifier 606 . fig6 d illustrates a third graphical display area 664 comprising a fifth local canvas 666 , sixth local canvas 668 and seventh local canvas 670 ( e . g ., identified by local canvas identifiers 632 , 634 and 636 , respectively ). fig6 b and 6 d illustrate that the portions of the shared surface object common to the second local canvas 124 , fifth local canvas 666 , sixth local canvas 668 and seventh local canvas 670 may correspond to the third group canvas identified by the group canvas identifier 612 , while the local representations of the entire shared surface object common to the second local canvas 124 and seventh local canvas 670 may correspond to a fourth group canvas identified by the group canvas identifier 614 . the second local canvas 124 , fifth local canvas 666 , sixth local canvas 668 and seventh local canvas 670 comprise respective local canvas shared surface object representations 672 ( e . g ., 648 , 650 , 652 and 654 ) corresponding to the shared surface object identified by the shared surface object identifier 606 . although shown in fig6 d as one local canvas shared surface object representation 672 , each local canvas ( e . g ., 124 , 666 , 668 and 670 ) comprises a respective local canvas shared surface object representation ( e . g ., 648 , 650 , 652 and 654 ) corresponding to the shared surface object identified by the shared surface object identifier 606 . fig6 d illustrates that the respective local canvas shared surface object representations 672 ( e . g ., 648 and 650 ) represent a portion of the shared surface object , as shown in the fifth local canvas 666 and sixth local canvas 668 , while the respective local canvas shared surface object representations 672 ( e . g ., 652 and 654 ) of the second local canvas 124 and seventh local canvas 670 represent the entire shared surface object . fig7 illustrates example graphical display area components 700 of a graphical display area 656 . a graphical display area may comprise , in addition to a local canvas ( e . g ., 122 ), a graphical display area identifier ( e . g ., 702 ) that uniquely identifies the graphical display area ( e . g ., 656 ) and inactive local canvases ( e . g ., 704 and 706 ). an inactive local canvas ( e . g ., 704 and 706 ) represents a local canvas where a local canvas manipulation ( e . g ., 236 and 238 ) of the local canvas and / or a local canvas shared surface object representation has not occurred in some specified period of time . the system 102 may use visual queues to indicate that the inactive local canvases ( e . g ., 704 and 706 ) are inactive . for example , the local canvas boundaries of the inactive local canvases may each comprise distinct patterns and color . the system 102 may modify the pattern , color and / or size of an inactive canvas , as well as move the local canvas to a particular location within the corresponding graphical display area . fig8 illustrates a local canvas shared surface object representation 800 over an elapsed time period during which no local canvas manipulation occurs . a local canvas user may configure the local canvas shared surface object presentation preferences 434 so that a local canvas shared surface object representation 802 is presented in a way that indicates a lack of local canvas manipulation of the local canvas shared surface object representation ( e . g ., 804 , 806 , and 808 ) over an elapsed time period . when no local canvas manipulations occur over an elapsed period of time , the local canvas shared surface object representation ( e . g ., 802 , 804 , 806 , and 808 ) may change in size , pattern , color ( e . g ., fade ) and reposition in the local canvas so that the local canvas shared surface object representation ( e . g ., 808 ) becomes less prominent . inactive local canvas shared surface object representations and icons and / or avatars of group canvas users may be positioned into the local canvas side - bar 818 . when a local canvas manipulation of a local canvas shared surface object representation ( e . g ., 804 , 806 and 808 ) occurs , the visual appearance and position of the local canvas shared surface object representation 802 may be restored . in one implementation , the local canvas tools 1120 include a history and playback feature that may be selected to view a local canvas at a particular point in time and playback the changes that have occurred to the local canvas over an elapsed period of time . the local canvas shared surface object representations of a local canvas may be individually played back and / or synchronized with other local canvas shared surface object representations of the local canvas . for example , the history of viewable changes to a first local canvas shared surface object representation may be played back synchronously with the audio history of a second local canvas shared surface object representation representing an audio record of a discussion that occurred during and about the modifications to the first local canvas . the group canvas user identifier 260 and corresponding group canvas status 262 of each group canvas user corresponding to a group canvas to which the local canvas ( e . g ., 122 ) corresponds may be represented by an icon and / or avatar ( e . g ., 810 , 812 , 814 and 816 ) that uniquely identify the group canvas users . the icon and / or avatar ( e . g ., 810 , 812 , 814 and 816 ) may include colors , patterns and / or text to indicate the group canvas user identifier 260 and corresponding group canvas status 262 of a group canvas user . a local canvas user may select the icon and / or avatar ( e . g ., 810 , 812 , 814 and 816 ) to initiate communication with the user corresponding to the icon and / or avatar . the group canvas user may receive a request for communication from the local canvas user and optionally accept the request of the local canvas user to communicate . in one implementation , the icon and / or avatar of the group canvas user is brought to the foreground to begin a dialogue in a larger interaction frame ( e . g ., a group canvas shared surface object representation corresponding to the local canvas user and group canvas user ). fig9 shows the logic flow 900 that the shared user interface surface system 102 may take to update a local canvas shared surface object representation 232 . the interaction detection logic 210 detects a local canvas user interaction ( 902 ) comprising a local canvas manipulation 236 of a local canvas shared surface object representation 232 . the service provider logic 212 analyzes the shared surface object metadata 242 corresponding to the local canvas shared surface object 232 and communicates the shared surface object metadata 242 and the local canvas manipulations of the local canvas shared surface object representations 244 to service providers 108 responsive to the local canvas shared surface object representation 232 ( 904 ). the service providers 108 provide updates of the local canvas shared surface object representation 246 to the respective local canvases canvas manipulations of shared surface object representations 244 ( 906 ). the updates of the local canvas shared surface object representation 246 may be different for each local canvas until the local canvases are synchronized with an updated group canvas shared surface object representation . where the local canvas user interaction corresponds to a group canvas ( 908 ) and the interaction detection logic 210 detects multiple simultaneous local canvas user interactions ( 910 ) that correspond to the group canvas ( e . g ., 118 ), the interaction detection logic 210 may identify a first local canvas user interaction from the simultaneous local canvas user interactions ( 912 ). in other words , the interaction detection logic 210 may consider one of the simultaneous local canvas user interactions to be the first local canvas user interaction . the interaction detection logic 210 updates the group canvas shared surface object representation 506 with the first local canvas shared surface object representation , and the group canvas shared surface object version 440 and the first local canvas shared surface object version 432 to correspond ( 914 ). the interaction detection logic 210 may discard a second local canvas user interaction from the simultaneous local canvas user interactions that the interaction detection logic 210 identifies as a second local canvas user interaction . in one implementation , the second local canvas may discover the collision by polling the system for the state of the local canvas shared surface object representation and determine that the local canvas shared surface object representation is stale . the second local canvas may compare the local canvas shared surface object version and group canvas shared surface object version , and determine that the group canvas shared surface object version is more recent . the second local canvas may fetch the group canvas shared surface object representation to update the local canvas shared surface object representation and local canvas shared surface object version . the interaction detection logic 210 may generate a group canvas shared surface object record 248 , based on the shared surface object metadata 242 and the updates of the local canvas shared surface object representation 246 received from the service provides 108 . the interaction detection logic may store the group canvas shared surface object record 248 in the shared surface object repository 106 , and update the local canvas shared surface object representation 246 of each of the corresponding local canvases with the group representation ( 916 ). the interaction detection logic 210 may update the group canvases 252 ( e . g ., 254 , 256 , 258 ) with the group canvas shared surface object record 248 where at least a portion of the local canvas shared surface object representation ( e . g ., 232 ) is within the group canvas boundaries of the group canvases . fig1 shows the logic flow 1000 that the shared user interface surface system 102 may take to apply local canvas shared surface object presentation preferences . the service provider logic 212 may analyze the group canvas shared surface object metadata 402 of a group canvas shared surface object representation ( 1002 ) and local canvas shared surface object metadata 408 of a corresponding local canvas shared surface object representation ( 1004 ). the service provider logic 212 may analyze the group canvas shared surface object data types 418 and / or group canvas shared surface object display properties 420 in relation to the local canvas shared surface presentation preferences 434 and / or local canvas shared surface object display properties 420 to determine whether to use a translation ( 1006 ) of the group canvas shared surface object data types 418 to update the corresponding local canvas shared surface object representation and local canvas shared surface object metadata 408 . for example , the group canvas shared surface object data type of a group canvas shared surface object representation may be audio ( e . g ., a song arranged with vocals and instruments ), while the local canvas shared surface object presentation preferences 434 may indicate a preference for text . the corresponding local display properties 436 may also indicate that audio is unavailable . the service providers 108 responsive to particular presentation preferences , data types and display properties may generate updates of the local canvas shared surface object representation 246 based on a translation of the group canvas shared surface object data types 418 ( 1008 ). for example , the service providers 108 responsive to translating audio ( e . g ., a song arranged with vocals and instruments ) to text ( e . g ., lyrics to a song and / or musical notation of the arrangement of the song ) may translate group canvas share surface object data types 418 ( e . g ., audio 420 ) to text so that a corresponding local canvas shared surface object representation is presented in the corresponding local canvas as text . the interaction detection logic 210 may generate a local canvas shared surface object record 504 with the updates of the local canvas shared surface object representation 246 based on the translation of the group canvas shared surface object data types 418 and update the corresponding local canvas shared surface object representation ( 1010 ). the system may be implemented in many different ways . for example , although some features are shown stored in computer - readable memories ( e . g ., as logic implemented as computer - executable instructions or as data structures in memory ), all or part of the system , logic , and data structures may be stored on , distributed across , or read from other machine - readable media . the media may include hard disks , floppy disks , cd - roms , a signal , such as a signal received from a network or partitioned into sections and received in multiple packets communicated across a network . the system may be implemented in software , hardware , or a combination of software and hardware . the system may also use different message formats , in addition to xml , such as encoded packets with bit fields that are assigned specific meanings . furthermore , the system may be implemented with additional , different , or fewer components . as one example , a processor or any other logic may be implemented with a microprocessor , a microcontroller , a dsp , an application specific integrated circuit ( asic ), program instructions , discrete analog or digital logic , or a combination of other types of circuits or logic . as another example , memories may be dram , sram , flash or any other type of memory . the system may be distributed among multiple components , such as among multiple processors and memories , optionally including multiple distributed processing systems . logic , such as programs or circuitry , may be combined or split among multiple programs , distributed across several memories and processors , and may be implemented in or as a function library , such as a dynamic link library ( dll ) or other shared library . while various embodiments of the invention have been described , it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of the invention . accordingly , the invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents . | 6 |
a first preferred embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings . note that reference signs and hatchings in some drawings are omitted for the sake of convenience ; in such cases , other drawings are to be referred to . note also that a solid black circle on a drawing means a direction perpendicular to the plane of the figures . as shown in an exploded perspective view in fig1 and a three - view drawing ( a plan view , a shorter - side sectional view , and a longer - side sectional view ) in fig1 , a liquid crystal display device 59 has a liquid crystal display panel 51 and a backlight unit 52 . the liquid crystal display panel 51 preferably is a non - luminous type display panel , and it performs a display function by receiving light ( backlight ) from the backlight unit 52 . thus , when the light from the backlight unit 52 evenly illuminates the entire surface of the liquid crystal display panel 51 , the display quality of the liquid crystal display panel 51 is enhanced . the backlight unit 52 includes , so as to produce backlight , fluorescent tubes ( light sources ) 41 , a reflecting frame 42 , and a diffusion unit 1 . the fluorescent tubes ( linear light sources ) 41 are cold - cathode tubes or hot - cathode tubes , and are linear in shape ( bar - shaped , column - shaped , or otherwise shaped ) as shown in fig1 and fig1 . moreover , as these fluorescent tubes 41 , a plurality of them are incorporated , arrayed in parallel , inside the backlight unit 52 ( though only part of those fluorescent tubes are shown in the drawings for the sake of convenience ). note that , hereinafter , the array direction of the fluorescent tubes 41 will be referred to as the first direction d 1 , and the linear direction ( length direction ) of the fluorescent tubes 41 will be referred to as the second direction d 2 . the reflecting frame 42 is a box - shaped member having an open side , and the interior surface of the box shape is covered with a light - reflective resin , metal , or other material . the fluorescent tubes 41 are located inside the box shape . thus , a portion of the radiating light ( light radiating from the centers of the fluorescent tubes 41 ) emitted from the fluorescent tubes 41 is reflected and directed into the diffusion unit 1 , etc . note that the member forming the reflecting frame 42 may itself be formed of a light - reflective resin , metal , or other material . this makes it possible to omit resin , metal , or another material with which to cover the interior surface of the reflecting frame 42 . the diffusion unit 1 is a unit preferably including a plurality of sheets , and is laid over the fluorescent tubes 41 so as to cover them ( the direction of overlaying is called the overlay direction p ). thus , the diffusion unit 1 receives the light ( emitted light ) from the fluorescent tubes 41 and the light ( reflected light ) from the reflecting frame 42 . in addition , to refract or otherwise treat the received light , the diffusion unit 1 includes a diffusion plate 2 and a lenticular lens layer 3 . moreover , optical members od are interposed between the diffusion plate 2 and the lenticular lens layer 3 . note that unillustrated adhesive ( an adhesive layer ) is applied to the contact portion between the optical members od and the diffusion plate 2 , and to the contact portion between the optical members od and the lenticular lens layer 3 . thus , the diffusion plate 2 and the lenticular lens layer 3 are preferably integral with each other . here , the diffusion unit 1 will be described in detail . the diffusion plate 2 incorporated in the diffusion unit 1 is preferably formed of a light reflective resin , such as polycarbonate or methacrylate methylstyrene . on the other hand , the lenticular lens layer 3 is preferably formed of polyethylene terephthalate or the like and has a planar supporter 3 a and cylindrical lenses ( lenticular lenses ) ls formed on the supporter 3 a ( see fig2 a and 2b described later ). in addition , as the cylindrical lenses ls , a plurality of such lenses are arrayed in parallel on the surface of the supporter 3 a . note that the array direction of the cylindrical lenses ls is the same as the first direction d 1 , which is the array direction of the fluorescent tubes 41 , and furthermore , the length direction of the cylindrical lenses ls is the same as the second direction d 2 , which is the length direction of the fluorescent tubes 41 . the optical members od are contained in a space ( interposed layer 23 ) created as a result of the diffusion plate 2 and the lenticular lens layer 3 facing each other with an interval in between . thus , the two sheets 2 and 3 are bonded together and made integral by the strength of the adhesive applied to the optical members od . note that the optical members od are preferably formed into the shape of lines ( or plates or the like ) arrayed in parallel with intervals sp therebetween in the surface of the interposed layer 23 ( see fig2 a and 2b described later ). note that the array direction of the optical members od is the same as the first direction d 1 , which is the array direction of the cylindrical lenses ls , and the linear direction ( length direction ) of the optical members od is the same as the second direction d 2 , which is the length direction of the cylindrical lenses ls . a plurality of the optical members od are contained in the interposed layer 23 , but not all the optical members od have the same characteristics . a description will now be given of the points where their characteristics vary . first , a description will be given from the viewpoint of the transmittance of the optical members od . from the viewpoint of transmittance as one of their characteristics , a plurality of optical members od with different transmissivities are contained in the interposed layer 23 . that is , instead of optical members od all having the same transmissivity , optical members od having different transmissivities are mixedly contained in the interposed layer . more specifically , when a region formed by linear optical members od with the same transmissivity being gathered together is called a transmissive region pa , a plurality of transmissive regions pa with different transmissivities are formed in the surface of the interposed layer 23 . thus , a plurality of transmissive regions pa with different transmissivities lie mixedly in the surface of the diffusion unit 1 . this backlight unit 52 is shown in detail in fig1 , which is an enlarged sectional view of the shorter - side section in fig1 , and in fig2 a and 2b ( which are enlarged sectional views of the portions encircled by broken lines in fig1 ). note that w pa1 , which represents the width ( shorter - side ) of the optical members od in the later - described first transmissive regions pa 1 , and w pa2 , which represents the width of the optical members od in the later - described second transmissive regions pa 2 , are the same . it is preferable that the transmissive regions pa ( called the first transmissive regions pa 1 ) laid over the fluorescent tubes 41 in the overlay direction p of the fluorescent tubes 41 and the diffusion unit 1 have a lower transmissivity than the transmissive regions pa ( called the second transmissive regions pa 2 ) laid only over the intervals between the fluorescent tubes 41 and 41 in the overlay direction p of the fluorescent tubes 41 and the diffusion unit 1 . although , generally , the light from the fluorescent tubes 41 diverges as it travels , it appears linear in shape owing to the linear shape of the fluorescent tubes 41 . such light is called linear light , and of linear light , the portions of light ( called the head - on light ; see the dash - and - dot - line arrows ) traveling from the fluorescent tubes 41 into the diffusion unit 1 along the overlay direction p , in particular , have a relatively high intensity . thus , the portions of the diffusion unit 1 where it is laid over the fluorescent tubes 41 in the overlay direction p tend to be relatively bright . by contrast , the head - on light cannot reach the portions of the diffusion unit 1 where it is laid over the intervals between the fluorescent tubes 41 and 41 in the overlay direction p . thus , these portions tend to be relatively dim . here , the backlight unit 52 includes the first transmissive regions pa 1 in the portions of the diffusion unit 1 where it is laid over the fluorescent tubes 41 in the overlay direction p , and includes the second transmissive regions pa 2 in the portions of the diffusion unit 1 where it is laid over the intervals between the fluorescent tubes 41 and 41 . accordingly , in this backlight unit 52 , the head - on light reaches the first transmissive regions pa 1 , and the light that travels by passing through the intervals between the fluorescent tubes 41 and 41 reaches the second transmissive regions pa 2 . thus , the head - on light with a relatively high intensity passes through the first transmissive regions pa 1 , which have a lower transmissivity than the second transmissive regions pa 2 ; that is , it passes through the transmissive regions pa 1 with a relatively low transmissivity . this reduces the amount of light which manages to travel by passing through the first transmissive regions pa 1 . as a result , in the first transmissive regions pa 1 , no rise in brightness resulting from the passage of an excessive amount of light occurs . the light that travels by passing through the intervals between the fluorescent tubes 41 and 41 , on the other hand , has a lower intensity than the head - on light . this light with a low intensity passes through the second transmissive regions pa 2 with a higher transmissivity than the first transmissive regions pa 1 ; that is , it passes through the second transmissive regions pa 2 with a relatively high transmissivity . this makes it easier for the amount of light which travels by passing through the second transmissive regions pa 2 to reach a certain amount . as a result , in the second transmissive regions pa 2 , no drop in brightness resulting from a shortage of light occurs . thus , in the backlight unit 52 above , that is , in a backlight unit in which the transmissivity ty 1 , which is the transmissivity of the first transmissive regions pa 1 , is lower than the transmissivity ty 2 , which is the transmissivity of the second transmissive regions pa 2 ( ty 1 & lt ; ty 2 ), no excessive rise or drop in brightness occurs in the surface of the diffusion unit 1 , and thus no unevenness in the amount of backlight occurs . in particular , no unevenness in the amount of light ( lamp unevenness ) resulting from an image of the fluorescent tubes 41 being projected on the liquid crystal display panel 51 occurs . what has been described in terms of light transmissivity above can also be described in terms of light absorptivity ( the same reference signs will be adhered to for the same regions etc ., even with different names ). specifically , a plurality of optical members od with different absorptivities may be contained in the interposed layer 23 . that is , instead of optical members od all having the same absorptivity , optical members od having different absorptivities are mixedly contained in the interposed layer . more specifically , when a region formed by linear optical members od with the same absorptivity being gathered together is called an absorptive region pa , a plurality of absorptive regions pa with different absorptivities are formed in the surface of the interposed layer 23 . thus , a plurality of transmissive regions pa having different absorptivities lie mixedly in the surface of the diffusion unit 1 . in such a case , as shown in fig1 , 2 a and 2 b , it is preferable that the absorptive regions pa ( called the first absorptive regions pa ) laid over the fluorescent tubes 41 in the overlay direction p of the fluorescent tubes 41 and the diffusion unit 1 have a higher absorptivity than the absorptive regions pa ( called the second absorptive regions pa 2 ) laid only over the intervals between the fluorescent tubes 41 and 41 in the overlay direction p of the fluorescent tubes 41 and the diffusion unit 1 . this causes light such as the head - on light reach the first absorptive regions pa 1 , and causes the light that travels by passing through the intervals between the fluorescent tubes 41 and 41 , reach the second absorptive regions pa 2 . thus , the head - on light is absorbed in the absorptive regions pa 1 , which have a higher absorptivity than the second absorptive regions pa 2 ; that is , it is absorbed in the absorptive regions pa 1 with a relatively high absorptivity . this reduces the amount of light which is not absorbed in the first absorptive regions pa 1 and which thus , for example , manages to travel by passing through the first absorptive regions pa 1 . as a result , in the first transmissive regions pa 1 , no rise in brightness resulting from the passage of an excessive amount of light occurs . the light that travels by passing through the intervals between the fluorescent tubes 41 and 41 , on the other hand , is absorbed in the second absorptive regions pa 2 , which have a lower absorptivity than the first absorptive regions pa 1 ; that is , it is absorbed in the second absorptive regions pa 2 with a relatively low absorptivity . this makes it easier for the amount of light which is not absorbed in the second transmissive regions pa 2 and which thus , for example , manages to travel by passing through the second transmissive regions pa 2 to reach a certain amount . as a result , in the second transmissive regions pa 2 , no drop in brightness resulting from a shortage of light occurs . thus , in the backlight unit 52 above , that is , in a backlight unit in which the absorptivity ay 1 , which is the absorptivity of the first absorptive regions pa 1 , is higher than the absorptivity ay 2 , which is the absorptivity of the second absorptive regions pa 2 ( ay 1 & gt ; ay 2 ), no excessive rise or drop in brightness occurs in the surface of the diffusion unit 1 , and thus no unevenness in the amount of backlight occurs . a second preferred embodiment will now be described . note that members having similar functions to those used in the first preferred embodiment are identified by common reference numerals , and no description of them will be repeated . the description of this preferred embodiment pays attention to , among the characteristics of the optical members od , their reflectance . from the viewpoint of reflectance as one of their characteristics , a plurality of optical members od with different reflectivities are contained in the interposed layer 23 . that is , instead of optical members od all having the same reflectivity , optical members od having different reflectivities are mixedly contained in the interposed layer . more specifically , when a region formed by linear optical members od with the same reflectivity being gathered together is called a reflective region ra , a plurality of reflective regions ra with different reflectivities are formed in the surface of the interposed layer 23 . thus , a plurality of reflective regions ra having different reflectivities lie mixedly in the surface of the diffusion unit 1 . this backlight unit 52 is shown in detail in fig3 , which is an enlarged sectional view of the shorter - side section in fig1 , and in fig4 a and 4b ( which are enlarged sectional views of the parts encircled by broken lines in fig3 ). note that w ra1 , which represents the width of the optical members od in the later - described first reflective regions ra 1 , and w ra2 , which represents the width of the optical members od in the later - described second reflective regions ra 2 , are the same . it is preferable that the reflective regions ra ( called the first reflective regions ra 1 ) laid , in the overlay direction p of the fluorescent tubes 41 and the diffusion unit 1 , over the fluorescent tubes 41 and at least portions of the intervals between the fluorescent tubes 41 and 41 lying in the array direction of the optical members od ( first direction d 1 ) have a higher reflectivity than the reflective regions ra ( called the second reflective regions ra 2 ) laid , in the overlay direction p of the fluorescent tubes 41 and the diffusion unit 1 , over at least the centers of the intervals between the fluorescent tubes 41 and 41 lying in the array direction of the optical members od . generally , the light from the fluorescent tubes 41 diverges as it travels . that is , the light travels in a form radiating from the fluorescent tubes 41 themselves as shown in the sectional view in fig3 ( see the dash - dot - dot - line arrows ). thus , a large portion of the light which diverges as it travels from the fluorescent tubes 41 reaches the first reflective regions ra 1 , which have a higher reflectivity than the second reflective regions ra 2 , that is , the first reflective regions ra 1 with a relatively high reflectivity , from which the light is then reflected in various directions . here , the reflected light travels so as to return to the diffusion plate 2 , from which the light traveling to the first reflective regions ra 1 ( see the solid - line arrow ) has originated . this returning light is then reflected on one surface of the diffusion plate 2 , and travels toward the interposed layer 23 again ( see the solid - line arrow ). when the reflected light travels toward the gaps sp between optical members od and od , the light then passes through the gaps sp . that is , by being reflected by the first reflective regions ra 1 , the light which has failed to pass through the optical members od passes through the diffusion unit 1 . in this way , the reflected light is reused . moreover , as a result of a relatively large amount of light being reflected on the first reflective regions ra 1 , only a small amount of light remains unreflected ( for example , it is instead transmitted ). this prevents a rise in brightness resulting from the passage of an excessive amount of light from occurring in the reflective regions ra 1 . in addition , the second reflective regions ra 2 , laid at least over the centers of the intervals between the fluorescent tubes 41 and 41 lying in the first direction d 1 , which is the array direction of the optical members od , tend to be portions that light is most unlikely to reach . the second reflective regions ra 2 , however , have a lower reflectivity than the first reflective regions ra 1 , that is , the second reflective regions ra 2 have a relatively low reflectivity . accordingly , as a result of a relatively small amount of light being reflected on the second reflective regions ra 2 , a large amount of light remains unreflected ( for example , it is instead transmitted ). thus , no drop in brightness resulting from a shortage of light occurs in the second reflective regions ra 2 . thus , in the backlight unit 52 above , that is , in a backlight unit in which the reflectivity ry 1 , which is the reflectivity of the first reflective regions ra 1 , is higher than the reflectivity ry 2 , which is the reflectivity of the second reflective regions ra 2 ( ry 1 & gt ; ry 2 ), no excessive rise or drop in brightness occurs in the surface of the diffusion unit 1 , and thus no unevenness in the amount of backlight occurs . a third preferred embodiment will now be described . note that members having similar functions to those used in the first and second preferred embodiments are identified by common reference numerals , and no description of them will be repeated . in this preferred embodiment , a description will be given of the gaps sp created between optical members od and od . the optical members od lie discontinuously in the interposed layer 23 . thus , gaps sp through which light can pass are created between optical members od and od . when the proportion occupied by the gaps sp per predetermined area of the diffusion unit 1 is defined as the gap ratio ( or called the aperture ratio ), the following can be said about the backlight unit 52 . in the surface of the interposed layer 23 in the diffusion unit 1 of the backlight unit 52 , a plurality of gaps sp having different areas are formed ; thus , instead of gaps sp all having the same area , gaps sp having different areas are mixedly contained in the interposed layer . more specifically , in the interposed layer 23 , gaps sp with the same area are gathered together as a result of linear optical members od with the same area being gathered together , and when a region formed by gaps sp with the same area being gathered together is called a light - passage region ha , a plurality of light - passage regions ha with different gap ratios are formed in the surface of the interposed layer 23 . thus , a plurality of light - passage regions ha with different gap ratios lie mixedly in the surface of the diffusion unit 1 . this backlight unit 52 is shown in detail in fig5 , which is an enlarged sectional view of the shorter - side section in fig1 , and in fig6 a and 6b ( which are enlarged sectional views of the parts encircled by broken lines in fig6 ). note that w ha1 , which represents the width of the optical members od in the later - described first light - passage regions ha 1 , and w ha2 , which represents the width of the optical members od in the later - described second light - passage regions ha 2 , are not the same , but w ha1 & gt ; w ha2 . it is preferable that the light - passage regions ha ( called the first light - passage regions ha 1 ) laid , in the overlay direction p of the fluorescent tubes 41 and the diffusion unit 1 , at least over the fluorescent tubes 41 have a lower gap ratio than the light - passage regions ha ( called the second light - passage regions ha 2 ) laid , in the overlay direction p of the fluorescent tubes 41 and the diffusion unit 1 , only over the intervals between the fluorescent tubes 41 and 41 . generally , a relatively large amount of light ( the head - on light , etc ) reaches the first light - passage regions ha 1 . however , in the first light - passage regions ha 1 , which have a lower gap ratio than the second light - passage regions ha 2 , that is , in the first light - passage regions ha 1 with a relatively low gap ratio , due to the low gap ratio , only a small amount of light manages to travel by passing through the gaps . thus , even though a relatively large amount of light reaches the first light - passage regions ha 1 , the light does not travel excessively through the gaps sp . as a result , in the first light - passage regions ha 1 , no rise in brightness resulting from the passage of an excessive amount of light occurs . on the other hand , a relatively small amount of light which travels by passing through the intervals between light sources reaches the second light - passage regions ha 2 . however , in the second light - passage regions ha 2 , which have a high gap ratio than the first light - passage regions ha 1 , that is , in the second light - passage regions ha 2 with a relatively high gap ratio , due to the high gap ratio , it is easier for the amount of light which travels by passing through the intervals to reach a certain amount . thus , even though only a relatively small amount of light reaches the second light - passage regions ha 2 , the light travels sufficiently through the gaps sp . as a result , in the second light - passage regions ha 2 , no drop in brightness resulting from a shortage of light occurs . thus , in the backlight unit 52 above , that is , in a backlight unit in which the gap ratio gy 1 , which is the gap ratio of the first light - passage regions ha 1 , is lower than the gap ratio gy 2 , which is the gap ratio of the second light - passage regions ha 2 ( gy 1 & lt ; gy 2 ), no excessive rise or drop in brightness occurs in the surface of the diffusion unit 1 , and thus no unevenness in the amount of backlight occurs . note that the first light - passage regions ha 1 are the same regions as the first transmissive regions pa 1 , and the second light - passage regions ha 2 are the same regions as the second transmissive regions pa 2 . thus , it is preferable that the optical members od contained in the first light - passage regions ha 1 have a lower transmissivity than the optical members od contained in the second light - passage regions ha 2 . with this design , in the first light - passage regions ha 1 ( first transmissive regions pa 1 ), not only the light which manages to travel by passing through the gaps sp is reduced to a relatively small amount , but the light which travels by passing through the optical members od contained in the first light - passage regions ha 1 is also reduced to a relatively small amount . by contrast , in the second light - passage regions ha 2 ( second transmissive regions pa 2 ), not only the light which manages to travel by passing through the gaps sp is increased to a relatively large amount , but the light which travels by passing through the optical members od contained in the second light - passage regions ha 2 is also increased to a relatively large amount . that is , the adjustment of light amount owing to the gaps sp and the adjustment of light amount by passing through of the optical members od are performed simultaneously , and thus unevenness in the amount of backlight is further prevented from occurring in the backlight unit . in the liquid crystal display device 59 incorporating the backlight unit 52 , typically , relatively high brightness needs to be secured at the screen center ( the center of the liquid crystal display panel 51 ). thus , if brightness is insufficient in the first light - passage regions ha 1 , which are close to the center z ( see fig1 ) of the surface of the diffusion unit 1 , the center z corresponding to the screen center , degraded display quality on the liquid crystal display device 59 may result . this backlight unit 52 is shown in detail in fig7 , which is an enlarged sectional view of the shorter - side section in fig1 , and in fig8 a and 8b ( which are enlarged sectional views of the parts encircled by broken lines in fig7 ) specifically , a plurality of portions ha 1 s1 and ha 1 s2 with different gap ratios are laid in the first light - passage regions ha 1 a and ha 1 b , which are located next to the center z of the surface of the diffusion unit 1 . note that w ha1s1 , which represents the width of the optical members od in the portions ha 1 s1 , and w ha1s2 , which represents the width of the optical members od in the portions ha 1 s2 , are not the same , but w ha1s1 & lt ; w ha1s2 . it is preferable that , among the portions ha 1 s1 , and ha 1 s2 , the portions ha 1 s1 , having a high gap ratio be located closer to the center z of the surface of the diffusion unit 1 , and the portions ha 1 s2 having a low gap ratio be located away from the center z of the surface of the diffusion unit 1 . this makes the portions ha 1 s1 brighter than the portions ha 1 s2 , and thus no shortage of brightness occurs in the screen center of the liquid crystal display panel 51 . as shown in fig7 , 8 a and 8 b , in a case where the plurality of portions with different gap ratios in the first light - passage regions ha 1 divide into two kinds ( parts ha 1 s1 and portions ha 1 s2 ), the backlight unit 52 may be , as one example , so designed that the portions ha 1 s1 , with a high gap ratio have the same gap ratio as the second light - passage regions ha 2 laid next to the first light - passage regions ha 1 , and that the portions ha 1 s2 with a low gap ratio have a lower gap ratio than the second light - passage regions ha 2 laid next to the first light - passage regions ha 1 . with this design , instead of portions with a gap ratio that neither the first light - passage regions ha 1 nor the second light - passage regions ha 2 has being newly formed , portions with the same gap ratio as the second light - passage regions ha 2 are only extended into the first light - passage regions ha 1 . this makes it easy to fabricate the diffusion unit 1 . note that , although there is no particular restriction on the gap ratio , the first light - passage regions ha 1 are given a gap ratio of about 20 % ( more specifically , a gap ratio higher than 0 % but lower than 30 %), and the second light - passage regions ha 2 are given a gap ratio of about 30 %, for example . it is to be understood that the preferred embodiments described above are not meant to limit the present invention , which allows many variations and modifications within the scope not departing from the spirit of the invention . for example , although the description above deals with an example in which fluorescent tubes 41 are preferably used as light sources , this is not meant to limit the invention ; as shown in an exploded perspective view in fig9 , it is also possible , instead , to use leds ( light emitting diodes ) 48 , which are point light sources , as light sources . in a case where the leds 48 are arrayed in a matrix , as shown in fig1 a , preferably , the row direction x of the leds 48 arrayed in a matrix is the same as the first direction d 1 , which is the array direction of the optical members od . on the other hand , as shown in fig1 b , preferably , the column direction y of the leds 48 arrayed in a matrix is the same as the first direction d 1 , which is the array direction of the optical members od . that is , when the leds 48 are arrayed in a matrix , it is preferable that the direction in which rows extend ( row direction x ) or the direction in which columns extend ( column direction y ) in the matrix be the same as the array direction ( first direction d 1 ) of the optical members od . generally , the light traveling from leds 48 that are arrayed in the row direction x or the column direction y in a matrix into the diffusion unit 1 can be said to be continuous light ( linear light ). thus , if the optical members od are arrayed in the same direction as the array direction of continuous light ( namely the row direction x or the column direction y ), as in the backlight unit 52 incorporating the fluorescent tubes 41 , the occurrence of unevenness in the amount of backlight is prevented . two directions ( the row direction x or the column direction y ) can be assumed as the array direction of continuous light , and thus , in a case of the backlight unit 52 incorporating the leds 48 , two directions can be assumed also as the array direction of the various regions described above ( the first transmissive regions pa 1 and the second transmissive regions pa 2 , the first absorptive regions pa 1 and the second absorptive regions pa 2 , the first reflective regions ra 1 and the second reflective regions ra 2 , and the first light - passage regions ha 1 and the second light - passage regions ha 2 ). the first transmissive regions pa 1 , the first absorptive regions pa 1 , the first reflective regions ra 1 , and the first light - passage regions ha 1 are laid , as seen in the overlay direction p , not only over the leds 48 , but also over the intervals between the leds 48 and 48 . thus , these regions pa 1 , ra 1 , and ha 1 can be said to be regions that are laid at least over the leds 48 in the overlay direction p . by contrast , the second transmissive regions pa 2 , the second absorptive regions pa 2 , the second reflective regions ra 2 , and the second light - passage regions ha 2 can be said to be regions that are not laid over the leds 48 in the overlay direction p ( regions laid only over the intervals between the leds 48 and 48 ). so long as the optical members od include at least a base ingredient and dispersed particles , there is no particular restriction on their materials . examples of the base ingredient include acrylic resin , and examples of the dispersed particles include particles of titanium oxide . in a case of optical members od containing acrylic resin with titanium oxide dispersed in them as mentioned above , through adjustment of , for example , the composition of titanium oxide , the particle diameter of titanium oxide , and the dispersion amount of titanium oxide , there have been obtained optical members od that offer various characteristics ( in terms of transmittance , absorptance , and reflectance ). there is no particular restriction on the location of the optical members od ; however , as shown in fig2 , 4 , 6 , and 8 , it is preferable that the optical members od be laid over the seams vy ( valleys vy ) between the cylindrical lenses ls and ls in the overlay direction p . the reason is that the light incident on the valleys vy is less affected by the refraction by the cylindrical lenses ls , and thus , covering the valleys vy with the optical members od helps prevent generation of light traveling without being affected by refraction . in the liquid crystal display device 59 incorporating the backlight unit 52 , typically , data lines , which feed data signals to the pixels of the liquid crystal display panel 51 , are arrayed in parallel . in some cases , the array direction of the data lines is the same as the array direction of the optical members od in the backlight unit 52 . in such a case , moiré , which is caused by the arrangement of the optical members od and the arrangement of data lines , appears on the liquid crystal display panel 51 . in order to prevent moiré , on the surface of each cylindrical lens ls in the lenticular lens layer 3 , as shown in a sectional view in fig1 , there are formed a plurality of bumps gb , gb , and gb ; preferably , the length direction of the bumps gb , gb , and gb extends in the same direction in which the optical members od extend . with this design , by the bumps gb , gb , and gb , the regularity which occurs between the arrangement of the optical members od and the arrangement of the data lines is cancelled , and thus moiré is prevented . while preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above , it is to be understood that variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing the scope and spirit of the present invention . the scope of the present invention , therefore , is to be determined solely by the following claims . | 6 |
the compounds useful in this invention are prepared following procedures previously disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 419 , 559 ; 3 , 455 , 941 ; 3 , 457 , 267 ; 3 , 513 , 236 and 4 , 886 , 794 and in j . pharm . sci . 58 ( 3 ), 362 - 364 and are hereby incorporated by reference . the invention compounds are prepared according to scheme a . ## str7 ## this reaction is typically performed using a polar solvent such as ethanol , butanol , or dimethyl formamide at or near the boiling point of the solvent with an acid acceptor such as sodium carbonate , potassium carbonate or sodium bicarbonate present . potassium iodide may be used to catalyze the reaction . the product is isolated and purified by conventional methods . scheme b indicates the reaction used to obtain the alkenyloxy substituted invention compounds . ## str8 ## the 5 - haloalkyl - 2 - oxazolidinones are obtained from the appropriate n - substituted aminomethyltetrahydrofuran or the corresponding tetrahydropyran according to scheme c . ## str9 ## this ring - opening / ring closure reaction is carried out in an aprotic solvent at or below ambient temperature . the precursor substituted aminomethyltetrahydrofuran or pyran are prepared from the commercially available 2 -( chloromethyl ) tetrahydrofuran or pyran and the desired amine as shown in scheme d . ## str10 ## excess amine serves as the solvent in the procedure of scheme d . the above procedures are broadly described and actual reaction conditions will depend on the reaction temperatures , solvents , purity of reactants and the like . the following preparations and examples are illustrative of the above reaction schemes and should not be construed as limiting to this disclosure in any way . reactants for which no preparative procedure is given are either commercially available or readily prepared using published procedures . it is expected that one skilled in the art would be able to carry out this invention without undue experimentation . a solution of 2 -( bromomethyl ) tetrahydro - 2h - pyran ( 100 g , 0 . 558 mol ) and isopropylamine ( 66 . 0 g , 1 . 12 mol ) was refluxed under nitrogen overnight , and the solvent was removed under reduced pressure . a 3n hydrochloric acid solution was added to acidify the residue , and the solution was washed twice with ether and made basic with a 50 % sodium hydroxide solution . the product was extracted twice into ether , and the combined extracts were washed twice with a saturated sodium chloride solution , dried ( sodium sulfate ), filtered , and evaporated under reduced pressure to an oil ( 54 . 8 g , 62 % yield ). a portion of the oil ( 13 . 7 g , 0 . 0873 mol ) was dissolved in warm 2 - propanol and a solution of oxalic acid ( 7 . 86 g , 0 . 0873 mol ) in warm 2 - propanol was added . a solid precipitated , which was collected by filtration and dried under high vacuum at 60 ° c . to give 17 . 24 g , mp 172 °- 175 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 11 h 12 no 8 : c , 53 . 43 ; h , 8 . 56 ; n , 5 . 66 ; found : c , 53 . 54 ; h , 8 , 94 ; n , 5 . 60 . a mixture of 2 -( bromomethyl ) tetrahydro - 2h - pyran ( 100 g , 0 . 558 mol ) and aniline ( 155 . 96 g , 1 . 67 mol ) was heated at 100 ° c . under nitrogen overnight and cooled to room temperature . a 3n hydrochloric acid solution ( 400 ml ) was added and the aqueous layer was washed three times with isopropyl ether . the aqueous layer was made basic with 50 % sodium hydroxide solution , and the product was extracted three times into isopropyl ether . the combined organic extracts were washed once with water and evaporated under reduced pressure . the resulting oil was poured into water ( 1400 ml ) and stirred . the water was decanted and water ( 1500 ml ) was again added . the aqueous layer was again decanted and the oil was triturated again in water ( 1500 ml ) to give a solid , which was recrystallized from methanol / water and dried under high vacuum to give 78 . 5 g of product containing one mole of water ( 67 % yield ). a 2 . 0 g portion was recrystallized from methanol / water and dried under high vacuum to give 0 . 71 g , mp 55 °- 58 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 12 h 17 no : c , 75 . 35 ; h , 8 , 96 ; n , 7 . 32 ; found : c , 75 . 33 ; h , 9 . 15 ; n , 7 . 25 . a mixture of tetrahydrofurfuryl chloride ( 100 g , 0 . 829 mol ), aniline ( 2 . 09 g , 2 . 25 mol ) and potassium iodide ( 1 . 0 g ) was heated at 130 ° c . under nitrogen for 36 hours and cooled to room temperature . a 3n hydrochloric acid solution ( 400 ml ) was added and the solution was washed several times with isopropyl ether and made basic with a 50 % sodium hydroxide solution . the product was extracted three times into isopropyl ether , washed twice with water and once with a saturated sodium chloride solution , dried ( sodium sulfate ), filtered and evaporated to a liquid that was added to water ( 3l ) and extracted into three portions of isopropyl ether . the combined extracts were washed twice with water and once with a saturated sodium chloride solution , dried ( magnesium sulfate ), treated with charcoal , filtered and evaporated under reduced pressure to a liquid ( 91 . 4 g ). a 6 . 0 g portion was dissolved in isopropanol and a solution of oxalic acid ( 3 . 1 g ) in isopropanol was added . the resulting solid was collected by filtration and rinsed with isopropyl ether to give 6 . 3 g of solid . a 1 . 5 g portion was recrystallized from isopropanol / isopropyl ether / light pet ether to give a solid that was removed by filtration . a second crop of crystals was obtained from the filtrate , dried under high vacuum at 60 ° c . to give 0 . 31 g , mp 149 °- 156 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 13 h 17 no 5 : c , 58 . 42 ; h , 6 . 41 ; n , 5 . 24 ; found : c , 57 . 99 ; h , 6 . 41 ; n , 5 . 37 . a solution of phosgene ( 287 ml of a 20 % solution , 273 g , 0 . 55 mol ) in toluene and additional toluene ( 100 ml ) was cooled to - 10 ° c . by an ice / methanol bath and a solution of tetrahydro - n -( 1 - methylethyl )- 2h - pyran - 2 - methanamine ( 41 . 13 g , 0 . 262 mol ) and triethylamine ( 27 . 9 g , 0 . 276 mol ) in toluene ( 300 ml ) was added dropwise , keeping the temperature below 5 ° c . the mixture was warmed to room temperature and refluxed under nitrogen for 30 min . zinc chloride ( 0 . 65 g ) was added and refluxing was continued for 15 min . an additional portion of zinc chloride ( 0 . 32 g ) was added , and the mixture was refluxed for 24 hr and allowed to stand at room temperature for several days . water ( 750 ml ) was added , and the layers were separated . the organic layer was washed twice again with water and once with a saturated sodium chloride solution , dried ( magnesium sulfate ), treated with charcoal , filtered , and evaporated to an oil . the oil was distilled under reduced pressure , and the fraction distilling from 148 °- 165 ° c ./ 0 . 3 mm was collected to give 46 . 7 g ( 81 % yield ). analysis : calculated for c 10 h 18 no 2 cl : c , 54 . 67 ; h , 8 . 26 ; n , 6 . 38 ; found : c , 53 . 37 ; h , 8 . 37 ; n , 6 . 15 . to a solution of phosgene in toluene ( 342 g of a 20 % solution , 0 . 693 mol ) was added additional toluene ( 150 ml ) and the solution was cooled to - 10 ° c . in an ice / methanol bath . dropwise , keeping the temperature below 5 ° c ., a solution of 2 - phenylaminomethyltetrahydrofuran ( 58 . 4 g , 0 . 330 mol ) and triethylamine ( 35 . 1 g , 0 . 348 mol ) in toluene ( 400 ml ) was added . the mixture was warmed to room temperature and then refluxed for 30 minutes . zinc chloride ( 0 . 82 g ) was added and refluxing was continued for 15 minutes . an additional portion of zinc chloride ( 0 . 41 g ) was added and the mixture was refluxed under nitrogen for 24 hours . the mixture was washed twice with water , once with a saturated sodium chloride solution , dried ( sodium sulfate ), filtered , and evaporated under reduced pressure to an oil , which crystallized upon standing ( 70 . 7 g , 89 % yield ). recrystallization from isopropanol / isopropyl ether gave 47 . 0 g of solid , from which a 1 . 5 g portion was again recrystallized from isopropanol / isopropyl ether and dried under high vacuum to give 1 . 18 g , mp 76 °- 79 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 12 h 14 no 2 cl : c , 60 . 13 ; h , 5 . 89 ; n , 5 . 84 ; found : c , 60 . 11 ; h , 5 . 97 ; n , 5 . 81 . to a 20 % solution of phosgene in toluene ( 273 g of solution , 0 . 55 mol ) was added toluene ( 100 ml ) and the solution was stirred in an ice / methanol bath . a solution of 2 - phenylaminomethyltetrahydropyran ( 50 . 0 g , 0 . 262 mol ) and triethylamine ( 27 . 9 g , 0 . 276 mol ) in toluene ( 300 ml ) was added dropwise , keeping the temperature below 5 ° c . the mixture was warmed to room temperature and then refluxed for 30 minutes . zinc chloride ( 0 . 65 g ) was added and the mixture was refluxed for 15 minutes . an additional portion of zinc chloride ( 0 . 32 g ) was added and the mixture was refluxed for 10 minutes and stirred at room temperature for 3 days . the mixture was again refluxed for 24 hours , cooled to room temperature , washed twice with water , and twice with a saturated sodium chloride solution , dried ( magnesium sulfate ), treated with charcoal , filtered , and evaporated under reduced pressure to give 57 . 8 g ( 87 % yield ) of solid , which was recrystallized from isopropanol / isopropyl ether to give 38 . 0 g of product . a 1 . 5 g portion was gain recrystallized from isopropanol / isopropyl ether and dried under high vacuum to give 0 . 92 g , mp 65 °- 69 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 13 h 16 no 2 cl : c , 61 . 54 ; h , 6 . 36 ; n , 5 . 52 ; found : c , 61 . 50 ; h , 6 . 44 ; n , 5 . 50 . a mixture of 5 -( 4 - chlorobutyl )- 3 - methyl - 2 - oxazolidinone ( 10 . 0 g , 0 . 0524 mol ), 1 - phenylpiperazine hydrochloride ( 0 . 0524 mol , 10 . 39 g ), potassium carbonate ( 28 . 94 g , 0 . 209 mol ) and potassium iodide ( 1 . 0 g ) was refluxed in 1 - butanol ( 150 ml ) for 24 hr and then stirred at room temperature for two days . the mixture was reheated to boiling and filtered hot . methanolic hydrogen chloride was added to acidify the filtrate and addition of isopropyl ether caused a solid to precipitate . the solid was collected by filtration and dissolved in water . potassium carbonate was added to make the solution basic and the product was extracted into two portions of ethyl acetate . the combined ethyl acetate layers were washed twice with water , three times with a saturated sodium bicarbonate solution and once with a saturated sodium chloride solution . the solution was dried ( sodium sulfate ), filtered , and evaporated under reduced pressure to an oil . addition of isopropyl ether gave a solid which was recrystallized from isopropyl ether / methanol . the solid was collected by filtration , rinsed with light pet ether and dried under high vacuum to give 7 . 51 g ( 45 % yield ), mp 85 °- 88 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 18 h 27 n 3 o 2 : c , 68 . 11 ; h , 8 . 57 ; n , 13 . 24 ; found : c , 68 . 10 ; h , 8 . 68 ; n , 13 . 28 . following the procedure of example 1 , the title compound is prepared from a mixture of 5 -( 4 - chlorobutyl )- 3 - methyl - 2 - oxazolidinone ( 5 . 0 g , 0 . 0262 mol ), 1 -( 2 - pyridinyl ) piperazine ( 4 . 56 g , 0 . 0279 mol ) and potassium carbonate ( 8 . 5 g , 0 . 0614 mol ) in 1 - butanol ( 50 ml ) to obtain 3 . 4 g ( 41 % yield ) of solid . recrystallization from ethyl acetate / petroleum ether followed by drying in vacuo gave 1 . 46 g of the title compound , mp 69 °- 72 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 17 h 26 n 4 o 2 : c , 64 . 12 ; h , 8 . 23 ; n , 17 . 60 ; found : c , 64 . 01 ; h , 8 . 29 ; n , 17 . 58 . following the procedures of example 1 , the title compound is prepared . thus , a mixture of 5 -( 4 - chlorobutyl )- 3 - methyl - 2 - oxazolidinone ( 5 . 0 g , 0 . 0262 mol ), 1 -( 2 - methoxyphenyl ) piperazine ( 5 . 4 g . 0 . 0279 mol ), potassium carbonate ( 8 . 5 g , 0 . 0614 mol ), and potassium iodide ( 0 . 75 g ) in 1 - butanol ( 50 ml ) gave 6 . 8 g of oil which was dissolved in hot methanol and acidified with methanolic hydrogen chloride . addition of isopropyl ether and isopropanol to the cloud point and cooling gave a solid which was collected by filtration , rinsed with isopropyl ether and light pet ether and dried under high vacuum to give 4 . 22 g ( 38 % yield ), mp 209 °- 216 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 19 h 29 n 3 o 3 . 2hcl : c , 54 . 28 ; h , 7 . 43 ; n , 10 . 00 ; found : c , 54 . 16 ; h , 7 . 72 ; n , 9 . 98 . following the procedure of example 1 , mixture of 5 -( 4 - chlorobutyl )- 3 - methyl - 2 - oxazolidinone ( 5 . 0 g , 0 . 0262 mol ), 1 -( 2 - pyrimidinyl ) piperazine dihydrochloride ( 6 . 62 g , 0 . 0279 mol ), potassium carbonate ( 19 . 3 g , 0 . 140 mol ) and potassium iodide ( 0 . 75 g ) in 1 - butanol ( 75 ml ) gave an oil ( 3 . 0 g ) which crystallized upon standing . recrystallization from ethyl acetate / light pet ether followed by drying under high vacuum gave 1 . 33 g ( 16 % yield ), mp 74 °- 76 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 16 h 25 n 5 o 2 : c , 60 . 17 ; h , 7 . 89 ; n , 21 . 92 ; found : c , 60 . 02 ; h , 8 . 02 ; n , 21 . 96 . a mixture of 5 -( 3 - chloropropyl )- 3 - methyl - 2 - oxazolidinone ( 5 . 0 g , 0 . 0282 mol ), 1 -( 2 - methoxyphenyl ) piperazine ( 5 . 43 g , 0 . 0282 mol ), potassium carbonate ( 11 . 71 g , 0 . 0847 mol ), and potassium iodide ( 0 . 5 g ) in 1 - butanol ( 75 ml ) was refluxed for 24 hours under nitrogen and filtered hot . a 3n hydrochloride acid solution was added to acidify the filtrate , and the aqueous solution was washed twice with isopropyl ether . the aqueous solution was made basic with potassium carbonate , and the product was extracted into two portions of ethyl acetate . the combined ethyl acetate layers were washed three times with water and once with a saturated sodium chloride solution , dried ( sodium sulfate ), filtered , and evaporated under reduced pressure to an oil ( 7 . 1 g , 76 % yield ). the oil was dissolved in hot isopropanol , acidified with ethereal hydrogen chloride , and allowed to cool . the resulting solid was collected by filtration , rinsed with diethyl ether , and dried under high vacuum at 60 ° to give 6 . 92 g , mp 199 °- 202 ° c . analysis : calc . for c 18 h 27 n 3 o 3 . hcl . 1 . 5h 2 o : c , 54 . 47 ; h , 7 . 87 ; n , 10 . 59 ; found : c , 54 . 23 ; h , 7 . 53 ; n , 10 . 50 . following the procedure of example 5 , a mixture of 5 -( 3 - chloropropyl )- 3 - methyl - 2 - oxazolidinone ( 5 . 0 g , 0 . 0282 mol ), 1 -( 2 - pyridinyl ) piperazine ( 4 . 61 g , 0 . 0282 mol ), potassium carbonate ( 11 . 71 g , 0 . 0847 mol ), and potassium iodide ( 0 . 5 g ) in 1 - butanol ( 75 ml ) gave an oil ( 4 . 2 g , 49 % yield ). the oil was dissolved in hot isopropanol and acidified with ethereal hydrogen chloride . methanol was added to make a solution . upon cooling , a solid precipitated which was collected by filtration , rinsed with diethyl ether , and dried under high vacuum at 60 ° c . to give 3 . 66 g , mp 214 °- 218 ° c . analysis : calc . for c 16 h 24 n 4 o 2 . 2hcl . 0 . 5h 2 o : c , 49 . 74 ; h , 7 . 04 ; n , 14 . 50 ; found : c , 49 . 73 ; h , 7 . 22 ; n , 14 . 51 . following the procedure of examples 5 , 5 -( 3 - chloropropyl )- 3 - methyl - 2 - oxazolidinone ( 5 . 0 g , 0 . 0282 mol ), 1 -( 2 - pyrimidinyl ) piperazine dihydrochloride ( 6 . 70 g , 0 . 0282 mol ), potassium carbonate ( 23 . 4 g , 0 . 1695 mol ), and potassium iodide ( 0 . 5 g ) in 1 - butanol ( 100 ml ) gave an oil ( 3 . 5 g , 41 % yield ) which was dissolved in a hot mixture of isopropyl ether and isopropanol , filtered hot , and brought to the cloud point by the addition of light pet ether . upon cooling , a solid precipitated which was collected by filtration , rinsed with light pet ether , and dried under high vacuum to give 1 . 38 g , mp 79 °- 89 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 15 h 23 n 5 o 2 : c , 59 . 00 ; h , 7 . 59 ; n , 22 . 93 ; found : c , 58 . 96 ; h , 7 . 75 ; n , 22 . 91 . following the procedure of example 5 , a mixture of 5 -( 3 - chloropropyl )- 3 - methyl - 2 - oxazolidinone ( 5 . 0 g , 0 . 0282 mol ), 1 -( 2 - ethoxyphenyl ) piperazine monohydrochloride ( 6 . 86 g , 0 . 0282 mol ), potassium carbonate ( 15 . 62 g , 0 . 113 mol ), and potassium iodide ( 1 . 0 g ) in n - butanol ( 100 ml ) gave an oil ( 4 . 5 g , 46 % yield ). the oil was triturated in warm isopropyl ether and the resulting suspension was stirred at room temperature . the solid was collected by filtration , rinsed with light pet ether and dried under high vacuum to give 2 . 58 g , mp 79 °- 81 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 19 h 29 n 3 o 3 : c , 65 . 68 ; h , 8 . 41 ; n , 12 . 09 ; found : c , 65 . 80 ; h , 8 . 55 ; n , 12 . 07 . following the procedure of example 5 , a mixture of 5 -( 2 - chlorobutyl )- 3 - methyl - 2 - oxazolidinone ( 5 . 2 g , 0 . 0272 mol ), 1 -( 2 - ethoxyphenyl ) piperazine monohydrochloride ( 6 . 61 g , 0 . 0272 mol ), potassium carbonate ( 15 . 05 g , 0 . 109 mol ), and potassium iodide ( 1 . 0 g ) in n - butanol ( 100 ml ) gave an oil which was dissolved in a mixture of ethyl acetate / isopropyl ether / light pet ether ( removing the impurities by filtration ) and acidified with ethereal hydrogen chloride . the mixture was evaporated under reduced pressure and recrystallized once from isopropanol / methanol / isopropyl ether and then from isopropanol / isopropyl ether and dried under high vacuum at 60 ° c . to give 1 . 18 g ( 10 % yield ), mp 207 °- 212 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 20 h 31 n 3 o 3 . 2hcl : c , 55 . 30 ; h , 7 . 66 ; n , 9 . 67 ; found : c , 55 . 14 ; h , 7 . 79 ; n , 9 . 61 . following the procedure of example 5 , a mixture of 1 -( 2 - hydroxyphenyl ) piperazine dihydrobromide ( 9 . 6 g , 0 . 0282 mol ), 5 -( 3 - chloropropyl )- 3 - methyl - 2 - oxazolidinone ( 5 . 0 g , 0 . 0282 mol ), sodium bicarbonate ( 9 . 5 g , 0 . 113 mol ), and potassium iodide in 1 - butanol ( 100 ml ) gave an oil . the oil was triturated several times with light pet ether ( decanting each time ) and dissolved in ethyl acetate / isopropyl ether . cooling the solution gave a solid which was collected by filtration and dried under high vacuum to give 1 . 80 g ( 20 % yield ), mp 112 °- 116 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 17 h 25 n 3 o 3 : c , 63 . 93 ; h , 7 . 89 ; n , 13 . 16 ; found : c , 63 . 71 ; h , 8 . 01 ; n , 13 . 04 . following the procedure of example 5 , a mixture of 5 -( 4 - chlorobutyl )- 3 - methyl - 2 - oxazolidinone ( 5 . 39 g , 0 . 0282 mol ), 1 -( 2 - hydroxyphenyl )- piperazine dihydrobromide ( 9 . 6 g , 0 . 0282 mol ), sodium bicarbonate ( 9 . 5 g , 0 . 113 mol ) and potassium iodide ( 1 . 0 g ) in n - butanol ( 100 ml ) gave an oil which was triturated in light pet ether several times , crystallized from ethyl acetate / isopropyl ether , and dried under high vacuum at 50 ° c . to give 3 . 22 g ( 34 % yield ), mp 106 °- 110 °. analysis : calculated for c 18 h 27 n 3 o 3 : c , 64 . 84 ; h , 8 . 16 ; n , 12 . 60 ; found : c , 64 . 79 ; h , 8 . 36 ; n , 12 . 54 . to a stirring solution of 5 -[ 4 -[ 4 ( 2 - hydroxyphenyl )- 1 - piperazinyl ] butyl - 3 - methyl - 2 - oxazolidinone ( 5 . 0 g , 0 . 0150 mol ) in absolute ethanol ( 150 ml ) was added a solution of potassium hydroxide ( 0 . 93 g , 0 . 0165 mol ) in absolute ethanol ( 100 ml ). the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 30 minutes and allyl bromide ( 2 . 00 g , 0 . 0165 mol ) was added . the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 3 hr and acidified with a 3n hydrochloric acid solution . the solvents were removed under reduced pressure and a saturated sodium bicarbonate solution and ethyl acetate were added . the layers were separated and the aqueous layer was extracted again with ethyl acetate . the combined organic layers were washed twice with a saturated sodium chloride solution , twice with a 5 % potassium hydroxide solution , once more with a saturated sodium chloride solution , dried ( sodium sulfate ), filtered , and evaporated under reduced pressure to 3 . 7 g of a liquid , which was dissolved in absolute ethanol and acidified with ethanolic hydrogen chloride . the solid was collected by filtration , rinsed with diethyl ether and dried under high vacuum at 60 ° c ., giving 3 . 15 g ( 46 % yield ), mp 197 °- 200 ° c . analysis : calc . for c 21 h 31 n 3 o 3 . 2hcl . 0 . 5h 2 o : c , 55 . 38 ; h , 7 . 52 ; n , 9 . 23 ; found : c , 55 . 93 ; h , 7 . 62 ; n , 9 . 36 . following the procedure of example 5 , a mixture of 5 -( 4 - chlorobutyl )- 3 - phenyl - 2 - oxazolidinone ( 3 . 0 g , 0 . 01186 mol ), 1 ( 2methyoxyphenyl )- piperazine ( 2288g , 0 . 01186 mol ), potassium carbonate ( 4 . 92 g , 0 . 0356 mol ) and potassium iodide ( 1 g ) in 1 - butanol ( 75 ml ) gave an oil ( 4 . 7 g , 87 % yield ), which was crystallized from isopropanol / isopropyl ether . drying of the resulting solid under high vacuum gave 0 . 98 g , mp 153 °- 155 ° c . analysis : calc . for c 24 h 31 n 3 o 3 . hcl . 0 . 5h 2 o : c , 63 . 36 ; h , 7 . 31 ; n , 9 . 24 ; found : c , 63 . 60 ; h , 7 . 33 ; n , 9 . 12 . following the procedure of example 5 , a mixture of 5 -( 4 - chlorobutyl )- 3 - phenyl - 2 - oxazolidinone ( 3 . 0 g , 0 . 01186 mol ), 1 -( 2 - pyridinyl ) piperazine ( 1 . 94 g , 0 . 01186 mol ), potassium carbonate ( 4 . 92 g , 0 . 0356 mol ), and potassium iodide ( 1 . 0 g ) in n - butanol ( 75 ml ) gave an oil , which crystallized upon standing ( 3 . 9 g , 86 % yield ). the solid was recrystallized from isopropanol / isopropyl ether and dried under high vacuum to give 1 . 80 g , mp 78 °- 81 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 22 h 28 n 4 o 2 : c , 69 . 45 ; h , 7 . 42 ; n , 14 . 72 ; found : c , 69 . 33 ; h , 7 . 51 ; n , 14 . 56 . following the procedure of example 5 , a mixture of 5 -( 4 - chlorobutyl )- 3 - phenyl - 2 - oxazolidinone ( 3 . 0 g , 0 . 01186 mol ), 1 -( 2 - pyrimidinyl ) piperazine dihydrochloride ( 2 . 81 g , 0 . 01186 mol ), potassium carbonate ( 9 . 85 g , 0 . 0713 mol ), and potassium iodide ( 1 . 0 g ) in n - butanol ( 75 ml ) gave a solid ( 4 . 1 g , 91 % yield ). the solid was recrystallized from isopropanol / isopropyl ether and dried under high vacuum to give 2 . 58 g , mp 94 °- 96 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 21 h 27 n 5 o 2 : c , 66 . 12 ; h , 7 . 13 ; n , 18 . 36 ; found : c , 66 . 04 ; h , 7 . 17 ; n , 18 . 29 . following the procedure of example 5 , a mixture of 5 -( 4 - chlorobutyl )- 3 - phenyl - 2 - oxazolidinone ( 3 . 0 g , 0 . 01186 mol ), 1 - phenylpiperazine hydrochloride ( 2 . 35 g , 0 . 01186 mol ), potassium carbonate ( 6 . 54 g , 0 . 0473 mol ), and potassium iodide ( 1 . 0 g ) in 1 - butanol gave a liquid ( 4 . 1 g , 91 % yield ) which crystallized upon standing . recrystallization from isopropanol / isopropyl /- ether and drying under high vacuum gave 1 . 44 g , mp 83 °- 85 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 23 h 29 n 3 o 2 : c , 72 . 79 ; h , 7 . 70 ; n , 11 . 07 ; found : c , 72 . 76 ; h , 7 . 90 ; n , 10 . 86 . following the procedure of example 5 , a mixture of 5 -( 4 - chlorobutyl )- 3 - phenyl - 2 - oxazolidinone ( 6 . 0 g , 0 . 0237 mol ), 1 -( 2 - hydroxyphenyl ) piperazine dihydrobromide ( 8 . 06 g , 0 . 0237 mol ), sodium bicarbonate ( 7 . 98 g , 0 . 095 mol ), and potassium iodide ( 1 . 0 g ) in n - butanol ( 200 ml ) gave an oil ( 10 . 5 g ) which crystallized on standing and was recrystallized from isopropanol / isopropyl ether . drying under high vacuum gave 6 . 15 g ( 66 % yield ), mp 123 °- 129 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 23 h 29 n 3 o 3 : c , 69 . 85 ; h , 7 . 39 ; n , 10 . 62 ; found : c , 69 . 72 ; h , 7 . 52 ; n , 10 . 44 . following the procedure of example 5 , a mixture of 5 -( 4 - chlorobutyl )- 3 - phenyl - 2 - oxazolidinone , ( 3 . 0 g , 0 . 01186 mol ), 1 -( 2 - ethoxyphenyl ) piperazine hydrochloride ( 2 . 88 g , 0 . 01186 mol ), potassium carbonate ( 6 . 57 g , 0 . 0475 mol ), and potassium iodide ( 1 . 0 g ) in n - butanol ( 100 ml ) gave an oil ( 3 . 5 g , 79 % yield ). the oil was dissolved in ethanolic hydrogen chloride and allowed to stand . diethyl ether was added to give a solid which was collected by filtration . after recrystallization the solid weighted 3 . 64 g , mp 215 °- 223 ° c . analysis : calc . for c 26 h 33 n 3 o 3 . 2hcl . 0 . 5h 2 o : c , 59 . 40 ; h , 7 . 18 ; n , 8 . 31 ; found : c , 59 . 24 ; h , 7 . 22 ; n , 8 . 44 . following the procedure of example 5 , a mixture of 5 -( 3 - chloropropyl )- 3 - phenyl - 2 - oxazolidinone ( 4 . 5 g , 0 . 0188 mol ), 1 -( 2 - pyridinyl ) piperazine ( 3 . 07 g , 0 . 0188 mol ), potassium carbonate ( 7 . 81 g , 0 . 0565 mol ), and potassium iodide ( 1 . 0 g ) in n - butanol ( 200 ml ) gave a solid which was recrystallized from isopropanol / isopropyl ether and dried under high vacuum to give 3 . 86 g ( 56 % yield ), mp 123 °- 125 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 21 h 26 n 4 o 2 : c , 68 . 83 ; h , 7 . 15 ; n , 15 . 29 ; found : c , 68 . 70 ; h , 7 . 16 ; n , 15 . 22 . following the procedure of example 5 , a mixture of 5 -( 3 - chloropropyl )- 3 - phenyl - 2 - oxazolidinone ( 4 . 5 g , 0 . 0188 mol ), 1 -( 2 - pyrimidyl ) piperazine dihydrochloride ( 4 . 47 g , 0 . 0188 mol ), potassium carbonate ( 15 . 64 g , 0 . 113 mol ), and potassium iodide ( 1 . 0 g ) in n - butanol ( 200 ml ) gave a solid which was recrystallized from isopropanol / isopropyl ether and dried under high vacuum to give 2 . 49 g ( 36 % yield ), mp 92 °- 98 ° c . and 118 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 20 h 25 n 5 o 2 : c , 65 . 37 ; h , 6 . 86 ; n , 19 . 05 ; found : c , 65 . 27 ; h , 6 . 85 ; n , 19 . 01 . following the procedure of example 5 , a mixture of 5 -( 3 - chloropropyl )- 3 - phenyl - 2 - oxazolidinone ( 4 . 5 g , 0 . 0188 mol ), 1 -( 2 - ethoxyphenyl ) piperazine hydrochloride ( 4 . 57 g , 0 . 0188 mol ), potassium carbonate ( 10 . 42 , g 0 . 0754 mol ), and potassium iodide ( 1 . 0 g ) in n - butanol ( 200 ml ) gave an oil . acidification with ethanolic hydrogen chloride followed by addition of diethyl ether gave a solid , which was collected by filtration and dried under high vacuum to give 3 . 97 g ( 43 % yield ), mp 182 °- 187 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 24 h 31 n 3 o 3 . hcl . 0 . 5h 2 o : c , 58 . 66 ; h , 6 . 97 ; n , 8 . 55 ; found : c , 58 . 63 ; h , 7 . 10 ; n . 8 . 30 . following the procedure of example 5 , a mixture of 5 -( 3 - chloropropyl )- 3 - phenyl - 2 - oxazolidinone ( 4 . 5 g , 0 . 0188 mol ), 1 - phenylpiperazine hydrochloride ( 3 . 74 g , 0 . 0188 mol ), potassium carbonate ( 10 . 38 g , 0 . 0751 mol ), and potassium iodide ( 1 . 0 g ) in n - butanol ( 200 ml ) gave a solid ( 6 . 2 g , 90 % yield ), recrystallization from isopropanol / isopropyl ether and drying under high vacuum gave 2 . 60 g , mp 125 °- 127 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 22 h 27 n 3 o 2 : c , 72 . 30 ; h , 74 . 5 ; n , 11 . 50 ; found : c , 72 . 05 ; h , 7 . 48 ; n , 11 . 40 . following the procedure of example 5 , a mixture of 5 -( 3 - chloropropyl )- 3 - phenyl - 2 - oxazolidinone ( 4 . 5 g , 0 . 0188 mol ), 1 -( 2 - methoxyphenyl )- piperazine ( 3 . 62 g , 0 . 0188 mol ), potassium carbonate ( 7 . 81 g , 0 . 0565 mol ), and potassium iodide ( 1 . 0 g ) in n - butanol ( 200 ml ) gave an oil . the oil was acidified with warm ethanolic hydrogen chloride , filtered warm , and cooled to room temperature . diethyl ether was added and the resulting solid was collected by filtration and dried under high vacuum at 50 ° c . to give 4 . 65 g ( 53 % yield ), mp 203 °- 211 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 23 h 29 n 3 o 3 . 2hcl : c , 58 . 98 ; h , 6 . 67 ; n , 8 . 97 ; found : c , 59 . 02 ; h , 6 . 89 ; n , 8 . 93 . following the procedure of example 5 , a mixture of 5 -( 3 - chloropropyl )- 3 - phenyl - 2 - oxazolidinone ( 9 . 0 g , 0 . 0376 mol ), 1 -( 2 - hydroxyphenyl ) piperazine dihydrobromide ( 12 . 80 g , 0 . 0377 mol ), sodium bicarbonate ( 12 . 66 g , 0 . 151 mol ), and potassium iodide ( 1 . 0 g ) in n - butanol ( 400 ml ) gave an oil ( 9 . 3 g , 65 % yield ). the oil was dissolved in warm absolute ethanol and acidified with ethanolic hydrogen chloride . ether was added and the solid was collected by filtration and dried under high vacuum at 60 ° c . to give 8 . 28 g , mp 250 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 22 h 27 n 3 o 2 . 2hcl : c , 58 . 15 ; h , 6 . 43 ; n , 9 . 25 ; found : c , 58 . 00 ; h , 6 . 51 ; n , 9 . 20 . a mixture of 5 -[ 4 -[ 4 -( 2 - hydroxyphenyl )- 1 - piperazinyl ] butyl ]- 3 - phenyl - 2 - oxazolidinone ( 4 . 0 g , 0 . 0101 mol ) and potassium hydroxide ( 0 . 62 g , 0 . 011 mol ) in absolute ethanol ( 250 ml ) was stirred at room temperature for two hours and allyl bromide ( 1 . 34 g , 0 . 0111 mol ) was added . the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 4 days and then acidified with a 3n hydrochloric acid solution . the solvents were removed under reduced pressure and then the residue was dissolved in a saturated sodium bicarbonate solution . the product was extracted twice into ethyl acetate , washed once with water , twice with a 5 % potassium hydroxide solution , once again with water and once with a saturated sodium chloride solution , dried ( sodium sulfate ), filtered and evaporated under reduced pressure to an oil ( 4 . 3 g , 98 % yield ). the oil was dissolved in warm absolute ethanol and acidified with ethanolic hydrogen chloride . the resulting solid was collected by filtration , rinsed with ether and dried under high vacuum at 50 ° c . to give 3 . 5 g , mp 198 °- 202 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 26 h 33 n 3 o 3 . 2hcl : c , 61 . 41 ; h , 6 . 94 ; n , 8 . 26 ; found : c , 60 . 98 ; h , 7 . 12 ; n , 8 . 18 . a mixture of 5 -[ 3 -[ 4 -( 2 - hydroxyphenyl )- 1 - piperazinyl ] propyl ]- 3 - phenyl - 2 - oxazolidinone dihydrochloride ( 4 . 0 g , 0 . 0101 mol ) and potassium hydroxide ( 0 . 62 g , 0 . 0111 mol ) in absolute ethanol ( 250 ml ) was stirred at room temperature for two hours and allyl bromide ( 1 . 34 g , 0 . 0111 mol ) was added . the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 4 days and then acidified with a 3n hydrochloric acid solution . the solvents were removed under reduced pressure and a saturated sodium bicarbonate solution was added to the residue . the product was extracted twice into ethyl acetate and the combined extracts were washed once with water , twice with a 5 % potassium hydroxide solution , once again with water and once with a saturated sodium chloride solution , dried ( sodium sulfate ), filtered and evaporated under reduced pressure to an oil ( 4 . 3 g , 98 % yield ). the oil was dissolved in warm absolute ethanol and acidified with ethanolic hydrogen chloride . the resulting solid was collected by filtration , rinsed with ether and dried under high vacuum at 50 ° c . to give 3 . 5 g , mp 198 °- 202 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 25 h 31 n 3 o 3 . hcl . 1 . 5h 2 o : c , 61 . 91 ; h , 7 . 27 ; n , 8 . 66 ; found : c , 62 . 19 ; h , 6 . 91 ; n , 8 . 84 . following the procedure of example 5 , a mixture of 5 -( 4 - chlorobutyl )- 3 -( 1 - methylethyl )- 2 - oxazolidinone ( 5 . 2 g , 0 . 0237 mol ), 1 -( 2 - methoxyphenyl ) piperazine ( 4 . 56 g , 0 . 0237 mol ), potassium carbonate ( 9 . 84 g , 0 . 0712 mol ) and potassium iodide ( 1 . 0 g ) in n - butanol ( 200 ml ) gave an oil . the oil was dissolved in absolute ethanol and acidified with ethanolic hydrogen chloride . addition of ether gave a solid which was collected by filtration and dried under high vacuum at 70 ° c . to give 7 . 36 g ( 69 % yield ), mp 206 °- 213 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 21 h 33 n 3 o 3 . 2hcl : c , 56 . 25 ; h , 7 . 87 ; n , 9 . 37 ; found : c , 56 . 18 ; h , 8 . 13 ; n , 9 . 31 . following the procedure of example 5 , a mixture of 5 -( 4 - chlorobutyl )- 3 -( 1 - methylethyl )- 2 - oxazolidinone ( 5 . 2 g , 0 . 0137 mol ), 1 -( 2 - ethoxyphenyl )- piperazine hydrochloride ( 5 . 76 g , 0 . 0237 mol ) and potassium iodide ( 1 . 0 g ) in n - butanol ( 200 ml ) gave an oil . the oil was dissolved in absolute ethanol and acidified with ethanolic hydrogen chloride . addition of ether and filtration gave a solid which was dried under high vacuum at 70 ° c . to give 6 . 62 g ( 60 % yield ), mp 199 °- 205 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 22 h 35 n 3 o 3 . 2hcl : c , 57 . 14 ; h , 8 . 06 ; n , 9 . 09 ; found : c , 57 . 25 ; h , 8 . 42 ; n , 9 . 07 . following the procedure of example 5 , a mixture of 5 -( 4 - chlorobutyl )- 3 -( 1 - methylethyl )- 2 - oxazolidinone ( 10 . 4 g , 0 . 0474 mol ), 1 -( 2 - hydroxyphenyl ) piperazine dihydrobromide ( 16 . 12 g , 0 . 0474 mol ), sodium bicarbonate ( 15 . 96 g , 0 . 190 mol ) and potassium iodide ( 1 . 0 ) in n - butanol ( 350 ml ) gave an oil . the oil was dissolved in absolute ethanol and acidified with ethanolic hydrogen chloride . addition of ether and filtration gave a solid which was dried under high vacuum at 70 ° c . to give 9 . 47 g ( 46 % yield ), mp 203 °- 207 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 20 h 31 n 3 o 3 . 2hcl : c , 55 . 30 ; h , 7 . 66 ; n , 9 . 67 ; found : c , 54 . 97 ; h , 7 . 97 ; n , 9 . 49 . table i______________________________________formula i examples ## str11 ## examples ar n r______________________________________ 1 c . sub . 6 h . sub . 5 4 ch . sub . 3 2 2 - pyridinyl 4 ch . sub . 3 3 2 - ch . sub . 3 oc . sub . 6 h . sub . 4 4 ch . sub . 3 4 2 - pyrimidinyl 4 ch . sub . 3 5 2 - ch . sub . 3 oc . sub . 6 h . sub . 4 3 ch . sub . 3 6 2 - pyridinyl 3 ch . sub . 3 7 2 - pyrimidinyl 3 ch . sub . 3 8 2 - c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 oc . sub . 6 h . sub . 4 3 ch . sub . 3 9 2 - c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 oc . sub . 6 h . sub . 4 4 ch . sub . 310 2 - hoc . sub . 6 h . sub . 4 3 ch . sub . 311 2 - hoc . sub . 6 h . sub . 4 4 ch . sub . 312 2 -( ch . sub . 2chch . sub . 2 o ) c . sub . 6 h . sub . 4 4 ch . sub . 313 2 - ch . sub . 3 oc . sub . 6 h . sub . 4 4 c . sub . 6 h . sub . 514 2 - pyridinyl 4 c . sub . 6 h . sub . 515 2 - pyrimidinyl 4 c . sub . 6 h . sub . 516 c . sub . 6 h . sub . 5 4 c . sub . 6 h . sub . 517 2 - hoc . sub . 6 h . sub . 4 4 c . sub . 6 h . sub . 518 2 - c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 oc . sub . 6 h . sub . 4 4 c . sub . 6 h . sub . 519 2 - pyridinyl 3 c . sub . 6 h . sub . 520 2 - pyrimidinyl 3 c . sub . 6 h . sub . 521 2 - c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 oc . sub . 6 h . sub . 4 3 c . sub . 6 h . sub . 522 c . sub . 6 h . sub . 5 3 c . sub . 6 h . sub . 523 2 - ch . sub . 3 oc . sub . 6 h . sub . 4 3 c . sub . 6 h . sub . 524 2 - hoc . sub . 6 h . sub . 4 3 c . sub . 6 h . sub . 525 2 -( ch . sub . 2chch . sub . 2 o ) c . sub . 6 h . sub . 4 4 c . sub . 6 h . sub . 526 2 -( ch . sub . 2chch . sub . 2 o ) c . sub . 6 h . sub . 4 3 c . sub . 6 h . sub . 527 2 - ch . sub . 3 oc . sub . 6 h . sub . 4 4 ch ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 228 2 - c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 oc . sub . 6 h . sub . 4 4 ch ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 229 2 - hoc . sub . 6 h . sub . 4 4 ch ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2______________________________________ anxiolytic test data obtained ( competitive binding to 5ht 1a receptors or expiratory light / dark behavior ) for the invention compounds and a reference compound are shown in table ii . table ii______________________________________pharmacology dataex - light / ample 5ht . sub . 1a . sup . 1 dark . sup . 2 example 5ht . sub . 1a light / dark . sup . 2______________________________________1 59 56 ( 10 ) 16 8 . 2 -- 2 61 53 ( 3 . 16 ) 17 15 -- 3 15 53 ( 3 . 16 ) 18 2 . 0 -- 4 190 -- 19 57 -- 5 29 -- 20 170 -- 6 110 -- 21 18 -- 7 510 -- 22 50 -- 8 22 -- 23 11 -- 9 16 -- 24 -- -- 10 110 -- 25 -- -- 11 40 -- 26 -- -- 12 20 66 ( 1 ) 27 -- -- 13 2 . 2 -- 28 -- -- 14 7 . 7 -- 29 -- -- 15 29 -- buspirone 13 . 2 ( avg ) 51 ( 5 . 62 ) ip 54 ( 5 . 62 ) po______________________________________ . sup . 1 ic . sub . 50 ( nmol ) . sup . 2 % time spent in lit area ( dose , mg / kg ip ), minimum effective dose the pharmaceutical compositions used in the methods of this invention for administration to living animals are comprised of , as active ingredients , at least one of the compounds of formula i according to this invention , in association with a pharmaceutical carrier or excipient . the compounds are thus presented in a therapeutic composition for oral , parenteral , or rectal administration . thus for example , compositions for oral administration can take the form of elixirs , capsules , tablets or coated tablets containing carriers conveniently used in the pharmaceutical art . suitable tableting excipients include lactose , potato and maize starches , talc , gelatin , stearic and silicic acids , magnesium stearate and polyvinyl pyrrolidones . for parenteral administration , the carrier or excipient can be comprised of a sterile parenterally acceptable liquid , e . g ., water or arachis oil contained in ampoules . in compositions for rectal administration , the carrier can be comprised of a suppository base , e . g ., cocoa butter or a glyceride . advantageously , the compositions are formulated as dosage units , each unit being adapted to supply a fixed dose of active ingredients . tablets , coated tablets , capsules , ampoules and suppositories are examples of preferred dosage forms according to the invention . it is only necessary that the active ingredient constitute an effective amount ; i . e ., such that a suitable dosage will be consistent with the dosage form employed in single or multiple unit doses . the exact individual dosages , as well as daily dosages , will , of course , be determined according to standard medical principles under the direction of a physician or veterinarian . generally , the pharmacology tests suggest a contemplated effective oral dose for humans will be in the range of 2 - 200 mg daily to be taken in divided doses of from 0 . 5 to 50 mg 3 to 4 times daily . | 0 |
the above general description and the following detailed description are merely illustrative of the subject invention , and additional modes , advantages and particulars of this invention will be readily suggested to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . the device of the present invention accomplishes this end by heating the hemoglobin within the blood vessels , causing the blood vessels to coagulate with venosity necrosis of the tumor . the scope of the present invention includes all effective wavelength of electromagnetic radiation , and effective spectral bands for this purpose include microwave radiation ; but the preferred spectral band , for the for heating the surrounding tissue and for heating the target itself , is 595 to 1560 nm . the preferred device for generation this light is a pulsed dye laser emitting 585 to 595 nm of light but laser light from 585 to 1560 nm may be suitable . the device includes a mechanism for pulsing the light from the light source . this mechanism may include circuitry for controlling the current supplied to the light source by either power or a shutter . materials and methods : superficial bccs were exposed to a 595 nm pulsed - dye laser ( v - beam laser , candela corp ., wayland , mass . ), using 4 sets of laser parameters varying in fluence ( j / cm 2 ) and epidermal cooling mode ( dcd on / off ): a ) 3 j / cm 2 , dcd on , b ) 7 j / cm 2 , dcd on , c ) 15 j / cm 2 , dcd on , and d ) 15 j / cm 2 , dcd off . one pass of laser with 10 % overlapping pulses , pulse duration of 1 . 5 ms to 3 msec , spot size 7 mm , and 4 mm treatment margins were used in all groups . at 3 - 8 weeks after laser treatment , the treated superficial bccs were clinically evaluated , excised , and examined histologically ( h & amp ; e ) using serial section . clinical response was evaluated as : no change , flattening , less erythema , or absence of apparent residual tumor . therapeutic response was determined by histological findings and graded as : failure ( tumor seen ) or success ( no tumor seen ). results : there were 25 superficial bccs ; 4 in group a , 5 in group b , 6 in group c , and 10 in group d . the location of the tumors included the shoulder ( 9 ), back ( 8 ), chest ( 4 ), arms ( 2 ), and legs ( 2 ). the average follow - up period was 5 . 3 ( 3 - 8 ) weeks . immediate clinical findings : group a : no change ( 100 %), group b : slightly erythema ( 20 %), and purpura ( 80 %), group c : purpura ( 100 %), and group d : purpura , swelling , and epidermal grayish whitening ( 100 %). clinical response : group a : no change ( 100 %), group b : no change ( 60 %), and slight flattening and less erythema ( 40 %), group c : marked flattening and less erythema ( 33 . 3 %), and slight flattening and less erythema ( 66 . 7 %), and group d : absence of apparent residual tumor ( 100 %). therapeutic / histological response : histologically , no tumor was seen after treatment in 0 % of groups a and b , 20 % of group c , and 100 % of group d . conclusion : the 595 run pulsed - dye laser , at a fluence of 15 j / cm2 without epidermal cooling mode , provides a significant therapeutic response with clinical and histologic clearance for superficial bcc . it will be appreciated that the most success was achieved without prior epidermal cooling with the highest intensity ( j / cm 2 ) electromagnetic radiation . the invention has demonstrated also that treatment of bcc is enhanced when the tissue surface is at normal ambient temperature , approximately 30 ° c ., prior to the application of the electromagnetic radiation of 595 nm . this is contrary to the teaching of the prior art wherein cryogen is used to cool the ambient skin temperature to approximately minus 10 ° c . the present invention has demonstrated that maintaining the tissue and target tissue at normal temperature is beneficial . this may be the result of there being a smaller temperature gradient between the surrounding tissue and the target tissue at the start of the treatment . accordingly , the treatment will not create the dramatic temperature gradient between the target tissue , heated by radiation energy , and the surrounding tissue that does not experience significant absorption of radiation . the absence of cryogen will also avoid the undesired light flash . this specification is to be construed as illustrative only and is for the teaching those skilled in the art the manner of carrying out the invention . it is to be understood that the forms of the invention herein shown and describe are to be taken as the presently preferred embodiments . as already stated , changes , variations or refinements may be made to the method without departing from the scope of this invention . for example , equivalent elements may be substituted for those illustrated and described herein and certain features of the invention may be utilized independently of the use of other features , all as would be apparent to one skilled in the art after having the benefit of this description of the invention . | 0 |
fig1 shows a pon with an olt and three different onus . the olt present in the system is a dual rate capable ( both upstream and downstream channel ) device , where the downstream transmission in 1 g and 10 g channels is carried out in parallel and independently on different wavelengths of the optical signals , while the upstream channel is shared by 1 g and 10 g data rates via a tdm scheme . three types of onus are supported , namely : symmetric 1 g / 1 g , symmetric 10 g / 10 g and asymmetric 10 g / 1 g . in this configuration , the onus can be discovered in the two - stroke and the three - stroke discovery process . the operation of the discovery process is depicted in fig2 . the messages of three types of onus are shown , namely : symmetric 1 g / 1 g , symmetric 10 g / 10 g and asymmetric 10 g / 1 g . the extended discovery process may look complicated though its operation is relatively simple to follow . at the beginning , the olt - based discovery agent initializes the discovery process by allocating a new time interval in the upstream channel , during which no previously registered onu is allowed to transmit any data , comprising thus the so - called discovery window . the discovery window is an interval reserved by the olt discovery agent with the cooperation of the dba agent , when no standard upstream traffic is allowed , leaving room for reception of any registration requests from initialized onus . during the said time interval , standard data transmission is suspended in the upstream channel , resulting in the disruptive character of the whole process . no data transmission is disrupted in the downstream channel for the duration of the discovery window . in accordance with the ieee 802 . 3 - 2005 clause 64 , the discovery and dba agents at the olt must exchange information and reach an agreement about the start and duration of the discovery window . the parameters to be negotiated by the agents include the size and beginning of the discovery window and , when consensus is reached , a new discovery window is allocated in the upstream channel . the dba agent is responsible for confirming that no active llid is scheduled a valid transmission window during the requested discovery window , while the remaining scheduling tasks are delegated to the discovery agent . once the bandwidth availability is confirmed , the olt sends a legacy and extended discovery gate mpcpdu ( dgate ) in the 1 g and 10 g downstream channels . a legacy dgate is received only by the legacy , symmetric 1 g / 1 g - onus . an extended egate is received by new asymmetric 10 g / 1 g - and symmetric 10 g / 10 g - onus . the discovery windows 1 g - dw and 10 g - dw are allocated in a non - overlapping manner , maximizing the registration probability for 1 g us and 10 g us compliant onus . the extended discovery gate mpcpdu egate contains the description of the olt capabilities as well as the definition of the opened discovery slots , which is the start time and size for both 1 g and 10 g slots . 10 g / 1 g - and 1 g / 1 g - onus respond to their egate or dgate message after a random delay rdm , creating a single collision domain , whereby both legacy and extended discovery gate mpcpdu advertise the same discovery slot for all 1 g us capable onus . the 10 g / 10 g - onu responds in a separate collision domain , disjoint from the 1 g us capable onus . a 1 g / 1 g - onu transmits in the us - channel a legacy register req mpcpdu req , the 10 g / 1 g - and 10 g / 10 g - onus transmit an extended register req mpcpdu ereq with the appropriate description of the capabilities of the given onu in the ds - and us - channels . additionally , the said message shall indicate what data rate the given extended onu is responding at . for simplicity of the example , it is assumed that none of the issued req - messages collides at the olt . upon reception of the uncollided req messages , the olt based discovery agent issues reg messages in the ds - channel , followed by the standard gate message , carrying an us - channel slot allocated for the transmission of the ack message , which will complete the registration process . the register mpcpdu ( reg ) transmitted to 1 g / 1 g - onu is complaint with the legacy specifications . the extended register mpcpdu ereg transmitted to the 10 g / 1 g - and 10 g / 10 g - onu will carry additionally information , i . e . inform the given onu on the target data rate to be used in the ds - and us - channels . the onus , upon reception of the reg message and the accompanying gate message , create the appropriate register_ack mpcpdu ( ack ), set the flags and transmit in the allocated us - channel window . the olt based scheduling agent will make sure that the us - channel slots allocated to all onus are non - colliding since all the onus in the system belong to a single collision domain . therefore a single channel is tdm shared with dual rate transmission , as indicated before . the eack messages indicates , whether the onu acknowledges the ds / us - channel allocation . this particular functionality may seem superfluous , though might prove useful in the case of dual rate us capable onus , which despite the channel allocation performed by the olt may be e . g . forced to operate at the lower data rate , 1 g instead of 10 g , provided that an excessive bit error rate ber is detected for 10 g - link . thus , it is provisioned that such an extended functionality may find its application in coexisting systems . once the ack messages are successfully received at the olt , the scheduling agent begins standard transmission , scheduling the upstream channel slots for individual onus in an non - overlapping manner . special care is taken to avoid any potential collisions between the 1 g and 10 g us capable onus . without the information about the data rate at which the given onu is operating in the us channel , the olt scheduler would have to rely on timing information to assess the actual data rate . thanks to the extended discovery process , the data rate information is delivered directly by the onus to the olt . the operation of the two - stroke discovery process is similar to the three - stroke process . the initial steps are inherently the same due to the utilization of a common , extended discovery gate mpcpdu egate . as indicated before , in the two - stroke discovery process , the onu is allowed to set its us - channel data rate , which is then communicated to the olt , which may only confirm the successful allocation . this process starts with the register_req mpcpdu ( req ), where the onu notifies the olt on its us - channel capabilities , which are the data rates the given onu supports , as well as the selected data rate . the onu capabilities shall be notified to the olt to handle properly dual rate us capable onus — if such devices are deployed and excessive ber is detected e . g . at 10 g channel , the given onu might be reregistered and forced to use 1 g channel instead to improve the link integrity . the olt discovery agent , upon reception of uncollided register_req mpcpdus ( req ), acknowledges or not the us channel selected by the given onu , by sending in the ds a register mpcpdu ( reg ) with the ack / nack flag set accordingly . the olt agent may deny the registration at the given data rate , in which case the onu is allowed to attempt registration again , without changing the data rate selection policy . additionally , the olt agent may deny the registration and indicate the preferred data rate for the given onu , providing that such a data rate is supported as announced in the previous register_req mpcpdu ( req ). this functionality is obviously limited to the dual rate us capable onus . single data rate devices do not have the ability to transmit at a different data rate . at the end of the discovery process , both legacy and extended onus transmit in the us - channel a register_ack mpcpdu ( ack ). transmission of such a mpcpdu indicates the confirmation that the onu and its higher stack layers confirm allocation and shall use the announced channel parameters for future data exchange . in fig3 the structure of the extended discovery gate mpcpdu egate is shown . this structure corresponds mainly to the standard legacy mpcpdu , defined in the standard . each field of the du is presented with its length , counted in bytes b . the modifications comprise allocating 4 bits from the options field to indicate particular functionalities , i . e . : ack ds ( bit 0 ): the onu confirms the allocation of the ds data channel . nack ds ( bit 1 ): the onu rejects the allocated ds data channel . ack us ( bit 2 ): the onu confirms the allocation of the us data channel . nack us ( bit 3 ): the onu rejects the allocated us data channel . in the case of rejection of either downstream and / or upstream channel allocations , the given llid shall remain unregistered until the following discovery window is opened and a new registration attempt can be effected . rejection of the particular us / ds channel allocation does not enforce any particular interpretation i . e . such an event may be caused by the higher layer entity forcing the onu to operate at lower / higher data rate , poor ber observed at the particular data channel allocated by the olt etc . all remaining bits in the reserved field ( bits 4 - 7 ) shall be reset and ignored upon reception . as in fig3 in fig4 the structure of the extended discovery register_req mpcpdu ereq is shown . this structure corresponds mainly to the standard legacy mpcpdu , defined in the standard . also the length of each field is indicated . the modified , extended register_req mpcpdu is the first data unit transmitted in the upstream channel by the given onu or the llids during the registration process . in the case of three - stroke discovery process , the onu notifies the olt about is transmission capabilities for both downstream and upstream channels , thanks to which the olt will have a chance to allocate the given onu to particular transmission channel , most commonly the upstream one since dual downstream rate onus are unlikely to emerge due to economic reasons . to allow for such reporting of the capabilities of the onu , the extended register_req mpcpdu will be modified in the three - stroke process as follows : 1 g ds capable field ( bit 0 ): if set , the onu informs the compliant olt that it is capable of receiving 1 g downstream transmissions ; 10 g ds capable field ( bit 1 ): if set , the onu informs the compliant olt that it is capable of receiving 10 g downstream transmissions ; 1 g us capable field ( bit 2 ): if set , the onu informs the compliant olt that it is capable of performing 1 g upstream transmissions ; 10 g us capable field ( bit 3 ): if set , the onu informs the compliant olt that it is capable of performing 10 g upstream transmissions ; 1 g us capable field ( bit 0 ): if set , the onu informs the compliant olt that it is capable of performing 1 g upstream transmissions ; 10 g us capable field ( bit 1 ): if set , the onu informs the compliant olt that it is capable of performing 10 g upstream transmissions ; 1 g us registration attempt ( bit 2 ): if set , the onu informs the compliant olt that the given registration attempt is being carried out at 1 g data rate ; 10 g us registration attempt ( bit 3 ): if set , the onu informs the compliant olt that the given registration attempt is being carried out at 10 g data rate ; an onu , capable of dual rate operation in the downstream channel ( i . e . capable of receiving either 1 g or 10 g channels ), would set bits 0 and 1 . an onu capable of only single data rate operation would set either bit 0 or 1 , depending on actual downstream rate it is operating at . it is explicitly required for at least one of the said bits to be set — a register_req mpcpdu with bits 0 and 1 reset will be ignored on reception . an onu , capable of dual rate operation in the upstream channel ( i . e . capable of transmitting at either 1 g or 10 g channels ), would set bits 2 and 3 . an onu capable of only single data rate operation would set either bit 2 or 3 , depending on actual upstream rate it is operating at . it is explicitly required for at least one of the said bits to be set — a register_req mpcpdu with bits 2 and 3 reset will be ignored on reception . all remaining bits in the reserved field ( bits 4 . . . 7 ) shall be reset ( set to 0s ) and ignored upon reception . as in fig3 in fig5 the structure of the extended discovery register mpcpdu ereg is shown . this structure corresponds mainly to the standard legacy mpcpdu , defined in the standard . also the length of each field is indicated . the modifications in the three - stroke process to the extended register mpcpdu comprise allocating 4 bits from the options field to indicate particular functionalities , i . e . : use 1 g ds ( bit 0 ): if set , the particular onu shall use the 1 g downstream channel for reception of datagrams transmitted from the olt . use 10 g ds ( bit 1 ): if set , the particular onu shall use the 10 g downstream channel for reception of datagrams transmitted from the olt . use 1 g us ( bit 2 ): if set , the particular onu shall use the 1 g upstream channel for transmission of the next datagram in the upstream channel . use 10 g us ( bit 3 ): if set , the particular onu shall use the 10 g upstream channel for transmission of the next datagram in the upstream channel . the change in the us and / or ds data rate affects all the llids associated with the given onu and is reflected on the olt side by moving all the llids associated with the given onu from any previous us and / or ds domain to the specific us and / or ds domain ( if applicable ). such a functionality is required since an onu may not operate with 2 data rates in ds channel and it is impossible for it to operate at 2 data rates in the us channel ( both 1 g and 10 g onus operate in the same transmission window of 1310 nm , 1 g centered around 1310 nm with ± 50 nm , 10 g centered around 1270 nm ± 10 nm ). in the case of multiple llid per onu , it is therefore necessary to assure that all the llids are receiving and transmitting at the same data rates ; otherwise , data rate switching would be required , adding to the cost of this subscriber equipment . it is therefore stipulated that the olt discovery agent shall assure that only 1 bit is set for ds and us channels i . e . bit 0 or 1 for ds channel and bit 2 or 3 for us channel . a register mpcpdu with bit 0 and 1 or 2 and 3 set or both bits 0 and 1 or 2 and 3 reset shall be ignored upon reception . in such case , the registering entity should remain unregistered and wait for the next suitable discovery window . all remaining bits in the reserved field ( bits 4 . . . 7 ) shall be reset and ignored upon reception . in the two - stroke discovery process , the register mpcpdu is transmitted to the given contending onu only if the register_req mpcpdu was received successfully . the olt shall confirm the data channel selected by the onu in the us channel , providing thus feedback whether the given data rate should be used by the onu or whether the registration should be repeated at the different data rate if applicable . the modifications to the extended register mpcpdu comprise allocating 3 bits from the options field to indicate particular functionalities : ack ( bit 0 ): if set , the olt confirms the allocation of the us channel indicated by the onu in the register_req mpcpdu ; nack , use 1 g ( bit 1 ): if set , the olt denies registration of the given onu at the selected us channel ( either 1 g or 10 g ), the onu is advised to attempt registration at 1 g during the next compliant discovery window ; nack , use 10 g ( bit 2 ): if set , the olt denies registration of the given onu at the selected us channel ( either 1 g or 10 g ), the onu is advised to attempt registration at 10 g during the next compliant discovery window ; nack ( bit 3 ): if set , the olt denies registration of the given onu and does not indicate a target data rate to be used by the onu during the next compliant discovery window ; it is expressly noted that the olt discovery agent shall assure that ack and neither of nack bits are set simultaneously . the range of acceptable values of the options field includes thus : 0x01 , 0x02 , 0x04 and 0x08 . all remaining bits in the reserved field ( bits 4 . . . 7 ) shall be reset and ignored upon reception . as in fig3 in fig6 the structure of the extended discovery register_ack mpcpdu ereg is shown . this structure corresponds mainly to the standard legacy mpcpdu , defined in the standard . also the length of each field is indicated . the modifications to the extended register_ack mpcpdu comprise allocating 4 bits from the options field to indicate particular functionalities , i . e . : ack ds ( bit 0 ): the onu confirms the allocation of the ds data channel . nack ds ( bit 1 ): the onu rejects the allocated ds data channel . ack us ( bit 2 ): the onu confirms the allocation of the us data channel . ack us ( bit 3 ): the onu rejects the allocated us data channel . in the case of rejection of either downstream and / or upstream channel allocations , the given llid remains unregistered until the following discovery window is opened and a new registration attempt can be effected . rejection of the particular us / ds channel allocation does not enforce any particular interpretation i . e . such an event may be caused by the higher layer entity forcing the onu to operate at lower / higher data rate , poor ber observed at the particular data channel allocated by the olt etc . all remaining bits in the reserved field ( bits 4 . . . 7 ) shall be reset and ignored upon reception . in the two - stroke process the register_ack shall be transmitted upstream only if the olt acknowledged previously the us channel selected by the given onu . otherwise , the olt shall not issue the gate mpcpdu required for transmission of the register_ack mpcpdu , thus effectively preventing the onu from transmitting any registration acknowledgment . as such , the options field shall contain no additional information bits apart from the ones used already in the flags field present in the standard register_ack mpcpdu . it is therefore acceptable to fill in the options field with 0s | 7 |
upon arriving at a fire scene , portable computer or microprocessor 1 is activated . each firefighter , prior to turning on his / her scba , will key in a personal three - digit pin 2 into the scba programmable mechanism , outside the fire scene . then , the command center will individually poll each scba to inquire who is online and whoever is successfully polled is identified on the command center screen . once this is accomplished , the command center is aware of whom is on site . during a fire , the command center will communicate individually with each firefighter &# 39 ; s scba . this communication process is to gather data as to the current status of the firefighter . each communication transmits the pass status , i . e ., body temperature , air pressure , heart rate and blood pressure to the command center which updates the data on the computer monitor . if the firefighter &# 39 ; s pass 3 is caused to alarm , this is indicated on the command center monitor . the individual monitoring the command center knows that the firefighter is in a state of alarm and sends assistance . also monitored is the ambient temperature 4 . if the firefighter enters an area where the temperature exceeds a predetermined level , this results in an alarm and the firefighter &# 39 ; s data is displayed in the screen alarm box . if a firefighter &# 39 ; s cylinder air pressure 5 decreases to a predetermined level , this is considered an alarm and is displayed in the alarm box . also , the time that the firefighter has been on pressurized air is monitored . this is an indication of the amount of time that the firefighter has been actively engaged at the scene and is a relevant parameter for the commander and is used to assure proper rehabilitation procedures . the microprocessor and translates commands issued by the teams software 6 into radio transmissions . the transmissions are received by the addressed scba , which then responds with a radio broadcast which is received by the command center . the command center then sends this scba &# 39 ; s response to microprocessor 1 . the current communication method is a serial port connection . other embodiments are also possible such as usb , ethernet and gpib . wireless communication channels possible are wifi , bluetooth and zigbee protocols . the power supply for the command center is a built - in rechargeable battery pack as well as an interface to power the unit from the line or fire truck power system . the electronic design of the command center consists of a 920 mhz fhss ( frequency hopping spread spectrum ) transceiver that outputs one watt of radio frequency power in the unlicensed ism ( industrial , scientific , medical ) band . this transceiver connects to an embedded microprocessor / microcontroller that contains flash memory that is in - circuit programmable . this embedded microcontroller contains the hardware necessary to connect the transceiver to the computer along with custom software to perform the above actions . in general , an scba contains embedded electronics to monitor various physical parameters and communicate them to the user in a simple and understandable manner . these parameters consist of , but are not limited to , cylinder pressure 5 , pass status 3 , battery voltage and overall unit status . to integrate the scba into the teams network , it is necessary to include an onboard transceiver 7 capable of communicating with the command center . the teams ready scba contains a high performance embedded microcontroller connected to transceiver 8 that is compatible with the command center transceiver , i . e ., the same hopping sequence , channel number , and rf output power . unique features of this system are the ability of the microcontroller to query the transceiver and determine whether or not the scba is within communication range of the command center . in - range transceivers provide a sync pulse at prescribed intervals allowing a lock in the frequency hopping sequence . this allows them to sense whether or not another transceiver is present within its communication envelope . this in - range indication is in the form of an led mounted on the thumbwheel interface that hangs over the user &# 39 ; s shoulder during normal use . when the scba is able to communicate with the command center , the led is illuminated . if the user is not within communication range of the command center , the led is extinguished . this gives the user immediate feedback as to his link status with the command center . in addition to the transceiver interface , the microcontroller is responsible for the implementation of the teams communication protocol . this requires on board storage of various system parameters stored in eeprom and flash memory resident inside the microcontroller . unique to the system is the manner in which each scba user is identified by name . in order to identify the user of a particular scba , the scba contains a thumbwheel interface . this interface is permanently mounted on the unit and allows the firefighter to key in a unique pin . this pin is transmitted to the teams software via the command center during each scba command center event . the teams software contains a database which contains pin assignments . these assignments correlate a pin to a name . this allows the teams software to identify the actual user by name . teams is a software application designed to run on the windows xp platform . the main purpose of the software is to provide the commander with the ability to monitor and recall fire team members either individually or universally . the software is a real - time database application . this differs from a standard application due to the scanning sequence the software performs in order to sample and communicate scba status in a reasonable amount of time . the system operation begins by entering serial numbers into the database via an interface screen provided by a menu selection . the serial numbers of the scbas are entered into the database with this interface . these serial numbers are provided by the manufacturer at the time of sale so that each time the user purchases a new unit the new serial number can be added . a maximum of 32 units can be displayed at any one time so the maximum for one command center is 32 . another embodiment allows this number to be increased without limit . the software sorts the online users based upon the task selected . this allows grouping of firefighters to a particular task . examples might be roof , basement , north quadrant etc . there are four alarm possibilities , including pass ( this alarm is always on so no database interaction is necessary ), low cylinder pressure , high temperature and time - in - fire . if the user clicks on a name in the alarm box , a detailed explanation of any and all alarm causes will appear in a box immediately to the right labeled alarm description . one embodiment of the software design causes a software controlled recall to be issued to the firefighter in alarm status . another embodiment allows the recall to be manual under human supervision . the correlation of the firefighter &# 39 ; s personal information , i . e ., name , address , emergency contact and pin are also stored in a database that can be accessed via a menu selection . when the software is executed by clicking its icon , the startup sequence first asks the user if the event data is to be logged to a database . if the answer is yes , then all runtime data that is gathered from the scbas are logged to the database for later retrieval . the software then loads the serial number database and sequentially communicates via the command center with each one . if a valid response is received , then the data is loaded into the appropriate location on the screen . the software then removes these serial numbers found from the available serial number scan list . this means that only those not online will be scanned the next time resulting in a shorter scan time . polling then transmits a request for data to each scba online , receives the data , and updates the display . each string of requested data is checked against the alarm set points . if a set point has been exceeded , the user &# 39 ; s name is placed in an alarm status . a dynamic link to the alarm cause can be created by clicking on the name in the alarm box . a unique feature of the software is the individual and universal recall capabilities . if the commander on scene determines that a particular firefighter needs to be recalled , he can press that individual &# 39 ; s recall button . that recall button will turn red in color to signify that that firefighter has been issued a recall command . it will continue to transmit a recall command until it receives a response from the user . when a recall command has been received on the user &# 39 ; s scba , the piezo alarm sounds for 10 seconds , during which time the firefighter cannot disable the alarm . at the same time , the heads - up display normally used to display cylinder pressure to the user flashes in a prescribed pattern to visually signal an evacuation command . after the 10 second alarm , the firefighter can locally disable the piezo alarm , but the heads - up display will continue flashing the evacuate sequence for 20 seconds out of every 60 - second interval until the all - clear signal is given . when the command center receives an acknowledgement response from the firefighter &# 39 ; s scba , the recall button will turn yellow . at this point the commander knows that firefighter has received the evacuation command , the piezo is sounding and he should be evacuating . when the firefighter has completed the evacuation , he presses and holds the pass reset buttons on the scba for three seconds . this will cause the scba to transmit an all - clear acknowledgement to the command center . the recall button on the screen will then turn green and the software will remove the firefighter from the scanning sequence . this frees up the system to allow faster scanning for those still online . the green indication of the recall button is an immediate indication to the scene commander that that firefighter is clear of danger . a universal recall is used when the global recall button is pressed . this is equivalent to pressing all the individual recall buttons simultaneously . the process is identical to the individual application with the exception that the software automates the pressing of the individual recall buttons . as each user receives the recall command , the color sequence is red , yellow , green and offline , as with the individual recall . unique to the recall event , either individual or universal , is the acknowledgement by both the scba and the command center that a recall has been received . in addition , the all - clear signal from the scba signals the command center that the firefighter is clear of danger . | 0 |
this invention is an improved method of conducting chemical reactions in supercritical , or near supercritical , carbon dioxide ( scd ). in one preferred embodiment , the invention is a method for producing metal or semi - metal oxide deposits by hydrolysis of at least one hydrolysable precursor in supercritical carbon dioxide ( scd ). specifically , the hydrolysis reaction can be catalyzed by the presence of either an acid or a base . the hydrolysable precursor is a typically a hydrolysable metallic compound . as used herein , the terms “ metal ” and “ metallic ” are to be construed broadly to encompass metals , the semi - metals ( also known as metalloids ) and phosphorus . the semi - metals are typically considered to be boron , silicon , germanium , arsenic , antimony , tellurium , and polonium . the hydrolysable metallic compound precursor must be soluble or partially soluble in supercritical carbon dioxide ( scd ). unlike a normal fluid solvent , scd has virtually no surface tension . as such , scd is freely miscible with all gases because of the mutual lack of surface tension . therefore , the teams “ solubility ” and “ soluble ” are used in the broadest sense to mean the ability or tendency of one substance to blend uniformly with another and the term “ solution ” is used to designate both true solutions ( i . e ., solids dissolved in a solvent ) and uniform mixtures of miscible fluids . the scd may include one or more co - solvents such as an alcohol ( e . g ., methanol , ethanol , etc .) or other semi - polar solvent ( e . g ., acetone ) added to further aid in dissolution of the metal alkoxide , metal complex or salt . additionally , this method could be applicable to reverse micelle structures that contain a co 2 immiscible solvent that is the carrier for one or more of the reactants . some typical surfactants for a reverse micelle in scd are bis -( 2 - ethylhexyl ) sulfosuccinate ( aot ), zonyl fsj ( contains one or more fluoroalkylphosphate ester salt ), and poly ( 1 , 1 ,- dihydroperfluoro octyl acrylate )- b - poly ( ethylene oxide ) and others in review article : helen m . woods , marta m . c . g . silva , cecile nouvel , kenin m . shakesheff and stven m . howdle , materials processing in supercritical carbon dioxide : surfactants , polymers and biomaterials , j . mater . chem ., 2004 , 14 ( 11 ), 1663 - 1678 . generally , the hydrolysable metallic compounds known from the field of sol - gel chemistry should be appropriate for use in this inventive method under the right processing conditions . examples of such compounds are : 1 ) metal alkoxide with the structure m ( or ) n such as ethoxides ( oet ), propoxides ( opr ), butoxides ( obu ), etc ., and associated oligomers species [ m ( or ) n ] m , where m is at least one metal atom , r is any alkyl group and may be the same or different each occurrence , and m and n are constants that are determined as needed to balance the electronic charge . preferably , m is at least one of silicon , boron , hafnium , aluminum , phosphorus , zirconium , titanium , barium , lanthanum , or yttrium . typically , r is a methyl , ethyl , propyl , or butyl group . a non - limiting list of suitable metallic alkoxides includes silicon tetra alkoxy compounds ( such as tetraethyl orthosilicate ( teos ), tetramethoxysilane ( tmos ), tetrapropoxysilane ( tpos ), and tetrabutyloxysilane ( tbos )), hafnium tert - butoxide , aluminum ethoxide and aluminum isopropoxide . these and other metallic alkoxides are commercially available , such as from gelest , inc . more than one metallic alkoxide precursor may be used when a complex oxide , e . g ., bst , is to be deposited . m - o - m linkages can exist in these materials , as well . included are reaction products of metal alkoxides with organic hydroxy compounds such as alcohols , silanols r 3 sioh , glycols oh ( ch 2 ) n oh , carboxylic and hydroxycarboxylic acids , hydroxyl surfactants etc . 2 ) metal carboxylates m ( o 2 cor ) n , and carboxylate oligomers and polymers [ m ( o 2 cr ) n ] m , as well as hydrates thereof , where m is at least one metal atom , r is any alkyl group and may be the same or different each occurrence , and m ( m stands for the degree of association or molecular complexity or nuclearity ) and n are constants that are determined as needed to balance the electronic charge . 3 ) metal β - diketonates [ m ( rcochcor ′) n ] and oligomeric and polymeric materials [ m ( rcochcor ′) n ], as well as adducts m ( β - diketonates ) n l x where m is at least one metal atom , r and ŕ are any alkyl group and may be the same or different each occurrence , n is a constant determined as needed to balance the electronic charge , and l usually has a nitrogen or oxygen donor sites such as water , alcohols , ethers , amines , etc . 4 ) metal alkoxide derived heteroleptic species ( i . e ., species with different types of ligands ) such as m ( or ) n − x z x ( z = β - diketonates or o 2 cr ), where m is at least one metal atom , r is any alkyl group and may be the same or different each occurrence , and m and x are constants that are determined as needed to balance the electronic charge . 5 ) organically modified silanes ( ormosils ) of general formula ( ro ) 4 − x siz x where r is any alkyl group , z is another functional ( e . g ., acrylate , epoxide , vinyl , etc .) or non - functional alkyl group forming a stable si — c bond , and x is a constant chosen to balance electronic charge . 6 ) heterometallic precursors ( m x m y ′, m x , my ′ m z ″) with such forms as , but not limited to m x m ′ y ( or ) n , where m , m ′ and m ″ are different metal atoms , r is any alkyl group and may be the same or different each occurrence , and n , x , y , and z are constants that are determined as needed to balance the electronic charge . 7 ) metal salts , halides mx n , chlorates , hypochlorites , nitrates , nitrites , phosphates , phosphites , sulfates , sulfites , etc ., where m is a metal atom , x is a halide atom and n is a constant determined as needed to balance the electronic charge . non - hydrolytic condensation reactions are also possible with these sol - gel materials . building - up of the m - o - m network can also be achieved by condensation reactions between species with different ligands . metal alkoxides and carboxylates ( elimination of ester , equation 1 ), metal halides mx n and alkoxides ( formation of alkylhalide — equation 2 ) or elimination of dialkylether ( equation 3 ) as the source of the oxo ligand are examples . m ( or ) n + m ′( o 2 cr ′) n --& gt ;( or ) n − 1 m - o - m ′( o 2 cr ′) n − 1 + rco 2 r ( 1 ) m [ osi ( or ) 3 ] n --& gt ; mo n / 2 + sio 2 + r 2 o under applied heat ( 3 ) metal alkoxides can also be used as precursors of non - oxide materials . for instance , fluorinated alkoxides m ( or f ) n ( r f ═ ch ( cf 3 ) 2 , c 6 f 5 , . . . ) can decompose upon heating to give the base metal . metal fluorides may result from these precursors depending on thermal treatment . the reactivity of the m - or bond also provides ascention to phosphatessulfides or oxysulfides materials . the hydrolysable metallic alkoxide precursors are selected so that they yield the desired metallic oxide material . the metallic oxide materials may have high k values ( dielectric constant ), baseline values , or low k values . the high k value materials deposited by the hydrolysis reactions have k values at least equal to about 10 . typical of such high k value materials arc typically oxides , such as , for example , ba — sr — ti — o ( bst ), pb — zr — ti — o ( pzt ), and certain low atomic number metal oxides or mixed metal oxides , such as titanium oxide , hafnium oxide , zirconium oxide , aluminum oxide or hafnium - aluminum oxide . silicon dioxide is generally considered the baseline material having a k value of around 4 . other baseline materials include boron phosphosilicate glass ( bpsg ) and phosphosilicate glass ( psg ). low k value materials ( k less than about 3 ) can be derived from these materials by incorporating fluorine and / or carbon and / or porosity . other low k value materials possible by this invention are hybrid inorganic - organic glasses that incorporate metal - organic bonds into the material . representative of such hybrid glasses are organically modified silicate ( ormosil ), organically modified ceramic ( ormocer ), and silicon silsesquioxane materials . the catalysts are acids or bases that are either soluble in supercritical carbon dioxide or are soluble when part of a lewis acid - lewis base complex . suitable acids include organic acids , such as acetic acid , formic acid , and citric acid , as well as inorganic acids such as hydrofluoric acid ( gaseous at the critical temperature of scd ), hydrochloric acid , nitric acid , sulfuric acid , and phosphoric acid . many organic acids , and hydrofluoric acid , are soluble in supercritical carbon dioxide . likewise , chlorine and bromine are gaseous at the critical temperature of scd and form acids in contact with water ). in contrast , many inorganic acids , especially strong inorganic acids , are not normally soluble in supercritical carbon dioxide . such scd - insoluble acids can form scd - soluble complexes with scd - soluble lewis bases . a particularly useful lewis base for forming these scd - soluble complexes is tributyl phosphate . tributyl phosphate is highly soluble in scd and the inventors believe that the phosphate group can attach to acids , such as nitric acid or hcl , to increase the solubility of the acid by orders of magnitude . suitable bases include ammonia , organic amines , pyridine or substituted pyridine , and fluoroamines . strong inorganic bases , such as hydroxides , e . g ., koh or naoh , can be used if they are solubilized by complexing with a lewis acid that is soluble in supercritical carbon dioxide . generally , the hydrolysis reactions are limited by the low solubility of water in supercritical carbon dioxide . the scarcity of available water due to the low scd - solubility of water is believed to be a major cause of the relatively slow reaction rates seen in earlier processes that did not use the current catalysts . for example , metal alkoxides are well - known to be moisture sensitive . indeed , metal alkoxides will typically undergo hydrolysis slowly at room temperature and would be expected to rapidly hydrolyze at 100 ° c ., even in the absence of a catalyst , if water was readily available . in contrast to the previous art , in this method , the scd - soluble acids , bases and / or acid / base - complexed catalysts interact with water molecules , so that the scd - soluble catalysts work as carriers for water delivery in supercritical co 2 . this interaction greatly increases the availability of water for the hydrolysis reaction , which results in the desired increase in the hydrolysis reaction rate . for example , ammonia appears to have at least a one - to - one molecular interaction with water so that , on average , each dissolved ammonia molecule carries at least one water molecule . the new acid or base catalyzed oxide deposition process in supercritical fluid is carried out in a high - pressure system with co 2 pressure at least at the critical pressure of about 73 atm , typically greater than 80 atm . the concentrations of the precursors ( alkoxides ) and water dissolved in the supercritical fluid phase are usually high ( several hundred tons or more ) and consequently result in high deposition rates in relatively low temperatures . preferably the reaction temperature is no more than about 150 ° c ., more preferably no more than about 100 ° c . when using the process of this invention , the deposition rate is generally fast , in the order of several hundred angstroms per minute . the oxide films formed by this method show good morphology and strong adhesion to silicon or other substrate surfaces . this method also allows deposition of oxides in fine structures of silicon wafers with high aspect ratios . the high diffusivity and low viscosity of supercritical carbon dioxide enables oxide deposition in small areas and fine structures with high aspect ratios . fig1 shows sem images of silicon dioxide films formed on a silicon wafer and also deposited in the small structures ( 100 nm wide and 500 nm deep trenches ). as shown in fig1 , the silicon dioxide films are basically free of visible voids according to the sem micrographs . although the oxide films produced by this method are typically free of large voids , the films are porous as indicated by the density of the deposited material . however , due to the lack of surface tension in scd , the drying occurs without contractional forces from the liquid . as a result , the deposit material does not display “ mud - cracking ” typical of the drying of a normal fluid solvent . generally , the oxide films formed by base catalyzed reactions are denser than the oxide films formed by acid catalyzed reactions . the densities of the oxide layers formed in by this inventive process are believed to be greater than 50 % of the density of dense sio 2 ( 2 . 2 g / cm 3 ). representative examples of acid or base catalyzed oxide formation reactions are described as follows : when acetic acid is used as the catalyst , a smooth silicon dioxide film with reasonable thickness can be formed in supercritical co 2 at temperatures above 100 ° c . the deposition reaction actually starts at room temperature but produces good quality thick films at 100 ° c . in the absence of acetic acid , only uneven and thin silicon dioxide films ( 10 - 20 nm ) can be formed . addition of acetic acid makes the resulting silicon dioxide films uniform and thick . the thickness of the silicon dioxide films formed by reaction ( 1 ) can be up to 500 nm in the presence of 19 mole % to 95 mole % of acetic acid relative to teos . the acid catalytic reaction probably involves proton coordination to the oxygen atoms of teos molecule that facilitates the hydrolysis . alkoxide : ( a ) aluminum ethoxide and ( b ) aluminum isopropoxide ; base catalyst : nh 3 in compliance with the statute , the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to chemical , structural and methodical features . it is to be understood , however , that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown and described , since the means herein disclosed comprise preferred embodiments of putting the invention into effect . these embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention , and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . the invention is , therefore , claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the proper scope of the appended claims appropriately interpreted in accordance with the doctrine of equivalents . | 2 |
in fig1 the present embodiment , while shown in its normal no liquid flow condition , comprises a bowl 10 having a top closure 11 sealed by elements 12 . the bottom wall 13 of the bowl is formed with an outlet opening 14 . a sight glass 15 is mounted in the bowl wall so the level of the liquid may be checked as found necessary . the space above the liquid level is pressurized with a suitable gas , such as carbon dioxide or carbon dioxide and air mixture . the filling valve assembly 16 arrangement comprises a base 16a secured over the outlet opening 14 in the bowl 10 . the base 16a has a liquid passage 17 therein , and at one side of that passage an operating cam 18 is located . the cam 18 is carried by a shaft 19 having suitable seals , and the exterior end 20 is engaged by a lever 21 which moves with the rotation of the bowl 10 and is suitably actuated to cause the cam 18 to operate for the purpose of controlling the admission of the pressurizing gas to a container , as will presently appear . the valve assembly 16 includes a guide 22 supported on a spider ring 23 projecting from the base 16a into the bottom outlet opening 14 such that the guide 22 projects into the body of liquid in the bowl 10 . an outer or primary sleeve 24 is mounted in the guide 22 so its lower end reaches into the space adjacent the support spider 23 . the outer or upper end of the primary sleeve extends above the level of the liquid in the bowl 10 so its open end is exposed to the pressurizing gas . the primary sleeve 24 supports a pin 25 which engages in the adjacent upper end 26 of a rod 27 suspended by the pin 25 inside the primary sleeve 24 . the rod passes well below the bottom of the primary sleeve 24 to a bottom end in the form of a shaped valve 28 , the purpose of which will be explained presently . the base 16a supports a fork element having tines 29 straddling the rod 27 so as to engage the bottom end of the primary sleeve 24 . one of the tines 29 also engages on the cam 18 for the purpose of being able to actuate the fork element so the primary sleeve 24 can be elevated . rather than rely on gravity to hold the primary sleeve engaged on the fork tines 29 , there is a spring 30 in the upper area of the bowl 10 engaged at one end on an abutment 31 fixed to the primary sleeve 24 and engaged on the under side of the cover 11 at its opposite end . thus the reciprocation of the primary sleeve 24 in the guide 22 is effected by the cam 18 and the spring 30 . during reciprocating movement of the primary sleeve 24 , the rod 27 will be moved in like manner . the base 16a secured to the bottom outlet 14 of the bowl 10 supports an extension member 33 and the lower end of the member 33 supports the upper part 35a of a container filling head 35 . these parts 16a , 33 and 35a are welded or otherwise secured together as a sub - assembly . as shown the filling head 35 includes a second part 35b which is separate so a number of functional elements located internally of the head may be assembled . snift valve 36 is supported by part 35b . the part 35a is counterbored to receive a spider element 37 which acts as an abutment for the lower end of a spring 38 , the upper end of the spring being engaged on a second spider element 39 which is slidable in the extension 33 . the upper end of spider element 39 is secured by a suitable ring element 40 to the exterior of an elongated secondary sleeve 41 . the secondary sleeve 41 has slots 42 therein which straddle the pin 25 connecting the rod end 26 to the primary sleeve 24 so the secondary sleeve 41 has movement independent of the primary sleeve 24 . the bottom end of the secondary sleeve 41 supports a body 43 which may be press - fitted in the sleeve 41 such that its inner conic end forms a seat surface 44 to receive the shaped valve 28 on the rod 27 . a valve seal ring 28a is carried by the valve 28 so as to close the passage 43a in the body 43 . the bottom end of the body 43 is enlarged so it can support a suitable valve ring 45 in position to engage on the bevelled seat 45a formed in the part 35b of the filler head 35 . the body 43 supports the upper end of a gas vent tube 46 in position to extend through the passage 47 and through a support nipple 48 for a resilient ring 49 which is engaged by any finish of a container c . the outer end of the vent tube carries a liquid spreader element 50 above a vent control valve assembly 51 . a suitable screen 52 may be supported in the passage 47 below the seat surface 45a . a conventional centering bell c . b . is used to position and locate the container in proper relation to the valve assembly 51 . the snifter valve 36 includes a valve body 53 for a valve 54 which is pressed into normal closed position by resilient element 55 . the cavity in the body 53 is in communication through a passage 56 with the passage 47 , and upon pressing on the valve rod 57 , the passage 47 is opened to ambient space as the valve 54 is unseated . in fig3 the vent tube valve assembly 51 comprises a coil spring 58 slidably received over the end 59 of the vent tube 46 below the spreader 50 . the turns of the spring may be slightly enlarged during the assembly so that when relaxed they will close about the tube end 59 in a frictional embrace . the spring 58 extends below the end 59 of the vent tube 46 to provide an open space or open cage in the coils . a shaped valve element 60 is captured in the open space of the spring coil . the element 60 is shaped in the form of an elongated plug having a blunt - rounded end 61 to mate with a shaped seat 62 surrounding the open end of the vent tube 59 . the coil turns , beyond said tubular portion , have a terminal end 58a closing the cage area to escape of the valve element . comparing fig1 and 2 , it can be seen that when the lever 21 is actuated to rotate cam 18 and raise the primary sleeve 24 , the rod 27 is raised and its valve end 28 is lifted off the seat 44 in body 43 at the end of the secondary sleeve . the gas in the space above the liquid in bowl 10 is released to flow through the secondary sleeve 41 and through the vent tube 46 and the vent control valve assembly 51 into the container c . during this time , and even before , liquid is forced to fill the extension 33 above the control valve 45 . when the pressure condition in the container c is equal to the pressure of the liquid at the valve 45 , the resilient spring 38 is able to lift the spider 39 and raise the secondary sleeve 41 . the raising of the latter sleeve 41 lifts the valve 45 off seat 45a and liquid is released to flow by gravity from the bowl 10 into the container c . as the liquid rises in container c , the gas is displaced rapidly and with a minimum of turbulance upwardly through the vent tube 46 . the exchange of liquid for the gas in the container c occurs very rapidly which is desirable to shorten the time required to fill a container . when the gas is displaced rapidly by liquid entering the container the weight of the element 60 does not allow it to close on the seat 62 while the gas flows smoothly into the entrance of the vent tube end 59 . however , as the liquid rises it enters the open space in the spring coil and tends to lift the element 60 to a position where the venturi effect of the gas flow will pick up the element 60 and move it into a position engaged on the seat 62 to stop further gas venting . when in the raised position the differential pressure holds the element 60 in raised position . the liquid will continue to rise until the pressure in the neck area outside the vent tube 46 equals the pressure acting on the liquid from the bowl . the pressure creates surface tension on the liquid on the screen and stops flow by balancing the liquid on the screen . at the proper time , lever 21 will be operated to rotate cam 18 so the spring 30 can lower the primary sleeve and thereby return the rod 27 so its lower end 28 engages seat 44 in body 43 to close the gas passage through the secondary sleeve 41 . when this occurs , the pressurized liquid in the extension will force the valve 45 to engage its seat 45a . the final step is for the snifter valve 36 to be actuated to open the passage 56 to the ambient area and allow escape of the small quantity of gas which has been trapped in the container neck , and the area of the vent tube under the gas seat 44 until the pressure is reduced to atmospheric level . the foregoing improvement is directed to a control valve assembly 51 which can be mounted on existing filling apparatus having gas vent tubes , as well as with the improved filling assembly herein . the configuration of element 60 is important as it can be weight modified in several ways as required by the character of the liquid and by the desired responsive movement when it is moved into the venturi effect of the gas flow through the vent tube 46 back to the bowl 10 . for example , the element 60 can be formed of a material which adapts to weight modification as well as length changes to suit the required characteristics of the individual application to a filling apparatus . in fig5 and 6 a modification is shown in relation to a ball 60a being captured within the coils of spring 58 . when a ball element is used the spring 58 does not need to project beyond the vent tube end 59 as far as may be required for the shaped element 61 . however , a ball imposes somewhat less resistance on the flow of gas into and out of the tubes end portion 59 . when employed to fill containers with potable liquids , the foregoing components of the apparatus should be formed of stainless steel or formed of a suitable non - corrosive material which has not influence on taste or on other aspects of the liquid . | 1 |
before describing the invention involving the figures of the drawings , a brief overview of the invention is as follows . a purpose that the present invention can perform is to function as a command translation system to translate a failing , user - entered command into a potentially successful command . in other words , when a command fails to execute , a special code is passed to the system of the invention . upon receipt of this code , a translation file is searched to locate information corresponding to the failing , user - entered command . if this comparison search is successful , a command that has been stored can be entered as a substitute command . however , the user can select one of two modes for controlling the execution of the substitute command . one mode may be selected under which a substitute command is executed immediately following its identification in the command translation step . a second mode can be selected , according to the invention , under which a substitute command is displayed at the user &# 39 ; s terminal , and the user can confirm it , or alternatively , the user can edit it , before the substitute command is passed to the operating system for execution . the mode selected , whether mode one or mode two , is determined , according to a presently preferred form of the invention , at the time that the user &# 39 ; s terminal is initialized . if a failing , user entered command does not match any command already stored in the command translation file , a message is passed to the user &# 39 ; s terminal that indicates this failure . at this point , a successful command must be created , and when this is entered , it is stored in the command translation file where it will be entered as a match for the failing , user entered command in the future . referring now to the drawings , more particularly , to fig1 the initialization of a user &# 39 ; s terminal is indicated by step 10 . it is at this point that the operating program state variable t is initialized to zero . a user enters a command via a keyboard at the user &# 39 ; s terminal , indicated by the letter a and , also , as step 11 . this user - entered command is connected to an operating system , step 12 , where it will be determined whether it is a valid , recognized command , step 13 . if the command is recognized as a valid command , the operating system executes the command , step 14 , and if the operating system operates successfully , control continues , step 15 , and to point b , from fig1 on to fig2 . referring next to fig2 the state of the code t is tested , step 16 , and if it equals zero , an update of the command translation file is not required , since the command was executed successfully . therefore , control passes to point a , and back to fig1 . however , if the state of the code t is a one , a previously executed command was not completed successfully , but it may be associated with a currently entered command that did complete successfully . when this is the case , a query is posted to the user &# 39 ; s terminal asking whether the previously unsuccessful command should be associated with the current command , shown in fig2 as step 17 . if the user answers yes , the command translation file is updated , step 18 , with a record indicating that the two commands are associated . in accordance with the invention , this association is used to replace the failing command with the successful command if it is ever entered in the future by the user . once the command translation file is updated , or when the user answers no to the query regarding the above - described command association , the operating program state variable t is set to zero , step 19 , and control returns to point a , fig1 . returning now to fig1 when it is determined that the command is not a valid , recognized command , or if the command did not execute successfully , step 13 , a non - zero return code is set ( such as a one , for example ) and control passes to point c and to step 20 in fig3 . in fig3 step 20 indicates that whenever a command is entered that results in a non - zero return code , the usual display of a command failure message is inhibited . typically , these messages are displayed , in the absence of the present invention , whenever a user - entered command cannot be executed successfully . now , in accordance with the invention , any failing command is parsed , step 21 , into its corresponding arguments , and the command translation file is accessed , step 22 . a record , i , step 23 , from the command translation file is read and compared with the failing command , step 24 . this reading and comparing continues , and when a match is found , the program control continues at point e , fig5 . if a match is not found , meaning that the failing command doe ; not compare successfully with any record that is read in the file , and the end of the command translation file is reached , step 25 , the program control continues at point d , fig4 . in fig4 of the drawings , the point d is reached when a match for the failing command cannot be found in the translation file , so now , a previously saved message that indicated command failure is displayed at the user &# 39 ; s terminal , step 27 . now , the state variable is set to one , step 28 , to indicate that the previously entered command failed to execute . the setting of the state variable to one also indicates that the next successfully executed command might be associated with the failing command . therefore , the program control continues to point a of the flow chart , fig1 . in fig5 of the drawings , point e is reached to indicate that a match was found in the translation file for the non - successful command and that the non - successful command has been translated into a substitute command that might be successfully executed . of course , this can depend on other factors in the computer system , but it will be attempted , indicated by step 29 . step 30 describes an alternate implementation whereby a portion of the failing command is corrected . however , if the substitute command is tried but is unsuccessful , i . e ., its attempted execution returns a one ( or a non - zero ) return code , the command translation file will be accessed repeatedly until a successful command is translated , or until the end of the translation file is reached . fig5 also illustrates an alternate mode by which the technique of the invention may function , i . e ., the substitute command that the translation file develops is displayed to the user &# 39 ; s terminal . now , the user may choose , step 31 , to review the translated command or not to review it . if a review be selected , the program control passes to step 32 , where the failed command is previewed and possibly edited . the result produced is passed to point f in fig1 of the drawings . if a do not review is selected , this decision by the user is passed immediately to point f in fig1 . therefore , in accordance with the present invention , regardless of whether or not the command is edited by the user , program control continues to point f once the user enters the command . while the invention has been described in substantial detail with what is presently considered to be the most practical and the presently preferred embodiment , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited by the embodiment described , but rather , the invention is intended to include various modifications and the various equivalents that are covered by the spirit and scope of the appended claims . therefore , it is understood that all such changes , modifications , alterations and equivalents are included within the scope of the following claims . | 8 |
for the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention , reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same . it will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended . referring now to the drawings in detail , a frozen beverage freezer machine 11 , which may be floor - mounted , table - mounted , or otherwise mounted , has two beverage freezer cylinders 12 and 29 which can be of conventional construction and mounted side - by - side to the freezer . each of the cylinders , such as cylinder 12 for example in fig2 , has an open end at the face 16 of the freezer . dispenser head 14 is secured to the front 16 of the freezer by fasteners ( not shown ) through holes 61 in the head and anchored in the freezer . therefore , at each cylinder the open end is exposed to back face 33 ( fig2 ) of a shallow , cylinder - receiver recess defined by flange 34 . a seal ring 31 is received in groove 32 to seal the head to the cylinder 12 . as shown in fig2 , 5 and 6 , a passage 18 opens at face 33 and communicates directly with the bore 21 of valve 22 of the dispenser head . thus , a supply a soft - frozen beverage from cylinder 12 is always available for dispensing from the valve 22 by pulling down the handle 23 which lifts the piston 24 to discharge the beverage from the valve assembly downward in the direction of arrow 26 to dispense the beverage into a user &# 39 ; s cup or other container when the valve is opened by pulling down the handle . a valve closing return spring 27 maintains a downward force on the valve to close the valve when the user releases the handle 23 . the same type of arrangement as described for the cylinder 12 and valve 22 is provided for cylinder 29 and valve assembly 28 . a rectangular boss 36 projects to the rear from the face 33 and receives a post 37 which is a part of the cylinder and remains stationary as a stirrer ( not shown ) rotates in the cylinder . the stirrer is a conventional part of the freezer cylinder and it functions to scrape the wall as well as affecting ice crystal size . the stirrer rotates in the cylinder to keep the frozen beverage in the freezer cylinder in a state where it can readily flow . as described above , the beverage in the cylinder 12 is exposed to the back face 33 of the dispensing head 14 . referring to fig2 and 6 , a passageway 18 is provided in the head and has an entrance 18 e in face 33 and extends to an exit at the bore 21 of valve assembly 22 . the passageway entrance appears as a double opening . that is because there is a partition 19 which extends in the passageway 18 from the entrance 18 e to the passageway exit opening at the bore 21 . it serves to prevent a person who might be servicing or cleaning the equipment from getting a finger into the path of the stirrer in the freezing cylinder or the path of the piston 24 in the bore at any time that the piston is being moved down in the bore 21 by the piston return spring 27 . the piston seal in the bore is by o - ring 38 above the exit port of passageway 18 into the bore 21 , and by o - ring 39 , below the exit port . the additional function of the partition 19 is to help maintain the o - ring seal 39 in its groove as the seal crosses the passageway 18 exit port during the opening and closing of the valve 22 . with the apparatus as described to this point , dispensing a soft - frozen beverage from freezer cylinder 12 is accomplished by simply pulling down on knob 23 as discussed above . this raises the piston 24 enough to enable the beverage to flow through the inlet port 18 e , through the passageway into the bore 21 , and down in the direction of arrow 26 and out the beverage dispensing port 41 . dispensing of the soft - frozen beverage from cylinder 29 is accomplished in the same way by pulling the knob 42 to open the valve assembly 28 to discharge soft - frozen beverage from cylinder 29 through valve 28 and out through dispensing port 43 . to enable dispensing soft - frozen beverage from both cylinders simultaneously and , thereby providing a mix of the two beverages , the third valve assembly 46 is provided . this valve assembly is in communication with both cylinders at the same time by passageways opening in the back wall of the head at each of the cylinder receiver recesses , such as wall 33 for reception of cylinder 12 . for cylinder 12 , an opening 47 e into passageway 47 provides entry of beverage from cylinder 12 down and forward to a side of piston 44 in bore 49 in head 14 . the same arrangement in a mirror image is provided for freezer cylinder 29 . therefore , the piston 44 is operable by handle 50 to open the valve 46 and dispense soft - frozen beverages simultaneously from both of the cylinders 12 and 29 through passageway 47 for cylinder 12 and passageway 51 for cylinder 29 . passageways 47 and 51 are long enough between the faces such as 33 and the passageway exits into the valve bore 49 that if the handle 50 of the central valve 46 is not operated often enough to maintain a significant flow from the two beverage freezer cylinders , there is a possibility of ice accumulation in the passageways causing clogs . to inhibit development of clogging , or break a clog which has formed in one or the other of such passageways , two breakers are provided and extend outward from the piston 44 of the center valve assembly 46 toward the passageway entrances at cylinder receivers such as at 33 for cylinder 12 . referring to fig4 , 5 and 7 , for passageway 47 , for example , a breaker 53 extends from a mounting in the side of the piston to a distal ( tip ) end 53 e near the entrance 47 e of channel 47 at the face 33 of the head 14 . the proximal end 53 x of the breaker at the piston is secured to the piston by an o - ring of shape fitting a somewhat serpentine groove 64 in the piston and extending around an upstanding outer surface 53 s of a hub or key portion 53 k of breaker 53 and holding the proximal end portion of the breaker 53 in an outwardly opening , axially extending slot 44 s in the piston . accordingly , the breaker 53 is confined in the slot so that whenever the piston 44 is raised or lowered , the breaker will be raised and lowered in the passageway 47 sufficiently high and low to enable the breaker to be moved up and down in the passageway , whereby any packed volume of ice crystals in the passageway 47 can be agitated such that displacement of the packed crystals occurs . when the valve is opened by pulling the handle , this will allow soft frozen beverage to flow from the freezer cylinder 12 down and out the valve dispensing outlet 60 . the same arrangement is provided for the passageway 51 serving the freezer cylinder 29 , with a breaker 67 mounted in a slot in the piston 44 in the same way as breaker 53 is mounted in the piston . the breakers 53 and 67 are mirror images of one - another . therefore , upon pulling handle 50 , the piston 44 moves up to open the valve and the breakers will be pulled up in their respective passageways to loosen and move any potential ice clogs , and soft frozen beverages from both cylinders flow through their respective passageways into the valve bore 49 and downward and out through the dispensing port 60 into a cup or receiver placed under the port by the user . it can be noted in fig5 that the passageways 47 and 51 slope downward and forward from their entrance face ( such as 33 for passageway 47 ) to the bore for piston 44 . the currently preferred slope is eleven to approximately fifteen degrees from horizontal . referring to the breakers in more detail , breaker 53 is an example , and the description of it is useful for both 53 and 67 , as they are mirror images . as shown in fig7 and 8 and some others , breaker 53 is elongate from a proximal end 53 x outward to a distal end 53 e . there is the upstanding hub key 53 k at the proximal end . an upstanding post 53 p is adjacent the distal end . a broad and up - curved surface is provided at 53 b . the breaker is disposed in its respective passageway at slopes as mentioned above . referring to fig9 and 10 , fig1 shows a vertical slot 44 s opening outward in the piston 44 . this slot fittingly receives the key portion 53 k of the breaker 53 from the bottom 44 s of the slot to the top of the slot . therefore when the piston is raised and lowered to respectively open and close the valve 46 , the breaker captured in the slot will be raised and lowered likewise . the knob 53 n projecting laterally from the key 53 k is received in the groove 44 g in the piston . as shown in fig1 , a groove 44 r is provided in the piston surface . the groove follows a rectangular path in the surface of the piston resulting in a sort of knob 44 k in the piston . as shown in fig9 , the rounded top of the key 53 k projects slightly into the groove 44 r under knob 44 k . an o - ring is received in the groove 44 r around the knob 44 k and slightly covers the rounded side portion of the key 53 k adjacent the top of the key , helping retain the breaker 53 in the slot 44 s and groove 44 g . as shown in fig1 , a recess 45 is provided at a portion of the bottom of groove 44 r and extends down to groove 44 g . it facilitates removal of an o - ring from grove 44 r when desired . referring to fig1 , it shows the breaker 67 and its related mounting , the mirror image as that for breaker 53 . a groove 71 in the piston surface follows a rectangular path surrounding the area occupied by the breaker key 67 receiver slot , mirror image to fig1 . the groove 71 receives an o - ring 72 . this o - ring engages the top portion of key 67 k of breaker 67 to retain it in the piston . a groove 73 in the piston surface also follows a rectangular path surrounding the area of the breaker key receiver and retaining o - ring 72 . groove 73 receives o - ring 74 which serves as a piston - to - bore seal around the passageway 51 . a circumferential groove 75 in the piston receives o - ring 76 serving as a piston - to - bore seal around the entire circumference of the piston . referring back to fig5 , 10 and 11 , the post 53 p adjacent the distal end of the breaker 53 is useful to a person as a handle to grip when installing or removing the breaker 53 during servicing or cleaning the equipment . when the breaker 53 is in position in the passageway 47 , the post projects into the passageway as shown in fig5 and is accessible to a servicing person to pull the breaker out of the piston 44 . then the piston can be removed from the bore 49 if desired for servicing or cleaning . the post 53 p is also useful to push the breaker 53 in passageway 47 toward the piston and install the breaker key 53 k into the slot 44 s in the piston . while post 53 p is useful for installation or removal of a breaker relative to the piston , a screw driver or similar tool can be used if desired to facilitate displacement of the o - ring from groove 44 r ( fig9 and 10 ) or o - ring 72 from groove 71 ( fig1 ) which retains the proximal end of the breaker , to get the o - ring out of the way for insertion or removal of the breaker relative to the piston . so it is seen that these breakers are shaped in such a way that they provide for all the required functions of the parts : 1 ) a broad surface , preferably being substantially longer than it is wide to displace an optimum amount of the packed product along the path , 2 ) means , post 53 p for example , for easy insertion into and from the dispensing head during assembly and disassembly , 3 ) fool - proof assembly of the correct breaker into the correct side , since the two breakers are not identical , but are mirror images of one another , 4 ) proper retention of the breaker during all modes of operation , and 5 ) minimal disruption of the product flow path when the center valve assembly 46 is open for dispensing the two icy beverages from the two freezer cylinders and which beverages may have different characteristics in the nature of color or flavor or whatever differences are peculiar to them . a particular advantage of the illustrated embodiment of the current invention is a means to agitate this packed volume of ice crystals , such that displacement of the packed crystals occurs , allowing the mixed product from the main body of the freezing cylinder to flow through to the port of the dispensing valve . this enables the use of a relatively long flow channel to the center dispensing valve , allowing the centrally located beverage “ twist ” dispensing valve 46 and dispensing port 60 thereof to be located for maximum convenience for the user . a further advantage of this embodiment is the accomplishment of the agitation with a minimal number of parts and , therefore , optimum simplicity of the mechanism . while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description , the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character . modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected . | 0 |
the invention is disclosed as being embodied preferably in a onetime - use camera . because the features of a one - time - use camera are generally known , the description which follows is directed in particular only to those elements forming part of or cooperating directly with the disclosed embodiment . it is to be understood , however , that other elements may take various forms known to a person of ordinary skill in the art . referring now to the drawings , fig1 and 2 show a film cassette 10 similar in operation to ones disclosed in prior art u . s . pat . no . 5 , 357 , 303 , issued oct . 18 , 1994 , and u . s . pat . no . 5 , 231 , 438 , issued jul . 27 , 1993 . the film cassette 10 has a cassette shell 12 that contains a flanged spool 14 on which is stored a wound unexposed / exposed filmstrip 16 . a slightly elastic light lock 18 is supported within a film egress / ingress slot 20 in the cassette shell 12 to be pivoted open to permit film movement out of and back into the shell , through the slot , and to be pivoted closed to prevent ambient light from entering the shell , through the slot . fig1 and 2 show the film cassette 10 from opposite sides , with the light lock 18 open . the filmstrip 16 except for a trailing end portion 22 has been wound into the cassette shell 12 after being exposed outside the cassette shell . fig6 shows the trailing film end portion 22 wound into the cassette shell 12 and the light lock 18 pivoted completely closed . the spool 14 has a coaxial drive cavity 24 accessible at a drive end 26 of the cassette shell 12 and the light lock 18 has a coaxial drive cavity 28 accessible at the same end of the cassette shell as shown in fig1 . a partially shown camera 30 with which the film cassette 10 is to be used is shown in fig1 - 10 . a manual film winder or thumbwheel 32 has an integral coaxial depending drive stem 34 located within the drive cavity 24 of the spool 14 and in rotational engagement with the spool . see fig1 . the thumbwheel 32 is manually rotated in a film winding direction 36 to similarly rotate the spool 14 in order to wind the filmstrip 16 including the trailing film end portion 22 into the cassette shell 12 . as shown in fig1 and 10 a closing mechanism 38 for pivoting the light lock 18 closed after the trailing film end portion 22 is wound into the cassette shell 12 comprises two single - piece closing units 40 and 42 . the first single - piece closing unit 40 includes a pivotable double - arm closing lever 44 and an integral rotatable spur gear 46 . the second one - piece closing unit 42 includes a rotatable spur gear 48 continuously in mesh with the first spur gear 46 , an integral coaxial sector disk 50 and an integral coaxial depending drive stem 52 located within the drive cavity 28 of the light lock 18 and in rotational engagement with the light lock . pivoting the closing lever 44 in a clockwise direction in fig1 and 10 rotates the first spur gear 46 in the same direction in fig1 and 10 and , thus , rotates the second spur gear 48 , the sector disk 50 and the drive stem 52 in an opposite ( counter - clockwise ) direction in fig1 and 10 to pivot the light lock closed . the two spur gears 46 and 48 are continuously spaced from the thumbwheel 32 . a pivotable film sensor lever 54 has a sensor head 56 in contact with the filmstrip 16 as the filmstrip is wound into the cassette shell 12 . fig1 and 10 show the sensor head 56 in contact with the trailing film end portion 22 . a top projection 58 of the film sensor lever 54 is located in fig1 and 10 against a relatively short radial section 60 of a peripheral edge 62 of the sector disk 50 . a double - leg torsion spring 64 has a leg end portion 66 movably arranged within an elongate crotch 68 of the closing lever 44 . the spring leg end portion 66 urges the closing lever 44 to pivot in a clockwise direction in fig1 and 10 to rotate the first spur gear 46 in the same direction in fig1 and 10 and , thus , rotate the second spur gear 48 and the sector disk 50 in an opposite ( counter - clockwise ) direction in fig1 and 10 to , in turn , pivot the film sensor lever 54 in a clockwise direction in fig1 and 10 and bias the sensor head 56 against the filmstrip 16 including the trailing film end portion 22 . film resistance at the sensor head 56 is greater than the force of the spring leg end portion 66 . as a result , the spring leg end portion 66 is prevented from urging the closing lever 44 to pivot in a clockwise direction in fig1 and 10 and , instead , an end portion 70 of the closing lever is held spaced a slight distance 72 from an arcuate rib 74 fixed on the underside of the thumbwheel 32 . going from fig2 to fig3 when the thumbwheel 32 is rotated in the film winding direction 36 the trailing film end portion 22 is drawn from the sensor head 56 of the film sensor lever 54 and into the slot 20 in the cassette shell 12 . once the trailing film end portion 22 is moved clear of the sensor head 56 the resulting absence of film resistance at the sensor head allows the spring leg end portion 66 to pivot the closing lever 44 and rotate the first spur gear 46 clockwise in fig3 until the end portion 70 of the closing lever abuts the arcuate rib 74 on the thumbwheel 32 . consequently , the second spur gear 48 , the sector disk 50 and the drive stem 52 are rotated counter - clockwise in fig3 to pivot the film sensor lever 54 clockwise in fig3 beginning at its top projection 58 , and to pivot the light lock 18 initially closed part - way . in fig4 the thumbwheel 32 is rotated further in the film winding direction 36 than in fig3 to draw the trailing film end portion 22 from the slot 20 and into the interior of the cassette shell 12 and to position a gap 76 in the arcuate rib 74 opposite the end portion 70 of the closing lever 44 . the presence of the gap 76 opposite the end portion 70 of the closing lever 44 allows the spring leg end portion 66 to pivot the closing lever and rotate the first spur gear 46 clockwise in fig4 until the lever end portion is received in the gap . consequently , the second spur gear 48 , the sector disk 50 and the drive stem 52 are rotated counter - clockwise in fig4 to pivot the film sensor lever 54 further clockwise in fig4 and to pivot the light lock 18 further closed . in fig5 the thumbwheel 32 is rotated further in the film winding direction 36 than in fig4 to draw the trailing film end portion 22 further into the interior of the cassette shell 12 and to make one end portion 78 of the arcuate rib 74 pivot the closing lever 44 , beginning at the lever end portion 70 , and rotate the first spur gear 46 clockwise in fig4 until the lever end portion almost abuts another end portion 80 of the arcuate rib . consequently , the second spur gear 48 , the sector disk 50 and the drive stem 52 are rotated counter - clockwise in fig5 to swing the radial section 60 of the peripheral edge 62 of the sector disk beyond the top projection 58 of the film sensor lever 54 , leaving the film sensor lever substantially in place against the peripheral edge , and to pivot the light lock 18 further closed . at this time , the spring leg end portion 66 , though remaining in the crotch 68 of the closing lever 44 , ceases to exert a turning force on the closing lever . when the lever end portion 70 almost abuts the rib end portion 80 as shown in fig4 a notch 82 in the arcuate rib 74 is positioned opposite a tooth 84 on the closing lever 44 . in fig6 the thumbwheel 32 is rotated further in the film winding direction 36 than in fig5 to draw the trailing film end portion 22 further into the interior of the cassette shell 12 and to make the end portion 78 of the arcuate rib 74 pivot the closing lever 44 clockwise in fig6 to move the end portion 70 of the closing lever out of the gap 76 and to similarly rotate the first spur gear 46 . consequently , the second spur gear 48 , the sector disk 50 and the drive stem 52 are rotated counter - clockwise in fig6 to rotate the peripheral edge 62 of the sector disk further alongside the top projection 58 of the film sensor lever 54 , leaving the film sensor lever in place , and to pivot the light lock 18 completely closed . the spring leg end portion 66 , though remaining in the crotch 68 of the closing lever 44 , does not exert any turning force on the closing lever . at the same time , the notch 82 in the arcuate rib 74 receives the tooth 84 on the closing lever 44 to prevent any further rotation of the thumbwheel 32 in the film winding direction 36 . fig7 is similar to fig6 except that the film cassette 10 is removed . in fig8 - 9 , an anti - backup pawl ( not shown ) is first disengaged from the thumbwheel 32 and then the thumbwheel 32 is rotated in a reverse direction 86 which is opposite to the film winding direction 36 . in this instance , the engaged notch 82 in the arcuate rib 74 and tooth 84 on the closing lever 44 cooperate to pivot the closing lever and rotate the first spur gear 46 counterclockwise in fig8 until the lever end portion 70 is returned to the gap 76 in the arcuate rib 74 and faces the end portion 80 of the arcuate rib . see fig8 . then , the end portion 80 of the arcuate rib 74 pushes the end portion 70 of the closing lever 44 out of the gap 76 to further pivot the closing lever and rotate the first spur gear 46 counter - clockwise in fig9 . consequently , the second spur gear 48 , the sector disk 50 and the drive stem 52 are rotated clockwise in fig8 and 9 to rotate the peripheral edge 62 of the sector disk alongside the top projection 58 of the film sensor lever 54 until the radial section 60 of the peripheral edge is returned to the its position shown in fig2 . then , the film sensor lever 54 is manually pivoted counter - clockwise in fig9 to move its top projection 58 to against the radial section 60 of the peripheral edge 62 of the closing lever 44 . the spring leg end portion 66 begins to re - exert its turning force on the closing lever 44 in fig8 . the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment . however , it will be appreciated that variations and modifications can be effected by a person of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention . | 6 |
the disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements . it should be noted that references to “ an ” or “ one ” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment , and such references mean at least one . in general , the word “ module ”, as used herein , refers to logic embodied in hardware or firmware , or to a collection of software instructions , written in a programming language , such as , java , c , or assembly . one or more software instructions in the modules may be embedded in firmware , such as in an eprom . the modules described herein may be implemented as either software and / or hardware modules and may be stored in any type of non - transitory computer - readable medium or other storage device . some non - limiting examples of non - transitory computer - readable media include cds , dvds , blu - ray , flash memory , and hard disk drives . fig1 is a functional block diagram of a multi - function printer ( mfp ) 100 which is an example of an image processing apparatus according to one embodiment . the mfp 100 comprises a cpu 101 , a rom 102 , a ram 103 , a printer unit 104 , a scanner unit 105 , an image processing unit 106 , an i / f ( interface ) 107 , an operation unit 108 , a display unit 109 , a dma controller 110 , and a setting unit 111 . the cpu 101 is a processor capable of controlling the overall mfp 100 . the mfp 100 is controlled by running a program ( firmware ) stored in the rom 102 . the rom 102 is non - volatile memory capable of storing the program for controlling the mfp 100 . the ram 103 is volatile memory which is used as a working area when the cpu 101 runs the program stored in the rom 102 . the ram 103 is also used as buffer memory for temporarily storing image data from the scanner unit 105 . the printer unit 104 may print image data on a sheet of paper , an ohp sheet , or other medium ( hereinafter referred to as a “ printing medium ”). in one embodiment , the printer unit 104 is an inkjet printer which comprises a printhead , a motor , and an ink cartridge . the printer unit 104 causes a carriage having the printhead to scan on the printing medium in a reciprocating manner and apply ink to the printing medium . printing is performed by transporting the printing medium according to the scanning perpendicularly to the scanning direction of the carriage . the scanner unit 105 may scan images on a sheet of paper , a plastic sheet , a film , and so on and generate image data . the scanner unit 105 temporarily buffers , in the ram 103 , image data having been generated by the scanned images . the scanner unit 105 may comprise a scanner head which has a scanning width corresponding to an overall width of the largest readable medium ( for example , a4 - size paper ). in the scanner head , a plurality of ccds ( or ciss ) may be in a scanning width direction . image data is obtained by electrically scanning the plurality of ccds . further , the scanner head may be mechanically scanned by a motor perpendicularly to the scanning width direction of the ccds . overall image of the medium can be scanned by combining the electrical scanning and the mechanical scanning . in the present embodiment , a direction of electrical scanning is called “ main scanning direction ” and a direction of mechanical scanning is called “ sub scanning direction .” the scanner unit 105 may scan images line - by - line and generate color image data , wherein the color components , including rgb ( red , green , blue ) components , are represented in , for example , 8 bits ( 0 to 255 ). a number of bits representing each pixel can be freely set within the capability of the ccds or ciss . the number of bits is called “ image level ” or “ color depth .” the image processing unit 106 may perform digital image processing such as level analysis , color correction , and filter processing on image data which have been buffered in the ram 103 by the scanner unit 105 . the i / f 107 is an interface for allowing the mfp 100 to communicate with various external devices . external devices may include , for example , a personal computer ( pc ), and a drive for reading and writing data in a storage medium such as a memory card . i / f 107 may include usb and ieee 1394 . the operation unit 108 may be operated by a user to provide the mfp 100 with various instructions . instructions may be a scan instruction to cause the scanner unit 105 to scan images on a medium , or a print instruction to cause the printer unit 104 to print images on a printing medium . the instructions to the mfp 100 may be provided from a pc , or the like , through the i / f 107 . the display unit 109 may display information to the user , and be made up of an lcd , an led , or the like . the information displayed to the user may be a state of the mfp 100 ( scanning , printing , or idling ), or a setting menu of the mfp 100 . the dma controller 110 is a controller for transferring data between the constituent elements of the mfp 100 through dma transfer . the printer unit 104 may print a calibration pattern on a printing medium . the scanner unit 105 may obtain a scanned image by scanning the medium . the image processing unit 106 may detect any defects of the scanned image by comparing the scanned image against the calibration pattern ; and the setting unit 111 may adjust print settings of the printer unit 104 according to the defects in the scanned image . the setting unit 111 may disable or enable overall settings of the mfp 100 or components of the mfp , such as the printer unit 104 and the scanner unit 105 . fig2 shows a first calibration pattern 20 . the first calibration pattern 20 is an image filled with pixels each having a same , preset image level . for example , all the pixels of the first calibration pattern 20 have the same image level of “ 130 ”. fig3 is a flowchart showing one embodiment of a method for calibrating the mfp 100 using the first calibration pattern 20 . the method comprises the following steps : in step s 301 , the printer unit 104 prints the calibration pattern 20 on a printing medium . in step s 302 , the scanner unit 105 obtains a scanned image by scanning the printed medium . in step s 303 , the image processing unit 106 generates an image level distribution of the scanned image such as fig4 . fig4 shows an image level histogram representing the image level distribution of the scanned image . an x - axis of the image level histogram represents image levels of the scanned image , and a y - axis of the image level histogram represents a number of pixels . the image level histogram is a statistical chart primarily illustrating the number of pixels in each image level . therefore , the image level histogram of fig4 reveals the image level distribution conditions of the scanned image . the gray area under the curve of the image level histogram represents a total number of pixels of the scanned image . in fig4 , the range of image levels is from 0 to 255 . in step s 304 , the image processing unit 106 derives a reference image level which has a maximal number of pixels from the image level distribution . for example , according to the image level histogram of fig4 , an image level of “ 130 ” has the maximal number of pixels . the image level “ 130 ” may be the reference image level . in step s 305 , the image processing unit 106 counts up a first number of pixels which have an image level outside the range based on the reference image level . for example , in fig4 , a range of ( 110 , 150 ) may be defined as inside the range based on the reference image level of 130 . if the image level of a pixel is outside the defined range of ( 110 , 150 ), the pixel may be counted into the first number . in step s 306 , the image processing unit 106 calculates a first proportion which is a ratio of the first number relative to the total number of pixels of the scanned image . in step s 307 , if the first proportion of the first number relative to the total number of pixels exceeds a threshold , such as 10 %, the flow goes to step s 308 . if the first proportion is equal to , or less than the threshold , calibration of the mfp 100 has completed and the flow ends . in step s 308 , the setting unit 111 enables and applies de - noising settings of the printer unit 104 to eliminate potential noises introduced by the printer unit 104 . fig5 is a flowchart showing another embodiment of a method for calibrating the mfp 100 using the first calibration pattern 20 . the method comprises the following steps : in step s 401 , the printer unit 104 prints the calibration pattern 20 on a printing medium . in step s 402 , the scanner unit 105 obtains a scanned image by scanning the printed medium . in step s 403 , the image processing unit 106 calculates an average image level of the scanned image . in one embodiment , an average image level is an arithmetic average of the image level distribution of the scanned image . in step s 404 , the image processing unit 106 calculates an image level difference between the average image level of the scanned image and the preset image level of the first calibration pattern 20 . in step s 405 , if the image level difference exceeds a threshold , such as 30 , the flow goes to step s 406 . if the image level difference is equal to , or less than the threshold , calibration of the mfp 100 has completed and the flow ends . in step s 406 , the setting unit 111 enables and applies image level compensation settings of the printer unit 104 to drive the image level difference between the average image level of the scanned image and the preset image level of the first calibration pattern 20 down to zero . fig6 shows a second calibration pattern 30 . the second calibration pattern 30 is an image including a plurality of black stripes . fig7 is a flowchart showing one embodiment of a method for calibrating the mfp 100 using the second calibration pattern 30 . the method comprises the following steps : in step s 601 , the printer unit 104 prints the calibration pattern 30 on a printing medium . in step s 602 , the scanner unit 105 obtains a scanned image by scanning the printed medium . in step s 603 , the image processing unit 106 examines edges of the plurality of black stripes in the scanned image and determines whether the edges are jagged or not . in step s 604 , the image processing unit 106 counts up a second number of black stripes which have jagged edges in the scanned image . if a black stripe has at least one edge that is jagged , the black stripe will be counted into the second number . in step s 605 , the image processing unit 106 calculates a second proportion which is a ratio of the second number relative to a total number of stripes in the plurality of black stripes of the scanned image . in step s 606 , if the second proportion of the second number relative to the total number of stripes of the scanned image exceeds a threshold , the flow goes to step s 607 . if the second proportion is equal to , or less than the threshold , calibration of the mfp 100 has completed and the flow ends . in step s 606 , the setting unit 111 enables and applies edge enhancement settings of the printer unit 104 to make edges of images printed by the printer unit 104 smoother and more distinct . although numerous characteristics and advantages have been set forth in the foregoing description of embodiments , together with details of the structures and functions of the embodiments , the disclosure is illustrative only and changes may be made in detail , especially in the matters of shape , size , and arrangement of parts within the principles of the disclosure to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed . depending on the embodiment , certain steps or methods described may be removed , others may be added , and the sequence of steps may be altered . the description and the claims drawn for or in relation to a method may include some indication in reference to certain steps . however , any indication used is only to be viewed for identification purposes and not as a suggestion as to an order for the steps . | 7 |
the invention will now be described with reference to a substrate of a semiconductor device which is biased by a vbb voltage , which may be obtained from a pumped voltage source . it is understood that the invention has broader applicability and may be used with a substrate of any pumped or non - pumped semiconductor device , including processors and memory devices with many different circuit and transistor configurations . similarly , the process and resulting structure described below are merely exemplary of the invention , as many modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . the term “ substrate ” used in the following description may include any semiconductor - based structure that has an exposed silicon surface . structure must be understood to include silicon , silicon - on insulator ( soi ), silicon - on sapphire ( sos ), doped and undoped semiconductors , epitaxial layers of silicon supported by a base semiconductor foundation , and other semiconductor structures . the semiconductor need not be silicon - based . the semiconductor could be silicon - germanium , germanium , or gallium arsenide . when reference is made to substrate in the following description , previous process steps may have been utilized to form regions or junctions in or on the base semiconductor or foundation . to help explain the invention a brief discussion of how the substrate bias voltage vbb affects transistor operation is provided in connection with fig1 . it is a graphical representation 9 of the change in the threshold voltage vt of a typical nmos transistor fabricated in a substrate with variations in substrate bias voltage ( vbb ). the x - axis is a measure of the bias voltage vbb in volts and the y - axis measures the threshold voltage vt of a transistor in volts . for fig1 the transistor was designed to have a threshold voltage vt of 0 . 65 volts at a bias voltage vbb of − 1 volts . fig1 demonstrates that as the bias voltage vbb varies the transistor &# 39 ; s threshold voltage vt also varies . accordingly , it is important to keep the vbb bias voltage within a substrate as uniform as possible to avoid localized changes of transistor vt which will affect transistor operation . however , variations in bias voltage vbb occur due to unwanted voltage or electrical noise that develops within and along a substrate . some of this voltage comes from device “ cross talk ” while some of the unwanted voltage or electrical noise is generated from the operation of the various transistors themselves . while fig1 illustrates the impact of substrate voltage drop on a transistor , it is understood that the present invention relates to semiconductor electrical elements in general , such as transistors , resistors , capacitors , electrodes , amplifiers , inverters , and gates . referring now to fig2 , is a partial elevation view of a semiconductor device 100 fabricated in accordance with the present invention . the present invention provides a conductive layer 60 , such as a metallic layer , conductive paste , conductive polymeric film , or conductive metallic film , on the back side 81 of a semiconductor substrate 10 to maintain a more uniform bias voltage vbb throughout substrate 10 . the device 100 is shown with two exemplary mosfet transistors 40 , 42 constructed on substrate 10 which is formed of a semiconductor material with a p - well region 13 , in the upper portion of substrate 10 . device 100 has top surface 91 and substrate upper surface 79 and backside 81 . conductive layer 60 is shown attached to the backside 81 . conductive layer 60 may be a metallic layer ( first embodiment ), a conductive paste ( second embodiment ), a conductive polymeric film ( third embodiment ), or a conductive metallic film ( fourth embodiment ). fig2 shows conductive layer 60 formed as a metallic layer . wire bond 95 is shown connecting conductive layer 60 with bonding pad 85 . bonding pad 85 may be in electrical contact with bias voltage vbb source 92 and discussed with respect to fig3 . the fig2 device 100 is merely exemplary of a typical solid state semiconductor circuit which could be configured in numerous ways . various transistors 40 , 42 , p - well plug diffusion regions 14 , field oxide regions 12 , source / drain regions 16 , and resistors 18 may be formed on the upper surface 79 of the substrate 10 or in p - well 13 . the transistors 40 , 42 are shown formed on gate oxide region 46 , with a silicide layer 45 , gate electrode 43 , and a dielectric cap layer 44 . the gate stacks 40 , 42 are covered with a gate stack insulating layer or gate spacer 20 which may be silicon nitride . gate insulation layer 20 and substrate 10 are also covered with insulating layer 11 which is typically borophosphosilicate glass ( bpsg ) or other suitable insulation material . openings are formed in insulating layer 11 and electrically conductive plugs 30 , 32 , 34 , and 36 are formed in the openings for contact with diffusion regions 14 , 16 , 17 of the substrate 10 . p - well tie down plugs 30 are conventionally used to apply the bias voltage vbb 92 to p - well 13 via p - well diffusion regions . also shown are contact plugs 32 in contact with resistor 18 and contact plugs 34 , 36 in contact with source / drain regions 16 . p - well plugs 30 are made of a conductive material with low resistance , such as tungsten or polysilicon , and serve as ohmic contact between the bias voltage vbb source 92 shown in fig3 and p - well 13 . p - well plugs 30 may be connected to bias voltage vbb 92 via metallization layer 90 , bonding pads 83 , and wire bonds 82 as shown in fig4 . the bias voltage vbb 92 is transferred to p - well 13 from by p - well plugs 30 and p - well diffusion regions 14 . conductive layer 60 is shown wire bonded 95 to bonding pad 85 . in a first exemplary embodiment of the invention shown in fig2 the conductive layer 60 is , as noted , preferably formed as a metallic layer . the metallic layer has a thickness preferably less than or equal to 10 mil . the conductive layer 60 may be secured to the backside 81 of the substrate 10 by a conductive adhesive , such as “ ablebond 8360 ” manufactured by ablestik labs , inc . the conductive layer 60 is preferably attached to the backside 81 after a fabricated wafer has been cut into individual semiconductor devices ( dies ) 100 . the conductive layer 60 may extend beyond the length of the substrate 10 , as shown at the left side of fig2 , to allow for attachment thereto of a bonding wire 95 which connects the conductive layer 60 to a bonding pad 85 . the overall length of conductive layer 60 preferably extends no more than approximately 5 mils past substrate edge 8 . conductive layer 60 should have a low resistivity preferably less than 1 × 10 − 8 ohm - meter . suitable metals , metal alloys , or compounds for conductive layer 60 may be selected from at least one of the following metals : copper ( cu ), silver ( ag ), alloy 42 , gold ( au ), iron ( fe ), and aluminum ( al ). conductive layer 60 removes unwanted voltage or electrical noise from substrate 10 thus reducing undesirable localized drops in the substrate bias voltage vbb . conductive layer 60 can be directly connected to bias voltage vbb 92 ( fig3 ), for example , the unwanted noise signal can move vertically downward through substrate 10 to conductive layer 60 and flow through wire bond 95 to bonding pad 85 . from bonding pad 85 it can flow to vbb source 92 ( fig3 ) by known techniques . although fig2 shows conductive layer 60 electrically connected to the bonding pad 85 , benefits can also be achieved without directly connecting conductive layer 60 to bonding pad 85 . in this case , conductive layer 60 attracts undesired voltages and or switching noise from localized regions of the substrate 10 , such as p - well 13 and transfers it to other regions of substrate 10 thereby minimizing local vbb voltage drops , such as at transistor gate stacks 40 , 42 . in a second exemplary embodiment conductive layer 60 is formed of a curable conductive paste such as “ ablebond 8360 ”. in this case conductive paste 60 may have the same length as the substrate 10 . the conductive paste 60 may be a thermoplastic resin containing conductive particles . the conductive particles are preferably metal and may be selected from at least one of the following metals : copper ( cu ), silver ( ag ), gold ( au ), iron ( fe ), and nickel ( ni ) particles . the conductive paste 60 should have a resistivity less than 1 × 10 − 5 ohm - meter , preferably less than 1 × 10 − 7 ohm - meter . the conductive paste 60 should have a thickness less than or equal to 1 mil , preferably less than approximately 0 . 5 mil . the cure time for the conductive paste 60 is preferably less than 15 minutes . the conductive paste 60 may be cured by heat and / or ultraviolet light . conductive paste 60 can be applied to the substrate backside 81 of the wafer after backgrind but prior to cutting the wafer into individual semiconductor devices 100 . conductive paste 60 can be applied by spin coating , spraying , screen printing , or blade coating the paste 60 . like the conductive metallic layer described above , if conductive paste 60 is not in direct electrical communication with bonding pad 85 , it will still draw unwanted voltage or electrical noise away from substrate 10 to help stabilize the operation of the electrical elements of the device 100 . unwanted voltage noise in substrate 10 may exit the substrate 10 by moving vertically down substrate 10 to conductive paste 60 where it is flows through the conductive paste 60 . for example , transferred noise in conductive paste 60 may horizontally flow away from gate stacks 40 , 42 and re - enter substrate 10 in the proximity of p - well diffusion regions 14 . the noise can then flow from p - well diffusion regions 14 to p - well plugs 30 . from the p - well plugs 30 , the voltage can flow to bonding pads 83 , via metalization layers 90 , where it can further flow away from active areas of device 100 . in a third exemplary embodiment , conductive layer 60 is formed of a conductive polymeric film , such as “ fc - 262 ( b )” made by hitachi corporation . the conductive film 60 must be isotropically conductive , i . e ., a three dimensional film , so that voltage is free to move in all three dimensions . a two dimensional film would not allow unwanted noise to move vertically through a two dimensional film . conductive film 60 may be a solid resin matrix containing conductive particles . conductive film 60 preferably has a thickness greater than approximately 1 mil and preferably less than approximately 3 mil . the conductive particles are preferably selected from at least one of the following metals : copper ( cu ), silver ( ag ), gold ( au ), iron ( fe ), and nickel ( ni ). conductive film 60 should have a resistivity less than approximately 1 × 10 − 5 ohm - meter , preferably less than 1 × 10 − 7 ohm - meter . a conductive film 60 can be applied to the wafer backside 81 after backgrind but prior to cutting the wafer into individual semiconductor devices 100 . conductive film 60 can be applied by applying pressure greater than approximately 1 megapascal ( mpa ) to the film and / or wafer , and preferably a pressure between approximately 1 to 5 ( mpa ) for preferably about 5 seconds or less . the conductive film 60 should be applied at a temperature greater than 175 degrees celsius , and preferably a temperature range of approximately 175 to 400 degrees celsius . conductive film 60 , like the conductive paste , will draw unwanted voltage or electrical noise away from substrate 10 in the manner described above with respect to the conductive paste . in a fourth exemplary embodiment , conductive layer 60 is formed of a conductive metallic film 60 . the conductive film 60 preferably should have a thickness less than or equal to approximately 1 mil and is preferably formed of conductive particles selected from the following metals : copper ( cu ), silver ( ag ), gold ( au ), iron ( fe ), and nickel ( ni ). conductive film 60 should have a resistivity less than approximately 1 × 10 − 5 ohm - meter , preferably less than 1 × 10 − 8 ohm - meter . conductive film 60 can be applied to the substrate backside 81 after backgrind but prior to the cutting of the wafer into individual semiconductor devices . the conductive film 60 can be applied by any of the following methods or techniques : electroless plating , electrolytic plating , molecular beam epitaxy ( mbe ), vapor phase epitaxy ( vpe ), physical vapor deposition ( pvd ), chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ) and metal organic chemical vapor deposition ( mocvd ). like the conductive paste , conductive metallic film 60 draws unwanted voltage or electrical noise away from substrate 10 in the same manner as described above with respect to the conductive paste . fig3 is a block diagram of a semiconductor device voltage supply system 200 which includes a substrate bias voltage vbb source 92 . shown are an external voltage supply vcc 97 which supplies voltage to vbb source 92 via electrical contact 120 . vbb source 92 is shown supplied to p - well 13 through electrical contact 122 , lead finger 87 , wire bond 82 , bonding pad 83 , metalization layer 90 , p - well contact plug 30 , and p - well diffusion region 14 . conductive layer 60 is shown electrically connected to vbb 92 via wire bond 95 , bonding pad 85 and electrical contact 121 . exemplary voltage values for bias voltage vbb 92 are − 1 volts and 0 volts . if conductive layer 60 is a metallic layer it is relatively easy to electrically connect it to vbb source 92 in the manner shown and described with reference to fig2 and 3 . if the conductive layer 60 is a conductive paste , conductive polymeric film , or conductive metallic film they may also be electrically connected to vbb source 92 through a wire or other connection . however as noted earlier , the impact of noise is still reduced even if conductive layer 60 is not in direct electrical communication to vbb source 92 . fig4 is a top view of the fig2 semiconductor device 100 fabricated in accordance with the invention . lead fingers 87 are shown secured to the top side 91 of device 100 . the device 100 has a conductive layer 60 secured to the back side of the device 100 and extending past the device perimeter 101 . bonding pads 83 , 85 typically are provided over an exterior surface area of the completed device 100 , such as top surface 91 , and may be located on the perimeter or centered on the top surface 91 as shown in fig4 . after fabrication is complete the semiconductor device 100 may be secured to a lead frame ( not shown ) via lead fingers 87 as shown in fig4 . bonding pad 85 of device 100 is shown bonded to the conductive layer 60 by a wire bond 95 . bonding pad 85 can be configured to be in electrical communication with substrate bias voltage vbb source 92 . thus one path for removing noise from substrate 10 is for the noise to travel through the substrate 10 to conductive layer 60 to bonding pad 85 via wire bond 95 . the remaining bonding pads 83 which are not in contact with conductive layer 60 are shown connected to lead fingers 87 by wire bonds 82 in accordance with the electrical requirements of the circuit design . the wire bonding can be performed with various methods and materials known in the art . even if bonding 85 is not directly connected to vbb source 92 , the negative impact of unwanted substrate voltage or noise can still be reduced . fig5 is a cross - sectional view of fig4 taken at line v — v . conductive layer 60 is shown attached to the substrate bottom surface 81 with a conductive adhesive 62 . lead fingers 87 are shown attached to the top surface 91 of device 100 by a conductive adhesive compound 94 using well known lead on chip techniques . also shown is bonding pad 85 which is in electrical communication with conductive layer 60 via wire bond 82 . fig6 illustrates a typical processor based system 102 , including a dram memory device 108 and at least one or both of the processor and memory devices are fabricated according to the invention as described above . a processor based system , such as a computer system 102 , generally comprises a central processing unit ( cpu ) 112 , for example a microprocessor , that communicates with one or more input / output devices 104 , 106 over a bus 118 . the computer system 102 also includes a read only memory device ( rom ) 110 and may include peripheral devices such as floppy disk drive 114 and a cd rom drive 116 which also communicates with the cpu 112 over the bus 118 . at least one of the cpu 112 , rom 110 and dram 108 has a conductive layer 60 attached to the backside of its substrate as described above . having thus described in detail preferred embodiments of the present invention , it is to be understood that the invention defined by the appended claims is not to be limited by particular details set forth in the above description as many apparent variations thereof are possible without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . accordingly , the above description and accompanying drawings are only illustrative of preferred embodiments which can achieve the features and advantages of the present invention . it is not intended that the invention be limited to the embodiments shown and described in detail herein . the invention is only limited by the scope of the following claims . | 7 |
as indicated above , the present invention is a method and apparatus for optimizing data for the creation of circuit elements on a photolithographic mask and , in particular to the optimization of data for the creation of phase shifters on a photolithographic mask . fig1 a – 1h illustrate various types of structures commonly used on photolithographic masks . as shown in fig1 a , a mask 10 typically comprises a transparent substrate , typically quartz or glass , having a number of opaque areas 12 , typically fabricated from chrome , disposed on one surface thereof . this is typically called a conventional , chrome - on - glass ( cog ) mask . the mask 10 is placed into a wafer processing machine whereby light is passed through the mask 10 and an image of the mask is formed on the surface of a silicon wafer ( not shown ) that is covered with a photosensitive material . the light exposes portions of the photosensitive material and the exposed / unexposed areas of the photoresist material are then processed in order to create a pattern on the wafer corresponding to the pattern of opaque areas 12 on the corresponding mask 10 . in order to improve the contrast between adjacent features on the wafer or to create features that are smaller than the wavelength of the light used to expose the wafer , the mask 10 may include one or more phase shifters , as shown in fig1 b . light passing directly through a transparent area of the mask 10 as indicated by the beam 14 forms a reference against which the phase of phase shifted illumination light is compared . clear areas of the mask are typically referred to as zero degree ( 0 °) areas . the phase of the light passing through the mask 10 may be adjusted by adding a layer of transparent material 16 to the surface of the mask 10 . the thickness of the material 16 added can be varied in order to control the phase of the light passing through that area of the mask 10 with respect to the phase of the light passing through a 0 ° area of the mask 10 . for example , light passing through an additional layer of material 16 , as indicated by the beam 18 , is 180 ° out of phase with the light beam 14 . when light beams that are 180 ° out of phase intersect on the silicon wafer , the lightwaves destructively interfere , thereby enhancing the contrast between exposed portions on the wafers that are created by adjacent opaque areas 12 on the mask 10 . the phase of the light passing through the mask also can be adjusted by etching an area into the mask in order to reduce its thickness . fig1 c shows a mask 10 having an area 20 that has been etched to shift by 180 ° the phase of the light passing through the area as indicated by the light beam 22 . as long as the relative phase shift between adjacent phase shifting areas is 180 °, the contrast enhancement is still achieved . fig1 d shows a mask 10 having an area 24 that has been etched to shift the phase of the illumination light by 90 ° with respect to light that passes through a 0 ° area of the mask . the mask 10 also includes an area 26 that is etched to shift the phase of the illumination light by 270 °. light passing through a 0 ° area , indicated by the light beam 14 , and a 90 ° area , as indicated by the light beam 28 , will not destructively interfere to create a sub - wavelength feature on the wafer . similarly , light passing through the 270 ° phase shift area , as indicated by the light beam 30 , will not destructively interfere with light passing through a 0 ° portion of the mask 10 to create sub - wavelength features . only light passing through adjacent 90 ° and 270 ° phase shift areas will create sub - wavelength features . using 90 ° and 270 ° phase shifters allows greater flexibility in the layout of phase shifting masks . however , having phase shifters etched to different depths on the mask generally makes the mask more expensive to manufacture . the use of phase shifters is not limited to enhancing the contrast between adjacent apertures separated by opaque areas on a mask . a phase shifting area can be placed inside a clear area on the mask in order to create sub - wavelength features on the wafer . fig1 e illustrates a mask 10 having a 0 ° area 34 that is adjacent a 180 ° phase shift area 36 . light passing through these areas , as indicated by the beams 38 and 40 , destructively interfere at the wafer thereby producing an unexposed pattern that can form a desired element on the wafer . as is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art , at each location on the mask where a 180 ° phase shift area borders a 0 ° phase shift area , destructive interference will create a sub - wavelength feature on the wafer . because each phase shifting region must have a closed boundary , additional features may appear in undesirable locations . these undesired features can be removed with a trim mask 11 having opaque areas 39 , 41 , as shown in fig1 f that shield desired portions of the sub - wavelength features and expose undesired portions of the sub - wavelength features . fig1 g illustrates the use of multiple adjacent phase shifting areas on a mask 10 . the mask 10 includes a 0 ° phase shifting area 42 that is adjacent to a 180 ° phase shifting area 44 that , in turn , is adjacent a sequence of 90 ° phase shifting areas 46 . light passing through the 0 ° and 180 ° degree areas , as indicated by beams 48 and 50 , will destructively interfere on the wafer to create a sub - wavelength unexposed area . light passing through the 180 ° 0 phase shift area indicated by the beam 50 and the 90 ° phase shift area as indicated by the beam 52 or at the boundary of the 90 ° and 0 ° regions will not interfere to create a sub - wavelength feature . thus , placing a 90 ° phase shift area between a 0 ° and a 180 ° phase shift area on the mask 10 can reduce or eliminate the unwanted sub - wavelength features that would otherwise be created at the boundaries of a 180 ° and 0 ° phase shift area without a trim mask . however , these masks are more complex and therefore more expensive . an alternate approach of creating a phase shifter is to alter the material used to make the opaque patterns on the mask 10 . such patterns are generally created with opaque chromium . by making the chromium thin enough , or using specially developed partially transmitting materials such as molybdenum silicide , the material becomes semi - transparent and alters the phase of the light passing through it by 180 °, but decreases its amplitude . fig1 h shows a mask 10 having a 0 ° phase shift area 56 and a semi - transparent pattern 58 . light passing through the semi - transparent pattern 58 is shifted 180 ° with respect to light passing through the 0 ° area 56 of the mask in order to enhance the contrast between adjacent features . uniform phase shifting can be achieved by creating a uniform layer of the material . as will be appreciated , the semi - transparent pattern 58 increases the overall amount of light that reaches the wafer . therefore , portions of the semi - transparent pattern may be covered with an opaque chrome layer to produce a “ tri - tone ” mask as will be described in further detail below . while the use of phase shifters permits integrated circuits with an increased density to be created with existing photolithographic equipment , their use generally increases the cost of producing the mask and may introduce errors into the mask . fig2 a – 2b and 3 illustrate the conventional method by which phase shifters are added to a photolithographic mask . fig2 a shows a portion of a desired circuit to be created on a silicon wafer . the circuit includes a number of polysilicon elements 80 a – 80 e that are large enough to be created by a conventional cog photolithographic mask . in addition , the circuit includes two gates 82 a and 82 b that are sub - wavelength features . to prepare the data for a mask that will create the desired layout on a silicon wafer , the process steps shown in fig3 are usually performed . it should be noted that the term “ mask ” in photolithographic processing technically refers to an object that is placed in direct contact with a wafer during processing , as opposed to a reticle which is positioned at some distance away from the wafer during processing . however , for purposes of the present specification , the term “ mask ” is intended to have its more colloquial definition and refer to both contact masks and reticles . beginning with a step 100 , a computer file containing a description of the circuit layout is received and provided to a layout manipulation program . a layout manipulation and verification program takes the description of the circuit elements and defines a number of polygons that in turn correspond to areas on one or more photolithographic masks at a step 102 . for example , to create the circuit element 80 a , the layout manipulation program defines a polygon p 80 a ( fig2 b ) that describes the dimensions of a portion of a mask that will create the element 80 a when the mask is illuminated . in addition , the layout manipulation program detects that the gates 82 a and 82 b are too small to be created using a convention mask and therefore generates polygons that ensure that the mask includes phase shifting regions 84 , 86 and 88 that will create these sub - wavelength features by destructive interference . the description of the polygons that define areas the mask is generally referred to as a gds ii data layer for the format of a language commonly used to describe the polygons , although other data formats can also be used . at a step 104 , the layout manipulation program makes an initial phase selection for one of the phase shift areas . for example , if the circuit designer selects a design using 0 ° and 180 ° phase shift areas , the layout manipulation program will select either 0 ° or 180 ° as the phase shift for the first area . processing then continues at a step 106 where the layout manipulation program continues through the data layer assigning each phase shift area a phase shift amount that is the opposite of its neighboring phase shift area . in the example shown in fig2 , the phase shift area 86 is assigned 180 ° of phase shift and the area 88 is assigned 0 ° of phase shift . the problem with the approach shown in fig2 b and 3 is that the arbitrary phase assignments that can occur when simple rules are executed for the assignment of phase shift values at the same time the polygons are generated can result in sub - optimal masks . for example , masks with large etched areas may contribute to errors on the mask . as shown in fig2 b , the area 86 that is etched to produce 180 ° of phase shift completely contains the polygon p 80 e . having an etched area that completely surrounds a chrome feature on the mask can cause etching of the chrome itself , changing the dimensions and increasing the number of defects on the mask . repair of these defects may be difficult and time consuming , increasing the cost of the mask . to improve the creation of phase shift areas on a mask , one embodiment of the invention performs the steps shown in fig4 a – 4b . beginning with a step 120 , the data layer for a selected physical chip layer is obtained . for example , the physical chip layer may be the polysilicon device layer that specifies a particular pattern of transistors to be created on the wafer . at a step 122 , a layout manipulation program , such as is part of calibre ™ produced by mentor graphics corporation of wilsonville , oreg ., the assignee of the present invention , is executed by a computer system to determine the appropriate phase shifting method — either by prompting a user to make a selection or based on one or more design rules . at a step 124 , the computer creates a number of data layers depending on the type of phase shifters to be used . for example , if a 0 ° and 180 ° phase shifting scheme with double exposure is used , the computer system creates four data layers . one data layer is created for the circuit elements that can be created with conventional patterns formed on a mask , one data layer is created for each phase shifting portion of the phase shifters , as will be explained below , and one data layer is created for a trim mask . if a 90 °/ 270 ° phase shifting scheme is used , the computer system creates three data layers since no trim mask is needed . it should be noted that the data layers do not correspond to distinct layers of the circuit to be fabricated as distinct masks , but correspond to separate data structures such as arrays , files or other storage mechanisms in which the polygons grouped therein can be analyzed . at the time of creation , these data layers are generally empty , and do not yet contain any polygons . at a step 126 , the layout manipulation program creates those polygons that define different phase shifting areas of the phase shifters and places them into one of the different data layers created . selecting an actual phase shift amount for each of the polygons in the different data layers does not yet occur . preferably , after the polygons are created , the assignments made . at a step 128 , the layout manipulation program makes a phase shift selection for all the phase shift polygons in the same data layer in accordance with a desired design criteria . for example , it may be advantageous to minimize the area of the 180 ° phase shift areas on the mask . therefore , the layout manipulation program sums the area of each phase shifting polygon included in each data layers . the polygons in the data layer having the minimum combined area can be defined as the 180 ° phase shift regions . alternatively , the selection of which polygons define the 180 ° phase shift areas may be made based on other design criteria , such as proximity to circuit elements in other layers , or the predictive results of a simulation algorithm . at a step 130 , the layout manipulation program may run a simulation of the circuit based on the phase assignments made at step 128 . at a step 132 , it is determined if the simulation is acceptable . if not , processing can proceed to a step 134 and selected phase shifting polygons can be reassigned to another data layer or the phase shift assignment for the entire data layer can be changed . after step 134 , processing returns to step 130 and the simulation is performed again . once the simulation is acceptable , processing proceeds to a step 136 , whereby the polygon definitions for each of the data layers is provided as input to a mask writer to create the mask for the physical chip layer . fig5 illustrates the basic components of a hardware system that implements the present invention . a database 150 stores gds ii layer data for each physical layer of an integrated circuit to be created . the data is read by a computer system 152 that executes a program that implements the functions outlined in fig4 a – 4b and described above . once the data layers have been created , the polygon definitions have been divided among the data layers and the phase assignments for the phase shifting areas selected and the design verified , the polygon definitions in each data layer are supplied as input to a mask data processor 154 that controls the production of the actual photolithographic mask . fig6 a – 6g illustrate how one embodiment of the present invention operates with an actual circuit design . fig6 a illustrates a portion of a desired integrated circuit design including a number of circuit elements 200 a – 200 e that are large enough to be created with conventional mask patterns . in addition , the desired circuit design includes a gate 202 a that connects element 200 a with element 200 c and a gate 202 b , which connects circuit element 200 b with circuit element 200 d . in the example shown in fig6 a , gates 202 a , 202 b are too small to be created with a conventional mask . therefore , the layout manipulation program knows that these elements must be created with the use of phase shifters . fig6 b illustrates polygons created by the layout manipulation program in order to produce the mask or masks that will in turn be used to create the circuit elements shown in fig6 a . the layout manipulation program defines a series of polygons p 200 a – p 200 e that correspond to the circuit elements 200 a – 200 e , respectively . each of these polygons , for example polygon p 200 a , defines an area on the mask that will create the corresponding element 200 a on the wafer without the use of the phase shifter . if the mask is a bright field mask , the polygon p 200 a will be defined as an opaque area on the mask surrounded by clear or 0 ° phase shift areas . if the mask is a dark field mask , the area of the polygon p 200 a will be defined as clear and surrounded by opaque areas . in addition , the layout manipulation program defines polygons p 204 , p 206 and p 208 that correspond to phase shift areas on the mask that together will create the two sub - wavelength gates 202 a and 202 b . the sizes of the polygons p 204 , p 206 , and p 208 are minimized as compared with the size of the phase shifting regions 84 , 86 and 88 created with conventional techniques as shown in fig2 . as indicated above , one embodiment of the present invention separates the polygons created into one of several data layers . each polygon that corresponds to a conventional pattern on the mask is placed in one data layer as shown in fig6 c . in addition , the polygons that define different phase shifting areas of a phase shifter are placed in different data layers . for example , polygons p 204 and p 208 are placed in one data layer as shown in fig6 d and the polygon p 206 for the other phase shifting area is placed in another data layer as shown in fig6 e . once the polygons associated with different phase shift areas are placed in separate data layers , the layout manipulation program makes a phase selection for the polygons in the data layers according to a desired design criteria . for example , if the design criteria specifies that the area of etched phase shift regions is to be minimized , the computer system sums the area of the polygons p 204 and p 208 within the data layer shown in fig6 d and compares the total area with the summed area of the polygons contained in the data layer shown in fig6 e . depending upon which data layer has the polygons with the smallest summed area , those polygons can be selected to have a 180 ° etched phase shift . once the computer system has made an initial phase shift selection for all the polygons in a data layer , a simulation can be performed on the circuit layout to ensure that the circuit will perform as desired . as will be appreciated , depending upon the selection of the phase shift values for the various polygons that define the phase shifters , the appropriate trim masks can then be defined . for example , if the polygon p 204 and p 208 are selected to have 180 ° phase shifts , then subwavelength artifacts will be created in the areas 210 and 212 is shown by the dashed lines in fig6 b . therefore , a data layer that defines a trim mask as shown in fig6 f can be created by the layout manipulation program . the trim mask is opaque except for the areas 220 and 222 . illumination of the wafer through the trim mask removes the undesired artifacts created at the boundaries of a 0 ° and 180 ° phase shift area . alternatively , if the polygon p 206 is selected to have a 180 ° phase shift , then artifacts will be created in the areas 214 and 216 shown by the dashed lines in fig6 b . therefore , a data layer that defines a trim mask as shown in fig6 g is created . the trim mask is opaque except for areas 224 and 226 . as will be appreciated , trim masks are only required if 0 ° and 180 ° phase shifters are used . if alternate phase shifting schemes such as 90 °/ 270 ° or 60 °/ 120 ° phase shifters are used , then no trim masks need be created . the present invention is not limited to optimizing phase shifters that lie side by side on the mask . as indicated above , phase shifting may be accomplished by using a attenuating phase shifting material on the mask to define circuit elements . typically , these masks are made using a molybdenum silicide material , in which the thickness and optical properties are controlled to allow the transmission to be small , typically 6 – 9 %, and phase shifted by 180 °. in order to limit the total amount of light that passes through the mask , portions of the attenuating material can be covered with an opaque chrome to form a tri - tone mask . fig7 illustrates a plan view of a portion of a mask wherein the mask contains a pattern of attenuating material , which is sometimes referred to as “ leaky chrome ”. in addition some areas of the attenuating material may be covered with an opaque chrome 252 . the present invention can optimize the placement of the opaque chrome over the leaky chrome by creating separate data layers for the polygons that define the leaky chrome areas and for the polygons that define the areas of opaque chrome . with the polygons for each area separated , the layout manipulation program can perform calculations to optimize the size of the opaque areas , while still getting the benefits of the phase shifting areas due to the light passing through the attenuating material . once the polygons in each of the data layers have been optimized , the data layers are provided as input to the mask writer to create the different layers on the photolithographic mask . while the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described , it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention . for example , although use of the present invention is illustrated with respect to creating integrated circuits , it will be appreciated that the present invention can also be used to create micro electro - mechanical structures ( mems ), thin film disk drive heads or other structures created using photolithographic techniques . similarly , data structures that define different areas of a phase shifter need not be grouped in different data layers . the data structures could be grouped in a common data layer and tagged with an identifier that allows the computer to identify it and perform an optimization calculation prior to assigning a phase shift value . once the phase shift values are assigned , the different polygons for the phase shift areas having the same phase shift value are preferably written to a single data layer and provided to a mask processor such that the same process steps can be performed on each polygon in the data layer . it is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be determined from the following claims and equivalents thereto . | 6 |
[ 0046 ] fig4 is a schematic view of a cell array block of a nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device according to a first embodiment of the present invention , and fig5 is a schematic view of a main cell of fig4 . a cell array block includes a plurality of sub cell arrays sub_t and sub_b . a sensing amplifier s / a is formed between adjacent top and bottom sub cell arrays sub_t and sub_b , respectively . the sub cell arrays sub_t and sub_b include bitlines top b / l and bot_b / l , respectively ; plurality of main cells mc connected to the bitlines top_b / l and bot_b / l ; and a reference cell rc and a column selector cs connected to the bitlines top_b / l and bot_b / l . the reference cell rc within the sub cell array sub_t is formed in a top portion of the sensing amplifier s / a and simultaneously accessed when the main cell mc within the sub cell array sub_b is accessed . on the other hand , the reference cell rc within the sub cell array sub_b is formed in a bottom portion of the sensing amplifier s / a and simultaneously accessed when the main cell mc within the sub cell array sub_t is accessed . the column selector cs selectively activates a corresponding column bitline using y ( column ) address . if the column selector cs is in high level , the corresponding column bitline is connected to a data bus , so as to enable data transmission . the main cell mc is constructed as shown in fig5 in the same manner as the main cell shown in fig2 . as shown , a bitline b / l is formed in one direction , and a wordline w / l is formed to cross the bitline b / l . a plate line p / l is spaced apart from the wordline w / l in the same direction as the wordline w / l . a transistor t with a gate connected with the wordline w / l and a source connected with the bitline b / l is formed . a ferroelectric capacitor fc is formed in such a manner that its first terminal is connected with a drain of the transistor t and its second terminal is connected with the plate line p / l . [ 0053 ] fig6 is a detailed schematic view of a reference cell rc of a nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device according to the present invention . as shown in fig6 the reference cell rc of the nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device includes a bitline b / l formed in one direction , a reference wordline ref_w / l formed across the bitline b / l , a switching block 51 , a level initiating block 52 , and a plurality of ferroelectric capacitors fc 1 , fc 2 , fc 3 , fc 4 , . . . , fcn . the switching block 51 is controlled by a signal of the reference wordline ref_w / l to selectively transmit a reference voltage stored in the ferroelectric capacitors to the bitline b / l . the level initiating block 52 selectively initiates a level of an input terminal of the switching block 51 connected to the ferroelectric capacitors . the ferroelectric capacitors fc 1 - fcn are connected to the input terminal of the switching block 51 in parallel . the switching block 51 includes an nmos transistor ( hereinafter , “ first transistor ”) t 1 with a gate connected to the reference wordline ref_w / l , a drain connected to the bitline b / l , and a source connected to a storage node sn . the level initiating block 52 is controlled by a reference cell equalizer control signal ref_eq which is a control signal for initiating the storage node sn of the reference cell rc . also , the level initiating block 52 includes an nmos transistor ( hereinafter , “ second transistor ”) t 2 connected between the source of the first transistor t 1 and a ground terminal vss . the ferroelectric capacitors fc 1 , fc 2 , fc 3 , fc 4 , . . . , fcn include a first electrode , a second electrode , and a ferroelectric material formed between first and second electrodes . the first electrode of each ferroelectric capacitor is connected to the source of the first transistor t 1 , and its second electrode is connected to the reference plate line ref_p / l . the number of the ferroelectric capacitors fc 1 , fc 2 , fc 3 , fc 4 , . . . , fcn is determined depending on the desired capacitor size of the reference cell rc . that is , the number of the ferroelectric capacitors can freely be adjusted depending on the capacitor size of the reference cell . the storage node sn is connected with first terminals of the ferroelectric capacitors fc 1 , fc 2 , fc 3 , fc 4 , . . . , fcn in parallel . the reference cell equalizer control signal ref_eq initiates the storage node sn to a ground voltage level . namely , if the reference cell equalizer control signal ref_eq is in high level , the second transistor t 2 is turned on so that the storage node sn is maintained at a ground voltage level . the operation of the aforementioned reference cell will now be described . qs and qns of the hysteresis loop in fig1 denote switching charges of the ferroelectric capacitor and non - switching charges of the ferroelectric capacitor , respectively . the reference cell of the present invention is based on qns . that is to say , the reference wordline ref_w / l within the operation cycle is transited to high level together with the reference plate line ref_p / l . accordingly , charges equivalent to the size of qns x ferroelectric capacitor are supplied to the bitline b / l . then the reference wordline ref 13 w / l is changed to low level before the sensing amplifier s / a is operated , so that the reference cell rc is not affected by a voltage of the bitline b / l . meanwhile , the reference plate line ref_p / l is maintained at high level , and is transited to low level when the reference wordline ref_w / l is sufficiently stabilized . as described above , since non - switching charges qns are used , a separate restoring operation is not required during a precharge period . accordingly , high level is not required any longer in the reference wordline ref_w / l . since the reference level is affected by an initial level of the storage node sn , the second transistor t 2 of fig6 is used to stabilize the storage node sn , and the reference equalizer control signal ref_eq is used to initiate the storage node sn to the ground voltage level . therefore , since the initial level of the storage node sn is maintained at the ground voltage level , the reference level can be stabilized . the column selector will now be described with reference to fig7 . as shown in fig7 to transmit data of a data bus io & lt ; m & gt ; ( where , m is a random number and denotes an integer within the range of 0 ≦ _m ≦ 7 ) to a bitline b 1 & lt ; x & gt ; or b 1 & lt ; x + 1 & gt ; ( where , x is a random number and denotes an integer within the range of 0 ≦ x ≦ 14 ), the column selector includes two nmos transistors which perform switching operation by receiving first and second output signals ysel & lt ; n & gt ; and ysel & lt ; n + 1 & gt ; of a column decoder . the whole column selector is formed by repeating the above configuration . at this time , the nmos transistor controlled by the first output signal ysel & lt ; n & gt ; is arranged in the first ( or odd numbered ) bitline unit while the nmos transistor controlled by the second output signal ysel & lt ; n + 1 & gt ; is arranged in the second ( or even numbered ) bitline unit . thus , the nmos transistors are alternately arranged one by one per each bitline , as shown in fig7 . as shown in fig8 the sensing amplifier s / a includes first and second nmos transistors 81 , 82 which are operated by receiving sep signal and sen signal , and two latch type cmos transistors 83 , 84 ( wherein a respective pmos transistor 85 , 86 and nmos transistor 87 , 88 are serially connected with each other ) connected in parallel between the first and second nmos transistors 81 and 82 . the bitlines top_b / l and bot_b / l are connected to output terminals of the respective cmos transistors 83 , 84 . an nmos transistor 90 is respectively formed between the bitlines top_b / l and bot_b / l and between the bitlines top_b / l and bot_b / l and the ground voltage . the nmos transistor 90 acts to equalize levels of the bitlines top_b / l and bot_b / l by receiving the eq signal . as described above , the sensing amplifier s / a is a latch type , and the bitlines top_b / l and bot_b / l are equalized at low level by the eq signal . the sen signal is a sensing amplifier enable signal , and the sep signal is a signal having a phase opposite to the sen . when the data of the main cell mc and the reference cell rc are sufficiently transmitted to the bitlines , the sen is activated at high level and at the same time the sep is activated at low level , so that the sensing operation starts . the method for driving the aforementioned nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will now be described . [ 0074 ] fig9 a is a timing chart showing the operation of a write mode according to the first embodiment of the present invention , which is applied to the nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device of fig4 and fig9 b is a timing chart showing the operation of a read mode according to the first embodiment of the present invention , which is applied to the nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device of fig4 . one cycle for writing and reading operations includes an active period and a precharge period . that is , one cycle is completed in such a manner that the chip enable signal csbpad is changed to low level to start the active period , and then the precharge period advances . during the active period in one cycle , the wordline is activated to high level twice or more . after the wordline is transited from high level to low level ( i . e ., after the wordline is inactivated ), the sensing amplifier s / a is activated , so that reading and writing operations of the memory cell can be performed . when the high level is given to the wordline twice , the first high level is used to read the data of the cell and the second high level or later is used to restore data of the cell or write new data . it is noted that operation waveforms of the write mode and the read mode are similar in fig9 a and 9 b . however , in fig9 a , external data is forcibly input to the bitline through a data input pad ( din pad ) when the writing operation is performed by the write enable signal webpad . in fig9 b , data of the sensing amplifier s / a is transmitted to external data input / output pad ( din / out pad ). with reference to the waveforms of fig9 a and 9 b , the data writing and reading operations according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described . in the first embodiment of the present invention , the plate line has a single high level when the wordline is activated to a high level . as shown in fig9 a and 9 b , the external chip enable signal csbpad is transited from high level to low level during a period , so that the active period of the chip starts . during the active period , the write enable signal webpad is in a low level . during period a , the reference wordline ref_w / l is maintained at low level , and the reference plate line ref_p / l is changed from a high level to a low level . subsequently , if address decoding starts , a corresponding wordline w / l , a corresponding plate line p / l , a corresponding reference wordline ref_w / l , and a corresponding reference plate line ref_p / l are activated to high levels during b period . thus , the data of the main cell mc and the data of the reference cell rc are respectively transmitted to their bitline . for reference , the bitline to which the data of the main cell mc is transmitted is not the same as the bitline to which the data of the reference cell rc is transmitted . namely , as described above , among sub cell arrays , the main cell mc within the sub cell array above the sensing amplifier s / a is operated together with the reference cell rc within the sub cell array at the bottom portion of the sensing amplifier s / a . accordingly , the data of the main cell is transmitted to the bitline within the sub cell array at the top portion while the data of the reference cell is transmitted to the bitline within the sub cell array at the bottom portion . when the data of the main cell mc and the data of the reference cell rc are sufficiently transmitted to their corresponding bitline , the wordline w / l and the reference wordline ref_w / l are changed to a low level at the end of the b period , so that the bitline b / l is separated from the cell . therefore , bitline loading due to the difference of the capacitor size between the main cell mc and the reference cell rc can be removed . this improves sensing margin of the sensing amplifier . during c period , the wordline w / l and the reference wordline ref_w / l are changed to a low level , while during the d period , and the active signal sen of the sensing amplifier s / a is activated to a high level . thus , the data of the bitline is amplified . from the b period to the f period , the plate line p / l is maintained at a high level and begins to change to a low level during the f period . during the b period , the wordline w / l is maintained at a high level and drops to a low level in the c period . the wordline w / l remains at a low level during the c , d and e periods and rises to a high level for the second time in the f period . the reference plate line ref_p / l is continuously maintained at a high level during and after b period . that is , the reference plate line ref p / l is only transited to low level during a period . finally , when the first pulse of the wordline w / l and the reference wordline ref_w / l are transited from a high level to a low level in periods b and c , the plate line p / l and the reference plate line ref_p / l are not transited accordingly , interference noise that may occur due to simultaneous transition can be avoided . if an amplification operation of the sensing amplifier s / a advances to a stable mode , the column selector c / s is activated to high level during e period , and the data of the bitline b / l is exchanged with the data of the data bus . that is , the data of the data bus is forcibly transmitted to the bitline b / l . the bitline equalizer signal eq and the reference bitline equalizer signal ref_eq are changed to a low level in a period , such as period b , where the wordline w / l and the reference wordline ref_w / l are changed to high level . also , since the sensing amplifier s / a is continuously activated when the wordline w / l is changed to a second high level during f and g periods of the active period , the bitline b / l continuously maintains the amplified data or reprogrammed data . accordingly , the data of the main cell mc having a logic value “ 1 ” that is destroyed during b period is restored or written during g period . also , during f period in which the wordline w / l and the plate line p / l are both changed to a high level , the data of the main cell mc having a logic value “ 0 ”, destroyed during b period is written . when the restoring step ends during g period , the chip enable signal csbpad is changed to high level , so that the precharge period h starts . the storage node sn of the bitline b / l and the reference cell rc is initiated to the ground level during h period , and remains in standby state to start the next cycle . the read mode shown in fig9 b is equal to the write mode in its waveforms . as described above , however , in the write mode , external data is forcibly input to the bitline through the data input pad ( din pad , not shown ). in the read mode , the data of the sensing amplifier s / a is transmitted to external data input / output pad ( din / out pad , not shown ). ( that is , the data of the sensing amplifier s / a is transmitted to the data bus .) also , in the read mode , the write enable signal webpad is in high level during the active period . the method for driving the aforementioned nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device according to the second and third embodiments of the present invention will now be described . [ 0099 ] fig1 a is a schematic view of the nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device according to the present invention , and fig1 b is a schematic view of the main cell mc of fig1 a . as shown in fig1 a , the nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device according to the present invention includes a plurality of sub cell arrays sub_t and sub_b . each of the sub cell arrays sub_t , sub_b include two bitlines top_b / ln , top b / ln + 1 and bot_b / ln , bot_b / ln + 1 , a plurality of main cells mc arranged in row direction between the two bitlines , a reference cell rc respectively connected to each bitline , and a column selector c / s . two sensing amplifiers s / a 1 , s / a 2 are arranged between adjacent top and bottom sub cell arrays sub_t and sub_b . sensing amplifier s / al is connected between bitlines top_b / ln and bot_b / ln , and sensing amplifier s / a 2 is connected between bitlines top_b / ln + 1 and bot_b / ln + 1 . the top sub cell array sub_t includes bitlines top_b / ln and top_b / ln + 1 while the bottom sub cell array sub_b includes bitlines bot_b / ln and bot_b / ln + 1 . the main cell mc includes a plurality of split wordline pairs having first and second split wordlines swl 1 , swl 2 as a pair of split wordlines . the bitlines top_b / ln , top_b / ln + 1 , bot_b / ln and bot_b / ln + 1 are formed across the split wordline swl 1 , swl 2 pairs . the reference cell rc is preferably located adjacent to the column selector c / s on each bitline top_b / ln , top_b / ln + 1 , bot_b / ln and bot_b / ln + 1 and connected to the corresponding bitline . each data bus of the top and bottom sub cell arrays sub_t , sub_b is connected to the main amplifier m / a located at one end of the sub cell arrays sub_t , sub_b . the reference cell rc within the sub cell array sub_t is accessed when the main cell mc within the sub cell array sub_b is accessed . on the other hand , the reference cell rc within the sub cell array sub_b is accessed when the main cell mc within the sub cell array sub_t is accessed . the column selector cs selectively activates a corresponding column bitline using a y ( column ) address . if the column selector cs is in high level , the corresponding column bitline is connected to the data bus , so as to enable data transmission . the main cell mc of the aforementioned nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device , as shown in fig1 b , includes a first split wordline swl 1 and a second split wordline swl 2 formed in row direction at constant intervals ; a first bitline b / l 1 and a second bitline b / l 2 formed across the first and second split wordlines swl 1 and swl 2 ; a first transistor t 1 with a gate connected to the first split wordline swl 1 and a drain connected to the first bitline b / l 1 , a first ferroelectric capacitor fc 1 connected between the source of the first transistor t 1 and the second split wordline swl 2 , a second transistor with a gate connected to the second split wordline swl 2 and a drain connected to the second bitline b / l 2 , and a second ferroelectric capacitor fc 2 connected between the source of the second transistor t 2 and the first split wordline swl 1 . a cell array is formed by forming a plurality of the above unit cells . in view of data storage , the unit cell can include a transistor and a ferroelectric capacitor , the transistor including a split wordline and a bitline . in view of data structure , the unit cell has a 2 t / 2 c structure that can include two transistors 2 t and two ferroelectric capacitors 2 c , and a pair of split wordlines and two bitlines . the method for driving the aforementioned nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device according to the second embodiment of the present invention will now be described . [ 0112 ] fig1 a is a timing chart showing the operation of the write mode according to the second embodiment of the present invention , which is applied to the nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device of fig1 a . fig1 b is a timing chart showing the operation of a read mode according to the second embodiment of the present invention , which is applied to the nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device of fig1 a . in the second embodiment of the present invention , the first split wordline swl 1 may be activated three times to a high level in the active period . when the first high level signal of the first and second split wordlines swl 1 and swl 2 is changed to a low level , the corresponding sensing amplifier is driven . when the first and second split wordlines swl 1 , swl 2 are activated to the first high level signal , the data reading operation is performed . when the first pulse is changed to low level , i . e ., when the first pulse is inactivated , the corresponding sensing amplifier is activated . when the first and second split wordlines swl 1 , swl 2 are activated to the second high level signal in the active period , the data is restored or new data is written . as shown in fig1 a and 11 b , if the chip enable signal csbpad is changed to a low level , the active period starts . in the write mode , the write enable signal webpad is in low level during the active period . while in the read mode , the write enable signal weppad is in high level during the active period , as shown in fig1 b . the driving methods in the read and write modes are similar . period a denotes the period before the first and second split wordlines swl 1 and swl 2 are activated to high level . in this a period , all of bitlines are preferably precharged at a threshold voltage level and the reference plate line ref_p / l is changed to low level . period b denotes the period that the first and second split wordlines swl 1 and swl 2 are changed to a high level . also , data of the ferroelectric capacitors fc 1 and fc 2 ( see fig1 b ) in the cell are transmitted to the bitlines b / l 1 and b / l 2 so that the bitline level is varied . the ferroelectric capacitor has a logic value “ 1 ”, because electric fields having opposite polarities are applied to the bitline and the split wordline , the polarity of the ferroelectric is destroyed allowing a large amount of current to flow . thus , a high voltage is induced in the bitline . by contrast , the ferroelectric capacitor has a logic value “ 0 ”, when electric fields having the same polarities are applied to the bitline and the split wordline , polarity of the ferroelectric capacitor is not destroyed and a small amount of current flows . thus , a low voltage is induced in the bitline . subsequently , the first and second split wordlines sw 1 , swl 2 and the reference wordline ref_w / l are changed to low level during c period so as to activate the corresponding sensing amplifier active signal sen . as a result , the data of the bitline is amplified . before the reading operation step fs , the reference plate line ref_p / l is in a low level ( during the period a ). after period a and in the other periods , the ref_p / l is maintained at a high level . thus , when the first split wordline swl 1 and the reference wordline ref_w / l are transited from high level to low level , the reference plate line ref_p / l is not simultaneously changed . if amplification operation of the sensing amplifier s / a advances to a stable mode , the column selector c / s is activated to high level during d to f periods , so that the data of the bitlines b / l 1 and b / l 2 is exchanged with the data of the data bus . that is , the data of the data bus is forcibly transmitted to the bitlines b / l 1 and b / l 2 . also , since the sensing amplifier s / a is continuously activated during d , e and f periods , the bitlines b / l 1 and b / l 2 continuously maintain the amplified data or reprogrammed data . during d period , the first and second split wordlines swl 1 , swl 2 are transited to high level . thus , the data having a logic value “ 0 ”, which was destroyed during b period is restored or written . during e period in which the first split wordline swl 1 is in low level and the second split wordline swl 2 is in high level , the data having a logic value “ 1 ”, which is destroyed during b period is written . during f period in which the first split wordline swl 1 is in high level and the second split wordline swl 2 is transited from high level to low level , the data having a logic value “ 1 ” of the ferroelectric capacitor is written . when the restoring operation or the writing operation ends , the chip enable signal csbpad is transited to a high level , so that the precharge period ( h period ) starts . the storage node of the bitline b / l and the reference cell rc is initiated to the ground level during h period , and is in standby state to start the next cycle . the second method for driving the nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device , constructed as shown in fig1 a and 10 b will now be described . [ 0131 ] fig1 a is a timing chart showing the operation of a write mode according to the second embodiment of the present invention , for driving the nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device of fig1 a . fig1 b is a timing chart showing the operation of a read mode according to the second method for driving the nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device of fig1 a . the second method for driving the nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device of fig1 a is almost equal to the method discussed relative to fig1 a and 11 b for driving the nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device of fig1 a . in the second method of the present invention , the first split wordline swl 1 is boosted in f period to generate a higher voltage than a voltage in b or c periods . the second split wordline swl 2 is boosted in period e to generate a higher voltage than a voltage in b or d period . in other words , the first split wordline swl 1 is boosted by αvtn to generate vcc + αvtn in f period while the second split wordline swl 2 is boosted by αvtn to generate vcc + αvtn , wherein α denotes α constant greater than 1 and vtn denotes a threshold voltage of the nmos transistor . this is to transmit high data of the bitlines b / l 1 and b / l 2 to the ferroelectric capacitors fc 1 and fc 2 including when low voltage exists and the restoring operation is performed in the transistors t 1 and t 2 in fig1 b . as described above , during driving operation according to the second method of driving the nonvolatile ferroelectric device of fig1 a , the boost voltage output to the first and second split wordlines swl 1 , swl 2 is supplied from a boost power generator ( shown in fig1 ) according to the present invention . the boost power generator will be described below . the boost power generator of the present invention , as shown in fig1 , includes an address decoder 133 , a nand gate 134 for performing the logic and operation of the address decoder 133 , a first external control signal bcon 1 , a first inverter 131 for inverting a signal of the nand gate 134 , a ferroelectric capacitor for receiving a signal of the first inverter 131 , a second inverter 132 for inverting a signal of the address decoder 133 . additionally , the boost power generator includes a nor gate 135 for performing logic or operation of the signal of the second inverter 132 and a second external control signal bcon 2 and , a third inverter 137 for inverting a signal of the nor gate 135 . a cmos transistor 136 is located between the ferroelectric capacitor fc and a ground voltage terminal vss , for receiving a signal of the third inverter 137 . a pmos transistor 140 is also located between a power source voltage terminal vcc and the ferroelectric capacitor fc , and is for receiving a signal of an output terminal of the cmos transistor 136 . the boost power generator also has a level shifter l / s for performing a level shifting operation by receiving a signal wlpwr dependent on the on / off operation of the pmos transistor 140 . the level shifter l / s is followed by a split wordline driver swl / d which outputs the level shifted voltage to the first and second split wordlines swl 1 , swl 2 based on received signals wld 1 and wld 2 generated by the level shifter l / s . a cell array block of fig1 corresponds to a plurality of the main cells of fig1 a provided with the first and second split wordlines swl 1 , swl 2 . the signal wlpwr generates a vcc or a boosted voltage vcc + αvtn boosted from vcc . in fig1 , when the first external control signal bcon 1 is output at a high level and the second external control signal bcon 2 is output at a low level during f period of the active period , the signal wlpwr generates vcc + αvtn , so that the boosted voltage of vcc + αvtn is generated in the first split wordline swl 1 . furthermore , when the first external control signal bcon 1 is output at a high level and the second external control signal bcon 2 is output at a low level during e period of the active period , the signal wlpwr denotes vcc + αvtn , so that the boosted voltage of vcc + αvtn is generated in the second split wordline . as described above , the nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device and method for driving the same has the following advantages . first , when the wordlines are activated two or more times during the active period of one cycle , the level width of the first wordline is restricted . thus , it is possible to restrict the quantity of charges generated in the cell , so that the data can uniformly be written or read in all the cell arrays without depending on the position . in addition , since the sensing amplifier is activated to high level after the first wordline is inactivated to low level , loading conditions of a resistor and a capacitor in the main bitline and the reference bitline in view of the sensing amplifier can be equal to each other . thus , the sensing voltage can be minimized . this reduces the size of the cell , thereby reducing the size of the chip . finally , when high data is written or restored in the ferroelectric capacitor , the first and second split wordlines are respectively boosted to vcc + αvtn , so that the nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device can be operated at low voltage . the foregoing embodiments and advantages are merely exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention . the present teaching can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses . the description of the present invention is intended to be illustrative , and not to limit the scope of the claims . many alternatives , modifications , and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art . in the claims , means - plus - function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents by also equivalent structures . | 6 |
in modern computer systems , such as servers , large amounts of memory are required . more memory is typically needed for multiple processor configurations which may increase performance but may also increase cost . for multiple processor configurations , the likelihood that all memory is demanded simultaneously may be small and unused memory may become idle which wastes resources . an aspect of the mentioned disclosure is the ability to share memory between processors which results in higher usage of the memory and lower costs . features illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale . descriptions of well - known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments of the invention . the examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the invention . it is also to be understood that the descriptions of the embodiments are provided by way of example only , and are not intended to limit the scope of this invention as claimed . fig1 is a single chip module embodiment of an electronic device . for illustrative purposes , there may be two processor assemblies , a first processor assembly 110 and a second processor assembly 111 mounted on a circuit board 116 but the embodiment may have more than two processor assemblies and may have a quad processor arrangement . the first processor assembly 110 may have a first processor 112 and least one memory controller . in the shown embodiment , there may be two memory controllers , a first memory controller 118 and a second memory controller 120 , mounted on a processor assembly 110 . the first memory controller 118 may connect to a first memory buffer 122 . the memory buffer 122 may hold data in storage before transmitting the data to the memory modules 124 . the memory buffer 122 may also retrieve data from the memory modules 124 upon a request from the first memory controller 118 . in the shown embodiment , there are four first memory buffers 122 each connected to two memory modules 124 . in the shown embodiment , the memory modules 124 are dual in line memory modules ( dimms ) but may be single inline memory modules , flash memory , dram , sram or any other memory device . the second processor assembly 111 , may have a similar structure to the first processor assembly 110 . in the shown embodiment , the second processor assembly 111 has a second processor 114 , a first memory controller 126 , and a second memory controller 129 . the first memory controller 126 is connected to a first memory buffer 128 which is connected in a similar manner as in the first processor assembly 110 . memory modules 130 may be connected to the first memory buffers 128 in a similar manner as in the first processor assembly 110 . the second memory controller 120 on the first processor assembly 110 and the second memory controller 129 on the second processor assembly 111 may be coupled to an input on a switching device 132 . the switching device 132 may select between any input upon receiving a selector signal such as a selector signal 134 from the first processor 112 . the switching device 132 may be referred to generally as a logic element or specifically as a multiplexer . the switching device 132 may be a multiplexer ( mux ) but other configurations are contemplated such as a software - implemented controller . in the shown embodiment , the switching device 132 is a two - to - one mux but other configurations are contemplated . the number of inputs on the mux 132 may increase with the number of processors . for example , if four processors are used , the embodiment may have a four - to - one mux 132 . for purposes of illustration , the term mux may be used interchangeably with the term switching device for discussion of fig1 and fig2 . the switching device 132 may receive inputs from both second memory controllers . in the shown embodiment , the mux 132 may use digital logic to ensure that both second memory controllers are not accessing the additional memory simultaneously . each switching device 132 may be further connected to an additional memory buffer 138 . the additional memory buffer 138 is further connected to additional memory modules 140 in a similar manner as in the first memory buffer 122 . the additional memory modules 140 may also be referred to as shared memory or additional memory . the additional memory modules 140 operate in a similar manner to memory modules 124 and 130 . before the additional memory is accessed , a particular processor may determine whether additional memory is required . for example , a first processor 112 may communicate to the first memory controller 118 to request memory storage . if the first memory controller 118 uses memory beyond a limit of a parameter such as memory availability , then the first processor 112 requests memory through the second memory controller 120 . the processors , 112 , 114 , may be coupled to a switch fabric 131 . the switch fabric 131 may coordinate the requests for the additional resources , such as additional memory 140 , between the first processor 112 and the second processor 114 . the switch fabric 131 may perform both switching and logic functions . for example , if the first processor 112 is attempting to access the additional memory 140 while the second processor 114 has control of the memory , then the first processor 112 may send a request signal through the switch fabric 131 . the first processor 112 may wait for the second processor 114 to complete the use of the additional memory 140 . if the use of the additional memory 140 is complete , the second processor 114 may signal the first processor 112 through the switch fabric 131 to activate a selector signal 134 and the mux 132 may select the connection from the second memory controller 120 . the first processor 112 may have exclusive use of the additional memory 140 . the first processor 112 may limit the duration of the exclusive use based on parameter . the duration may be defined by , for example , time or usage of the additional memory . the parameters may include a time limit , a priority , a size , a utilization , or other parameter to ensure that the additional memory 140 is distributed evenly between the processors , 112 , 114 . the parameter may be predefined or created on - the - fly but other configurations are contemplated . the additional memory may be selected in whole or in part by either second memory controller 120 , 128 . the additional memory 140 may act as an extension of memory from a second memory controller 120 , 128 when selected . the second processor 114 may access the additional memory 140 in a similar fashion to the first processor 112 . fig2 shows an electronic device in the dual chip module configuration according to an embodiment . in the dual chip module configuration , there may be two chips , a first chip 210 and a second chip 212 , mounted on a dual chip module 215 . the first chip 210 may contain a first processor assembly 214 and memory buffers 216 a , 216 b , 216 c , 216 d . the first processor assembly 214 may further include a first processor 218 , a first memory controller 220 and a second memory controller 222 . the first memory controller 220 may couple to the memory buffer 216 a , 216 b , 216 c , 216 d on the first chip 210 . the first processor assembly 214 functions in a similar manner to the first processor assembly 110 described in fig1 . the shown embodiment may have any number of chips mounted on a module such as four chips , or eight chips . in the shown embodiment , there are four memory buffers , 216 a , 216 b , 216 c , 216 d but other configurations are contemplated . the memory buffers may be coupled with memory modules 224 . in the shown embodiment , there are two memory modules 224 for every memory buffer 216 but other configurations are contemplated . the memory modules 224 , in the shown embodiment , are dimms but other configurations are contemplated such as single in - line memory modules ( simms ), flash memory , and other random access memory . the memory modules 224 may be located external to the dual chip module 215 and connect with package pins 226 . the package pins 226 may further couple with the memory buffers 216 . the dual chip module 215 may also contain a second chip 212 . the second chip 212 may contain a second processor assembly 228 , first memory buffers 230 a , 230 b , 230 c , 230 d , and muxs 232 a , 232 b , 232 c , 232 d connected to second memory buffers 234 a , 234 b , 234 c , 234 d . the second memory buffers 234 may also be referred to as additional memory buffers . the second processor assembly 228 may have a second processor 236 , a first memory controller 238 and a second memory controller 240 . the first memory controller 238 on the second processor assembly 228 may be coupled to the first memory buffer 230 a , 230 b , 230 c , 230 d which may further be coupled to memory modules 242 . the memory modules 242 may attach to pins 244 in a similar manner to the first chip 210 . the inputs on the mux 232 , may couple with the second memory controller 222 on the first processor assembly 214 and the second memory controller 240 on the second processor assembly 228 . in the shown embodiment , the mux 232 a selector may be selected 246 by the first processor 218 but other configurations are contemplated . the mux 232 a , 232 b , 232 c , 232 d selectors are shown coupled to the first processor 218 , the second processor 236 , and to each other for illustrative purposes . if more chips are used , then a different type of switching device 232 may be used . in the shown embodiment , the switching device 232 may be a two - to - one mux 232 but an embodiment with four chips may have a four - to - one mux 232 . it may also be possible for the mux selectors 232 to be activated by an independent controller , the switch fabric 248 , or one processor in a similar fashion to the embodiment on fig1 . the mux 232 may be further coupled to a second memory buffer 234 on the second chip 212 . the memory buffer 234 may couple with additional memory modules 250 . the additional memory modules 250 may further connect to package pins 252 external to the dual chip module 215 . the connections in the shown embodiment are copper wire but other embodiments are contemplated such as direct soldering , through silicon via , steel wire , or any other conductive connection . the switch fabric 248 may handle coordination between the first processor 218 and the second processor 236 and may operate in a fashion similar to the embodiment on fig1 . in the shown embodiment , the first memory controllers 220 , 238 , may operate in a reduced memory demand state . in the reduced memory demand state , the first memory controllers 220 , 238 may adequately handle the memory load similar to the embodiment in fig1 . in an increased memory demand state , either the second memory controller 222 on the first processor assembly 214 or the second memory controller 240 on the second processor assembly 228 may be activated . access to the additional memory modules 250 may be regulated by the mux 232 in the increased memory demand state . the mux 232 may prevent simultaneous usage of the additional memory by the second memory controllers from the first chip and the second chip . an increased memory demand may be in response to one or more parameters or may be activated by a user similar to the embodiment shown in fig1 . in the shown embodiment , the increase memory demand state may be in response to a decrease in the available memory of the first memory controller 220 but other parameters are contemplated such as a decrease in the available memory in both memory controllers 220 , 238 , a request from one processor , or request from a controller . fig7 shows a flow diagram 710 of how additional memory may be accessed through a switch fabric , 131 , 248 , according to an embodiment . components of the embodiments on fig1 and fig2 will be used to illustrate the flow diagram on fig7 but other configurations are contemplated . for purposes of illustration and not limitation , the first processor , 112 , 218 , controls the access to an additional memory , 140 , 250 , but it is also possible for the second processor , 114 , 236 , to control access to the additional memory , 140 , 250 . the control may happen through a memory controller , 120 , 222 , or through a device such as a demand functional controller 318 ( discussed below ) but other configurations are contemplated . in operation 712 , the first processor , 112 , 218 , may be assigned an additional memory , 140 , 250 . the assignment may occur automatically or may depend on additional memory , 140 , 250 , being requested by the first processor , 112 , 218 . in operation 714 , the second processor , 114 , 236 , may determine its memory requirements . in operation 715 , the second processor , 114 , 236 , may monitor the total memory requirements of the second processor , 114 , 236 . if the amount of memory , 130 , 224 , coupled to the second processor 114 , 236 , is less than the memory required , then the second processor 114 , 236 , may not need to access additional memory , 140 , 250 . in operation 716 , the second processor , 114 , 236 , may determine that it needs access to the additional memory , 140 , 250 , and may request access from the first processor , 112 , 218 , to the additional memory , 140 , 250 , through the switch fabric , 131 , 248 . in operation 718 , the first processor , 112 , 218 , may monitor the usage of the additional memory , 140 , 250 to determine if the additional memory , 140 , 250 , is being used by either the first processor , 112 , 218 . in operation 718 , the first processor , 112 , 218 , may determine if all or part of the additional memory , 140 , 250 , is required by the first processor , 112 , 218 . for example , if the additional memory , 140 , 250 , is distributed between processors in part , where a particular processor may access part of the additional memory , 140 , 250 , then the first processor , 112 , 218 , may determine if any part of the additional memory , 140 , 250 , is available for use . if the additional memory , 140 , 250 , is distributed between particular processors as a whole , then the first processor , 112 , 218 , may determine if the additional memory , 140 , 250 , as a whole is available for use . if the first processor , 112 , 218 , requires the additional memory , 140 , 250 , then the first processor , 112 , 218 , may handle operation 720 according to the embodiment in fig8 . after operation 720 completes , the second processor , 114 , 236 , may determine whether it still requires additional memory , 140 , 250 , access in operation 715 . if the first processor , 112 , 218 , doesn &# 39 ; t require access to the additional memory , 140 , 250 , then operation 722 takes place . in operation 722 , the first processor , 112 , 218 , may deselect 134 , 246 the switching device 132 , 232 and give access of the additional memory , 140 , 250 , to the second processor , 114 , 236 . the access of the additional memory , 140 , 250 , may be given to the second processor , 114 , 236 , in whole or in part . for example , in the embodiment shown in fig2 , it may be possible for switching devices 232 a , 232 b to be used by the first processor 218 and switching devices 232 c , 232 d used by the second processor 236 . the first processor , 112 , 218 , may have direct access to the additional memory , 140 , 248 , and may act in a control fashion . in the shown embodiment , data from the second processor , 114 , 236 , may go through the first processor , 112 , 218 , for the additional memory , 140 , 250 , access . for example , when the second processor , 114 , 236 , reads data from the additional memory , 140 , 250 , the data may pass through the first processor , 112 , 218 , and the switch fabric , 131 , 248 . likewise , the data may be written from the second processor , 114 , 236 , to the additional memory , 140 , 250 , by passing through the first processor , 112 , 218 , and the switch fabric , 131 , 248 . the second processor , 114 , 236 , may use the additional memory , 140 , 250 , until operation 724 is completed . when operation 724 is completed , the second processor , 114 , 236 , may communicate completion with the first processor , 112 , 218 , through the switch fabric , 131 , 248 . operation 728 is further described in the embodiment in fig9 . in operation 728 , the first processor , 112 , 218 , may select the switching device 132 , 232 to revert back to the control of the additional memory , 140 , 250 . fig8 shows a flow diagram 720 of how the first processor , 112 , 218 , may handle a memory request from the second processor , 114 , 236 , for additional memory access , 140 , 250 , according to an embodiment . in operation 810 , the first processor , 112 , 218 , may receive the memory request for the additional memory , 140 , 250 , from the second processor , 114 , 236 , through the switch fabric , 131 , 248 . in operation 812 , the first processor , 112 , 218 , may satisfy the additional memory , 140 , 250 , request . in the shown embodiment , the first processor , 112 , 218 , may satisfy the memory request by waiting for the first processor , 112 , 218 to finish using the additional memory , 140 , 250 , but other configurations are contemplated such as prioritization of additional memory , 140 , 250 , access . fig9 shows a flow diagram 728 , of how the first processor , 112 , 218 , may access the additional memory , 140 , 250 , if the second processor , 114 , 236 , is using the additional memory , 140 , 250 , according to an embodiment . the embodiment on fig9 may operate in a similar manner to the embodiment on fig1 . the first processor , 112 , 218 , may control access to the additional memory , 140 , 250 and may communicate with the second processor , 114 , 236 , to ensure that the second processor , 114 , 236 , is finished using the additional memory , 140 , 250 . in operation 912 , the second processor , 114 , 236 , may be using the additional memory , 140 , 250 , in a manner similar to operation 728 in fig7 . in operation 914 , the first processor , 112 , 218 , may determine its memory requirements . if the amount of memory , 124 , 230 , coupled to the processor 112 , 218 , is less than the memory required , then the processor 112 , 218 , may not need to access additional memory , 140 , 250 . in operation 916 , the first processor , 112 , 218 , may determine that it needs access to the additional memory , 140 , 250 , and may ensure that the additional memory , 140 , 250 , is not used by the second processor , 114 , 236 . in operation 918 , the first processor , 112 , 218 , may determine if any additional memory , 140 , 250 , is required by the second processor , 114 , 236 . in operation 918 , the first processor , 112 , 218 , may monitor the additional memory , 140 , 250 , to ensure that the second processor , 114 , 236 , is not using the additional memory , 140 , 250 . if the second processor , 114 , 236 , is using the additional memory , 140 , 250 , then the first processor , 112 , 218 , may handle operation 920 according to the embodiment in fig1 . after operation 920 completes , the first processor , 112 , 218 , may select the additional memory , 140 , 250 , in operation 922 . if the second processor , 112 , 218 , doesn &# 39 ; t require access to the additional memory , 140 , 250 , then the process proceeds to operation 922 . in operation 922 , the first processor , 112 , 218 , may select 134 , 246 the switching device 132 , 232 and give access of the additional memory , 140 , 250 , to itself . the access of the additional memory , 140 , 250 , may be given to the first processor , 112 , 218 , in whole or in part similar to the embodiment on fig7 . the first processor , 112 , 218 , may use the additional memory , 140 , 218 , until the operation 924 is completed 926 . after operation 924 is completed at operation 926 , the first processor , 112 , 218 , may wait for a request for additional memory , 140 , 250 , from either the second processor , 114 , 236 , or from itself in operation 716 . fig1 shows a flow diagram 920 of how the first processor , 112 , 218 , may handle requests for additional memory access , 140 , 250 , according to an embodiment . in operation 1010 , the first processor , 112 , 218 , may signal the request for the additional memory , 140 , 250 , to the second processor , 114 , 236 , through the switch fabric , 131 , 248 . in operation 1012 , the second processor , 114 , 236 , may receive the memory request . in operation 1014 , the second processor , 114 , 236 , may satisfy the additional memory , 140 , 250 , request by completing use of the additional memory , 140 , 250 , but other configurations are contemplated . in operation 1016 , the second processor , 114 , 236 , may notify the first processor , 112 , 218 , that the memory usage is complete so that the first processor , 112 , 218 , may proceed with operation 922 in fig9 . fig3 shows an overview of accessing the additional memory between two processors according to an embodiment . fig3 can be either the single chip module of fig1 or the dual chip module of fig2 . the embodiment shown on fig3 may have a first processor assembly 310 with a processor 312 , a first memory controller 314 , and a second memory controller 316 . the second memory controller 316 may be coupled with a first demand function controller ( dfc ) 318 . the embodiment may have a second processor assembly 320 with a second processor 322 , a first memory controller 324 , and a second memory controller 326 . the second memory controller may also be coupled with a second dfc 328 . the dfcs , 318 , 328 may coordinate for memory access with each other . both first memory controllers , 314 , 324 may operate under the control of its respective processor , 312 , 322 in a manner similar to the embodiments in fig1 and fig2 . an aspect of the shown embodiment is that both second memory controllers , 316 , 326 , co - own the additional memory 330 . during co - ownership of the additional memory 330 , the dfcs , 318 , 328 , may perform message passing to arbitrate which one will control the memory bus 329 . to determine which particular dfc controls the memory bus 329 , a particular dfc may operate based on a system level policy that may take into account the amount of data to be used , the data usage of each processor , a time limit , a priority , or other parameter . for example , if both processors , 312 , 322 , request additional memory 330 simultaneously , and the first processor 312 requires 50 % of the additional memory 330 and the second processor 322 requires 70 % of the additional memory 330 , then the first dfc 318 may acknowledge that the second processor 322 requires more additional memory 330 . the first dfc 318 may subordinate its request to the second dfc 328 . the second dfc 328 may grant itself access to the memory bus 329 and the additional memory 330 . fig4 is a flow diagram of controlling access to additional memory with a dfc according to an embodiment . in operation 412 , the ownership may be assigned arbitrarily . for purposes of illustration , the ownership of the additional memory 330 may be assigned arbitrarily to the second memory controller 316 on the first processor 312 . the term memory controller may be shown as mc for brevity . the second memory controller 316 may have exclusive access to the additional memory 330 through the bus 329 . in operation 414 , the second processor 322 may analyze the memory demand from the first memory controller 324 to determine if the second processor 322 needs access to the additional memory 330 . the memory demand may be determined by comparing the capacity of first memory controller 324 with the amount of memory being used by the first memory controller 324 but other configurations are contemplated . if access to the additional memory 330 is needed , the second processor 322 may access the dfc 328 on the second memory controller 326 in accordance with operation 416 . the dfc 328 may directly signal the dfc 318 on the first processor 312 . in operation 418 , the first processor 312 may release the bus 329 and have the dfc 318 signal the second processor dfc 328 that the bus 329 is free . the second processor dfc 328 may further signal the second memory controller 326 to access the bus 329 . in operation 420 , the second memory controller 326 may use the bus 329 until the memory usage is completed . in operation 422 , the memory usage may be completed and the dfc 328 may give bus control back to first processor dfc 318 . fig5 shows a dual - processor configuration with a hypervisor mechanism according to an embodiment . the system 510 may include processor assemblies , 310 , 320 , and an additional memory 330 arranged in a similar configuration to the embodiment shown in fig3 . the system 510 may also include a hypervisor mechanism ( hyp ) 512 that is coupled to both second memory controllers , 316 , 326 . the hyp 512 may coordinate access between the first and second processors , 312 , 322 , to the additional memory 330 through the memory bus 329 . fig6 is a flow diagram of controlling access to additional memory with a hypervisor according to an embodiment . the term hypervisor mechanism may be shown as hyp for brevity and may also be referred to as hypervisor controller or hypervisor . in operation 612 , the hyp 512 may initialize the additional memory area 330 . in operation 614 , the hyp 512 may be updated with the additional memory 330 information which may include which processor , 312 , 322 , has access to the additional memory . for purposes of illustration , the second processor 322 may require access to the additional memory in a similar manner to the embodiment on fig4 . once the processor 322 demands access to the additional memory 330 , the hyp 512 may process the request from the processor 322 in operation 616 . in operation 618 , if there are no competing requests for the additional memory 330 , then the hyp 512 may allow the second memory controller 326 to access the additional memory 330 . if there is a competing request for the additional memory 330 , for example , the first processor 312 also requires access to the additional memory 330 , then the hyp 512 may consider which request to grant . in the shown embodiment , the granting of additional memory 330 access by the hyp 512 may be done by prioritizing the requests on a first - come , first - served basis but other configurations are contemplated such as prioritizing based on a time limit , a task , a size , a utilization , or other parameter to ensure that the additional memory 330 access is distributed evenly between the processors , 312 , 322 . the parameter may be predefined or created on - the - fly but other configurations are contemplated . the hyp 512 may monitor to see if the additional memory 330 usage is completed . when the second processor 322 has completed the memory usage , the second memory controller 326 may signal the hyp 512 that additional memory 330 usage is complete . in operation 620 , the hyp 512 may further signal the memory controller 326 to release the additional memory bus 329 . while the disclosed subject matter has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments , this description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense . various modifications of the illustrative embodiments , as well as other embodiments of the subject matter , which are apparent to persons skilled in the art to which the disclosed subject matter pertains are deemed to lie within the scope and spirit of the disclosed subject matter . | 6 |
[ 0038 ] fig1 illustrates a system 10 constructed according to the invention . a database 12 stores information about the items of interest , including information about locating the items of interest . the database 12 includes an information controller 14 which communicates with a remote access port 16 via a communications link 18 and which controls the access and flow of information into and out of the database 12 . the information within the database 12 is accessible by the remote access port 16 upon request by a user of the port 16 . accordingly , the port 16 preferably includes a user interface section 20 which provides a graphical display 22 , keyboard 24 , and mouse tracker 25 ( for pointing and clicking on selected display items within the display 22 ). specifically , the information within the database 12 includes , for each of the items of interest , positional coordinates , a geographic vicinity , and at least one associated category . preferably , this information includes a graphical representation so that a user can easily interpret the information . fig2 shows one exemplary display 30 of information locating computer products in downtown boston , mass . accordingly , the associated category in this example is “ computer products ,” and , in the illustrated display 30 , the geographic vicinity includes the selected items of interest , including ( i ) the two computer stores 32 , 34 at , respectively , 52 congress street and 101 federal street ; and ( ii ) that area which is displayed within the display 30 and which surrounds the items of interest , such as that area displayed between the streets of high street and state street . the positional coordinates , as part of the selected information , operate to locate the geographic vicinity . briefly , the positional coordinates locate one location within the geographic vicinity — such as the center of the vicinity — so that items of interest can be determined relative to the positional coordinates and within the geographic vicinity . in addition , the geographic vicinity is preferably a rectangle of information , with north situated upwards . in one preferred aspect of the invention , the display 30 is centered relative to the location of the user ( as such , the positional coordinates of the information are set to the user &# 39 ; s present position ). for example , if the hotel 36 at 25 franklin street has a port 16 therein , a user of the invention can ( i ) access that particular port and hence the information within the database 12 , and ( ii ) display the items of interest relative to the user &# 39 ; s current location , i . e ., at the hotel 36 . accordingly , in this embodiment , the display 30 is generated with the hotel 36 at the center of the display — corresponding to the positional coordinates of 25 franklin street — and the selected items of interest in the associated category are displayed on streets relative to the hotel 36 . in this fashion , a user can easily walk or drive to the items of interest after leaving the hotel 36 . such a feature also gives the “ appearance ” to the user that the hotel 36 is at the center of activity , a desirable marketing feature for the invention . with further reference to fig1 the controller 14 preferably includes a display 40 and a keyboard 42 so that an operator of the system 10 can add and modify the information within the database 12 . this is especially useful because information about the items of interest changes regularly ; and thus the information within the database 12 is preferably updated on a regular basis so that users of the system 12 receive accurate information . for example , in a typical commercial location such as illustrated in fig2 new retail stores open and existing retail stores close throughout the year . the invention thus provides for updating information within the database 12 , such as through the control of a system operator typing commands at the keyboard 42 . alternatively , the system 10 provides for remotely updating the database 12 with new information via any of the ports 16 or via a remote computer with a modem , described in more detail in connection with fig6 a . specifically , the controller 14 provides access security which allows only authorized access for modification of the database 12 . as such , a system administrator at a remote port 16 can download information to the database , or modify existing information within the database , as needed and without physically operating the keyboard 42 . the communications link 18 of the invention can take many forms . it is generally impractical to “ hard - wire ” each remote access port 16 to the database 12 ; so the form of the communications link 18 generally includes existing communication networks , such as one or more of the following : telephone lines , fiber - optic cabling , satellite communications , cellular communications , radio and microwave - frequency communicators , infra - red communicators , the facsimile mechanism , airphones , modems , the internet , co - axial cabling , television including interactive tv communications , and the like . these communication networks and subsystems are readily known to those skilled in the art without further reference hereto . nevertheless , fig6 a - 6 b illustrate representative communication links , according to the invention , which comprise one or more of these communication networks . the displays 22 and 40 of fig1 include those displays known to those skilled in the art , including the cathode - ray - tube ( crt ), liquid crystal display ( lcd ), and an array of light emitting diodes ( leds ). however , the display 22 can also take the form of a paper or voice communication port , such as a facsimile output ( hard - copy ), printer , a voice communication synthesizer with automated digitized voice responses , a voice - driven menu systems , or as other devices capable of rendering digitized or analogue output signals . fig7 a and 7b below illustrate some of these alternative forms of the display 22 . the remote access port 16 is generally provided at locations of public access in a city . accordingly , the invention supports a nearly unlimited number of ports 16 that are connected for communication with the database 12 , each of the ports being connected to the database 12 such as shown in fig1 and such as described in more detail below . for example , the port 16 of the invention is appropriately placed in one or more hotels , restaurants , and public facilities ( such as a train station ) in the city . in boston , massachusetts , therefore , the port 16 of the invention would ideally be accessible at several different locations , particularly at busy locations , such as at ( i ) north and south stations , ( ii ) logan airport and at each of the several airport terminals , ( iii ) within several ( or many , if not all ) of boston &# 39 ; s hotels and restaurants , and ( iv ) at car rental locations . the invention provides , generally , two modes of operation for a user accessing the port 16 . in the first mode of operation , the user within the desired geographic vicinity accesses the database through the port 16 for information about the items of interest located near - by . this mode was described in connection with fig2 . that is , when the user is located within the geographic vicinity , e . g ., at the hotel 36 , a user can locate any of the items of interest relative to the hotel 36 and display items of interest in the associated category , e . g ., computer products , through a street map connecting streets to and from the hotel 36 . in this manner , as described above , a user can easily locate the items of interest from his or her present location , which determines the positional coordinates of the geographic vicinity . in one embodiment of the invention , a user accesses this first mode of operation by selecting the “ local info ” key 44 on the keyboard 42 , fig1 . upon selection , the system 10 provides information , such as a graphical display shown in fig2 at the port 16 to locate items of interest within the geographic vicinity of the user and relative to the user &# 39 ; s current location . the scope of the geographic vicinity is generally within walking distance . in the second mode of operation , a user is nowhere near the desired geographic vicinity but nevertheless desires information about items of interest at a destination location ( for example , it is generally impractical to display all items of interest within a one hundred mile radius ; rather it is more convenient to display locations of items of interest in a format that is relative to his desired destination ). in one embodiment of the invention , such a user selects the “ remote info ” key 48 to access the desired set of destination position coordinates . for example , a user who is leaving boston logan airport for los angeles international airport ( lax ) can access a port 16 at logan and display , selectively , items of interest in an associated category relative to lax . for example , if a user of the invention wishes to locate music stores upon arrival in los angeles , she can command the display of music stores relative to lax so that they are easily located . in order to command the display of items of interest at the destination location , and in accord with one embodiment of the invention , a user first selects “ usa ” at the port 16 via the keyboard 24 , then the user sequentially selects “ california ,” “ los angeles ,” and finally “ los angeles international airport .” each of these selections are provided to the user in a menu format on the display 22 , such as known to those skilled in the art . fig3 - 3 c schematically illustrate this display and selection process according to one embodiment of the invention . fig3 - 3 c show successive displays which are displayed on the display 22 , fig1 . specifically , the system 10 of fig1 first provides information to the display 22 that represents a selection 50 of various countries which can be selected by a user , such as shown in fig3 . in this example , a user selects the “ united states ” ( such as shown by the check - mark 52 ). the system 10 thereafter provides information to the display 22 that represents a map 54 of the united states , shown in fig3 a , so that a user can point and select “ california ” with a mouse pointer 56 via the mouse tracker 25 . upon selection , an outline 58 of california is displayed , including many , if not all , of its major cities , as shown in fig3 b ( for illustrative purposes , only los angeles and san francisco are identified ). with the outline of california displayed , a user can select “ los angeles ” by again pointing the mouse pointer 56 onto the city identified as los angeles and clicking the mouse tracker 35 . thereafter , an alphabetic listing 60 of well - known places is provided by the system to the display 22 , as shown in fig3 c , so that a user can , appropriately , select a geographic vicinity within which to locate the items of interest . in this example , a user would appropriately select los angeles international airport , as illustrated with a check - mark 62 . as should be clear to those skilled in the art , the successive display of information within the display 22 can be accomplished in several ways , each of which is within the scope of the invention . for example , the display of information shown in fig3 - 3 c can be done through menus only , and without the map illustrations shown in fig3 a and 3b . that is , a menu of information can replace the maps of fig3 a and 3b , such as for example provided in fig3 and 3c . a menu of the united states , for example , at least includes a listing of the several states ; and a map of california at least includes a menu listing of its major cities . likewise , the display of information on the display 22 can entirely be in graphical form . in such a case , the menus of fig3 and 3 c are replaced , respectively , with ( i ) graphical representations of the world , and ( ii ) graphical locations of key items of interest within the greater los angeles area . accordingly , the default display of information to a user monitoring the display 22 is a mixture of graphics and menus , such as shown in fig3 - 3 c . however , a user can select only the display of graphic information by activating the “ graphics ” key 64 , fig1 . likewise , a user can also select the “ menu ” key 66 to display information in the menu ( text ) mode . those skilled in the art should appreciate that other keys , key names , and combinations of keys can be used in accord with the invention to select and / or display other information . for example , a print key 68 provides a command for printing the current display of the port 16 , which therefore preferably includes an attached printer 70 connected via communication line 71 . [ 0056 ] fig4 illustrates one embodiment of the invention showing a process flow 73 for providing information about selected items of interest to a user at the remote port . the flow 73 includes instructions at different levels of abstraction , such as at the u . s . level , city level , and at the specific areas of interest , which help a user to select and locate the items of interest . thus , it is preferred , according to the invention , that a user &# 39 ; s selected display of items of interest within an associated category and geographic vicinity is accessed hierarchically within the database 12 . as such , each set of positional coordinates corresponds to a discrete remote port location of one geographic vicinity . [ 0058 ] fig4 and 4a illustrate this hierarchical approach . if , for example , a user at a remote port has commanded the display of one geographic vicinity ( i . e ., an area of interest map ) and selects the display of a different geographic vicinity , it is necessary to first return to the associated city map , or even to the u . s . map , depending on the desired location , to access that different geographic vicinity . [ 0059 ] fig4 a schematically illustrates this selection by way of a u . s . map 74 which includes two city maps 75 , 76 . the geographic vacinities 75 a , 76 a within each city map , respectively , are selectable by hierarchically selecting the appropriate city map first . in this manner , if a user is currently displaying one vicinity 74 a , and desires a display of a vicinity 76 a , the user must first successively select the city map 75 , the u . s . map 74 , and the city map 76 . fig4 a also illustratively shows the positional coordinates 77 for each vicinity 75 a , 76 a . [ 0060 ] fig5 illustrates one embodiment of the invention wherein a user selects the associated category for the items of interest from a display menu of possible items of interest . this display to select the category is preferably displayed upon activation of the remote port 16 ; or , alternatively , the display is commanded by a user of the system , such as by activating the “ new search ” key 76 , fig1 . accordingly , a user can start a new search for items of interest in a selected category by first pressing the “ new search ” key 76 . alternatively , a user can select an additional category by selecting the “ add category ” key 46 . in this manner , more than one category can be displayed at one time within the geographic vicinity . by way of example , upon pressing the key 76 , fig5 illustrates one embodiment of the invention which provides a listing of possible categories of items of interest in a menu 78 . a user of the system 10 can select any desired category in the menu , such as by pointing and clicking on the selected item . in this example , the user has selected “ computer products ,” a category which was used in the illustration of fig2 and which shows the selection by a check - mark 78 . a user can thereafter press the “ add category ” key 46 and select one other desired category in the menu , such as “ sporting goods stores ”. alternative to the embodiment shown in fig5 another embodiment of the invention provides a word association technique , known to those skilled in the art , which allows any category of items of interest to be selected by directly typing the desired search area . for example , a user of the invention could press the “ new search ” key 76 and thereafter type “ computer equipment ” or “ computers ,” or other similar association , and the controller 14 of fig1 would determine the best fit to the possible categories stored in the database 12 to display to the user . if the association were narrow enough , the system 10 immediately displays the items of interest within the “ computer products ” category , as above . however , if the search is too broad , the system can prompt the user for more information ( such as known to those skilled in the art ). by way of example , if a user types “ computers ,” the system can question , or prompt , the user at the port 16 for “ products ,” “ services ,” or “ rentals ,” which can thereafter be selected by the user . the advantages of a system constructed according to the invention are several . specifically , the invention provides a selectable display of items of interest at nearly any location , remote from the user , or centered relative to the user within the desired geographical vicinity . further , once the display of the selected items of interest is isolated , the system provides a hard - copy for the user to walk away with . with increased usage of the invention , a corresponding increase in the number of remote access ports provides flexibility for users who can , thereby , access the system from widely accessible commercial locations , e . g ., airports , car rental agencies , and train stations . in addition , the remote access port of the invention can be located at a user &# 39 ; s home , providing even greater flexibility for those persons who regularly travel ( or who regularly need information about items of interest at a selected geographic vicinity ). a person &# 39 ; s home computer system provides data processing capability which , with a modem and software configured to communicate with the database , can provide many , if not all , of the features of the remote access port 16 described above . as such , the remote access port of the invention can include personal computers , subnotebooks , notebooks , apple &# 39 ; s newton product , facsimiles , phones , cellular , mainframes , minis , interactive television and / or hybrid products . [ 0064 ] fig6 a illustrates a system , including a telephone - modem - satellite communications link , constructed according to the invention . specifically , fig6 a shows a database 12 a and controller 14 a , which are illustratively located in the united states and which are similar to the database 12 and controller 14 of fig1 . the database and controller 12 a , 14 a connect and communicate with a remote port 16 a , which is illustratively located in europe and which is similar to the port 16 of fig1 . a modem 80 couples to the controller 14 a , such as known to those skilled in the art , and further to a telephone line 18 a . the telephone line 18 a connects through the telephone network to the telephone relay center 82 which provides communications , such as overseas communications , to a remote relay center 84 via a satellite 86 . the relay center 84 connects to the remote port 16 a ( including an internal modem 80 a ) by the land - based telephone line 18 a ′ so that , in combination , a user of the remote port 16 a can access information from the database such as described above . it should be apparent to those skilled in the art , for example , that the lines 18 a and 18 a ′ can also be constructed with fiber - optic cabling , co - axial cabling , internet communications and the like . [ 0066 ] fig6 b illustrates other embodiments of the invention for communicating between ( i ) the database 12 b and controller 14 b and ( ii ) the remote port 16 b . a cellular communicator 88 connects to the controller 14 b and communicates , via an antennae 90 , with the established cellular communications network 92 . the communications link is completed with the remote port 16 b , including its own antenna 94 and cellular communicator 88 b , so that a user of the port 16 b can communicate , as above , with the database 12 b . it should again be apparent to those skilled in the art that the communications methods described and illustrated herein can be modified , in accord with the invention , to form other communication links . for example , portions of the communications link of fig6 a can be mixed with portions of the link of fig6 b to establish a working and acceptable link according to the invention . further , the communications link of fig6 b can be replaced with other communications mechanisms known to those in the art . for example , the antennas 90 , 94 and communicators 88 , 88 b can be replaced by radiowave or microwave devices which communicate via a compatible network instead of a cellular network 92 . [ 0069 ] fig7 a illustrates one embodiment of the invention wherein a display 22 c , such as the display 22 of fig1 includes — or is replaced by — a hard - copy printer 100 , such as a computer printer or facsimile . in such an embodiment , a user at the port 16 c receives a hard - copy 102 of the interactive communications between the port 16 c and the database 12 , fig1 . as above , the user commands selective display of data via the keyboard 24 c and / or mouse tracker 25 c , and a display of the geographic vicinity with the selected items of interest in the selected category are provided via the printer 100 . it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that one acceptable remote port , according to the invention , includes a port comprising a printer 100 and a telephone ( not shown ). in such an embodiment , a user accesses the database by telephoning the database and requesting a display of items of interest in the selected category and geographic vicinity . the controller 14 of fig1 can include voice recognition software and hardware , known to those skilled in the art , which prompts the user for requests and identifies and responds to the user &# 39 ; s verbal replies . after identifying the user &# 39 ; s desired category and present location ( or intended destination location ), the database transmits information in a form recognizable by the printer 100 so that the geographic vicinity and items of interest are displayed to the user at the telephone / printer remote port . alternatively , a user can fax selections for the category and geographic vicinity of interest as a hard - copy . a system administrator at the database can interpret the user &# 39 ; s selection sheet and command the transmission of the requested information , including the items of interest , back to the user . alternatively , the database can interpret the user &# 39 ; s selections on the sheet to automatically respond and transmit the appropriate display of information , including the items of interest , to the user . [ 0072 ] fig7 b shows another remote port 16 d which includes a voice generation system 110 and speaker 112 . in such an embodiment , a user at the port 16 d ( i ) listens to questions , or reads messages on the display 22 d , as prompted by the database , and ( ii ) answers the questions by the keyboard 24 d . after the system identifies the user &# 39 ; s desired geographic location and category , a print - out or display of the information is made available to the user , such as described above . [ 0073 ] fig8 illustrates a mobile remote system 118 constructed according to the invention . a user holds one of several hand - held devices 122 which provide both display capability and transmit / receive capability to a remote relay 124 , e . g ., a cellular or radiowave communication relay . the device 122 thus operates as the remote port 16 of fig1 . the device 122 can additionally include a gps receiver to accurately determine the user &# 39 ; s positional coordinates in real - time , or a pcm cia type ii or type iii modem interface which can be miniaturized to credit card size . alternatively , the user can specify his position coordinates and transmit that information to the database 12 e . in this illustrated embodiment , the system 118 continually redefines the geo - definition of the geographic vicinity based upon the positional coordinates of the user . data is assembled and maintained using the positional coordinates to generate a map of the geographic vicinity relative to the user and including the locations of the items of interest . as above , this geographic vicinity is assumed to be within a walking distance of the user ; however , the user can select a greater radius for display , or another destination location , as needed . the invention generally incorporates software to facilitate the several embodiments described herein and to support the principles of the invention . as known to those in the art , the data within the database can be maintained , for example , on a sql - server , or in xbase . the software is preferably portable to other operating systems , such as to apple , apple / ibm , unix , dec , os / 2 , dos , windows 3 . 1 , windows &# 39 ; 95 ; and preferably allows scalability to 64 - bit architectures and greater , as technology advances . in accord with the invention , software code supporting the database interaction with the remote port can include object - oriented programming , visual basic , and other software architectures configured to allow user interaction , portability to other platforms , interface with the internet or other gateways , and relational management . [ 0076 ] fig9 illustrates one embodiment of database architecture 130 which is suitable for use as the database 12 of fig1 . specifically , the architecture 130 includes separate phone and fax interfaces , 131 , 132 , respectively , to interface with any one of the remote ports , e . g ., the port 16 of fig1 . fig1 illustrates system architecture including database architecture 140 and remote port architecture 141 connected via a pair of phone lines 142 , 143 to , respectively , a touch - tone phone 142 a and fax machine 143 a . in this manner , a user 144 can make requests and listen to responses on the phone 142 a , and receive maps and instructions via the fax machine 143 a . other modules within the database architectures 130 and / or 140 include the following : communications managers 133 , 133 ′ ( fig9 and 10 , respectively ) handle all data transfers for a single internal modem ( or telephone interface controller ) 131 in the host database , e . g ., a personal computer . it responds to remote requests for data by passing the requests to a session manager 138 , and handles all modem control issues , such as answering incoming calls . the communications manager 133 ′ of fig1 is configured to service users who access the database from a remote port comprising a dial - up telephone 142 a . as such , the manager 133 ′ translates touch - tone inputs into data and fax transmission requests to be sent to the session manager 138 , and monitors the line 142 for time - outs when a user 144 forgets to actively disconnect . the manager 133 ′ can also translate data from the session manager 138 into synthesized voice output for presentation to an end user 144 . the fax manager 134 handles all requests from the session manager 138 to fax and receive documents to and from end users connected through a communications link . because there generally are a plurality of remote ports arranged for access to the system database , there are preferably a plurality of communications managers 133 and modems 131 to service requests from the remote ports . likewise , although the database generally includes one fax manager 134 and one interface 132 , a plurality of fax managers 134 and fax machine interfaces 132 can be incorporated therein . accordingly , the host database can answer and service a variety of remote ports simultaneously . the session manager 138 tracks and controls information for each active session being hosted by the database architecture . it responds to requests for data passed to it by each communications manager 133 operating in the database architecture , and prioritizes , queues , and forwards these data requests to the end user data server 136 . the manager 138 also forwards data requests to the system data server 137 ( fig9 only ) to log certain system information , such as user connection times , errors , system utilization , and other administrative functions . in fig9 and 10 , database storage memory 139 stores information which is accessible by the end user data server 136 and which is responsive to user requests , including the selected city , locations of items of interest , maps of geographic vacinities , and advertising information . in fig1 , an additional database storage memory 139 a stores information which is accessible by the system data server 137 and which stores information such as system usage and transaction logging . the end user data server 136 responds to requests from the session manager 138 by providing data that has been requested for transmission to the remote port . this data includes that information required to place items of interest on the selected geographic vicinity . preferably , the end user data server 136 is the only mode of access to the specific map data , and thus all requests for this data are made through this server . in fig9 the system data server 137 interacts with the session manager 138 to record system administrative data . the server 137 responds to requests from the session manager 138 to provide or record information used to track system usage , system response times , user preferences , and other data items that are used to optimize the different modules within the architecture 130 . the flow and control of information by the information controller 14 , fig1 can include several of the functions shown illustratively in fig1 . specifically , a display manager 150 controls the drawing of maps ( i . e ., geographic vacinities ) on the screen 22 and further controls status messages to a user of the system . the manager 150 responds to requests for screen updates and status message display from a system kernel module 159 , described in more detail below . it also sends requests to a map manager 151 when rendering maps to the display , and sends requests to a data manager 152 in order to obtain system information required to update the display 22 or to present status messages to the user . a map manager 151 manages map data and provides data for drawing maps to the display manager 150 . the manager 151 responds to requests from the display manager 150 by providing information appropriate to the current context of the session , such as the graphical image ( e . g ., the geographic vicinity and advertising information ) that needs to be displayed , the locations on the screen 22 of the items of interest , and the location and content of the titles of the items of interest . a data manager 152 handles all data requests from the system kernel module 159 , map manager 151 , and print manager 153 , and further interfaces to external data sources 155 , 156 ( these databases 155 , 156 store raw data as the database information ). the manager 152 determines the need for remote data access via a communications manager 157 , and passes on remote data requests to the manager 157 . the manager 152 also provides all data access services to other managers and modules within the controller 14 . for example , if the data is not stored locally , the data manager 152 sends a request to the communications manager 157 to provide the desired data . a print manager 153 handles and controls printing activities in the system , such as to a connected printer 154 ( similar to the printer 110 , fig7 c ; or such as a printer connected directly to the database 12 ). by way of example , the manager 153 requests map and other data from the data manager 152 to create and print outputs requested by the system kernel module 159 . specifically , the manger 153 responds to requests from the system kernel module 159 for print services , and sends requests to the data manager 152 based upon the system kernel requests . the manager 153 uses the information supplied by the data manager 152 to create formatted output for printing , such as by utilizing a standard windows ™ print driver interface to print the requested output . the communications manager 157 handles all remote communications requirements , including remote data requests , and further accepts and transfers raw data from a remote data source 158 ( such as data downloads to modify or add to data within the database ). the manager 157 responds to requests from the system kernel module 159 for initialization , connection , and shutdown of remote connections appropriate with the actual hardware in use . it also responds to remote data requests from the data manager 152 by sending the request for remote data to the remote data source 158 . when the remote data source 158 responds to the request , the communications manager 157 passes that response on to the data manager 152 . the system kernel module 159 traps all user inputs and determines required actions in the system , including those actions responsive to a user &# 39 ; s inputs 160 ( such as described above in connection with the keyboard 24 ). specifically , the module 159 responds to mouse movements , mouse button clicking , and typing . depending on the user &# 39 ; s input , the module 159 will send requests for services to ( i ) the display manager 150 to update the display , ( ii ) the data manager 152 to provide information concerning the map and / or other system needs , ( iii ) the print manager for printing services , and ( iv ) the communications manager 157 for remote communications services . [ 0091 ] fig1 illustrates one preferred embodiment of the invention wherein certain advertising information is included within , or attached to , the geographic vicinity which is displayed or printed to a user at a remote port . for example , fig1 shows one illustrative geographic vicinity 30 ′ which was shown previously in fig2 except that an advertisement 180 is displayed as part of that vicinity ( the advertisement 180 is generically shown with the text “ advertisement ,” when , in fact , a paying customer &# 39 ; s name or company is usually displayed at that location ). in the normal use of the invention , the advertiser who pays for the advertisement is generally associated with the items of interest being displayed . for example , a credit card bank or sporting goods manufacturer typically specify ( and pay for ) the “ advertisement ” logo or wording . it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that any of the items of interest within a displayed geographic vicinity can be selected by a user and that the database can thereafter supply additional detail about that selected item of interest . in such an embodiment of the invention , the database is configured to store such additional detail and also to transmit this information to the remote port when selected . the remote port , in turn , displays the information for the user . by way of example , if the selected category is “ restaurants ” and a user selects a particular restaurant ( i . e ., one of the items of interest ), a display of additional detail can , for example , include a digital picture of the layout of the dining room or bar . additionally , the entertainment scheduled for that evening can be displayed while a recording of any associated music is played at the remote port &# 39 ; s speakers . thus , a further embodiment of the invention includes a digitized , multi - media presentation that is transmitted to the remote port when an associated item of interest is selected . using a camrecorder and / or other video capture , storage , and editing analogue or digital devices , for example , a short video dip is embedded in the data associated with the information about the items of interest and transmitted and displayed when selected . in order to utilize the above - described multi - media presentation , the system of the invention must provide sufficient bandwidth , processing speed , and display resolution , and the remote port must display the multi - media transmissions with sufficient speed and resolution so as to be convenient to the user of that information . typically , the minimum central processing unit of the database and remote port run at least at 16 mhz and is based on a cisc ( complex instruction set ) architecture . further , the database , remote port and communications link should be able to transmit data at an uncompressed speed of 9600 baud per second ; preferably , these devices should be faster , e . g ., 28 . 8 kbps , utilizing modems that subscribe to emerging industry standards such as v . 34 . additionally , special connections may be required at the server , including what are known to those skilled in the art as slip , ppp , and tc / icp protocols . in some cases , where additional bandwidth may be required , the modem is replaced with special interfaces provided by regional telecommunications systems that also provide dedicated optic fiber cabling . some of those linkages are known as t1 , isdn , and 56 kbps wide band - width connections . in addition , bandwidth may be enhanced by microwave and other communication links that do not require direct cabled connections . appendix a contains , for disclosure purposes , subject matter setting forth non - limiting source code which is suitable for application with the invention . appendix a is herein incorporated by reference . the invention thus attains the objects set forth above , in addition to those apparent from the preceding description . since certain changes may be made in the apparatus and methods described herein without departing from the scope of the invention , it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense . it is also understood that the following claims cover all the specific and generic features of the invention described herein , and all statements of the scope of the invention which , as a matter of language , might be said to fall there between . | 8 |
fig4 shows in a block diagram a flash and camera system according to the invention . here a camera ca includes a photo - taking lens 1 such as an interchangeable lens or the like and a set distance signal forming arrangement dvl in the form of a variable resistor or the like . this signal forming arrangement dvl is adapted to produce an output corresponding to the logarithmic value of a set distance in response to a focusing ring disposed on the photo - taking lens barrel . in accordance with the invention , however , this arrangement does not have to be a variable resistor which may be replaced with a digital switch , a digital code plate or the like . a reference numeral 2 indicates a diaphragm . a symbol avl indicates set aperture signal form arrangement in the form of a variable resistor or the like and is arranged to produce an output corresponding to the logarithmic value of a set aperture value in response to an aperture setting ring . for this means , use of the variable resistor may be replaced with a digital switch or a digital code plate or the like in the same manner as in the set distance signal forming means dvl . the camera includes a moving mirror 3 which is arranged to block an optical path leading to a pentagonal prism 4 during an exposure in response to a shutter release operation by moving upward from the position shown in the drawing . a light sensitive element sp1 is arranged to receive a portion of light which strikes a film surface 5 via the lens and is reflected by the film surface 5 . a reference symbol fvl indicates a focal length information signal forming arrangement , which produces an output corresponding to the focal length of the lens mounted on the camera , the output being arranged to be produced in response to a signal member or the like provided on the photo - taking lens . the focal length information forming means fvl is composed of a variable resistor , a digital switch , a digital code plate or the like . a focal length detection det detects the output of the focal length information forming arrangement fvl and is arranged to connect a change - over circuit csw to a contact point &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; when the output of the information forming arrangement fvl represents a focal length shorter than a prescribed focal length such as f = 35 mm and to connect the change - over circuit csw to a contact &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; when the output represents a focal length longer than the prescribed focal length . if the focal length information forming arrangement is a variable resistor , the detector det is formed by a comparator arranged to have a reference potential impressed on one of the input terminals of the comparator while the output voltage of the variable resistor is impressed on the other input terminal . however , if the focal length information forming arrangement is a digital switch , the detection det is composed of a magnitude comparator or the like that discerns a digital value . the change - over circuit csw is composed of a transistor change - over circuit arranged to perform a switching action by the output of the detector det or may be composed of a gate selector or the like composed of an analog switch or a logic element . the output of the light sensitive element sp1 is integrated by an integration circuit int1 . the output of the integration circuit int1 is logarithmically suppressed by a suppressing arrangement l1 , which thus produces a suppressed value of the value of light quantity received by the light sensitive element sp1 . the camera ca is provided with film sensitivity information forming arrangement svl which is arranged to produce an output corresponding to a logarithmic value of film sensitivity set in response to film sensitivity setting arrangement . the film sensitivity information forming arrangement is composed of a variable resistor or a digital switch or the like . when the output of the above - stated suppressing arrangement reaches a prescribed value corresponding to that of the film sensitivity information forming means svl , a light emission stop signal forming circuit cp1 which is provided for the ttl light adjusting mode produces a light emission stop signal . the light emission stop signal forming circuit is formed by a comparator or the like . a computing circuit cal computes the outputs of the elements dvl , avl and svl and is arranged to produce an output corresponding to a logarithmic value of quantity of light emission necessary for appropriate flash photography based on the setting value obtained from each of these elements . a light emission stop signal forming circuit cp2 which is provided for the distance light adjusting mode is arranged to detect the output of the computing circuit cal and that of suppressing arrangement l2 to be described . the circuit cp2 produces a light emission stop signal when these two outputs reach a prescribed relation . this circuit cp2 is arranged in the same manner as the circuit cp1 . the embodiment further includes a flash device st which is mounted on the camera ca . the flash device st comprises a flash tube xe ; a light sensitive element sp2 which is arranged to receive the flash light of the flash tube xe ; and a light adjusting circuit cnt which , in response to the light emission stop signal , causes the flash tube to stop flashing . the light adjusting circuit is arranged to operate either in a series control manner or in a parallel control manner . the flash device st is connected to the camera ca by terminals a , b and c . the light sensitive element sp2 is connected via the terminal a to an integration circuit int2 . the integration circuit int2 integrates the output of the light sensitive element sp2 and produces an output corresponding to the emission quantity of the flash . the integration circuit int2 is connected to the suppressing arrangements l2 , which is arranged to produce an output corresponding to the logarithmic value of the integration output , that is , an output corresponding to the logarithmic value of quantity of the flash light received as mentioned in the foregoing . the outputs of the signal forming arrangements dvl , avl , svl and fvl and that of the light sensitive element sp1 are supplied to an exposure computing circuit crt , which is arranged to control an exposure time on the basis of the setting value of film sensitivity , an aperture value and a light measurement output . the light sensitive elements sp1 and sp2 , the light emission stop signal forming circuits cp1 and cp2 , the computing circuit crt , the integration circuits int1 and int2 and the light adjusting circuit cnt jointly form a flash control circuit . a lens to be used in accordance with the present invention has a signal pin or the like which is arranged to serve as a focal length information source . the length of the pin is , for example , determined according to the focal length of the lens . when the lens is mounted on the camera , the pin causes a moving member which is disposed on the camera to move as much as the length of the pin . then , the resistance value of the above - stated focal length information forming means is determined by the extent of displacement of the moving member . a setting value of the focal length of the lens is obtained in this manner . when a wide angle lens whose focal length is shorter than the focal length of a lens of a prescribed angle of view is mounted on the camera , the output of the focal length information forming means fvl is above a prescribed value . the detector det therefore acts to connect the change - over circuit to the contact &# 34 ; a &# 34 ;. let us assume that the control mode of the camera has been shifted to a flash photography mode and that aperture and distance adjusting actions also have been completed . when a shutter release operation is performed in this condition , the mirror 3 moves upward and a leading curtain of the shutter travels in a known manner . in response to that , a synchronizing switch sw12 turns on . a trigger circuit which is not shown triggers the flash tube xe to initiate a flash . an object to be photographed is then irradiated by the light of the flash . light caused by the flash and reflected by the object reaches the surface of a film through a preset diaphragm aperture 2 of the lens 1 . light reflected by the film surface is received by the light sensitive element sp1 . the output of the light sensitive element sp1 is integrated by the integration circuit int1 . an integrated value thus obtained is logarithmically suppressed by the suppressing arrangement l1 . as a result of this , a logarithmic value of the light quantity received by the light sensitive element sp1 is transmitted to the light emission stop signal forming circuit cp1 . when the logarithmic value satisfies a predetermined relation to the output of the film sensitivity information forming means svl , the light emission stop signal forming circuit cp1 produces the light emission stop signal . the change - over circuit csw is in contact with the contact &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; as mentioned in the foregoing . therefore , the light emission stop signal is transmitted to the light adjusting circuit cnt via . the change - over circuit csw and the terminal b to stop the flash tube xe from flashing . an operation in the ttl light adjusting mode is carried out in this manner . meanwhile , the shutter time is of course adjusted to a predetermined sychronizing shutter time of , say , 1 / 60 sec . when a long focus of telephoto lens of a longer focal length than the prescribed length is used , the output of the focal length information forming means is below a prescribed value . accordingly , the detector det produces a switching signal to connect the change - over circuit csw to the contact &# 34 ; b &# 34 ;. let us now assume , as in the case of the ttl light adjusting operation , that the flash photography mode has been selected and that presetting of an aperture and distance adjusting have been completed . when a shutter release operation is performed in this condition , the mirror 3 moves upward . the leading curtain of the shutter travels . the synchronizing switch sw12 turns on . the flash tube xe flashes . the flash from the flash tube xe is received by the light sensitive element sp2 . the quantity of the flash &# 39 ; s light appears in the output of the integration circuit int2 in the form of an integrated value of the output of the light sensitivc element sp2 . the output of the integration circuit int2 is logarithmically suppressed by the suppressing arrangement l2 and is supplied to the light emission stop signal forming circuit . in the meantime , the computing circuit cal computes the preset aperture value , distance value and film sensitivity value received from the signal forming means dvl , avl and svl . the computing circuit cal then produces a logarithmic value signal representative of a flash light quantity required for appropriate flash photography . this signal is transmitted to the light emission stop signal forming circuit . when the output of the suppressing arrangement l2 satisfies a prescribed relation to the output of the computing circuit cal , the light emission stop signal forming circuit produces a light emission stop signal . this stop signal is transmitted to the light adjusting circuit cnt via the change - over circuit csw and the terminal b . this stops the flash emission of the flash tube xe . an operation in the distance light adjusting mode is carried out in this manner . the shutter time is of course also adjusted to a synchronizing shutter time value in this case . in accordance with the invention , as has been described in the foregoing , the light adjusting mode is automatically selected according to the focal length of the lens in use so that flash photography can be carried out in a manner most suited to the characteristic of the lens . the description of the embodiment shown in fig4 is based on the assumption that the lens used is an interchangeable lens . however , a zoom lens is also usable for the embodiment . the automatic selection between the ttl light adjusting mode and the distance light adjusting mode is of course feasible in that instance according to the setting of the zoom lens . in that instance , the length of the focal length signal pin is arranged to be variable in response to the zoom ring of the zoom lens so that the focal length of the lens can be transmitted . further , in the embodiment , in carrying out flash photography in the distance light adjusting mode , the light emitted by the flash tube xe is received by the light sensitive element sp2 and the quantity of the flash light is integrated and then is compared with a computed value . the flash is brought to a stop when a predetermined relation obtains between the two values compared . however , the invention is not limited to such arrangement and the arrangement may be replaced with various modifications such as : a modification in which a restricting circuit serves for restricting the charge quantity of the main capacitor of the flash device ; and the quantity of flash light to be emitted is controlled by restricting beforehand the charge quantity according to a computation output of the computing circuit cal before flashing the tube . another modification example includes a timer which performs a time counting action according to the output of the computing circuit ; and the flash time is controlled in the basis of the computation output of the computing circuit . in any case , the quantity of the flash &# 39 ; s light can be controlled on the basis of a setting value of distance . further , the embodiment includes two light emission stop signal forming circuits , one for the ttl light adjusting mode and the other for the distance light adjusting mode . however , the two signal forming circuits may be replaced with a single light emission stop signal forming circuit which is arranged as follows : the input of the circuit is provided with an input switch - over circuit which is arranged to be controlled according to the output of the detector det . in the case of the ttl light adjusting mode , the outputs of the suppressing arrangement l1 and the film sensitive information forming arrangement svl are allowed to be received . meanwhile , in the case of the distance light adjusting mode , the outputs of the computing circuit cal and the suppressing arrangement l2 are allowed to be received . in this instance , the output part of the light emission stop signal forming circuit of course does not have to be provided with the change - over circuit csw . while the light emission stop signal forming circuits are disposed on the side of the camera in the specific embodiment described in the foregoing , the circuits may be arranged on the flash device . further , the flash device may be incorporated in the camera to combine the two into one unified structure . in the specific embodiment , the integration circuits and the suppressing means are separately provided for the ttl light adjusting mode and for the distance light adjusting mode respectively . however , these integration circuits and these suppressing means may be singly arranged respectively with light sensitive elements arranged to be switched over from one to the other to have the output of one of them selectively supplied to the integration circuit at the time of the ttl light adusting mode or the distance light adjusting mode . the specific embodiment is arranged to use a signal pin disposed on the lens for transmitting information on the focal length of the lens to the camera . however , this arrangement may be replaced with the following arrangement in which : some focal length signal forming means such as a resistor or the like is arranged on the lens to produce an electrical signal corresponding to the focal length and to supply it directly to the detector det . this arrangement of course dispenses with the focal length information forming means fvl . while the embodiment is arranged to have distance adjustment manually accomplished , this arrangement can be of course change , in the case of an automatic focusing device , to supply distance information detected by the automatic focusing device directly to the computing circuit cal . fig5 and 7 show by way of example more specific arrangements of the flash photography system of fig4 . fig5 shows a specific example of the camera ca shown in fig4 . here , the camera ca includes a variable resistor fr which is interlocked with a signal member of the photo - taking lens . the resistance value of this variable resistor fr varies with the focal length of the lens . a buffer amplifier op5 which is connected in a full feedback manner is arranged to have the potential of its output become higher for a shorter focal length according to the resistance value of the variable resistor fr . the focal length information forming means fvl mentioned in the foregoing is formed by the amplifier op5 and the resistor fr . a comparator cp3 has one of its input terminals connected to the output terminal of the amplifier op5 and the other input terminal to the output terminal of a voltage dividing circuit consisting of resistors r7 and r8 . the detector det which is described in the foregoing is formed by this comparator cp3 . the comparator cp3 is arranged to produce a high level signal ( hereinafter will be called &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;) when the output of the amplifier op5 is higher than a reference potential defined by the resistors r7 and r8 and to produce a low level signal ( hereinafter will be called &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;) when the output of the amplifier is lower than the reference potential . the camera is further provided with a variable resistor dr which is interlocked with a focusing ring ; and a buffer amplifier op4 . the buffer amplifier op4 produces an output according to the resistance value of the variable resistor and the potential of the output of the amplifier op4 increases as a setting distance value decreases . the amplifier op4 and the variable resistor dr jointly form the distance signal forming means mentioned in the foregoing . meanwhile , the aperture signal forming means avl which is also mentioned in the foregoing is formed by a variable resistor ar . the potential of the resistance output of the variable resistor ar is arranged to become lower as the aperture of the lens is stopped down . a variable resistor sr is interlocked with the film sensitivity setting means . an operational amplifier op1 has a resistor r1 connected between one of its input terminals and its output terminal and is arranged to serve as an inverting amplifier . the potential of the output of the operational amplifier op1 becomes higher as the setting value of film sensitivity becomes higher . the film sensitivity information forming means mentioned in the foregoing is formed jointly by this amplifier op1 and the resistor sr . another operational amplifier op3 is connected to the amplifier op1 via a resistor r4 and to the amplifier op4 via a resistor r5 . the amplifier op3 is also connected directly to the variable resistor ar . a resistor r6 is connected to the feedback line of the operational amplifier op3 and the latter serves as an inverting amplifier . therefore , the potential of the output of this amplifier op3 becomes higher as the film sensitivity becomes lower or the object distance becomes farther or the aperture is stopped down to a greater degree . the computing circuit cal mentioned in the foregoing is formed by this operational amplifier op3 . an inverting amplifier is formed jointly by an operational amplifier op2 and resistors r2 and r3 . the output of the amplifier op1 is arranged to be supplied to this amplifier op2 . the amplifier op2 , therefore , produces a lower voltage as the film sensitivity becomes higher . the light sensitive element mentioned in the foregoing is formed by a photo transistor sp1 . a capacitor c1 is series connected to the photo transistor sp1 . a switch sw11 is interlocked with the synchronizing switch sw12 and is arranged to turn off when the switch sw12 turns on . the integration circuit int1 mentioned in the foregoing is formed by the capacitor c1 and the switch sw11 . another light sensitive element mentioned in the foregoing is formed by a photo transistor sp2 . the photo transistor sp2 has a capacitor c2 series connected thereto . a switch sw10 is interlocked with the synchronizing switch sw12 . the switch sw10 is arranged to turn off when the switch sw12 turns on . the integration circuit int2 mentioned in the foregoing is formed by the capacitor c2 and the switch sw10 . comparators cp1 and cp2 jointly form the light emission stop signal forming circuit which has been described in the foregoing . meanwhile , the change - over circuit csw which has been described also in the foregoing is formed jointly by an inverter i1 , and gates a1 and a2 and an or gate or1 . a buffer amplifier op5 has one of its input terminals connected to the capacitor c1 while the output terminal of the amplifier op5 is connected to the base of a transistor tr1 . a transistor tr2 has its base and collector connected to each other while the collector is connected to the collector of the above - stated transistor tr1 . a transistor tr3 has its emitter connected to the emitter of the transistor tr2 and its base to the collector of the transistor tr1 . the collector of the transistor tr3 is connected to a diode di1 . an operational amplifier op6 has one of its input terminals connected to the diode di1 and the other input terminal to a voltage dividing point in a series circuit composed of a feedback resistor and a resistor rli1 . these amplifiers op5 and op6 , transistors tr1 , tr2 and tr3 and the resistor rli1 constitute the suppressing means l1 mentioned in the foregoing . the suppressing means l1 produces an output which corresponds to a logarithmic value of the output of the capacitor c1 . another suppressing means mentioned in the foregoing is formed jointly by operational amplifiers op7 and op8 , transistors tr4 , tr5 and tr6 , a diode di2 and a resistor rli2 , which are connected in a manner similar to the above - stated parts of the suppressing means l1 . fig6 shows by way of example the specific arrangement of the flash device st shown in fig4 . the flash device is provided with a known main capacitor c101 which receives power supply from a power source ps via a resistor r101 , a rectifying diode d101 and a coil l . a diode d102 which is parallel connected to the coil l is arranged to serve as a noise killer . a series circuit which consists of a resistor r102 , a neon tube ne and a resistor r103 is a detection circuit which is arranged to detect the charge voltage of the main capacitor c101 . one end of the neon tube ne of the circuit is connected to the cathode of a thyristor scr 101 and is also connected to the terminal c disposed between the camera and the flash device . this thyristor scr 101 forms a trigger circuit . the anode of the thyristor is connected to the main capacitor via a resistor r105 and the coil l . the cathode of the thyristor is connected to the trigger capacitor c103 through the primary winding of a trigger transformer tt . further , the gate of the thyristor scr 101 is connected to a resistor r104 . a reference symbol xe indicates a known discharge tube . one of the electrodes of the discharge tube xe is connected to the main capacitor c101 via a thyristor scr 102 for flash light emitting quantity control . the trigger electrode of the discharge tube xe is connected to the secondary winding of the above - stated trigger transformer . parallel connected between the main electrodes of the main thyristor scr 102 is a known circuit composed of a commutation capacitor c104 and an auxiliary thyristor scr 103 . meanwhile , a known thyristor trigger circuit composed of resistors r106 and r108 and a capacitor c105 is connected to the gate of the main thyristor scr 102 . a series circuit composed of resistors r111 and r112 , a capacitor c106 , a diode d104 and a transistor tr101 is parallel connected to the series circuit composed of the discharge tube xe and the main thyristor scr 102 and is arranged as an erroneous action preventing circuit to prevent the auxiliary thyristor scr 103 from becoming conductive before the discharge tube xe begins to flash . this preventing circuit has the collector of the npn transistor tr101 connected via resistor r113 to the terminal b disposed between the flash device and the camera . a photo transistor sp2 is disposed close to the discharge tube xe as shown in fig7 . the collector of the photo transistor sp2 is connected to the power source of the camera which is not shown . the emitter of the transistor sp2 is connected to the terminal a which is disposed between the camera and the flash device . the embodiment shown in fig5 and 7 operates in the following manner : first , the following description covers a case where a wide angle lens is used . the resistance value of the resistor fr responds to the focal length information signal pin of the lens mounted on the camera and is thus set at a value corresponding to the focal length of the lens . the amplifier op5 then produces a voltage corresponding to the resistance value . the voltage produced by the amplifier op5 is arranged to increase as the focal length decreases . thus the voltage produced from the operational amplifier op5 becomes higher than the divided voltage of the resistors r7 and r8 when the lens mounted on the camera is of a focal length shorter than a prescribed focal length value , that is , when the lens is of a wider angle than a prescribcd angle of view . therefore , the comparator cp3 produces a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; signal . the &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; signal is impressed on one of the input terminals of the and gate a1 . further , the &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; signal is inverted by the inverter i1 into a &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; signal and this &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; signal is impressed on one of the input terminals of the and gate a2 . the and gate a1 is for the ttl light adjusting mode and the other and gate a2 for the distance light adjusting mode . the above - described process , therefore , selects the ttl light adjusting mode . after completion of aperture adjustment and distance adjustment , a shutter release button depressing operation causes a mirror to be uplifted and a leading shutter curtain to travel . in response to this , the synchronizing switch sw12 turns on . the on signal of the switch sw12 is transmitted via the terminal c to the known trigger circuit of the flash device composed of the resistors r103 and r104 , the capacitors c102 and c103 , the thyristor scr 101 and the transformer tt . this turns on the thyristor scr 101 . the electric charge of the capacitor c103 flows to the primary winding of the transformer tt . the transformer tt triggers the discharge tube xe and at the same time turns on the thyristor scr 102 . the discharge tube xe beings to flash . light reflected from the object caused by flash of the discharge tube irradiates the film through the aperture of the photo - taking lens . the film then reflects the light . the light reflected from the film is received by the light sensitive element sp1 . the light sensitive element sp1 then produces a current corresponding to the intensity of the light incident thereon and has it flow between the collector and emitter thereof . since the switch sw11 has turned off in response to the switch sw12 at that instant , the capacitor c1 is charged with this current . the charge voltage of the capacitor c1 is logarithmically suppressed by the suppressing means l1 and then is impressed upon the + input terminal of the comparator cp1 . meanwhile , a voltage corresponding to a film sensitivity value set at the resistor sr is impressed upon the - input terminal of the comparator cp1 via the amplifier op2 which serves as an inversion amplifier . when the charge voltage of the capacitor c1 reaches a value corresponding to the set film sensitivity , the comparator cp1 produces a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; signal as a flashing stop signal . as mentioned in the foregoing , the voltage produced from the amplifier op2 decreases as the film sensitivity value increases . therefore , the length of time from the start of a flash to the issue of the flash stop signal from the comparator cp1 becomes shorter as the film sensitivity becomes higher . the &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; signal from the comparator cp1 is transmitted to the terminal b via the and gate a1 and the or gate or1 with the &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; signal supplied to the terminal b , a gate current is supplied to the gate of the thyristor scr 103 to turn on the thyristor . the electric charge of the commutation capacitor c104 is discharged through the thyristor scr 103 to inversely bias the thyristor scr 102 . the thyristor scr 102 then turns off to stop the discharge tube xe from flashing . as described above , with a wide angle lens used , the flash light quantity is adjusted in the ttl light adjusting mode . when a telephoto lens which is of a longer focal length than a prescribed focal length value is used , the embodiment operates as follows : the voltage produced from the amplifier op5 in this instance is lower than the divided voltage obtained from the resistors r7 and r8 . accordingly , the comparator cp3 produces a &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; signal . the &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; signal is transmitted to one of the input terminals of the and gate a1 and at the same time is inverted by the inverter i1 into a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; signal . the &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; signal is transmitted to one of the input terminals of the other and gate a2 . the and gate a1 is thus inhibited from operating while the and gate a2 which is provided for the distance light adjusting mode is selected . after completion of distance and aperture adjusting actions , when the shutter release button is depressed for shutter release , the synchronizing switch sw12 turns on in the same manner as in the case of the above - stated ttl light adjusting mode . a signal representative of the turning on of the switch sw12 causes the discharge tube xe to begin to flash . the flash of the discharge tube xe is received by the light sensitive element sp2 which is disposed close to the discharge tube xe as shown in fig7 . the light sensitive element sp2 then produces a current which corresponds to the intensity of the flash . this current flows from the terminal a to the camera side . meanwhile , at the time of commencement of the flashing action , the switch sw10 has turned off in response to the synchronizing switch sw12 . therefore , the capacitor c2 is charged with the current produced by the above - stated light sensitive element sp2 . the light sensitive element sp2 is thus arranged to receive the light directly from the discharge tube xe as mentioned above . the quantity of the electric charge of the capacitor c2 , therefore , represents the quantity of the flash light emitted from the discharge tube . the voltage produced from the capacitor c2 is logarithmically suppressed by the suppressing means l2 and , after that , is impressed on the + input terminal of the comparator cp2 . the above - stated amplifier op3 at that instant has received the outputs of the amplifiers op1 and op4 corresponding to a film sensitivity value and an object distance value and the output voltage of the resistor ar corresponding to an aperture value . the amplifier op3 computes these information values to obtain a quantity of the flash &# 39 ; s light required for a correct exposure and thus produces a voltage corresponding to that light quantity of the flash . the output voltage of the amplifier op3 is impressed on the - input terminal of the above - stated comparator cp2 . the voltage and the output of the above - stated suppressing means l2 are compared with each other . when the logarithmic value of the charge voltage of the capacitor c2 , i . e ., the quantity of the light from the flash discharge tube , reaches the light quantity required for a correct exposure as represented by the output of the amplifier op3 , the comparator cp2 produces a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; signal as a flashing stop signal . the and gate a2 then produces a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; signal in response to the &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; signal of the comparator cp2 . the &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; signal is transmitted to the gate of the thyristor scr 103 of the flash device . then , the flash action is brought to a stop in the same manner as in the case of the ttl light adjusting mode . the flash light quantity control is thus accomplished in the distance light adjusting mode when a telephoto lens is used . in this embodiment , as has been described above , the kind of lens to be used is detected . the degree of exposure is controlled in the distance light adjusting mode when the lens is a telephoto lens and in the ttl light adjusting mode when the lens is a wide angle lens with change - over from one mode to the other arranged to be automatically accomplished . the embodiment , therefore , is capable of automatically carrying out flash exposure control in the light adjusting mode that is most suited for the lens in use . fig8 is a block diagram of a flash photographing system according to the invention as another embodiment example thereof . in fig8 parts which are the same as those shown in fig4 are indicated by the same reference numerals and symbols as those used in fig4 . this embodiment includes switches sw13 and sw14 which are disposed on the photo - taking lens . the switch sw13 is a manual mode selection switch which is arranged to be manually turned on and off . the switch sw14 is a mode selection switch which is arranged to turn on when a transmission light quantity varying member such as an nd filter or the like is mounted on the lens and to produce a mode change - over signal with such a member mounted . the switches sw13 and sw14 are connected in parallel with each other . a mode change - over circuit csw is arranged to connect with a contact &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; when the switch sw13 or sw14 turns on and to connect with a contact &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; when the switch turns off . the operation of this embodiment is as follows : let us assume that , in photographing , a transmission light quantity reducing member such as an nd filter or the like is mounted on the photo - taking lens 1 . under this condition , the switch sw14 turns on and the change - over circuit csw connects with a contact &# 34 ; a &# 34 ;. in this instance , the flash &# 39 ; s light quantity control is carried out in the ttl light adjusting mode by means of the output of the flashing stop signal forming circuit cp1 in the same manner as in the case of fig4 . in cases where flash photography is to be carried out without mounting any filter or the like on the lens 1 , the embodiment operates as follows : both the switches sw13 and sw14 are set to be turned off . the change - over circuit csw is connected with the contact &# 34 ; b &# 34 ;. therefore , in that instance , the flash &# 39 ; s light quantity control is accomplished in the distance light adjusting mode with flash brought to a stop by means of the output of the flash stop signal forming circuit cp2 in the same manner as in the case of fig4 . the switch sw13 turns on when an operation member which is not shown but is disposed on the lens 1 is operated . with the operation member operated in that manner , the change - over circuit csw connects with the contact &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; and the flash picture is taken in the ttl light adjusting mode even when no filter or the like is mounted on the lens . in this embodiment , as has been described above , the flash &# 39 ; s light quantity is controlled normally in the distance light adjusting mode to prevent an exposure error due to variation in the reflection factor of the object to be photo - granted . when an nd filter or the like is mounted on the lens on the other hand , the ttl light adjusting mode is automatically selected . in that instance , therefore , the flash &# 39 ; s light quantity can be correctly adjusted without being affected by the transmission light quantity reducing action of the filter . more specific description of the flash photographing system shown in fig8 will be given below with reference to fig9 and 10 ; fig9 shows by way of example the specific arrangement of the camera ca shown in fig8 . in fig9 the parts which are identical with those shown in fig5 are indicated by the same reference symbols . fig1 shows by way of example the arrangement of the photo - taking lens and an intermediate adapter such as a tele converter which are applicable to the flash photographing system according to the present invention . referring to fig1 , a reference numeral 1 indicates a lens barrel of the phototaking lens shown in fig8 . a numeral 11 indicates the lens . the lens barrel 1 is provided with the above - stated switch sw14 consisting of a fixed contact sw14b and a moving contact sw14a which is pushed by a pin member 10 ; and the above - stated switch sw13 consisting of a fixed contact sw13b and a moving contact sw13a which is arranged to be responsive to a manual operation member 20 for mode change - over . these switches sw13 and sw14 are parallel connected as shown in fig9 . a ground contact 6a is disposed on the reverse side of the lens barrel . the above - stated switches sw13 and sw14 are connected between the ground contact 6a and a mode change - over signal contact 7a . the resistor dr shown in fig9 is disposed on a resistor substrate 15b . a contact piece 15a is arranged to be slidable over the substrate 15b in response to a distance ring which is not shown but is provided on the lens barrel . the contact piece and the substrate form the above - stated set distance signal forming means dvl . the contact piece is connected to the ground contact 6a while the substrate 15b is in connection with a distance signal contact 8a . an automatic stopping down lever pin 12a is arranged for aperture control . an aperture signal lever pin 16a is arranged to transmit the step number of set aperture of the photo - taking lens to the camera . the front of the lens barrel is provided with a mount for attaching a filter 6 thereto . with the filter 6 attached to the lens barrel , a pin member 10 is pushed by the filter to turn on the switch sw14 . a camera body 9 is provided with a mount 8 for mounting the photo - taking lens barrel on the camera body . the camera body is further provided with contacts 6d , 7d and 8d which are arranged to connect with contacts 6a , 7a and 8a which are disposed on the lens barrel . an intermediate adapter such as a tele converter or the like is arranged to be interposed between the lens barrel 1 and the camera body 9 . the adapter 7 is provided with contacts 6b and 8b which are arranged on the front side of the adapter to confront the contacts 6a and 8a disposed on the lens barrel . the adapter 7 is further provided with contacts 6c , 7c and 8c which are arranged on the reverse side of the adapter to confront the contacts 6d , 7d and 8d which are disposed on the camera body . the contacts 8b and 8c are connected to each other by a signal line . the contact 6b is connected to the contacts 6c and 7c also by a signal line . the intermediate adapter 7 is further provided with an aperture signal lever pin 16b and an automatic signal lever pin 12b . the embodiment shown in fig9 and 10 operates in the following manner : the description below first covers a case where photography is to be carried out with the flash device which is shown in fig6 and 7 and with a filter 6 mounted on the photo - taking lens . with the filter 6 which is shown in fig1 mounted on the lens barrel 1 , the pin member 10 is pushed by the filter to bring the contacts sw14a and sw14b into contact with each other . with the lens barrel 1 mounted on the camera body 9 , the contacts 6a and 7a are in connection with the contacts 6d and 7d respectively . information on the turned on state of the switch sw14 with the contacts sw14a and sw14b brought into contact with each other is transmitted to the inside of the camera body . with the switch sw14 turned on , a &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; signal is impressed on one of the input terminals of the and gate a2 which is shown in fig9 while a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; signal is impressed through the inverter i1 on one of the input terminals of the and gate a1 . the and gate a1 is provided for the ttl light adjusting mode and the and gate a2 for the distance light adjusting mode . in this instance , therefore , the ttl light adjusting mode is selected . after completion of aperture and distance adjusting actions , the mirror of the camera moves upward and the leading curtain of the shutter travels when the shutter release button is depressed . in response to this , the synchronizing switch sw12 turns on . a signal representing the turned on state of the switch sw12 is transmitted via the terminal c to the known trigger circuit of the flash device ( fig6 ) consisting of the resistors r103 and r104 , the capacitors c102 and c103 , the thyristor scr 101 and the transformer tt . this causes the flash device to operate and to begin to flash in the same manner as in the case of the first embodiment described in the foregoing light from the flash of the discharge tube and reflected by the object irradiates the film through the filter and the aperture of the photo - taking lens . then , light reflected by the film is received by the light sensitive element sp1 . the light sensitive element sp1 produces a current flow , corresponding to the intensity of the reflected light incident thereon , between its collector and emitter . since the switch sw11 has turned off in response to the switch sw12 , this current of the light sensitive element sp1 charges the capacitor c1 . when the electric charge of the capacitor c1 reaches a predetermined value , the comparator cp1 produces a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; signal . the &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; signal is supplied to the flash device via the gate a1 , the amplifier op1 and the terminal b in the same manner as in the first embodiment shown in fig5 . with the &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; signal thus supplied to the flash device , the flash of the flash device ceases and the flash &# 39 ; s light quantity control is carried out in the ttl light adjusting mode . when a member such as an nd filter that alters the transmission light quantity of the light incident on the lens is mounted on the lens barrel , flash photography is automatically carried out in the ttl light adjusting mode as described above . this ensures appropriate flash light quantity adjustment irrespectively of any change in the transmission light quantity coming through the lens . for flash operation of the embodiment without using a filter , the contacts sw14a and sw14b and contacts sw13a and sw13b of the photo - taking lens are not in contact with each other . accordingly , the connection between the contacts 6a and 7a is left open . an open signal is introduced via the contacts 6d and 7d into the camera body . the open signal from the contacts 6a and 7a is impressed as a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; signal on one of the input terminals of the and gate a2 . meanwhile , the signal is turned into a &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; signal through the inverter i1 and then is impressed on one of the input terminals of the and gate a1 . in this instance , therefore , the use of the and gate a1 is inhibited and , in place of it , the and gate a2 is selected to carry out control in the distance light adjusting mode . when the distance ring provided on the lens barrel is operated to make distance adjustments , the contact piece 15a slides over the resistor substrate 15b to set a resistance value corresponding to a setting value of distance . since the substrate 15b and the contact piece 15a are connected between the contacts 6a and 8a , the resistance value between the contacts 6a and 8a is introduced into the camera body via the contacts 6d and 8d . as mentioned in the foregoing , the substrate 15b and the contact piece 15a form the resistor dr shown in fig9 . therefore , the amplifier op4 produces a voltage corresponding to information on the distance setting . further , when an aperture value is set by operating an aperture setting ring provided on the lens barrel , the setting value of aperture is introduced into the camera body via the aperture signal lever pin 16a and is set in the form of a resistance value of the resistor ar . distance and aperture adjusting actions are accomplished in the manner described . after completion of these actions , when the shutter release button is depressed to initiate a shutter release action , the synchronizing switch sw12 is caused to turn on in the same manner as in the above - stated ttl light adjusting mode . a signal produced with the switch sw12 turned on causes the discharge tube xe to begin to flash . the light of the discharge tube is received by the light sensitive element sp2 disposed close to the discharge tube as shown in fig7 . the light sensitive element sp2 then produces a current corresponding to the intensity of the flash and the current flows to the camera via the terminal a . since the switch sw10 has turned off in response to the synchronizing switch sw12 at the start of flashing , the capacitor c2 is charged with the current produced by the light sensitive element sp2 . therefore , as mentioned in the description of the first embodiment with reference to fig5 the comparator cp2 produces a signal when the charge voltage of the capacitor c2 reaches a value corresponding to a flash light quantity determined by the setting values of distance , film sensitivity and the aperture of the lens . this signal which is a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; signal then arrives at the flash device to bring the flashing action thereof to a stop . with no filter or the like used , the flash photography operation is thus carried out in the distance light adjusting mode . therefore , the flash &# 39 ; s light quantity can be adjusted to a correct value without being affected by variations of the reflection factor of the object to be photographed . further , if the operation member 20 is depressed on the lens barrel , the contacts sw13a and sw13b come into contact with each other even when using no filter . therefore , the switch sw13 turns on to have an on signal impressed between the contacts 6a and 7a . with the operation member thus operated , flash photographing is accomplished in the ttl light adjusting mode in the same manner as when using a filter . next , when an intermediate adapter such as a tele converter or the like is interposed in between the lens barrel 1 and the camera body 9 , the embodiment operates as follows : the contacts 6c and 7c of the intermediate adapter 7 are short circuited with each other . hence , an on signal is impressed between the contacts 6d and 7d of the camera body 9 when the intermediate adapter is mounted on the camera body . in this instance , therefore , the flash &# 39 ; s light quantity is controlled in the ttl light adjusting mode in the same manner as when using a filter . the arrangement of the embodiment thus ensures a correct exposure even when flash photography is carried out at an aperture value different from an aperture value set on the lens barrel with an intermediate adapter such as a tele converter . fig1 is a circuit diagram showing another embodiment of the camera shown in fig9 . in fig1 , the parts which are identical with those shown in fig9 are indicated by the same reference symbols . in the embodiment shown in fig1 , a resistor r8 is series connected to the distance information setting variable resistor dr . the potential at the connection point of the resistor r8 is arranged to become higher than the threshold levels of the and gate a2 and the inverter i1 . the switches sw13 and sw14 are parallel connected to the above - stated resistor . in this arrangement , the functions of a distance information transmitting terminal and a mode change - over signal transmitting terminal are arranged to be performed by the same terminal to permit reduction in the number of terminals . the operation of the embodiment shown in fig1 is similar to that of the embodiment shown in fig9 and thus requires no further description . in these specific embodiments , a filter and a tele converter have been described as accessories that vary the transmission light quantity . however , it goes without saying that , in accordance with this invention , they may be replaced with any other accessories of that kind . in the flash photographing system according to the invention , as described in the foregoing , the flash &# 39 ; s light quantity control is arranged to be carried out normally in the distance light adjusting mode and this mode is arranged to be automatically shifted to the ttl light adjusting mode where a wide angle lens is used or where a transmission light quantity varying member such as a filter or the like is used , so that flash photography always can be performed in a suitable light adjusting mode . | 6 |
referring now to the drawings and initially to fig1 there is illustrated a side view of an extruder 10 arranged according to the present invention . the extruder 10 comprises a plurality of barrel sections , e . g ., twelve barrel sections 11 - 22 ( see fig4 ), each of which includes a figure eight cross - section bore or screw channel 23 formed therethrough ( see fig2 ). the sections 11 - 22 are fastened end - to - end , to one another with the respective bore sections 23 axially aligned , as is well known , to provide the extruder barrel of the extruder 10 . in this manner , twin screws 24 , 25 can be arranged in an intermeshing arrangement , to extend through communicating screw channels 26 , 27 of the figure eight cross - section bore 23 from one end of the extruder barrel formed by the barrel sections to the other end thereof . the twin screws 24 , 25 are coupled to an electric motor 28 , arranged adjacent the upstream end of the extruder for rotation within the screw channels 26 , 27 . a first dry ingredient feed port 30 is provided in barrel section 11 and a second dry ingredient feed port 31 is provided in barrel section 18 . in addition , a first liquid feed 32 is arranged between barrel sections 11 and 12 and a second liquid feed 33 is provided in barrel element 18 . as illustrated in fig1 the extruder is divided into a blending zone , a heat treatment zone , a conveyance zone and a mixing zone . referring now to fig4 there is illustrated , in schematic form , a specific screw configuration for each of the twin screws 24 , 25 . the illustrated screw configuration is now described as a representative embodiment of the present invention . each of the screws 24 , 25 comprises a series of elements intermeshing with an adjacent identical series of elements of the other screw 24 , 25 . screw elements 34 , 35 , the upstream most elements , are arranged directly beneath the first dry ingredient feed port 30 . the screw elements 34 , 35 each include a continuous screw - like thread 36 to rapidly convey dry ingredients such as flour and a portion of the crystalline sugar into the screw channel 23 . each of the elements 34 , 35 comprises an 80 / 80 / sk screw element which indicates that the screw - like thread has a pitch of 80 and that each element is 80 mm in length . the sk designation indicates a shuffle kneader which includes an undercut thread to catch and convey dry ingredients as they are input through the dry ingredient feed port 30 . the first liquid feed port 32 is arranged adjacent the first dry ingredient feed port 30 for input of oil . the screw elements 34 , 35 generally comprise the blending zone of the extruder . a screw element 37 is arranged immediately downstream from the 80 / 80 / sk elements 34 , 35 and comprises an 80 / 40 screw element ( i . e . a pitch of 80 and a length of 40 mm ). the screw element 37 is followed immediately by a 60 / 60 screw element 38 and a 40 / 40 screw element 39 . the progressively shorter , lower pitch screw elements 37 , 38 , 39 decrease the speed of conveyance to thereby increase the degree of fill of the input oil and flour ingredients within the bore 23 . degree of fill refers to the percentage of the free volume of the bore 23 occupied by ingredients being conveyed by the screw elements 24 , 25 . an igel element 40 , which is 40 mm in length , is arranged immediately downstream from the screw element 39 . an igel element includes churning projections 41 to provide a chopping action to the ingredients within the bore 23 . the igel element 40 does not itself substantially convey material which causes a further increase in the degree of fill . the through put flow of ingredients through the igel element 40 is caused by the pushing action on the ingredients by the screw elements 34 , 35 , 37 , 38 and 39 upstream from the igel element 40 . two 40 / 40 screw elements 42 , 43 are arranged immediately downstream from the igel element 40 to continue the conveyance of the ingredients . two additional 40 mm igel elements 44 , 45 are provided downstream from the screw element 43 . these igel elements 44 , 45 are spaced from one another by a 40 / 40 screw element 46 . moreover , an additional 40 / 40 screw element 47 is arranged igel elements 44 , 45 and screw elements 46 , 47 thereby provide alternating elements to chop , convey , chop and convey the ingredients . this sequence gradually increases the degree of fill and churns the ingredients to afford a better mixing of the ingredients . a first kneading block element 48 is positioned directly downstream from the screw element 47 . the kneading block element is used to mix the ingredients and comprises a kb / 45 / 5 / 20 element . this indicates that it is a kneading block having 45 ° right hand angle staggered kneading discs , relative to one another around the axis of rotation of the screw , 5 total kneading discs in the element and the element is 20 mm long . the kneading element 48 is followed by a 40 / 40 screw element 49 . thereafter , there is an alternating sequence of kneading block elements 50 - 56 and interposed screw elements 57 - 63 . each of the intermediate screw elements 57 - 63 comprises a 40 / 40 screw element while the kneading block elements 50 - 56 comprise , in downstream order , a kb / 45 / 5 / 20 element ( kneading block 50 ), four kb / 45 / 5 / 40 elements ( kneading blocks 51 - 54 ) and two kb / 45 / 5 / 60 elements ( kneading blocks 55 - 56 ). the gradual increase in size of the kneading block elements 50 - 56 and relatively short , low pitch screw elements 57 - 63 in - between the successive kneading block elements causes a continuing increase in degree of fill and a vigorous mixing of the ingredients . each of the barrel elements 11 - 22 includes electrical heating elements 500 and cooling water flow tubing 501 to control the temperature of the barrel element . such a temperature controlled barrel element comprises , for example , a model zsk - 57 extruder barrel element manufactured by werner & amp ; pfleiderer . the viscosity of the ingredients comprising flour and oil is not sufficient for friction heating due to the vigorous mixing action of the kneading block elements 50 - 56 . accordingly , the electrical heating elements of barrel elements 12 - 16 are operated to raise the temperature of the ingredients . the electric heating of the barrel elements 12 - 16 are operated to raise the temperature of the barrels to as high as possible , e . g . at least 350 ° f ., for a given throughput rate to promote of maillard browning and flavor development and to reduce the amount of post extrusion heat treatment required for final baking . thus , the ingredients comprising flour and oil fed through the first dry ingredient feed port 30 and first liquid feed port 32 are thoroughly mixed and heat - treated by the overall conveying , churning and mixing action of the screws 24 , 25 and heating effect of the barrel sections 12 - 6 upstream from the second dry ingredient feed port 31 and the second liquid feed port 33 . the barrel sections 12 - 16 generally comprise the heat treatment zone of the extruder . the term &# 34 ; vigorous &# 34 ; as used herein means a mixing action which is sufficient to thoroughly mix the ingredients input through the first dry ingredient feed port 30 , including the flour , oil , and , optionally , crystalline sugar , and to facilitate distribution of the heat applied by the heating coils throughout the ingredients . in addition , the term relates to increasing the degree of fill to a level accomodating heat conduction from the heating elements through the screw channel 23 and into the ingredients . the second liquid feed 33 is provided in barrel section 18 for the introduction of added water or a source of added water . as noted above , the added water modifies the consistency of the heat treated ingredients comprising flour and oil to provide a mass having sufficient formability and machinability for post extrusion processing . moreover , a cooling water flow is provided in the barrel sections 17 and 18 to reduce the temperature of the ingredients within the barrel sections by conduction and thereby reduce the tendency toward oil separation . immediately downstream from the last screw element 63 of the alternating screw and kneading block elements is a high speed conveyance zone comprising a series of screw elements 64 ≧ 68 of generally increasing length and screw pitch . as illustrated in fig4 the series of screw elements 64 - 68 are located immediately upstream , directly beneath and immediately downstream from the second dry ingredient feed port 31 , in barrel sections 17 , 18 and 19 . the screw elements 64 - 68 comprise 60 / 60 , 80 / 80 / sk , 80 / 80 / sk , 80 / 40 and 80 / 80 screw elements , respectively , which increases the speed of conveyance of the heat treated ingredients and thereby reduce the compressive pressure on the ingredients as well as the degree of fill within the bore 23 immediately below the second dry ingredient feed port 31 . accordingly , a relatively large quantity of a dry ingredient , e . g ., crystalline sugar , can be added to the material flow through the second dry ingredient feed port 31 inasmuch as the degree of fill has been reduced by the action of the screw elements 64 - 68 to provide sufficient free volume within the screw channel 23 . in addition , the increased speed of conveyance caused by the screw elements 64 - 68 rapidly moves the added crystalline sugar downstream from the second feed port 31 to prevent back fill flow out of the second feed port 31 . the crystalline sugar and water are added after the high temperature mixing of the ingredients 30 , which occurs in barrel ions 11 - 16 , and are , therefore , not exposed to processing conditions which can cause oil separation and excessive dissolution of the sugar . screw elements 69 - 71 are arranged downstream screw elements 64 - 68 and comprise one 60 / 60 and two 30 / 30 elements , respectively , to reduce the speed of conveyance and again gradually increase the degree of fill . a kneading block element 72 , which comprises a kb / 45 / 5 / 20 element , is provided downstream from the screw elements 69 - 71 to mix the added sugar water into the other heat - treated ingredients . two additional screw elements 73 , 74 , which comprise a 40 / 40 and 80 / 160 element , respectively , convey the ingredients to a final kneading block element 75 , which comprises a kb / 45 / 5 / 60 element for final mixing of the ingredients . the kneading block elements 72 , 75 provide the final mixing zone of the extruder . the final elements of the twin screws 24 , 25 comprise screw elements 76 - 78 , which include an 80 / 80 , a 60 / 60 and a 60 / 120 element , respectively . these elements convey the ingredients to an extrusion die plate 79 and develop sufficient pressure within the ingredients to force the ingredients through the extrusion die , without moisture flashing and without oil separation , as a partially baked and uniformly mixed , homogeneous cookie dough - like mass which can thereafter be shaped , formed and cut before final baking . referring once again to fig1 a wire cutter 200 or other suitable device is arranged adjacent the downstream end of the extruder 10 to cut individual cookie products from the output of the extruder 10 . these products are dropped onto a conveyor 300 which transports the material into a radio frequency device 301 for final baking . the products are exposed to radio frequency energy for approximately 45 seconds to provide the final baked cookie products . the heating of the pieces of the partially baked , extruded dough in a radio frequency oven is performed so that proper leavening and browning is achieved . the heating of the pieces or cookie preforms in the post extrusion , radio frequency oven should be sufficient to result in an internal temperature of at least about 160 ° f ., more preferably at least about 190 ° f . in the cookie . the radio frequency energy may be applied at atmospheric pressure , above atmospheric pressure or under vacuum . the following table illustrates the basic ingredients for a cookie dough and representative and preferred ranges of each ingredient as a percentage of the total weight of the dough : ______________________________________ingredient representative range preferred range______________________________________flour ( about 12 % 30 %- 70 % 45 %- 55 % by weight water ) water ( including & lt ; 20 % & lt ; 15 % water content ofthe flour ) oil ( shortening 12 %- 40 % 15 %- 25 % or fat ) sucrose 10 %- 40 % 15 %- 30 %( crystalline sugar ) ______________________________________ as discussed above , the flour and oil are input through the first dry ingredient port 30 and first liquid feed 32 , respectively , and are subjected to vigorous mixing and heat treatment in barrel sections 12 - 16 . the added water , i . e ., for example , from about 0 . 5 % by weight to about 10 % by weight of the total dough mix , is input through the second liquid feed port 33 . the total water of & lt ; 20 % and preferably & lt ; 15 % by weight is therefore not provided until after the vigorous mixing and heat treatment of the ingredients comprising flour and oil to minimize oil separation . the added water input through the second liquid feed port 33 is gently mixed with the heat treated ingredients to provide the dough mass consistency required for forming and cutting . the crystalline sugar is added either through the second dry ingredient feed port 31 or partially through the downstream second dry ingredient feed port 31 and partially through the upstream first dry ingredient feed port 30 . the ratio of upstream to downstream sugar addition is for example 15 % to 85 % of the total crystalline sugar through each of the dry ingredient feed ports 30 , 31 . the crystalline sugar added upstream is subjected to vigorous mixing and heat treatment and will tend to provide a crunchy texture to the final product . the amount of crystalline sugar added upstream will be a function of the desired crunchiness of the final product . the upstream added crystalline sugar will not undergo excessive dissolution to provide a hard texture to the final product or contribute to oil separation during heat treatment processing because the total water of the mixture prior to the downstream addition of the added water is not sufficient to dissolve a substantial amount of the upstream added crystalline sugar . the crystalline sugar added downstream is advantageous in providing a tender texture for the final product . moreover , the bulk of the downstream added crystalline sugar is not heat treated which enables the attainment of a higher product temperature for the ingredients which are input through the first dry ingredient feed port 30 and subjected to heat treatment for a given throughput rate . the downstream added crystalline sugar is also relatively cool and provides a cooling mass to the heat treated ingredients to lower the temperature of the ingredients just prior to the input of the added water through the second liquid feed port 33 and thereby reduce the possibility of oil separation upon the introduction and mixing of the added water . the flour may be replaced in whole or in part by flour substitutes or bulking agents including bran . other ingredients may also be added to the formulation such as emulsifiers , sources of protein , a leavening agent and other ingredients conventionally employed in cookies . heat sensitive ingredients and particulate ingredients may also be added downstream from the heat treatment and vigorous mixing zones of the extruder . if aspartame is added , a bulking agent such as a grain bran can be used to replace all or a portion of the crystalline sugar . sugars in liquid form or other sweeteners may also be used with or in place of a crystalline sugar . the following are examples of the operation of an extruder built in accordance with the invention and operated to mix and heat treat a dough formulation having a cookie - crumb - structure upon final baking . the below listed ingredients were fed to the extruder at rates to provide a product formulation having the following final percentage by weight of the output dough product ( including where each ingredient was added to the extruder ): ______________________________________ % wt of final output additionformulation mix product to extruder______________________________________wheat flour , 49 . 26 % first dry feedbleached ( about port 3012 % by weightwater ) non - fat dry milk 1 . 48 % first dry feed ( about 52 % by port 30weight lactose ) salt 0 . 74 % first dry feed port 30white sugar 14 . 78 % second dry feed ( sucrose ), port 31granulatedbrown sugar 6 . 89 % second dry feed ( about 89 % sucrose , port 313 % invert , 4 % non - sugar solids , 3 % water ) soybean spray oil 24 . 63 % first liquid feed port 32added water 2 . 22 % second liquid ( tap water ) feed port 33______________________________________ the extruder comprised a werner and pfleiderer zsk - 57 extruder including twelve barrel sections , each including a heating element and cooling means , and twin screws , each having a screw configuration according to the invention , as illustrated in fig4 . the extruder was also arranged to have first and second dry ingredient feed ports and first and second liquid feed ports , pursuant to the invention , as described above . the first barrel 11 , which contained the first dry feed port 30 , was set on constant cool to obtain an actual barrel temperature of less than about 100 ° f . the remaining eleven barrels were divided into 7 separately measured barrel temperature zones . barrels 12 and 13 corresponded to temperature zone 1 , barrel 14 corresponded to temperature zone 2 , barrels 15 and 16 corresponded to temperature zone 3 , barrel 17 corresponded to temperature zone 4 , barrel 18 corresponded to temperature zone 5 , barrels 19 and 20 corresponded to zone 6 and barrels 21 and 22 corresponded to zone 7 . barrels 12 through 16 were set to heat to 350 ° f , barrel 17 to 200 ° f ., barrel 18 was set on constant cool , barrels 19 and 20 were set at 100 ° f . and barrels 21 and 22 were set at 120 ° f . the ingredients were treated at a temperature above the minimum gelatinization temperature of the starch ( assuming that a sufficient amount of water was available for reaction with the starch ) but no or substantially no gelatinization ( measured by differential scanning calorimetry ) occurred . it is believed that the oil sufficiently coated the starch containing flour particles to prevent substantial penetration of moisture into the starch granules so as to avoid substantial gelatinization . the screws were rotated at about 125 rpm at about 2 % of maximum torque . the ingredients were fed in their relative amounts to provide a throughput or mass flow rate of the dough - like mixture extrudate of about 405 lbs / hr . the wheat flour , non - fat dry milk and salt and was prepared by mixing the ingredients to obtain a substantially homogeneous dry blend . the dry blend was continuously fed to the first dry feed port . the white and brown sugar was prepared by mixing the ingredients to obtain a second substantially homogenous dry blend which was continuously fed downstream to the second dry feed port . the oil was prepared by melting semi - solid soybean spray oil to obtain a liquid oil which was continuously fed to the first liquid feed port . the tap water was continuously fed to the second liquid feed port . on a calculated basis , the water content of the dough - like mixture formed in the extruder was about 8 . 3 % by weight , based upon the total weight of the dough - like mixture . ______________________________________ barrel set actual barrelbarrel # temperature , ° f . temperature , ° f . ______________________________________11 cool & lt ; 10012 350 20613 350 -- 14 350 24515 350 32416 350 -- 17 200 20118 cool & lt ; 10019 100 & lt ; 10020 100 -- 21 120 11522 120 -- ______________________________________ the pressure in the extruder was less than about 10 bars . the average or median residence time of the ingredients heated prior to addition of the sugar and the tap water at the second feed ports was about 40 - 50 seconds . the average or median residence time of the ingredients in the extruder from the second feed ports to the extrusion die was about 10 to 20 seconds . the substantially homogeneous dough - like mixture formed in the extruder was extruded through a horizontally oriented slit die ( about 5 mm high by about 50 mm wide ) to obtain a continuous , substantially unleavened ribbon . the extrudate temperature upon exiting the extruder was less than about 150 ° f . the ribbon was cut into cylindrical pieces by hand , using a cookie cutter . the diameter of the pieces was about 11 / 4 . six pieces having an average weight of about 4 . 2 gm / piece were subjected to radio frequency energy in a dielectric oven set at 81 % power for 45 seconds for final baking to produce distinctly leavened cookies having dimensions of about 1 3 / 8 &# 34 ; by about 11 / 4 &# 34 ;. the cookies were surface browned and had a crumb - like structure and crumb - like texture . the ph of the cookies was about 5 . 4 . the below listed ingredients may be fed to the extruder at rates to provide a product formulation having the following final percentages by weight of the output dough product ( including where each ingredient is to be fed to the extruder ): ______________________________________ % wt of final output additionformulation mix product to extruder______________________________________wheat flour , 48 . 66 % first dry feedbleached ( about port 3012 % by weightwater ) non - fat dry milk 1 . 46 % first dry feed ( about 52 % by port 30weight lactose ) salt 0 . 73 % first dry feed port 30white sugar 14 . 60 % first dry feed ( sucrose ), port 30granulatedbrown sugar 6 . 81 % second dry feed ( about 89 % sucrose , port 313 % invert , 4 % non - sugar solids , 3 % water ) sodium bicarbonate 1 . 22 % second dry feed port 31soybean spray oil 24 . 33 % first liquid feed port 32tap water 2 . 19 % second liquid feed port 33______________________________________ the extruder may comprise the same equipment and same screw configuration as in example i . the screws may be rotated to about 125 rpm at about 2 % of maximum torque . the ingredients may be fed in their relative amounts to provide a throughput or mass flow rate of the dough - like mixture extrudate of about 405 lbs / hr . the flour , non - fat dry milk , salt and white sugar may be prepared by mixing the ingredients to obtain a substantially homogeneous dry blend . the dry blend may be continuously fed to the first dry feed port . the brown sugar and sodium bicarbonate as a leavening agent may be prepared by mixing the ingredients to obtain a second substantially homogenous dry blend which may be continuously fed downstream to the second dry feed port . the oil may be prepared by melting semi - solid soybean spray oil to obtain a liquid oil which may be continuously fed to the first liquid feed port . the tap water may be continuously fed to the second liquid feed port . on a calculated basis , the water content of the dough - like mixture formed in the extruder should be about 8 . 2 % by weight , based upon the total weight of the dough - like mixture . the barrel set temperatures , pressures , and residence times may be the same as in example i . the substantially homogeneous dough - like mixture formed in the extruder may be extruded through a horizontally oriented slit die ( about 5 mm high by about 50 mm wide ) to obtain a continuous , substantially unleavened ribbon having a temperature upon exiting the extruder of less than about 150 ° f . the ribbon may be cut into cylindrical pieces having a diameter of about 11 / 4 &# 34 ;. six pieces having an average weight of about 4 . 2 gm / piece were subjected to radio frequency energy in a dielectric oven set at 81 % power for 45 second for final baking to produce distinctly leavened cookies having dimensions of about 1 3 / 8 &# 34 ; by about 11 / 4 &# 34 ;. the cookies were surface browned and had a crumb - like structure and crumb - like texture . the ph of the cookies was about 5 . 4 . other commercially available extruders which may be modified to provide an extruder according to the invention include models of wenger series tx by wenger of sabetha , kansas ; models of mpf series by baker perkins ; models of bc series by creusot loire of paris , france , single screw extruders including e . g . a buss single screw extruder , comprising a horizontally oscillating screw during rotation and models of series continua extruders marketed by werner and pfleiderer . | 0 |
the present invention will hereinafter be described with reference to a tolan liquid crystal , taken as an example , having the structure represented by the following chemical formula 2 !. this is the tolan derivative represented by formula 1 ! where integer &# 34 ; n &# 34 ; represents 2 . ## str2 ## fig2 shows the curves of birefringence . increment . n of mixtures of a nematic liquid crystal a and the tolan liquid crystal represented by chemical formula 2 ! when the tolan liquid crystals are at 5 wt %, 10 wt % and 15 wt %. in fig2 the abscissa represents the mixing ratio or the concentration of the tolan liquid crystal in the mixture by weight percent when the tolan liquid crystal represented by the chemical formula 2 ! is mixed with the nematic liquid crystal a , and the ordinate represents the birefringence . increment . n of the mixture . it can be seen from fig2 that . increment . n can be increased by mixing a tolan group liquid crystal . fig3 shows the results of measuring the transition temperature to the isotropic phase ( t ni ). in fig3 the abscissa represents the mixing ratio of the tolan liquid crystal in the mixture when the tolan liquid crystal represented by the chemical formula 2 ! is mixed with the nematic liquid crystal a , and the ordinate represents the transition temperature of the mixture to the isotropic phase . it can be seen from fig3 that t ni can also be increased by mixing the tolan liquid crystal . therefore , it is appreciated from the foregoing that the mixing of the tolan liquid crystal results in increased . increment . n and t ni , thereby making it possible to improve the temperature characteristics of steepness . then , the mixture of the liquid crystal is used to fabricate a liquid crystal panel as illustrated in fig1 and the relationship between a voltage applied to the liquid crystal panel and brightness ( v - t curve ) is measured . fig1 illustrates a schematic diagram of the liquid crystal panel . the illustrated liquid crystal panel comprises glass substrates 1 , a reflection film 2 made of al , transparent electrodes 3 , alignment layers 4 , and a liquid crystal 5 . the liquid crystal panel has the alignment layers 4 positioned on both sides of the liquid crystal 5 , and the transparent electrodes 3 are formed on the outer sides of the alignment layers 4 . the panel also has the al reflection film 2 positioned on one of the outer sides of the transparent electrodes 3 as a reflection film , and the glass substrates 1 on both outer sides of the transparent electrodes , thus forming a reflection type panel . the orientation of the liquid crystal 5 is achieved by a combination of oblique vacuum deposition of sio 2 and perpendicular orientation processing agent . the panel has a thickness of approximately 3 micrometers and a pre - tilt angle of approximately 1 degree from the normal direction of the panel . fig1 illustrates a measuring system for measuring reflected light of the liquid crystal . the measuring system illustrated in fig1 comprises a laser light source 101 ; a polarization beam splitter 102 ; a liquid crystal 103 ; a detector 104 ; an amplifier 105 ; a driving power supply 106 ; a measuring device 107 . a laser beam emitted from the laser light source 101 is guided by the polarization beam splitter 103 toward the liquid crystal 103 under measurement , reflected by the liquid crystal 103 , transmitted through the polarization beam splitter 102 , and received by the detector 104 . the detector 104 inputs an electrical output according to the amount of the received light to the amplifier 105 , and an amplified electrical signal produced by the amplifier 105 is measured by the measuring device 107 . in addition , the measuring device 107 controls the driving power supply 106 for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal 103 . with measurements using the measuring system of fig1 , graphs representing the output levels versus voltages applied to liquid crystals are provided , as described later . fig4 to 8 illustrate v - t curves plotted when the mixing ratio of the tolan liquid crystal to the nematic liquid crystals a are changed from 0 wt % to 5 wt %, 10 wt %, 15 wt % and 20 wt %, respectively . specifically , fig4 illustrates v - t curves plotted when the temperatures are at 20 ° c ., 40 ° c ., 60 ° c . and 80 ° c . with the mixture ratio of the tolan liquid crystal represented by the chemical formula 2 ! to the nematic liquid crystal a being fixed at 0 %, where the abscissa represents a voltage applied to the liquid crystal panel , and the ordinate represents the output level . fig5 illustrates v - t curves plotted when the temperatures are at 20 ° c ., 40 ° c ., 60 ° c . and 80 ° c . with the mixture ratio of the tolan liquid crystal represented by the chemical formula 2 ! to the nematic liquid crystal a being fixed at 5 %, where the abscissa represents a voltage applied to the liquid crystal panel , and the ordinate represents the output level . fig6 illustrates v - t curves plotted when the temperatures are at 20 ° c ., 40 ° c ., 60 ° c . and 80 ° c . with the mixture ratio of the tolan liquid crystal represented by the chemical formula 2 ! to the nematic liquid crystal a being fixed at 10 %, where the abscissa represents a voltage applied to the liquid crystal panel , and the ordinate represents the output level . fig7 illustrates v - t curves plotted when the temperatures are at 20 ° c ., 40 ° c ., 60 ° c . and 80 ° c . with the mixture ratio of the tolan liquid crystal represented by the chemical formula 2 ! to the nematic liquid crystal a being fixed at 15 %, where the abscissa represents a voltage applied to the liquid crystal panel , and the ordinate represents the output level . fig8 illustrates v - t curves plotted when the temperatures are at 20 ° c ., 40 ° c ., 60 ° c . and 80 ° c . with the mixture ratio of the tolan liquid crystal represented by the chemical formula 2 ! to the nematic liquid crystal a being fixed at 20 %, where the abscissa represents a voltage applied to the liquid crystal panel , and the ordinate represents the output level . it can be seen in fig4 ( with 0 wt % of tolan liquid crystal ), the abruptness γ becomes worse as the temperature of the liquid crystal panel rises . in contrast with this , it is appreciated from fig5 to 8 that the abruptness γ is improved and changes in temperature in the v - t curves can also be reduced as a larger amount of the tolan liquid crystal is mixed . the tolan liquid crystal is mixed with a nematic liquid crystal b , which is different from the nematic liquid crystal a , at 0 wt %, 5 wt %, 10 wt % and 15 wt %, and the birefringence . increment . n is measured for the respective concentrations . the results of the measurements are shown in fig9 . fig9 represents the curves of birefringence of the mixture when the tolan liquid crystals represented by the chemical formula 2 ! of 0 wt %, 5 wt %, 10 wt % and 15 % are mixed with the nematic liquid crystal b . in fig9 the abscissa represents the mixing ratio of the tolan liquid crystal represented by the chemical formula 2 ! in the mixture , when mixed with the nematic liquid crystal b , and the ordinate represents the magnitude of the birefringence of the mixture . it is appreciated , similar to the first embodiment , that . increment . n can be increased by mixing the tolan liquid crystal . also , a liquid crystal panel as illustrated in fig1 is fabricated with the foregoing mixture , and the results of measuring v - t curves are illustrated in fig1 to 13 . fig1 illustrates v - t curves plotted when the temperatures are at 20 ° c ., 40 ° c ., 60 ° c . and 75 ° c . with the mixing ratio of the tolan liquid crystal represented by the chemical formula 2 ! to the nematic liquid crystal b being fixed at 0 %, where the abscissa represents a voltage applied to the liquid crystal panel , and the ordinate represents the output level . fig1 illustrates v - t curves plotted when the temperatures are at 20 ° c ., 40 ° c ., 60 ° c . and 80 ° c . with the mixture ratio of the tolan liquid crystal represented by the chemical formula 2 ! to the nematic liquid crystal b being fixed at 5 %, where the abscissa represents a voltage applied to the liquid crystal panel and the ordinate represents the output level . fig1 illustrates v - t curves plotted when the temperatures are at 20 ° c ., 40 ° c ., 60 ° c . and 80 ° c . with the mixture ratio of the tolan liquid crystal represented by the chemical formula 2 ! to the nematic liquid crystal b being fixed at 10 %, where the abscissa represents a voltage applied to the liquid crystal panel and the ordinate represents the output level . fig1 illustrates v - t curves plotted when the temperatures are at 20 ° c ., 40 ° c ., 60 ° c . and 80 ° c . with the mixture ratio of the tolan liquid crystal represented by the chemical formula 2 ! to the nematic liquid crystal b being fixed at 15 %, where the abscissa represents a voltage applied to the liquid crystal panel and the ordinate represents the output level . as is apparent from fig1 to 13 , changes in temperature in the v - t curves are reduced as the mixing ratio of the tolan liquid crystal represented by the chemical formula 2 ! is increased in fig1 to 13 , as compared with the corresponding curves in fig1 where the tolan liquid crystal is not mixed . similarly to the foregoing embodiments , the tolan liquid crystal is mixed with a nematic liquid crystal c which is different from the nematic liquid crystals a and b , a liquid crystal panel as illustrated in fig1 is fabricated with the mixture , and v - t curves are measured . fig1 illustrates v - t curves plotted when the temperatures are at 25 ° c ., 40 ° c . and 60 ° c . when the mixing ratio of the tolan liquid crystal represented by the chemical formula 2 ! to the nematic liquid crystal c is 0 %, where the abscissa represents a voltage applied to the liquid crystal panel , and the ordinate represents the output level . fig1 illustrates v - t curves plotted when the temperatures are at 25 ° c ., 40 ° c . and 60 ° c . with the mixture ratio of the tolan liquid crystal represented by the chemical formula 2 ! to the nematic liquid crystal c being fixed at 10 %, where the abscissa represents the applied voltage to the liquid crystal panel , and the ordinate represents the output level . fig1 illustrates v - t curves plotted when the temperatures are at 20 ° c ., 40 ° c ., 60 ° c . and 80 ° c . with the mixture ratio of the tolan liquid crystal represented by the chemical formula 2 ! to the nematic liquid crystal c being fixed at 20 %, where the abscissa represents the applied voltage to the liquid crystal panel , and the ordinate represents the output level . as is apparent from fig1 to 16 , changes in temperature in the v - t curves are reduced as the mixing ratio of the tolan liquid crystal represented by the chemical formula 2 ! is increased from fig1 to 16 , as compared with the corresponding curves in fig1 , where the tolan liquid crystal is not mixed . also , the results of measuring the transition temperatures to the isotropic phase show that a 100 wt % nematic liquid crystal c exhibits the transition to the isotropic phase at 62 ° c . ; a mixture of 10 wt % tolan liquid crystal and 90 wt % nematic liquid crystal c at 75 ° c . ; and a mixture of 20 wt % tolan liquid crystal and 80 wt % nematic liquid crystal at 85 ° c . it is therefore appreciated that the transition temperature to the isotropic phase can also be improved in a manner similar to the first embodiment . further , changes in temperature in the v - t curves can also be reduced when the tolan liquid crystal is mixed with another nematic liquid crystal d different from the nematic liquid crystals a to c . fig1 illustrates v - t curves plotted when the temperatures are at 20 ° c ., 40 ° c ., 60 ° c . and 80 ° c . with the mixture ratio of the tolan liquid crystal represented by the chemical formula 2 ! to the nematic liquid crystal d being fixed at 0 %, where the abscissa represents a voltage applied to the liquid crystal panel , and the ordinate represents the output level . fig1 illustrates v - t curves plotted when the temperatures are at 20 ° c ., 40 ° c ., 60 ° c . and 80 ° c . with the mixture ratio of the tolan liquid crystal represented by the chemical formula 2 ! to the nematic liquid crystal d being fixed at 15 wt %, where the abscissa represents a voltage applied to the liquid crystal panel , and the ordinate represents the output level . as is apparent from fig1 and 18 , changes in temperature in the v - t curves are reduced as the mixing ratio of the tolan liquid crystal represented by the chemical formula 2 ! is increased in fig1 , as compared with the corresponding curves in fig1 where the tolan liquid crystal is not mixed . while in the fourth embodiment , the tolan liquid crystal derivative represented by the chemical formula 2 ! is used for verification , similar effects to the above can also be obtained with a tolan liquid crystal represented by a chemical formula 1 !. according to the present invention as described above , the mixing of the tolan liquid crystal , represented by the chemical formula 1 !, having high birefringence and high n - 1 point with a nematic liquid crystal having positive dielectric constant anisotropy , provides larger birefringence , significantly improved abruptness γ , higher transition temperature to the isotropic phase , and reduced temperature - dependent changes in electro - optical characteristics . | 2 |
below , preferred embodiments of the invention will be explained in detail with reference to the attached drawings . fig4 a to 4 c are views for explaining the basic configuration of a power feed device according to example 1 of the present invention . fig4 a is the same as the conventional view shown in fig1 a of the bga 10 as seen from the back . fig4 a shows only the power pins 2 comprised of solder balls . reference numeral 45 shown at the right of the bga 10 is an obp , while reference numeral 44 shown by the dotted lines indicates a conductive pattern formed on the back surface of the printed circuit board 49 ( see fig4 c ) for electrically contacting the power bar 41 . fig4 b is a plan view of the power bar 40 . as illustrated , the power bar 40 is comprised of a main body part 41 of substantially the same shape as the bga 10 and a bar part 42 . the width of the bar part 42 is shown as being narrower than the width of the main body part 41 , but does not necessarily have to be narrower . it may also be made wider when there is a reason such as keeping the voltage drop low . the main body part 41 is provided with cylindrical conductive projections 43 at positions corresponding to the power pins 2 of the bga 10 . for simplification , the explanation will be given by an arrangement of conductive projections 43 in chip on hole ( coh ) mounting forming vias 48 at the same positions as the power pins 2 . when not coh mounting , the vias are not at the same positions as the footprints ( not shown ) of the power pins 2 , so the conductive projections 43 are formed at the same positions as not the power pins 2 , but the vias guiding patterns led out from the power pins 2 to the inner layers . the conductive projections 43 are not limited in shapes to cylinders . fig4 c is a cross - sectional view of a power feed device according to example 1 . as illustrated , the output power pin 46 of the obp 45 arranged at the right side of the printed circuit board 49 in the illustration is electrically connected to the conductive projection 44 at the end of the bar part 42 of the power bar 40 via the via 47 . at the left side of the printed circuit board 49 in the illustration , the bga 10 is mounted . the power pins 2 of the bga 10 are electrically connected through vias 48 passing through the printed circuit board 49 with conductive projections 43 of the main body part 41 of the power bar 40 mounted at the bottom side of the printed circuit board 49 . the main body part 41 of the power bar 40 is connected through the bar part 42 to the pattern 44 formed at the bottom side of the printed circuit board 49 . the pattern 44 is connected through the via 47 and the output power pin 46 of the obp 45 to the obp 45 . the bga 10 and obp 45 are mounted by an ordinary reflow process on the printed circuit board 49 . the power bar 40 can also be similarly mounted , but if the power bar is thick or when large in volume , it will become larger in heat capacity and may conceivably be hard to raise in temperature by the reflow heat . in this case , the power bar 40 may be fastened to the printed circuit board 49 by screws etc . the parts of the printed circuit board 49 other than the not shown signal layers and power layers are insulators . according to the basic configuration of the power feed device shown in fig4 a to 4 c , since the power bar 40 is provided outside of the printed circuit board 49 , it becomes possible to reduce the number of the power layers inside the printed circuit board 49 . fig5 is a cross - sectional view of a power feed device according to example 2 of the present invention . in the figure , parts the same as in fig1 b are assigned the same reference numerals , and explanations are omitted . reference numeral 51 indicates a printed circuit board , 52 a power layer of conductive patterns included in the printed circuit board , 53 to 55 vias passing through the printed circuit board 51 , 56 a power bar provided outside of the printed circuit board 51 according to the present invention , 45 an obp , 57 an output power pin of the obp 45 , 58 a conductive pattern arranged on the printed circuit board 51 and electrically connected with the output power pin 57 , 59 a planar pattern electrically connected with the conductive pattern 58 , 60 a via electrically connecting the planar pattern 59 and the power bar 56 , and 561 conductive projections provided at the power bar 56 and connecting to the vias 53 . the via 60 passes through the printed circuit board 51 and is insulated from the power layer 52 included in the printed circuit board 51 . the parts of the printed circuit board 51 other than the power layer 52 and not shown signal layers and other power layers are insulators . each power pin 2 is fed with power from the obp 45 through the output power pin 57 , conductive pattern 58 , planar pattern 59 , via 60 , power bar 56 , a conductive projection 561 , and a via 53 . each of the power pins 1 and 3 is fed with power from the obp 45 through a not shown conductive path , the power layer 52 in the printed circuit board 51 , and vias 54 and 55 . in this example , the power pin 2 and power pins 1 and 3 are in the end fed with power from the same obp 45 , so are not completely electrically insulated from each other , but are connected at an electrically distant location , so for example for noise occurring at a power pin 1 to reach a power pin 2 , it would have to make a considerable detour of the via 55 → power layer 52 → obp 45 → via 60 → power bar 56 → projection 561 → via 53 → power pin 2 . this route includes inductance components , so high frequency noise would find it hard to follow along this route and the noise would not be a substantive problem in level . according to this configuration , the voltage applied to each power pin 2 becomes completely free of the effect of any fluctuation in the voltage applied to the power pins 1 and 3 . therefore , even if utilizing the voltage applied to a power pin 2 as the reference voltage for judging if the output of a driver of a circuit in the bga 10 is the high level or low level , it is possible to avoid the misjudgment like in the past . fig6 is a cross - sectional view of a power feed device according to example 3 of the present invention . in the figure , parts the same as in fig5 are assigned the same reference numerals , and explanations are omitted . in example 3 , a power layer 62 inside the printed circuit board 61 and a power bar 63 provided outside the printed circuit board 61 are connected in parallel by vias 64 and 65 . that is , at the right side of the power bar 63 in the illustration , the surface 59 connected with the lead 57 of the obp 45 by the pattern 58 and the footprint 631 of the power bar 63 are connected by the via 65 passing through the printed circuit board 61 , and this via 65 is connected to the power layer 62 included in the printed circuit board 61 . at the left side of the power bar 63 in the illustration , conductive projections 632 of the power bar 63 and power pins 2 of the bga 10 are electrically connected through the vias 64 . due to this parallel connection , it becomes possible to reduce the apparent electrical resistance of the power layer 62 . for example , when the power layer 62 and the power bar 63 are the same in lengths and the power layer 62 has a thickness in cross - section of 35 μm and a width of 285 mm , if using a power bar 63 with a width in cross - section of 5 mm and a thickness of 2 mm , the cross - sectional area becomes the same , so the power layer 62 and the power bar 63 become the same in resistance value . if connecting these in parallel , the electrical resistance becomes half that of the case of the power layer 62 alone . due to this , the voltage drop of the power layer 62 is halved . the power bar may be freely selected in width and thickness . fig7 is a cross - sectional view of a power feed device according to example 4 of the present invention . in the figure , parts the same as in fig5 are assigned the same reference numerals , and explanations are omitted . in example 4 , a power bar 71 and ground bar 72 are provided between the bga 10 and the printed circuit board 70 . the power bar 71 and the ground bar 72 are electrically separated by an insulating layer 73 . the bga 10 is provided with not only reference voltage power pins 2 , but also ground use power pins 74 and signal transmission use signal pins 75 . reference numeral 76 shows connection pins for connecting the signal pins 75 to a signal layer ( not shown ) included in the printed circuit board 70 , while 77 shows insulators for electrically insulating the signal pins 75 from the power bar 71 and ground bar 72 . the connection pins 76 are cylindrically shaped , while the insulators 77 are shaped as hollow tubes able to surround them . the signal pins 75 of the bga 10 are connected through connection pins 76 passing through the power bar 71 and insulation layer 73 and ground bar 72 to the vias 78 . the power bar 71 , ground bar 72 , and insulating layer 73 are formed with holes of passage of the signal pins 76 . the vias 78 are connected with a signal layer ( not shown ) in the printed circuit board 70 . the connection pins 76 are connected to the vias 78 by reflow soldering , or the power bar 71 and ground bar 72 themselves are fastened by screws ( not shown ) to the printed circuit board 70 for connection to the signal layer included in the printed circuit board 70 . due to this configuration , the power bar and ground bar also are directly connected to the bga 10 without going through vias of the printed circuit board , so there is an effect of reduction of the high frequency noise . in general , vias in a printed circuit board have large inductances in the high frequency region and pose major problems even when the printed circuit board is at most 2 mm or so in thickness . since the power bar is directed connected to the bga 10 without going through the printed circuit board ( that is , the vias ), this is extremely effective as a measure against high frequency noise . fig8 is a cross - sectional view of a power feed device according to example 5 of the present invention . in the figure , parts the same as in fig7 are assigned the same reference numerals , and explanations are omitted . a power bar 71 is made from copper or another metal originally having a high electric conductivity , so by providing part of the power bar 71 with at least one of plate type heat radiating fins 81 and disk type heat radiating fins 82 , it is possible to obtain a heat radiating structure . further , if providing part of the plate type heat radiating fins 81 with slits 83 to enable part of the disk type heat radiating fins 82 to slide , a further larger heat radiating effect is obtained . fig9 is an enlarged view showing an example of providing part of the plate type heat radiating fins 81 explained in fig8 with slits 83 to enable part of the disk type heat radiating fins 82 to slide . fig1 a is a plan view of a power feed device according to example 6 of the present invention , while fig1 b is a cross - sectional view of a power feed device according to example 6 of the present invention . in fig1 a and 10b , reference numerals 101 and 102 indicate main body parts of a power bar , 103 an arm part of the power bar , 104 a conductive projection provided at a position corresponding to the , for example , vref power pin of a bga on the main body part 101 of the power bar , 105 a conductive projection provided at a position corresponding to the for example vref power pin of the bga on the main body part 102 of the power bar , 106 a screw hole for connecting an end of the arm part 103 and the main body part 101 of the power bar and forming a female screw structure , 107 a screw for connecting the end of the arm part 103 and the main body part 102 of the power bar , 108 a conductive pattern connected to the end of the arm part 103 , 109 a printed circuit board , 110 a via connecting an output power pin 111 of the obp 45 and the conductive pattern 108 , 112 an electrical component as constituted by the bga , 113 a for example vref power pin of the bga , and 114 a via for electrically connecting a power pin 113 and conductive projection . as shown in fig1 a and 10b , according to example 6 , the main body parts and the arm parts of the power bar are produced separately and the arm parts 103 can be screwed to the desired main body parts in accordance with need . conversely speaking , in the power feed devices from examples 1 to 5 , it was necessary to prepare a different shaped power bar each time the positions of the bga and the obp changed , but in example 6 , by separately preparing the main body parts and arm parts of the power bar , no matter what the positional relationship between the bga and obp , it becomes possible to use the same main body parts . fig1 is a plan view of a power feed device showing an example of application of example 6 . in the figures , 115 to 117 indicate three main body parts of the power bar , while 118 to 120 indicate three arm parts . in this way , even when the main body parts 115 to 117 of the power bar are arranged at positions different in direction and distance with respect to the obp 45 , by making the arm parts of the power bar lengths matching the positions of these main body parts , it becomes possible to connect the obp 45 and the main body parts of the power bar arranged at any positions . fig1 a to 12 d are plan views of a power feed device according to example 7 of the present invention . in the figures , fig1 a is a plan view of a bga 10 , fig1 b is a plan view of a power supply a side power bar , fig1 c is a plan view of a ground side power bar , and fig1 d is a plan view of a power supply b side power bar . in this way , in the present example , a single bga has two power supplies 122 ( a ) and 123 ( b ) connected to it . the bga 10 shown in fig1 a is the same as that shown in fig1 a and 1b and is provided with ground pins 1 , power pins 2 , and power pins 3 . in fig1 b , 124 indicates a power bar connected to a power supply a side 122 and provided at its main body part with cylindrical conductive projections 125 corresponding to the power pins 3 , holes 126 corresponding to the ground pins 1 , and holes 127 corresponding to the power pins 2 . in fig1 c , 128 indicates a ground side power bar connected to the power supply a side 122 and provided at its main body part with cylindrical conductive projections 129 corresponding to the ground pins 1 and holes 130 corresponding to the power pins 2 . in fig1 d , 131 indicates a power bar connected to the power supply b side 123 and provided at its main body part with cylindrical conductive projections 132 corresponding to the power pins 2 . by superposing these three power bars 124 , 128 , and 131 , a multi - power supply power bar can be realized . fig1 a is a plan view of the multi - power supply power bar shown in fig1 a to 12 d , while fig1 b is a cross - sectional view of a multi - power supply power bar as seen from the arrow a direction in fig1 a . as will be understood from fig1 a , the bar parts of the power bars are arranged offset in the lateral direction . in fig1 b , 133 indicates an insulating layer between the power bar 124 and the main body part of the power bar 128 , 134 indicates an insulating layer between the power bar 128 and the main body part of the power bar 131 , and 135 indicates a printed circuit board . the conductive projections 125 are connected through vias 136 of the printed circuit board 135 to the power pins 3 , the conductive projections 129 are fit into the holes 126 and connected through the vias 136 to the ground pins 1 , and the conductive projections 132 are fit into the holes 127 and connected through the vias 136 to the power pins 2 . the cylindrical shaped surroundings of the holes 126 corresponding to the ground pins 1 are electrically insulated from the power bar 124 by air insulation or insulating layers . similarly , the cylindrical shaped surroundings of the holes 130 corresponding to the power pins 2 are electrically insulated from the power bar 124 and ground side power bar 128 by air insulation or insulating layers . in the example shown in fig1 a to 12 d and fig1 a and 13b , the case of two power supplies is shown , but even if the number of power supplies is three or more , this can be similarly dealt with by adding power bars under the printed circuit board 132 and holes in the power bars superposed with the same . as clear from the above explanation , according to the present invention , by arranging a power bar at the outside of a printed circuit board , it is possible to reduce the number of power layers included in the printed circuit board and thereby possible to reduce the mounting density of the printed circuit board and simplify the production of the printed circuit board . further , the power bar is free from the effects of any voltage fluctuations of a power layer in the printed circuit board and therefore the quality of transmission of the signals in the electrical component can be improved . further , by having the power bar directly connected to the electrical component without going through vias of the printed circuit board , compared with the case of connection through vias , it is possible to reduce the effect due to high frequency noise . further , since the power bar is insulated from the power layer in the printed circuit board , the power bar is free from the effects of any voltage fluctuations in the power layer in the printed circuit board and therefore the quality of transmission of the signals in the electrical component can be improved . further , even if there are a plurality of power supplies , since power bars corresponding to the plurality of power supplies are provided outside of the printed circuit board , the mounting density of the printed circuit board can be further reduced and the production of the printed circuit board can be further simplified . while the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments chosen for purpose of illustration , it should be apparent that numerous modifications could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the basic concept and scope of the invention . | 7 |
fig1 illustrates an exploded view of a small battery cell 10 including a plurality of component members which align in a casing member 12 . aligned centrally in the casing member 12 is spirally wound electrode assembly 14 having a negative electrode 16 , a first separator 18 , a positive electrode 20 and a second separator 22 arranged as a layer and continuously layered over and about itself in spiral fashion in ever increasing radius about a mandrel hole 24 . the electrodes are offset in height with respect to each other . a circular and substantially planar positive current collector 26 aligns in intimate contact to the upper surface 28 of the electrode assembly 14 to physically and electrically contact the positive electrode 20 at a plurality of contact areas , as illustrated in fig2 . a plurality of downwardly extending v - projections 30a - 30n contact the wound positive electrode 20 along and about the top edge of the upper surface 28 . a spring tab 32 extends upwardly at an angle and then extends horizontally parallel to the plane of the positive current collector 26 . the spring tab 32 mates and secures to the bottom side of a positive contact 34 as illustrated in fig2 . a spring 36 aligns over and about the spring tab 32 to effect intimate physical contact with the upper surface of the positive current collector 26 at the lower portion of the spring 36 . the upper portion of the spring 36 intimately contacts and aligns in and is captured in an annular groove 38 in a dome surface 40 of a frangible cover seal 42 . a representative battery seal is u . s . pat . no . 5 , 057 , 386 . spring 36 forces the positive current collector 26 into physical and electrical contact with the positive electrode 20 in the spirally wound electrode assembly 14 . with reference also to fig2 the frangible cover 42 is generally disk shaped including an edge 44 , an upper planar surface 46 , an integral but frangible donut - like center section 48 extending vertically from the upper planar surface 46 , a multi - radius cavity 50 extending through the frangible center section 48 , a lower domed surface 40 and the annular groove 38 in the dome surface 40 . other components secure into the lower portion of the case 12 to effect a negative contact portion of the battery including , a disk - like negative current collector 52 having a plurality of upwardly extending v - projections 54a - 54n for contact with the wound negative electrode 16 along and about the bottom edge of the electrode assembly lower surface 56 . the integral one piece electrically conducting case 12 houses the previously described components and includes a bottom 58 , a round side 60 , and an upper containment portion 62 formed over and about the edge 44 of the frangible disk 42 including an annular groove 64 and an upper annular surface 66 crimped into sealing engagement with the upper planar surface 46 of the frangible cover 42 . the battery cell can be nickel , cadmium , nickel , metal hydride , lithium ion , lithium polymer , or silver metal hydride with the appropriate electrolyte such as potassium hydroxide . representative uses for the cell can include a cellular telephone or a radio transceiver . fig2 illustrates a cross - sectional view of an assembled cell 10 along line 2 -- 2 of fig1 where all numerals correspond to those elements previously described . illustrated in particular is the overall connection between the pluralities of positive and negative electrodes 20 and 16 to the associated positive and negative members of the cell 10 . it is noted that the lengths of the positive and negative electrodes 20 and 16 are not of the same length as the interspersed first and second separators 18 and 22 , and that a space 68 of ever changing spiral radius is provided over and above the top portion of the negative electrode 16 . the positive electrode 20 extends upwardly beyond the height of the adjacent continued space 68 , and between the upper regions of the first and second separators 18 and 22 where mutual physical and electrical contact with the v - projections 30a - 30n of the positive current collector 26 is established . contact of the v - projections 30a - 30n of the positive current collector 26 with the negative electrode 16 is prevented in this region by the space 68 at the upper surface 28 of the electrode assembly 14 . spring tab 32 located on the positive current collector 26 extends upwardly and horizontally to align to and physically secure to and electrically connect to the underside of the positive contact member 34 . the spring 36 aligns over and about the tab 32 and in the annular groove 38 on the underside of the dome surface 40 and the upper surface of the positive current collector 26 to exert downward pressure upon the positive current collector 26 to ensure contact of the v - projections 30a - 30n with the positive electrode 20 . electrical current flow proceeds through the positive current collector 26 , the spring tab 32 , and the positive contact member 34 . connection to the negative electrode 16 is accomplished in the lower region of the cell 10 . a space 70 is provided over and below the bottom position of the positive electrode 20 much in the same position as for space 68 at the upper portion of the battery 10 . the negative electrode 16 extends downwardly beyond the uppermost region of the adjacent continual space 70 , and between the lower regions of the first and second separators 18 and 22 where mutual physical and electrical contact with the v - projections 54a - 54n of the negative current collector 52 is established . contact of the v - projections 54a - 54n with the positive current electrode 20 is prevented in this region by the continual space 70 at the lower surface 56 of the electrode assembly 14 . the negative current collector 52 is in intimate physical contact and electrical contact with the bottom 58 of the case 12 which is the negative contact member . frangibility of the frangible cover 42 is provided for by a thin annular frangible area 72 designated by heavy dashed black lines between the annular groove 38 and the upper planar surface 46 . should excessive internal pressures occur , the frangible cover 42 separates along the thin frangible annular area 72 to prevent excessive internal pressure build up thereby preventing all explosive or other such catastrophic events . fig3 illustrates the cell 10 of fig2 where the positive current collector 26 has disengaged from the positive electrode 20 where all numerals correspond to those elements previously described . internal gas pressures have caused the positive current collector 26 to move upwardly to physically and electrically disengage the positive electrode 20 from the positive current collector 26 , thus interrupting current flow through the battery to act as a circuit breaker or interrupter . subsequent to battery cool - down or other undesirable occurrences and after reduction of internal pressures , the spring 36 repositions the positive current collector 26 for re - engagement with the positive electrode 20 so that battery operation may once again continue operation . fig4 illustrates the cell 10 of fig2 where the center frangible section 48 has separated and where all numerals correspond to those elements previously described . high internal anomalies causing excessive pressures have caused the frangible thin area 72 to separate , thus allowing the frangible center section 48 to move generally in an upward direction allowing any built - up pressures to escape the case 12 interior . though the frangible area 72 is illustrated as a wide band above the annular groove 38 , breakage can occur anywhere in the frangible area 72 , as illustrated . the breakage can occur in either a small or large arcual path about the frangible area 72 to let internal pressures bleed off . it is appreciated that these internal pressures can cause simultaneous movement of the positive current collector 26 as previously described and of the frangible center section 48 in concert to act as dual safety functions . various modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the apparent scope hereof . | 8 |
in fig1 to 3 , an illustrative embodiment of an arrangement according to the invention is indicated overall by reference number 10 . the arrangement 10 comprises a syringe barrel 12 with a proximal end 14 and a distal end 16 ( see fig2 ). a backstop 18 for a plunger stopper 20 ( fig3 ) arranged in the syringe barrel 12 is provided at the proximal end 14 . in the illustrative embodiment , backstop 18 and plunger stopper 20 together form a proximal closure element , which in fig3 is indicated overall by reference number 22 . a closure cap 24 known per se is arranged at the distal end 16 of the syringe barrel . instead of this , however , it would also be possible to fit here , for example , an adapter for a needle , or a needle with a needle guard cap . in addition , the closure cap at the distal end 16 of the syringe barrel 12 can also have a shape other than the one shown here . reference number 26 indicates a connection element which has a pot - like configuration in the present illustrative embodiment . it encloses the syringe barrel 12 and the closure cap 24 arranged at its distal end 16 and , in the area of the proximal end 14 , it is connected to the backstop 18 in a manner described in more detail below . together , the proximal closure element 22 ( here with backstop 18 and plunger stopper 20 ), the distal closure element ( here the closure cap 24 ) and the connection element 26 form a tamper - evident closure for the syringe barrel 12 . in this illustrative embodiment , the backstop 18 is a separate structural part which is secured on the proximal end of the syringe barrel 12 . for this purpose , the backstop 18 has a wall 28 in the form of a cylinder shell which firmly engages around the syringe barrel 12 in the area of its proximal end 14 . a lateral opening area 30 of the wall 28 is dimensioned in such a way that the backstop 18 can be pushed from the side onto the proximal end of the syringe barrel 12 in the manner of a snap - fit connection . at the upper end of the wall 28 , the backstop 18 has two laterally protruding plate areas 32 , 34 which form a finger support for the person using the syringe . the backstop 18 shown is thus intended principally for syringe barrels in which a finger support of this kind is not formed on the syringe barrel . in principle , however , the present invention can also be used in such syringe barrels , the backstop 18 then being designed without or with correspondingly modified plate areas 32 , 34 . laterally from the syringe barrel 12 , a claw - like catch hook 36 , 38 is arranged on each of the two plate areas 32 , 34 . the catch hooks 36 , 38 point radially towards one another . their free ends are also inclined towards the distal end 16 of the syringe barrel 12 . the clear distance between the two catch hooks 36 , 38 , is indicated by d in fig3 . this corresponds approximately to the external diameter of the plunger stopper 20 , so that the plunger stopper 20 , upon withdrawal from the syringe barrel 12 , comes into contact with the catch hooks 36 , 38 . if the plunger stopper 20 is then withdrawn further from the syringe barrel 12 , the clear distance d between the two catch hooks 36 , 38 narrows because of the selected inclination . the holding pressure on the plunger stopper 20 increases , so that complete removal of the plunger stopper 20 from the syringe barrel 12 is prevented . in the presently preferred illustrative embodiment shown , the clear distance d between the two catch hooks 36 , 38 is approximately identical to the clear internal diameter of the syringe barrel 12 . in other words , the two catch hooks 36 , 38 do not jut into a projected circular line corresponding to the internal diameter of the syringe barrel 12 . however , since the plunger stopper 20 in the syringe barrel is pressed radially together in order to achieve good lateral sealing on the inside wall of the barrel , the two catch hooks 36 , 38 can nevertheless reliably secure the plunger stopper 20 . this particular type of configuration of the backstop 18 is the subject of a parallel plate application ( filed on the same date and claiming priority from german patent application de 10 204 009 919 . 7 ) assigned to the present assignee , which is incorporated here by reference . however , it is not essential for realizing the claiming invention set out herein , i . e . the present arrangement can in principle also be realized with other types of backstops , such as are known , for example , from the prior art mentioned in the introduction . in the preferred illustrative embodiment , the connection element 26 has a pot - like configuration , the syringe barrel 12 engaging with its distal closure cap 24 into the “ pot ” with a precise fit ( fig3 ). however , in a deviation from this configuration , the connection element 26 can , for example , also be designed without base 40 , so that it then instead has the form of a sleeve . in this context , it is important simply that the connection element 26 ensures that the closure cap 24 , more generally a closure element arranged at the distal end 16 , cannot be removed as long as the connection element 26 sits on the syringe barrel 12 . for this purpose , it suffices , for example , to provide a flanged edge , a thickened portion or a bridge formed on the connection element 26 in the area of the closure cap 24 . in the preferred illustrative embodiment , the connection element 26 has two window - like recesses 42 which extend parallel to one another but are offset by 180 ° to one another on the outer circumference of the connection element 26 . accordingly , the second recess 42 cannot be seen in the views in fig1 and 3 . at its upper ( proximal ) end , the connection element 26 has a ring 44 which is connected to the sleeve - like body 48 of the connection element 26 via four thin bridges 46 . the bridges 46 are here distributed uniformly on the outer circumference of the connection element 26 . they form predetermined breaking points at which the connection element 26 can be broken open and the body can then be detached from the syringe barrel 12 . in the present illustrative embodiment , the ring 44 of the connection element 26 sits with a precise fit in a groove 50 formed at the distal end of the wall 28 . ring 44 and groove 50 form a lock closure with which the connection element 26 and the backstop 18 are joined together . alternatively and / or in addition , the ring 44 could also be adhesively bonded , welded or otherwise irreversibly connected to the backstop 18 . reference number 52 indicates two wing - like projections which are formed just below the ring 44 on the connection element 26 . the wing - like projections 52 permit simple turning of the connection element 26 relative to the backstop 18 , specifically in such a way that the bridges 46 break open . by virtue of the fact that the ring 44 remains in the groove 50 on the backstop 18 , said backstop 18 is still secured at the proximal end of the syringe barrel 12 , i . e . it cannot be removed without irreversibly destroying the ring 44 . by means of the preferred design of the connection element 26 in the form of a sleeve or pot , the syringe barrel 12 is additionally protected during transport and storage . for realization of the tamper - evident closure , however , this form of the connection element 26 is not absolutely necessary . particularly in syringe barrels 12 made of plastic , the connection element 26 can also have a completely different shape as long as it satisfies the intended function , namely that of securing the proximal and distal closure elements ( here the backstop 18 and the closure cap 24 , respectively ) in their respective positions . for example , the connection element 26 can be a simple bridge which extends , outside the syringe barrel 12 , from the closure cap 24 as far as the backstop 18 . the connection element is preferably made of a stiff or at least minimally extensible material , in order to effectively prevent removal of the closure cap and / or of the backstop 18 . fig4 shows the syringe barrel 12 with the backstop 18 after removal of the connection element 26 and of the closure cap 24 and after a plunger rod 54 has been screwed into the plunger stopper 20 . the plunger rod 54 can be supplied to the end user separately from the arrangement 10 . alternatively , it is also possible for the plunger rod 54 to be already screwed into the plunger stopper 20 , or otherwise secured in it , by the manufacturer . for the sake of clarity , however , the plunger rod 54 is not shown in fig1 to 3 . | 0 |
generally , a reduced dose inseminate produced by combining an amount of paternal semen of a paternal animal with an amount of heterogeneous semen of a heterogeneous male animal capable of fertilizing an egg of a female animal of the species of the paternal male animal and methods of producing and using the reduced dose inseminate for in vivo or in vitro fertilization for the production of embryos and offspring of the species of the paternal animal . specifically , a reduced dose inseminate produced by combining a plurality of paternal sperm cells obtained from a paternal mammal with a plurality of heterogeneous sperm cells obtained from a heterogeneous male animal and methods of producing and using the reduce dose inseminate for the in vivo and in vitro fertilization for the production of embryos and offspring of the species of the paternal animal . now referring to primarily to fig1 , fertilization efficiency of a plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) obtained from a paternal animal ( 2 ) used in a reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) can be increased when supplemented with a plurality of heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) obtained from a heterogeneous animal ( 5 ). the reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) supplemented with a plurality of heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) can perform as well as a conventional dose inseminate which contains a substantially greater amount of paternal semen ( 7 ) or a greater number of the plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ). for the purposes of this invention , the term “ paternal animal ” means a male animal from which an amount of paternal semen ( 7 ) can be obtained . without limitation to the forgoing , the male animal will typically be a male mammal being a species of : horse , cattle , camel , deer , pig , sheep , goat , dog , cat , lion , whale , dolphin , porpoise , seal , hare , rabbit , elephant , mouse , rat , or other male mammal from which the amount of paternal semen ( 7 ) can be obtained by collection . however , as to certain embodiments of the invention , the paternal animal ( 2 ) can also be a male fish and without limiting the forgoing can be a species : salmon , tuna , sturgeon , halibut , catfish , or other male fish from which an amount of paternal semen ( 7 ) can be obtained by collection . as to other certain embodiments of the invention the paternal animal ( 2 ) can be a male bird and without limiting the forgoing can be a species : chicken , turkey , eagle , falcon , ostrich , emu , duck , goose , or other male bird from which an amount of paternal semen ( 7 ) can be collected . for the purposes of this invention , the term “ paternal semen ” refers to seminal fluid which contains a plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) ( sperm cells are also commonly referred to as “ spermatozoa ”) capable of fertilizing an egg ( 6 )( an egg is also commonly referred to as an “ ova ”) obtained from a female of the same species ( 8 ) as the paternal animal ( 1 ). the amount of paternal semen ( 7 ) can be obtained from the paternal animal ( 1 ) by any means which produces a sufficient plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) for use in a reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ). by way of example , and without limiting the forgoing , the amount of paternal semen ( 7 ) can be collected from a paternal animal ( 2 ) by a variety of methods such as use of an artificial vagina , manual manipulation of the penis , electrical manipulation of the anus , or the like . for the purposes of this invention , the term “ paternal sperm cells ” refers to the sperm cells contained in the amount of paternal semen ( 7 ) obtained from the paternal animal ( 2 ). for the purposes of this invention , the term “ sex - selected paternal sperm cells ” refers to a plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) of an amount of paternal semen ( 7 ) obtained from a paternal animal ( 2 ) which have been separated into an x - chromosome bearing population ( 9 ) and a y - chromosome bearing population ( 10 ). any manner or method by which the x - chromosome bearing sperm cells ( 11 ) can be separated or sorted from the y - chromosome bearing sperm cells ( 12 ) of an amount of paternal semen ( 2 ) to provide viable sex - selected paternal sperm cells ( 13 ) for use in the reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) can be suitable for use . now referring to fig2 , without limiting the forgoing , x - chromosome bearing sperm cells ( 11 ) can be separated or isolated from y - chromosome bearing sperm cells ( 13 ) of the amount of paternal semen ( 7 ) using a flow cytometer ( 14 ). the flow cytometer ( 14 ) can be configured to differentiate and sort the plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) based on the amount of deoxyribonucleic acid (“ dna ”) ( 15 ) within the sperm head ( 16 ). typically , a sheath fluid source ( 34 ) delivers a fluid stream ( 17 ) in which to entrain the plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) delivered from a sperm cell source ( 18 ). the fluid stream ( 17 ) having a plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) entrained can be oscillated by a nozzle ( 19 ) to generate a plurality of droplets ( 20 ) below the nozzle ( 19 ). each of the plurality of droplets ( 20 ) can entrain one of the plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ). an illumination source ( 21 ), such as a laser , can emit a beam of light ( 22 ), or a plurality of beams of light can be generated by utilizing a beam splitting element ( 23 )( the beam splitting element shown but not the plurality of beams of light )( or by utilizing a plurality of illumination sources ( 21 )), which can be focused incident upon the plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) entrained in the fluid stream ( 17 ) below the nozzle ( 19 ) through an optical element ( 24 ), either as a single beam of light ( 22 ) or a plurality of beams of light , whether at the same or different wave lengths . characteristics of the beam of light ( 22 ) can be altered by incidence upon each one of the plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) within the fluid stream ( 17 ), or an emission ( 25 ) can be generated by incidence of the beam of light ( 22 ) upon ligands ( 26 ), fluorescent materials , or the like , bound to the dna ( 15 ) of each one of the plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ). the beam ( s ) of light ( 22 ) having altered characteristics or the emission ( 25 ) can be received by a single or a plurality of detectors ( 27 ) which can generate a signal ( 28 ) for analysis by a computer implemented program ( 33 ) to differentiate each one of the plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) correspondingly entrained in each one of the plurality of droplets ( 20 ) based upon one or a plurality of sperm cell characteristics . each differentiated one of the plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) can be separated based upon the presence or absence of one or a plurality of the analyzed sperm cell characteristics collected in a corresponding one of a plurality of collection elements ( 29 ). the flow cytometer ( 14 ) can further include a droplet charge generator ( 30 ) which induces a positive or negative charge in each one of the plurality of droplets ( 20 ) and a droplet deflector ( 31 ) which acts upon each one of the charged plurality of droplets ( 20 ) to establish a trajectory to the proper one of the plurality of collection elements ( 29 ). each of the plurality of collection elements ( 29 ) thereby contains a population of the plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) which can be predominantly x - chromosome bearing sperm cells ( 11 ) or y - chromosome bearing sperm cells ( 12 ). the purity of the x - chromosome bearing population ( 9 ) or the y - chromosome bearing population ( 10 ) can exceed 80 % or 90 % or can be of even greater purity depending upon the parameters of operating the flow cytometer ( 14 ); however , the purity level can be adjusted to be a greater or a lesser percent purity consistent with any particular application . non - limiting examples of conventional methods of using a flow cytometer ( 14 ) to sort the plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) suitable for use in the production of a reduced dose inseminate ( 2 ) are described in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 135 , 759 ; 6 , 372 , 422 ; 7 , 195 , 920 and 7 , 169 , 548 , each hereby incorporated by reference in the entirety herein . now referring primarily to fig3 , a bivariate plot ( 32 ) can be generated during the use of a flow cytometer ( 14 ) to separate or sort a plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) into an x - chromosome bearing population ( 9 ) and y - chromosome bearing population ( 10 ) as above - described is shown . the bivariate plot ( 32 ) shows that a mixture of x - chromosome bearing sperm cells ( 11 ) and y - chromosome bearing sperm cells ( 12 ) in an amount of paternal semen ( 7 ) can be resolved into an x - chromosome bearing population ( 9 ) and a y - chromosome bearing population ( 10 ) of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ). for the purposes of this invention , the term “ heterogeneous animal ” refers to an animal which is not of the same species as the paternal animal ( 2 ). as one example , the paternal animal ( 2 ) can be a bovine animal then the heterogeneous animal ( 5 ) can be any other species of animal . in certain instances , the heterogeneous animal ( 5 ) could be an animal of the same species as the paternal animal ( 2 ) but whose sperm cells are incapable of fertilizing the egg ( 6 ) of a female animal the same species ( 8 ) as the paternal animal ( 2 ). for example , a bovine male animal ( or individual of other species of animal ) with a genetic deficiency in sperm production which produces sperm cells which are motile but incapable of fertilizing an egg ( 6 ) the non - fertile sperm cells can be combined with the fertile plurality of sperm cells ( 1 ) of the paternal animal ( 2 ) as the heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ). for the purposes of this invention the term “ heterogeneous semen ” refers to seminal fluid which contains a plurality of heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) which are not capable of fertilizing an egg ( 6 ) obtained from a female of the same species ( 8 ) as the paternal animal ( 2 ). an amount of heterogeneous semen ( 35 ) can be obtained from a heterogeneous animal ( 5 ) by any means which produces a sufficient plurality of heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) for use in a reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ). by way of example , and without limiting the forgoing , an amount of heterogeneous semen ( 35 ) can be collected from a heterogeneous animal ( 5 ) by a variety of methods such use of an artificial vagina , manual manipulation of the penis , electrical manipulation of the anus , or the like . for the purposes of this invention , the term “ heterogeneous sperm cells ” refers to sperm cells contained in an amount of heterogeneous semen ( 35 ). for clarity purposes , a plurality of heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) are sufficiently different from the plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) such that an egg ( 6 ) obtained from a female animal of the same species ( 8 ) as the paternal animal ( 2 ) cannot be fertilized by the plurality of heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ); however , the term is not intended to infer or relate to differences between individual sperm cells in the heterogeneous semen ( 35 ). for the purposes of this invention , the term “ extender ” refers to a solution that comes in contact with the plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) or the plurality of heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ), whether as isolated populations or combined in the reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ), typically for the purpose of dilution or as a cryoprotectant . typical examples of an extender ( 36 ) can contain one or more of : sodium citrate , tris [ hydroxymethyl ] aminomethane ( also referred to as “ tris ”), tes ( n - tris [ hydroxymethyl ] methyl - 2 - aminoethanesulfonic acid ), monosodium glutamate , hepes medium such as hepes buffered - medium , hepes buffered bovine gamete medium and particularly hbgm3 and can further contain cryoprotectants such as glycerol , dimethyl sulfoxide , ethylene glycol , propylene glycol ; other organic substances such as egg yolk , an egg yolk extract , milk , a milk extract , casein , albumin , lecithin , bovine serum albumin , cholesterol ; sugars such as the monosacharides , glucose , fructose , or mannose ; detergents such as sodium dodecyl sulfate ; antioxidants such butylated hydroxytoluene ; capacitation facilitators such as alpha amylase , beta amylase , or beta glucuronidase ; antibiotics such as tylosin , gentamicin , lincomycin , spectinomycin , linco - spectin ( a combination of lincomycin and spectinomycin ), penicillin , streptomycin , and ticarcillin ; flow cytometer sheath fluids ; and specifically without limiting the forgoing the particular extenders ( 36 ) referred to below as tris - a ( 37 ) and tris - b ( 38 ); although the inventive reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) or methods of using a reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) are not limited by the working examples which use tris - a as an extender ( 36 ) to dilute concentration of the plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) and the plurality of the homogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) or which use tris - b ( 38 ) as a cryoprotectant ( 39 ). for the purposes of this invention the term “ tris - a ” refers to an extender ( 36 ) having the formulation in table 1 . the formulation of tris - a set out in table 1 can from application to application of the invention be modified to increase viability or reduce damage to the plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) or the plurality of the homogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) and the above formulation is provided as a non - limiting example of a numerous and wide variety of similar extenders which are suitable for use in making or using the reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ). see also , yassen , a . m . and foote , r . h ., freezability of bovine spermatozoa in tris - buffered yolk extenders containing different levels of tris , sodium , potassium and calcium ions , j . dairy science , vol . 50 , no . 6 , 887 - 892 ( 1966 ), hereby incorporated by reference in the entirety herein . extenders ( 36 ) in general and specifically the particular extender tris - a ( 37 ) can further include one or more antibiotics ( 40 ) as above described or consistent with animal health regulations of any particular jurisdiction . also , the description of tris - a is not intended to limiting with respect to the wide variety of extenders ( 36 ) which can be utilized in making and using certain embodiments of the reduce dose inseminate ( 3 ) as described above . for the purposes of this invention the term “ tris - b ” refers to an extender having the formulation in table 2 . the formulation of tris - b set out in table 2 can from application to application of the invention be modified to increase viability or reduce damage to the plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) or the plurality of the homogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) and the above formulation is provided as a non - limiting example of a numerous and wide variety of similar extenders which are suitable for use in making or using the reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ). again see for example , yassen , a . m . and foote , r . h ., freezability of bovine spermatozoa in tris - buffered yolk extenders containing different levels of tris , sodium , potassium and calcium ions , j . dairy science , vol . 50 , no . 6 , 887 - 892 ( 1966 ). extenders ( 36 ) in general and specifically the particualar extender tris - b ( 38 ) can further include one or more antibiotics ( 40 ) as above described or consistent with animal health regulations of any particular jurisdiction . additionally , while tris - b ( 38 ) of the particular formulation set out in table 2 uses glycerol as a cryoprotectant ( 39 ) the invention is not so limited . also , the description of tris - b is not intended to limiting with respect to the wide variety of extenders ( 36 ) which can be utilized in making and using certain embodiments of the reduce dose inseminate ( 3 ) as described above . again referring primarily to fig1 , for the purpose of this invention the term “ reduced dose inseminate ” refers to a plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) combined with a plurality of heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) without limitation to any particular dosage form ( 41 ). as to particular embodiments , the plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) and the plurality of heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) can be contained in a corresponding amount of paternal semen ( 7 ) and heterogeneous semen ( 35 ) which may be diluted with an extender ( 36 ) prior to or after combination . as to other particular embodiments , the plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) can be sex - selected paternal sperm cells ( 13 ) to provide an x - chromosome bearing population ( 9 ) or a y - chromosome bearing population ( 10 ) which can be combined with the plurality of heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ). as to yet other particular embodiments , the reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) may be an amount by volume of the combination of the plurality of paternal cells ( l )( whether or not sex - selected paternal sperm cells ( 13 )) and the heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) along with an amount of an extender ( 36 ). the volume of the combination of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) and heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) and the concentration or the ratio of the paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) and heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) within a volume can vary depending on the application . other particular embodiments of the reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) can further include a particular dosage form ( 41 ). as one non - limiting example , the dosage form ( 41 ) for artificial insemination of cattle can be a one - quarter cubic centimeter ( 0 . 25 cc ) artificial insemination straw which contains the reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ). when a reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ), the combination of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) and heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ), is otherwise produced by the same steps or procedures as any particular conventional insemination dose , the resulting reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) can by comparison contain fewer paternal sperm cells ( 1 )( hence a reduced dose or low dose of paternal sperm cells ( 1 )) capable of fertilizing an egg ( 6 ) of a female of the same species as the paternal animal ( 2 ). as a general non - limiting example , a reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) which contains a reduced dose ( or low dose ) of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) can be made by obtaining an amount of paternal semen ( 7 ) or an amount of sex - selected paternal sperm cells ( 1 3 )( as to each fresh or cryopreserved ) of a paternal animal ( 2 ) such as a bull , stallion , ram , bill goat , boar , or otherwise . the amount of paternal semen ( 7 ) or sex - selected paternal sperm cells ( 13 ) can be extended with tris - a ( 38 ) extender ( or other extender ( 36 )) to achieve a concentration of the extended plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) of about four times greater than the concentration of the plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) in the particular embodiment of the reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) to be produced . embodiments of the reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) will typically have a concentration of the plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) in a range of about 200 , 000 paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) per milliliter and about 40 million paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) per milliliter depending upon various factors such as the species of the paternal animal ( 2 ), the scarcity of the paternal semen ( 7 ), the fertility of the paternal semen ( 7 ), the dosage form ( 41 ), the method of insemination ( whether artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization ), whether for multiple ovulation embryo transfer or single ovulation single embryo production , the female animal of the same species as the paternal animal ( 2 ) being inseminated , or the like . accordingly , the four times concentration of the paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) in tris - a ( 37 )( or other extender ) can be in a range of about 800 , 000 paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) per milliliter and about 160 million paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) per milliliter of tris - a ( 37 ). the extended paternal semen ( 7 ) or sex - selected paternal sperm cells ( 13 ) can be cooled to a temperature in a range of about 4 degrees celsius (“° c .”) and about 5 ° c . the cooled extended paternal semen ( 7 ) or sex - selected paternal sperm cells ( 13 ) can be held at this temperature to allow the membranes of the paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) to move toward equilibrium or equilibrate with the tris - a ( typically a period of about 90 minutes or as to certain embodiments not less than 90 minutes ). the cooled extended paternal sperm cells ( 7 ) can be held in this condition not to exceed a length of time in which the paternal sperm cells ( 7 ) remain viable or capable fertilizing an egg ( 6 ) of a female of the same species ( 8 ) as the paternal animal ( 2 ). typically , the period of time held will not exceed 12 hours . an amount of heterogeneous semen ( 35 ) can be obtained from a heterogeneous animal ( 5 ) ( or as cryopreserved heterogeneous semen ( 35 ) of the heterogeneous animal ( 5 ). the heterogeneous semen ( 35 ) can be suspended in an amount of tris - a ( 37 ) ( or other extender ( 36 )) and then centrifuged in range of about 500 rounds per minute (“ rpm ”) and about 5 , 000 rpm for a period in a range of between about one minute and about ten minutes . the supernatant can be decanted and the pellet containing the plurality of heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) can be suspended in an amount of tris - a ( 37 ) to achieve a concentration of the plurality of heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) of about four times greater than the concentration of the plurality of heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) in the particular embodiment of the reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) to be produced . embodiments of the reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) will typically have a concentration of the plurality of heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) in a range of about 4 million heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) per milliliter and about 80 million heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) per milliliter depending upon various factors above described with regard to the paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) and the efficiency of the particular heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) to enhance characteristics of the paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) such as viability , motility , fertility , or the like . accordingly , four times concentration of the plurality of heterogeneous sperm cells ( 1 ) in tris - a ( 37 )( or other extender ( 36 )) can be in a range of about 16 million heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) per milliliter and about 320 million heterogeneous sperm cells ( 1 ) per milliliter of tris - a ( 37 ). the extended heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) can be cooled to a temperature in a range of about 4 ° c . and about 5 ° c .. the cooled extended heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) can be held at this temperature to allow the membranes of the hetergenous sperm cells ( 4 ) to move toward equilibrium or equilibrate with the tris - a ( typically a period of about 90 minutes or as to certain embodiments not less than 90 minutes ). the cooled extended heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) can be held in this condition until combined with the paternal sperm cells ( 4 ). about equal volumes of the cooled extended paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) or sex - selected paternal sperm cells ( 13 ) and the cooled extended heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) can be combined to achieve two times greater concentration of each of the paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) or the heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) with respect to the final concentration of each in the reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) to be produced . to the two fold concentrated combination of the plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) and heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ), about an equal volume of tris - b ( 38 )( containing between about 12 % and 20 % glycerol ) can be added and the mixture can be cooled to temperature in a range of about 4 ° c . and about 5 ° c .. the cooled extended combination of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) and heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) can be held at this temperature to allow the membranes of the paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) and the heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) to move toward equilibrium or equilibrate with the tris - b ( typically a period in the range of about 30 minutes and about 90 minutes or as to certain embodiments not less than 90 minutes ). the cooled extended combination of paternal sperm cells ( 7 ) and heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) can be held in this condition not to exceed a length of time in which the paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) remain viable or capable fertilizing an egg ( 6 ) of a female of the same species as the paternal animal ( 2 ). the cooled extended combination of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) and heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) can be handled by normal procedures utilized for producing doses of the paternal semen ( 7 ). accordingly , as to certain embodiments , the cooled extended combination of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) and heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) can be aliquoted into 0 . 25 cc artificial insemination straws . the reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) of this dosage form ( 41 )( 0 . 25 cc artificial insemination straw ) provides a plurality of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) typically in the range of about 50 , 000 and about 10 million and a plurality of heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) in the range of about 1 million and about 20 million . however , a greater or lesser number of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) can be included in the reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) depending on the scarcity of the paternal semen ( 7 ) or sex - selected paternal sperm cells ( 13 ). the reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) can used for artificial insemination to fertilize the egg ( s ) ( 6 ) of a female of the same species ( 8 ) as the paternal animal ( 2 ) to for the production of embryos ( 42 ) whether as single embryo pregnancies to generate offspring ( 43 ) for meat or animal replacement or multiple embryo pregnancies for multiple ovulation embryo production and subsequent flushing of multiple embryos ( 44 ). pregnancy rates resulting from the use of the inventive reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) can be at the same level as when conventional dose inseminates are utilized in artificial insemination procedures . alternately , the reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) can be used in vitro fertilization ( 45 ) procedures to fertilize eggs ( 6 ) of obtained from a female animal of the same species ( 8 ) to produce in vitro fertilized embryos ( 42 ). a particular non - limiting example of a reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) can be prepared by obtaining one milliliter of fresh paternal semen ( 7 ) from a bull of a bovine species of a dairy or beef breed ( the paternal animal ( 2 )). the one milliliter of fresh paternal semen ( 7 ) of a bull of a bovine species will typically contain about one billion paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) which can be extended with tris - a ( 37 ) to achieve a concentration of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) of about 16 million per milliliter (“ ml ”) in final volume of about 62 . 6 ml . the extended paternal semen ( 7 ) can be cooled to temperature in a range of about 4 ° c . and about 5 ° c . and held for period of about 90 minutes . twenty - five milliliters of fresh heterogeneous semen ( 35 ) can be obtained from a bill goat ( s ), each milliliter containing about one billion heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ), can be centrifuged at about 2000 rpm for about 5 minutes . the supernatant can be discarded and the heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) extended with tris - a ( 37 ) to a concentration of heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) of about 320 million per milliliter with a final volume of about 69 . 4 ml . the extended heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) can be cooled to a temperature in a range of about 4 ° c . and about 5 ° c . and held for period of about 90 minutes . about equal volumes of the cooled extended paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) and cooled extended heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) ( about 60 ml cooled extended bull semen about 16 million sperm cells per ml and about 60 ml cooled extended bill goat semen about 320 million sperm cells per ml ) can be combined and extended to a total volume of about 240 ml with tris - b ( 38 ). the extended combination of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) and heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) can be cooled to a temperature in a range of about 4 ° c . and about 5 ° c . and held for period of about 30 minutes . the cooled extended combination of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) of a bovine bull and heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) of a bill goat ( s ) at 4 ° c . can be aliquoted into a plurality of 0 . 25 ml artificial insemination straws ( about 960 0 . 25 ml artificial insemination straws can be produced from the total volume of 240 ml ) to produce a corresponding plurality of reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) in the dosage form of a 0 . 25 ml artificial insemination straws . each of the plurality of reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) contain about one million paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) of a bovine bull and about 20 million heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) of the bill goat ( s ). the plurality of reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) were frozen by conventional cryopreservation procedures . artificial insemination using a single frozen - thawed reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) in a single estrus cycle in the dosage form of a 0 . 26 ml artificial insemination straw produced as above described were used to artificially inseminate 118 female bovine animals of the species ( 8 ) of the paternal animal ( 2 )( 118 cows ) by otherwise conventional artificial insemination procedures resulting in 66 pregnancies ( 56 % pregnancy rate ). these results show that use of the inventive reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) in conventional artificial insemination procedures can achieve pregnancy rates comparable to the use of a normal dose inseminate ( a normal dose inseminate can contain about 20 million paternal sperm cells of a bull of a bovine species ) in control groups in which a pregnancy rate of between about 50 % and about 65 % can be achieved . a second particular non - limiting example of a reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) can be prepared by obtaining one milliliter of fresh paternal semen ( 7 ) from a bill goat ( the paternal animal ( 2 )). the one milliliter of fresh paternal semen ( 7 ) of the bill goat will typically contain about one billion paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) which can be extended with tris - a ( 37 ) to achieve a concentration of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) of about 32 million per milliliter (“ ml ”) in final volume of about 31 . 3 ml . the extended paternal semen ( 7 ) can be cooled to temperature in a range of about 4 ° c . and about 5 ° c . and held for period of about 90 minutes . fifteen milliliters of fresh heterogeneous semen ( 35 ) can be obtained from a ram ( s ), each milliliter containing about one billion heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ), can be centrifuged at about 2000 rpm for about 5 minutes . the supernatant can be discarded and the heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) extended with tris - a ( 37 ) to a concentration of heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) of about 320 million per milliliter with a final volume of about 46 . 9 ml . the extended heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) can be cooled to a temperature in a range of about 4 ° c . and about 5 ° c . and held for period of about 90 minutes . about equal volumes of the cooled extended paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) and cooled extended heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) ( about 30 ml cooled extended bill goat semen about 32 million sperm cells per ml and about 30 ml cooled extended ram semen about 320 million sperm cells per ml ) can be combined and extended to a total volume of about 120 ml with tris - b ( 38 ). the extended combination of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) and heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) can be cooled to a temperature in a range of about 4 ° c . and about 5 ° c . and held for period of about 30 minutes . the cooled extended combination of paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) of a bill goat and heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) of a ram ( s ) at 4 ° c . can be aliquoted into a plurality of 0 . 25 ml artificial insemination straws ( about 480 0 . 25 ml artificial insemination straws can be produced from the total volume of 120 ml ) to produce a corresponding plurality of reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) in the dosage form of a 0 . 25 ml artificial insemination straws . each of the plurality of reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) contain about two million paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) of a bill goat and about 20 million heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) of the ram . the plurality of reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) were frozen by conventional cryopreservation procedures . artificial insemination by laproscopic uterus insemination using a single frozen - thawed reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) in a single estrus cycle in the dosage form of a 0 . 25 ml artificial insemination straw produced as above described for 125 female goat cows by otherwise conventional artificial insemination by laproscopic uterus insemination procedures resulting in 64 pregnancies ( 51 % pregnancy rate ). these results show that use of the inventive reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) can achieve pregnancy rates comparable to the use of a normal dose inseminate ( a normal dose inseminate can contain about 20 million paternal sperm cells of a bill goat ). for the purposes of this invention the term “ artificial insemination ” refers to the process by which the “ reduced dose inseminate ” is placed into the reproductive tract of a female animal of the same species ( 8 ) as the paternal animal ( 2 ) for the purpose of impregnating the female animal ( 8 ). without limitation to the forgoing , certain embodiments of the invention can utilize intracervical insemination where the “ reduced dose inseminate ” can be injected high into the cervix . other embodiments of the invention , can utilize intrauterine insemination of the “ reduced dose inseminate ” from which the sperm cells have been removed from most other components of the seminal fluids and can be injected directly into the uterus of the female animal . yet other embodiments of the invention can include laproscopic artificial insemination of the female animal of the same species ( 8 ) as the paternal animal ( 2 ). for the purposes of this invention the term “ in vitro fertilization ” refers to the process by which an egg ( 6 ) of a female animal of the same species ( 8 ) as the paternal animal ( 2 ) can be fertilized using a reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) which includes paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) outside of the womb , in vitro . the process can involve hormonally controlling the ovulatory process , removing ova (“ eggs ”)( 6 ) from the female animal &# 39 ; s ( 8 ) ovaries and allowing paternal sperm cells ( 1 ) of the reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) fertilize them in a fluid medium . the egg ( s )( 6 ) removed from female animal &# 39 ; s ( 8 ) ovaries can be cryopreserved and later fertilized in vitro . the resulting embryos ( 42 ) can then be transferred to the uterus of recipient female animal ( s ) with the intent to establish a successful pregnancy or cryopreserved for later implantation . for purposes of the present invention , “ embryo ” refers to the stages of development whereby a fertilized egg ( 6 ) obtained from a female animal of the same species ( 8 ) as the paternal animal ( 2 ) develops toward a fetus ( 42 ), in vitro or in vivo . in particular embodiments of the invention , the heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) may be provided to an end user in the form of a kit designed to allow the end user to combine a sample of paternal semen ( 1 ) of known or unknown concentration with said heterogeneous sperm cells supplied in the kit to create a plurality of reduced dose inseminates ( 3 ). a particular non - limiting example of a kit to a create reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) can be prepared by providing a 0 . 50 cc straw of cryopreserved bull ( bovine ) semen containing 200 million sperm cells from a bull that produces sperm which is unable to fertilize ( infertile bull is heterogeneous sperm cells ( 4 ) source ) and a vial containing 4 . 0 ml of sterile liquid dilution extender such as talp , tris a , androhep , triladyl , or the like . the contents of said 0 . 50 cc straw of heterogeneous sperm ( 4 ) is placed in said vial containing 4 . 5 ml of sterile liquid dilution extender to create a diluted portion of heterogeneous sperm at concentration of about 20 million sperm per ml . the end user of the kit provides a frozen straw of commercially available bovine semen ( bull is paternal sperm ( 1 ) source ) which is thawed to provide about 10 million paternal sperm ( 1 ) in a volume of about 0 . 50 ml . the said thawed about 10 million paternal sperm ( 1 ) is placed into said vial containing about 5 ml of heterogeneous sperm ( 4 ) at about 20 million sperm per ml to generate a mixture containing about 2 million paternal sperm ( 1 ) and 20 million heterogeneous sperm ( 4 ) per ml . the end user uses empty 0 . 5 cc cryopreservation straws to draw up about 0 . 5 cc of said mixture of paternal and heterogeneous sperm to provide a reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) of a volume of about 0 . 5 ml containing about 1 million paternal sperm ( 1 ) and about 10 million heterogeneous sperm ( 4 ). since the end user is able to fill about 10 of said empty 0 . 5 cc cryopreservation straws , the number of usable reduced dose inseminates ( 3 ) provided by the kit is about 10 times greater than the number of paternal sperm ( 1 ) straws originally thawed . in this way , the number of breedings from a genetically valuable bull can be increased by a multiple . for the purpose of the present invention , the term “ combination or combining or combined ” refers to any method of putting two or more materials together . such methods include , but are not limited to , mixing , commingling , incorporating , intermingling , stirring , integrating , or the like . for the purposes of the present invention , ranges may be expressed herein as from “ about ” one particular value to “ about ” another particular value . when such a range is expressed , another embodiment includes from the one particular value to the other particular value . similarly , when values are expressed as approximations , by use of the antecedent “ about ,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another embodiment . it will be further understood that the endpoints of each of the ranges are significant both in relation to the other endpoint , and independently of the other endpoint . moreover , for the purposes of the present invention , the term “ a ” or “ an ” entity refers to one or more of that entity ; for example , “ a sperm cell ” refers to one or more of sperm cells . as such , the terms “ a ” or “ an ”, “ one or more ” and “ at least one ” can be used interchangeably herein unless otherwise indicated . according to the present invention , an isolated material or particle is removed from its natural milieu ; however , an isolated material does not necessarily reflect the extent to which the material or particle has been purified . as can be easily understood from the foregoing , the basic concepts of the present invention may be embodied in a variety of ways . the invention involves numerous and varied embodiments of a reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ) and methods of making and using such a reduced dose inseminate ( 3 ). as such , the particular embodiments or elements of the invention disclosed by the description or shown in the figures accompanying this application are not intended to be limiting , but rather exemplary of the numerous and varied embodiments generically encompassed by the invention or equivalents encompassed with respect to any particular element thereof . in addition , the specific description of a single embodiment or element of the invention may not explicitly describe all embodiments or elements possible ; many alternatives are implicitly disclosed by the description and figures . it should be understood that each element of an apparatus or each step of a method may be described by an apparatus term or method term . such terms can be substituted where desired to make explicit the implicitly broad coverage to which this invention is entitled . as but one example , it should be understood that all steps of a method may be disclosed as an action , a means for taking that action , or as an element which causes that action . similarly , each element of an apparatus may be disclosed as the physical element or the action which that physical element facilitates . as but one example , the disclosure of a “ flow sorter ” should be understood to encompass disclosure of the act of “ flow sorting ”— whether explicitly discussed or not — and , conversely , were there effectively disclosure of the act of “ flow sorting ”, such a disclosure should be understood to encompass disclosure of a “ flow sorter ” and even a “ a means for flow sorting .” such alternative terms for each element or step are to be understood to be explicitly included in the description . in addition , as to each term used it should be understood that unless its utilization in this application is inconsistent with such interpretation , common dictionary definitions should be understood to be included in the description for each term as contained in the random house webster &# 39 ; s unabridged dictionary , second edition , each definition hereby incorporated by reference . thus , the applicant ( s ) should be understood to claim at least : i ) each of the reduced dose inseminates herein disclosed and described , ii ) the related methods disclosed and described , iii ) similar , equivalent , and even implicit variations of each of these devices and methods , iv ) those alternative embodiments which accomplish each of the functions shown , disclosed , or described , v ) those alternative designs and methods which accomplish each of the functions shown as are implicit to accomplish that which is disclosed and described , vi ) each feature , component , and step shown as separate and independent inventions , vii ) the applications enhanced by the various systems or components disclosed , viii ) the resulting products produced by such systems or components , ix ) methods and apparatuses substantially as described hereinbefore and with reference to any of the accompanying examples , x ) the various combinations and permutations of each of the previous elements disclosed . the background section of this patent application provides a statement of the field of endeavor to which the invention pertains . this section may also incorporate or contain paraphrasing of certain united states patents , patent applications , publications , or subject matter of the claimed invention useful in relating information , problems , or concerns about the state of technology to which the invention is drawn toward . it is not intended that any united states patent , patent application , publication , statement or other information cited or incorporated herein be interpreted , construed or deemed to be admitted as prior art with respect to the invention . the claims set forth in this specification , if any , are hereby incorporated by reference as part of this description of the invention , and the applicant expressly reserves the right to use all of or a portion of such incorporated content of such claims as additional description to support any of or all of the claims or any element or component thereof , and the applicant further expressly reserves the right to move any portion of or all of the incorporated content of such claims or any element or component thereof from the description into the claims or vice - versa as necessary to define the matter for which protection is sought by this application or by any subsequent continuation , division , or continuation - in - part application thereof or to obtain any benefit of reduction in fees pursuant to , or to comply with the patent laws , rules , or regulations of any country or treaty , and such content incorporated by reference shall survive during the entire pendency of this application including any subsequent continuation , division , or continuation - in - part application thereof or any reissue or extension thereon . in addition , the claims set forth below are intended to describe the metes and bounds of a limited number of the preferred embodiments of the invention and are not to be construed as the broadest embodiment of the invention or a complete listing of embodiments of the invention that may be claimed . the applicant does not waive any right to develop further claims based upon the description set forth above as a part of any continuation , division , or continuation - in - part , or similar application . | 0 |
fig2 shows apparatus suitable for carrying out methods in accordance with the present invention . item 1 is a particle formation vessel , within which the temperature and pressure can be controlled by means of the heating jacket 2 and back pressure regulator 3 . the vessel 1 contains a particle collection device ( not shown ) such as a filter , filter basket or filter bag . a fluid inlet assembly 4 allows introduction of a compressed ( typically supercritical or near - critical ) fluid anti - solvent from source 5 and one or more target solutions / suspensions ( or additional fluid vehicles if desired ) from sources such as 6 and 7 . the items labelled 8 are pumps , and 9 is a cooler . a recycling system 11 allows vehicle recovery . the fluid inlet assembly 4 may for example take the form shown in fig3 to 5 . fig3 shows the assembly schematically , in use with the particle formation vessel 1 of the fig2 apparatus . nozzle 21 is for introduction of the anti - solvent fluid . it has only a single passage of circular cross section , with a circular outlet 22 . alternatively , a multi - component nozzle may be used , with anti - solvent introduced through one or more of its passages and the remaining passages either closed off or else used to introduce additional reagents . ( for example , a multi - passage nozzle of the type described in wo - 95 / 01221 or wo - 96 / 00610 may be used . such nozzles have two or more concentric ( coaxial ) passages , the outlets of which are typically separated by a short distance to allow a small degree of internal mixing to take place between fluids introduced through the respective passages before they exit the nozzle . the anti - solvent could for instance be introduced through the inner passage of such a nozzle , traversing a small “ mixing ” zone as it exits that inner passage and then passing through the main nozzle outlet into the particle formation vessel .) although this is not shown in fig3 , the nozzle 21 may have a tapered ( typically convergent ) tip , with an outlet of smaller diameter than that of the main nozzle passage . inlet tube 23 is for introduction of the target solution / suspension , and is so shaped and located that the direction of flow of the solution / suspension at its outlet 24 ( see fig5 ) will be perpendicular to that of the anti - solvent exiting nozzle 21 . again the tube is of circular cross section . fig4 shows how tube 23 is mounted , by means of the supporting and locking pieces 25 , on a collar 26 which is itself mounted around the lower portion of the nozzle 21 . the arrangement is such as to allow adjustment of the distance “ d ” between the outlets of nozzle 21 and tube 23 . it can be seen that the outlet of tube 23 is positioned in line with the central longitudinal axis of the nozzle 21 . both the nozzle 21 and the tube 23 are preferably made from stainless steel . the assembly of fig3 to 5 may be less likely to suffer blockages ( at the nozzle and tube outlets ) than when a multi - component nozzle of the type described in wo - 95 / 01221 is used to co - introduce the anti - solvent and target solution / suspension together , particularly when the operating conditions are such as to allow a very rapid and efficient removal of the solvent vehicle , from the target solution / suspension , by the anti - solvent . an alternative fluid inlet assembly 4 , for use in the fig2 apparatus , is illustrated in fig6 and 7 . again a nozzle 21 , as in fig3 to 5 , is used to introduce the anti - solvent via its outlet 22 , which again is preferably tapered . a tube 30 , similar to tube 23 in fig3 to 5 , introduces the target solution / suspension . a length of thin capillary tubing 31 is mounted , preferably although not necessarily centrally , within the outlet of tube 30 , for instance with a suitable adhesive 32 . this gives a much smaller ( eg , of the order of 0 . 05 mm ) effective diameter for the solution outlet 33 . the length of the capillary 31 , and its cross - sectional area relative to that of the tube 30 , determine the degree of back pressure generated in the target solution flow on entering the vessel 1 . other ways of achieving a small solution outlet are of course possible , for instance using an alternative form of connection between the main solution inlet tube 30 and a smaller diameter outlet tube section . the tube 30 and capillary 31 are preferably fixed in position relative to one another . they are mounted in a support ( shown schematically at 34 ) which allows their horizontal ( x ) and vertical ( y ) separations from the anti - solvent nozzle outlet 22 to be varied , preferably continuously , for instance as described below in connection with examples a . fig6 for instance shows the solution outlet 33 directly in line with the central longitudinal axis of the nozzle 21 ( ie , with the main axis of anti - solvent flow ) and fig7 shows the outlet 33 displaced from that axis by a distance x , shown exaggerated for clarity . the relative positions of the anti - solvent and solution outlets are preferably similarly variable in the fluid inlet assembly of fig3 to 5 . apparatus as shown in fig2 , incorporating a fluid inlet assembly as shown in fig3 to 5 , was used to carry out particle formation methods in accordance with the invention . the nozzle 21 comprised a fluid inlet tube of internal diameter 0 . 75 mm , a convergent tip with a 60 ° half angle taper ( with respect to the central longitudinal nozzle axis ) and an outlet of diameter 0 . 2 mm . according to theory , this generates a fluid jet with a cone angle of approximately 20 °. the internal bore at the end of the inlet tube 23 was 0 . 125 mm . the experiments investigated the effect of varying both ( a ) the horizontal distance x between the solution line outlet and the central axis of anti - solvent flow , and ( b ) the vertical distance y between the nozzle outlet 22 and the solution line outlet ( y being measured , for convenience , from the top external wall of the solution inlet tube 23 ). supercritical carbon dioxide , pre - heated to 70 ° c ., was used as the anti - solvent . it was pumped at a flow rate ( of liquid co 2 , measured at the pump head ) of 200 ml / min . the target solution contained 3 % w / v salmeterol xinafoate in methanol , and was introduced at a flow rate of 4 ml / min . the pressure in the particle formation vessel 1 ( capacity 2 litres ) was maintained at 200 bar , the temperature at 333 k ( 60 ° c .). the co 2 velocity at the nozzle outlet 22 was sub - sonic throughout the experiments . particle formation was allowed to occur by the action of the co 2 anti - solvent , and the products collected in the vessel 1 . the run time of each experiment was 50 minutes , corresponding to 6 g of salmeterol xinafoate being processed . the products were assessed by scanning electron microscopy ( sem ) and their particle sizes analysed using a sympatec ™ apparatus at 2 bar shear pressure . the results are shown in table 1 . in practice , a “ 0 ” value for y represents as close to zero as was possible without cutting into the nozzle or inlet tube walls . these data demonstrate that improved yields , smaller particle sizes and tighter size distributions can generally be achieved by locating the target solution outlet directly in line with the main axis of anti - solvent flow ( x = 0 )— compare for instance example a5 with a8 , and a3 with a7 . they also show that improvements in particle size and distribution can generally be achieved , in this case , by locating the target solution outlet between 4 and 8 mm , preferably between 4 and 6 mm , from the anti - solvent nozzle outlet ( y = 4 - 8 mm )— compare for instance examples a3 to a5 with examples a1 and a2 , and examples a7 and a8 with example a6 . in these experiments the preferred vertical separation y , of 4 - 6 mm , was between 20 and 30 times the nozzle outlet diameter . if the target solution and anti - solvent outlets are closer together ( y = 0 for example ), then particle sizes appear to increase , this possibly being due to increased agglomeration . apparatus as shown in fig2 , incorporating a fluid inlet assembly as shown in fig6 and 7 , was used to carry out a further particle formation method in accordance with the invention . the nozzle 21 was the same as used in examples a . the target solution inlet comprised a fused silica capillary of length 20 mm and internal diameter 50 μm , glued into a standard 1 . 59 mm ({ fraction ( 1 / 16 )}″) internal diameter stainless steel tube . its outlet , into the particle formation vessel 1 , was therefore 50 μm in diameter , and its cross sectional area only 6 % of that of the outlet of nozzle 21 . a two - component epoxy resin was used to secure the capillary in place , under elevated temperatures ( 180 ° c .) to enhance the mechanical strength of the bond . due to the viscous flow of the uncured resin , it was not possible to centre the capillary within the stainless steel tube . again supercritical carbon dioxide was used as the anti - solvent , pumped at a flow rate ( of liquid co 2 , measured at the pump head ) of 200 ml / min , and the target solution contained 3 % w / v salmeterol xinafoate in methanol , introduced at a flow rate of 4 ml / min . the back pressure measured across the solution inlet was 85 bar . the particle formation vessel capacity was 2 litres . the pressure in the vessel was 200 bar , the temperature 333 k ( 60 ° c .). the co 2 velocity at the nozzle outlet 22 was sub - sonic . as in examples a , particle formation occurred by the action of the co 2 anti - solvent , and the product was collected in the vessel 1 . the product was assessed by scanning electron microscopy ( sem ) and its particle size analysed using a sympatec ™ apparatus at 2 bar shear pressure . table 2 shows the results , and fig1 an sem of the product . this experiment illustrates that fine particles , with a narrow size distribution , can be successfully produced using the method of the invention with a much smaller target solution inlet and higher solution back pressure . the results of examples a , carried out in accordance with the present invention , were compared with those obtained from examples c , in which a two - component coaxial nozzle , of the type shown in fig3 of wo - 95 / 01221 , was used to co - introduce a 3 % w / v salmeterol xinafoate in methanol solution and a supercritical co 2 anti - solvent . the operating temperature and pressure , within the particle formation vessel , were as for examples a , ie , 60 ° c . and 200 bar . the co 2 flow rate was 200 ml / min ( ie , sub - sonic velocity ), the target solution flow rate 4 ml / min . the nozzle used had a convergent tip ( 60 ° half angle ) with either a 0 . 2 mm or a 0 . 4 mm outlet diameter . the target solution was introduced through the outer nozzle passage ( internal diameter 2 . 3 mm ) and the anti - solvent through the inner passage ( internal diameter 0 . 75 mm ). the particle formation vessel had a capacity of 2 litres . the results are shown in table 3 , which also shows ( for ease of comparison ) the results of examples a3 to a5 which represent preferred modes of practising the present invention . the table 3 data show that using the fluid inlet arrangement of the present invention , with sub - sonic anti - solvent velocities , can give yields and particle sizes comparable to , and in cases better than , those achieved using ( also with sub - sonic anti - solvent velocities ) the two - component coaxial nozzle of wo - 95 / 01221 . particle size distributions can also be narrower using the present invention . moreover the reproducibility of the method of the invention , in terms of the product particle size , appears to be better than when using the two - component coaxial nozzle . examples a were repeated , using the same nozzle 21 but with a 0 . 4 mm diameter outlet . the vertical distance y between the nozzle outlet 22 and the solution tube outlet was varied between 4 and 8 mm . the solution tube outlet was positioned in line with the nozzle outlet ( ie , x = 0 mm ). the supercritical carbon dioxide anti - solvent was pumped at a flow rate of 200 ml / min . the salmeterol solution flow rate was 4 ml / min . the vessel temperature and pressure were as in examples a , and the co 2 velocity at the nozzle outlet 22 was sub - sonic throughout the experiments . the run time for each experiment was approximately one hour . product particle sizes were measured using a sympatec ™ apparatus at 2 bar shear pressure . the table 4 data indicate a preferred solution outlet position , in terms of product particle size and spread , at about y = 7 mm ( 17 . 5 times the nozzle outlet diameter in this case ). again particle sizes appear to increase with both smaller and larger values of y . | 1 |
the particular values and configurations discussed in these non - limiting examples can be varied and are cited merely to illustrate an example of at least one embodiment of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention . also , it is 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 ,” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items . unless specified or limited otherwise , the terms “ mounted ,” “ connected to ,” “ attached to ,” and variations thereof are used broadly to encompass both direct and indirect mountings , connections , and supports . fig1 shown below illustrates an embodiment of an optimizer . power for running the optimizer is derived from existing power source 101 , which can be either single or three phase depending on the voltage and frequency . examples of possible voltages and frequencies are 110 , 208 , and 480 volts at frequencies of 50 and / or 60 hz . speed modulation device 102 converts the source power to the frequency required to modulate the speed of compressor 107 and fan 108 . this required frequency is generated by controller 110 . speed modulation device 102 powers compressor 107 and fan 108 by way of power lines 104 and 106 . existing relays 103 and 105 from the existing refrigerator system may be interconnected along power lines 104 and 106 so that they lie between compressor 107 , fan 108 , and speed modulation device 102 . relays 103 and 105 start and stop the fan and compressor based on the control schedule of the existing refrigeration system . as an option , an existing room thermostat not illustrated in the figure may also be used to start and stop indoor fan 108 and compressor 107 . this thermostat determines the system mode based on the room temperature set point . if the room temperature is higher than the predetermined set point , for example , then fan 108 and compressor 107 activate . controller 110 receives supply air temperature signals from temperature sensor 109 . temperature sensor 109 can be attached to the fan by supply duct work 112 . power related data including ( but not limited to ) the power factor , torque , input and output currents , voltages , and frequencies are sent to controller 110 from speed modulation device 102 . controller 110 records historical data , identifies the system mode , building loads , and system faults , communicates with upper level controllers , generates the speed modulation command , and relays that command to speed modulation device 102 . controller 110 can also be linked with other controllers . fig2 shown below illustrates the decision making processes of controller 110 . controller 110 is comprised of speed modulation module 201 and fault detection module 202 . speed modulation module 201 makes control decisions using supply air temperature data , current speed modulation output data , and information based on the actual current or power . fault detection module 202 detects and reports system faults . as an option , other controllers may be linked to controller 110 by power line 113 . power line 114 connects temperature sensor 109 to controller 110 . supply duct work 112 connects temperature sensor 109 to fan 108 . controller 110 indirectly identifies the activity status of fan 108 and compressor 107 using power output and current values ( either the actual power or actual current ) collected through communication with speed modulation device 102 . minimum current and power values for fan 108 and compressor 107 are determined using differing frequencies . the current and / or power values determine the activity status of fan 108 and compressor 107 . when both fan 108 and compressor 107 are inactive , the current and / or power values are lower than the predefined minimum fan current and / or power values of fan 108 . if the current and / or power values are greater than the predefined minimum current and / or power values for fan 108 , yet less than the predefined minimum current and / or power values of fan 108 and compressor 107 combined , then only fan 108 is active . on the other hand , if the current and / or power values are greater than the predefined minimum current and / or power values of fan 108 and compressor 107 combined , then both compressor 107 and fan 108 are active . during the time that compressor 107 is inactive , controller 110 commands the output of speed modulation device 102 at a minimum predefined speed . ( within a time period of approximately 5 minutes for example ). heating and cooling modes are determined by supply air temperature values . when compressor 107 is active , supply air temperature values are read in approximately a few seconds or shorter interval . data is smoothed using a moving average ( 10 data can be used for example ). the temperature is then recorded and updated in a predefined time period ( every 10 minutes for example ). the following describes methods of operating the optimizer in different settings . when the optimizer is applied to a heat pump system , heating mode starts when the average supply air temperature is greater than a predetermined value . when the auxiliary electrical heating system mode is active , the heat pump is set at a maximum speed . the status of the electrical heater is detected using information on the system modulation speed , power values , and supply air temperature values . cooling mode starts when the average supply air temperature is lower than a predetermined value . as an example , heating mode may start when the supply air temperature reaches approximately 75 ° f . and after the compressor runs for at least 5 minutes . following this same example , if the supply air temperature is less than approximately 70 ° f . after the compressor is active for at least 5 minutes , the system is considered to be in the cooling mode . when the optimizer is applied to a roof top unit , cooling mode starts upon activation of compressor 107 . if the supply air temperature is higher than a predetermined value ( for example at approximately 85 ° f . ), the system is considered to be in the heating mode . the following details the procedure for determining the output of speed modulation device 102 . during the period of operation that follows the predefined start - up period ( called the normal mode ), modulate compressor 107 at a minimum speed for τ ( 10 ) minutes in the heating mode . record the average supply air temperature at the first half time ( t sal ) as well as the average supply air temperature at the second half time ( t sa2 ). the output of speed modulation device 102 may then be determined using the equation : spd = min ( spd max , max ( spd min , ( current spd − β ( t sa1 − t sa2 ))) where spd represents the percent speed assigned to speed modulation device 102 , currentsped represents the current speed of speed modulation device 102 , spdmax represents the highest speed limit of speed modulation device 102 , β represents the modulation ratio ( ranges from 1 to 10 , 4 is recommended ). when the fan signal is off , the vfd is at a minimum speed . in ventilation mode , set the vfd at the minimum speed . the optimizer identifies both the compressor and fan faults using patented technologies disclaimed in previous patents . the programming of control device 110 is not detailed in this disclosure but is known to a person of ordinary skill in the art . | 5 |
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 that may be embodied in various and alternative forms . the figures are not necessarily to scale ; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components . therefore , specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting , but merely as a representative basis for the claims and / or as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention . moreover , except where otherwise expressly indicated , all numerical quantities in this description and in the claims are to be understood as modified by the word “ about ” in describing the broader scope of this invention . practice within the numerical limits stated is generally preferred . also , unless expressly stated to the contrary , the description of a group or class of materials as suitable or preferred for a given purpose in connection with the invention implies that mixtures or combinations of any two or more members of the group or class may be equally suitable or preferred . referring initially to fig1 , the portable supplemental power source ( jump starter ) of the present invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 10 . jump starter 10 includes a programmable microprocessor 12 which receives inputs 14 and produces informational outputs 16 and control outputs 18 . microprocessor 12 provides flexibility to the system 10 to allow updates to the functionality and system parameters without changing the hardware . in the preferred embodiment , an 8 - bit microprocessor with 64 k bytes of programmable flash memory is used to control the system 10 . one such microprocessor is the atmega644p available from atmel corporation . the microprocessor 12 may be programmed via an internal connector 90 , or an external connector 92 ( see fig2 ). it should be understood that other programming ports may be included are not limited to the two shown in the figure . a capacitor voltage sensor 49 monitors the voltage level of one or more capacitor 21 . the capacitors 21 may include energy storage modules containing six or more ultracapacitor cells , for example . the capacitor modules 21 may be connected in series to obtain higher operating voltages or in parallel to provide additional energy storage . one such capacitor module is the boostcap energy storage module available from maxwell technologies , inc . a battery voltage sensor 20 monitors the voltage level of one or more jump starter batteries 22 . a reverse voltage sensor 24 monitors the polarity of the jumper cables on line 26 which are connected to the vehicle &# 39 ; s electrical system 28 . a vehicle voltage sensor 30 monitors the voltage on line 37 ( voltage of the vehicle ). when the contacts are open , the solenoid voltage sensor 32 input to microprocessor 12 is used to measure the voltage of the jump starter capacitors 21 and batteries 22 , which may be configured for various jump starter voltages . when the contacts are closed , the voltage difference between the capacitors 21 and batteries 22 , and the contact relay 34 is used to measure the voltage drop across a temperature - and - resistance calibrated 00 awg shunt cable 36 in order to calculate the current being delivered by the jump starter capacitors 21 and batteries 22 to the vehicle &# 39 ; s electrical system 28 . although the present invention is disclosed and described as temporarily connected to a vehicle , it should be understood that it is equally applicable to a stationary engine . additionally , the connection method to the electrical system or batteries of the engine to be started is not important and may include conductive clamps , nato connectors , or may be permanently hardwired to the system , for example . a battery temperature sensor 38 monitors the temperature of the jump starter &# 39 ; s batteries 22 to detect overheating due to excess current draw from the batteries during jump starting . a shunt cable temperature sensor 40 monitors the temperature of the 00 awg shunt cable 36 in order to compensate for resistance changes of the shunt cable due to the high current passing through the shunt cable 36 and to detect overheating conditions . the unit 10 also includes automatic 42 and manual 44 pushbutton inputs to accept user input to select either automatic or manual operation . the temperature of 00 awg shunt cable 37 may also be monitored by a temperature sensor or thermal switch 41 . as long as the temperature of the cable 37 is below a predetermined limit , the input on line 58 is passed through sensor 41 to line 59 to enable the contact relay 34 as controlled by system microcontroller 12 . if the temperature of the cable 37 exceeds a predetermined limit , then the temperature sensor 41 presents an open circuit to control line 58 to disable contact relay 34 and not allow power to be applied to the vehicle 28 . it should be understood that the temperature sensor 41 may be coupled to cable 36 , 37 or any other cable that may become overheated . additional temperature sensors may be used to provide additional protection of the system from overheating . a capacitor temperature sensor 47 monitors the temperature of the jump starter capacitors 21 to detect overheating due to excess current draw from the capacitors during jump starting . the microprocessor 12 includes several outputs 16 to provide information to the user and to control the application of power to the vehicle to be jump started . an lcd display 46 may be used to display user instructions , error messages , and real - time sensor data during operation of the jump starter 10 . a reverse voltage led 48 is illuminated when the microprocessor 12 determines that a reverse voltage jumper cable voltage is detected by reverse voltage sensor 24 . an auto mode led 50 is illuminated when the automatic mode pushbutton 42 is depressed . a manual mode led 52 is illuminated when the manual mode pushbutton 44 is depressed . if the voltage level of the jump starter batteries 22 drop below a value of twenty percent of the normal level , a charge battery led 54 is illuminated . the charge battery led 54 remains illuminated until the batteries 22 are charged to a minimum state of charge such as fifty percent , for example . a fault led 56 is turned on anytime the microprocessor 12 detects any operational , sensor or internal fault . an audible warning may also be provided 70 . the fault led 56 remains illuminated until the fault condition is cleared . a contact relay control output 58 operates the contact relay 34 through temperature sensor 41 . when the jump starter operation has been successfully initiated , the contact relay 34 is closed and the jump starter capacitors 21 and batteries 22 are connected to the starter system or batteries of the vehicle to be started 28 . the contact relay 34 is opened when a successful start cycle has been completed , a start fault has occurred or the operator interrupts the jump starter cycle . an optional key pad 72 may be included and used for entry of a passcode to operate the unit 10 , or to identify one or more users of the system which may be stored to track user operation . for example , if two different users operate the unit 10 and error conditions are recorded for one of the users , this information may be used to identify training issues that need to be addressed . referring to fig2 a , 2 b , 2 c , 2 d and 3 - 8 , when the jump starter 10 is initially powered on 200 , the microcontroller 12 initializes the hardware , reads all system parameters and variables , and initializes the interrupt service routine 202 ( see fig8 ). all stored performance history is read from the onboard , non - volatile memory 204 and a start message is displayed 206 on the lcd display 46 . the history is saved for diagnostic , unit use and safety purposes . the microcontroller 12 then performs a system self - test operation 208 where the lcd 46 , all leds 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 and 56 , all sensors 20 , 24 , 30 , 32 , 38 , 40 , the push buttons 42 and 44 , and the system batteries 22 are tested and their status displayed 208 on the lcd 46 . if a fault is detected 400 , an error message is displayed 402 and system operation is halted . once the initialization and self - test operations are completed , the system starts into a main processing loop 210 . an interrupt service routine (“ isr ”) 500 ( fig9 ) is also started which constantly monitors all input sensor values and user input buttons . the isr 500 is periodically called by the microcontroller 502 . a check is made to determine if the serial input buffer flag is set 504 . if the flag is set 504 , then configuration information is read and flags set or cleared 506 . if the output flag is set 508 , the information is transmitted to an external pc and the output buffer flag is cleared 510 . next , all input parameters are read 512 , and a moving average is calculated for each parameter 514 . if the pc remote flag is set 516 , all parameters and statuses are copied to the output buffer 518 and the output buffer flag is set 520 . the manual mode ac starting current profile is calculated 522 , all event timer counts are incremented 524 , and the status of the automatic 42 and manual 44 pushbuttons is monitored and set 526 . all calculations , timer counts , and status indications ( flags ) are stored in the internal memory of the microprocessor 12 . at the start of the main process loop 210 , the flags are checked 404 beginning with the shunt calibration flag 406 . if the shunt calibration flag is set 406 , the starter contact relay 34 is closed 408 . the temperature of the shunt cable is measured 410 and the voltage drop across the shunt cable is read 412 . the temperature of the shunt cable is measured a second time and averaged with the previous reading 414 . the shunt resistance is then calculated and saved 416 and the shunt calibration flag is cleared 418 . next , if the flag to upload data to an external pc is set 420 , the information is copied to the output buffer 422 , the output buffer ready flag is set 424 , and the upload data flag is cleared 426 . if the download data from pc flag is set 428 , data is copied from the input buffer 430 , and the download data flag is cleared 432 . if the pc remote control flag is set 434 , the remote control status flag is toggled 436 . if the flag is true , the unit 10 can be controlled remotely by a pc or locally by the buttons . if the flag is false , the unit can only be controlled locally . if the system does not detect a battery charging voltage 212 , once jumper cables 60 have been manually connected to the vehicle to be started 28 , the voltage is measured by the reverse voltage sensor 24 to determine if the cables have been properly connected to the vehicle 214 . if the voltage measured is significantly less than the voltage of the jump starter capacitors 21 and batteries 22 , then a reverse polarity connection of the jumper cables to the vehicle is determined and an error flag is set and the event saved in non - volatile memory 216 . a “ reverse polarity ” error message is displayed 218 on the lcd 46 , and the reverse voltage led 48 is illuminated 216 . any further jump starter action by the operator is ignored until the reverse polarity condition is corrected 220 , at which point processing returns to the start of the main processing loop 210 . if the jumper cables 60 are not reverse connected 214 , then the state of charge of the capacitors 21 and batteries 22 is determined 222 . if the voltage level of the system batteries 22 measured by the voltage sensor 30 is equal to a state of charge of eighty percent or more below a fully charged voltage level 222 , an error flag is set and the event recorded in memory 224 . the charge battery led 54 is illuminated and the lcd 46 displays a “ charge battery ” message 225 . the system stays in this condition , which prohibits any further jump starter action by the operator until a charging voltage is detected 226 , which is great enough to indicate that a battery charger ( not shown ) has been connected to the batteries 22 . if the system has detected a battery charger voltage 212 , a “ battery charging ” message is displayed 228 on the lcd 46 , and the charge led 54 is illuminated . the voltage profile of the battery 22 is monitored to determine if the charge is complete 230 . a completed charge is determined by monitoring the charging voltage rise to a threshold value then decrease by a predetermined percentage . this voltage peaking and subsequent fall - off is a characteristic of the battery chemistry indicating that the battery has reached its maximum charge capacity . once the charging has reached a minimum charged level or is completed 230 , the processing returns to the beginning of the main processing loop 210 . the jump starter batteries 22 only need to reach a 50 % charge in order for the system to attempt to start the vehicle . if the battery or capacitor temperature measured by sensors 38 and 47 rises above a maximum safe threshold 232 , an error flag is set and the event recorded in non - volatile memory 234 . an error message “ battery over temperature ” or “ capacitor over temperature ” is displayed 236 on the lcd 46 and the fault led 56 is illuminated . the system prevents any further operation until the battery and / or capacitor temperature falls below a safe level 238 . once a safe temperature is reached , processing returns to a ready state at the beginning of the main processing loop 210 . if the voltage of one or more of the capacitors measured by the capacitor voltage sensor 49 exceeds a predetermined limit 239 , such as 2 . 8 volts , for example , an error flag is set and the event recorded in non - volatile memory 241 . an error message “ capacitor over voltage ” is displayed 243 and the fault led 56 is illuminated . processing then returns to the main processing loop 210 . if the temperature of the shunt cable 36 rises above a safe threshold temperature 240 , an error flag is set and the event recorded in memory 242 . an error message “ cable over temperature ” is displayed 244 on the lcd 46 and the fault led 56 is illuminated . the system prevents any further operation until the shunt cable temperature falls below a minimum safe temperature 246 . once a safe temperature is reached , the system returns to a ready state at the beginning of the main processing loop 210 . next , the system checks the status of the automatic 42 and manual 44 push buttons . if neither button has been pushed 248 , a “ ready ” message is displayed 250 on the lcd 46 and processing returns to the main processing loop 210 . when no error conditions are detected and no user inputs are being processed , the system remains in the ready mode , and displays a “ ready ” text message on the lcd 46 . other information such as the selected jump starter voltage , the percentage change of the batteries 22 , the temperature of the batteries , and the vehicle voltage , for example , may also be displayed on lcd 46 . if one of the push buttons 42 or 44 has been selected , the system will compare the operator - configured starter voltage against the voltage of the vehicle to be started 28 . the jump starter 10 may be configured for 12 , 18 , 24 , 30 , 36 , 42 or 48 volts , for example , using a selector jumper 55 . for example , if the batteries 23 are both 12 - volt batteries , the system may be configured for 12 - or 24 - volt operation . for example , if jumper 27 is placed across terminals 31 , the 24 - volt configuration may be selected . if jumper 29 is placed across terminals 31 , the 12 - volt configuration may be selected . if the batteries 23 are 12 - volt batteries and a battery 25 is a 6 - volt battery , 18 - or 30 - volt configurations may be provided . for example , if jumper 27 is placed across terminals 31 , the 30 - volt configuration may be selected . if jumper 29 is placed across terminals 31 , the 18 - volt configuration may be selected . it should be understood that two or more batteries of the same or different voltage levels may be used to meet the voltage requirements of the vehicle to be started . if the difference between the voltage selected and the voltage measured is not within a predetermined range and tolerance 252 , a “ wrong selector volts ” message is displayed 254 on the lcd 46 and further operation is prohibited until the correct voltage is selected 256 at which point processing returns to the main processing loop 210 . if the selected voltage is within the correct range 252 , then the system determines which button was selected 258 . if the auto button 42 was pushed , a ninety - second count down timer is started and displayed 260 on the lcd 46 . during this time the system monitors the vehicle voltage 262 . if the system does not detect a voltage drop 264 within 90 seconds 265 , the automatic operation is cancelled and processing returns to the main processing loop 210 . the automatic operation may also be interrupted and canceled by pushing the auto button 267 . if the vehicle voltage drops by twenty percent or more from the initially measured voltage 264 , then the vehicle &# 39 ; s starter motor is engaged and is trying to start the vehicle . if the maximum number of start attempts has not been exceeded 266 , the contact relay 34 is closed and the contact relay on timer is started 268 , connecting the jump starter &# 39 ; s capacitors 21 and batteries 22 to the vehicle &# 39 ; s starting system 28 . the start cycle counter is incremented 270 , a “ jump starter on ” message is displayed 272 along with the average current being drawn , and the auto mode led 50 is illuminated . if the relay on timer expires indicating that the relay 34 has been closed for ninety seconds without a start complete event , the relay 34 is automatically opened by the system to reduce the probability of overheating any component in the jump starter or vehicle . the system monitors all input sensors 14 and the current status of the jump starter for possible fault conditions . upon detection of any fault condition , the system will open the contact relay 34 ( if closed ), and display a message indicating that a fault has occurred , and what action , if any , should be taken by the operator . if the battery temperature exceeds a maximum limit 274 , a battery temperature error count is incremented 276 . the contact relay 34 is opened , a “ battery temp ” error message and temperature is displayed 278 on the lcd 46 and the fault led 56 is illuminated . processing returns to the main processing loop 210 . if the shunt cable temperature exceeds a maximum limit 280 , a cable temperature error count is incremented 282 . the contact relay 34 is opened , a “ cable temp ” error message and temperature is displayed 278 on the lcd 46 and the fault led 56 is illuminated . processing returns to the main processing loop 210 . if the system detects a geometric rise in the starting current 284 during the first 16 seconds after the contact relay 34 is closed , a current doubling error count is incremented 286 , a “ battery explosion ” error message is displayed 288 on the lcd 46 , the contact relay 34 is opened and the fault led 56 is illuminated 290 . the system may be returned to the ready mode if the automatic button 42 is pressed by the operator 292 , or automatically after five minutes 294 . if no current flow is detected by the system 296 indicating that there is an open circuit within the system , an open circuit error count is incremented 298 , an “ open circuit ” error message is displayed 300 on the lcd 46 , the contact relay 34 is opened and the fault led 56 is illuminated 290 . the system may be returned to the ready mode if the automatic button 42 is pressed by the operator 292 , or automatically after five minutes 294 . if the system detects an increase in the difference between the measured jump starter battery voltage 20 and the voltage measured 30 across the contact relay 34 indicating that one of the jump starter cables has been disconnected 302 from the vehicle &# 39 ; s battery or starter system 28 then a jumper cable unplugged error count is incremented 304 , a “ jumper cable unplugged ” error message is displayed 306 on the lcd 46 , the contact relay 34 is opened and the fault led 56 is illuminated 290 . the system may be returned to the ready mode if the automatic button 42 is pressed by the operator 292 , or automatically after five minutes 294 . during the jump starting process if the current measured across the shunt cable 36 is greater than a preset maximum current such as 1400 amps for a short period of time such as 500 ms 308 , the over max current error count is incremented 310 , an “ over max starting current ” error message is displayed 312 on lcd 46 , the contact relay 34 is opened and the fault led 56 is illuminated 290 . the current across the shunt cable 36 is also measured to determine if it exceeds a predetermined current such as 1000 amps for more than a predetermined period of time such as 15 seconds 314 . if this over current condition is determined , an over high current error count is incremented 316 , an “ over high crank amps ” error message is displayed 318 on the lcd 46 , the contact relay 34 is opened and the fault led 56 is illuminated 290 . the system may be returned to the ready mode if the automatic button 42 is pressed by the operator 292 , or automatically after five minutes 294 . if the system detects a decrease in the jump starter battery voltage 20 , but does not detect an appreciable current flow through the jump starter , a shunt cable 36 failure is indicated 320 . the shunt cable 36 is a precisely measured and calibrated 00 awg wire , the temperature of which is monitored 40 and used to calculate the resistance across the length of the cable 36 . the voltage drop across the cable 36 is also measured to calculate the current through the shunt cable 36 using ohm &# 39 ; s law . if the shunt cable 36 fails , the system cannot reliably measure the starting current which would present a safety hazard . if the system detects a shunt cable failure 320 , a current shunt error count is incremented 322 , a “ current shunt failure ” error message is displayed 324 on the lcd 46 , the contact relay 34 is opened and the fault led 56 is illuminated 290 . the system may be returned to the ready mode if the automatic button 42 is pressed by the operator 292 , or automatically after five minutes 294 . if the system detects a great difference between the vehicle &# 39 ; s voltage 30 and the contact relay 34 voltage 326 , the contact relay 34 may have failed indicating an over high starter current condition . a contact relay failure count is incremented 328 , a “ contact relay error ” message is displayed 330 on the lcd 46 , the contact relay 34 is opened and the fault led 56 is illuminated 290 . the system may be returned to the ready mode if the automatic button 42 is pressed by the operator 292 , or automatically after five minutes 294 . if manual mode is selected 258 , “ manual ” is displayed 332 on the lcd 46 , the system will prompt the operator to press the manual button 44 again . if the manual button 44 is pressed a second time 334 , then the system checks the number of start attempts 266 . if the maximum number of start attempts has been exceeded 266 , an over start attempt error count is incremented 336 , a “ cool down unit ” message is displayed 338 on the lcd 46 , and the system waits for five minutes for the system to cool 340 . once the cool down time has expired , processing returns to the main processing loop 210 . if the total start attempts have not exceeded the limit 266 , the processing continues at block 268 as described above . if in auto mode and the starting current decreases by 20 % from the maximum measured current 342 , then the start cycle is complete . a decrease in the starting current indicates that the vehicle has started and its alternator is now generating its own current reducing the demand from the jump starter batteries 22 . if the starting current is below the threshold 342 , a “ start cycle complete ” message is displayed 344 on lcd 46 , and the contact relay is opened 346 . this message remains displayed until the operator presses the auto button 292 , or if there is no user activity for five minutes 294 , after which the system returns to the main processing loop 210 . if in manual mode , the jump starter 10 may be used when the battery voltage of the vehicle is below 10 volts , or if the vehicle &# 39 ; s battery is not connected . in the situation where the vehicle &# 39 ; s battery is present but has a voltage of less than 10 volts , the jump starter will start to charge the vehicle &# 39 ; s battery before any starting operation begins . if the vehicle &# 39 ; s battery is extremely low or completely dead , once the contactor is closed , the jump starter &# 39 ; s batteries will start to charge the batteries . the current will rise sharply and then start to decrease , but this does not indicate that a start attempt has been made or that the vehicle &# 39 ; s starter motor has been cranked . the algorithm looks for this initial increase and then decrease in the delivered current and then waits for a minimum of three alternating current cycles indicating that the vehicle &# 39 ; s starter has been engaged . due to the compression / decompression cycles of the pistons , the starting current will rise and fall in a generally sinusoidal pattern . the algorithm looks for this so that it knows that the vehicle &# 39 ; s starter motor has been activated . once this alternating current cycle has been detected , if the current then decreases by approximately twenty percent and remains low , this indicates a start complete , the contactor is opened , the start complete message is displayed and then the system waits for the auto button to be pushed or the 5 minute timeout . if the vehicle &# 39 ; s battery holds the charge , then the starting cycle in manual mode is the same as described above for automatic mode . if the battery does not hold the charge or if no battery is present , the system waits until the vehicle &# 39 ; s starter motor is engaged . once the vehicle &# 39 ; s starter motor is engaged and the engine is turning over , the system 10 monitors the jump starter current flow . as the engine turns over the jump starter &# 39 ; s current increases and decreases with the compression stroke of the engine &# 39 ; s pistons . during a piston &# 39 ; s compression cycle , the current from the jump starter &# 39 ; s batteries 22 increases due to the increased power demand of the starter motor . during a piston &# 39 ; s decompression cycle , the current flow decreases due to the decreased power demand of the starter motor . this current increase and decrease is generally sinusoidal which is recognized by the system . once the system has detected three more sinusoidal current flow cycles , the same 20 % decrease threshold in current as set forth above for the automatic mode determination , may be used to determine when the vehicle &# 39 ; s engine has started 348 . if the engine has started , the “ start cycle complete ” message is displayed 344 on the lcd 46 and the contact relay opened 346 . if the engine has not been started 348 , the system next checks the relay closed time . if the maximum time set for the contact relay to be closed has expired 350 , a “ maximum starter on ” message is displayed 352 on the lcd 46 and the contact relay is opened 346 . if the contact relay closed time has not expired , the system checks for a cycle halt flag . any cycle may be interrupted by the auto button being pressed by the operator . if the auto button is pressed 354 , a “ start cycle halted ” message is displayed 356 on the lcd 46 , and the contact relay opened 346 . at the completion of a start cycle the jump starter 10 has opened the contact relay 34 and the message “ start complete ” is displayed 46 , and the starting current is displayed for diagnostic assessment of the vehicle &# 39 ; s starting system . at this time the voltage of the vehicle 28 is monitored . normal vehicle charging voltages fall within certain ranges for 12 , 18 , 24 , 30 , 36 , 42 and 48 volts systems . the jump starter displays the running vehicle &# 39 ; s voltage and makes an assessment to determine if the vehicle &# 39 ; s generated voltage is actually great enough to charge the vehicle &# 39 ; s battery . if the voltage is below a threshold for charging the vehicle &# 39 ; s battery , the jump starter displays “ vehicle not charging ” message and shows the measured voltage . if the vehicle &# 39 ; s generated voltage is great enough to charge the vehicle &# 39 ; s battery , the jump starter displays “ vehicle charging ” showing a working vehicle charging system and displays the vehicle charging voltage . referring to fig1 and 2 , a diode 35 may be connected across the contact 34 to charge the capacitors 21 and jump starter batteries 22 from the vehicle charging system 28 . the charging system of the vehicle may be used to charge the capacitors 21 and jump starter batteries 22 . whenever the vehicle has a working charging system this will occur as long as the cables are connected to the vehicle . this allows the capacitors 21 and jump starter batteries 22 to be fully recharged in about 1 to 5 minutes and can therefore start many vehicles in a row without becoming discharged . even in situations in which the jump starter batteries 22 may be discharged to an extent that they alone may not be able to provide the necessary power to start a vehicle , the capacitors 21 may be rapidly recharged to start many vehicles in a row . this is very useful when starting fleets of vehicles with dead batteries . it is to be understood that while certain forms of this invention have been illustrated and described , it is not limited thereto , except in so far as such limitations are included in the following claims and allowable equivalents thereof . | 1 |
fig1 is a diagram of a voip hub 1 according to the present invention . voip hub 1 is connected to audio amplifier 3 , which controls audio channels , such as a source of input and loudspeakers 4 . voip hub 1 is linked to the internet so that it can receive or originate calls through the internet . voip hub 1 is controlled by voip - remote control 2 , which includes keys as in a mobile phone . these keys can be used to enter a telephone number , start / off hook , stop / on hook , control volume , etc . additional functions such as microphone selection when multiple microphones are available in the room may also be provided . if a call is coming in , amplifier 3 is switched on , the right audio source ( voip - phone ) is selected and the volume is set . voip hub 1 generates a ring tone , and loudspeakers 4 play the ring tone . a simple ring tone or audio clips can be used to indicate an incoming call . a user accepts the call by pressing a button such as “ send / off hook ” ( sometimes also called “ green ” or “ yes ” button ). as soon as the call is accepted , the ring tone stops , the microphone is activated and the other person is heard through loudspeaker 4 . the user is heard through a microphone . when the user presses a button such as “ stop / on hook ” ( sometimes called “ red ” or “ no ” button ) the call is terminated . for an outgoing call , the user enters a telephone number ( or an email address or id number ) and presses the “ send / off hook ” button . when there is no video output at voip hub 1 , a display in remote control 2 displays the number so that the right number can be verified . voip hub 1 generates a key click for better feedback to the user . remote control 2 activates amplifier 3 , selects the right audio source , sets the volume and generates a ring tone . when the other party picks up the phone , the ring tone is stopped and the user can hear the other party . fig2 shows an audio system with a video system 5 , such as a tv . tv 5 is used to display incoming calls , give optical feedback for the keys of voip remote control 2 , sms or mms messages , video clips and video telephone signals . the procedures are the same as described for fig1 except that voip hub 1 handles video as well . camera 6 generates a video signal for a video telephone call . camera 6 is either integrated into the display chassis , which brings a good performance , is provided as a separate device , or is integrated into remote control 2 . fig3 shows voip remote control 2 with keys 7 at a top side and microphone 8 at the other ( back ) side , typically facing the user . in this manner , feedback from microphone 8 to the loudspeaker is less likely and loudspeaker volume can be higher before feedback noise is noticed . at the bottom side a loudspeaker / earphone 9 is integrated . if the user does not want to use the loudspeakers of the audio system during a telephone call , he / she presses a key to deactivate the audio system loudspeakers and the audio is routed to voip - remote loudspeaker 9 . the user can then continue the call on a more private basis on remote control 2 . alternatively , a sensor on the remote may disable earphone 9 if remote control 2 is placed on a table and activate earphone 9 and disable the loudspeakers 4 if remote 2 is picked up . this sensor removes the n necessity of pressing a button , and may also be used to determine on hook / off hook status . since the remote control transmits audio data to voip hub 1 and may receive audio signals from voip hub 1 , a wireless link may be used . bluetooth is one suitable option and provides the bandwidth needed to transmit all data to and from remote unit 2 . other standards can be used as well , such as other 802 . 11 . xx or uwb which provides even higher bandwidth for video , so that a camera may be integrated into remote control 2 or the camera could be a stand alone unit controlled by voip hub 1 . in this scenario voip hub 1 has two or three rf links : one for voip remote 2 , another for the stand alone camera and a third for a stand alone microphone . another embodiment of the invention integrates the microphone into the stand alone camera . a small display may optionally be integrated in additional devices . fig4 shows a configuration with three cameras . camera 10 is in the same room as tv 5 . cameras 11 and 12 are in different rooms and have loudspeaker , camera and display integrated . each camera has an integrated microphone . voip hub 1 automatically switches the camera devices based on , for example , the volume of the speaking person . voip hub compares the volumes of the speaker and switches the signal to the corresponding unit . when a person starts a telephone call in room one with camera 10 , for example , then walks to room two , voip hub 1 then detects stronger signals coming from room two and switches audio and video signals to camera 11 in room two . the particular embodiments of the invention described in this document should be considered illustrative , rather than restrictive . modification to the described embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims . | 7 |
the digital oscillator in accordance with the present invention is described with reference to fig1 . sample points of the waveform which is to be reproduced as an oscillation , are stored as binary numbers in a read only memory ( rom ) 1 which is controlled by a timing and control circuit 2 . for symmetric waves , and in particular sine waves , these numbers are calculated using a fourier odd 1 / 4 - wave symmetry coefficients series . rom 1 may , however , store sample points of one entire cycle of the desired oscillation , or 1 / 2 cycle or 1 / 4 cycle if the waveform is half - wave or quarter - wave symmetrical . in all of the cases , the control circuit sequentially reads through the sample points , and depending on the type of storage , this will occur either once , twice or four times for each cycle with the proper inversion and reversal made as required to reconstruct the entire waveform . the number of sample points per cycle will depend on the quality of reproduced waveform required , as well as the type of waveform desired , i . e . a square wave would require many fewer points than a more complex waveform such as a sine wave . in the present case , the number of sampling points per 1 / 4 waveform to reproduce a pure sine wave is set at 64 samples . in order to obtain a sine wave with little distortion at the output and with very little filtering if at all , the sample points are selected using the following method . the sine wave 20 is approximated by a series of stepped levels , with the level difference at each step 1 , 2 , 3 , . . . being calculated as a function of the angular position number p n where p n =( cosine θ n × maximum bit number ). in the example illustrated in fig2 ≦ n ≦ 64 and the maximum bit number , which is dependent on the word size of 12 bits , is equal to 4096 . the binary value of a level is determined by taking the difference between the binary value of the proceeding level and p n , and subtracting this difference value from the number p n at that step . in this way , the levels immediately proceeding and following a step are equally spaced above and below p n at that step . though 8 bit binary numbers can represent the sample points quite satisfactorily , 12 bit binary numbers are preferably used as no filtering of the output signal is required even when a relatively pure sine wave is required . in this manner , only the timing rate of the digital system need be varied to vary the output frequency , and output filters need not be changed . the binary words representing the sample points are fed to a digital to analog multiplying converter 3 which converts each binary word to an analog value . the analog value of the output of a multiplying converter depends directly on the reference voltage v r applied to it . the converter 3 may be of the type described as the dac 1220 in the national semiconductor interface handbook , 1979 , on i / o devices , section 3 , pages 18 to 27 . the converter output is fed to a current - to - voltage converter 4 which may also set the zero voltage level such that the output oscillates above and below the zero value . the circuit may also include a filter 5 and an amplifier 6 . however , the purity of the signal from converter 4 may be such that filter 5 is redundant . the oscillator output is taken from terminal 7 . the stability of the amplitude of the output at terminal 7 will depend on many factors such as temperature , the components , etc . in order to maintain a constant amplitude , the reference voltage v r is controlled by an error correction circuit 8 . error correction circuit 8 includes a sample and hold circuit 9 which samples the output 7 and holds the sample value under the control of timing circuit 2 . for simplicity , the sample and hold circuit 9 may be triggered by timing circuit 2 to sample once per cycle at the peak value of the oscillator , however , sampling may also be carried out at other points on the waveform and / or more often . the output from the sample and hold circuit 9 , as well as the output v s from a stable reference voltage source 10 are both fed to a summing circuit 11 which provides ± v e , the error in the output amplitude at terminal 7 . this error voltage is inverted in inverter 12 and combined with the stable reference voltage from source 10 in a second summing circuit 13 to provide the control reference voltage v r = v s ± v e . in this manner , when v o is equal to v s , v e is zero and v r = v s ; when v o is high , v o & gt ; v r , v e is positive , is inverted and adds with v s such that v r = v s - v e to bring down the output v o ; and when v o is low , v o & lt ; v r , v e is negative , is inverted and adds with v s such that v r = v s + v e to bring up the output v . sub . o . many modifications in the above described embodiments of the invention can be carried out without departing from the scope thereof and therefore the scope of the present invention is intended to be limited only by the appended claims . | 7 |
during the last decade , the zebra fish ( danio rerio ) has been used as one of the best models to study vertebrates &# 39 ; development . its similarity in respect of signal routes , development processes , gene conservation , among others , makes it a trustworthy model . this fish offers many advantages as a discovery tool . among them we find large scale mutagenesis ; its small size , making it possible to keep hundreds of lines in limited spaces ; its high fecundity ( obtention of close to 200 embryos per mating ); it is transparent , allowing a better visualization of its internal development ; its fertilization is external , allowing their easy manipulation ; its genome is completely sequenced , allowing an easy transgenesis and a great opportunity for the inactivation and ectopic overexpression of genes . in addition , and fundamental for the development of this invention , it has been scientifically confirmed that the zebra fish conserves many of the molecules and functions observed in all vertebrates , including man . therefore , a well characterized system or phenotype in a zebra fish provides the additional advantage of facilitating the explanation of the same situation in superior vertebrates , humans included . the lateral line ( ll ) is a mechanosensory system found in fish and amphibians , whose function is to detect changes in water pressure and to support behaviors such as the detection of predators , shoal swimming , etc . ( stone , 1933 ; 1937 ). the ll is composed of sensory organs known as neuromasts , superficially distributed along the fish body . the ll system is divided into the anterior lateral line system ( lla ), with neuromasts in the head ( whose lymph node connecting it to the posterior brain is found between the ear and the eye ), and the posterior lateral line system ( llp ), with neuromasts in the trunk and tail ( whose lymph node is found behind the ear ). upon completion of the embryogenesis the llp is composed of 7 or 8 neuromasts regularly separated and aligned across the horizontal myosept ( metcalfe et al , 1985 ; metcalfe , 1989 ). each neuromast is composed of support cells that encircle a group of ciliated cells , identical to the ciliated cells found in the internal ear ( fritzsch , 1988 ). the neuromasts are generally exposed to the medium at the body &# 39 ; s surface , although they are sometimes located in subepidermal channels , and may be easily visualized with nomarski microscopy or incubating fish with the vital fluorescence marker , 2 - di - 4 - asp , diasp , or with fm 1 - 43 ( coliazo et al , 1994 ). these compounds accumulate in active ciliated cells . neuromasts have sensorial neurons as nerves , and efferent fibers that control the system &# 39 ; s sensitivity . the sensorial neurons are bipolar and extend a central projection towards the posterior brain . neuromasts in the posterior lateral line are deposited by the primordium in the posterior lateral line ( pllp ) consisting of a group of about 120 cells that migrate across the horizontal myosept , having an approximate width of 4 - 5 cells and an approximate length of 20 - 25 cells ( gompel et al ., 2001 ). the pllp originates in the cephalic placode , which is formed dose to the posterior brain , and behind the otitic placode . in the zebra fish , the primordium starts to migrate caudally across the horizontal myosept about 20 - 22 hours after fertilization ( hpf ) ( metcalfe , 1985 ; kimmel et al ., 1995 ). during migration , the primordium deposits groups of 7 - 8 cells at faithfully reproducible intervals , denominated pro - neuromasts that will subsequently differentiate into functional neuromasts . the pllp concludes close to 42 hpf , and the last deposited neuromast completely differentiates 6 hours later , completing the embryonic pattern of the primary posterior lateral line . in brief , in a few hours , the group of cells constituting the llp go from being an epithelium , delaminate , become migratory , and spatially order themselves to form a coherent sensory organ . since the behavior of these cells is homologous to the behavior of cells that migrate in an orderly way in other biological systems , in addition to the fact that there is a high molecular conservation among the diverse vertebrate species , we propose that the lateral line is a simplified and accessible biological system , both for the study the cellular migration phenomenon and for the discovery of factors that disturb it , and where the results obtained using this system are applicable to the vertebrate level in general . previously , sapede ( 2003 ), has suggested the use of llp from zebra fish to study metastasis . however , the author makes exclusive reference to the use of llp in the study of molecules that may antagonize the cxcr4 - ligand sdf 1 receptor system involved in the directionality in the movement of llp cells . the proposal of sapede ( 2003 ) is related to the study of only one type of factors ( antagonists ) that can control just one ( cxcr4 - ligand sdf 1 receptor ) from the many systems involved in metastasis , which , in turn , is only one among the numerous pathologies associated with cellular migration . our invention corresponds to an in vivo massive tracking system to find new molecules , whether natural , synthetic or recombinant , which are capable to positively or negatively affecting any of the mechanisms associated with cellular migration and involved in diverse pathologies . the molecules selected by this procedure may affect key processes in migration control such as , for example , the cellular motor system , but not only affecting it at the direction control level , but , what is even more important , the molecules selected by the procedure in our invention may act at the level of any of the diverse coupling mechanisms associated with the restructuring of the cytoskeleton during migration ( cellular polarization , cellular traction and adhesive cell - cell and cell with extracellular matrix interactions ). thus , our invention is not limited to the exclusive study of factors that affect just one of the multiple mechanisms involved in cellular migration or circumscribed to the effect on only one pair of biomolecules in particular . as already mentioned , the direct participation of diverse polypeptides in cellular migration control has been demonstrated at the molecular level , among them chemokines ( for example the bifunctional cxcr4 and sdf1 system ), g protein , kinase proteins ( ex ., pi3k ), integrins , cadherines , selectins , gtpases ( rac1 , rhoa , rhob ), factors associated with the control of the expression of genes involved in migration , other extracellular ligands ( members of the wnt , fgf , pdgf families ), etc . our invention allows the finding of molecules that may regulate migration at any cellular or extracellular level . thus , the procedure we propose , in addition to allowing the finding of new molecules that affect cellular displacement capability or new molecules involved in movement speed , or both , resolves a technical problem consisting of the pre - clinical selection of potential molecules that contribute to combat different pathologies associated with cellular migration such as metastasis , inflammation , lymphocyte homing , psoriasis , eczemas , crohn &# 39 ; s disease and colitis , multiple sclerosis and alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease , rheumatoid arthritis , arteriosclerosis and juvenile diabetes , arteriosclerosis , rheumatism , metastasis , immunodeficiency , etc . in addition , this invention facilitates the systematic analysis of hundreds of molecules in one test , satisfying current pharmaceutical demand for systems known worldwide as “ high throughput ” or high effectiveness systems . the innovation we propose , associated with the use of the llp as a discovery tool , consists in our conceptualization of an effective alternative to detect changes in cellular behavior in a multifactor , robust , consistent , fast , simple and economical way . we have designed a protocol that will allow the detection of agents that modify the behavior of llp migratory cells with no intervention other than exposing — in vivo and in toto — the llp cells to the agent . even more so , the same analysis will determine whether the effect of the agent incubated in the fish occurs in respect of the migration per se , or on cellular adhesion , or at the movement direction level and / or the organization of the migratory cells set . the type of molecules or substances that the method intends to detect may be those that act externally on the fish ( agents added to the water or the incubation medium ) or internally { proteins expressed by the migratory cells themselves ). the exposure will be made while the primordium is migrating actively , that is , in zebra fish larvae from 22 to 36 hours post fertilization ( hpf ). the key to the effective detection of the modifying activity of cellular activity in the llp primordium is the existence of a phenotype that can be easily evaluated . one analysis method is to examine the formation or non - formation of a functional system after each treatment , for example , through the tinction of functional neuromasts with diasp or fm 1 - 43 . this is a very good primary tracking , to quickly discard those treatments having no effect on system development , cellular migration included . however , the mere absence of mark after incubation with vital tinctions ( diasp , fm1 - 43 ) is not a synonym of migratory problems , but may signal effects on other aspects of normal system development ( for example , differentiation of the ciliated cells ). in order to examine the direct effects on migration , multiple methodologies are available . tinctions that reveal the expression of genes { in situ hybridization ) or proteins ( immunodetection ) are possible given the existence of probes or antibodies suitable for this purpose . however , these detections are somewhat laborious and require extended treatments of animals and a detailed microscopic observation . in addition , it is necessary to fix the fish in a determined stage and compare the primordium position in control animals . our proposal is based on the option of making the observations in living animals , with no intervention or manipulation other than , perhaps , applying a mild anesthetic to immobilize the larvae at observation time . we propose two options for this analysis . first , it is possible to incubate the larvae with vital tinctions that highlight the body &# 39 ; s surface cells and these may be observed under fluorescent lighting with an appropriate dissection loupe . one of these compounds is bodipy ( molecular probes ), which is added to the water marking skin cells and , in a very obvious way , to the migratory primordium of the llp . the second way to observe these cells during their migration is by means of the specific expression of the green fluorescent protein ( gfp ). the expression of this protein in transgenic animals allows the observation of living cells clearly distinguishable from the surrounding cells ( that do not express the protein ) thanks to the emission of green fluorescence when they are illuminated with a light having the appropriate wavelength ( chalfie and sulston , 1981 ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 491 , 084 ). therefore , a transgenic fish carrying adjustable dna that directs the expression in migratory primordium in association with codifying dna for gfp , would meet the requisite of in vivo visualization of this group of cells . the use of these transgenics is known in the state of the art ( gilmour et al ., 2004 ) and others have been successfully used in our laboratory ( sarrazin et al ., 2006 ) ( hernandez et al . 2007 ). with relation to the mechanism to expose fish ( larvae ) to the agents to be tested , this would be done in two ways . in the first one , agents are directly added to the water or larvae incubation medium in the diverse concentrations to be tested . the volumes must be small , 1 - 2 ml so that microcups deposited on plastic plates can be used , where up to four 28 hpf larvae are placed . the exposition of larvae will be for a minimum 6 - hour period , and during this time the primordium in untreated wild embryos should move along the larva &# 39 ; s trunk towards the terminal position in the vitelum extension ( next to the anus ). depending on the characteristics of the agent to be tested , we may add to the medium compounds or solvents to help their dispersion . for example , hydrophobic molecules may be firstly dissolved in ethanol before they are added to the water . most of the molecules or agents to be tested will be added in association with dmso ( di - methyl sulfoxide ) to assist the molecules &# 39 ; solubility and availability to the cells in the larvae . in each test , control embryos are incubated in parallel in pure a pure medium or only having adjuvants ( ethanol , dmso , etc .). in order to visualize the larvae , it is not necessary to remove them from the cups but they are directly observed in the fluorescence loupe , adding an anesthetic that immobilizes the larvae making it possible to rapidly evaluate the position of the migratory primordium and , in this way , select among the molecules under analysis . we have observed that not all the molecules added to the water can penetrate the epidermis of the larvae and produce some effect on the migratory primordium &# 39 ; s cells . this is particularly important in the case of large molecules such as proteins . this is why we propose the second application of this methodology . it consists in expressing the molecules ( proteins ) to be tested in the same fish , in all the cells in the organism , at the moment when the primordium migration is taking place . this may be achieved in diverse ways but we propose one that is the most robust in current use for the heterologous expression in zebra fish . the activity on the primordium migration of the diverse proteins to be tested would be found through the cloning of the respective genes for those proteins in an expression vector ( plasmid or transposon that contains a promoter , the gene to be tested , and a transcription termination sequence ). in this way , the injection of fish with the dna ( expression vector ) in the stadium of a cell , would achieve the incorporation of this dna in the fish genome and its subsequent expression . a difficulty that might show up is the perturbation in the embryonic development of the fish when they express the protein to be tested . this is relevant because many proteins have multiple functions during development , frequently in diverse tissues , and , therefore , their ectopic expression might generate highly pleiotropic phenotypes that would make it difficult to interpret the phenotypes in the lateral line . consequently , we propose the use of expression vectors that allow the induction of the expression . in this sense , a useful example is the utilization of temperature - inducible promoters ( heat shock ), the most known among them in the zebra fish is the hspïo promoter . this promoter has been repeatedly used in this animal with robust results ( halioran et al ., 2000 ). in order to obtain the induction at the right time in the case of this proposal , it would be necessary to raise the embryos &# 39 ; temperature to 37 degrees celsius during 30 minutes , at approximately 20 hpf , so as to provide time to the induced gene to express itself as functional protein . the phenotypic analysis would be performed as described above . the use of larvae distributed in microcups on plates not only facilitates the manipulation of a large number of animals in a limited space , but it also allows the simultaneous dispensation of agents , in multiple cups with micropipettes having 8 or 12 points , representing a great technical advantage that our invention is contributing to the state of the art . what are the types of molecules that our invention pretends to discover ? the finding of chemical agents that perturb the migration of the lateral line primordium of the zebra fish may affect fundamental processes in the migration of any cellular type , not only in the fish . since many of the important molecules in vertebrate animals &# 39 ; biology are conserved , there is a great expectation that said compounds have similar effects on any cell where those same mechanisms are in operation . this would include cells in the nervous , immune or vascular system , in addition to tumoral cells of diverse origin . the same would be valid for the application designed to detect proteins ( secreted , cellular membrane or intracellular ) having this effect . evidently , our invention is tool to discover molecules ( artificial , natural or recombinant ) that may potentially have a universal effect on migratory cells &# 39 ; systems . the power of this tool is based on the precept that , in nature , there is a finite number of biological systems involved in cellular migration , where these systems are conserved at least among vertebrates . the application of our invention consists in delivering as a result a set of molecules that are candidates for further testing in other systems . the usefulness of our invention is based on the circumstance that no efficient technical procedure exists today to conduct this kind of massive searches , which not only contributes to bring down test times but also selects candidate molecules already tested in a real scenario : in vivo and in toto . the use of cells in culture , for example , the only existing alternative , is cumbersome , inefficient , nonspecific , costly and imprecise , also being biologically irrelevant because it is conducted outside the organism &# 39 ; s context . in the following paragraphs we describe three experiments conducted by us that demonstrate the usefulness of the system . these examples only pretend to illustrate the invention white not limiting it , because the individual knowledgeable of the state of the art will see that it is possible to extend the scope of its usefulness . the following paragraphs demonstrate the potential for the discovery of new molecular activities related to the migration phenomenon . fig1 shows how the exposition of transgenic larvae of the zebra fish to 4 - hpr generates a delay in the migration of the lateral line primordium ( see example 1 ). the fish were incubated under the described conditions with this agent and we subsequently observed the fluorescence generated by the expression of gfp , regulated by the promoter of claudinb in the primordium ( arrows ). as controls we use dmso , 9 - cis retinaldehyde ( 9 c ra ) and all - trans ( atra ), and in all of them we observe normal migration . please note the lag in the primordium position ( indicated with an arrow ) in fish treated with 4 - hpr if we compare it with the migration start point ( asterisk ). the basic experimental conditions used in the three migration test experiments are : zebra fish ( danio rerio ) are used , kept in a 14 / 10 - hour light / darkness cycle . embryos are recovered after natural fish mating and they grow in petri plates at 28 ° c . in e3 medium ( 5 mm nacl , 0 . 17 mm kcl , 0 . 33 mm cacl 2 , 0 . 33 mm mgso 4 , and 0 . 1 % methylene blue ) until the reach the development stadium suitable for the test , which is determined according to kimmel et al ., ( 1995 ). the larval stadiums are designated in post fertilization hours ( hpf ) or post fertilization days ( dpf ). in this first example , in each cup on a plate with 24 cups with 2 ml of e3 medium each , we placed from 3 - 10 transgenic embryos that express the gfp gene under the control of the cldnb promoter ( cldnb :: gfp ; kindly donated by dr . darren gilmour ( embl , heidelberg , germany ). the agents subjected to tests ( n ˜( 4 ˜ hydroxyphenyl ) retinamide ( fenretinide , 4 - hpr ), retinaldehide 9 - cis , retinaldehide all - trans and only with the control vehicle : dmso ) were added to the medium at a final concentration of 20 μm when the embryos reached the 22 hpf stadium and the fish were kept in the medium plus the agent until 36 hpf . the gfp mark in the migratory primordium was observed every 4 - 6 hours in order to monitor its progress . at 36 hpf , we fixed one half of the fish ( 5 from each cup ) with 4 % paraformaldehyde dissolved in pbs . we observe the fluorescence of gfp ( indicating the primordium position ) and evaluated whether it migrated properly or not ( fig1 ). the result shows that it is possible to detect anti - migratory activity in molecules added to the embryos &# 39 ; culture medium using transgenic fish that mark the migratory primordium with fluorescent protein . in this example we pretend to demonstrate how our invention allows extrapolation of the results with zebra fish to superior vertebrates , human beings among them . as we already mentioned , several among the molecules that guide the lateral line primordium migration , as well as the metastatic cells &# 39 ;, are common to humans and zebra fish ( for example , cxcr4 , sdf1 , tacstd ). even more important , the migration process is very similar , because in both systems the directed migration depends on the pi3k enzyme ( dumstrei et al ., 2004 ), there is a cytoskeleton rearrangement and the formation of fitopodia and lamelopodia , etc . on the basis of this information , we present below examples that allow us to validate and extrapolate the lateral line system to study and find new immunosuppressant molecules capable of inhibiting cellular migration . dendritic cells , when entering the maturation process , start to express chemokine receptors ( ccr7 , cxcr4 ) that direct their migration towards the secondary lymphoid organs . we have recently discovered that fenritinide { 4 - hpr ), a molecule utilized in “ clinical trials ” against breast cancer and neuroblastoma , inhibits the expression of ccr7 and cxcr4 in dendritic cells in maturation { villablanca , allende and collaborators ; manuscript in preparation ). the inhibition is specific to the chemokine receptors because it does not inhibit other molecules also important for the correct function of the dendritic cell ( cd80 , cd83 , cd86 ). in this way , fenritinide would produce a blocking of the mature dendritic cells in the periphery , preventing their migration and arrival at the secondary lymphoid organs , affecting in this way the development of an immune response to pathogens or towards the tumoral cells proper . as negative control we have used the retinoic acid natural retinoid that is not capable of inhibiting cxcr4 in dendritic cells so that it is not capable of inhibiting the migration of these cells . in this way , we have evaluated our hypothesis of the fenritinide effect on dendritic cells , taking our invention as the test model . zebra fish embryos were incubated in accordance with the basic conditions described in example 1 , but in the presence of fenritinide since the time when the posterior lateral line primordium starts to migrate ( 22 hours post fecundation ( hpf ) stadium ), until the llp system is mature ( 36 hpf stadium ) and is easily visualized with the diasp tinction . after incubation , the controls ( incubated in normal medium or supplemented with retinoic acid ) presented mature neuromasts , while the embryos exposed to fenritinide showed to be negative for the diasp tinction . we checked whether the absence of mature neuromasts is caused by migration blocking by means of in situ hybridization using the claudin - b ( anti - claudinb antibody , detected with immunofluorescence ) primordium marker . the control embryos showed a normal primordium migration and pre - neuromast deposit , while the embryos exposed to fenritinide displayed a blocking of the migratory primordium at the beginning of its migration , demonstrating that fenritinide blocks primordium migration , as opposed to retinoic acid having no effect at all . this second example demonstrates a second methodology to detect the anti - migratory activity of the problem compound using simple vital tinctions ( diasp ). in order to confirm that the llp system is useful to detect molecules that inhibit cellular migration , embryos were incubated as described in the preceding examples , but this time in the presence of prostaglandins pgd2 and 15 - deoxy - pje2 , known because they inhibit migration through cxcr4 in human dendritic cells ( nencioni et al . 2002 ) and pge2 , which increments the expression of cxcr4 in dendritic cells ( scandelia et al . 2002 ). embryos in the 22 hpf stadium were incubated between 26 and 28 ° c ., in the absence or presence of either pgd2 or 15 - deoxy - pje2 , permitting the development of embryos up to the 36 hpf stadium , at which time we checked the primordium advance both in the treated embryos and in the ( untreated ) control embryos . both in the control embryos and in the fish incubated with pge2 , the neuromasts were dyed with diasp and we observed that the llp primordium migrated normally . the embryos treated both with 10 μm pgd2 and 5 μm of 15 - deoxy - je2 were negative for diasp and the llp primordium migration was considerably slower ( viilablanca , allende and collaborators , unpublished data ). these examples demonstrate how the proposed test is robust and easy to implement following the method herein described . | 6 |
descriptions will be provided hereinafter for embodiments of the present invention by referring to the drawings . in the embodiments , a radiograph is accumulated and recorded in an ip . this ip is housed in a portable cassette . the cassette is attached to a mammography apparatus , and thus the radiograph is made . after radiographing , the cassette is attached to an image reading apparatus , and thereby the image reading apparatus reads the radiograph . first of all , descriptions will be provided below for a schematic configuration of the ip and the cassette . fig1 is a diagram of a schematic configuration of an ip and a cassette according to a first embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig1 , an ip 10 is housed in a cassette 20 in the present embodiment . the ip 10 is irradiated with radioactive rays , and thus a radiograph is accumulated and recorded on the ip 10 . the cassette 20 is formed of a plastic allowing the radioactive rays to pass therethrough . the ip 10 is an example of the image recording plate as recited in the present invention . the cassette 20 is an example of the cassette as recited in the present invention . in addition , a combination of the ip 10 and the cassette 20 represents the image recording carrier as recited in the first embodiment of the present invention . the ip 10 is formed by adhering a sheet 10 b of a radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance to a substrate 10 a . the edges of the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance are provided with a resin - made protection material 10 c so as to prevent the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance from being chipped off or damaged in the like manner . the substrate 10 a is an example of the supporter as recited in the present invention . the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance is an example of the recording layer as recited in the present invention . the protection material 10 c is an example of the protection material as recited in the present invention . in addition , a side surface of the cassette 20 is provided with a lid 21 . a side surface 22 of the cassette 20 on a side opposite to the side surface provided with the lid 21 is provided with push holes 20 a and 20 b which are configured to push the ip out of the cassette 20 when a pin is inserted in each of the push holes 20 a and 20 b . when the ip 10 is taken out of the cassette 20 , the lid 21 is opened . subsequently , a pin is inserted in each of the push holes 20 a and 20 b , and thereby the ip 10 is discharged out of the cassette 20 . it should be noted that , in a case where this cassette 20 is attached to a mammography apparatus ( described later ) configured to radiograph a mamma of an object , the cassette 20 is attached thereto in such a way that the side surface 22 of the cassette 20 on the side opposite to the side surface provided with the lid 21 faces the object . subsequently , the side surface 22 is brought into contact with the chest wall of the object . the side surface 22 will be hereinafter referred to as a “ contact side surface 22 . thereafter , descriptions will be provided below for a radiograph , which is accumulated and recorded on the ip 10 housed in the cassette 20 as shown in fig1 . fig2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a radiography system . a radiography system 1 as shown in fig2 comprises a mammography apparatus 100 , an image reading apparatus 200 and a controller 300 . the mammography apparatus 100 radiographs a mamma of an object . the image reading apparatus 200 reads the radiograph which is accumulated and recorded on the ip 10 . the controller 300 displays the radiograph which has been read by the image reading apparatus 200 , and controls the entire radiography system 1 . the controller 300 includes a display monitor 310 and operation buttons 320 when viewed from the outside . the display monitor 310 displays the radiograph read by the image reading apparatus 200 . the operation buttons 320 are used by a user for input instructions . the mammography apparatus 100 includes an attachment base 110 to which the cassette 20 housing the ip 10 is to be attached , a transmission plate 120 through which radioactive rays are to pass , a plate driving section 130 which moves the transmission plate 120 in the upward and downward directions , a radioactive ray irradiating section 140 , a supporter 150 and a supporter driving section 160 when viewed from the outside . the radioactive ray irradiating section 140 is provided with a tube 141 configured to emit radioactive rays . the supporter 150 supports the attachment base 110 and the radioactive ray irradiating section 140 . the supporter driving section 160 moves the supporter 150 in the upward and downward directions . a controlling section ( not illustrated ) is installed in the mammography apparatus 100 . the controlling section controls the entire mammography apparatus 100 in accordance with instructions transmitted from the controller 300 . when taking a radiograph , first of all , the contact side surface 22 of the cassette 20 is aligned with a predetermined radiographing position p , and thus attached to the top of the attachment base 110 . once the cassette 20 is attached to the attachment base 110 , an object is moved to the front of the mammography apparatus 100 . a user adjusts the position of the attachment base 110 to the position of a mamma 2 of the object by use of operation buttons 320 . thereby , a chest wall 2 a of the object is pressed to the contact side surface 22 of the cassette 20 located at the radiographing position p . subsequently , the user inputs an instruction for radiography preparation by use of the operation buttons 320 of the controller 300 . the instruction for the radiography preparation is transmitted to the mammography apparatus 100 . thereby , the plate driving section 130 moves the transmission plate 120 in the downward direction . thus , the mamma 2 of the object is placed between the transmission plate 120 and the cassette 20 , and the mamma 2 is flattened . thereafter , the radioactive ray irradiating section 140 irradiates radioactive rays on the mamma 2 . the radioactive rays emitted from the radioactive ray irradiating section 140 passes through the mamma 2 , and further passes into the cassette 20 . thus , the ip 10 housed in the cassette 20 is irradiated with the radioactive rays . as a result , a radiograph of the mamma 2 is accumulated and recorded on the ip 10 . once the radiographing is completed , the ip 10 as housed in the cassette 20 is removed from the cassette 20 to be attached to the image reading apparatus 200 . both ends of the image reading apparatus 200 are each provided with a loading port 201 a in which the cassette 20 is to be loaded and a discharging port 201 b from which the cassette 20 is configured to be discharged once the image reading apparatus 200 completes reading the radiograph . the center of the image reading apparatus 200 is provided with a display panel 201 c on which an operational status and the like of the image reading apparatus 200 is to be displayed . the cassette 20 which has been used for the radiographing is to be inserted in the loading port 201 a . fig3 showing a diagram showing an inner configuration of the image reading apparatus 200 . as shown in fig3 , the bottom of the loading port 201 a declines such that a portion thereof becomes lower as it is located farther away from the center of the image reading apparatus 200 . the lowermost portion of the decline is provided with a lid member 210 a through which the cassette 20 is to be taken into the interior of the image reading apparatus 200 . in addition , the loading port 201 a is provided with a sensor ( not illustrated ) configured to detect whether or not the cassette is attached thereto . the interior of the image reading apparatus 200 comprises a transfer section 220 , a reading section 230 , an erasing section 240 , a control section 250 . the transfer section 220 transfers the cassette 20 between the loading port 201 a and the discharging port 201 b . the reading section 230 reads the radiograph accumulated and recorded on the ip 10 . the erasing section 240 erases the radiograph remaining on the ip 10 . the control section 250 controls operations of the entire image reading apparatus 200 , and transmits the radiograph read by the reading section 230 to the controller 300 . once the sensor detects that the cassette 20 is attached to the image reading apparatus , a motor mounted on the lid member 210 a of the loading port 201 a is driven in accordance with the instruction from the control section 250 . thereby , the lid member 210 a is opened . the cassette 20 loaded in the loading port 201 a is transferred to the transfer section 220 by transfer rolls 2211 . the transfer section 220 is provided with two guide rails 222 and 223 as well as a transfer member 224 . one of the two guide rails 222 , 223 is arranged above the other . each of the two guide rails joins a loading position s 1 under the loading port 201 a , a reading position s 2 under the reading section 230 , an erasing position s 3 under the erasing section 240 , and a discharging position s 4 under the discharging port 201 b . the transfer member 224 is configured to move along the guide rails 222 and 223 , and to thereby transfer the cassette 20 between the loading position s 1 and the discharging position s 4 . first of all , the cassette 20 which has been transferred by the transfer rolls 2211 is held by the transfer member 224 at the loading position s 1 . thereafter , the cassette 20 is transferred along the guide rails 222 and 223 to the reading position s 2 . a lid opening section 225 configured to open the lid 21 of the cassette 20 is arranged in a vicinity of the upper guide rail 222 at the reading position s 2 . a discharging section 226 is arranged in the lower guide rail 223 . the discharging section 226 has two pins and a solenoid for inserting and pulling out the two pins . once the cassette 20 is transferred to the reading position s 2 , the lid opening section 225 opens the lid 21 of the cassette 20 , and thus the pins provided at the discharging section 226 are inserted in the push holes 20 a and 20 b . hence , the ip 10 is pushed out of the cassette 20 . the ip 10 which has been pushed out of the cassette 20 is transferred to the reading section 230 by transfer rolls 2212 . the cassette 20 which is empty after the ip 10 is discharged from the cassette 20 is transferred along the guide rails 222 and 223 to the erasing position s 3 . the reading section 230 is provided with a transfer route r which extends upward in the vertical direction . the reading section 230 includes shutters 231 a and 231 b , an excitation light irradiating section 233 , an image reading section 235 , two guide rails 236 and 237 , and a pair of nip rolls 238 and 239 . the shutters 231 a and 231 b are provided at two parts through which the ip 10 enters and exits . the excitation light irradiating section 233 irradiates an excitation light l in a main scanning direction ( equal to a direction from the front to the back of the paper on which fig3 is drawn ). the image reading section 235 collects photostimulated luminescent light by use of a collective guide 234 extending in the main scanning direction , and to thus read the radiograph which has been accumulated and recorded on the ip 10 . the guide rails 236 and 237 extend in the horizontal direction . one of the two guide rails is arranged above the other . the pair of nip rolls 238 and 239 are configured to transfer the ip 10 in the horizontal direction . one of the pair of nip rolls is arranged above the other of the pair of nip rolls . the upper nip roll 238 moves along the guide rail 236 , and the lower nip roll 239 moves along the guide rail 237 . the ip 10 which has been discharged from the cassette 20 is transferred in the upward direction along the transfer route r toward the guide rails 236 and 237 by transfer rolls 2321 and 2322 . once the forward edge of the ip reaches the elevation at which the excitation light irradiating section 233 is arranged , the shutters 231 a and 231 b are closed . thus , the interior of the reading section 230 is blocked from light . the ip 10 is transferred further upward by transfer roll 2322 and 2323 . subsequently , the excitation light irradiating section 233 irradiates excitation light l on the ip 10 which is being transferred . thus , the image reading section 235 reads photostimulated luminescent light emitted from the ip 10 . a radiograph which has been read by the image reading section 235 is transmitted to the control section 250 , and thereafter is transmitted to the controller 300 as shown in fig2 . in addition , the ip 10 from which the radiograph has been read is transferred to the nip rolls 238 and 239 by the transfer rolls 2322 and 2323 . thus , the ip 10 is nipped by the nip rolls 238 and 239 . the nip rolls 238 and 239 move along the guide rails 236 and 237 in the horizontal direction while holding the ip 10 . once the nip rolls 238 and 239 reach the ends of the respective guide rails 236 and 237 , the ip 10 is transferred downward . the ip is moved further downward by transfer rolls 2324 and 2231 , and is transferred to the erasing section 240 . the erasing section 240 is provided with multiple fluorescent lamps 241 which are arranged both in the main scanning direction ( equal to a direction from the front to the back of the paper on which fig3 is drawn ) and in a sub - scanning direction ( equal to a direction from the top to the bottom of the paper on which fig3 is drawn ). once erasing light q is emitted from the multiple fluorescent lamps 241 , the erasing light q is irradiated on the ip 10 which is being transferred . as a result , the radioactive energy which has been accumulated on the ip 10 is discharged from the ip 10 , and thus the radiograph is erased . the ip 10 from which the radiograph has been erased is transferred further downward by the transfer rolls 2214 . thus , the ip 10 is housed in the cassette 20 which has been empty , and which has been transferred to the erasing position s 3 . a lid closing section 227 for closing the lid 21 of the cassette 20 is arranged at the erasing position s 3 . once the ip 10 is housed in the cassette 20 , the lid 21 of the cassette 20 is closed . the cassette 20 housing the ip 10 from which the radiograph has been read , and from which the radioactive energy has been discharged , is transferred along the guide rails 222 and 223 to the discharging position s 4 . a lid member 210 b is arranged in the discharging port 201 b as in the case of the loading port 201 a . once the cassette 20 is transferred to the discharging position s 4 , the lid member 210 b of the discharging port 201 b is opened . the cassette 20 which has been transferred to the discharging position s 4 is transferred toward the discharging port 201 b by transfer rolls 2215 , and is discharged from the discharging port 201 b . in the foregoing manner , a radiograph is made , and the radiograph which is accumulated and recorded on the ip 10 is read . in the the mammography apparatus 100 as shown in fig2 , the contact side surface 22 of the cassette 20 is pressed against the chest wall 2 a of an object , and thus the mamma 2 is radiographed . if the cassette 20 is formed of a thicker plastic , the distance from the chest wall 2 a to the ip 10 housed in the cassette 20 is accordingly longer . this makes it impossible to radiograph part of the mamma 2 closer to the chest wall 2 a . on the other hand , if the cassette 20 is formed of a thinner plastic , a missing portion corresponding to the part of the mamma 2 which could not be otherwise radiographed is eliminated from the radiograph . however , this configuration brings about a problem that the strength of the cassette 20 decreases so that the cassette 20 is incapable of protecting the ip 10 . the problem of this kind is solved in the ip 10 and the cassette 20 according to the present embodiment . descriptions will be provided below for the configurations of each of the ip 10 and the cassette 20 . fig4 is a cross - sectional view of the cassette housing the ip , which is taken along the a - a ′ line of fig1 . fig5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an image of a radiograph to be accumulated and recorded on the ip . as shown in fig4 , the ip 10 is obtained by superposing the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance on the substrate 10 a with an adhesive 10 d interposed in - between such that an end portion including an edge 11 of the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance is shifted from the corresponding end portion of the substrate 10 a , and by adhering the sheet 10 b to the substrate 10 a with the adhesive 10 d . as a result , a step is formed in a side surface of the ip 10 . the ip 10 is housed in the cassette 10 such that the side surface of the sheet 10 b , in which the end portion of the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance protrudes from the corresponding end portion of the substrate 10 a , is opposed to the contact side surface 22 of the cassette 20 . the end portion of the sheet 10 b which protrudes from the corresponding end portion of the substrate 10 a is an example of the front portion as recited in the present invention . the both edges 11 of the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance are chamfered at an elevation angle θ of approximately 70 degrees to 85 degrees to the horizontal plane . the chamfered edges 11 are each provided with a protection material 10 c . the cassette 20 is formed in such a way that the thickness w 1 of a wall of a recording - side portion 22 a is smaller than the thickness w 3 of a wall of a substrate - side portion 22 b in the contact side surface 22 . the recording - side portion 22 a in the contact side surface 22 is opposed to the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance of the ip 10 . the substrate - side portion 22 b in the contact side surface 22 is opposed to the substrate 10 a of the ip 10 . it should be noted that the length l of the end portion of the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance which protrudes from the corresponding end portion of the substrate 10 a is smaller than the difference ( w 3 − w 1 ) between the thickness w 3 of the wall of the substrate - side portion 22 b and the thickness w 1 of the wall of the recording - side portion 22 a . thereby , a slight space intervenes between the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance and the recording - side portion 22 a . in addition , the recording - side portion 22 a of the cassette 20 is processed with an angle r . the lid 21 of the cassette 20 is provided with a plate spring 23 configured to bias the ip 10 , which is housed in the cassette 20 , toward the contact side surface 22 . the recording - side portion 22 a is an example of the opposed portion as recited in the present invention . the plate spring 23 is an example of the press member as recited in the present invention . once the ip 10 is housed in the cassette 20 , the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance is fitted into the recording - side portion 22 a of the cassette 20 . in addition , the substrate 10 a is biased by the plate spring 23 , and thus is pressed against the substrate - side portion of 22 b of the cassette 20 . thereby , the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance comes closer to the contact side surface 22 of the cassette 20 . it should be noted that the edges 11 of the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance are chamfered , and are each provided with the protection material 10 c . in addition , the recording - side portion 22 a of the cassette 20 is processed with the angle r . moreover , the slight space intervenes between the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance and the recoding - side portion 22 a . these arrangements make it possible to reduce disadvantages including damage of the ip 10 which might otherwise occur when the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance hits the cassette 20 while the ip 10 is being housed in the cassette 20 . subsequently , the cassette 20 housing the ip 10 is attached to the mammography apparatus 100 as shown in fig2 , and the chest wall of the object is pressed against the contact side surface 22 of the cassette 20 . thereby , the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance of the ip 10 comes closer to the base of the mamma 2 ( the chest wall ) of the object , as shown in fig5 . that is because the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance of the ip 10 comes forward to the contact side surface 22 of the cassette 20 than the substrate 10 a . the conventional type ip and cassette have a disadvantage that , in a case where a radiograph is intended to be made after housing the ip in the cassette , the ip and the cassette are incapable of radiographing part of the mamma in a range of approximately several millimeters from the chest wall of an object . however , in the case of the ip 10 and the cassette 20 according to the present embodiment , the thickness w 1 of the wall of the recording - side portion 22 a of the cassette 20 is smaller compared with that of the conventional ip and cassette , and thus the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance of the ip 10 comes closer to the contact side surface 22 of the cassette 20 . this makes it possible to reduce a missing portion of the radiograph to a width in a range of approximately 0 . 5 mm from the chest wall . in addition , the thickness w 3 of the wall of the substrate - side portion 22 b opposed to the substrate 10 , and which has nothing to do with the recording of the radiograph , is larger . this makes it possible to increase the strength of the cassette 20 without increasing the distance w 2 between the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance and the contact side surface 22 of the cassette 20 . as described above , the present invention makes it possible to reduce a missing portion of a radiograph to be made by a mammography apparatus without decreasing the strength of the cassette 20 , and to thus detect a small tumor or the like in a position closer to the chest wall securely . the descriptions for the first embodiment of the present invention end with the preceding paragraph . from now , descriptions will be provided for a second embodiment of the present invention . an ip and a cassette according to the second embodiment of the present invention have the substantially same configurations as the ip and the cassette according to the first embodiment of the present invention have . for this reason , in the second embodiment , elements which are the same as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals , and the descriptions for the elements will be omitted . the second embodiment will be described while focusing on what makes the second embodiment different from the first embodiment . fig6 is a cross - sectional view of the ip and the cassette according to the second embodiment of the present invention , taken along the a - a ′ line of fig1 . an ip 40 according to the present embodiment has the substantially same configuration as the ip 10 according to the first embodiment as shown in fig4 has . the ip 40 according to the present embodiment is different from the ip 10 according to the first embodiment in that the ip 40 is not provided with the protection material 10 c . in addition , a cassette 30 according to the present embodiment has the substantially same configuration as the cassette 20 according to the first embodiment as shown in fig4 has . the cassette 30 according to the present embodiment is different from the cassette 20 according to the first embodiment in that neither a recording - side portion 32 a opposed to the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance of the ip 40 nor a substrate - side portion 32 b opposed to the substrate 10 a of the ip 40 is processed with the angle r , and in that the recording - side portion 32 a is configured of a material ( for example , a sponge ) which dents when pressed . once the ip 40 is inserted in the cassette 30 , the substrate 10 a is biased by the plate spring 23 , and thus is pressed against the substrate - side portion 32 b of the cassette 30 . in addition , the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance presses , and thus dents , the recording - side portion 32 a . thereby , the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance comes closer to the contact side surface 22 of the cassette 30 . because the recording - side portion 32 a is configured of a pliable material such as a sponge as described above , the ip 40 and the cassette 30 are capable of causing the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance to come closer to the contact side surface 22 of the cassette 30 securely , and concurrently capable of preventing the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance from being damaged , even if there is a dimensional error such as a too - long protruding portion of the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance . the descriptions for the second embodiment of the present invention end with the preceding paragraph . from now , descriptions will be provided for a third embodiment of the present invention . an ip and a cassette according to the third embodiment of the present invention have the substantially same configurations as the ip and the cassette according to the first embodiment of the present invention have . for this reason , in the third embodiment , elements which are the same as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals , and the descriptions for the elements will be omitted . the third embodiment will be described while focusing on what makes the third embodiment different from the first embodiment . fig7 is a cross - sectional view of the ip and the cassette according to the third embodiment of the present invention , taken along the a - a ′ line of fig1 . as described above , the ip 10 according to the first embodiment is obtained by adhering the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance to the top of the substrate 10 a in a way that the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance is shifted , as shown in fig4 . unlike the ip 10 according to the first embodiment , however , an ip 60 according to the present embodiment is obtained by forming a step in a side surface of a substrate 60 a , adhering a sheet 60 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance to the top of the substrate 60 a , and thereby forming a protruding portion 60 ′ which is configured of the sheet 60 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance and the upper portion of the substrate 60 a . the forming of the protruding portion 60 ′ of the sheet 10 b of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance and the upper portion of the substrate 60 a makes it possible to increase the strength of the protruding portion 60 ′. this protruding portion 60 ′ is also an example of the front portion as recited in the present invention . in addition , in the case of a cassette 50 according to the present embodiment , a recording - side portion 52 a opposed to the protruding portion 60 ′ of the ip 60 dents under a substrate - side portion 52 b opposed to a lower portion of the substrate 60 a . the recording - side portion 52 a is provided with a cushioning material 52 c ( for example , leather ) configured to absorb a shock which occurs when the protruding portion 60 ′ hits the recording - side portion 52 a . the cushioning material 52 c is an example of a shock absorbing member as recited in the present invention . the ip 60 and the cassette 50 according to the present embodiment make it possible to efficiently suppress breaking of the sheet 60 b of the radio - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance , because the strength of the protruding portion 60 ′ of the ip 60 is increased , and because a shock on the protruding portion 60 ′ is absorbed by the cushioning material 52 c of the cassette 50 . the foregoing descriptions have been provided for the case where the two steps are formed in the side surface of the ip . in the case of the image recording plate as recited in the present invention , however , three steps or more may be formed in the side surface . in addition , the foregoing descriptions have been provided for the case where the plate spring is used as the biasing member configured to bias the ip toward the cassette . in the case of the biasing member as recited in the present invention , however , any elastic member other than the plate spring may be used as the biasing means . descriptions will be provided below for an example of the present invention . a plane substrate ( with the in - frame dimension of 174 mm × 239 mm ), a radiograph converting panel ( with the dimension of 178 mm × 238 mm ; its edge is chamfered ) and a double - sided adhesive sheet ( with a dimension of 172 mm × 237 mm , a 3m product , 4597fl ) were prepared for use . a pom ( polyoxymethylene )- made frame with a 0 . 7 - mm height and a 5 - mm width was formed in the two short sides and one long side of the plane substrate . specifically , the radiograph converting panel was prepared by using the same method as in the example described in us patent publication number 2006 / 0065852 a1 . first of all , a detachment film on the top side of the double - sided adhesive sheet was peeled off to expose the adhesive surface on the top side . subsequently , the substrate with the frames formed thereon was fixed to the top of a base whose surface surrounded by the frames was flat or slightly dented . thereafter , the top of the resultant substrate was cleaned of dust . afterward , the double - sided adhesive sheet was brought into intimate contact with the approximate center of the surface of the substrate surrounded by the frames . the double - sided adhesive sheet thus adhered was visually observed , and neither dust nor an air bubble was seen . the radiograph conversion panel was obtained by chamfering the edge portion of the layer of the fluorescent substance , and by thereafter applying resin to the edge . subsequently , the radiograph conversion panel was adhered to the resultant substrate with the double - sided adhesive sheet interposed in - between such that the two marginal end portions of the radiograph conversion panel protrude from the long side of the substrate without a frame by 2 mm ( the short sides of the substrate correspond to the short sides of the radiograph converting panel , respectively ). here , a portion of the radiograph conversion panel which protrudes from the substrate is equal to a protruding portion of the ip which will be described later . incidentally , the remaining detachment film of the double - sided adhesive sheet on the substrate was peeled off immediately before adhering the radiograph conversion panel to the substrate . the radiograph conversion panel thus adhered was visually observed , and no damage was seen on the radiograph converting panel from the long side of the substrate which was provided with no frame . a cassette as follows was prepared for use . the ip was capable of being inserted in the cassette from the long side thereof . the interior of the cassette had a 0 . 5 - mm play in total . the side farthest away from the insertion port of the cassette had a concave portion capable of accommodating the protruding portion ( 2 mm ) of the ip . more specifically , the concave portion is a groove with a 2 . 3 - mm depth , a 1 . 0 - mm width and a 240 - mm length . furthermore , the insertion lid was provided with a spring mechanism configured to bias the ip inward by 500 gf . when the ip was inserted in the cassette , a positional relationship between the side end of the layer of the fluorescent substance on the protruding portion of the ip which was the farthest away from the insertion port of the cassette and the external side end of the cassette which was the farthest away from the insertion port of the cassette represented a 0 . 5 mm difference in distance between the two . the ip loaded in the cassette was radiographed by an x - ray generating apparatus with a mo ( molybdenum ) tube ( 28 kv ). in this occasion , a mammography phantom ( a sample of an object ) was placed on the radiographing surface of the cassette , and was arranged such that the external side of the cassette which was designed to contact the chest wall was brought into contact with one side of the mammography phantom . subsequently , the mammography phantom was radiographed . thereafter , the film was observed , and it was found that part of the radiograph of the mammography phantom was missing by 0 . 5 mm from the chest wall . the present example made it possible to reduce a missing portion of the radiograph down to approximately 0 . 5 mm from the chest wall as described above , although , in the case of the conventional technique , part of a radiograph is missing by approximately 5 mm from the chest wall . by this , the present invention was proved to be effective . it should be noted that , although the ip made of the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance is used as the image recording plate , it goes without saying that the ip may be of an application type , of a vapor deposition type , or of any other type . the ip of the application type is obtained by dispersing the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance in a binding agent , and by thus applying the resultant fluorescent substance . the ip of the vapor deposition type is obtained by forming the radioactive - energy - accumulating fluorescent substance in a column structure by vapor deposition . in addition , a radiograph detector of a fixed - detector type may be used as the image recording plate . the radiograph detector of this type generates electric charges when irradiated with radioactive rays , and obtains a radiograph of an object by accumulating or reading the electric charges thus generated . in this case , unlike the ip , the radiograph detector used as the image recording plate need not be taken out of the cassette when the radiograph is going to be read from the image recording plate . however , the radiograph detector used as the image recording plate has the same effect as the ip used as the image recording plate has in a sense that a missing portion of a radiograph to be made can be reduced without decreasing the strength of the cassette . | 6 |
in the present disclosure , the term “ consisting essentially of ” is understood to mean the fact that the total weight of the copolymer ( a ), of the peroxide ( b ) and of the antioxidant ( c ) represents at least 90 % of the weight of the masterbatch . the optional components of the masterbatch other than the copolymer ( a ), the peroxide ( b ) and the antioxidant ( c ) thus represent at most 10 % of the weight of the masterbatch . these other components can be chosen from the compounds conventionally present in an electric cable insulating layer , for example stabilizers , technical adjuvants , scorch retarders , crosslinking accelerators , flame - retardant agents , acid scavengers or fillers . however , the presence of components other than the copolymer ( a ), the peroxide ( b ) and the antioxidant ( c ) in the masterbatch may not be desirable when said masterbatch is used to manufacture insulating layers for combating water treeing on medium - or high - voltage electric cables . this is because the presence of other components can create inhomogeneities in the polymer , which can promote risks of electrical breakdowns . advantageously , the optional components of the masterbatch other than the copolymer ( a ), the peroxide ( b ) and the antioxidant ( c ) thus represent at most 5 %, more preferably at most 1 % and more preferably still at most 0 . 1 % of the weight of the masterbatch . according to an advantageous embodiment , the masterbatch which is a subject matter of embodiments of the present disclosure consists solely of the copolymer ( a ), the peroxide ( b ) and the antioxidant ( c ). however , the presence of possible impurities which the components include as a result of their process of synthesis cannot be excluded . the constituents of the masterbatch according to embodiments of the disclosure will now be described in more detail . the copolymer ( a ) comprises an ethylene comonomer and at least one ethylenic comonomer having at least one polar group . the copolymer ( a ) can optionally comprise other comonomer ( s ). preferably , the ethylenic comonomer having at least one polar group can be chosen from the group consisting of : vinyl esters , such as vinyl acetate and vinyl pivalate ; alkyl and hydroxyalkyl acrylates and methacrylates , such as methyl acrylate , methyl methacrylate , ethyl acrylate , ethyl methacrylate , butyl acrylate , butyl methacrylate , hydroxyethyl acrylate and hydroxyethyl methacrylate ; unsaturated carboxylic acids , such as acrylic acid , methacrylic acid , maleic acid and fumaric acid ; acrylic acid derivatives or methacrylic acid derivatives , such as acrylonitrile , methacrylonitrile , acrylamide and methacrylamide ; and vinyl ethers , such as methyl vinyl ether and phenyl vinyl ether . among these comonomers , alkyl acrylates or methacrylates where the alkyl has from 1 to 4 carbon atoms are preferred . the comonomers which are particularly preferred are n - butyl acrylate , isobutyl acrylate , 2 - ethylhexyl acrylate , cyclohexyl acrylate , n - octyl acrylate , methyl methacrylate and ethyl methacrylate . preferably , the copolymer ( a ) consists of an ethylene comonomer and an ethylenic comonomer having at least one polar group . advantageously , the copolymer ( a ) comprises from 10 % to 60 % by weight , preferably from 15 % to 25 %, of ethylenic comonomer having at least one polar group , with respect to the total weight of the copolymer . copolymers exhibiting the above technical characteristics are available commercially from arkema under the lotryl ® trade name . preferably , the organic peroxide ( b ) included in the masterbatch which is a subject matter of embodiments of the present disclosure has the following formula ( i ): n is an integer equal to 1 , 2 , 3 or 4 ; r 1 and r 1 ′ are each , independently of one another , an oxygen atom or a saturated or partially unsaturated , linear or branched , divalent c 1 to c 5 hydrocarbon radical and preferably an unsubstituted linear c 1 to c 5 alkylene chain , r 2 , r 2 ′, r 3 and r 3 ′ are each , independently of one another , a saturated or partially unsaturated , linear or branched , c 1 to c 5 hydrocarbon radical and preferably an unsubstituted linear c 1 to c 5 alkyl group , r 4 and r 4 ′ are each , independently of one another , a hydrogen atom or a saturated or partially unsaturated , linear or branched , c 1 to c 5 hydrocarbon radical and preferably an unsubstituted linear c 1 to c 5 alkyl group . r 1 and r 1 ′ are each , independently of one another , an alkylene chain of formula —( ch 2 )— or —( ch 2 — ch 2 )—; r 2 , r 2 ′, r 3 and r 3 ′ are each , independently of one another , chosen from the group consisting of methyl , ethyl , 1 - propyl , isopropyl , 1 - butyl , isobutyl and tert - butyl , preferably methyl ; r 4 and r 4 ′ are each , independently of one another , chosen from the group consisting of the hydrogen atom , methyl , ethyl , 1 - propyl , isopropyl , 1 - butyl , isobutyl and tert - butyl , preferably the hydrogen atom . preferably , the organic peroxide ( b ) is chosen from the group consisting of 2 , 5 - dimethyl - 2 , 5 - di ( tert - butylperoxy ) hexane , di ( tert - amyl ) peroxide , di ( tert - butyl ) peroxide and tert - butyl cumyl peroxide . these organic peroxides are available commercially from arkema under the luperox ® 101 , luperox ® dta , luperox ® di , luperox ® dc , luperox ® dcp and luperox ® 801 trade names . more preferably still , the organic peroxide ( b ) is 2 , 5 - dimethyl - 2 , 5 - di ( tert - butylperoxy ) hexane of formula ( ii ): more preferably still , the organic peroxide ( b ) is tert - butyl cumyl peroxide of formula ( iii ): more preferably still , the organic peroxide ( b ) is dicumyl peroxide of formula ( iv ): n is equal to 1 ; r 4 and r 4 ′ together form a carbocycle or heterocycle comprising from 3 to 14 carbon atoms and optionally 1 to 4 heteroatoms chosen from o , n , p , s and si . preferably , an organic peroxide ( b ) of this type is 3 , 6 , 9 - triethyl - 3 , 6 , 9 - trimethyl - 1 , 4 , 7 - triperoxonane of formula ( v ): this organic peroxide is available commercially from akzo nobel under the trigonox ® 301 trade name . in the context of embodiments of the present disclosure , the organic peroxide ( b ) can be an organic peroxide as described above or a mixture of several of said organic peroxides . in the masterbatch which is a subject matter of embodiments of the present disclosure , the organic peroxide ( b ) represents from 0 . 2 to 100 parts by weight , per 100 parts by weight of the copolymer ( a ). more preferably , the organic peroxide ( b ) represents from 2 to 50 parts by weight , per 100 parts by weight of the copolymer ( a ). more preferably still , the organic peroxide ( b ) represents from 9 to 15 parts by weight , per 100 parts by weight of the copolymer ( a ). preferably , the antioxidant ( c ) can be chosen from those conventionally used in polymer matrices , in particular from sterically hindered or semihindered phenols , optionally substituted by one or more functional groups , aromatic amines , sterically hindered aliphatic amines , organic phosphates and thio compounds . such antioxidants are available commercially from basf under the irganox ® 1035 and irganox ® ps802 trade names . in embodiments of the present disclosure , the antioxidant ( c ) can be an antioxidant or a mixture of several antioxidants . in the masterbatch which is a subject matter of embodiments of the present disclosure , the antioxidant ( c ) represents from 0 . 02 to 50 parts by weight , per 100 parts by weight of the copolymer ( a ). more preferably , the antioxidant ( c ) represents from 0 . 1 to 10 parts by weight , per 100 parts by weight of the copolymer ( a ). more preferably still , the antioxidant ( c ) represents from 1 to 3 parts by weight , per 100 parts by weight of the copolymer ( a ). as indicated above , embodiments of the present disclosure also relate to a process for the preparation of the masterbatch . according to a first embodiment , this process comprises the stages consisting in : forming a homogeneous liquid mixture between the organic peroxide ( b ) and the antioxidant ( c ); bringing said liquid mixture into contact with the copolymer ( a ); recovering the masterbatch . the homogeneous liquid mixture of the organic peroxide ( b ) and of the antioxidant ( c ) can be prepared in different ways according to the nature of the compounds . if the organic peroxide ( b ) is in a liquid form , the mixture can be obtained by adding the antioxidant ( c ), itself in the liquid or solid form , to the organic peroxide ( b ) and by mixing using magnetic or mechanical stirring . if the organic peroxide ( b ) is in the solid form , the homogeneous liquid mixture can be obtained by preheating of the organic peroxide ( b ) above its melting point , in order to subsequently add the antioxidant ( c ) and to carry out the mixing . the heating can be carried out , for example , using a water bath . in order to obtain a complete dissolution of the antioxidant ( c ) in the organic peroxide ( b ), and thus a homogeneous liquid mixture , an additional stage consisting in heating the mixture , for example using a water bath , can be carried out . the temperature of the heating can be between 30 ° c . and 80 ° c ., preferably between 40 ° c . and 70 ° c . the natures and the relative amounts of the organic peroxide ( b ) and of the antioxidant ( c ) are chosen so that their liquid mixture is homogeneous , that is to say that they are completely miscible together to the naked eye . alternatively , the homogeneous liquid mixture between the organic peroxide ( b ) and the antioxidant ( c ) can be obtained by dissolving the organic peroxide ( b ) and the antioxidant ( c ), it being possible for these two compounds to be in the liquid or solid form , in an appropriate solvent . the solvent can preferably be removed during a subsequent stage of preparation of the masterbatch , preferably by evaporation . the choice of the solvent can be made by a person skilled in the art according to the solubility of the different components and according to the boiling point of the solvent . in this embodiment , the organic peroxide ( b ) and the antioxidant ( c ) are preferably chosen from relatively nonvolatile compounds , so that they are not removed at the same time as the solvent . the liquid mixture obtained is brought into contact with the copolymer ( a ). the copolymer ( a ) is preferably in the form of granules . the contacting operation is carried out so that the liquid mixture is absorbed by the copolymer ( a ). the absorption of the liquid mixture by the copolymer ( a ) may or may not be complete . the operation of bringing the liquid mixture into contact with the copolymer ( a ) can be carried out by steeping , accompanied or not accompanied by mixing . the operation in which a liquid mixture is brought into contact with the copolymer ( a ) can be carried out at ambient temperature ( approximately 25 ° c .) or with heating . the use of heating is advantageous if , in particular , the liquid mixture is only homogeneous at a temperature greater than ambient temperature . the stage of bringing into contact can thus be carried out at a temperature of between 40 ° c . and 80 ° c ., preferably between 50 ° c . and 70 ° c . according to an advantageous embodiment , the copolymer ( a ) and the liquid mixture are introduced into a mixer . mechanical mixing is carried out so that the copolymer ( a ) is impregnated with the liquid mixture . the mechanical mixing is then interrupted and the steeping is continued until the liquid mixture has been completely absorbed by the copolymer ( a ). the duration of the contacting stage can be adjusted by a person skilled in the art according to the rate at which the liquid mixture is absorbed by the copolymer ( a ). this stage can , for example , last between 5 minutes and 12 hours . it is optionally possible to bring the copolymer ( a ) into contact with components other than the peroxide ( b ) and the antioxidant ( c ). these other components , which have been described above , can be added to the homogeneous liquid mixture , before or after its formation , or can be independently brought into contact with the copolymer ( a ), before , during or after the stage of bringing into contact with the liquid mixture . on conclusion of this stage in which the liquid mixture is brought into contact with the copolymer ( a ), the copolymer ( a ) impregnated with the peroxide ( b ) and with the antioxidant ( c ) is recovered . the relative proportions of copolymer ( a ), of organic peroxide ( b ), of antioxidant ( c ), and optionally of other components are chosen so that the organic peroxide ( b ) represents from 0 . 2 to 100 parts by weight , per 100 parts by weight of the copolymer ( a ), and the antioxidant ( c ) represents from 0 . 02 to 50 parts by weight , per 100 parts by weight of the copolymer ( a ). in particular , these proportions can be adapted according to whether or not the absorption of the liquid mixture by the copolymer ( a ) is complete . according to a second embodiment , the process for the preparation of a masterbatch comprises the stages consisting in : extruding the copolymer ( a ) with the antioxidant ( c ) in order to obtain an extrudate ; bringing the organic peroxide ( b ) into contact with said extrudate once the latter is at a temperature sufficiently low not to trigger the thermal decomposition of the peroxide ; recovering the masterbatch . the extrusion of the copolymer ( a ) with the antioxidant ( c ) can be carried out according to techniques known to a person skilled in the art , for example using a single - screw or twin - screw extruder . the antioxidant ( c ) can be provided in the liquid form or the solid form . the temperature of the extrusion is adapted , as is known to a person skilled in the art , to the melting point of the copolymer ( a ). the extrudate is preferably recovered in the form of granules . said extrudate is subsequently brought into contact with the organic peroxide ( b ) once the extrudate is at a temperature sufficiently low not to trigger the thermal decomposition of the peroxide . the extrudate can be actively cooled or else it can be left to freely cool . the operation of bringing into contact with the organic peroxide ( b ) can be carried out such as has been described above for the first embodiment of the process of the preparation of the masterbatch . in particular , if the organic peroxide ( b ) is not liquid at ambient temperature , the latter can be heated . according to a third embodiment , the process for the preparation of the masterbatch comprises the stages consisting in : extruding the copolymer ( a ) with the antioxidant ( c ) in order to obtain an extrudate ; extruding the organic peroxide ( b ) with said extrudate at a temperature sufficiently high to make possible the extrusion of the copolymer , but sufficiently low not to trigger the thermal decomposition of the peroxide ; recovering the masterbatch . the extrusion of the copolymer ( a ) with the antioxidant ( c ) can be carried out such as has been described above for the second embodiment of the process for the preparation of the masterbatch . the extrudate is subsequently extruded a second time with the organic peroxide ( b ). the temperature of the extrusion is adapted , as is known to a person skilled in the art , to the melting point of the copolymer ( a ), so as to make possible the extrusion . however , the temperature of this second extrusion is adjusted so that the temperature is sufficiently low not to trigger the thermal decomposition of the peroxide . the adjustment of the extrusion temperature forms part of the know - how of a person skilled in the art . whatever the method of carrying out its process of preparation , the masterbatch thus obtained is stable over time . advantageously , the contents of organic peroxide ( b ) and of antioxidant ( c ) do not vary significantly after storage under normal conditions for twelve months at ambient temperature , that is to say below 30 ° c . these masterbatches can be transported in bags or in kegs from the production center to the conversion center . this masterbatch can advantageously be used to manufacture insulating layers on electric cables . the electric cable can in particular be a medium - voltage cable ( 1 - 35 kv ) or a high - voltage cable ( 36 - 132 kv ). another subject matter of embodiments of the present disclosure is a process for the manufacture of an insulating layer on electric cables comprising the stages consisting in : diluting the masterbatch described above in a crosslinkable polymer matrix in order to obtain a polymer composition ; extruding said polymer composition over an electric cable ; bringing about the crosslinking of the extruded polymer composition . the dilution stage can be carried out by means of any device conventionally used in plastics technology , in particular using internal mixers , or ( double - or triple - roll ) roll mills . the dilution stage can also consist of the introduction of the compounds into the hopper of an extruder using gravimetric feeders , for example . it is also possible to carry out this diluting using a side extruder . the crosslinkable polymer matrix preferably consists of polyethylene , more preferably of low - density polyethylene ( ldpe ). it is preferably provided in the form of granules . according to a first embodiment , the masterbatch and the crosslinkable polymer matrix are introduced into the feed hopper of the extruder , without the addition of other component . the degree of dilution by weight of the masterbatch in the crosslinkable polymer matrix ( masterbatch / crosslinkable polymer matrix ) can be between 0 . 1 / 99 . 9 and 60 / 40 , preferably between 5 / 95 and 30 / 70 , and more preferably still between 10 / 90 and 20 / 80 . this degree can vary according to the composition of the masterbatch . according to a second embodiment , the masterbatch and the crosslinkable polymer matrix are introduced into the feed hopper of the extruder , furthermore with an additional amount of copolymer ( a ). whatever the embodiments employ , this dilution stage makes it possible to obtain a polymer composition . advantageously , a polymer composition is thus obtained which comprises the crosslinkable polymer , the copolymer ( a ), the organic peroxide ( b ) and the antioxidant ( c ). other components can optionally be present , such as , for example , stabilizers , technical adjuvants , scorch retarders , crosslinking accelerators , flame - retardant agents , acid scavengers or fillers . these optional components can originate from the masterbatch or be added during the dilution of the masterbatch in the crosslinkable polymer matrix . preferably , the copolymer ( a ) represents from 0 . 2 % to 50 % by weight , more preferably from 5 % to 20 % by weight and more preferably still from 10 % to 15 % by weight , of the polymer composition . in addition , the organic peroxide ( b ) preferably represents from 0 . 1 to 100 parts by weight and more preferably from 0 . 5 to 2 parts by weight , per 100 parts of the total weight of the crosslinkable polymer and copolymer ( a ). furthermore , the antioxidant ( c ) preferably represents from 0 . 01 to 1 part by weight and more preferably from 0 . 2 to 0 . 3 part by weight , per 100 parts of the total weight of the crosslinkable polymer and copolymer ( a ). the polymer composition obtained is shaped by extrusion so as to form a layer around an electric cable . the extrusion can be simple or can consist of a coextrusion with other polymer compositions . the extrusion can be carried out directly on the conducting material forming the electric cable . other layers can conventionally be positioned between the conducting material and the insulating layer , for example an internal semiconducting layer . the extruded polymer composition is subsequently subjected to a crosslinking stage . the organic peroxide ( b ) present in the polymer composition makes possible the crosslinking of the crosslinkable polymer . the crosslinking stage can vary according to the nature of the materials used and the size of the electric cable . preferably , this stage consists in subjecting the extruded polymer composition to a high temperature , preferably of between 100 ° c . and 450 ° c ., more preferably between 110 ° c . and 400 ° c . the insulating layer obtained on the electric cable has a thickness advantageously of between 1 millimeter and 5 centimeters . for a medium - voltage electric cable ( 1 - 35 kv ), the thickness of the insulating layer can be approximately 5 millimeters . for a high voltage electric cable ( 36 - 132 kv ), the thickness of the insulating layer can be several centimeters . the crosslinked polymer composition constitutes an insulating layer on the electric cable . the use of the masterbatch according to embodiments of the present disclosure makes it possible to easily manufacture this insulating layer without using several specific extrusion devices or items of equipment , such as a direct peroxide injection unit . in addition , it has been found that the crosslinking density obtained with the masterbatch according to embodiments of the present disclosure is comparable to that obtained with a masterbatch not comprising antioxidant ( c ). the presence of the antioxidant ( c ) in the masterbatch thus does not detrimentally affect the crosslinking density of the insulating layer . a better understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure will be obtained in the light of the following nonlimiting and purely illustrative examples . the peroxide ( b ) and then the antioxidant ( c ) were introduced into a flask . the flask was placed in a water bath at a temperature of 57 ° c . and the peroxide and antioxidant mixture were stirred with a magnetic bar in order to obtain a homogeneous liquid mixture . the copolymer ( a ) in the form of granules was introduced into a 250 ml schott ® glass flask . the homogeneous liquid mixture of peroxide and antioxidant was heated up on the water bath to 60 ° c . and then the desired amount was withdrawn and introduced into the glass flask containing the copolymer ( a ). the flask was placed in an item of equipment which makes possible continuous stirring and the temperature was maintained at 60 ° c . until the homogeneous liquid mixture of peroxide and antioxidant had been completely absorbed by the copolymer ( a ). for masterbatch 1 , the liquid mixture was absorbed in three hours . for masterbatch 2 , the liquid mixture was absorbed in six hours . it was noted that the granules of copolymer ( a ), which are fundamentally translucent , became white and opaque after absorption . approximately 20 g of masterbatch were weighed into 100 ml schott ® glass flasks . they were subjected to aging in an oven for seven days at 50 ° c . after seven days , hplc or gc measurements made it possible to determine the change in the content of peroxide and antioxidants in the two masterbatches studied . as regards only the change in the contents obtained , it has been found that the variation before and after aging is not significantly different . in order to produce 55 g of the polymer composition , 47 . 5 g of lpde were introduced into an internal mixer of n50 type equipped with cam rotors ( brabender ) which is heated to 120 ° c . 7 . 5 g of masterbatch 1 or 2 were added to the mixer and the mixing was continued for two minutes at 50 revolutions / minute . the mixture was subsequently recovered from the mixer . from the metering of the starting materials down to the recovery of the mixture , the operation lasts approximately six minutes . the resulting mixture was passed into a gumix ® colander at a temperature of 120 ° c . through a gap of 1 . 5 mm . a sheet of homogeneous appearance was obtained and was used for the following test : the change in the viscoelastic torque of a crosslinkable mixture was measured over time using the rpa ( rubber process analyzer ) 2000 from alpha technologies . the values for mh - ml ( dnm ) are directly corelatable with the crosslinking density . the values obtained for the crosslinked ldpe polymer compositions prepared with masterbatches 1 and 2 show that these compositions have a correct crosslinking density . the t90 values represent the time necessary to achieve 90 % of the maximum crosslinking density . the ts2 values represent the scorch or precrosslinking time of the mixture studied . the t90 and ts2 values obtained at 180 ° c . for the crosslinked ldpe polymer compositions prepared with masterbatches 1 and 2 are in accordance with expectations . | 8 |
the present study demonstrates that an unglycosylated 38 kda prelp protein seems to be exclusively expressed in cll leukemic cells , cll cell lines , mcl cells , burkitt &# 39 ; s lymphoma cells , breast cancer cells , ovarian cancer cells , prostate cancer cells , and glioblastoma cells . other hematological malignancies as well as pbmc of normal donors did not express prelp . strong polyclonal activation ( pma / ionomycin ) of normal b and t lymphocytes did not induce expression of prelp ( data not shown ), suggesting that the expression of the 38 kda prelp in cll might reflect a constitutive aberration in vivo . prelp is normally secreted into the extracellular matrix compartment but its function is not clearly known . the mature prelp proteins ( 50 and 58 kda ), which were detected in serum of both cll patients and healthy donors are probably produced by fibroblasts . however , in cll cells , a unique 38 kda prelp protein was identified . mutation analysis of the prelp gene in cll did not reveal any substantial nucleotide aberrations which could explain the difference at the protein level . no nucleotide mutations in the c - terminal region ( against which our c - terminal antibody was raised ) were found . these findings , in combination with the small number of coding exons ( only 2 exons ) make splice variants or truncation unlikely . the cll specific 38 kda prelp was detected by a monoclonal antibody against the prelp signal peptide indicating that the signal peptide was not cleaved off . furthermore , the cll specific 38 kda prelp was not detected in serum . this could be due to impaired secretion from leukemic cells and retention in subcellular organelles or , alternatively , rapid degradation in the serum by proteases . the presence of an intact signal peptide may suggest retention in the cytosol . impaired glycosylation and retained signal peptide may be specific for cll , as prelp expressed in sp2 / 0 cells seems to be fully matured and processed , i . e translocated , glycosylated and with the signal peptide cleaved off ( fig1 ). similar observations have been reported for the mu - and cd79a chains on the surface of cll cells . 21 the difference between normal prelp ( 50 - 58 kda ) and cll - derived prelp ( 38 kda ) may be due to post - translational modifications . complete deglycosylation of yeast - derived prelp resulted in a 38 kda prelp , corresponding in size to prelp detected in cll , possibly the prelp core protein with no side - chain glycan modifications . stable dimerization of several slrps including opticin , decorin , biglycan , and chondroadherin 22 - 25 support the suggestion of a dimerized prelp in cll . formation of prelp dimers may be analogous to the proposed model of opticin dimerization . 22 in this model the amino terminal of the dimer was accessible to antibodies which could explain the reactivity of our n - terminal antibody with the dimerized prelp . fractionation analyses of cll cells indicated that the dimerized prelp is located in the cytoskeletal and membrane fractions . this is the first study associating prelp with cll . there are reports linking other slrps to cancer . decorin suppresses cell growth and tumor cell mediated angiogenesis . 26 , 27 decorin and the other slrps are secreted proteins that normally mediate their functions by binding to membrane receptors or extracellular matrix proteins . however , other locations and functions have been reported . an intracellular role has been proposed for decorin in binding the cytoskeletal protein , filamin . 28 prelp has been shown to bind and inhibit nf - kappa b activity in the nucleus of osteoclasts . 29 our findings suggest a non - secreted 38 kda prelp in cll but the role is not clear . however , the specific and unique expression of a 38 kda prelp protein strongly indicates a functional role in cll . the specific expression of another proteoglycan , fmod 6 in cll may suggest a role of proteoglycans in cll . furthermore , preliminary data indicate that another slrp , opticin , located in close proximity to fmod and prelp on chromosome 1 ( 1q32 ) is also upregulated in cll . the functional characterization of these proteoglycans in cll is urgently warranted to understand their biological importance . further experiments showing the expression of prelp in raji , a human burkitt &# 39 ; s lymphoma cell line added clues to the possibility of expression of prelp in other hematological malignancies or even solid tumors . to investigate the expression of prelp in solid tumors a panel of cell lines was selected . the reason for selecting the cell line is the ease of separating the cells to detect the surface expression by flow cytometry technique . the adherent cells were retrieved without trypsinization , as this may alter the structure of surface antigens leading to false results . it is of note that surface expression of prelp in tumor cells is crucial in targeting the cancer cells . prelp is not expressed on the surface of normal cells . expression of prelp in breast , ovary , prostate cancer cell lines as well as in glioblastoma cells and also lack of surface expression in normal cells further verifies the use of this unique structure in targeting the cancer cells by means of monoclonal antibody . our antibodies are raised against the signal peptide of prelp , where it is cleaved off in normal conditions in endoplasmic reticulum before secretion to the extracellular matrices . this is the most important issue , which makes the cell surface - expressed prelp in tumor cells as a very unique and also safe target with no interaction with any other prelp molecules expressed by other normal tissues . to investigate this subject , normal tissues especially pbmc , breast , testis , and skin were obtained and prelp expression was studied . no expression of prelp was found in these normal tissues using three different clones of anti - prelp antibodies . high level of prelp expression in three different breast cancer cell lines , skbr3 , mda , and bt474 as well as three ovarian carcinoma cell lines a2780s , 2008c13r , and caov4 with no expression in a healthy breast strongly suggest the ectopic expression of prelp in such tumors making this molecule a good candidate for targeting . we have also shown that anti - prelp antibody can induce apoptosis in cll cells . this function may confer to any other cells expressing prelp . in general we suggest that anti - prelp antibodies generated specifically against signal peptide might be used for targeting breast cancer , ovarian caner , prostate cancer , chronic lymphocytic leukemia , burkitt &# 39 ; s lymphoma , glioblastoma , neuroblastoma , and medullablastoma without harming at least tissues of skin , breast , testis , and most importantly peripheral blood mononuclear cells . the term “ affinity binder ” shall be construed as any molecular entity capable of selectively binding to an analyte of interest . affinity binders may be polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies , fragments thereof such as f ( ab ′) 2 , fab , fab ′, fv , fc , and fd fragments , which may be incorporated into single domain antibodies , single - chain antibodies , maxibodies , minibodies , intrabodies , diabodies , triabodies , tetrabodies , v - nar and bis - scfv . affinity binders also include synthetic binding molecules such as molecularly imprinted polymers , affibodies or any other affinity binder . in the aspects of the invention using antibodies , the antibodies may be substituted for other types of affinity binders as applicable . affinity between two entities means an affinity of at least 10 6 , 10 7 , 10 8 10 9 m − 1 , or 10 10 m − 1 . affinities greater than 10 8 m − 1 are preferred . the term “ specific for ” indicates that the variable regions of the antibodies , or binding molecules , recognize and bind prelp according to the invention exclusively ( i . e ., able to distinguish prelp from other similar polypeptides despite sequence identity , homology , or similarity found in the family of polypeptides ), but may also interact with other proteins ( for example , s . aureus protein a or other antibodies in elisa techniques ) through interactions with sequences outside the variable region of the antibodies , and in particular , in the constant region of the molecule . screening assays in which one can determine binding specificity of an anti - prelp antibody are well known and routinely practiced in the art . ( chapter 6 , antibodies a laboratory manual , eds . harlow , et i al ., cold spring harbor laboratory ; cold spring harbor , n . y . ( 1988 ), herein incorporated by i reference in its entirety ). an “ immunogenic agent ” or “ immunogen ” is capable of inducing an immunological response against itself on administration to a patient , optionally in conjunction with an adjuvant . antibodies that recognize the same epitope can be identified in a simple immunoassay showing the ability of one antibody to block the binding of another antibody to a target antigen . t - cells recognize continuous epitopes of about nine amino acids for cd8 cells or about 13 - 15 amino acids for cd4 cells . t cells that recognize the epitope can be identified by in vitro assays that measure antigen - dependent proliferation , as determined by 3h - thymidine incorporation by primed t cells in response to an epitope ( burke et al ., j . inf . dis . 170 , 1110 - 19 ( 1994 )), by antigen - dependent killing ( cytotoxic t lymphocyte assay , tigges et al ., j . immunol . 156 , 3901 - 3910 ) or by cytokine secretion . when practicing the present invention the person skilled in the art may further make of use conventional techniques in the field of pharmaceutical chemistry , immunology , molecular biology , microbiology , cell biology , transgenic animals and recombinant dna technology , as i . a . disclosed in sambrook et al . “ molecular cloning : a laboratory manual ”, 3 rd ed . 2001 ; ausubel et al . “ short protocols in molecular biology ”, 5 th ed . 1995 ; “ methods in enzymology ”, academic press , inc . ; macpherson , hames and taylor ( eds .). “ pcr 2 : a practical approach ”, 1995 ; “ harlow and lane ( eds .) “ antibodies , a laboratory manual ” 1988 ; freshney ( ed .) “ culture of animal cells ”, 4 th ed . 2000 ; hogan et al . “ manipulating the mouse embryo : a laboratory manual ”, cold spring harbor laboratory , 1994 ; or later editions of these books . the following examples serve to illustrate the invention and shall not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention , which is that of the claims . the diagnosis of cll and disease status ( progressive / non - progressive ) were established as described 13 using the who classification of hematopoetic and lymphoid malignancies and the modified nci criteria . 14 , 15 clinical characteristics of the patients are shown in table 1 . heparinized blood was collected as the source of leukemic cells from patients with cll ( n = 30 ), mcl ( n = 5 ), hairy cell leukemia ( hcl ) ( n = 2 ), b - cell prolymphocytic leukemia ( b - pll ) ( n = 1 ), t - cell prolymphocytic leukemia ( t - pll ) ( n = 4 ), chronic myelogenous leukemia ( cml ) ( n = 5 ), acute myelogenous leukemia ( aml ) ( n = 5 ) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia ( all ) ( n = 10 ). bone marrow tumor cells were obtained from patients with multiple myeloma ( mm ) ( n = 6 ), and follicular lymphoma ( fl ) ( n = 2 ). blood was also drawn from healthy control donors ( n = 10 ). serum was collected from cll patients ( n = 8 ) and healthy controls ( n = 8 ). all samples were collected with informed consent of the patients and approval from the local ethical committee . four cll cell lines and nine cell lines derived from a variety of other hematological malignancies were included ; cll ( eheb , 183 - e95 , 232 - b4 , wac3 - cd5 ), mm ( lp - 1 ), t - cell leukemia ( skw3 ), all ( hut - 78 , hpb - all , molt - 4 , jurkat ), aml ( hl60 ), cml ( k562 ), and nk cell lymphoma ( yt ). eheb and yt were obtained from dsmz ( braunschweig , germany ). the other cll cell lines ( 183 - e95 , 232 - b4 , wac3 - cd5 ) 16 were a kind gift from prof . anders rosen ( linkoping university , sweden ) and prof kenneth nilsson ( uppsala university , sweden ). the remaining cell lines were provided by the national cell bank of iran ( ncbi , pasteur institute of iran , tehran , iran ). all cell lines were adapted to grow in rpmi - 1640 medium ( gibco , paisley , scotland ) supplemented with 10 % fetal bovine serum ( fbs ) ( gibco ), l - glutamine ( 2 mm ), penicillin ( 100 u / ml ) and streptomycin ( 100 μg / ml ) ( gibco ). peripheral blood mononuclear cells ( pbmc ) ( lymphocytes and monocytes ) from normal donors and leukemic cells from blood and bone marrow were isolated using ficoll - paque plus ( ge healthcare , bio - sciences ab , buckinghamshire , uk ) density - gradient centrifugation , as described . 17 granulocytes , leukemic b - cells , normal t and b lymphocytes were isolated as described . 6 the purity of the isolated populations was tested by direct immunofluorescence using monoclonal antibodies against cd3 , cd19 , and cd14 ( bd biosciences , san jose , calif ., usa ). total rna was extracted from leukemic cells and normal pbmc using rnazol b reagent ( biosite , täby , sweden ) according to manufacturer &# 39 ; s instruction . first strand cdna was synthesized as described . 6 pcr amplification was performed using prelp specific primers ( table 2 ). briefly , 25 μμl of pcr reaction mixture was prepared using 2 . 5 μl of 10 × buffer , 2 μl of 25 mm mgcl 2 , 1 . 5 μl dntps ( 10 mm ), 5 μmol of each primer and 1 unit of ampli - taq gold dna polymerase ( perkin - elmer / applied biosystems , boston , mass ., usa ). pcr was performed in 35 cycles , initiated by 1 cycle at 95 ° c . for 10 min , followed by 92 ° c . ; 30 sec , 60 ° c . ; 30 sec , and 72 ° c . ; 30 sec leading to a 334 by amplicon . to assure the specificity of primers , some pcr products were cloned into pgem - t easy vector ( promega , madison , wis ., usa ) and subjected to sequencing . rt - qpcr was performed as described . 6 cdna samples were used as template and β - actin ( endogenous housekeeping gene ) was quantified as a positive control against which the different template values were normalized . for expression in yeast , cdna from pbmc of cll patients ( n = 10 ) were pooled and a full - length prelp transcript was pcr - amplified . the pcr product was cloned into pgem - t easy vector and subcloned into pgapzα - a vector for yeast p . pastoris ( invitrogen , carlsbad , calif ., usa ). the recombinant plasmids were selected for sequencing . after selecting an in - frame clone , the construct was linearized using avrii restriction enzyme and transfected into p . pastoris strain smd1168 ( invitrogen ). the colonies were screened by gene specific pcr amplification and positive clones were selected for protein production . the supernatant of a 72 h cultured yeast clone was collected and concentrated up to 30 times using amicon ultra - 15 centrifugal filter units ( millipore corporation , bedford , mass ., usa ). for expression in mammalian cells , a full - length prelp cdna clone ( transcript variant 1 , sc111673 , trueclones , origene technologies , inc . rockville , md ., usa ) was subcloned into noti site of a mammalian expression vector pcmv6 - neo ( origene technologies ). after selection and sequencing of an in - frame clone , the plasmid was transfected into mouse sp2 / 0 cell line to obtain stable transfectants using jetpei ™ transfection reagent ( polyplus - transfection ™, illkirch , france ). cells were harvested , washed extensively and lysate prepared as described for western blot . recombinant prelp protein produced in yeast was subjected to chemical deglycosylation using trifluoromethanesulfonic acid ( tfms ) ( sigma , st louis , mo ., usa ) and anisole ( fluka , sigma ). tfms removes all carbohydrates chains from glycoproteins regardless of linkage and composition . 18 250 μl of yeast culture supernatant was precipitated in 100 % ethanol at − 20 ° c . over night in two separate tubes . protein pellets were collected by centrifugation at 15000 g for 20 min , washed in 95 % ethanol , collected by centrifugation and air - dried for 1 h . 200 μl tfms and anisole ( 9 : 1 ) was added to the dry pellets and the samples were incubated on ice for 2 and 4 h , respectively . the reaction was stopped by the addition of 2m tris base ( ph 8 ) until ph reached 6 . the samples were dialysed against 10 mm phosphate buffer for 24 h , concentrated 20 times in amicon ultra - 15 centrifugal filter units ( millipore corp .) and then subjected to western blot . a rabbit anti - prelp polyclonal antibody was produced against a 19 - mer peptide ( cggkarakggfrllqsvvi ) purchased from thermo electron corporation gmbh ( ulm , germany ) of which the 9 last amino acids correspond to the carboxy - terminal ( c - terminal ) part of human prelp 9 . the antibody was purified by affinity chromatography . two mouse anti - prelp monoclonal antibodies were produced using keyhole limpet hemocyanin ( klh )- conjugated prelp - peptides following a standard protocol with minor modifications . 19 one antibody was generated against the carboxy - terminal peptide ( cggkarakggfrllqsvvi ). the other was raised against the n - terminal region for which a 20 - mer peptide ( mrsplcwllpllilasvaqg ) ( thermo electron ) covering the whole signal sequence was used . cell lysates were prepared as described with minor modifications . 20 briefly , 50 × 10 6 cells were lysed in 1 ml of buffer containing 0 . 2 % triton - x , 130 mm hepes , 4 mm mgcl 2 , 10 mm egta with 2 % proteinase inhibitor cocktail ( sigma ). after 1 h incubation on ice , lysates were centrifuged at 2500 rpm for 5 min and the soluble fraction was collected (“ upper phase ”). the triton - x resistant pellet was dissolved in 1 × nupage lds sample buffer ( invitrogen ) and sonicated for 3 × 15 sec (“ lower phase ”). the protein concentration was measured by bio - rad protein assay according to the manufacturer &# 39 ; s instructions ( bio - rad laboratories , hercules , calif ., usa ). cell lysate ( 20 μg ), serum ( dil 1 : 50 ), and yeast supernatants were subjected to western blot using a 10 % nupage bis - tris gel ( invitrogen ) at 120 v for 3 h under reducing conditions . resolved proteins were transferred onto immobilon - p pvdf membrane ( millipore corp .) in a mini - transblot cell ( invitrogen ). the membranes were blocked at + 4 ° c . over night with 5 % non - fat milk ( semper , stockholm , sweden ) in pbs plus 0 . 05 % tween 20 ( pbs - t ). filters were incubated with 10 μg / ml of anti - prelp rabbit polyclonal or mouse monoclonal antibody over night at + 4 ° c . following extensive washings in pbs - t , filters were incubated with a secondary horseradish peroxidise ( hrp )- conjugated goat anti - rabbit or rabbit anti - mouse antibody ( dakocytomation , glostrup , denmark ) for 1 . 5 h at room temperature . filters were developed using amersham enhanced chemiluminescence ecl ™ system ( ge healthcare ). to verify equal loading of samples , filters were stripped in a buffer containing 62 . 5 mm tris - hcl , 2 % sds , 100 mm mercaptoethanol ( sigma ) at 50 ° c . for 30 min . following 3 × 15 min washing in pbs - t , the membranes were re - probed with 2 . 5 μg / ml of a mouse anti - β - actin monoclonal antibody ( sigma ). 2 × 10 6 target cells ( cll cells or pbmc of healthy donors ) were incubated with 10 μg / ml of the anti - prelp mouse monoclonal antibodies , or relevant isotype controls in 1 ml of serum - free medium ( ctl - 010 , cellular technology ltd . oh , usa ). after 18 hours of incubation at 37 ° c . in humidified air with 5 % co 2 , cells were collected , washed twice with 1 × pbs and resuspended in 100 ul of 1 × binding buffer at a concentration of 1 × 10 6 cells / ml . 5 μl of fitc - conjugated annexin v and pi ( bd biosciences ) was added to the cells , vortexed and incubated at room temperature in the dark for 15 minutes . 100 μl of 1 × binding buffer was added to the cells which then were analyzed by flow cytometry ( facscalibur ). for icc the cell lines were cultured and harvested using 0 . 5 % trypsin and 0 . 1 % edta ( gibco ) loaded 1 − 2 × 10 4 cells on 8 well laminated glass slide ( marienfeld , germany ) that homogenized in rpmi 1640 containing 20 % fbs with subsequent incubation in moisturized conditions for overnight . after overnight incubation the medium was removed and the cells were washed with pbs for three times ( 3 × 3 min ). slides were dried at room temperature for 15 min , acetone - fixed ( at − 20 ° c . ), permeabilized for 2 minutes and kept at 4 ° c . for 30 min until slides were dried . slides washed with tris - buffered saline , ph 7 . 4 containing 5 % bovine serum albumin ( tbs - bsa ) three times ( 3 × 3 min ). slides were blocked with 5 % sheep serum for 10 min at room temperature . the primary anti - prelp antibodies were diluted with tbs - bsa to a final concentration of 5 μg / ml and incubated at room temperature for 60 minutes and then washed with tbs - bsa three times ( 3 × 3 min ). fluorescein isothiocyanate ( fitc )- conjugated sheep anti - mouse ( acecr , tehran , iran ) was diluted with tbs - bsa in a ratio of 1 : 50 and incubated at room temperature for 45 minutes . negative antibody control slides were incubated with mouse igm ( isotype control ) at a final concentration of 10 μg / ml in tbs - bsa . after washing with tbs - bsa , the nuclei were counterstained by 4 ′, 6 - diamidino - 2 - phenylindole dihydrochloride ( dapi ) ( calbiochem , usa ) at 1 μg / ml for 5 minutes , then the slides were washed , mounted in pbs - glycerol 80 % and examined under a fluorescence microscope ( olympus , tokyo , japan ). for ihc the tissues upon receiving were stored at − 80 ° c . at the time of performing the experiment , tissues were equilibrated at − 20 ° c . for approximately 2 hour before attempting to sectioning . tissues were cut at 5 um thickness and allowed to air dry for 3 - 12 hour at room temperature . tissue sections were fixed by immersing the slides in pre - cooled acetone (− 20 ° c .) for 1 . 5 minute at (− 20 ° c .) following 0 . 5 minute at 4 ° c . the fixative were poured off and allowed acetone to be evaporated from the tissue sections for & gt ; 20 minutes at 4 ° c . the sections were air - dried on bench for 5 minutes . slides were rinsed in 300 ul tbs ( ph = 7 . 4 )+ 0 . 1 % bsa ( tbs - bsa ) for 3 minutes . the slides were covered by blocking reagent for 10 min at room temperature ( 5 % non - immune serum from secondary antibody species in tbs - bsa ). blocking solution was removed and 100 μl diluted antibody ( diluted antibody in tbs - bsa ). primary antibody was added to each section . incubated at room temperature for one hour . after that the primary antibody was removed and slides were then washed with 200 ul tbs - bsa for 3 times ( each 3 min ) 100 ul of secondary sheep anti - mouse antibody ( conjugated with fitc ), diluted in tbs - bsa was added . slides were incubated for 45 minute in the dark at room temperature . after that secondary antibody was removed and slides were washed with 200 ul tbs - bsa for 3 times ( each 3 min ). 100 μa of dapi ( 0 . 1 μg / ml diluted in tbs - bsa ) was added to each section . slides were incubated approximately 5 minute in the dark at room temperature . after removing dapi slides were then washed in 200 ul tbs - bsa 3 time ( each 1 min ). coverslip was mounted using tbs - glycerol ( 50 % v / v ). cells were harvested by 0 . 5 % trypsin and 0 . 1 % edta ( gibco ) and washed thoroughly with pbs . according to the related protocol , sample analysis and data acquisition were performed by flomax flow cytometry analysis software ( partec , germany ). the expression of prelp mrna in leukemic cells from peripheral blood of cll patients as well as of other hematological malignancies and healthy control donors was tested by rt - pcr . pbmc from all cll patients ( n = 30 ) expressed prelp ( table 3 ), irrespective of clinical phase ( non - progressive / progressive ). prelp was also expressed in tumor cells of mcl patients ( 3 / 5 ) but not in aml ( 0 / 5 ), fl ( 0 / 2 ) t - or b - pll ( 0 / 5 ), hcl ( 0 / 2 ), mm ( 0 / 6 ), cml ( 0 / 5 ), and all ( 0 / 10 ). prelp was not expressed in fresh pbmc ( lymphocytes and monocytes ) of healthy donors ( 0 / 10 ), enriched normal blood b cells ( 0 / 6 ), t cells ( 0 / 4 ), or granulocytes ( 0 / 5 ). prelp was expressed in four cll cell lines ( eheb , 183 - e95 , 232 - b4 , wac3 - cd5 ) but not in cell lines derived from myeloma ( 0 / 1 ), t cell leukemia ( 0 / 1 ), all ( 0 / 4 ), aml ( 0 / 1 ), cml ( 0 / 1 ), and nk cell lymphoma ( 0 / 1 ) ( table 4 ). sequencing of cdna from 10 cll patients revealed no major mutations in the prelp gene ( data not shown ). the mw of normal prelp protein is 55 kda 9 . the specificity of our anti - prelp poly - and monoclonal antibodies was tested against recombinant prelp expressed in sp2 / 0 mouse cell line ( fig1 a - c ). cells transfected with pcmv6 - neo vector alone were used as a negative control . in western blot , the c - terminal polyclonal antibody recognized a major band of 55 - 58 kda , corresponding to mature , glycosylated prelp protein . 9 in addition , this polyclonal antibody detected three bands of 38 kda , 44 kda , and 48 kda , presumably representing unglycosylated or partly glycosylated prelp . 10 the monoclonal antibodies against the c - terminal as well as the n - terminal , recognized only the 38 kda prelp . this may be due to that the monoclonal antibodies might recognize epitopes that are hidden by secondary structures in the mature prelp protein . pbmc from cll patients ( n = 30 ) were tested for prelp protein expression in western blot . tumor cell lysates were prepared by a 2 - step method giving rise to two fractions . in the upper fraction , representing the cytosolic part , a band of 38 kda was detected in all cll patients ( fig2 a ). in the triton - x resistant lower fraction considered to contain membrane and cytoskeletal structures 20 a band of approximately 76 kda was seen ( fig2 b ). the 38 kda band was recognized both by the c - terminal ( monoclonal and polyclonal ) and the n - terminal ( monoclonal ) antibodies eliminating the possibility that the 38 kda fragment was a degradation product . the 76 kda band was detected only by the monoclonal n - terminal antibody . a plausible explanation is that the 76 kda variant had the signal peptide uncleaved and the c - terminal part hidden , which might be due to dimer formation . all four cll lines also expressed the 38 kda prelp as well as the 76 kda dimer ( data not shown ). pbmc of healthy control donors ( n = 10 ) did not express any prelp protein variants ( fig2 a - b ). we also analyzed serum from 8 cll patients and 8 healthy control donors by western blot . all serum samples showed two bands , 50 and 58 kda , representing mature glycosylated prelp 10 ( fig3 ). the 38 kda and 76 kda prelp proteins were not detected in serum from either patients or normal donors . untreated yeast - derived prelp had a mw of about 100 kda ( fig4 ) which may represent a dimer of the mature glycosylated prelp ( 55 kda ). after chemical deglycosylation using tfms for 2 h , bands in the region of 51 - 64 kda appeared , which may represent monomers of the mature glycosylated prelp . after tfms treatment for 4 h , a band of 38 kda was seen , corresponding to completely deglycosylated prelp protein ( fig4 ). the results of the apoptosis assay are presented in fig5 and 6 . the expression of prelp was studied in two cell lines including raji ( human b cell lymphoma ) and 183 - e95 ( chronic lymphocytic leukemia line ) by cell surface staining ( flow cytometry ). flow cytometry experiments using different clones of anti - prelp antibodies showed a reactivity of 22 - 80 % on raji in which the clone 3a5 showing highest reactivity ( fig7 ). the expression of prelp was studied in one human breast cancer cell line mda showing 9 - 17 % reactivity by flow cytometry depending on the clonality of anti - prelp antibody ( fig8 a ). expression profile of prelp in three ovarian carcinoma cell lines a2780s , 2008c13r , and caov4 was 44 , 50 , and 23 %, respectively by flow cytometry using anti - prelp antibody clone 1c10 - c3 ( fig8 b and 8c ). tumor tissues from three patients with neuroblastoma and one patient with medullablastoma also showed expression of prelp using anti - prelp antibody clone 4a4 ( fig9 a ). the expression of prelp was higher in tumor tissues in comparison to pbmc from a healthy donor ( fig9 a ). western blot analysis of lysates from cell lines mda ( human breast cancer ), u373 ( human glioblastoma ), and pc3 ( human prostate cancer ) showed strong expression of prelp with no reactivity with human pbmc from a healthy donor ( fig9 b ). immunocytochemistry ( icc ) on human breast cancer cell line skbr3 showed a strong expression of prelp using anti - prelp antibody clone 1c10 - c3 ( fig1 ). no expression of prelp was detected in normal human tissues of breast , skin , and testis ( fig1 - 13 ). table 5 shows a summary of prelp expression in different tissues and cell lines both in pathological and non - pathological samples using both n - terminal and c - terminal anti - prelp antibodies . 5 . klein u , tu y , stolovitzky g a , et al . gene expression profiling of b cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia reveals a homogeneous phenotype related to memory b cells . j exp 6 . mikaelsson e , danesh - manesh a h , luppert a , et al . fibromodulin , an extracellular matrix protein : characterization of its unique gene and protein expression in b - cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia and mantle cell lymphoma . blood . 2005 ; 105 : 4828 - 4835 . 7 . abba m c , fabris v t , hu y , et al . identification of novel amplification gene targets in mouse and human breast cancer at a syntenic cluster mapping to mouse ch8a1 and human ch13q34 . cancer res . 2007 ; 67 : 4104 - 4112 . 8 . sztrolovics r , chen x n , grover j , roughley p j , korenberg j r . localization of the human fibromodulin gene ( fmod ) to chromosome 1q32 and completion of the cdna sequence . genomics . 1994 ; 23 : 715 - 717 . 9 . grover j , chen x n , korenberg j r , recklies a d , roughley p j . the gene organization , chromosome location , and expression of a 55 - kda matrix protein ( prelp ) of human articular cartilage . genomics . 1996 ; 38 : 109 - 117 . 10 . bengtsson e , neame p j , heinegard d , sommarin y . the primary structure of a basic leucine - rich repeat protein , prelp , found in connective tissues . j biol . chem . 1995 ; 270 : 25639 - 25644 . 11 . bengtsson e , aspberg a , heinegard d , sommarin y , spillmann d . the amino - terminal part of prelp binds to heparin and heparan sulfate . j biol . chem . 2000 ; 275 : 40695 - 40702 . 12 . bengtsson e , morgelin m , sasaki t , timpl r , heinegard d , aspberg a . the leucine - rich repeat protein prelp binds perlecan and collagens and may function as a basement membrane anchor . j biol . chem . 2002 ; 277 : 15061 - 15068 . 13 . daneshmanesh a h , mikaelsson e , jeddi - tehrani m , et al . rorl , a cell surface receptor tyrosine kinase is expressed in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and may serve as a putative target for therapy . int j . cancer . 2008 ; 123 : 1190 - 1195 . 14 . harris n l , jaffe e s , diebold j , et al . the world health organization classification of neoplastic diseases of the haematopoietic and lymphoid tissues : report of the clinical advisory committee meeting , airlie house , virginia , november 1997 . histopathology . 2000 ; 36 : 69 - 86 . 15 . hallek m , cheson b d , catovsky d , et al . guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia : a report from the international workshop on chronic lymphocytic leukemia updating the national cancer institute - working group 1996 guidelines . blood . 2008 ; 111 : 5446 - 5456 . 16 . wendel - hansen v , sallstrom j , de campos - lima p o , et al . epstein - barr virus ( ebv ) can immortalize b - cll cells activated by cytokines leukemia . 1994 ; 8 : 476 - 484 . 17 . rezvany m r , jeddi - tehrani m , rabbani h , et al . autologous t lymphocytes may specifically recognize leukaemic b cells in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia . br j . haematol . 2000 ; 111 : 608 - 617 . 18 . edge a s . deglycosylation of glycoproteins with trifluoromethanesulphonic acid : elucidation of molecular structure and function . biochem j . 2003 ; 376 : 339 - 350 . 19 . kohler g , milstein c . continuous cultures of fused cells secreting antibody of predefined specificity . nature . 1975 ; 256 : 495 - 497 . 20 . ferreira a , busciglio j , caceres a . microtubule formation and neurite growth in cerebellar macroneurons which develop in vitro : evidence for the involvement of the microtubule - associated proteins , map - 1a , hmw - map2 and tau . brain res dev brain res . 1989 ; 49 : 215 - 228 . 21 . vuillier f , dumas g , magnac c , et al . lower levels of surface b - cell - receptor expression in chronic lymphocytic leukemia are associated with glycosylation and folding defects of the mu and cd79a chains . blood . 2005 ; 105 : 2933 - 2940 . 22 . le goff m m , hindson v j , jowitt t a , scott p g , bishop p n . characterization of opticin and evidence of stable dimerization in solution . j biol . chem . 2003 ; 278 : 45280 - 45287 . 23 . mansson b , wenglen c , morgelin m , saxne t , heinegard d . association of chondroadherin with collagen type ii . j biol . chem . 2001 ; 276 : 32883 - 32888 . 24 . scott p g , dodd c m , bergmann e m , sheehan j k , bishop p n . crystal structure of the biglycan dimer and evidence that dimerization is essential for folding and stability of class i small leucine - rich repeat proteoglycans . j biol . chem . 2006 ; 281 : 13324 - 13332 . 25 . scott p g , mcewan p a , dodd c m , bergmann e m , bishop p n , bella j . crystal structure of the dimeric protein core of decorin , the archetypal small leucine - rich repeat proteoglycan . proc natl acad sci usa . 2004 ; 101 : 15633 - 15638 . 26 . grant d s , yenisey c , rose r w , tootell m , santra m , iozzo r v . decorin suppresses tumor cell - mediated angiogenesis . oncogene . 2002 ; 21 : 4765 - 4777 . 27 . yamaguchi y , ruoslahti e . expression of human proteoglycan in chinese hamster ovary cells inhibits cell proliferation . nature . 1988 ; 336 : 244 - 246 . 28 . yoshida k , suzuki y , honda e , et al . leucine - rich repeat region of decorin binds to filamin - a . biochimie . 2002 ; 84 : 303 - 308 . 29 . rufo a , alamanou m , rucci n , capulli m , heinegard d , teti a . the matrix proline / arginine - rich end leucin - rich repeat protein ( prelp ) impairs osteoclastogenesis by inhibiting nf - kappa b activity . bone . 2008 ; 42 ; 39 - 40 abstract 52 | 2 |
this invention will be described in further detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings . now , referring to fig1 there is shown a block diagram illustrating an overview of a music evaluation system according to the invention . as shown , the music evaluation system comprises a management server a 1 ( a www server ) for supplying an internet web service for prompting music auditioning and evaluation , and a pc ( personal computer ) terminal a 2 for performing music auditioning and evaluation by use of this internet web service , both being interconnected by a wired or wireless network such as the internet for transferring various information necessary for the music auditioning and evaluation . the management server a 1 can provide internet web services to two or more pc terminals a 2 . the terminals which use the provided internet web services include pda terminals a 3 such as mobile phones which can transfer information with the management server a 1 in a wireless manner . the pda terminals a 3 are connected to the management server a 1 via a relay server a 4 for wireless communication . also , the terminals which use the internet web services provided by the management server a 1 may be other terminals than the pc terminal a 2 and the pda terminal a 3 . namely , any terminals are available that can be connected to the management server a 1 for exchanging information during evaluation processing is executed . referring to fig2 there is shown a block diagram illustrating a general hardware configuration of the management server a 1 associated with the invention . the management server a 1 comprises a cpu b 1 , a ram b 2 , a rom b 3 , a detector b 4 , a display circuit b 5 , a tone generator b 6 , a communication interface b 7 , and an external storage device b 8 interconnected by a communication bus b 14 . the cpu b 1 performs computation and control operations in accordance with control programs and various information ( html documents and xml documents for providing internet web services ) stored in the rom b 3 or the external storage device b 8 and other information required from terminals ( pc terminal a 2 and pda terminal a 3 ). the ram b 2 provides a work area to be used as flags and registers by the cpu b 1 , and stores the information supplied from terminals . the rom b 3 stores the control programs and various information necessary for providing internet web services and the pieces of auditioning music ( actually , the music play data for auditioning ) corresponding to respective pieces of music . the play data for auditioning is used to reproduce the music instrument play and vocal singing play corresponding to a certain part of music , and may be data of any formats such as web file and smf ( standard midi file ). an smf cannot record the data associated with the singing play , so that it may be used in combination with a web file . it is also desirable that the music play data contain a text file recording lyrics information . the detector b 4 is connected to an operation control b 10 and is used for compiling the evaluation information collected from terminals and add music information for auditioning and evaluation . the operation control b 10 includes a keyboard , a mouse , dedicated switches , and other devices with which the user operates to input various information . the display circuit b 5 is connected to a display device b 11 which displays various information such as the score information received from terminals . the tone generator b 6 is connected to a sound system b 12 , generates music tone signals corresponding to the music play data , and controls the sound system b 12 so as to play music in accordance with the generated tone signals , which is used for checking music pieces . the communication interface b 7 is connectable to a communication network b 13 such as a lan ( local area network ), the internet , or a public switched phone network , through which the interface b 7 receives various information ( for example , request information and evaluation information ) from terminals , and transmits various information ( for example , html documents and xml documents ) to terminals . the external storage device b 8 includes an interface for external storage . through this interface , the external storage device b 8 is connected to the bus b 14 . the external storage device b 8 is a floppy disk drive ( fdd ), a hard disk drive ( hdd ), a magneto - optical ( mo ) drive , a cd - rom ( compact disc read only memory ) drive , a dvd ( digital versatile disc ) drive , or semiconductor memory , for example . the external storage device b 8 can store the control programs for providing internet web services and the music play data corresponding to two or more pieces of music . if the rom b 3 stores no control program , the control program can be read from the external storage device b 8 to cause the cpu b 1 to execute the same processing as is executed by reading the control program from the rom b 3 . new control programs and new music play data can be additionally stored in the external storage device b 8 , thereby upgrading the versions of control programs and newly adding music play data with ease . the hardware configuration of each of the terminals ( the pc terminal a 2 and the pda terminal a 3 ) is generally the same as the management server a 1 shown in fig2 and therefore will be described only briefly . in each terminal , cpu stores various information ( such as html documents and xml documents ) received from the management server a 1 into ram and external storage device and executes computation or control operations in accordance with the stored information and the control programs stored in the rom and external storage device . each terminal uses its tone generator and sound system to reproduce music pieces on the basis of the music play data supplied from the management server a 1 . in addition , each terminal uses its display circuit and display device to display various screens for music auditioning and evaluation on the basis of the html and xml documents supplied from the management server a 1 . then , each terminal transmits various information inputted by use of these screens and operation controls to the management server a 1 via a communication interface and a communication network to which the terminal is connected . referring to fig3 there is shown a block diagram illustrating a concept of a music evaluation system according to the invention . first , when an access to a management server is made through an operation control c 3 of a terminal , request information for requesting the management server for the first information ( the information associated with a table - of - contents screen html and xml documents for example ) for executing music auditioning and evaluation prepared in the management server is transmitted to the terminal by the processing of an input control section c 1 ( to be executed by the cpu , ram , rom , detector , and communication interface ). next , receiving the request signal from the terminal , the management server transmits the requested information ( the information associated with a table - of - contents screen ) to the terminal by the processing of a controller c 5 ( to be executed by the cpu , ram , rom , and communication interface ). receiving the requested information from the management server , the terminal executes the processing in accordance with the received information . in this example , the table - of - contents screen is displayed on a display device c 4 ( a liquid crystal display integrated with the terminal or a display monitor connected thereto ) by the processing of a display controller c 2 of the terminal side ( to be executed by the cpu , ram , rom , display circuit , and display device ). the transfer of various information other than the above - mentioned table - of - contents screen between the terminal and the server is executed in the same manner . the table - of - contents screens ( not shown ), the first screen to be displayed in the provision of the internet web service associated with music auditioning and evaluation , shows a start instruction section for directing the starting of music auditioning and evaluation . the internet web service also includes the capabilities of presenting recommended music pieces , popularity rankings of music pieces , and concert schedules . the table - of - contents screen also shows the instruction sections for starting these capabilities . then , when the start instruction section for music auditioning and evaluation is operated at the terminal , the management server transmits various information ( such as html and xml documents ) necessary for operating the music auditioning and evaluation capabilities to the terminal , thereby executing these capabilities in the present invention . the music auditioning and evaluation capabilities allow each terminal to audition and evaluate the music play data supplied from the management server and to transmit back the evaluation results to the server . the music play data is reproduced at the terminal by use of its tone generator and sound system . the evaluation is executed in two steps . in the first auditioning , the music piece is sounded only for a short period of time for a quick evaluation . the user can specify the second , detail auditioning in which the melody , lyrics , singing skill , and playing skill of a particular piece of music are rated . in the detail evaluation , auditioning takes longer than that of the first evaluation . if the user does not want the detail evaluation , he proceeds to a next piece of music for evaluation . this is repeated for the auditioning and evaluation of multiple pieces of music . the following describes the processing associated with the music auditioning and evaluation capabilities according to the invention with reference to fig4 through 17 . referring to fig4 there is shown a flowchart describing the main processing to be started by the management server while the table - of - contents screen is displayed on the terminal . the main processing shown in fig4 starts after the transmission of the table - of - contents screen information upon request from the terminal . first , the management server checks whether any instruction operation has been made on the table - of - content screen by the terminal ( step d 1 ). this check is executed by detecting the request information associated with a instruction operation from the terminal . if a instruction operation ( or request information ) is found , the management server determines whether the detected command operation is associated with music auditioning and evaluation ( step d 2 ). if the detected instruction operation is not associated with music auditioning and evaluation ( no in step d 2 ), then it indicates the starting of another capability , so that the management server executes the processing corresponding to the detected capability in step d 3 . if the instruction operation is for the presentation of recommended music , popularity ranking , or concert schedule , the management server transmits various information necessary for displaying a corresponding screen to the terminal . if the detected instruction operation is found associated with music auditioning and evaluation ( yes in step d 2 ), then the management server determines a piece music for auditioning and evaluation to start its auditioning and evaluation ( step d 4 ). because the sequence of the pieces of music for auditioning and evaluation is predetermined , the management server selects a music piece by following this sequence every time a auditioning is specified from the terminal . next , the management server transmits the display information for displaying a first auditioning screen associated with the determined piece of music to the terminal ( step d 5 ). the terminal displays the first auditioning screen shown in fig5 on the basis of the received display information . the first auditioning is an operation for allowing the user to audition the music piece on the basis of the music play data for a brief period of time before the quick evaluation on a simple grading basis . the first auditioning operation displays the first auditioning screen to prompt the user for starting the auditioning ( namely , the reproduction ) of music . lastly , the management server starts a process ( fig6 ) corresponding to the first auditioning , upon which this main processing comes to an end ( step d 6 ). referring to fig5 there is shown an exemplary screen of the first auditioning to be displayed on the display device c 4 of the terminal . the first auditioning screen shows the title and singer name of the piece of music to be auditioned and to be rated this time , and indicates a start switch e 1 for specifying the starting of the auditioning ( namely , the reproduction of the music play data ). at the terminal , the user operates the start switch el through the operation control c 3 to request the starting of the first auditioning ( to be specific , the terminal transmits the request information for starting the first auditioning to the management server ). referring to fig6 there is shown a flowchart describing the first auditioning processing to be started by the management server while the first auditioning screen is displayed on the terminal . first , the management server determines whether the start switch e 1 has been operated at the terminal ( step f 1 ). the management server makes this determination by receiving the information about the operation from the terminal , and repeats this detection process ( namely , determination ) until this information is detected ( no in step f 1 ). when the operation of the start switch e 1 is detected at the terminal ( yes in step f 1 ), then the management server transmits predetermined information to the terminal so as to start the first auditioning of the music piece determined in step d 4 shown in fig4 ( step f 2 ). in this example , the management server transmits the music play data to the terminal , and lets the terminal repeatedly reproduce the data for only 30 seconds at a time . as this reproduction comes to an end , the management server transmits the display information for displaying a first evaluation screen to the terminal for scoring ( the first evaluation ) on the basis of the first auditioning ( step f 3 ). the terminal displays the first evaluation screen as shown in fig7 on the basis of the received display information . the first evaluation is a quick evaluation operation on a simple grading , prompting the user for a quick evaluation with reference to the first evaluation screen displayed on the terminal . lastly , the management server starts a process ( fig8 ) for the first evaluation , upon which this first auditioning processing comes to an end ( step f 4 ). referring to fig7 there is shown an exemplary first evaluation screen to be displayed on the display device c 4 of the terminal . the first evaluation screen shows phrases for expressing the grades ( or comments ) and evaluation enter switches g 1 through g 4 for letting the user scare the auditioned piece of music . these switches g 1 through g 4 correspond to user &# 39 ; s scares “ excellent ,” “ good ,” “ ordinary ,” and “ cannot tell ” in this order . the entered evaluation is transmitted to the management server ( to be specific , the contents correspond to the operated evaluation enter switch is transmitted to the management server as the evaluation information ). referring to fig8 there is shown a flowchart describing the first evaluation processing to be started by the management server while the first evaluation screen is displayed on the terminal . first , the management server determines whether any one of the evaluation enter switches g 1 through g 4 has been operated ( step h 1 ). the management server makes this determination on the basis of the reception of the information associated with the operation from the terminal , and repeats this detection process ( or determination ) until the information is detected ( no in step h 1 ). when the operation of any one of the evaluation enter switches g 1 through g 4 at the terminal is detected ( yes in step h 1 ), the management server stores the evaluation information ( or the contents of the determined evaluation ) corresponding to the operated evaluation enter switch into the storage area provided for each piece of music . the evaluation contents are compiled for each piece of music to be used for the rating and the determination of recommended music pieces ( step h 2 ). then , the management server transmits the display information for displaying a first inquiry screen to the terminal . the terminal displays the first inquiry screen shown in fig9 on the basis of the received display information . the first inquiry asks the user whether to make a second evaluation on the currently selected piece of music . lastly , the management server starts a process ( fig1 ) corresponding to the first inquiry , upon which this first evaluation processing comes to an end ( step h 4 ). referring to fig9 there is shown an exemplary first inquiry screen to be displayed on the display device c 4 of the terminal . the first inquiry screen shows contents of option for determining whether to execute detailed evaluation about the piece of music currently subject to auditioning and evaluation and selection enter switches i 1 through i 3 for entering the selection made by the user . the selection enter switch i 1 indicates the execution of detailed evaluation , the selection enter switch i 2 indicates the starting of the evaluation of a next piece of music , and the selection enter switch i 3 indicates the ending of auditioning and evaluation . referring to fig1 , there is shown a flowchart describing the first inquiry processing conducted by the management server while the first inquiry screen is displayed on the terminal . first , the management server determines which of the selection enter switch i 1 through i 3 has been operated at the terminal ( step j 1 ). the management server makes this determination on the basis of the reception of the information about the operation from the terminal , and repeats this process until the information is detected ( namely , determined ) ( no in step j 1 ). when any one of the selection enter switches i 1 through i 3 is found operated ( yes in step j 1 ), then the management server executes a process corresponding to the content of the operated switch ( step j 2 ). if the selection enter switch i 3 is operated at the terminal to indicate the ending of auditioning and evaluation , the management server transmits display information for displaying an evaluation ending screen to the terminal ( step j 3 ). the terminal displays the evaluation ending screen shown in fig1 on the basis of the received display information . then , the management server starts a process ( not shown ) corresponding to the evaluation , upon which this first inquiring processing comes to an end ( step j 4 ). if the selection enter switch i 2 is operated at the terminal to indicate the starting of evaluation of a next piece of music , the management server starts the main processing to execute the auditioning and evaluation of the next piece of music , upon which this first inquiry processing comes to an end ( step j 5 ). in step d 4 of the main processing , the management server determines the next piece of music for next auditioning and evaluation in accordance with a predetermined sequence . subsequently , the above - mentioned processes are sequentially executed . if the selection enter switch i 1 is operated at the terminal to indicate the execution of detailed evaluation , the management server transmits display information for displaying a second auditioning screen to the terminal to let the user execute a second auditioning of the currently selected piece of music ( step j 6 ). the terminal displays the second auditioning screen shown in fig1 on the basis of the received display information . the second auditioning denotes an operation in which the user auditions the music piece longer than the first auditioning before executing detailed evaluation on the basis of pointing scheme . the second auditioning screen is displayed on the terminal to prompt the user for the starting of auditioning ( namely , the reproduction of music play data ). then , the management server starts a process ( fig1 ) for the second auditioning , upon which this first inquiry processing comes to an end ( step j 7 ). referring to fig1 , there is shown an exemplary second auditioning screen to be displayed on the display device c 4 of the terminal . the second auditioning screen shows the music title and singer name of a music piece for auditioning and evaluation this time , and a start switch k 1 for indicating the starting of auditioning ( namely , the reproduction of the music play data ). when the user operates the start switch k 1 through the operation control c 3 , the terminal requests the management server for the starting of the second auditioning ( namely , the request information for starting the second auditioning is transmitted to the management server ). referring to fig1 , there is shown a flowchart describing the second auditioning processing to be started by the management server while the second auditioning screen is displayed on the terminal . first , the management server determines whether the start switch k 1 has been operated at the terminal ( step l 1 ). the management server makes this determination on the basis of the detection of the information about the operation from the terminal , and repeats the process of the detection ( namely , the determination ) until the information is detected ( no in step l 1 ). if the operation of the start switch k 1 at the terminal is detected ( yes in step l 1 ), the management server transmits predetermined information to the terminal to let the user start the second auditioning of the music piece selected in step d 4 shown in fig4 ( step l 2 ). in this example , the management server transmits the music play data to the terminal to reproduce the data for 90 seconds at the terminal . as this reproduction ends , the management server transmits display information for displaying a second evaluation screen to the terminal so as to let the user executing the scoring ( the second evaluation ) for the second auditioning ( step l 3 ). the terminal displays the second evaluation screen on the basis of the received display information . the second evaluation denotes a detailed evaluation based on point input scheme , prompting the user for the detailed evaluation with reference to the second evaluation screen displayed on the terminal . lastly , the management server starts the process for the second evaluation ( fig1 ), upon which this second auditioning processing comes to an end . referring to fig1 , there is shown an exemplary second evaluation screen to be displayed on the display device c 4 of the terminal . the second evaluation screen shows words expressing evaluation items , point input boxes m 1 through m 3 , and an evaluation enter switch m 4 for transmitting the results of evaluation to the management server . the user enters a point in each of the point input boxes m 1 through m 3 provided for respective evaluation items through the operation control c 3 of the terminal , and operates the evaluation enter switch m 4 to transmit the inputted evaluation contents to the management server . namely , when the user operates the evaluation enter switch , the points entered in the point input boxes m 1 through m 3 are transmitted to the management server as the evaluation information . referring to fig1 , there is shown a flowchart describing the second evaluation processing to be started by the management server while the second evaluation screen is displayed on the terminal . first , the management server determines whether the evaluation enter switch m 4 has been operated at the terminal ( step n 1 ). the management server makes this determination on the basis of the detection of the information about the operation of switches from the terminal , and repeats the process for the detection ( namely , the determination ) until the information is detected ( no in step n 1 ). if the operation of the evaluation enter switch m 4 at the terminal is detected ( yes in step n 1 ), then the management server stores the evaluation information ( the entered evaluation contents ) corresponding to the evaluation enter switch operated at the terminal into the storage area provided for each piece of music . the evaluation contents , which are transmitted to the management server when the evaluation enter switch m 4 is operated at the terminal , include the points ( entered in the point input boxes ) entered for each evaluation item at the terminal . the evaluation points are compiled for each piece of music for use in the ranking of popularity and the determination of recommended music pieces ( step n 2 ). then , the management server transmits display information for displaying a second inquiry screen to the terminal ( step n 3 ). the terminal displays the second inquiry screen shown in fig1 on the basis of the received display information . the second inquiry asks the user whether to auditioning and rate a next piece of music . lastly , the management server starts the process for the second inquiry ( fig1 ), upon which this second evaluation processing comes to an end ( step n 4 ). referring to fig1 , there is shown an exemplary second inquiry screen to be displayed on the display device c 4 of the terminal . the second inquiry screen shows options for determining whether to continue music auditioning and evaluation , and selection enter switches o 1 and o 2 for entering the option . in this example , the selection enter switch o 1 indicates the starting of the auditioning of a next music piece and the other selection enter switch o 2 indicates the ending of auditioning and evaluation . referring to fig1 , there is shown a flowchart describing the second inquiry processing to be started by the management server while the second inquiry screen is displayed on the terminal . first , the management server determines which of the selection enter switches o 1 and o 2 has been operated ( step p 1 ). the management server makes this determination on the basis of the detection of the information about the operation of switches from the terminal , and repeats the process of the detection ( namely , the determination ) until the information is detected ( no in step p 1 ). if the operation of either selection enter switch o 1 or o 2 at the terminal is detected ( yes in step p 1 ), the management server determines contents of the operation and executes a corresponding process ( step p 2 ). if the user has specified the starting of a next piece of music by operating the selection enter switch o 1 , the management server starts the main processing to execute the auditioning and evaluation of the next piece of music , thereby starting the processing with step d 4 , upon which this second inquiry processing comes to an end ( step p 3 ). in step d 4 of the main processing , the management server determines a piece of music to be auditioned and rated next in accordance with the predetermined sequence . subsequently , the above - mentioned processes are sequentially executed . if the other selection enter switch o 2 has been operated at the terminal to indicate the ending of auditioning and evaluation , the management server transmits display information for displaying an evaluation end screen to the terminal to quit the auditioning and evaluation capabilities ( step p 4 ). the terminal displays the evaluation end screen shown in fig1 on the basis of the received display information . the management server starts a process ( not shown ) for evaluation processing , upon which this second inquiry processing comes to an end ( step p 5 ). referring to fig1 , there is shown an exemplary evaluation end screen to be displayed on the display device c 4 of the terminal . the evaluation end screen shows a return switch q 1 for returning to the table - of - contents screen . when the return switch q 1 is operated , the management server transmits the display information for displaying the table - of - contents screen to the terminal in the evaluation end screen ( not shown ) started by the management server . subsequently , the management server starts the main processing to end the evaluation end processing . as described with reference to step d 4 shown in fig4 the pieces of music subject to auditioning and evaluation are predetermined in the present embodiment . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the terminal may select , in step d 4 , the pieces of music subject to auditioning and evaluation instead of using the predetermined pieces of music . one piece of music may be selected for each session of the evaluation or two or more pieces of music may be pre - selected in the order of evaluation . as described and according to the above - mentioned music evaluation system associated with the invention , those pieces of music interesting the users can be rated in detail , while others not interesting the users in may be evaluated briefly , thereby minimizing the complicated procedure in evaluation work to get the users rate all auditioned pieces of music . in addition , the music evaluation system associated with the invention provides an environment which facilitates the detailed evaluation by playing the interesting music piece longer than uninteresting music pieces , thereby promoting the user &# 39 ; s intention for evaluation . further , the music evaluation system associated with the invention makes it easier for each user to understand the evaluation method , thereby minimizing the complicated procedure in evaluation work to promote the user &# 39 ; s intention for evaluation . while the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described using specific terms , such description is for illustrative purposes only , and it is to be understood that changes and variations may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the appended claims . | 6 |
embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings . as shown in fig1 and fig2 a platen 1 is fixedly secured on a shaft 2 , and both end portions of the shaft 2 are supported rotatably on side plates 3 ( shown in fig3 ), which are opposed to each other at a predetermined spacing . at the lower part of the platen 1 , a movably mounted paper guide 4 is disposed opposite to the outer circumferential surface of the platen 1 . the paper guide 4 is provided with a hole 4a at one end portion thereof and is supported rockably on the side walls 3 through a shaft not shown . at another end portion of the paper guide 4 , a paper retaining plate 4b which can contact the outer circumferential surface of the platen 1 is provided . at the under part of the paper guide 4 a member 6 is movably supported . that is , a baseplate 5 extends parallel to the platen 1 , and both end portions of the baseplate 5 are fixedly secured to the side plates 3 . one side edge of the baseplate 5 is bent upward and is provided with a receiver 5a at predetermined position thereof . at one end portion of the movable member 6 , an engaging portion 6a consisting of a u - shaped groove is formed , and the engaging portion 6a engages with the receiver 5a such that the movable member 6 is thereby supported rockably on the baseplate 5 . a contact portion 6b is provided on the upper surface of the movable member 6 . the movable member 6 also has a bearing groove 6c which rotatably receives a shaft 8 which is provided with a friction roller 7 formed at another end portion thereof . a first spring 9 is fitted to a projection 5b which extends upward from the baseplate 5 . the first spring 9 urges the friction roller 7 toward the platen 1 through the movable member 6 . the friction roller 7 can contact the platen 1 elastically upon passing through an opening ( not shown ) provided on the paper guide 4 . a second spring 10 is mounted between the movable member 6 and the paper guide 4 . the second spring 10 is set so as to have a spring force weaker than that of the first spring 9 and urges the paper guide 4 toward the platen 1 . a cam means 11 is disposed above the contact portion 6b . the cam means 11 is provided with a first cam surface 11a having a circular arc surface which engages with the contact portion 6b of the movable member 6 to thereby push down the movable member 6 against the urging force of the first spring 9 and a second cam surface 11b having a plane surface which releases the engagement with the movable member 6 , thereby allowing the movable member 6 to be pushed up by the urging force of the first spring 9 . thus it will be seen that when the cam means 11 is located at a first rotational position , the first cam surface 11a engages the contact portion 6b , and when the cam means 11 is located at a second rotational position , the second cam surface 11b is separated with a fixed space from the contact portion 6b . the cam means 11 has a rod shape and is supported rotatably by the side plates 3 at both ends thereof . a printing head 12 is disposed on a carriage ( not shown ) opposing the platen 1 , and a tractor mechanism 13 is disposed on the opposite side of the platen . the tractor mechanism 13 is fitted in a relatively non - rotatable manner and is movable in an axial direction with respect to a shaft 14 which is supported rotatably on the side plates 3 at both end portions thereof . p denotes a recording paper . fig3 shows the platen shaft 2 , the shaft 14 along with the rotational drive mechanism of the tractor mechanism 13 , and the rotational mechanism of the cam means 11 . that is , the end portions of the shaft 2 of the platen 1 , the shaft 14 of the tractor mechanism 13 and the cam means 11 are projected outwardly of the side plate 3 . first , a wheel train which drives the shafts 2 and 14 will be described a gear 17 which is fixedly secured to the shaft 2 and a gear 16 mesh successively with a drive gear 15 which receives a rotational driving force from a drive motor ( not shown ), thus forming a first gear wheel train a for rotatably driving the platen 1 . in order to rotatably drive the tractor mechanism 13 , a gear 19 which is fixedly secured to the shaft 14 and a gear 18 mesh successively with the gear 16 , thus forming a second wheel train b . in the case of the tractor feed , the gear 16 and the gear 18 mesh with each other , and the rotational driving force is transmitted both to the first wheel train a and the second wheel train b , so that the platen 1 and the tractor mechanism 13 are driven to rotate at the same time . the rotating speed of the platen 1 is set to be somewhat faster than the rotating speed of the tractor mechanism 13 . in the case of the friction feed , it is arranged so that only the platen 1 is driven to rotate by interrupting the transmission of the torque to the second wheel train b such that the tractor mechanism 13 does not rotate . interruption of transmission of the torque to the second wheel train b is effected by a conical cam 18a ( fig4 ) which is provided integrally and concentrically with respect to the gear 18 and an operation lever 21 provided rockably on a shaft 20 provided on the side plate 3 . the gear 18 is rotatably provided on a shaft 29 ( fig4 ) secured to the side plate 3 . a retainer ring 31 is provided on the end of the shaft 29 , and a spring 30 is wound around the shaft 29 between the retainer ring 31 and the gear 18 . at the end portion of the operation lever 21 , an engaging portion 21a having a u - shape and a side surface thereof forming a tapered surface 21c is formed . the engaging portion 21a of the operation lever 21 enters from the side of the conical cam 18a by means of the rocking of the lever 21 as shown with chain lines in fig3 such that the gear 18 is moved axially , thereby to separate the mesh between gear 18 and gear 16 . a protrusion 22 which regulates the retreat position of the operation lever 21 is provided on the side plate 3 . when the operation lever 21 is positioned at the retreat position as shown by solid lines in fig3 the conical cam 18a is biased leftwardly in fig4 by the force of the spring 30 . in the case of friction feed , the operation lever 21 is moved to the position shown by the broken lines in fig3 and the engaging portion 21a of the operation lever 21 enters from the side of the conical cam 18a . accordingly , the conical cam 18a is moved rightwardly in fig4 against the bias of spring 30 , and the gear 18 is disengaged from the gear 16 . in order to rotate the cam means 11 interlocking with the rocking of the operation lever 21 when the friction feed and the tractor feed are changed over from each other , a sector gear 21b is formed concentrically with the shaft 20 , which becomes the rocking center at the central part of the operation lever 21 . a pinion 23 is fixedly secured to the cam means 11 , and the sector gear 21b and the pinion 23 mesh with each other . as a result , the cam means 11 is rotated interlocking with the rocking of the operation lever 21 . with such a construction , in the case of tractor feed with the operation lever 21 at the retreat position as shown in solid lines in fig3 the engaging portion 21c of the operation lever 21 does not engage with the conical cam 18a , and the gear 16 and the gear 18 are in a meshed state . accordingly , the torque from the drive gear 15 is transmitted to the first wheel train a and the second wheel train b , and rotates the shafts 2 and 14 so as to rotatingly drive the platen 1 and the tractor mechanism 13 , thus effecting paper feed by the tractor mechanism 13 . in such a state , the cam means 11 is located at the first rotational position as shown in fig1 and the first cam surface 11a contacts the contact portion 6b and pushes down the movable member 6 against the urging force of the first spring 9 . as a result , the friction roller 7 does not contact the platen 1 elastically , and the strong spring force of the first spring 9 is not exerted on the platen 1 . even in such a state , however , the recording paper p is pressed against the platen 1 through the paper guide 4 by the weak spring force of the second spring 10 so that an appropriate frictional force is applied between the recording paper p and the platen 1 . also , since the platen 1 is set so as to rotate somewhat faster than the tractor mechanism 13 , the recording paper p is applied with an appropriate tension when the recording paper p is fed by the rotation of the tractor mechanism 13 . next , in the case of friction feed , the operation lever 21 is driven rockably clockwise to the position shown by chain lines in fig3 such that the engaging portion 21c enters from the side of the conical cam 18a and axially moves the gear 18 . thus , the gear 18 is no longer in mesh with the gear 16 , and the torque from the drive gear 15 is transmitted to the first wheel train a , but is not transmitted to the second wheel train b . accordingly , the platen 1 is driven to rotate by the rotation of the shaft 2 , but the tractor mechanism 13 is not driven to rotate because the shaft 14 does not rotate . by means of the rocking of the operation lever 21 , the pinion 23 is rotated counterclockwise through the sector gear 21b such that the cam means 11 is positioned at the second rotational position as shown in fig2 and the second cam surface 11b thereof faces the contact portion 6b at a predetermined space . as a result the movable member 6 has applied thereto the strong spring force or the first spring 9 and presses the recording paper strongly to the platen 1 elastically by means of the friction roller 7 . furthermore , since the movable member 6 is located at the upward position the second spring 10 also presses the recording paper against the platen 1 elastically through the paper guide 4 to provide a stronger urging force than the case mentioned above . in another embodiment , shown in fig4 and 5 , a pair of friction rollers are used . in this second embodiment , the same numerals are assigned to those parts that have the same construction . in the embodiment of fig4 and 5 , a movable member 26 located under the paper guide 4 has an engaging portion 26a consisting of a u - shaped groove formed at one end portion thereof , and the movable member 26 is supported rockably by a baseplate 5 by the fact that the engaging portion 26a engages with the receiver 5a . a contact portion 26b is provided on the upper surface of the movable member 26 , and a bearing portion 26c is provided at another end of the movable member 26 . the first spring 9 contacts the lower surface of the movable member 26 elastically , and exerts its urging force in a direction tending to raise the bearing portion 26c . a center shaft 25c of a roller holder 25 is fitted rotatably in the bearing portion 26c to thereby receive the roller holder 25 rockably . on both sides of the center of rotation of the roller holder 25 , bearing grooves 25a and 25b receive rotatably shafts 28a and 28b provided with friction rollers 27a and 27b . the previously mentioned second spring 10 is mounted between the roller holder 25 and the paper guide 4 . the cam means 11 is positioned above the contact portion 26b and has the same construction as that previously described . with such a construction , when the tractor feed is selected , the cam means 11 is located at the first rotational position as shown in fig4 the movable member 26 has moved downwardly against the urging force of the first spring 9 , and the roller holder 25 also moves downwardly . as a result , the friction rollers 27a and 27b do not contact the platen 1 elastically , and the strong urging force of the first spring 9 is not exerted on the platen 1 . however , the weak urging force of the second spring presses the recording paper against the platen 1 through the paper guide 4 in a manner as previously described in the first embodiment . next , when the friction feed is selected , the cam means 11 is disposed at the second rotational position and releases the engagement with the movable member 26 as shown in fig5 . therefore , the movable member 26 receives the strong urging force of the first spring 9 , pushes up the roller holder 25 and elastically presses the recording paper strongly against the platen 1 by means of the friction rollers 27a and 27b . since the roller holder 25 is rockably mounted , the friction rollers 27a and 27b contact the platen elastically with a uniform force . also , with the roller holder 25 being at an upward position , the second spring 10 pushes the recording paper against the platen 1 elastically through the paper guide 4 with a stronger urging force than that just described . although the movable members 6 and 26 are described as being rockable , they are not necessarily limited to such an arrangement but may be arranged so as to be movable vertically . as described above , in a paper feed mechanism according to the present invention , the pressing force of the paper guide against the platen is changed in accordance with the changeover of the tractor feed to and from the friction feed . therefore , it is possible to set the frictional force between the recording paper and the platen at an appropriate value in accordance with respective modes of form feed . also , it is only required to mount the movable member , the roller holder , the friction roller and so forth consecutively in assembly , so assembly may be performed very easily . furthermore , since there are only a few parts having simple shapes such as the movable member and the roller holder , etc ., the construction is simple and the cost may be reduced . although the present invention has been described through specific terms , it should be noted here that the described embodiment is not necessarily exclusive and that various changes and modifications may be imparted thereto without departing from the scope of the invention which is limited solely by the appended claims . | 1 |
a schematic arrangement of the mechanical elements of the invention can be seen in fig1 . compressor 1 is connected in series with condenser 3 , capillary tubes 5 , dryer filter 18 , evaporator 7 and suction line accumulator 9 . a refrigerant contained in the system is circulated as a working fluid . in operation , the compressor , operated by an electric motor , compresses refrigerant vapor and discharges it into condenser 3 . the vapor is cooled and liquified by cooling air flowing over the condenser , supplied by condenser fan 11 . on emergence from condenser 3 , the refrigerant passes through dryer filter 18 , a set of capillary tubes 5 , and heat exchanger 15 , where it is further cooled and liquified . the refrigerant then enters evaporator 7 , absorbing heat as it does so and lowering the temperature of the air flowing over the evaporator coils . air flow over the evaporator is supplied by evaporator blower 13 . after absorbing heat from the food compartment in evaporator 7 , the refrigerant , now low - pressure vapor , proceeds through heat exchanger 15 , suction line accumulator 9 , and back to compressor 1 to begin the cycle again . in the preferred embodiment , the refrigeration capacity of unit 30 is approximately 4500 btus per hour at 25 ° f . evaporator temperature and 130 ° f . condensing temperature . the preferred refrigerant is freon r134a . after a period of time , condensation freezes as ice on the evaporator coils , reducing air flow and efficiency of the evaporator . the preferred embodiment provides electric heater cartridges 17 resident within and integral to evaporator 7 . electric heater cartridges 17 , are conventional cartridge type heaters mounted in contact with fins on the evaporator to heat the evaporator coils and fins . in the preferred embodiment , the total power of the cartridge heaters is approximately 400 watts apiece , with 2 heaters being present . evaporator 7 is also fitted with drip pan 19 to collect runoff water when the ice is defrosted from the evaporator . drip pan 19 is heated by heater 22 and connected to evaporation tray 21 ( seen in fig3 a ). evaporation tray 21 is heated by the hot , high - pressure fluid line connecting compressor 1 and condenser 3 . in the preferred embodiment , heater 22 has a power of approximately 50 watts . water from the melted ice on the evaporator flows into the drip pan and the evaporation tray where it is heated and evaporated . fig2 shows an exploded view of modular refrigeration unit 30 and vending unit 31 into which it fits . modular unit 30 includes the components of fig1 and is shown in more detail in fig3 a . vending unit 31 is constructed so that front door 100 swings open to reveal cavity 102 and cavity 104 . cavity 102 houses refrigeration unit 30 . cavity 104 is the refrigerated compartment in which the products to be vended are located . in the preferred embodiment , the volume capacity of cavity 104 is approximately 18 ft . 3 . modular refrigeration unit 30 slides into cavity 102 from the front of vending unit 31 . a switch panel 110 is mounted in the face of vending unit 31 . a conventional main circuit board (&# 34 ; main circuit board &# 34 ;) ( not shown ) is mounted behind control panel 110 on an interior wall of vending unit 31 . the main circuit board controls the dispensing functions of the vending unit 31 . isolated box 27 is mounted on the side of modular refrigeration unit 30 and contains controller board 36 and relays 44 , 46 , and 48 which are indicated on fig4 . isolated box 27 is situated so that when refrigeration unit 30 is placed into vending unit 31 it is shielded from the low temperatures maintained in cavity 104 . this is to protect controller 36 from unnecessary temperature variations and humidity . when modular unit 30 is mounted in vending unit 31 , controller 36 is electrically connected to the main circuit board and reports the status and temperature of various elements of the modular unit , as will be further described later . a power supply for the controller 36 is mounted on modular unit 30 , inside isolated box 27 , as well . for this reason , if switch panel 110 or the main circuit board fails , controller 36 can function independently , thereby maintaining temperature control of cavity 104 , and its contents . modular refrigeration unit 30 will now be described in more detail referring to fig3 a and 3b . compressor 1 , condenser 3 , and condenser fan 11 are situated in a bottom box 29 . evaporation tray 21 is also located in box 29 . when compressor 1 and condenser fan 11 are activated , cooling air is forced from left to right by condenser fan 11 . the cooling air is drawn into the bottom of the vending unit 31 through air intake duct 112 . the cooling air for condenser 3 is exhausted through duct 33 on the back side of the unit and exits through duct 106 in the back of vending unit 31 . condenser 3 and compressor 1 are connected by high pressure tubing which will not be described because it is well known in the art . in fig3 a , evaporator 7 is positioned vertically in insulated box 35 which is mounted on bottom box 29 . a cut - away view of the insulation is shown at 34 . this insulation surrounds the interior of insulated box 35 . as seen in fig3 b , the evaporator blower 13 includes an electric motor 12 and an impeller 14 . in operation , door 100 is closed and latched , forming a closed compartment including cavity 104 . air is drawn from cavity 104 through intake duct 108 adjacent cavity 104 and passed over evaporator 7 of refrigeration unit 30 by the impeller 14 . the cooler air is then expelled , returning via exhaust duct 109 into cavity 104 . duct 109 is constructed to redistribute the cool air within cavity 104 via holes 111 . as will be described more fully below , defrosting of evaporator 7 must be completed within a specified defrost time ; usually in the preferred embodiment , about three to four minutes . the heaters 17 are sized so that efficient and complete defrosting can occur within this time . the power of the heaters , and refrigeration capacity of the refrigeration unit has been selected so as to ensure that complete defrosting of the evaporator occurs , given the volume of compartment 104 and specified defrosting time . referring now to fig4 circuit 28 consists of a microprocessor 32 having input / output ports pa0 , pa1 , pa2 , pa3 , pa4 , pa5 , pa6 , pa7 , pb5 , pb6 , pc0 , pc1 , and pc2 , serial input / output port pb7 , analog - to - digital ports pc3 , pc4 , pc5 , pc6 , and pc7 , and a timer compare output , tcmp , and interrupt request port / irq , for communication of certain data parameters which will be further described . switch network 34 , including switches s1 through s8 , which are connected to ground , and to inputs pa7 through pa0 through a series of current limiting resistors 39 , r1 through r9 . switches s1 and s2 generate various high and low signals , depending on their positions which are read by the microprocessor 32 on power - up and interpreted to define communication parameters of the circuit . s1 and s2 form a 2 - bit input ; a 00 input enables the communication capabilities of the circuit to the main circuit board , and allows for expandability to future embodiments ; a 01 input is undefined ; a 10 input indicates a stand - alone mode in which the controller 36 controls refrigeration functions of the unit and enables only an active / inactive status and temperature output to the main circuit board ; a 11 input indicates a similar stand - alone feature , but enables a diagnostic display to report various temperatures . switch s3 forms a 1 - bit input indicating to the microprocessor whether there are one or two temperature probes connected to controller 36 , one for refrigeration compartment temperature and one for the evaporator surface temperature . the operating temperature range for the preferred embodiment of the invention requires setting two parameters : the first parameter determines a base temperature setting ; the second parameter determines a positive or negative deviation from the base temperature setting . the midpoint temperature between the base temperature plus the deviation temperature is taken as the center operating temperature . during normal operation , the microprocessor will maintain the refrigerated compartment at the center temperature plus or minus 2 ° f ., as will be further described later . switches s4 and s5 form a 2 - bit input determining the base operating temperature of the refrigeration compartment ; a 00 input sets a base operating temperature of about 60 ° f . ; a 01 input determines a base operating temperature of about 36 ° f . ; a 01 input determines a base operating temperature of about 20 ° f . ; and a 11 input indicates a - 05 ° f . base operating temperature . switches s6 , s7 , and s8 form a 3 - bit input indicating the temperature deviation ; a 000 input indicates 0 ° f . deviation ; a 001 indicates a + 2 ° f . deviation ; a 010 input indicates a + 4 ° f . deviation ; a 011 input indicates a + 6 ° f . deviation ; a 100 indicates a - 2 ° f . temperature deviation ; a 010 input indicates a - 4 ° f . deviation ; a 110 ° input indicates a - 6 ° f . deviation ; and a 111 input indicates a - 8 ° f . deviation . the input switch settings are read on start - up of the unit and , consequently , power - up of the microprocessor . the preferred embodiment uses the memory of microprocessor 32 to store various required parameters for comparison . additionally , microprocessor 32 is used to compare certain input temperature values against stored memory values and to activate the heaters 17 , evaporator blower 13 , compressor 1 , and compressor fan 11 . the circuit 28 employs two temperature probes 37 and 41 . temperature probe 37 is located in the refrigerated compartment 104 ; temperature probe 41 is located on the surface of the evaporator 7 . both temperature probes are connected to cmos dual operational amplifiers 40 and 42 , respectively , capable of holding the tolerance of the temperatures sensed by the probes to + 1 ° f . the output of the amplifiers 40 and 42 are fed directly to the analog - to - digital converter of the microprocessor 32 at terminals pc5 and pc3 , respectively . the unamplified negative terminal of each probe is fed to the analog - to - digital converter of microprocessor 32 at terminals pc6 and pc4 , respectively . the negative terminal voltage of the probes is used as a basis for comparison to the output amplified voltage provided by amplifiers 40 and 42 . the compressor , evaporator , and heater relays 44 , 46 , and 48 , respectively , are connected directly to a pair of dual peripheral drivers 50 and 52 capable of high current switching at high speed . the drivers are , in turn , connected to the input / output ports of the microprocessor at terminals pc0 , pc1 and pc2 , respectively . upon receipt of the appropriate low signal from the microprocessor 32 , drivers 50 and 52 activate the compressor , evaporator , or heater by switching relays 44 , 46 , or 48 . output pb5 of microprocessor 32 is used to drive output led 55 via driver 52 . terminal pb6 is designated as an input port . it is used to set the communication address of the driver 54 . when connected to + 5v , the microprocessor 32 sets the address of driver 54 to a first address ; when connected to ground , a second , different address is set . different addresses allow two controllers to communicate with the same main circuit board . for example , two complete refrigeration units may be installed in a single , large vending machine , controlled by one main circuit board , thus doubling the available cooling capacity . finally , the serial i / o ports pb7 and tcmp are both connected to multi - point transceiver communication buffer line driver 54 in order to drive communication lines to communicate with the main circuit board ( not shown ). line driver 54 is also connected to the interrupt request port / irq of microprocessor 32 . this line is held high via connection to + 5v through current limiting resistor r10 . when pulled low by line driver 54 , microprocessor 32 responds by recognizing the signals present at the interrupt request port / irq and builds command messages by sampling the / irq port at predetermined intervals . in the preferred embodiment , these intervals are 8 bits apiece . these signals are used to reset the values for the base temperature operating range , deviation and maximum evaporator temperature values initially set by switches s0 - s7 and , additionally , may command the microprocessor to turn on and turn off the compressor , evaporator , or heater relays independently , thus overriding the normal operating mode . additionally , the defrost time value and heater time value may be reset by the main circuit board this way . i / o port pb7 is used to change the direction of the line driver 54 and allow the microprocessor to send signals to the main circuit board . these signals reflect the current status of the relays , current base temperature settings and current temperature at both temperature probes . other aspects of the circuit , such as current and voltage filtering and stabilization , timers and power supply are well known in the art and will not be detailed here . while various components may be substituted for those disclosed , the following components , shown in table i , are employed in the circuit shown in fig4 in the preferred embodiment : table i______________________________________item quantity reference part number description______________________________________1 1 cr1 mv - 6753 led - red2 1 c1 470 μf capacitor3 2 c3 , c2 37pf capacitor4 5 c4 , c6 , c13 , c14 , . 1 μf capacitor c155 4 c7 , c8 , c9 , c10 . 01 μf capacitor6 1 c11 220 μf 25v capacitor7 4 d5 , d6 , d7 , d8 1n4148 diode8 3 d10 , d11 , d12 1n4004 diode9 16 r1 , r2 , r3 , r4 , r5 , 10k resistor r6 , r7 , r8 , r9 , r10 , r11 , r12 , r14 , r15 , r17 , r1810 2 r13 , r16 40k resistor11 1 r24 330 ohm resistor12 2 r25 , r26 18k resistor13 1 r27 4 . 7m resistor14 1 r28 1 . 2k resistor15 1 s1 sw1 dip switch - 8 position16 1 u1 mc68hc05p9 micro - processor17 1 u2 mc34064 - 5 under - voltage sensor18 1 u3 lmc662 dual op - amp19 2 u6 , u4 sn 75154 relay driver20 1 u8 sn 75176 rs - 485 driver21 1 y1 4 mhz crystal______________________________________ under - voltage sensor , item 17 , part number mc34064 - 5 is a sensing circuit specifically designed to use as a reset controller in microprocessor - based systems . it is available from motorola , and its technical specifications are well known . item 18 , part number lmc662 , is a cmos dual operational amplifier , available from national semiconductor . its specifications are well known . item 19 , part number sn 75451 , is a dual peripheral positive - and driver available from texas instruments . its specifications and characteristics are well known . item 20 , part sn 75176 , is a multi - point transceiver , available from national semiconductor . the component is a high - speed differential tri - state bus line transceiver for multi - point data transmission . its capabilities and specifications are also well known . other microprocessors can be employed to accomplish the goals of the invention , but the preferred embodiment uses a motorola medium capability mc68hc05p9 microprocessor . this particular microprocessor has 2112 bytes of user rom , and 128 bytes of user sram memory . this microprocessor also has the capability of receiving input data into memory via an analog - to - digital converter , or serial input / output port , as well as other features which make the chip particularly suitable for the preferred embodiment of the invention . a flow chart showing the steps carried out by microprocessor 32 during operation of refrigeration unit 30 is shown in fig5 . the detailed steps of the flow chart program are stored in the user rom section of microprocessor 32 and are implemented upon power - up of the unit . on initial power - up , block 60 , microprocessor 32 is activated , immediately moving to block 62 and initializing compressor 1 , evaporator blower 13 and heaters 17 to an &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; state . at block 64 , the microprocessor runs a self - check contained in rom memory on - board . assuming that the self - test is completed successfully , the microprocessor reads the status of switches sw0 - sw7 to determine operating mode , number of temperature probes and center temperature set point . at block 65 , the temperature high limit is set to the center temperature + 2 ° f . the temperature low limit is set to the center temperature - 2 ° f ., the initial evaporator high temperature limit is set to 66 ° f . and the initial defrost high temperature limit is set to the center temperature + 4 ° f . the microprocessor then starts a two - hour timer at block 66 . following the initiation of the two - hour timer , microprocessor 32 polls temperature probe 37 in refrigeration compartment 104 at block 68 . if the temperature sensed is less than high limit , the running condition of compressor 1 is then checked . this condition might occur upon a short power outage where the compartment 104 would not warm up significantly . if the temperature in the compartment is not less than high limit , microprocessor 32 then polls evaporator temperature probe 41 at block 70 . if it is less than high limit , then the heaters 17 are checked to make sure they are off , evaporator blower 13 is activated , and compressor 1 is activated . if the evaporator temperature is not less than high limit and the food compartment temperature is not less than high limit , microprocessor 32 enters a &# 34 ; pre - cool &# 34 ; cycle in which heaters 17 are turned off , the evaporator blower 13 is turned off , and the compressor 1 is turned on at block 69 . the &# 34 ; pre - cool &# 34 ; cycle lowers the evaporator temperature , before activating the blower 13 , to prevent blowing hot air into the compartment or circulating hot air that is already present . microprocessor 32 stays in this &# 34 ; pre - cool &# 34 ; loop until the evaporator temperature sensed is less than high limit at block 70 . upon reaching an evaporator temperature of less than high limit , evaporator blower 13 is turned on to circulate cool air in the refrigerated compartment at block 71 . as soon as the evaporator blower 13 is on and the compressor 1 is on , the microprocessor 32 moves to block 72 . block 72 begins the normal refrigeration cycle for the unit . during the refrigeration cycle , the temperature is monitored within the compartment to assure that the food contained does not freeze or spoil , depending on the base operating temperature set by switch block 34 or instructions from the main circuit board . as will be discussed more fully below , the main circuit board can override the initial settings of switch block 34 , defrost cycle times , heater times , and initiate or terminate a defrosting cycle via communication port irq ( shown in fig4 ). the override signals provided by the main circuit board are not necessary for the functioning of the invention , but add the advantage of expandability by allowing additional parameters to control the defrost functions of the unit . at block 72 the running status of compressor 1 is polled to determine whether it is &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; off .&# 34 ; if compressor 1 is &# 34 ; on ,&# 34 ; food temperature probe 37 is checked at block 74 to determine if the temperature is below low limit . if the temperature is below low limit , then microprocessor 32 switches off compressor 1 at block 76 . if the food temperature in compartment 104 is not less than low limit , the evaporator blower 13 and compressor 1 are left running . if compressor 1 is determined not to be &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; at block 72 , microprocessor 32 polls temperature sensor 37 in the refrigerated compartment to determine if it is above high limit , at block 78 . if it is determined that compressor 1 is not &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; and that refrigerated compartment 104 is above high limit at block 80 , then microprocessor 32 activates compressor 1 and the evaporator blower 13 , and assures that the heaters 17 are deactivated . upon determining a negative response to blocks 74 or 78 , or upon completion of the activities in block 76 or 80 , microprocessor 32 checks to see if the two - hour timer , started at block 66 , has expired at block 82 . upon determining that the two - hour timer has not expired , communications buffer 54 is checked at block 84 to determine if the main circuit board has transmitted a command instructing microprocessor 32 to begin the defrost cycle . the main circuit board controls the vending functions of vending unit 31 . it may be provided with an emergency defrost button which could transmit a command to microprocessor 32 to initiate defrosting . additionally , other conditions , such as the number of items present in compartment 104 , may affect the amount of defrosting required , necessitating transmission of a defrost override signal . if no such command has been received , the microprocessor 32 returns to block 72 to continue the normal refrigeration loop comprising blocks 72 - 84 . if a defrost command was received , microprocessor 32 proceeds to beginning of the defrost cycle at block 86 . the defrost cycle at block 86 is also reached if it is determined at block 82 that the two - hour timer has expired during the normal refrigeration loop . upon initiation of the defrost cycle at block 86 , compressor 1 is turned off , evaporator blower 13 is turned off , heaters 17 are turned on , and a two - minute defrost timer is initiated . after block 86 , the microprocessor moves to block 88 where the evaporator temperature is polled . if it is determined that the evaporator temperature is greater than the evaporator high temperature limit , microprocessor 32 assumes that defrosting is complete and moves to block 90 to avoid unnecessary heating of the evaporator and the refrigerated compartment . resetting this temperature might become necessary to compensate for ambient conditions , such as high humidity , which would necessitate more intensive defrosting . the main circuit board could be fitted with switches to change this setting during routine service , for instance . the evaporator high temperature limit is normally 66 ° f ., but can be reset by the main circuit board . at block 90 heaters 17 are turned off , compressor 1 is turned off , evaporator blower 13 is turned off , the two - hour timer is started , and the process continues at block 68 . if , however , the evaporator temperature is determined to be less than the evaporator high temperature limit , microprocessor 32 moves to block 92 , where it polls the refrigeration compartment temperature . at block 92 , if it is determined that the refrigeration compartment temperature is above the initial defrost high temperature limit , microprocessor 32 aborts the defrost cycle and moves immediately to block 90 . the initial defrost high temperature limit is set to the high limit + 4 ° f ., but can be reset by the main circuit board . if it is determined that the food compartment temperature is still less than high limit , microprocessor moves to block 94 . in block 94 , microprocessor 32 checks to determine if the two - minute defrost timer has expired . if it has , microprocessor 32 proceeds to block 90 . if the two - minute timer has not expired , microprocessor 32 polls the communications buffer 54 to determine if a command to end the defrost cycle has been received from the main circuit board at block 96 . the main circuit board may be fitted to sense additional ambient conditions which can further reduce or increase the required defrost time . for example , if the compartment 104 is fully stocked with items to be vended , the defrost cycle time required may be longer than two minutes . if an end defrost command is received , the microprocessor moves to step 90 , effectively skipping the defrost cycle . upon receipt of the end defrost command , the defrost cycle is skipped only once ; microprocessor 32 returns to the refrigeration loop and initiates the defrost cycle again after the expiration of 2 hours . if a defrost command signal is not received , the microprocessor returns to block 88 to continue the defrost cycle until one of the canceling conditions in blocks 88 , 92 , 94 , or 96 arises . at step 90 , the microprocessor has determined that the defrost cycle must be completed . after step 90 , the microprocessor returns to block 68 where the two - hour timer is reset and the refrigeration loop is started again . it should be understood that modifications to the preferred embodiment will be obvious to those who are skilled in the art upon examining the specification , drawings and claims . the invention has been described with the regard to the preferred embodiment , but should only be limited by the scope of the appended claims and equivalents . | 5 |
referring to fig1 a processing module 11 according to the present invention is shown . processing module 11 includes a dsp 12 and a controller 30 for executing and processing an input signal 14 . in a preferred embodiment the input signal 14 is that of an audio signal . an a / d converter 18 and a d / a converter 20 in communication with dsp 12 that are used to convert the input signal 14 from analog to digital and digital to analog are provided for input and output respectively . a nonvolatile memory 24 is also provided , such as an eeprom , to initially store a jump and lookup table 28 and filter coefficients 26 which will be described in greater detail hereinafter . a volatile memory 32 in communication with dsp 12 is used to temporarily store data for filtering . volatile memory 32 may be integrated into dsp 12 or be provided in a stand alone package . after processing has been executed and the d / a conversion has been completed input signal 14 is then distributed to various channels 22 such as stereo speakers . a block diagram of an equalization design system 10 which implements the executable code and filter characteristics is shown in fig2 . the nonvolatile memory 24 initially stores data containing filter coefficients 26 and jump and lookup table 28 . the filter coefficients 26 and jump and lookup table 28 are created and programmed using a pc with desired filter characteristics created using a pc software graphical user interface , as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 617 , 480 , prior to being stored in the nonvolatile memory 24 . the filter coefficients 28 are settable so that an equalization structure 34 may be configured as desired . the controller 30 manages the communication between the nonvolatile memory 24 and the dsp 12 . the controller 30 may be integrated into the dsp 12 . controller 30 is executed at the time the data stored in the nonvolatile memory 24 will be downloaded to the volatile memory 32 to begin processing the input signal 14 . during the processing of the input signal 14 , addresses in the jump and lookup table 28 contain locations that direct which equalization structure 34 will be utilized and the number of times the equalization structure 34 or an eq band will be executed to filter the input signal 14 . [ 0017 ] fig3 a and 3 b are schematic diagrams illustrating typical architecture for a second order equalization structure . in a first embodiment , a plurality of equalization structures are cascaded in series between an input and an output . the plurality of equalization structures may be of a same order or varying orders . an output of a predetermined first equalization structure known as an intermediate result 15 will become an input of a predetermined second equalization structure . in another embodiment , an equalization structure may be used repeatedly for an entire bandwidth or for a certain number of bands . in this embodiment , an output of a predetermined first equalization structure will be stored in a data storage device ( not shown ) as an intermediate result 15 and reapplied to the predetermined first equalization structure for further processing until a desired output signal is achieved . the data storage device may be ram , a register , an accumulator , or the like . [ 0019 ] fig4 shows a table containing filter coefficients 26 which are initially stored in the nonvolatile memory 24 for processing . the filter coefficients 26 are used to modify and shape the plurality of equalization structures . the filter coefficients 26 are segregated or grouped into sets of filter coefficients 36 . a predetermined first set of filter coefficients will be executed with a predetermined first equalization structure to modify the input signal 14 ( shown in fig1 ) to obtain a desired intermediate result 15 ( shown in fig3 a and 3 b ). if the predetermined first equalization structure is re - utilized , then intermediate result 15 will be transmitted to the predetermined first equalization structure and a predetermined subsequent set of coefficients will be utilized to modify the predetermined first equalization structure . if a predetermined second equalization structure is utilized , then the intermediate result 15 will be transmitted to the predetermined second equalization structure utilizing the predetermined subsequent set of coefficients . processing will continue with the subsequent set of coefficients using either the predetermined first equalization structure or a predetermined subsequent equalization structure until jump and lookup table 28 shows that a last equalization task has been executed and is redirected to a next task . [ 0020 ] fig5 shows a jump and lookup table 28 containing a list of addresses that direct dsp 12 to an appropriate executable code . the executable code is stored in a second nonvolatile memory 25 ( shown in fig1 ) of the dsp 12 . the second nonvolatile memory 25 may reside on or off of the dsp 12 . the executable code contains instructions as to which equalization structure 34 is to be executed and the number of times the predetermined first equalization structure or the predetermined subsequent equalization structures will be executed . jump and lookup table 28 is downloaded from nonvolatile memory 24 into volatile memory 32 . the controller 30 initiates the executable code in a first address 40 in the jump and lookup table 28 by use of a first pointer 38 . a predetermined first address 40 contains a location of the executable code to run for initiating the processing of the predetermined first equalization structure . a second pointer 39 ( shown in fig4 ) is used to retrieve the predetermined first set of filter coefficients corresponding to the predetermined first equalization structure to be executed . after the executable code for the predetermined first address has been executed and processing is complete , first pointer 38 is incremented to a predetermined subsequent address of jump and lookup table 28 . the predetermined subsequent address will contain a location of the executable code to execute either the predetermined first equalization structure or the predetermined subsequent equalization structure . second pointer 39 will also be incremented to retrieve the predetermined subsequent set of coefficients . incrementing first pointer 38 will continue until first pointer 38 indicates filtering is complete for a given channel . if other channels require filtering first pointer 38 and second pointer 39 will continue to increment , as previously described herein , until filtering has been completed for all channels . the new and improved method of the present invention is shown in greater detail in fig6 . in step 50 , filter coefficients and a jump and lookup table sequence are loaded and stored into a programmable memory unit such as a volatile memory device . the order of the filter coefficients and the jump and lookup table sequence are structured such that a pointer can be incremented so as to step through addresses of the jump and lookup table so as to run an executable code and apply a corresponding set of filter coefficients associated with an equalization structure to be executed . in step 52 , an input signal is received by a dsp for filtering . in step 54 , a pointer will be loaded with a first jump and lookup table entry which directs the dsp as to which equalization structure is to be executed . in step 56 , a second pointer is loaded with an address of a set of coefficients to be transferred to the dsp for filtering the input signal . in step 58 , the input signal is applied to a predetermined equalization structure and the output from said predetermined equalization structure is stored as intermediate result . in step 60 , the pointer of said jump and lookup table is incremented to determine if the filtering is complete . if the filtering is not complete , then a return is made to step 54 for further filtering , otherwise the desired filtered signal is communicated to a respective channel as represented by step 62 . with the advantages described herein above , it is evident that by allocating the jump and lookup table 28 in volatile memory 32 containing addresses of the executable code to implement different equalization structures , less nonvolatile memory 25 will be utilized . such efficiency is recognized wherein an equalization structure is stored only once in nonvolatile memory 25 and may be utilized as many times as needed without allocating additional addresses in nonvolatile memory 25 for subsequent uses . although the present invention has been described with regard to a vehicle audio system , the invention is not limited to such a system . the present invention may be used with equal utility in other embodiments and is not limited to those embodiments disclosed , and variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention . | 7 |
[ 0027 ] fig1 is a schematic diagram of the major components employed in constructing the biological hazard mitigation apparatus 100 according to the present invention . in fig1 a filter 104 is disposed in a plenum 102 , which is pneumatically coupled to a blower , e . g ., fan , 110 via one or more ducts 106 and an optional silencer 108 . it will be appreciated that these components need not be co - located with one another . as illustrated in fig3 a and 3b , the plenum 102 and filter 104 may be disposed in a closed space while the silencer 108 and blower 110 , and associated ducting 106 , advantageously can be disposed either in an area which is not frequently occupied or outdoors . it should be mentioned at this point that placing the filter 104 in the throat of the plenum 102 permits the filter to dampen the sound generated by the other components , most notably , the blower 110 . depending on blower placement , the additional silencer 108 may be omitted . it should be mentioned that the filter 104 need not be a relatively expensive hepa filter ; the filter need only be selected to efficiently remove particulate in the size of the identified threat . it should also be mentioned that the filter 104 need not be a single filter . the filter advantageously may comprise a roughing filter and a particulate filter , and may also include stages designed to remove fumes or noxious gases . in an exemplary case , the filter 104 advantageously can include an outer bag filter 104 a in which a pleated paper filter 104 b is disposed . it will be appreciated that a porous foam filter ( not shown ) advantageously can be employed in place of the bag filter 104 a . [ 0030 ] fig2 a - 2c illustrate a second preferred embodiment of the biological hazard mitigation apparatus 200 according to the present invention . the apparatus 200 advantageously includes a work surface 202 , which is supported by a plurality , e . g ., four , legs generally denoted 212 . moreover , a plurality of sidewalls generally denoted 214 restrict access to the work surface 202 so that the work area is substantially inaccessible from the sides or back of the apparatus 200 . the plenum 102 and associated filter 104 are suspended from the underside of the work surface 202 , preferably adjacent to the work area 204 . it should be mentioned that although the work surface 202 could include a myriad of slots , openings , or perforations 206 , thereby permitting air to flow from directly above the entire work surface to the plenum 102 , this would require that the blower 108 be sized , i . e ., increased in size , to insure that a positive differential pressure is maintained to move potentially hazardous materials from the area of the work surface 202 to the filter 104 . as shown in fig2 d , the work area 204 is a limited portion of the work surface 202 . the numbers , i . e ., numerals 1 , 2 , 3 , . . . , 9 , shown in fig2 d , correspond to the measured flowrate at various points on the work area 204 . in other 248 words , the work area 204 is limited in area to ensure that the blower 110 provides sufficient head to convey particulate material into the plenum 102 and , ultimately , to the filter 104 . the airflow test results for the biological hazard mitigation apparatus illustrated in fig2 a - 2c are listed in fig2 d . it will be appreciated that increasing the size of the work area would necessitate resizing the blower . in order to limit airflow from outside the work area 204 , the bulk of the work surface 202 advantageously may be free of penetrations 206 . alternatively , the work surface 202 outside of the work area 204 advantageously can be covered with a solid sheet 208 of protective material , e . g ., stainless steel , plexiglas , etc . in the exemplary case illustrated in fig3 a , the sheet 208 is lexan . it will be noted that the sheet 208 facilitates decontamination of the apparatus 200 in the event that decontamination is needed . it will be noted that the plenum 102 is accessible by personnel from only one side , i . e ., the side adjacent to the work area 204 illustrated in fig2 b . fig3 a , 3b , 3 c , and 3 d are photographs of an actual device constructed in accordance with the first preferred embodiment . [ 0034 ] fig4 a , 4b , 4 c , and 4 d are front and top views , in alternative forms , of a third preferred embodiment of the biological hazard mitigation apparatus 300 according to the present invention . it will be appreciated that while all of the components illustrated in fig2 a - 2c are present in the third preferred embodiment illustrated in fig4 a - 4d , the third preferred embodiment has been further refined in terms of both personnel comfort and maintainability . for example , in the biological hazard mitigation apparatus illustrated in fig2 a - 2c , the size and shape of the plenum 102 prevents the user from sitting in a comfortable position , i . e ., a position which could be maintained for several hours . see fig6 a - 6b . moreover , the biological hazard mitigation apparatus 300 illustrated in fig4 a - 4d has been optimized with respect to ease of filter replacement . see fig7 a and 7b . thus , the multiple screws holding the perforated steel work surface 202 over the plenum 102 in fig2 b have been replaced by a few , e . g ., 2 , screws in the biological hazard mitigation apparatus 300 illustrated in fig4 b . it will be appreciated that these screws may be replaced by other clamping and fastening devices , such as magnetic clamps . it should be mentioned that since the numbered elements in fig4 a - 4d correspond to like numbered elements in fig2 a - 2c , a detailed discussion of elements 302 , 304 , and 314 will not be provided . it will also be appreciated that while the plenum size has been reduced between the second and third preferred embodiments , further size reduction is possible . for example , the truncated pyramid plenums employed in the first and second preferred embodiments could be replaced by a frusto - conical plenum . one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that this latter arrangement would minimize horizontal surfaces upon which biologically hazardous material could potentially accumulate . fig5 a , 5b , 5 c , 5 d , and 5 e are photographs of an actual device constructed in accordance with the third preferred embodiment . it will be appreciated that the biological hazard mitigation apparatus according to the present invention advantageously can accommodate a plurality of sensor devices designed to detect one of biological hazards and particulate in suspicious sizes . for example , particles collected by the biological hazard mitigation apparatus would be randomly distributed in size ; a spike in the particle size distribution could signal the presence of a biologically hazardous material . additionally , the sensors of one or more biological detectors advantageously can be disposed in the plenum 102 . it should be mentioned that the difference in size between the opening of the plenum and the work area 204 illustrated in fig2 a and 2b permits numerous sensor heads to be located adjacent the air flow without requiring penetrations in the plenum itself , since penetrations in the plenum illustrated in fig4 a and 4b could constitute collection points for biologically hazardous material . it will be appreciated that fig2 a - 2c and 4 a - 4 d provide non - limiting dimensions . the biological hazard mitigation apparatus according to the present invention can be sized to accommodate the normal distribution in mail / package sizes received by any particular facility . it should also be mentioned that the effectiveness of the biological hazard mitigation apparatus according to the present invention can be enhanced by various mail / packaging methods or protocols . for example , the biological hazard mitigation apparatus can be employed in a time delay manner . in other words , the mail processed on a given day can be set aside while the filter used that day is processed for biological hazards . if the filter employed on monday is determined to be free from biological hazards on tuesday , monday &# 39 ; s mail can be safely delivered . [ 0040 ] fig8 is a flowchart illustrating one exemplar mail handling protocol . it will be appreciated that other mail handling procedures will occur to one of ordinary skill in the art after viewing fig8 and reading the corresponding description of that figure , and all such variations are considered to be within the scope of the present invention . referring now to fig8 the mail handling process starts at step s 1 , wherein mail to be opened is placed next to the biological hazard mitigation apparatus 200 ( 300 ), and the area in which the biological hazard mitigation apparatus is installed is readied for use , biological hazard mitigation apparatus i . e ., lights and ventilation turned on , etc . during step s 2 , the blower 110 is energized . subsequently , during step s 3 , a piece of mail ( or a package ) is selected an opened . while the operator is extracting the contents from the envelope or package , a visual check is performed for unexpected materials ( powders and the like ) falling from the packaging during step s 4 . if visible contamination is present during this check , emergency protocols , e . g ., shutting down the ventilation for the room in which the biological hazard mitigation apparatus 200 ( 300 ) is installed is carried out during step s 5 . then , the operator opens the next envelope or package by repeating step s 3 again . it will be appreciated that alternative emergency protocols advantageously can be implemented in the event that potential contamination is observed during step s 4 , in addition to securing room ventilation ( step s 5 ). for example , when potential contamination is identified by the operator , all of steps s 7 - s 13 can be implement immediately , rather than after all of the days mail is unpacked . assuming that the answer at step s 4 is negative , a further check is performed at step s 6 to determine whether all mail has been opened . if the answer is negative , the operation loops back to the start of step s 3 . if the answer is affirmative , i . e ., all envelopes and / or packages have been opened , all mail is packaged , e . g ., bagged , for short term storage during step s 7 and the blower 110 is stopped during step s 8 . it will be appreciated that the residue , e . g ., opened envelopes , etc ., generated by performance of step s 3 advantageously can be packaged for further study and / or disposal during step s 7 . during step s 9 , one or more detailed tests for contamination are preformed . for example , the filter 104 advantageously can be tested for biological hazards . in the event that a two stage filter , i . e ., a roughing bag filter 104 a and a polishing pleated paper filter 104 b are employed as the filter 104 , the bag filter 104 a advantageously can be checked for hazards . it will also be appreciated that the interior of the residue bag can also or additionally be analyzed for biological hazards . it will also be appreciated that analysis of the residue bag will minimize operating costs , since both the residue and the residue bag will be discarded in the event that no contamination is found . in the event that a biological hazard is identified during step s 10 , the mail will be decontaminated during step s 11 and then routed to recipients during step s 12 . if no contamination has been identified during step s 10 , the mail is simply routed as step s 12 . in either case , the procedure ends at step s 13 . it goes without saying that when a biological hazard has been positively identified at step s 10 , the contamination will be reported to appropriate authorities so that the residue can be further analyzed . from the discussion above , it will be appreciated that whenever any unknown material is seen to be present on or escaping from received mail / packages , the biological hazard mitigation apparatus provides an effective means for confining the potentially hazardous material in a safe and efficient manner . the user need only shut off normal building ventilation , thereby ensuring that all air in the space is processed by the biological hazard mitigation apparatus . while this air processing would be more efficient if the blower 110 were disposed outdoors , the biological hazard mitigation apparatus advantageously will provide particulate removal even if it exhausts back into the same space occupied by the plenum . although presently preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail herein , it should be clearly understood that many variations and / or modifications of the basic inventive concepts herein taught , which may appear to those skilled in the pertinent art , will still fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention , as defined in the appended claims . | 8 |
the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings , wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements shown therein . referring to fig1 to 4 , a display panel includes a lower transmissive insulating substrate 1 ( fig2 ) and an upper transmissive insulating substrate 2 disposed with a liquid crystal 18 sandwiched therebetween . the lower substrate 1 is provided with a plurality of gate buses 21 for scanning buses , a plurality of source buses 23 ( fig1 ) so that each rectangular section enclosed by the buses 21 and 23 has pixel electrodes 41 arranged in a matrix . the gate bus 21 has a branch line 22 which is provided with a tft 31 at its top , i . e ., distal , end . the tft 31 , functioning as a switching element , is connected to the pixel electrodes 41 . in fig1 a gate bus 21b adjacent to a gate bus 21a connected to the pixel electrodes 41 is provided with a gate bus projection 43 extending inward toward the corner of the pixel electrodes 41 . the projection 43 is provided with an electroconductive member 44 positioned opposite thereto through a gate insulating film 13 ( fig3 and 4 ), the electroconductive member 44 being electrically connected to the pixel electrode 41 . the source bus 23 is also provided with a source bus projection 46 in correspondence with the corners of the pixel electrodes 41 . the source bus projection 46 overlaps the gate bus projection 43 through the gate insulating film 13 . a process of fabricating the display panel will be described in detail : the gate buses 21 are formed on the transmissive insulating substrate 1 in a known manner . for example , metal such as ta , ti , al or cr is deposited either as a single layer or a multi - layers on the transmissive insulating substrate , and then the layer or layers are patterned . simultaneously , the gate bus branch 22 and the gate bus projection 43 are patterned for each pixel electrode . in this example , the insulating substrates 1 are made of glass ( in some of the drawings , one substrate only is shown for explanation convenience ). it is possible to form an insulating film 11 of ta 2 o 5 or the like as a base coat as shown in fig4 . then , the gate insulating layer 13 is overlaid on the gate bus 21 ( including the gate bus branch 22 and the gate bus projection 43 ). in this example , as sin x film was formed to a thickness of 300 nm by a plasma cvd as the insulating layer 13 . alternatively , it is possible to form an oxidized layer 12 of ta 2 o 5 by anodizing the gate bus 21 prior to the formation of the gate insulating layer 13 as shown in fig4 . a semiconductor layer 14 and an etching stopper layer 15 are successively formed on the gate insulating layer 13 by a plasma cvd method . the semiconductor layer 14 is made of amorphous silicon ( a - si ) to a thickness of 30 nm , and the etching stopper layer 15 is made of sin x to a thickness of 200 n . the etching stopper layer 15 is patterned , and an n + type a - si layer 16 with phosphorus is deposited to a thickness of 80 nm by the plasma cvd method . the n + type a - si layer 16 is formed to enhance the ohmic contact between the semiconductor layer 14 and a source electrode 32 or a drain electrode 33 ( fig2 ) which will be deposited at a later stage . then , the n + type a - si layer 16 is patterned , and a source metal such as ti , al , mo , or cr is deposited by sputtering . in this example , ti was used . the ti layer is patterned so as to form the source electrode 32 and the drain electrode 33 . the finished thin film transistor ( tft ) 31 is illustrated in fig2 . at this stage , as shown in fig4 the source bus projection 46 and the electroconductive member 44 are simultaneously formed . the next step is to deposit a transmissive insulating substance for the pixel electrodes 41 . in this example , ito ( indium tin oxide ) was deposited by sputtering and patterned so as to form the pixel electrodes 41 , which , as referred to above , is formed in the rectangular section enclosed by the gate bus 21 and the source bus 23 . as shown in fig2 the end portion of the pixel electrode 41 is overlaid on an end portion of the drain electrode 33 of the tft 31 . also , as shown in fig3 and 4 , the pixel electrode 41 is deposited on the electroconductive member 44 . in this way , energizing can be effected through to the pixel electrodes 41 via the drain electrode 33 of the tft 31 and the electroconductive member 44 as is described below . the whole surface of the glass substrate 1 and the respective layers formed thereon is covered with a protective layer 17 of sin x . the protective layer 17 can be provided with a hole at a central part of the pixel electrodes 41 . an orientation layer 19 is formed on the protective layer 17 . the orientation layer 19 can be also provided with a hole at its center . as shown in fig2 a counter electrode 3 and an orientation layer 9 are formed on the glass substrate 2 . the reference numeral 18 denotes a layer of liquid crystal material sandwiched between the pair of insulating substrates 1 and 2 . in this way an active matrix display device is finished . a method of correcting a faulty pixel electrode will be described : the pixel electrodes 41 are driven by the tft 31 , unless the tft 31 is in abnormal , i . e ., defective , condition , and the pixel electrodes 41 in the segment enclosed by the gate bus 21 and the source bus 23 are put into regular operation . no problem arises on the display . if any abnormality occurs in the tft 31 or a weak electric leak occurs between the source bus 23 and the pixel electrodes 41 , the pixel electrode becomes faulty , and the result appears on the display . this faulty pixel electrode is corrected in the following manner : first , the active matrix display device is driven so as to confirm the faulty pixel electrode . as shown in fig3 if any abnormality is discovered , a segment 51 enclosed by dotted lines is irradiated with photo energy such as yag laser beams so as to disperse the metal molecules in this segment 51 . in this way the gate bus 21b and the gate bus projection 43 are electrically disconnected from each other . then a segment 52 enclosed by dotted lines is irradiated with laser beams so as to destroy the insulating layer 13 and oxidized layer 12 ( if present ) between the source bus projection 46 and the gate bus projection 43 . thus the two projections 46 and 43 are melted together or otherwise come into contact to form an electrical connection , thereby enabling them to electrically communicate with each other . the laser beams can be irradiated either from the side of the insulating substrate 1 on which the tft 31 is formed or from the side of the substrate 2 on which the counter electrode is provided . in this example , the laser beams are irradiated from the side of the substrate 1 because of the coverage of the substrate 2 with a light shield metal . in fig4 the directions of laser beams are indicated by white thick arrows . second , laser beams are irradiated upon the segment 53 , where the gate bus projection 43 and the electroconductive member 44 overlap each other . this irradiation destroys the insulating layer 13 , thereby enabling the gate bus projection 43 and the electroconductive member 44 to electrically communicate by fusing or otherwise coming into contact with each other . the two irradiations of laser beams enable the upper and lower metal wirings to electrically communicate in the segments 52 and 53 , respectively . in this way the source bus 23 and the electroconductive member 44 , that is , the pixel electrodes 41 are short - circuited . because of the short - circuit the pixel electrode 41 has the same potential as the source bus 23 and the faulty pixel is lit at an average brightness achieved by all the normal pixels connected to the source bus 23 , thereby avoiding a faulty display . the gate bus branch 22 and the tft 31 are covered with the protective layer 17 , thereby preventing molten metal molecules from admixing with the liquid crystal 18 . this avoids the deterioration of the liquid crystal 18 . the irradiation of laser beams can be in various order for the segments 51 , 52 , and 53 as desired . besides , the spots of irradiation need not be limited to the illustrated ones but any desired spots can be selected ; for example , in the segments 52 and 53 any desired spots can be selected if they are within the overlapping portions of the upper and lower electroconductive layers . referring now to fig5 explanation will be given as to how the tft is operated when the pixel electrodes 41 and the source bus 23 are short - circuited ; in fig5 g n is a signal ( voltage signal ) from the ( n ) th gate bus 21 , s m is a signal from the ( m ) th source bus 23 , p n , m is a signal given to pixel electrodes 41 present at the junction of the ( n ) th gate bus 21 and the ( m ) th source bus 23 . as shown in fig5 ( a ), when the potential of the signal from the gate bus 21 is vgh ( at a high level ), the tft 31 is selected , and when it is vgl ( at a low level ), the tft 31 is not selected . as shown in fig5 ( c ), when the tft 31 is selected , a pulse signal v0 is charged in the pixel electrodes 41 . when the pixel electrode 41 is in a normal operation , the signal v0 is held for a period of time toff when the tft 31 is not selected , and a signal - v0 is written in the source bus 23 at a point of time ton when the tft 31 is selected . in fig5 ( b ) the reference signal gn + 1 denotes a signal applied to the ( gn + 1 ) th gate bus 21 . this signal gn + 1 is selected when the period of time ton for selecting the gate bus 21 expires . at this time the signal - v1 is written in the source bus 23 ( fig5 ( c )). as is evident from fig5 ( a1 ) and 5 ( b ), the signals applied to the gate bus 21 are consecutively delayed in the order of the line number , and the non - selection period of time continues over the period of time toff until the ( n ) th gate bus 21 is selected . during the non - selective period of time signals to be written in the pixel electrodes 41 are continuously applied to the source bus 23 . as shown in fig5 ( d ), the pixel electrodes 41 that are in normal condition are charged in response to the signal sm input from the source bus 23 when the gate signal gn is selected , thereby changing the molecular arrangement of the liquid crystal 18 at an electric potential between the counter electrode 3 on the substrate 2 and the liquid crystal 18 . in this way the display is effected . at this stage , the signals sm input to the source bus 23 during the non - selection period of time toff do not contribute to the display at all . when the pixel electrodes 41 and the source bus 23 are short - circuited by the irradiation of laser beams as described above , for example , the pixel electrodes 41 are subjected to electrical charging or discharging in response to all the signals sm input from the source bus 23 irrespective of the selection and non - selection of the gate bus 21 , wherein the signal is indicated by p &# 39 ; n , m in fig5 ( e ). the pixel electrode 41 that was corrected by the irradiation of laser beams receives the signal sm directly from the source bus 23 during the non - selection period of time toff . thus , the voltage is applied to the liquid crystal 18 at its effective value . except when the signals sm applied to the source bus 23 becomes v0 , the effective value of the signal p &# 39 ; n , m cannot be v0 , but the effective value of the signal voltage p &# 39 ; n , m is an average value of all the pixel electrodes 41 connected to the ( m ) th source bus 23 . this means that the display device is lit at an average brightness of the pixel electrodes 41 arranged along the ( m ) th source bus 23 . each pixel electrode is lit at such a sufficient brightness so as to maintain the quality of representation on the screen . it will be appreciated that the electrical resistance of the short - circuited portions formed by the laser irradiation preferably have a smaller value than the resistance ( on resistance ) when the switching element 31 is selected . the reasons are as follows . normally , the on resistance between the source bus 23 and pixel electrode 41 via the tft 31 is set so as to accept the flow of the current enough to allow the pixel electrode to be charged within the selection period of time of the switching element . if the short - circuited resistance is larger than the on resistance , all of the source signals which are continuously input during the selection period of time of the switching element cannot be written because of lack of time , thereby reducing the effective value of the voltage applied to the pixel electrode . fig6 shows a modified version which includes a semiconductor layer 14 , an etching stopper layer 15 and a contact layer 16 between the gate insulating layer 13 and an electroconductive member 44 , and between the gate insulating layer 13 and the source bus projection 46 , respectively . these layers 14 to 16 ar provided to electrically disconnect the upper electroconductive layers from the lower electroconductive layers , and vice versa . instead of these layers 14 to 16 , the semiconductor layer 14 and the etching stopper 15 , or the contact layer 16 alone can be inserted . the layers 14 - 16 can similarly be destroyed in the segments 52 and 53 by laser irradiation , and again the source bus projection 46 and electroconductive member 44 can be fused to the gate bus projection 43 . fig7 shows a further modified version in which each pixel electrode 41 has an additive capacitance 42 which is constituted by an additive capacitance bus 24 arranged in parallel with the gate bus 21 and the gate insulating layer 13 . more specifically , the additive capacitance bus 24 is overlapped by the pixel electrodes 41 , and the additive capacitance 42 is formed on the overlapping portion as shown by hatching in fig7 . the additive capacitance bus 24 is formed by depositing the same metal as that of the gate bus 21 , and patterning simultaneously when the gate bus 21 is patterned . this example shown in fig7 is constructed so that the same signal is input to the additive capacitance bus 24 as the counter electrode 3 . as a circuit the additive capacitance 42 is in parallel with the capacitance of the liquid crystal 18 . the additive capacitance 42 maintains the charge of the pixel electrodes 41 , thereby enhancing the performance of the display device . in this example , the faulty pixel can be corrected in the same manner as described above . however , in this example it is noted that the additive capacitance bus 24 includes a projection 43 &# 39 ; which serves as a means for electrically short - circuiting the faulty pixel electrode 41 to the source bus projection . specifically , the segment 51 &# 39 ; is irradiated in the manner described above with respect to the segment 51 so as to electrically disconnect the projection 43 &# 39 ; from the additive capacitance bus 24 . in addition , the source bus projection 46 and the electroconductive member 44 are fused to the projection 43 &# 39 ; in the same manner described above with respect to the gate bus projection 43 . fig8 shows another modified version in which the additive capacitance 42 is formed on the adjacent gate bus 21 . more specifically , the additive capacitance 42 is formed on an overlapping portion of the pixel electrodes 41 and the gate bus 21 through the gate insulating layer 13 as shown by hatching in fig8 . when the adjacent gate bus 21 is not selected , the same signal is input to the gate bus 21 as that applied to the counter electrode 3 on the glass substrate 2 . this gate bus 21 is used as the additive capacitance bus 24 . this decreases the light shading area , thereby avoiding a dark image picture . thus the display performance is enhanced . in the illustrated embodiments the tfts are used as switching elements , but an mim element , a mos transistor , a diode for a varistor can be used . the tft is not limited to the illustrated structure but can be variously modified ; for example , a source bus can be placed as a lower layer , and a gate bus can be placed as an upper layer . referring to fig1 and 12 , an active matrix substrate suitable for use in the active matrix display device will be described : an insulating substrate 110 is provided with pixel electrodes 104 arranged in a matrix , each pixel electrode being divided into two electrodes 104a and 104b , which will be hereinafter referred to as split electrodes , two source buses 102a and 102b , the source buses 102a and 102b passing in parallel between adjacent split electrodes 104a and 104b so as to transmit the same signal , and a gate bus 101 crossing at right angles to the source buses 102a and 102b , the gate bus 101 overlapping a part of the pixel electrodes 104 , a gate bus branch 111 , thin film transistors ( tfts ) 103 and a connection line 102c connecting the two source buses 102a and 102b . the connection line 102c crosses the gate bus branch 111 with an insulation layer interposed therebetween . the gate buses 101 function as scanning lines , the source buses 102a and 102b as signal lines , the gate bus branches 111 as scanning branches , and the tft 103 as a switching element . a ta layer is formed on the insulating substrate 110 by sputtering , and patterned to form the gate bus 101 and the gate bus branch 111 . as referred to above , ti , al or cr can be used instead of ta . the layer can be single or multiple . it is possible to cover the whole surface of the substrate 110 with an insulating layer of ta 2 o 5 . the surfaces of gate bus 101 and the gate bus branch 111 can be anodized so as to form an anodized layer . other parts of the process are the same as those described above . in the illustrated embodiment , one pixel electrode is split into two parts by the two source buses 102a and 102b which transmit the same image signal , but the substrate 110 can be provided with three source buses or more which transmit the same signal . in this case , the three source buses must be mutually connected by use of two or more connection lines . it is not always necessary to provide each pixel electrode with the connecting line 102c but it is sufficient if the source buses 102a and 102b are connected by at least one connecting means . if either of the source bus 102a or 102b breaks , an image signal is sent by the other source bus through the connecting lines 102c so as to enable the image signal to reach beyond the broken point , thereby avoiding the occurrence of troubles due to line breakage . the gate buses 101 constitute additive capacitance electrodes , thereby reducing the area of the pixel electrodes 104 as a whole . fig1 shows a modification to the substrate shown in fig1 and 12 . two tfts 103 connected to the split electrodes 104a and 104b are connected to the same source buses 102a or 102b . the other structure is the same as that of fig1 . tfts 103 are not connected to the source bus 102a that functions as a bypass . fig1 to fig1 show an active matrix display device in accordance with another example of the present invention . this display device 200 includes a liquid crystal 18 sandwiched between a pair of lower and upper transmissive insulating substrates 1 and 2 as in the embodiment described with respect to fig2 . the lower substrate 1 is provided with a plurality of horizontal gate buses 21 , e . g ., 21a , 21b , etc ., which function as scanning lines , a plurality of vertical source buses 23 which function as signal lines so that each rectangular section enclosed by both buses 21 and 23 has a pixel electrode 41 arranged in a matrix . the gate bus 21 has a gate bus projection 43 extending therefrom toward the pixel electrode 41 and a tft 31 is formed on the proximate portion of the gate bus projection 43 near the gate bus . the tft 31 , functioning as a switching element , is connected to the pixel electrode 41 . the gate bus projection 43 extends towards a source bus projection 46 which extends from the source bus 23 toward the pixel electrode 41 , and is positioned opposite an electroconductive member 44 with a gate insulating layer 13 therebetween as shown in fig1 and 16 . again , the electroconductive member 44 is electrically connected to the pixel electrode 41 . the middle portion of the gate bus projection 43 intersects the source bus projection 46 so as to be overlapped by the source bus projection 46 with the insulating layer 13 therebetween . the active matrix display device 200 will now be described according to a process of fabrication . the gate bus line 21 is formed on the transmissive insulating substrate 1 as shown in fig2 . ( it will be appreciated that fig2 herein is representative of a cross - sectional view taken along the line a -- a in fig1 as well as fig1 ). generally , metal such as ta , ti , al or cr is deposited either as a single layer or as multilayer on the transmissive insulating substrate 1 by a sputtering method , and then the metal is patterned . simultaneously , the gate bus projection 43 is formed . in this example , a glass substrate 1 was used as the transmissive insulating substrate 1 . it is possible to form an insulating film 11 of ta 2 o 3 or the like as a base coat film below the gate bus 21 as shown in fig1 . then , the gate insulating film 13 is overlaid on the gate bus 21 ( including the gate bus projection 43 ). in this example , as sin x film was formed to a thickness of 300 nm by a plasma cvd method as the insulating layer 13 . alternatively , it is possible to form an oxidized layer 12 of ta 2 o 5 by anodizing the gate bus 21 prior to the formation of the gate insulating layer 13 as is shown in fig1 . next , a semiconductor layer 14 and an etching stopper layer 15 are successively formed on the gate insulating layer 13 by a plasma cvd method . the semiconductor layer 14 is made of amorphous silicon ( a - si ) layer to a thickness of 30 nm , and the etching stopper layer 15 is made of a sin 8 layer to a thickness of 200 nm . the etching stopper layer 15 is patterned , and then an n + type a - si film 16 with phosphorus is deposited to a thickness of 80 nm by the plasma cvd method . the n + type a - si layer 16 is formed to enhance the ohmic contact between the semiconductor film 14 and a source electrode 32 or a drain electrode 33 ( cf . fig2 ) which will be deposited at a later stage . then , the n + type a - si layer 16 is patterned , and a source metal is deposited by the sputtering method . as the source metal , ti , al , mo , cr or the like is generally used . in this example , ti was used . the ti metal layer is patterned so as to obtain the source electrode 32 and the drain electrode 33 . thus , the tft 31 having the structure illustrated in fig2 is formed . at this stage , as shown in fig1 , the source bus projection 46 and the electroconductive member 44 are simultaneously formed . the next step is to deposit a transmissive conductive substance for the pixel electrodes 41 . in this example , as the transmissive conductive substrate ito ( indium tin oxide ) was deposited by the sputtering method and patterned so as to obtain the pixel electrodes 41 . as referred to above , the pixel electrode 41 is formed in the rectangular section enclosed by the gate buses 21 and the source buses 23 . as shown in fig2 the end portion of the pixel electrode 41 is deposited on an end portion of the drain electrode 33 of the tft 31 . as more specifically shown in fig1 , it is deposited on the electroconductive member 44 . in this way , energizing is effected to the pixel electrode 41 via the drain electrode 33 of the tft 31 and the electroconductive piece 44 . as in the embodiments described above , the whole surface of the glass substrate 1 on which the pixel electrode 41 is formed is covered with a protective layer 17 of sin x . the protective layer 17 can be a window shape in which a central part of the pixel electrodes 41 is removed . an orientation film 19 is formed on the protective layer 17 . the protective layer 17 can be also a window shape in which a central part thereof is removed . as shown in fig2 a counter electrode 3 and an orientation film 9 are formed on the glass substrate 2 facing the glass substrate 1 . liquid crystal material 18 is sandwiched between the glass substrates 1 and 2 . in this way an active matrix display device 200 of this example is finished . the method of correcting pixel defects in the active matrix display device 200 of this example is similar to the previous embodiments and will now be described . the pixel electrodes 41 are usually driven by the corresponding tft 31 ; and as long as the tft 31 is in normal operation , the pixel electrode in the corresponding segment enclosed by the adjacent gate buses 21 and source buses 23 is put into regular operation . no problem arises on the display . if any abnormality occurs in the tft 31 or a weak electric leak occurs between the source bus 23 and the pixel electrode 41 , a pixel defect appears on the display . the problem can be corrected in the following manner . the active matrix display device 200 is driven so as to confirm the pixel defects . as shown in fig1 , if an abnormality is discovered a segment 51 enclosed by dashed lines corresponding to the defective pixel is irradiated with photo energy such as yag laser beams so as to disperse the metal molecules in this segment 51 . in this way the gate bus 21a and the gate bus projection 43 are electrically disconnected from each other . then a segment 52 similarly enclosed by dashed lines is irradiated with laser beams so as to destroy the gate insulating layer 13 and oxidized layer 12 ( if present ) between the source bus projection 46 and the gate bus line projection 43 . thus the metal of the two projections 46 and 43 is fused together or otherwise come into contact thereby enabling them to electrically communicate with each other . as in the previous examples , the laser beams can be radiated either through the insulating substrate 1 on which the tft 31 is formed or through the substrate 2 on which the counter electrode is provided . in the active matrix display device of this example , the laser beams are radiated through the substrate 1 because the front surface of the substrate 2 is covered with a light shield metal , making it difficult to directly radiate the laser beams . in fig1 the radiation direction of laser beams is indicated by white thick arrows . next , laser beams are radiated upon the segment 53 indicated by dashed lines in fig1 , where the gate bus projection 43 and the electroconductive member 44 overlap each other . this irradiation of the segment 53 with laser beams destroys the insulating layer 13 and oxidized layer 12 ( if present ), thereby melting or fusing , or otherwise bringing into contact the gate bus projection 43 and the electroconductive member 44 together so as to be able to electrically communicate with each other . the above irradiations of laser beams allow the upper and lower metal wirings to electrically communicate with each other in the two areas of the segments 52 and 53 . as a result , the source bus 23 and the electroconductive member 44 are short - circuited such that the source bus 23 is short - circuited to the pixel electrode 41 . because of the short - circuit the defective pixel is lit at an average brightness achieved by all the pixels , thereby avoiding defects on a display owing to the above reasons . again , the gate bus projection 43 and the tft 31 are covered with the protective layer 17 , thereby preventing molten meal atoms from admixing with the liquid crystal 18 as the display medium by the radiation of the laser beams . this avoids the deterioration of the characteristics of the liquid crystal 18 . the radiation of laser beams can be in various order for the segments 51 , 52 . and 53 , not limited to the above order . furthermore , the spots of irradiation need not be limited to the illustrated ones . for example , the segments 52 and 53 can be any desired spots so long as they are within the overlapping portions of the upper and lower electroconductive films , e . g ., the source bus projection 46 and the gate bus projection 43 , the pixel electrode 41 and the gate bus projection 43 , or the like . the manner in which the defective pixel in the active matrix display device 200 is lit at an average brightness when the source bus 23 and the pixel electrode 41 are short - circuited is identical to that which is described above with respect to the embodiment of fig1 and the timing chart of fig5 . thus , further detail is omitted . however , it will still be appreciated that by short - circuiting the pixel electrode 41 to the source bus 23 the quality of the display will be maintained . fig1 shows a modified version of the embodiment of fig1 which includes a structure such that a semiconductor layer 14 , an etching stopper layer 15 and a contact layer 16 are deposited between the gate insulating layer 13 and the electroconductive member 44 , and between the gate insulating layer 13 and the source bus projection 46 , respectively . these layers 14 to 16 are provided to enhance the insulation between the upper electroconductor and the lower electroconductor . alternatively , the semiconductor layer 14 and the etching stopper layer 15 , or the contact layer 16 along can be inserted although the figure thereof is not shown . fig1 shows another example of the present invention in which each pixel electrode 41 in an embodiment similar to that of fig1 has an additive capacitance 42 . the additive capacitance 42 is constituted by an additive capacitance bus 24 arranged in parallel with the gate bus 21 and the gate insulating layer 13 which is interposed between the additive capacitance bus and the pixel electrode 41 . more specifically , the additive capacitance bus 42 is overlapped by the pixel electrode 41 , and the additive capacitance 42 is formed on the overlapping portion of the gate bus 21 and the pixel electrode 41 as shown by hatched lines in the figure . the additive capacitance bus 24 is formed by depositing the same metal as that of the gate bus 21 simultaneously when the gate bus 21 is patterned . this example shown in fig1 is constructed so that the same signal is input to the additive capacitance bus 24 as the counter electrode 3 . as an electrical circuit the additive capacitance 42 is in parallel with the liquid crystal capacitance of the liquid crystal material 18 sandwiched between the pixel electrode 41 and the glass substrate 2 . the existence of the additive capacitance 42 improves the capability to hold the charge of the pixel electrode 41 , thereby enhancing the performance of the display device . in this example also , the pixel defects can be corrected in the same manner as described in the above example . fig1 shows further another example of the present invention in an embodiment similar to that of fig1 in which the additive capacitance 42 is formed on the adjacent gate bus 21 . more specifically , the additive capacitance 42 is formed on the overlapping portion of the pixel electrodes 41 and the gate bus 21 through the gate insulating layer 13 as shown by oblique lines in fig1 . in this example , when the adjacent gate bus 21 is not selected , the same signal is input to the gate bus 21 as that applied to the counter electrode 3 on the glass substrate 2 using appropriate circuitry ( not shown ). this gate bus 21 is used as the additive capacitance bus 24 . this decreases the light shading area , thereby keeping the display panel from being dark . according to this example , the display performance is further enhanced . as is evident from the foregoing description , according to the present invention a faulty pixel can be detected after all the pixel electrodes are driven . in addition , the correction of a faulty pixel can be easily done by irradiating the display panel with laser beams from outside the insulating substrates . as a result , the manufacturing yield is increased . it will be appreciated that various embodiments of an active matrix display device have been described herein . several configurations have been discussed for enabling the pixel electrode of a faulty pixel to be short - circuited or otherwise connected to an adjacent source bus . furthermore , several configurations for providing additive capacitance to the pixel electrodes have been discussed . however , the specific configurations discussed herein are intended to be merely exemplary of the various configurations contemplated as being within the scope of the present invention . for example , in another embodiment a pixel electrode p m , n can be short - circuited to the ( m + 1 ) th source bus 23 rather than the ( m ) th source bus 23 using the same concept of a gate bus projection and a source bus projection ( in this case from the ( m + 1 ) th source bus ). in still another embodiment , some other piece of metal or other conductive material which is overlapped by both the source bus 23 and the pixel electrode 41 and separated therefrom by an insulating layer can be used to short - circuit the two via laser beams . it is understood that various other modifications will be apparent to and can be readily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit or this invention . accordingly , it is not intended that the scope of the claims appended hereto be limited to the description as set forth herein , but rather that the claims be construed as encompassing all the features of patentable novelty that reside in the present invention , including all features that would be treated as equivalents thereof by those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains . | 6 |
referring now to the drawing in detail , numeral 10 generally indicates an exemplary embodiment of direct injection ( di ) fuel injector incorporating features of the invention . to aid in illustrating the invention , some features of the embodiment have been shown in the figure out of their true cross - sectional positions . for manufacturing convenience , the injector is formed from two assemblies , including an upper housing assembly 12 and a lower housing assembly 14 . the upper housing assembly 12 includes an upper housing 16 having an inlet defined by a threaded fuel fitting 18 . fitting 18 communicates through an inlet passage 20 containing a fuel filter 22 with a chamber or recess containing an upper solenoid assembly 24 . lower housing assembly 14 includes a lower housing 26 having an enlarged upper portion 28 and a smaller diameter tubular lower portion 30 . the upper portion has an outer diameter that is received in a generally cylindrical recess 32 formed in the lower portion of the upper housing 16 . a lower solenoid assembly 34 is received in an upwardly opening recess of the lower housing upper portion 28 . terminals 36 , 38 extend upward from the lower and upper solenoids 24 , 34 respectively through openings in the upper housing 16 which are sealed by o - ring seals 40 . the upper solenoid assembly 24 includes a generally cylindrical upper soft ( not permanently magnetized ) magnetic pole 42 with a central axial passage 44 and a radial or transverse upper groove 46 both connecting with the fuel inlet passage 20 . groove 46 further connects with longitudinally extending external side grooves 48 leading to the lower end of the pole . an annular recess , opening to the lower end of the pole 42 receives an upper solenoid coil 50 wound on a non - magnetic bobbin 52 having an annular upper groove for connection of the coil with its terminals 38 . the lower solenoid assembly 34 also includes a generally cylindrical lower soft magnetic pole 54 having an axial central bore 56 and a radial or transverse groove 58 across its lower side and connecting with external longitudinal side grooves 60 extending to the upper end of the pole . an upwardly opening annular recess in the pole 54 receives a lower solenoid coil 62 also wound on a non - magnetic bobbin 64 having an upper groove for connecting the coil through a slot in the side of the bobbin with the terminals 36 leading from the lower coil . located between the magnetic poles 42 , 54 is a disc - like armature 66 also formed of soft magnetic material ( not permanently magnetized ). the armature 66 has a central opening through which extends a pintle 68 having a retaining nut 70 threaded onto one end of the pintle . the nut 70 holds the armature 66 against the upper end of a tubular portion of a spring upper guide 72 . the armature 66 , pintle 68 , nut 70 and guide 72 form an armature assembly , the parts of which are fixed together by the nut for movement in unison . guide 72 acts as a tubular valve guide for the upper end of the pintle 68 which extends therethrough and beyond to the lower end of the lower portion 30 of the lower housing 26 . an injector nozzle 74 is threadably mounted in the lower end of lower portion 30 and has a centrally located outwardly opening conical valve seat 76 which is engageable by a conical valve element 78 formed on the lower end of the pintle which acts as a pintle valve . a swirl generator 80 is located around the pintle within the injector nozzle 74 defining therewith passages which impart a swirl motion to fuel passing therethrough toward the valve seat 76 . the lower end of the spring upper guide 72 forms a spring seat for a helical return spring 82 which extends downward in the lower portion 30 of the lower housing to a lower spring guide 84 that seats against the injector nozzle 74 . during assembly , the spring is compressed to the desired force and the upper guide 72 is then welded to the pintle to maintain the return spring force . additional components of the injector 10 include a housing seal 86 and an injector nozzle seal 87 to prevent leakage of fuel from the housing 16 , 18 . the pintle retaining nut 70 is received in a recess in the lower end of the upper pole 42 and forming a part of the axial passage 44 . a similar recess in the upper end of the lower pole 54 receives a hardened stop 88 which is engaged by an armature stop 90 to provide a predetermined gap or clearance between the armature 66 and the lower pole 54 when the stops are engaged . the armature stroke is set by turning the threaded nozzle 74 with the valve closed until the spacing of the armature from the stop 88 is equal to the desired stroke . a spacer ring 92 is located between the upper end of the lower housing 26 and a downwardly facing annular abutment in the recess 32 of the upper housing 16 . the spacer ring 92 is sized longitudinally after setting of the stroke to provide a predetermined clearance or gap between the armature and the upper magnetic pole when the valve 78 is closed . in operation , high pressure fuel , controlled at a nearly constant pressure , is supplied through the fuel fitting 18 , passage 20 and fuel filter 22 to the interior of the injector housing 16 , 26 . fuel passes around the upper and lower poles 42 , 54 through the grooves 46 , 48 , 60 , 58 , from which it enters the interior of the lower portion 30 of the lower housing 26 . a slot , not shown , in the lower spring guide 84 passes fuel into the interior of the injector nozzle 74 where it passes through the swirl generator to the valve seat 76 . high fuel pressure acts against the internally exposed portion of the conical valve element . the high pressure fuel also enters the axial passage 44 and acts against the upper end of the pintle 68 . the combined forces of fuel pressure on the pintle and its valve element urge the pintle in a valve opening direction with a constant force determined by the controlled constant fuel pressure . the return spring 82 is selected to apply a force which is slightly greater than the force of the fuel pressure urging the valve element 78 in an opening direction . thus , the spring 82 forces the armature upward against the fuel pressure force to maintain the valve in a closed position whenever the coils 50 , 62 are de - energized and to provide redundant closing of the valve should the solenoids become inoperative . in the closed position , the armature 66 is located with the previously set gap or clearance between the armature and the upper pole . this gap is presently preferred to be about 1 / 3 the length of the armature stroke . relief holes 94 are preferably provided extending longitudinally through the armature 66 to provide for its free motion in opening and closing directions through the fuel which surrounds the armature . in order to open the valve , the lower coil 62 is energized by the 12 volt electrical system of an associated vehicle . this creates a magnetic force in the lower pole 54 which draws the armature 66 downward and opens the valve against the force of spring 82 and the compression pressure acting against the valve element 78 in the engine combustion chamber . this allows high pressure fuel to be forced out through the nozzle 74 in a thin conical sheet into the combustion chamber where it quickly breaks up into small droplets . because there is no enclosed nozzle space or sac below the conical valve element , the spray avoids injection of large fuel particles at the beginning and ending of the spray . the swirling motion of the fuel in the conical sheet tends to increase atomization and reduce penetration of the fuel spray within the combustion chamber and thus aids the breaking up of the fuel droplets and mixing with the compressed air charge in the chamber . because the return spring 82 only slightly overcomes the force of the fuel pressure acting to open the valve , the system is nearly force balanced . thus , the magnetic force developed by the lower coil 62 needs only to overcome a relatively small portion of the return spring force so that the coil may be operated by a 12 volt electrical system and still provide fast opening action of the valve . the lower coil 62 continues to be energized during the time the valve 78 is open and fuel is being injected . a downward stroke of the armature opens the valve and moves the armature stop 90 into engagement with the lower pole stop 88 which maintains a gap of about 1 / 3 the stroke between the armature and the lower pole 54 . at the same time the gap between the armature and the upper pole is increased by its downward motion to about 11 / 3 times the stroke . the gaps prevent the armature from sticking to either of the poles as a result of any residual magnetism present after their respective solenoids are de - energized . when the end of the injection period is reached , as determined by the vehicle fuel control , it is desired to quickly close the injection valve 78 against the seat so as to stop the fuel flow in a nearly instantaneous manner . this is preferably accomplished by energizing the upper solenoid coil 50 sufficiently in advance of the desired closing time to allow build up of the magnetic force of the upper coil to near its maximum strength . if the strengths of the two coils are approximately equal , the effective force applied by the upper coil against the armature is lower than that of the lower coil because of the greater gap between the armature and the upper coil of about four times that between the armature and the lower coil while the valve is in the open position . therefore , the valve remains open until the lower coil is de - energized . when this occurs , the full force of the upper coil applied against the armature quickly draws it upward to the valve closed position , immediately shutting off fuel flow through the injector nozzle opening at the valve seat . the use of the dual coils to open and close the injection valve permits the near balancing of forces between the return spring 82 and the valve opening force of fuel pressure , sufficient excess spring force being present to hold the valve closed when the solenoids are off and to close the valve if the solenoids become inoperative . this near balancing , in turn , allows both coils to be operated by the 12 volt electrical system of a conventional vehicle and still provide the almost instantaneous valve opening and closing actions necessary to provide accurate control of fuel injection into the engine combustion chamber . when the valve is closed , the upper coil is de - energized and , thereafter , the excess force of the return spring 82 holds the valve closed against the force of the fuel pressure until the time for the next valve opening event has been reached . while the invention has been described by reference to a specific embodiment , it should be understood that numerous changes could be made within the spirit and scope of the inventive concepts described . accordingly it is intended that the invention not be limited to the disclosed specific embodiment , but that it have the full scope permitted by the language of the following claims . | 5 |
an exemplary embodiment of an electrical junction box in accordance with the present invention will be described below by referring to the drawings . fig1 through 6 show an embodiment of an electrical junction box in accordance with the present invention . as shown in fig1 , an electrical junction box 10 includes a fuse containing section 12 , a relay containing section 13 , and a connector containing section 14 provided on a top wall 11 a of a casing 11 . fuses , relays , and connectors ( not shown ) are mounted in these containing sections 12 , 13 , and 14 , respectively . a terminal 15 is connected to a distal end of a wire harness w accommodated in the casing 11 ( see fig2 ). the terminal 15 is inserted into the fuse containing section 12 and is connected to a terminal of a fuse to be coupled . as shown in fig2 , the terminal 15 is fitted on a resin lance 12 a integrated with the fuse containing section 12 by engaging an engaging projection 15 a - 1 on a metal lance 15 a of the terminal 15 with an engaging recess 12 a - 1 of the resin lance 12 a . as described above , the fitting and conductivity inspections for the terminal 15 inserted into and secured to the fuse containing section 12 are carried out by setting the electrical junction box 10 in a conductivity inspection device 20 , as shown in fig3 . sensing pin assemblies 21 project into the interior of the fuse containing section 12 to be subjected to the fitting and conductivity inspections . the number of the sensing pin assemblies 21 corresponds to the number of terminals 15 in the fuse containing section 12 . as shown in fig4 , each of the sensing pin assemblies 21 includes a conductivity sensing pin 21 a and a half - fitting sensing pin 21 b . as shown in fig3 , the conductivity inspection device 20 is further provided with two guide pins 22 and 23 that extend beyond the sensing pin assemblies 21 . as shown in fig1 , the electrical junction box 10 is provided at separated empty spaces on the top wall 11 a of the casing 11 with guide holes 16 and 17 adapted to receive the guide pins 22 and 23 . the guide holes 16 and 17 are formed in the top wall 11 a so that the respective sensing pin assemblies 21 can be inserted into the fuse containing section 12 at regular positions when the guide pins 22 and 23 are inserted into the guide holes 16 and 17 , respectively . when the sensing pin assemblies 21 are inserted into the fuse containing section 12 , the guide pins 22 and 23 project from the guide holes 16 and 17 . in this embodiment , clearances between inner peripheral surfaces of the guide holes 16 , 17 and outer peripheral surfaces of the guide pins 22 , 23 are set to be 0 . 2 mm ( millimeters ), but the clearances can be set to be greater or less than 0 . 2 mm . as shown in fig5 and 6 , each fuse containing section 12 is provided with an arcuate recess 18 at a distal end side on an inner surface of a peripheral wall . the recess 18 serves to guide the conductivity inspection pin 21 a so as to contact with a distal end surface 15 b of the terminal 15 so that the recess 18 eventually contacts with an outer peripheral surface of the conductivity sensing pin 21 a . in the case where terminals in the fuse containing section 12 at input and output sides are simultaneously inspected with respect to conductivity and fitting , two recesses 18 may be provided at symmetrical positions of the peripheral wall of the fuse containing section 12 . the conductivity inspection and fitting inspection for the terminals 15 fixed in the fuse containing section 12 will be described below . first , as shown in fig3 , the electrical junction box 10 is moved in a direction shown by an arrow a to set the box 10 in the conductivity inspection device 20 . then , the guide pins 22 and 23 are inserted into the guide holes 16 and 17 to project from the guide holes 16 and 17 , respectively . thus , the respective sensing pin assemblies 21 are inserted in the respective fuse containing sections 12 at the regular positions and the electrical junction box 10 is positioned in the conductivity inspection device 20 . then , the conductivity sensing pin 21 a is inserted into the fuse containing section 12 while contacting the recess 18 . thus , the engaging projection 15 a - 1 on the metal lance 15 a of the terminal 15 is engaged with the engaging recess 12 a - 1 of the resin lance 12 a ; the half - fitting sensing pin 21 b enters a gap between the two resin lances 12 a so long as the terminal 15 is fitted on the resin lances 12 a at the regular positions ; the conductivity sensing pin 21 a reaches the distal end surface 15 b of the terminal 15 ; and the conductivity sensing can be effected . as described above , at least two guide holes 16 and 17 are formed in the surface wall of the casing 11 provided with the fuse containing section 12 of the electrical junction box 10 ; the guide pins 22 and 23 of the conductivity inspection device 20 extend beyond the sensing pin assemblies 21 including the conductivity sensing pins 21 a and the half - fitting sensing pins 21 b ; the guide pins 22 and 23 are inserted into the guide holes 16 and 17 to project from the holes 16 and 17 ; and the sensing pin assemblies 21 ( sensing pins 21 a and 21 b ) are inserted into the respective fuse containing sections 12 at the regular positions without being inserted obliquely . consequently , it is possible to effectively prevent the sensing pin assemblies 21 ( sensing pins 21 a and 21 b ) from being broken and to reliably carry out the half - fitting sensing and conductivity sensing . as described above , the respective fuse containing sections 12 are provided on the peripheral wall with the arcuate recesses 18 for guiding the conductivity sensing pins 21 a ; the conductivity sensing pins 21 a guided by the recesses 18 can sense the conductivity at the distal end surface 15 b of the terminal 15 ; and the conductivity sensing pins 21 a cannot reach the distal end surface 15 b of the terminal 15 and the conductivity sensing pin 21 a cannot contact with a side surface of the terminal 15 when the terminal is under the half - fitting position where the metal lance 15 a of the terminal 15 is arranged below the engaging recess 12 a - 1 of the resin lance 12 a . thus , conductivity cannot be detected . accordingly , even in a half - fitting condition , it is possible to reduce the possibility that a worker will mistakenly judge the assembly to be acceptable . that is , according to the above construction , only in the case where the terminal 15 is fixed in the fuse containing section 12 at the regular position , the conductivity sensing pin 21 a guided by the recess 18 can reach the distal end surface 15 b of the terminal 15 to enable the conductivity sensing . the embodiments described above are intended to be illustrative and not limiting . various modifications , substitutes and / or improvements are possible within the spirit and scope of the invention . | 6 |
to promote an understanding of the principles of the present invention , descriptions of specific embodiments of the invention follow and specific language is used to describe them . it will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is intended by the use of specific language . alterations , further modifications and such further applications of the principles of the invention discussed are contemplated as would normally occur to one ordinarily skilled in the art to which the invention pertains . dyed carpets made according to the present invention resist ozone fading . they also resist staining caused by both acid dyes and coffee and yet are dyeable with conventional polyamide dyeing methods . they exhibit lightfastness performance comparable to conventional dyed nylon 6 carpets so that this trait is not sacrificed ( and might be improved ). these carpets are made from bicomponent face fibers composed of a polyamide core portion substantially or completely surrounded by a polymer that resists dye migration . the fibers are dyed with acid dyes , disperse dyes , or other dyes that are known to be susceptible to ozone fading or shade changes . the fiber of this invention preferably contains from about 97 % by weight to about 70 % by weight of the core portion and from about 3 % by weight to about 30 % by weight of the sheath portion . more preferably , the fiber used in the carpet of this invention contains from about 97 % by weight to about 85 % by weight of the core portion and from about 3 % by weight to about 15 % by weight of the sheath portion . most preferably , the fiber contains from about 97 % by weight to 90 % by weight of the core portion and about 3 % by weight to less than 10 % by weight of the sheath portion . in fact , it is surprising that sheath proportions less than 10 weight % show superior performance over sheath proportions around 10 %, especially in ozone fastness . the core may be formed from any fiber - forming polyamide or copolyamide . fiber - forming polyamides suitable for the core include polymers having , as an integral part of the polymer backbone chain , recurring amide groups (— co — nr —) where r is an alkyl , aryl , alkenyl , or alkynyl substituent . non - limiting examples of such polyamides include homopolyamides and copolyamides which are obtained by the polymerization of lactam or aminocaproic acid or a copolymerization product from any of the possible permutative mixtures of diamines , dicarboxylic acids or lactams . the core may be an acid - dyeable polyamide such as a polyamide having amine end groups available as dye sites . possibly , the core may be a basic - dyeable polyamide , such as made when polyamide forming monomers are polymerized in the presence of anionic groups such as sulfonated monomers . such polyamides and methods of forming them are well known to those ordinarily skilled in the art and are generally among the class of polyamides having 15 or less carbon atoms in a repeating unit ( or monomer in the case of mixed monomer starting materials ). more preferably , the polyamide will have less than seven carbon atoms in the repeating unit such as in nylon 6 . other polyamides such as nylon 6 / 6 , nylon 12 , nylon 11 , nylon 6 / 12 , nylon 6 / 10 , etc ., that for some reason have been modified so that they have become stainable with acid dyes or coffee , may be used . most preferably , the core polyamide is nylon 6 or nylon 6 / 6 . possibly , the core polyamide may have an amine end - group content of from greater than about 5 milliequivalents per kilogram ( meq / kg ) to less than about 100 milliequivalents per kilogram , more preferably from about 20 to about 50 milliequivalents per kilogram . the sheath portion of the fiber is composed of a fiber forming polymer that resists dye migration ( at room temperature , relative to nylon 6 ). suitable polymers include polyolefins ( e . g ., polypropylene , polybutylene , etc . ), fiber - forming polystyrene , fiber - forming polyurethane , and certain polyamides . preferably , the sheath is composed of a polymer that is inherently chemically compatible with the core polymer . preferably , the sheath is a polyamide polymer that is acid dye and coffee stain resistant , such that when the face fiber is exposed to c . i . food red no . 17 , the red drink staining depth of the face fiber is about 15 or less ciel * a * b * δe units under the daylight 6500 standard illuminant ; and such that when the face fiber is exposed to coffee , the coffee staining depth under daylight 6500 standard illuminant is about 10 or less ciel * a * b * δe * units . more preferably , the red drink staining depth is about 10 or less δe * units . preferably , the sheath polymer is a polyamide selected from the group consisting of polyamides having the structure : where x and y may be the same or different integers , preferably from about 4 to about 30 and the sum of x and y is greater than 13 , more preferably from about 9 to about 20 , and most preferably from about 9 to about 15 and n is greater than about 40 ; and where z is an integer preferably from about 9 to about 30 , more preferably from about 9 to about 20 , and most preferably from about 9 to about 15 and m is greater than about 40 ; ( c ) derivatives of ( a ) or ( b ) including polymers substituted with one or more sulfonate , halogenate , aliphatic or aromatic functionality ; and the preferable sheath polymers have greater than 80 % of the non - carbonyl backbone or substituent carbons as alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , fluoroalkyl , fluoroalkenyl , fluoroalkynyl , fluoroaryl , chloroalkyl , chloroalkenyl , chloroalkynyl , chloroaryl , and the like , and do not have polar substituents such as hydroxy , amino , sulfoxyl , carboxyl , nitroxyl , or other such functionalities capable of hydrogen - bonding . non - limiting examples of suitable fiber - forming polyamides which can be used as the sheath polyamide include nylon 6 / 10 , nylon 6 / 12 , nylon 10 , nylon 11 and nylon 12 . the fiber - forming sheath polyamide may be sulfonated but is preferably substantially sulfonate - free . optionally , the sheath polyamide component may have a titratable amine - end - group concentration of less than about 30 meq / kg , and preferably less than about 15 meq / kg , and desirably less than about 10 meq / kg . if the polymers are amine end group blocked , useful amine - end - group - blocking agents include lactones , such as caprolactones and butyrolactones . most preferably , the sheath polymer is nylon - 6 / 12 having an aeg content of less than about 5 . 0 meq / kg . in preferred embodiments , the nylon - 6 / 12 sheath polymer is a homopolymer . as mentioned previously , the sheath of the fiber will preferably substantially or completely cover the core of the fiber . methods for forming sheath / core fibers are known to those of ordinary skill in the art . one preferred method of forming sheath / core fibers is described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 162 , 074 to hills , which is hereby incorporated by reference for the bicomponent spinning techniques taught therein . the sheath / core arrangement may be eccentric or concentric . the fibers used as face fiber in the carpet of this invention are preferably multilobal . trilobal cross - sections are currently preferred . additionally , the fibers might contain one or more internal void spaces , for example , a central axial void . the fibers used in this invention may be continuous fibers or staple fibers , either alone or in admixture with other fibers . the fibers are particularly useful as bulked continuous filament yarns . common melt - spinning and after processing techniques may be employed to make the fibers . the fibers may be textured to produce bulked yarns by known methods including stuffer - box crimping , gear - crimping , edge - crimping , false - twist texturing and hot - fluid jet bulking . several ends may be combined in a variety of manners and twist levels according to conventional techniques , for example , groups of the fibers may be plied into yarn . the yarn may be cabled ( i . e ., plied and twisted ). preferably , the yarn is heatset . it is especially preferred and especially beneficial if the fibers used in the present invention are cabled and heatset . as those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize , “ cabled ” refers to yarn that is plied and twisted . cabling and heatsetting can be accomplished according to any method conventionally used in the art . it is not believed that the method of cabling or heatsetting is essential to the benefit of the invention . typically , conventional dyed and heatset yarn has worse ozone fading performance ( i . e ., more fading upon ozone exposure ) than dyed yarn that has not been heatset . however , it was surprisingly discovered that the carpets of the present invention have little degradation of ozone fading resistance from heatsetting . that is , the heatset face yarn on the carpet of the present invention performs at least as well as , and in some cases better than , non - heatset yarn . also , polyamide yarns will often shrink during heatsetting . preferably , the fiber used in this invention has a steam heatsetting shrinkage value of about 70 % or less relative to the steam heatsetting shrinkage value of fiber which is manufactured in the identical manner but which consists only of the core polyamide component . carpet may be made from the yarn by conventional carpet making techniques like weaving or tufting the face fibers into a backing material and binding the face fiber to the backing with latex or other adhesives . the carpet may be cut - pile , berber , multilevel loop , level loop , cut - pile / loop combination or any other style according to the popular fashion . if it is desired , the carpet of the present invention may be in the form of carpet tiles or mats . as an example , in the case of cut - pile carpeting , the yarn is tufted into a primary backing and the loops are cut to form cut - pile carpeting . the primary backing may be woven or non - woven and comprised of nylon , polyester , polypropylene , etc . the cut - pile carpeting is dyed to the desired shade . a secondary backing , if required , is adhered to the non - pile side , typically using a latex - based adhesive . the secondary backing may be jute , polypropylene , nylon , polyester , etc . the carpet of the present invention may be foam backed or not . the carpet of the present invention can be a variety of pile weights , pile heights and styles . there is not currently believed to be any limitation on the carpet style . as noted , the fibers used in the carpets of the present invention are dyed with dyes , and exhibit surprising resistance to color fading under exposure to ozone . the fibers may be dyed before the carpet is made , such as with skein dyeing , or the fibers may be dyed when already present in the backing . that is , the constructed carpet may be dyed . although a variety of dyes are envisioned for use in the present invention , the presently preferred dyes are : c . i . acid yellow 246 , c . i . acid red 361 , c . i . acid blue 277 and combinations of these with each other or other dyes . dyes of similar chemical structures are also contemplated as useful to achieve the beneficial results of the present invention . disperse dyes , which are notoriously unstable to ozone exposure are remarkably benefited by the present invention . the invention will now be described by referring to the following detailed examples . these examples are set forth by way of illustration and are not intended to be limiting in scope . knit fabrics are used in some of the following examples to demonstrate the stain resisting nature of fibers useful to make carpets of the present invention . this is merely for illustration and it is believed that the fibers would exhibit substantially identical attributes as face fiber in carpet . the following test methods and procedures are used in the examples : the linear density , tenacity , elongation , and work to break are measured using test method astm d2256 - 97 . the gauge length used is 10 inches ( 0 . 254 meters ) and a cross head speed of 10 inches / min ( 0 . 0042 meters / second ) is used . for non - round cross - sections ( e . g ., trilobal ), modification ratio is the ratio of the smallest possible circumscribed circle to the largest possible inscribed circle for a cross section of a filament from the yarn . the number reported is the average for 10 filaments . the yarn to be heatset is wound into skeins and is heatset in a standard autoclave used in the carpet industry . the first step of the heatsetting process in the autoclave involves raising the temperature to 110 ° c . for 3 minutes at a pressure of 6 psig ( 41 kpa ). the pressure is then released and then the first step is repeated . the second step of the heatsetting process in the autoclave involves raising the temperature to 132 ° c . at pressure of 28 psig ( 193 kpa ) for 3 minutes . the pressure is then broken and this step is repeated two more times . using aatcc method 129 - 1996 ( similar to iso 105 - g03 ) all dyed samples are subjected to 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 and 6 cycles of ozone fading . in this method ( and other methods herein referencing the color or color change ), the total color differences between exposed and corresponding unexposed samples are calculated using the ciel * a * b * system as described by the commission internationale de i &# 39 ; eclairage in cie publication no . 15 ( e - 1 . 3 . 1 ) for a daylight 6500 standard illuminant . a spectrophotometric measurement of the exposed and unexposed materials is made and the ciel * a * b * total color difference ( ciel * a * b * δe * ( as used in this application : “ δe *” or “ delta e *”)) between the exposed and unexposed materials is calculated under the ciel * a * b * system . for details of these calculations see , for example , billmeyer , jr ., fred w . and saltzman , max , principles of color technology , john wiley & amp ; sons , new york ( 1966 ). the lower the δe * value ( i . e ., the total color change from the unexposed control ) the less the color of the material has changed . the aatcc color change gray scale is a scale for visually rating the color change of a specimen relative to the differences shown by the scale . a 5 rating represents no color change . a 1 rating represents severe color change . a 3 rating represents noticeable , but in most cases , acceptable color change . for the purposes of this application , a delta e * value of 3 . 4 or less is equivalent to a 3 rating or better on the aatcc scale . in general , commercially acceptable ozone resistance performance is a δe * rating of 3 . 2 or less . as shown in the following examples , the present invention fades ( as measured by δe *) after exposure to three cycles of ozone only one - half or less than a carpet having fiber composed substantially completely of the core polyamide ( i . e ., without the sheath ) that is dyed with the same dyes . it should be noted that in making this comparison , the fibers and yarns used in the invention and the fibers and yarns made only of the core material must be of similar denier , cross - sectional shape and texturing . this is because any one of these factors can affect the apparent dye shade depth ( as measured by the ciel * a * b * system ) of the unexposed sample used as the control for measuring ozone fade . for example , as a general rule , lower denier ( per filament ) yarn appears to dye less deeply than higher total denier ( per filament yarn ). textured yarn dyes more deeply than untextured yarn , and so forth . this principle will be understood by those who are of at least ordinary skill in this art . a two yard ( 1 . 8 meter ) sample of knitted tube is used . the volume of dye formulation is determined by the weight of the fabric to be dyed . in the examples , a 2 . 5 : 1 ratio of ml / g ( bath volume to fabric weight ) is used . the knitted tube is dipped into a beaker containing one of the dye formulations described below . in the process , the dye saturated fabric is squeezed and released several times distributing the dye bath uniformly throughout the knitted tube . the knitted tube is then exposed to 99 ° c . steam for 4 minutes . the knitted tubes are then rinsed in cold water and the excess water and dye bath is removed by extraction in a centrifugal extractor for 30 seconds . 0 . 5 g / l dioctyl sulfosuccinate surfactant ( amwet doss from american emulsion co ., dalton , ga .) 1 . 0 g / l anionic dye leveling agent ( amlev dfx , american emulsion co ., dalton , ga .) 4 . 976 g / l of acid blue dye with a green cast ( tectilon ® blue 5g ) 0 . 132 g / l c . i . disperse blue 3 ( akasperse ® blue bn available from akash chemicals & amp ; dye - stuffs inc . of glendale heights , ill . a 30 g sample of knitted tube is placed in a closed container with one of the dye formulations below . the dye formulation was added at a 20 : 1 ratio ( dyebath volume in ml to fabric weight in grams ). the tube in the container is heated to 95 ° c . over 30 minutes and then held at 95 ° c . for an additional 30 minutes . the dyebath is then cooled and the knit tube is rinsed . 0 . 5 g / l anionic dye leveling agent ( supralev ® ac , available from rhone - poulenc , inc ., lawrence , ga .) dyestuffs according to the following recipes : (“ owf ” means “ on weight of fiber ) acid dye and coffee stain resistance of the various fabric samples is determined according the following procedures . generally , a δe * value of less than 5 is considered essentially unstained ; a δe * value of 5 to 10 indicates very light staining ; and a δe * value of greater than 10 is considered significantly stained . “ red drink staining depth ” refers to the “ δe *” ( total color difference ) between stained and unstained samples as quantified using a spectrophotometer when samples are stained with c . i . food red 17 as follows . a solution of 100 mg c . i . food red 17 per liter of deionized water is prepared and adjusted to ph 2 . 8 with citric acid . each sample to be tested is placed individually in a beaker in a 10 : 1 bath ratio of the red dye solution for five minutes at room temperature . after five minutes , the samples are removed , squeezed slightly by hand to remove excess liquid and placed on a screen to dry for 16 hours at room temperature . after 16 hours , the samples are rinsed in cold water until no more color is removed , centrifugally extracted and tumble dried . the color ( stain ) of the stain tested samples is measured on the spectrophotometer and δe * is calculated relative to an unstained control . “ coffee staining depth ” refers to the δe * value between stained and unstained samples as measured using a spectrophotometer when the stained samples are stained according to the following procedure . coffee staining is measured by a spectrophotometer on knitted fabric samples stained as follows : a solution of 5 . 6 g folger &# 39 ; s ® instant coffee per liter of deionized water is prepared and heated to 66 ° c . each sample to be tested is spread out in the bottom of individual beakers and 2 . 5 : 1 bath ratio of the heated coffee solution is pipetted onto the sample in a manner as to distribute the coffee solution over the entire sample . the samples are allowed to remain in the beakers for 20 minutes and are then removed and placed on a screen to dry for 24 hours at room temperature . after 24 hours , the samples are rinsed in cold water until no more color is removed , then centrifugally extracted and tumble dried . the color ( stain ) of the samples is measured on a spectrophotometer and ciel * a * b * delta e * is calculated relative to an unstained control . in understanding the significance of the following examples , it is useful to understand the following principles of the ciel * a * b * system . the system assigns color coordinates along three axes in three dimensional color space . the three axes are named l *, a * and b *. the l * value is a measurement of the depth of shade ( lightness — darkness ). an l * value of 100 is pure white and 0 is pure black . therefore , the lower the l * value the darker the shade . a δl * value of 1 is visible to the naked eye viewing the samples side - by - side . a δl * value of 4 - 5 is significantly different . the a * axis represents red and green . negative a * values are green and positive values are red . the absolute value of the a * value rarely exceeds 20 . the b * axis represents yellow and blue . negative b * values are blue and positive values are yellow . the absolute value of the b * value rarely exceeds 20 . a 100 % nylon 6 (“ n6 ”) ( from bs - 700f chip available from basf corporation , mt . olive , n . j .) yarn is spun in a one - step spin - draw - texture (“ sdt ”) process . the polymer temperature is 267 ° c . two extruders are used . one extruder supplies the nylon 6 polymer as a core component to a bicomponent spin pack . the second extruder supplies the nylon 6 as a sheath . the sheath polymer is metered at 10 % by weight of the nylon fed to the spin pack . a spin pack using the principles described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 344 , 297 to hills is used to produce a sheath - core trilobal fiber . the draw ratio is about 3 . the filaments are combined into a 58 filament yarn having the yarn properties summarized in table 1 . the yarn is knitted on a circular weft knitting machine to make a knit tube . this tube is dyed using the simulated continuous dye procedure and the beige shade . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 2 and fig1 using the equipment and settings of example 1 the nylon 6 in the second extruder is replaced with nylon 6 , 12 (“ n6 , 12 ”) ( poly ( hexamethylene dodecanediamide )) ( vestamid ® d16 available from creanova , somerset , n . j .). a 58 filament yarn is produced and has the properties summarized in table 1 . the yarn is knitted on a circular weft knitting machine . the knit tube is dyed using the simulated continuous dye procedure using the beige shade formulation . in a first attempt to dye this yarn using the same formulation as used in example 1 ( comparative ) the color is noticeably lighter than that achieved in example 1 . accordingly , the dyeing procedure is modified by doubling the concentration of dyes ( not auxiliaries ) and lowering the ph to 6 . 0 with acetic acid . the time of steaming is doubled to 8 minutes . the resulting knitted tube has a similar depth of color to that achieved in example 1 . this tube ( not the first attempt ) is exposed to ozone and the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 2 and fig1 . using the equipment and settings of example 1 the nylon 6 in the second extruder is replaced with nylon 6 , 12 . the metering pumps supplying the spin pack are adjusted to provide 5 % by weight of the nylon 6 , 12 from the second extruder . a 58 filament yarn is produced and has the properties summarized in table 1 . the yarn is knitted into a tube on a circular weft knitting machine . this tube is dyed using the simulated continuous dye procedure given above using the beige shade formulation . because the first attempt to dye this yarn using the same formulation as used in example 1 ( comparative ) results in a noticeably lighter color than that achieved in example 1 , the modified dyeing procedure of example 2 is followed . the resulting knitted tube has a similar depth of color to that achieved in example 1 . this tube ( not the first attempt ) is exposed to ozone and the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 2 and fig1 . a knit tube of yarn from example 1 is dyed using the simulated continuous dye procedure given above using the gray shade formulation . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 3 and fig2 . a knit tube of yarn from example 2 is dyed using the simulated continuous dye procedure given above using the gray shade formulation . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 3 and fig2 . a knit tube of yarn from example 3 is dyed using the simulated continuous dye procedure given above using the gray shade formulation . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 3 and fig5 . a knit tube of yarn from example 1 is dyed using the simulated continuous dye procedure given above using the blue - gray shade formulation . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 4 and fig3 . a knit tube of yarn from example 2 is dyed using the simulated continuous dye procedure given above using the blue - gray shade formulation . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 4 and fig3 . a knit tube of yarn from example 3 is dyed using the simulated continuous dye procedure given above using the blue gray shade formulation . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 4 and fig3 . a knit tube of yarn from example 1 is dyed using the simulated continuous dye procedure given above using the green shade formulation . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 5 and fig4 . a knit tube of yarn from example 2 is dyed using the simulated continuous dye procedure given above using the green shade formulation . because the first attempt at dyeing results in a shade that is noticeably lighter than that of example 10 . the dyeing procedure is modified as described in example 2 and the resulting dyed knitted tube has a very similar color to that of example 10 . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 5 and fig4 . a knit tube of yarn from example 3 is dyed using the simulated continuous dye procedure given above using the green shade formulation . because the first attempt at dyeing results in a shade that is noticeably lighter than that of example 10 , the dyeing procedure is modified as described in example 2 and the resulting dyed knitted tube has a very similar color to that of example 10 . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 5 and fig4 . a knit tube of yarn from example 1 is dyed using the simulated continuous dye procedure given above using the disperse blue formulation . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 6 and fig5 . a knit tube of yarn from example 2 is dyed using the simulated continuous dye procedure given above using the disperse blue formulation . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 6 and fig5 . a knit tube of yarn from example 3 is dyed using the simulated continuous dye procedure given above using the disperse blue formulation . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 6 and fig5 . yarn prepared as in example 1 ( except that it is not first knitted into a tube ) is cabled to a twist level of 5 twists per inch ( 197 twists / meter ) on a volkmann cable twister and heatset . the yarn is then knitted on a circular weft knitting machine and dyed using the exhaust dye procedure given above using the beige acid dyes formulation . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 7 and fig6 . ( invention ) 10 % n6 , 12 sheath heatset and exhaust dyed with acid beige dye the yarn from example 2 is cabled , heatset , knit into a tube and exhaust dyed to a beige shade as described in example 16 . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 7 and fig6 . ( invention ) 5 % n6 , 12 sheath heatset and exhaust dyed with acid beige dye the yarn from example 3 is cabled , heatset , knit into a tube and exhaust dyed to a beige shade as described in example 16 . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 7 and fig6 . the yarn from example 1 is cabled , heatset , knit into a tube as described in example 16 and exhaust dyed to a gray shade . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 8 and fig7 . ( invention ) 10 % n6 , 12 sheath heatset and exhaust dyed with acid gray dye the yarn from example 2 is cabled , heatset , knit into a tube as described in example 16 and exhaust dyed to a gray shade . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 8 and fig7 . ( invention ) 5 % n6 heatset and exhaust dyed with acid gray dye the yarn from example 3 is cabled , heatset , knit into a tube as described in example 16 and exhaust dyed to a gray shade . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 8 and fig7 . the yarn from example 1 is cabled , heatset , knit into a tube as described in example 16 and exhaust dyed to a blue - gray shade . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 9 and fig8 . ( invention ) 10 % n6 , 12 sheath heatset and exhaust dyed with acid blue - gray dye the yarn from example 2 is cabled , heatset , knit into a tube as described in example 16 and exhaust dyed to a blue - gray shade . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 9 and fig8 . ( invention ) 5 % n6 , 12 sheath heatset and exhaust dyed with acid blue - gray the yarn from example 3 is cabled , heatset , knit into a tube as described in example 16 and exhaust dyed to a gray shade . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 9 and fig8 . the yarn from example 1 is cabled , heatset , knit into a tube as described in example 16 and exhaust dyed to a green shade . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 10 and fig9 . ( invention ) 10 % n6 , 12 sheath heatset and exhaust dyed with acid green dye yarn from example 2 is cabled , heatset , knitted into a tube as described in example 16 . the knit tube is exhaust dyed to a green shade using the exhaust dye procedure except that , because in a first attempt to dye this yarn using the same formulation as used in example 25 the color is noticeably lighter than that achieved in example 25 , the dyeing procedure is modified by increasing the length of the dyeing procedure from 30 minutes ( 1800 seconds ) at 95 ° c . to 60 minutes ( 3600 seconds ) at 95 ° c . a slight color difference from that of example 25 is still noted . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 10 and fig9 . ( invention ) 5 % n6 , 12 sheath heatset and exhaust dyed with acid green dye yarn from example 3 is cabled , heatset , knitted into a tube as described in example 16 . the knit tube is exhaust dyed to a green shade using the exhaust dye procedure except that , because in a first attempt to dye this yarn using the same formulation as used in example 25 the color is noticeably lighter than that achieved in example 25 , the dyeing procedure is modified as described in example 26 . a slight color difference from that of example 25 is still noted . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 10 and fig9 . the yarn from example 1 is cabled , heatset , knit into a tube as described in example 16 . the tube is exhaust dyed with the disperse blue dye formulation . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 11 and fig1 . ( comparative ) 10 % n6 , 12 sheath heatset and exhaust dyed with disperse blue dye the yarn from example 2 is cabled , heatset , knit into a tube as described in example 16 . the tube is exhaust dyed with the disperse blue dye formulation . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 11 and fig1 . ( comparative ) 5 % n6 , 12 sheath heatset and exhaust dyed with disperse blue dye the yarn from example 3 is cabled , heatset , knit into a tube as described in example 16 . the tube is exhaust dyed with the disperse blue dye formulation . the color change after ozone exposure is given in table 11 and fig1 . knit tubes made as described in examples 1 - 3 before dyeing , are subjected to the red drink stain test and the coffee stain test . similarly , knit tubes dyed blue - gray as described in examples 7 - 9 are subjected to red drink and coffee stain testing . the results are presented in table 12 . on a pilot scale spinning machine , a 100 % n6 yarn is extruded from a single screw extruder at a melt temperature of 265 ° c . into a spinneret to produce 14 round filaments . the yarn is accumulated on a winder at approximately 400 meters / minute with the godets operated with a very small ( less than 10 m / min ) speed differential , such that the yarn is undrawn . in a separate step this yarn is heated and drawn 3 . 1 times its original length on a drawknitting machine . the final linear density is approximately 252 denier . knit tubes are formed from the yarn and these are dyed to beige , gray , blue - gray and green using the exhaust dye procedure . the color of the original tubes are measured according to the ciel * a * b * system and the tubes are exposed to 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 and 6 cycles of ozone . the results are presented in table 13 . n6 , 12 is extruded and formed into yarn as in example 32a except that the first godet is slowed such that a draw ratio of 2 : 1 is induced in the yarn . the first godet runs at 200 m / min and the second at 400 m / min . this drawing step is required because the undrawn yarn does not form a stable package . the yarn relaxes on the package and cannot be processed . in a separate step this yarn is knitted ( bypassing the heating and drawing steps ) on the same drawknitter as in example 32a but without further drawing . thus , the final linear density is approximately 391 . knit tubes are formed from the yarn and these are dyed to beige , gray , blue - gray and green using the exhaust dye procedure . the color of the original tubes are measured according to the ciel * a * b * system and the tubes are exposed to ozone . the results are presented in table 13 . the delta e * and delta l * values compare the two similarly dyed knitted fabrics . the greater the delta e * value the greater the difference in the appearance of the two shades . the delta l * value is of particular interest here because this is a measure of the change in lightness / darkness of the two shades . delta l * is calculated as follows : l * sample − l * standard = delta l *. for the values in the above table , a positive value for each of the example 32b samples indicates the color is lighter , hence has dyed less . for all of the acid dyes examined , the fabrics made from nylon 6 , 12 did dye , but to a much smaller amount than those from example a . such a drastic reduction in color yield would be unacceptable under current carpet industry expectations for yarn dyeability . polymer was charged into an extruder and extruded into mono - component trilobal filaments at about 270 ° c . the extruded filaments were cooled in air and lubricated with spin finish . yarns comprised of the filaments were taken up on a winder at speed of about 900 m / min . the yarns were drawn prior to winding and the draw ratio was around 3 . the final denier of the yarns with trilobal cross - section is 826 denier / 64 filaments . the amino end group ( aeg ) content and stain test results are summarized in table 14 below . as can be seen from the data above , the nylon - 6 , 12 homopolymer with low aeg content is an exemplary polymer suitable for the sheath component in sheath / core filaments due to its minimal staining with food red 17 and coffee . yarn formed of individual trilobal sheath / core filaments was spun with a bicomponent melt - spinning apparatus that keeps the molten sheath polymer stream separate from the core polymer stream until just before entering the spinneret hole capillary . the core polymer of the trilobal filaments was cationic dyeable nylon 6 polymer , bs 600c ( basf corporation ), and the sheath polymer was vestamid ® d16 nylon 6 / 12 commercially obtained from creanova . the core polymer contained 0 . 3 % tio 2 while the sheath contained no additives . the yarn is spun at 275 ° c . through a symmetrical trilobal capillary shape and cooled by a stream of cool quench air blowing across the filaments . the yarn sample was taken from within the cooling cabinet before the yarn was drawn or textured . the polymer pumps were set to deliver the sheath polymer at 15 % ( by weight ) and the core polymer at 85 % by weight . the yarn was dyed along with production hoselegs with a laboratory dye procedure , as follows : ph = 6 . 0 to 6 . 2 ( adjust with trisodium phosphate ( tsp ) or citric acid ) a photomicrograph of a cross - section of an exemplary dyed sheath / core filament is shown in accompanying fig6 . as can be seen , the dye in the dye bath physically penetrated the sheath so as to impart a dyed color to the core , while leaving the sheath substantially undyed . the color of the dyed core polymer was thus visibly perceptible through the substantially undyed sheath polymer providing a color dyed appearance to the yarn overall while retaining the stain resistance attributable to the sheath polymer . while the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment , it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment , but on the contrary , is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims . | 8 |
before describing , in detail , the particular improved telephone operator voice storage and retrieval system in accordance with the present invention , it should be observed that the invention resides primarily in a novel structural combination of conventional data / signal processing components and communication circuits , and not in the particular detailed configurations thereof . accordingly , the structure , control and arrangement of these conventional components and circuits have , for the most part , been illustrated in the drawings by readily understandable block representations and schematic diagrams , which show only those specific details that are pertinent to the present invention , in order not to obscure the disclosure with structural details which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the description herein . thus , for example , multi conductor busses are simplified and power supply terminals and leads have been omitted for clarity . in addition , various portions of an electronic data processing system have been appropriately consolidated and simplified in order to emphasize those portions that are most pertinent to the invention . thus , the block diagram illustrations of the figures do not necessarily represent the mechanical structural arrangement of the exemplary system , but are primarily intended to illustrate the major structural components of the system in a convenient functional grouping , whereby the present invention may be more readily understood . referring now to fig1 of the drawings , there is shown a generalized block diagram of the telephone operator voice storage and retrieval system of the invention which is to be associated with an operator - assisted telephone service facility . such a facility is coupled to a link 50 which includes both voice and call identification lines for handling and responding to requests from a caller or customer 70 . the tip and sleeve portions of the telephone link are coupled to an audio interface unit 30 ( to be described in detail below with reference to fig3 ), while those links indicating the type of incoming call are coupled to a detector 40 . it is to be observed here that both the voice and type of call information have been shown as a single link 50 in fig1 for purposes of simplifying the illustration and description . the actual signal conveying conductors and detection circuitry for establishing the type of call are conventional and need not be described here for an understanding of the invention . call - type detector 40 may be of conventional configuration employing a bank of indicators monitored by an operator 10 who , via a switch panel interface , selects an appropriate code for identifying the type of response message to be returned to the caller 70 . this would normally involve the operator monitoring an optical read - out panel of call - type detector 40 and then , via a switch panel interface , causing the playback of a stored response message , such as from a magnetic tape cassette . rather than have the operator perform this task , however , it is possible to employ a bank of associated detectors , such as opto - electronic detectors , coupled with the indicator unit of the call - type detector 40 of the telephone service facility of interest , which supplies a set of codes over a link 42 to a message storage and retrieval system 20 , to be described below with reference to fig2 . in other words , the type of call being detected may be monitored manually by the operator and the information identifying the type of call coupled to the message storage and retrieval system 20 by an operator switch panel interface , or it may be handled automatically without operator intervention . the operator 10 is also coupled to the audio interface unit 30 by way of his / her headset , so that an on - line , &# 34 ; live &# 34 ; voice communication may be established between the operator 10 and the caller 70 . pursuant to the present invention , however , the initial conversation / response voice interface between the telephone service facility and the caller 70 is provided from the message storage and retrieval unit 20 without the need for the operator 10 to speak directly to the caller 70 . as mentioned previously , this not only provides the intended relief for the operator 10 , but ensures that the caller is supplied with the correct response message voice reply ( i . e . a preestablished customer - oriented and optimized response that has been previously recorded by the operator in his / her own voice so that the message is pleasing and informative to the listener ). audio interface unit 30 , in addition to providing on - line communication capability between the operator 10 and the caller 70 , serves to provide automatic voice level adjustment for all audio that is coupled to the caller 70 , whether that audio be generated from the operator &# 39 ; s headset or from the message storage and retrieval unit 20 . audio signal coupling between the audio interface unit 30 and the message storage and retrieval unit 20 is effected over input / output links 11 / 21 . referring now to fig2 a schematic block diagram of the message storage and retrieval unit 20 is illustrated as being comprised of a voice input / output unit 12 , a call type unit 13 and a control unit 14 . voice input / output unit 12 is coupled to audio interface unit 30 by way of audio input link 11 and audio output link 21 . audio input signals input over link 11 represent voice signals generated by the operator 10 during the response message &# 34 ; record &# 34 ; mode of operation of the system for storing response messages to be later played back to reply to incoming calls . these audio signals are digitized and analyzed within the voice input / output unit 12 and stored in digital form in memory in the control unit 14 . similarly , such stored digital encoded voice messages are read out from memory in the control unit 14 , synthesized and coupled over link 21 to the audio interface unit 30 for playback to a caller 70 . call type unit 13 effectively comprises a buffer for storing an indication of the type of call for which a reply message is to be generated . call type unit 13 is coupled to the detector 40 , either by way of a switch panel that is operator - controlled or through an automatic detector , such as an opto - electronic detector , which monitors the operator / attendant &# 39 ; s telephone facility terminal . the data that is stored in buffer 41 is accessed by a control unit 14 for selecting the appropriate response message that has been stored in memory to be read - out and generated as a reply message to be delivered to the caller 70 . the control unit 14 contains processor , memory and communication bus components for controlling the operation of message storage and retrieval unit 20 as operator - generated response messages are stored and later accessed and delivered to a caller , depending upon the type of call buffered by call type unit 13 . looking now , in greater detail , at the components of the response message storage and retrieval unit 20 of fig2 within the voice input / output unit 12 , audio input link 11 , which receives analog input signals corresponding to the audio voice supplied by the audio interface unit 30 , is coupled to an analog - to - digital converter ( adc ) 24 . adc 24 samples and digitizes the audio input signal and couples the quantized - encoded sample values to a shift register 31 . shift register 31 serializes out the digitized voice signal samples supplied by adc 24 over link 33 to a voice analyzer / synthesizer 32 . ( as mentioned previously , each of the components employed in the present invention is well known , so that no detailed description thereof need be supplied here . for example , the voice analyzer / synthesizer unit 32 may be a commercially available unit from oki semiconductor .) for providing the sampling and communication timing among units 24 , 31 and 32 , a clock source is coupled over link 23 to each of adc 24 , shift register 31 and analyzer / synthesizer 32 . it is also coupled to a divider 25 to reduce the frequency for accessing and controlling a load or shift select circuit 26 which is coupled to adc 24 over link 27 and to shift register 31 over link 28 . shift select logic unit 26 provides the appropriate digitized transfer coupling between adc 24 and shift register 31 , in a customary fashion . a separate clock is coupled over link 34 to analyzer / synthesizer 32 for providing the control of the read - out analyzer / synthesizer 32 . the analog voice that is supplied from synthesizer portion of unit 32 is coupled over link 21 to the audio interface unit 30 in fig3 to be described below . the digitized voice components supplied from the analyzer portion of unit 32 are coupled as digitized voice data over interface 35 to a buffer 36 . similarly , the synthesizer portion receives digitized voice data from an output buffer 37 to which voice message words read out of memory stored in the control unit 14 are coupled , as will be described below . each of buffers 36 , 37 , 41 and a buffer 53 is coupled to data bus 45 within the control unit 14 . buffer 53 is coupled over link 43 to audio - interface unit 30 ( fig3 ) and stores a voice detection signal coupled thereto from unit 30 . data bus 45 includes communication highway conductors for conveying both data and a portion of the address signals to be employed within the control unit 14 for accessing the various components thereof . in the exemplary embodiment , data bus 45 may be a commercially available z - 80 type bus structure . control unit 14 is an intelligent - based unit under control of microprocessor 61 , which is coupled to data bus 45 , to an address bus 52 and to a control bus 62 in a conventional manner . the clock source for microprocessor 61 is coupled over link 65 . in addition to microprocessor 61 , control unit 14 includes a response message memory 51 , such as a static ram in the form of a pluggable modular cartridge , and a program store unit 46 . each of memories 51 and 46 is coupled to data bus 45 and to address bus 52 for access by microprocessor 61 . program store unit 46 stores the instruction set for controlling the operation of the storage and retrieval unit and the manner in which it interfaces with the remainder of the system . as that instruction set may take on a number of forms depending upon the desires of the programmer , it will not be described in detail here . instead , the operational scenario carried out by the program stored in memory 46 will be described , in order to provide a more efficient description of the invention . control unit 14 also includes a memory select logic unit 54 ( consisting of combinational logic ) through which microprocessor 61 selectively accesses response message storage ram 51 or program store memory 46 via links 56 and 55 , respectively . in addition , an input / output select unit logic unit 44 is employed for selectively accessing the contents of buffers 36 , 37 and 41 during the operation of the system . each of select logic units 54 and 44 is accessed by control signals on control bus 62 and address bus 52 from microprocessor 61 . as mentioned previously , call type unit 13 , which comprises buffer 41 , may be coupled to the control terminal of a telephone service facility either through the operator &# 39 ; s control switch panel for manually controlling the response message to be generated to the caller , or through an interface unit which automatically generates control codes to be stored in buffer 41 for accessing the response messages stored in memory 51 . in either case , these codes are coupled over a link 42 and stored in buffer 41 . as mentioned above , an additional buffer 53 is coupled over link 43 . buffer 53 is monitored by processor 61 for initiating the operation of the storage and retrieval unit of fig2 . as will be described in detail below , link 43 is coupled to a voice detector within the audio interface unit 30 ( fig3 ) which prevents control unit 14 from allocating memory for incoming voice signals until there is actually a voice signal being coupled over link 11 . this is employed during the record mode operation wherein the operator will record response messages in her / his own voice for storage in memory 51 . line 43 is monitored by the processor and it is not until the operator actually begins to speak during this record mode that the processor allocates memory for storing the digitized voice , as opposed to simply beginning successively accessing memory addresses for storing the contents of buffer 36 to which digitized voice data is coupled over link 35 from analyzer 32 , without regard to whether adc 24 is actually receiving voice signals or is waiting for those voice signals from the operator and would thereby be supplying useless data to memory . looking now at the operation of the message storage and retrieval unit , there are two modes of operation of the unit -- record and playback . the record mode is employed by the operator at the telephone service facility to record response messages that will be used during the operator &# 39 ; s work period . this task may be advantageously carried out at a redundant storage and retrieval system located in a room or area separate from the operator &# 39 ; s work station . as mentioned previously , the memory 51 , in which response messages are stored , may be contained in the form of a removable cartridge module as part of the hardware of control unit 14 , whereby the operator is able to employ a portable and compact mechanism for generating a library of response messages . now , in the course of preparing a file of response messages , predetermined ( e . g . supervisor approved / edited ) response phrases are recorded by the operator as the operator supplies control signals , as through a switch panel coupled to detector 40 , for generating response message designation codes to be stored by buffer 41 . the messages themselves are coupled via the audio interface unit 30 over audio input link 11 , as described above . the particular response message codes and associated response messages are generated and recorded by the operator in order that the processor 61 will know where to store the response messages in ram 51 . simply put , each response message will be identified by a binary code coupled from the operator switch panel over link 42 and stored in buffer 41 . for example , if the operator were to record a response phrase indicating the name of the facility answering the incoming call and a message of inquiry assistance to be read back to the caller , the corresponding switch on the operator &# 39 ; s panel would couple an associated code over link 42 to buffer 41 . the operator would then proceed to record the message to be stored in memory . as the operator begins recording the message , the voice detector unit within the audio interface unit 30 ( fig3 ) couples a signal over line 43 to buffer 53 . within the control unit 14 , processor 61 cycles through the monitoring of buffers 36 , 37 , 41 and 53 via data bus 45 , address bus 52 and control bus 62 , in a conventional fashion . when a first voice bit in buffer 53 is detected , processor 61 begins reading out the contents of buffer 36 , which receives the digitized voice from analyzer unit 32 , as the voice is digitized by adc 24 , coupled to shift register 31 and serialized over link 33 to voice analyzer 32 . these digital codes , representative of the voice message to be stored , are coupled over bus 45 and stored in sequential addresses in ram 51 . when the message is complete , as indicated by lack of a voice detect signal on link 43 , the processor terminates the generation of address signals for the storage of the message in ram 51 . each additional message is handled in the same way until the operator has completed his / her recording of all the response phrases that are to be used during the operator &# 39 ; s work period . the response phrase file contained in ram 51 may then be removed from the unit employed for message recording for subsequent use in the storage and retrieval system at the operator &# 39 ; s work station . again , because the operator is able to record his / her voice in a time frame approximate that during which the operator will be on - line with incoming calls , characteristics of the voice as stored in memory will be substantially identical to that of the operator when the operator is on - line . during the playback mode of operation , when a call type is detected , either through an operator - controlled interface set of switches on the operator &# 39 ; s control panel , or automatically , as mentioned above , an access code ( corresponding to that originally entered by the operator during the recording of the messages ) is coupled over link 42 to buffer 41 . then processor 61 reads the access code stored in buffer 41 and generates the appropriate address signals for accessing the corresponding response message that had been previously stored in memory 51 during the record mode . the response message is coupled from memory 51 over bus 45 and latched in output latch 37 . during the read - out cycle provided by input output select logic unit 44 , the contents of output buffer 37 are coupled over link 35 to the synthesizer portion of voice analyzer / sythesizer 32 , so that analog audio signals are supplied over line 21 corresponding to the message of interest as it is accessed from memory 51 . these analog audio signals are coupled over link 21 to audio interface unit 30 in fig3 . referring now to fig3 there is shown a schematic block diagram of the audio interface unit 30 . as explained previously , this unit is coupled to the telephone voice lines for both the operator &# 39 ; s position and the caller 70 , and to the storage and retrieval unit 20 in fig2 . at the operator &# 39 ; s position , a dual microphone input is provided from the operator &# 39 ; s headset at dual input jack 88 . one output of dual input jack 88 is coupled over link 71 to an amplifier 101 . the other side of the jack is coupled over link 81 to the sleeve lead of the telephone line at the operator position . the other half of dual input jack 88 has one line 83 grounded while the other line 82 is coupled to the sleeve portion of the telephone link to the caller 70 . amplifier 101 amplifies the operator &# 39 ; s input voice signal from the operator &# 39 ; s microphone to the appropriate level for the circuitry of the audio interface unit and couples that signal over line 102 to an automatic level control amplifier 103 . line 102 is also coupled to the output of a low pass filter 96 the input of which is coupled to a switch 91 through link 95 . switch 91 is coupled to the audio output link 21 from the storage and retrieval unit 20 in fig2 . as mentioned above , link 21 supplies the read - out or synthesized voice that had been previously stored in memory . during the playback mode , this voice signal is coupled over link 21 to terminal 93 and over switch link 94 to low pass filter 96 . thus , there is an effective summation of the operator &# 39 ; s voice and the audio output over link 102 to the input of automatic level control amplifier 103 . during the record mode , there is no output over link 21 to the audio interface unit , so that switch arm 94 is coupled to terminal 92 , which is grounded . the output of automatic level control amplifier 103 is coupled via link 105 to a current - voltage converter 104 , terminal 106 of switch 115 and amplifier 116 . current - voltage converter 104 may comprise a transistor amplifier , the collector of which is coupled over link 73 to one input of a diode bridge circuit 74 . the other input is coupled to ground . output 75 of bridge circuit 74 is coupled to the tip lead of the telephone link to the operator position 10 while output 76 is coupled to the tip lead of the telephone link to the caller 70 . thus , via the dual microphone input jack 88 , audio input link 21 and outputs 75 and 76 of bridge circuit 74 , both the caller and the operator &# 39 ; s headset are coupled in parallel to receive the voice from both the operator &# 39 ; s microphone input and the voice from the audio output from the synthesizer . as mentioned above , output link 105 from automatic level control amplifier 103 is coupled to terminal 106 of switch 115 . like switch 91 , switch 115 has playback and record mode positions . during the playback mode , switch arm 111 of switch 115 is coupled to terminal 107 ( floating ), so that there is no output coupled over link 112 from terminal 108 to a low pass filter 113 . the output of filter 113 is coupled via amplifier 114 to audio input link 11 to the voice analyzer portion of the storage and retrieval unit 20 shown in fig2 . in the record mode , however , during which the operator is reading aloud a response message to be stored in memory , switch arm 111 is coupled to terminal 106 , so that the operator &# 39 ; s voice is coupled over link 11 to the storage and retrieval unit . a further component of the audio interface unit is a first voice detector which comprises an amplifier 116 coupled to link 105 and a monostable multi - vibrator ( or one - shot ) 117 coupled to the output of amplifier 116 . the output of one - shot 117 is coupled to link 43 to provide a first voice indication . simply put , amplifier 116 and one - shot 117 monitor line 105 for a voice signal and then supply a trigger signal over line 43 to be stored in buffer 41 , as mentioned previously . as mentioned above , the audio interface unit operates in either record mode or a playback mode . during the record mode , the operator is reading a message to be analyzed and converted into digital signals for storage in memory in the storage and retrieval unit 20 ( fig2 ). during this mode , each of switches 91 and 115 is switched to the record mode position by the operator . the operator then speaks the messages into the microphone of his / her headset . the analog audio signals are coupled over link 71 , amplified by amplifier 101 and then level - controlled by amplifier 103 . the output of amplifier 103 is coupled via switch 115 to low pass filter 113 and finally to amplifier 114 for application to the audio input link 11 which is coupled to the digital storage and retrieval portion of the system . the operator is able to listen to his / her voice by the coupling of tip leads 75 and 76 and sleeve leads 81 and 82 to the operator &# 39 ; s position , as shown in fig3 . when the operator has finished recording all of the response messages that will be employed during the operator &# 39 ; s tour of duty , the operator changes the positions of switches 91 and 115 to the playback position ( the position shown in fig3 ). in this position , switch 91 couples any audio output from the storage and retrieval unit to automatic level control amplifier 103 for application over link 73 to both output tip lead 75 and output tip lead 76 . the voice signal is not coupled to the audio input link 11 , since switch 115 is effectively open . any voice signal spoken by the operator into the operator &# 39 ; s microphone in his / her headset is coupled via amplifier 101 and link 102 to amplifier 103 and fed downstream to both the operator and caller positions in exactly the same manner as the audio output from the voice synthesizer in the storage and retrieval unit as coupled over link 21 . thus , the operator is able to listen to both the voice message that is being played back from the storage and retrieval portion of the system and his / her own voice when he / she speaks during further conversation with the caller . this monitoring capability and the fact that the operator is listening to his / her own previously recorded voice offers a significant improvement over conventional automatic response systems . more specifically , the voice that is heard by the caller 70 , whether it be the operator &# 39 ; s own voice supplied from the operator &# 39 ; s microphone over input link 71 , or from the audio output from the synthesizer over input line 21 , appears to be the same voice , in terms of quality and amplitude . the quality is the same because the voice message is a message in the voice of the operator who is actually providing the service at the telephone facility handling the caller &# 39 ; s incoming call . in addition , because both the operator &# 39 ; s voice signal supplied from his / her microphone and the synthesized voice signal supplied from the digital storage equipment are coupled to the same amplification and level adjustment circuitry , there is no sharp inflection or level change between the two voice signals . thus , the storage and retrieval and audio processing circuitry is effectively listener transparent . an additional advantage of the present invention is the fact that when a response message is initially played back to the caller , the operator , while resting , is listening to that voice response message . when the operator had previously read that message from a carefully prepared and supervised text during the record mode of the system , the operator did so in a clear and courteous manner and pleasant tone while fresh and interested . because the operator now hears his / her tone of voice being played back in such a manner , the operator is being effectively psychologically stimulated to follow his / her own voice and not create a discontinuity to the listener . thus , not only does the present invention prevent the above - mentioned confusion problem from arising , but it effectively provides guidance for the operator in the manner in which the operator should speak to the caller , thus acting as a voice refresher . while we have shown and described one embodiment in accordance with the present invention , it is understood that the same is not limited thereto but is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications as known to a person skilled in the art , and we therefore do not wish to be limited to the details shown and described herein but intend to cover all such changes and modifications as are obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art . | 7 |
fig1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention . embodiment 100 comprises a rigidly molded front case 102 and rear case 104 . an overmolded grommet 106 forms a receptacle for stylus 108 and also aids in sealing membrane 110 . a flexible hand strap 112 attaches to the rear case 104 . a hinge 114 joins front case 102 and rear case 104 . a ring 124 for a lanyard is shown as an integral feature of rear case 104 . embodiment 100 is designed to hold a conventional personal digital assistant ( ped ) in a protective case . a ped , such as a palm pilot , handspring visor , compaq ipaq , hewlett packard jornada , or similar products , use a touch screen for display and data entry . the touch screen display comprises either a color or black and white liquid crystal display with a touch sensitive device mounted on top of the display . the display is used for displaying graphics , text , and other elements to the user . the touch screen is used with a stylus 108 to select elements from the screen , to draw figures , and to enter text with a character recognition program in the ped . the stylus 108 generally resembles a conventional writing implement . however , the tip of the writing implement is a rounded plastic tip . in place of a stylus 108 , the user may use the tip of a finger or fingernail , or a conventional pen or pencil . when a conventional writing implement is used , damage to the touch screen element may occur , such as scratches . for the purposes of this specification , the term ped shall include any electronic device that has a touch screen interface . this may include instruments such as voltmeters , oscilloscopes , logic analyzers , and any other hand held , bench top , or rack mounted instrument that has a touch screen interface . hand held devices , such as cell phones , satellite phones , telemetric devices , and other hand held devices are also to be classified as peds for the purposes of this specification . the term ped shall also include any computer terminal display that has a touch screen interface . these may comprise kiosks , outdoor terminal interfaces , industrial computer interfaces , commercial computer interfaces , and other computer displays . additionally , the term ped may comprise barcode scanners , hand held gps receivers , and other handheld electronic devices . the foregoing description of the term ped has been presented for purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed , and other modifications and variations may be possible in light of the teachings of this specification . in addition , the peds typically have a handful of additional buttons as part of the user interface . these buttons are generally on the front of the device , near the touch screen element . the additional buttons may be used as shortcut buttons to instantly call up a certain program on the ped , may comprise a method of scrolling , may be used to select items from a list , or may have any function that the designer of the ped software may assign to the button or set of buttons . the button size , layout , and function may vary for each manufacturer and model of ped . further , peds typically have at least one method of connecting to another computer . this may be through a direct electrical connection , such as through a wire cable or fiber optic , or through another medium such as infrared communication or through a radio communication . additionally , the peds typically have an electrical source . the electrical source may be a rechargeable or non - rechargeable battery or solar cells . the electrical source may be a remote source of electricity that is transmitted to the ped through a wire cable or through other methods of electrical transmission . further , peds may have indicator lights , such as status lights for power , communication , battery status , or other functions . the lights may be located on any of the sides of the ped and may be viewable on one or more sides . front case 102 and rear case 104 form a protective cover for the ped . the protective cover may be designed for rugged industrial use , recreational use , commercial use , or many other uses . an industrial use may require the protective cover to be watertight , chemically resistant , protect the unit when dropped , and be crush proof . a typical application may be for fire fighters to use a ped for a display of maps for directions to an emergency scene or for a building plan at the scene of a fire . another example may be a maintenance mechanic in a chemical plant using a ped to record maintenance records in the plant that processes . a recreational use may require the cover to be watertight , afford some protection against dropping and being crushed , float in water , and be dust resistant . a recreational use may be to take the ped during kayaking , diving , or other water sport activity . further , the case may be used when the ped is taken camping , hiking , or other outdoor activity . a commercial use may additionally require the protective cover to be elegant , but may also require the cover to be replaceable so that scratches and other signs of wear and tear can be easily and cheaply replaced . the protective cover for the ped may take on many embodiments . the embodiment 100 comprises a front case 102 and rear case 104 that are joined by a hinge 114 and a clasp mechanism that is on the side of the cases opposite the hinge 114 . other embodiments may have a small door into which the ped slides , or the protective cover may not completely enclose the ped and only cover the face where the user interface exists , leaving one or more sides of the ped exposed . those skilled in the art may use other designs of protective covers without deviating from the scope and intent of the present invention . the protective cover may be constructed of rigid plastic , metal , flexible rubber , or any other type of material that could be adapted to afford the protection of the ped desired for the application . for example , a metal cover may be used in an application where an elegant style is necessary but watertightness is not . a flexible rubber cover may be selected for an application in a wet environment . a rigid plastic cover may be selected for an application where dropping the ped is a concern . those skilled in the art may use other types of materials and constructions without deviating from the spirit of the present invention . the ped may be mounted in the protective cover using many different mounting techniques . for example , the ped may be mounted using open or closed cell foam inserts in the protective cover . in another embodiment , the ped may be mounted by attaching the ped to the cover with a fastener . in another embodiment , the ped may be mounted by snapping into the protective waterproof cover . in another embodiment , the ped may be held in place by resting in molded features of two halves of a protective case that clamps onto the ped . those skilled in the art may use other types of locating and holding mechanisms without deviating from the spirit of the present invention . the overmolded grommet 106 of the present embodiment is constructed by injection molding a thermoplastic polymerized rubber ( tpr ) over the front case 102 . the grommet 106 has molded features 116 and 118 adapted to retain the stylus 108 . features 116 and 118 capture the stylus 108 during transportation , but allow the user to remove the stylus 108 to operate the ped . in other embodiments of the present invention , the stylus 108 may be constrained to the ped with a tether or lanyard , or the constraining features may be incorporated into other components that make up the protective cover . further , the stylus 108 may not be present in the embodiment , rather , the ped be adapted to be used with the user &# 39 ; s fingernail or with another implement similar to the stylus 108 . the membrane 110 of the present embodiment is constructed by thermoforming a sheet of thin plastic . the plastic is selected to be thin enough that the deformation of a stylus conducts the touch to the touch screen , but thick enough to have enough rigidity that the stylus does not catch and rip the membrane . additionally , the membrane 110 should have enough thickness to endure scratches and other wear and tear without breaking and sacrificing the protective function . polyvinylchloride material at 0 . 010 inches to 0 . 015 inches thickness gives acceptable results . alternatively , membrane 110 may be constructed by injection molding or other methods . alternative materials may be used by those skilled in the art to achieve the same results while maintaining within the spirit and intent of the present invention . the membrane 110 in the present embodiment may be translucent or at least partially transparent , so that the images displayed on the ped may be visible through the membrane 110 . the membrane 110 may be tinted or colorized in some applications . for example , a protective cover designed as a decorative cover may incorporate a colorized membrane 110 . further , the membrane may be selectively colorized and the opaqueness may vary . for example , the protective membrane may be printed or painted in the areas not used for the touch screen . a printing process may incorporate a logo , graphics , or labeling for individual buttons for the ped . the printing process may further incorporate features , such as text or graphics , that are used by the software on the ped for a purpose such as simplifying data input or for designating an area on the touch screen for a specific function , such as a help function . the printing or painting processes used on the membrane 110 may be purely decorative and may be for aesthetic purposes only . the printing process may also comprise logos or graphics for the brand identity of the ped cover . other processes , such as colorizing the raw material for the membrane 110 or adding other components to the raw material , such as metal flakes or other additives , may be used to change the optical features of the membrane 110 . the optical performance of the membrane 110 may be changed or enhanced by changing the texture of the area of the touch screen . for example , the membrane may be frosted on the outside to hide scratches or may be imprinted with a lens or other features that change the optical characteristics of the membrane 110 . the membrane 110 may have optical features that are used in conjunction with the software of the ped . for example , all or a portion of the membrane may comprise a lens that magnifies an image to a user . when the user touches the image on the membrane 110 and the touch is transferred to the touch screen , the software in the ped may have to compensate for the positional differences between the image and actual area that was touched by the user . in another example , if a specific portion of the membrane 110 had a specific optical characteristic , the software of the ped may be constructed to display a specific graphic for the area for an intended effect . the membrane 110 in the present embodiment has a recessed portion 120 and a raised portion 122 . the recessed portion 120 may be adapted to press flat against the touch screen area of a specific ped . the raised portion 122 may be adapted to fit over an area of the specific ped where several buttons are located . the raised portion 122 allows the user to operate the buttons on the ped . the raised portion 122 is adapted such that the buttons on the ped are easily operated through the protective membrane 110 . the raised portion 122 may have special features to aid the user in pressing the buttons . for example , the raised portion 122 may comprise a dimpled area for the user &# 39 ; s finger located directly over the button . further , a feature to aid the user may comprise a section of membrane 110 defined by a thinner area around the section , enabling the user to more easily deflect the section of membrane over the button . the area of thinner material may comprise a large section or a thin line . further , tactile elements , such as small ribs or bumps may be incorporated into the membrane 110 in the area of the buttons so that the user has a tactile sensation that the user &# 39 ; s finger is over the button . the tactile element may be particularly effective if the button was a power switch , for example , that turned on the ped . the configuration of the membrane 110 may be unique to each style or model of ped , however , the front case 102 and rear case 104 may be used over a variety of peds . in the present embodiment , the changeover from one ped variety to another is accomplished by replacing the membrane 110 without having to change any other parts . the present embodiment may therefore be mass - produced with the only customizable area being the membrane 110 to allow different models of peds to be used with a certain front case 102 and rear case 104 . the hand strap 112 in the present embodiment allows the user to hold the embodiment 100 securely in his hand while using the ped . the hand strap 112 may be constructed of a flexible material , such as rubber or cloth webbing , and may have an adjustment , such as a buckle , hook and loop fastener , or other method of adjustment . in other embodiments , a hand strap may be a rigid plastic handle , a folding handle , or any other method of assisting the user in holding the embodiment . further , the embodiment may be adapted to be fix - mounted to another object , like a piece of machinery , a wall , or any other object . a fix - mounted embodiment may have other accoutrements adapted for fixed mount applications , such as receptacles for a stylus adapted to a fix - mount , specialized electrical connections , features for locking the ped inside the case to prevent theft , or designs specifically adapted to shed water when rained upon . fig2 illustrates a perspective view of the embodiment 100 shown in an open position . the front case 102 and rear case 104 are shown open about the hinge 114 . membrane 110 is shown installed into gasket 106 , and the recessed portion 120 and raised portion 122 of membrane 110 is illustrated looking from the inside of the case . the clasp mechanisms are not shown in this illustration . hand strap 112 is shown attached to rear case 104 . fig3 illustrates a perspective view of the embodiment 100 shown in an exploded state . the hand strap 116 attaches to the rear cover 104 . the overmolded grommet 106 holds the stylus 108 and is attached to front cover 102 . the membrane 110 attaches to the grommet 106 and is held in place with an o - ring 302 . fig4 illustrates a perspective view of the embodiment 100 shown from the rear . the hand strap 116 is shown , along with rear cover 104 and front cover 102 . the stylus 108 is shown inserted into the overmolded grommet 106 . fig5 illustrates a top view of the embodiment 100 . the front cover 102 , membrane 110 , stylus 108 , and hinge 114 are all visible . fig6 illustrates a section view of the embodiment 100 taken through the section line shown in fig5 . the front cover 102 , rear cover 104 , overmolded gasket 106 , stylus 108 , membrane 110 , hand strap 112 , and o - ring 302 are all shown hatched in this view . fig7 illustrates a detail view of the embodiment 100 shown in fig6 . front case 102 and rear case 104 are joined at hinge 114 . overmolded gasket 106 traps membrane 110 and o - ring 302 locks membrane 110 in place . overmolded gasket 106 may be formed by molding thermoplastic polymerized rubber over the front cover 102 . the replacement of the membrane 110 is accomplished by removing o - ring 302 , pushing the membrane 110 from the overmolded gasket 106 , snapping a new membrane 110 into place , and replacing the o - ring 302 . the ease of replacement of the present embodiment allows a user to quickly replace a damaged membrane 110 , allows a user to upgrade their case to a newer model ped , and may allow a user to select from various membranes 110 for the particular application . one embodiment may have a single case packaged with a small variety of several types of membranes 110 . in such an embodiment , the user may purchase the packaged set , select the membrane 110 that suits the user &# 39 ; s particular ped , and install the selected membrane 110 with ease . the protective cover of the present invention may have direct connections through the cover for connecting through the case . such a connection is known as pass through . the connections may be for power , communication , heat dissipation , optical transmissions , mechanical motion , or other reasons . electrical connections may require an insulated metal conductor from the ped through the wall of the protective cover so that a flexible cable may be attached or so that the ped in its protective case may be placed in a cradle for making the electrical connection . inside the protective cover , the electrical connections may be made with a flexible cable that is plugged into the peds electrical connector before the ped is secured in the protective cover . alternatively , a fixed connector may be attached to the protective cover and the ped is slid into contact with the fixed connector . another embodiment may be for a compliant , yet fixed mounted electrical connector to be rigidly mounted inside the protective cover . a compliant , yet fixed mounted electrical connector may comprise spring loaded probes , commonly referred to as pogo pins . another embodiment may comprise spring fingers that engage the peds electrical contacts . on the outside of the protective cover , the electrical contacts may be terminated into a fix - mounted connector adapted to receive a cable from a computer . the connector may be designed to receive a cable that plugs directly into the ped or it may be adapted to receive a different connector . further , the electrical connection to the ped may be permanently attached to a cable that extends out of the protective cover . another embodiment may be to have a small trap door that opens in the protective cover to allow access to the electrical connections . while the trap door exposes the ped to the elements the cover is designed to protect against , a direct electrical connection may eliminate a potential cabling connection problem . connections for fiber optics can be handled in similar fashions as the electrical connections . an embodiment with a power connection may comprise the use of inductive coils located in proximity to each other but on opposite sides of the protective cover . those skilled in the art of may devise other embodiments for connecting through the protective cover without deviating from the scope and intent of the present invention . through the air communications , such as infrared and over the air radio frequency ( rf ) communications may pass through the protective cover . the material for the front case 102 and rear case 104 may be selected to be clear plastic , such as polycarbonate . the infrared transceiver of the ped can communicate through a clear plastic case to another infrared transceiver outside of the case . further , the appropriate selection of material for the protective case can thereby enable various rf transmissions , such as cellular phone communications or other wireless communication protocols . an infrared transmission through the protective case of an embodiment of the invention may be accomplished by making the entire protective case out of a clear material . alternatively , a selected area of the protective case may be clear while the remainder of the case is opaque . the selected area may be constructed of a separate piece that allows the infrared light through the protective case . alternatively , the selected area may be constructed of a portion of the protective case that was manufactured in a way so as not to be opaque , such as selectively not painting or plating the area of a plastic protective case . further , the clear material through which the transmission occurs may be tinted in the visual spectrum but be translucent or at least partially transparent in the infrared spectrum of the device . a protective case may allow rf transmissions to and from the ped while the case is closed . such a case may be constructed of a non - metallic material . in some embodiments , the material of the protective case may be tuned to allow certain frequencies to pass through the protective cover and tune out other frequencies , through loading the material used in the protective cover with conductive media or through varying the thickness of the case and other geometries of the case in the area of the ped transmission and reception antenna . in a different embodiment , it may be desirable to shield the ped from outside rf interference . in this case , the protective cover may be a metallic construction or may be plastic with a metallized coating . further , membrane 110 may have a light metallized coating applied so that membrane 110 is slightly or fully conductive . an application for such an embodiment may be the use of the ped in an area of high rf noise that may interfere with the operation of the ped , or conversely , the use may be in an area that is highly susceptible to external rf interference and the peds rf noise may be interfering with some other device . the ped may be equipped with a camera or other video capture device . a protective cover may have provisions to allow a clear image to be seen by the video capture device through the case . such provisions may include an optically clear insert assembled into the protective case . other embodiments may have a sliding trap door whereby the user of the ped may slide the door open for the camera to see . additionally , other embodiments may comprise a molded case that has an optically clear lens integrally molded . such an embodiment may be additionally painted , plated , or overmolded , with the lens area masked so that the painting , plating , or overmolding does not interfere with the optics of the lens . an optically clear area may be used for a barcode scanner portion of a ped to scan through the case to the outside world . in such an embodiment , a barcode scanner may be protected from the elements while still maintaining full functionality in the outside world . the ped may have indicator lights that indicate various items , such as power , battery condition , communication , and other status items . the indicator lights may be in positions on the ped that are not readily viewable through the protective membrane 110 . the indicator lights may be made visible through the protective case by using light pipes that transmit the light from the peds status light to the outside of the protective case . such light pipes may be constructed of clear or tinted plastic , or other translucent or semi - transparent material . the light pipes may be formed as an integral feature to the protective case or may be separate parts that are formed separately and assembled to the protective case . the ped may have a speaker or other element that makes noise and / or the ped may have a microphone for receiving audio signals . the speaker may be an audio quality device for reproducing sound or it may be a simple buzzer for indicating various functions of the ped . the microphone may be an audio quality device or it may be a low performance device . special provisions may be made for transmitting sound through a protective case . such provisions may range from a single hole in the case to a tuned cavity that would allow sound to pass through with minimum distortion . other embodiments may include a transmissive membrane adapted to allow sound to pass through the protective case with a minimum of distortion . such membranes may be located near the speaker and microphone elements of the ped . such membranes may be watertight membranes known by the brand name gore - tex . the ped may generate heat during its use and provisions for dissipating the heat may be built into the protective cover . a heat - dissipating device may be integral to the protective cover or may comprise one or more separate parts . for example , a metallic protective cover may be adapted to touch the ped in the area of heat generation and conduct the heat outwardly to the rest of the protective cover . the protective cover may thereby dissipate the heat to the external air without overheating the ped . in another example , a separate heat sink may be applied to the ped and allowed to protrude through a hole in the protective cover . the heat sink may thereby transfer the heat from the ped to the ambient environment without overheating the ped . the heat sinks may be attached to the ped with a thermally conductive adhesive . other embodiments may include vent holes for heat dissipation and air circulation . the ped may have a button that may not be located underneath the membrane 110 . an embodiment may include a flexible , pliable , or otherwise movable mechanism that may transmit mechanical motion from the outside of the case to a button on the ped . such an embodiment may have a molded dimpled surface that is pliable and allows a user to activate a button on a ped by pressing the dimpled surface . another embodiment may have a rigid plunger that is mounted on a spring and adapted to transmit the mechanical movement from the exterior of the case to a button on the ped . the buttons on the ped may be located on any side of the ped and an embodiment of a case may have pliable areas adapted to allow the user to press buttons that are not on the front face of the ped . fig8 is an illustration of embodiment 800 of the present invention wherein the ped 802 is encapsulated by a protective cover 804 . the installation of the ped 802 is to slide ped 802 into the opening 808 , then fold door 806 closed and secure with flap 810 , which is hinged along line 812 . areas 814 and 816 may comprise a hook and loop fastener system or other fastening device . recessed area 818 is adapted to fit against touch screen 820 of ped 802 . embodiment 800 may be comprised of a single molded plastic part that may be very low cost . as shown , embodiment 800 may not be completely weathertight , since the door 806 does not completely seal the enclosure . however , such an embodiment may afford considerable protection to the ped 802 in the areas of dust protection , scratch protection , and being occasionally rained upon . further , the low cost of the embodiment 800 may be changed often during the life of the ped 802 . embodiment 800 may have custom colors , logos , or designs that allow a user to personalize their ped with a specific cover that is suited to their mood or tastes . the colors , logos , and designs may be integrally molded into the cover 804 . alternatively , different colors , logos , and designs may be applied in a secondary operation such as printing , painting , plating , or other application process . fig9 is an illustration of embodiment 900 of the present invention wherein a decorative cover 902 is snapped over a ped 904 . the ends 906 and 908 snap over the ped ends 910 and 912 as an attachment mechanism for cover 902 to ped 904 . recessed area 914 is adapted to fit against touch screen 916 . embodiment 900 may be a cover for decorative purposes only , or may be for protective purposes as well . cover 902 may be emblazoned with logos , designs , or other visual embellishments to personalize the ped 904 . the colors , logos , and designs may be integrally molded into the cover 904 . alternatively , different colors , logos , and designs may be applied in a secondary operation such as printing , painting , plating , or other application process . embodiment 900 may be attached by snapping the cover 902 onto ped 904 . special provisions in the case of ped 904 may be provided for a snapping feature of cover 902 , or cover 902 may be adapted to hold onto ped 904 without the use of special features in ped 904 . the features used to secure cover 902 to ped 904 may be any mechanism whereby the cover 902 can be secured . this includes snapping , clamping , fastening , sliding , gluing , adhering , or any other method for securing two components together . fig1 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a receiver 1002 for holding the protective case 100 . the protective case 100 is held into receiver 1002 in such a manner that the touch screen display is facing into the receiver 1002 , to afford the touch screen display with protection . fig1 illustrates a perspective view of the embodiment of a receiver 1002 shown from the opposite side as fig1 . receiver 1002 is comprised of a back 1102 , a belt clip mechanism 1104 , and four clip areas 1106 , 1108 , 1110 , and 1112 . the protective case 100 is placed into the receiver 1002 by inserting one end into the receiver , then rotating the protective case 100 into position such that the snapping action of clip areas 1106 , 1108 , 1110 , and 1112 are engaged to hold protective case 100 securely . receiver 1002 may be adapted to clip onto a person &# 39 ; s belt or may be adapted to be mounted on a wall or other location where the ped may be stored . the orientation of the protective case 100 is such that the touch screen element of the ped is protected during normal transport and storage , since the touch screen interface is facing the back 1102 of the receiver 1002 . receiver 1002 may be made of compliant plastic that allows the clip areas 1106 , 1108 , 1110 , and 1112 to move out of the way and spring back during insertion or removal of the protective case 100 . in the present embodiment , receiver 1002 may be constructed of a single part . in alternative embodiments , receiver 1002 may be constructed of multiple parts and of multiple materials , such as a metal back with spring loaded clips . in other embodiments , special features may be included in the protective case 100 where the receiver 1002 may engage a special feature for securing the protective case 100 . fig1 illustrates an embodiment 1200 of the present invention of a protective cover for a ped or other device . a rigid front cover 1202 and a rigid rear cover 1204 are held together with a series of latches 1206 , 1208 , 1210 , and 1212 . the protective membrane 1214 protects the touchscreen of the enclosed ped . a folding rigid cover 1216 operates as a rigid shield to prevent the membrane 1214 from any damage . the stylus holder 1220 is formed from an overmolded flexible material in which the membrane 1214 is mounted . embodiment 1200 illustrates yet another embodiment of the present invention wherein a rigid protective cover may be used to contain and protect an electronic device , but provide full usable access to a touchscreen . the protective membrane 1214 and case may be watertight in some embodiments . fig1 a illustrates an embodiment of a protective enclosure 1300 that encloses and protects a tablet pc 1302 . peds that have touch screens , as described above , have an interactive flat - panel control , i . e ., the touch screen display . tablet pcs are portable electronic computing devices that have a high - resolution interactive flat - panel control that accepts smooth stylus strokes such as handwriting . the embodiment of fig1 a is crush - resistant , impact - resistant , watertight , and simultaneously allows interactive stylus strokes and other sensitive user inputs to be accurately and easily transmitted through a protective screen membrane 1306 to the interactive flat - panel control of tablet pc 1302 . a watertight and shock - absorbing foam cushion 1310 may be fixed and sealed to the underside of the lid 1304 around the interactive flat - panel control opening . the protective screen membrane 1306 is fixed and sealed to the shock - absorbing foam cushion 1310 . the shock - absorbing foam cushion 1310 maintains the water tightness of the enclosure . the cushion 1310 also cushions the flat - panel control of the tablet pc 1302 and protects it against breakage if the enclosure and tablet pc are dropped or otherwise subjected to shock . in accordance with the embodiment of fig1 a , the shock - absorbing foam cushion 1310 has a thickness of approximately 0 . 25 inches and extends approximately 0 . 060 inches below the underside of the interactive flat - panel control opening of the lid 1304 . one source of suitable watertight shock - absorbing foam is e . a . r . specialty composites of 7911 zionville rd ., indianapolis , ind ., 46268 . cushion 1310 allows the protective screen membrane to move a distance of up to 0 . 125 inches during an impact to the enclosure or when pressure is applied to protect membrane 1306 while pushing the tablet pc control buttons 1308 or writing on the interactive flat - panel control with a stylus through the membrane . the shock - absorbing foam cushion 1310 also pushes the protective screen membrane 1306 flatly against the surface of the interactive flat - panel control of the tablet pc 1302 so that sensitive user stylus strokes and other inputs are accurately transmitted . the pressure of the cushion 1310 on the protective screen membrane 1306 which holds the protective screen membrane 1306 flatly against the interactive flat - panel control of the tablet pc 1302 also keeps display images , viewed through the protective screen membrane , clear and distortion - free . in embodiments of the protective enclosure to protect a touch - screen device , the protective membrane may be adjacent to the touch screen but does not exert mechanical pressure on the touch screen so that mechanical inputs such as style strokes are sensed only when intended . in embodiments of the protective enclosure to protect a tablet pc that has an rf stylus or to protect a handheld device that a capacitance - sensing interactive flat - panel control , the protective membrane may be pressed flat against the interactive flat - panel control which allows undistorted viewing but does not adversely affect the control since the interactive control uses capacitance or radio frequencies for interactive input instead of mechanical pressure . the protective screen membrane 1306 in the embodiment of fig1 a is at least partially transparent and has a thickness of approximately 0 . 010 inches . the thickness of the protective screen membrane 1306 should be typically in the range of 0 . 001 inches to 0 . 020 inches so that stylus strokes on the upper surface of protective screen membrane 1306 are transmitted accurately to the interactive flat - panel control of the tablet pc 1302 . likewise , protective screen membrane 1306 may be flexible or semi - rigid and may be made of polyvinylchloride or other suitable transparent thermoplastic , such as , for example , polyvinylchloride , thermoplastic polycarbonate , thermoplastic polypropylene , thermoplastic acrylonitrile - butadiene - styrene , thermoplastic polyurethane , which has a hardness and texture that permits the stylus to smoothly glide across the surface without skipping , grabbing , or catching against the surface . some tablet pcs utilize a stylus which transmits strokes to the pc by way of radio frequency transmission . protective screen membrane 1306 may be made of a rigid , clear , engineered thermoplastic such as , for example , thermoplastic polycarbonate or other thermoplastics as described above , for enclosing a tablet pc . a protective screen membrane 1306 that is rigid may include watertight access ports that allow operation of mechanical buttons or switches of the tablet pc 1302 , such as , for example , control buttons 1308 . the watertight access ports may include holes that have a moveable watertight plug , or any type of watertight button or lever . protective screen membrane 1306 may include an anti - glare coating or can be made with an anti - glare texture so that display images are clearly viewable without distortion through the protective screen membrane 1306 . in the embodiment of fig1 a , the lid 1304 of the protective enclosure 1300 may have an external stylus holder 1324 that securely holds a stylus used with the tablet pc 1302 . as described above with respect to fig1 , the lid 1304 and the base 1312 may have air - permeable watertight vents 1318 , 1326 that permit the cooling fans of the tablet pc 1302 to force air exchange to dissipate heat by convection so that the tablet pc 1302 does not overheat . watertight vents 1318 , 1326 may comprise holes in the lid 1304 and base 1312 that are made watertight by covering and sealing the holes with an air - permeable watertight membrane such as , for example , a fabricated expanded polytetrafluoroethylene ( eptfe ) membrane . one source of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene ( eptfe ) membranes is w . l . gore & amp ; associates , inc . of 555 papermill road , newark , del ., 19711 . the embodiment of fig1 a may also comprise a pod door 1322 that allows access to table pc interfaces such as , for example , pcmcia or smart card slots . the pod door 1322 is attached to the lid 1304 so that it may be removed or opened . in the embodiment of fig1 a , the pod door 1322 is hingedly connected to a portion of the base 1312 at a location of the base 1312 that has an opening that allows access to the tablet pc interfaces . the opening can be covered by a watertight seal 1320 , such as , for example , an o - ring that is part of pod door 1322 . the underside of the lid 1304 also has a watertight seal , such as an o - ring , so that when compound latches 1328 , 1330 , 1332 , and 1334 are closed , the o - ring or seal of the lid 1304 forms a watertight seal against the base 1312 . the protective enclosure 1300 protects the tablet pc 1302 from water and dust intrusion sufficient to comply with ingress protection ( ip ) rating of ip 67 , i . e ., the protective enclosure totally protects the enclosed tablet pc from dust and protects the enclosed tablet pc from the effects of immersion in one meter of water for 30 minutes . the protective enclosure of the embodiment of fig1 a may further comprise protective overmolding 1316 attached to the lid 1304 . a similar overmolding may be attached to the base 1312 . the protective overmolding 1316 may be made of material that is easily gripped in slippery conditions and provides additional shock absorption such as , for example , rubber or silicone . the protective overmolding 1316 extends above the surface of the lid in pre - determined areas to provide protrusions that are easily gripped even in slippery conditions . the protective enclosure of the embodiment of fig1 may further comprise watertight plugs such as access port plug 1314 that fit snugly into openings in the base 1312 that provide access to various interfaces , connectors , and slots of the tablet pc 1302 . fig1 b illustrates a shell lid 1304 of the embodiment of fig1 a . shell lid 1304 and base 1312 may be made of impact / crush resistant material such as glass - fiber reinforced engineered thermoplastic , such as for example , glass reinforced polycarbonate . alternatively , the shell lid 1304 and shell base may be made of thermoplastic polycarbonate , thermoplastic polypropylene , thermoplastic acrylonitrile - butadiene - styrene , and thermoplastic compositions containing one or more thereof , or other engineered thermoplastics that provide a shock - resistant and impact resistant shell may be used . the engineered thermoplastics may be reinforced with glass fibers , carbon fibers , metal fibers , polyamide fibers , and mixtures thereof . shell lid 1304 may be further reinforced with stiffeners 1334 , 1336 , 1338 , 1340 that are integrally embedded into the shell lid around the perimeter of an opening in the shell that is directly over the interactive flat - panel control portion of the tablet pc . the stiffeners may be made of steel or other hard material so that the stiffeners provide additional strength and prevent flexing of the lid 1304 which enhances the watertightness and the impact / crush resistance . fig1 is an illustration of the embodiment of fig1 a with the lid 1404 detached from the base 1412 . to protect the tablet pc 1402 using the protective enclosure 1400 , the tablet pc 1402 is disposed to fit snugly into the base 1412 . the lid is oriented so that hooks 1436 , 1438 area aligned with pin 1440 that is connected to a portion of the base 1412 and the lid is closed so that hooks 1436 , 1438 are retained by pin 1440 . compound latches 1428 , 1430 , 1432 , and 1434 are then snapped onto the lid so that the lid is compressed tightly against the base providing a watertight seal . fig1 is a bottom view of the embodiment of fig1 . the base 1516 of protective enclosure 1500 includes watertight vents such as watertight vent 1506 for air exchange to permit heat and sound dissipation from the enclosed tablet pc while at the same time maintaining watertightness . pod release knobs 1512 , 1518 are attached to the base 1516 so that the knobs can be rotated clockwise to securely wedge against an edge of pod door 1522 to close the pod door 1522 tightly against a rim around the pod opening in base 1516 to create a watertight seal . knobs 1512 , 1518 can be rotated counter - clockwise to release pod door 1522 to access the interfaces of the tablet pc covered by pod door 1522 . to provide additional protection against mechanical shock , heavy - duty corner bumpers such as bumper 1504 may be securely attached to the corners of base 1516 . as shown in fig1 , an adjustable heavy - duty handle may be attached to the base 1516 of the protective enclosure 1500 to allow easy and reliable transportation of the protective enclosure 1500 that encloses a tablet pc . in some circumstances , it is convenient to hold the protective enclosure using hand strap 1514 that is made of strong slightly stretchable fabric . hand strap 1514 attaches to four points of the base 1516 to that a user &# 39 ; s hand or wrist can be inserted along the either the longer or shorted length on the protective enclosure 1500 and enclosure tablet pc . hand strap 1514 may be made of neoprene or other strong stretchable material to securely hold the protective enclosure to the user &# 39 ; s arm even in slippery conditions . the protective enclosure may further include a neck strap to provide a comfortable solution for using the tablet pc while standing . fig1 illustrates a top view of the protective enclosure base 1600 . watertight vents such as watertight vent 1616 allow air exchange for heat dissipation and sound transmission from an enclosed tablet pc . seal rim 1614 is an integrally formed part of the protective enclosure 1600 which is compressed against an o - ring in the protective enclosure lid to provide a watertight seal when compound latches 1628 , 1630 , 1632 , and 1634 are closed onto the lid . internal bumpers 1602 , 1604 , 1608 , 1610 attach to the interior corners of protective enclosure base 1600 to provide cushion and mechanical shock protection to an enclosed tablet pc . the l - shape and non - solid interior of internal bumpers 1602 , 1604 , 1608 , 1610 allows the bumpers to deflect and absorb the shock if the enclosed tablet pc is dropped or otherwise subjected to mechanical shock . the protective enclosure provides shock absorption sufficient to meet mil - std 810f , method 516 . 5 , procedure 4 which is a transit drop test . in the transit drop test , the protective enclosure encloses a tablet pc or a mass equivalent to a tablet pc . the protective enclosure is sequentially dropped onto each face , edge , and corner for a total of 26 drops over plywood from a height of 48 inches . the protective enclosure is visually inspected after each drop and a functional check for leakage is performed after all drops are completed . some tablet pcs have a docking connector disposed on the underside of the tablet pc so that the tablet pc can connect to power and signals . for example , emergency vehicles such as ambulances , fire trucks , or patrol cars , may have a docking station installed near the driver &# 39 ; s seat onto which the driver may dock a tablet pc . the embodiment of protective enclosure base 1600 , as illustrated in fig1 , may comprise a docking connector channel 1624 that is recessed with respect to the upper surface of the base that allows a docking connector to run from a docking connector that is disposed in the center underside of the tablet pc to access port 1626 . alternatively , a docking pass - through connector 1620 may be made an integral and watertight part of the protective enclosure base 1600 so that the tablet pc docking connector attaches to the docking pass - through connector 1620 which , in turn , connects to the docking station in substantially the same manner as an unenclosed tablet pc . fig1 illustrates another embodiment of protective enclosure 1700 for a handheld electronic device 1702 that has an interactive flat - panel control such as , but limited to , a capacitance - sensing interactive flat panel control , a touch screen or other interactive control . handheld electronic devices that have an interactive flat - panel control benefit from being enclosed in a rugged protective enclosure that is crush - resistant , watertight , and shock - resistant and that simultaneously allows the user to interact with a sensitive interactive flat - panel control . handheld electronic devices that have interactive flat - panel control may include music players , mp3 players , audio player / recorders , video players , computers , personal digital assistants ( pdas ), gps receivers , cell phones , satellite phones , pagers , monitors , etc . for example , apple computer ipod is a popular handheld interactive device that plays mp3 or otherwise digitally - encoded music / audio . the apple ipod has an interactive flat - panel control in which a portion of the front panel is a flat - panel display and portion of the front panel is an interactive flat - panel control , called a touch wheel in some versions of the ipod and click wheel in other versions of the ipod , that has capacitive touch / proximity sensors . one function of such an interactive flat - panel control , i . e . touch wheel , is that the control can emulate a rotary control knob by sensing circular motion of a user &# 39 ; s finger using capacitive sensors . the click wheel has the same function with the additional feature of sensing proximity of a user &# 39 ; s finger and emulating button presses by a user &# 39 ; s finger at pre - determined areas . in the embodiment of fig1 , the shell lid 1706 and the shell base 1704 are made of polycarbonate or other engineered thermoplastics such as polyethylene , polypropylene , etc . that are crush - resistant and impact resistant . shell base 1704 has a watertight seal 1718 , which may be an overmolded gasket , o - ring , liner or other seal that prevents water from entering the protective enclosure 1700 when the handheld interactive device 1702 is enclosed inside the protective enclosure 1700 . shell base 1704 and shell lid 1706 may include watertight vents , electrical connectors , see - through areas or features as disclosed with respect to fig1 . in the embodiment of fig1 , shell lid 1706 includes apertures over predetermined portions of the handheld interactive device 1702 , such as the areas directly over the display screen 1714 and the interactive flat - panel control 1712 , or other designated areas , as desired . a protective screen membrane 1710 , that is at least partially transparent , is permanently or removably fixed in a watertight manner to the underside of shell lid 1706 in the aperture that is over the display screen 1714 . the protective screen membrane 1710 may be recessed with respect to the upper surface of the shell lid 1706 which provides protective elevated rim that protects the display screen 1714 from breakage . protective screen membrane 1710 may be pvc , silicone , polyethylene or other material that is watertight and rugged . in the case that display screen 1714 is a touch screen , the protective screen membrane 1710 should be smooth enough and thin enough that stylus strokes and other inputs are transmitted accurately to the touch screen as disclosed above with respect to fig1 , fig1 , and fig1 . alternatively , it may be desirable not to have an aperture in shell lid 1706 for a protective membrane 1710 . in another embodiment , the shell lid 1706 can be made of a transparent material so that a transparent window can be formed in the shell lid 1706 in place of the protective screen membrane 1710 . the transparent window is aligned with the display screen 1714 so that the user can view the display screen 1714 . in this case , a protective elevated rim that is aligned with the display screen 1714 is not required in the shell lid 1706 to protect the display screen 1714 from damage since there is no protective screen membrane 1710 . if the display screen 1714 is a touch screen , the material of the shell lid 1706 that is aligned with the display screen 1714 to provide a window can be made thinner to allow the touch screen to properly operate . as also shown with respect to the embodiment of fig1 , a protective control membrane 1708 is permanently or removably fixed in a watertight manner to the underside of shell lid 1706 in an aperture that is aligned with the interactive flat - panel control 1714 of the handheld device 1702 . the protective screen membrane 1710 is recessed with respect to the upper surface of the shell lid 1706 which provides protective elevated rim that protects the display screen 1714 from breakage and provides tactile feedback that guides a user &# 39 ; s finger to the desired area , even in slippery conditions . of course , the protective elevated rim may simply comprise the portion of the shell lid 1706 that is formed as a result of making an aperture in the shell lid 1706 and overmolding a protective touch - control membrane 1708 on an inside surface of the shell lid 1706 . in other words , the thickness of the shell lid 1706 creates a protective rim since the protective touch - control membrane 1708 is overmolded or otherwise attached to the back side of the shell lid 1706 . in that case , the rim is not elevated with respect to the surface of the shell lid 1706 , but rather , is elevated with respect to the membrane to form a protective rim . interactive flat - panel control 1712 has capacitive sensors , which are part of a proximity / touch detector circuit . when a grounded object , such as a person &# 39 ; s finger , which has free air capacitance of several hundred picofarads , is brought close to the capacitive sensors , the total capacitance measured by the detector circuit increases because the capacitance of the object with free air capacitance adds to the capacitance of the sensors since the total capacitance of two capacitors in parallel is additive . multiple sensors may also be arranged so that movement of an object with free air capacitance can be detected , for example , movement of a person &# 39 ; s finger in a circular motion analogous to turning a mechanical control knob . some examples of interactive flat - panel controlled peds include ipod and ipod mini music and audio players from apple computer . in some peds , such as the apple ipod , capacitive sensors may be disposed below a front panel made from a dielectric such as polycarbonate , which has a dielectric constant in the range of 2 . 2 - 3 . 8 . in the embodiment of fig1 , the protective control membrane 1708 is made of thin polycarbonate that is slightly flexible or other engineered thermoplastics that provide the rugged watertight protection and at the same time permit the capacitive sensors of the interactive flat - panel control 1712 to function correctly . likewise , a protective control membrane 1708 with a dielectric constant that is too high may retain an electric charge long enough to reduce the response rate of the sensor to motion of a user &# 39 ; s finger from one capacitive sensor zone of the interactive flat - panel control 1712 to another . a protective control membrane 1708 that is conductive or has a dielectric constant that is too low may diminish the sensitivity of the capacitive sensor by combining in series the capacitance of the protective membrane and the dielectric front panel of the ped which results in a lowering of the overall capacitance . total capacitance between an object , such as a finger touching the protective control membrane 1708 , and interactive flat - panel control 1712 is a function of the thickness and the dielectric constant of the protective control membrane 1708 . the capacitance between the object , such as a finger , and the capacitive sensors of the interactive flat - panel control 1712 is proportional to the distance between the object and the sensors . the sensitivity of the capacitive sensors to the object may be diminished or completely eliminated if the protective control membrane 1708 is too thick . in the embodiment of fig1 , the thickness of the protective control membrane is approximately 0 . 020 inches . the protective control membrane 1708 may be any thickness in the range of 0 . 003 inches to 0 . 020 inches that is adequate to provide a rugged watertight membrane through which capacitance can be correctly sensed by the interactive flat - panel control 1712 . the upper surface of the protective control membrane 1708 has a velvet / matte texture with a texture depth of 0 . 0004 to 0 . 003 inches that reduces the surface area of the membrane that is in frictional contact with the user &# 39 ; s finger and permits a user &# 39 ; s finger to glide rapidly upon the surface of the membrane without catching or sticking as a result of the reduced friction . the hardness of the polycarbonate material , or other hard engineered thermoplastic , also reduces the friction . headphones or other accessories may be electrically connected to handheld device 1702 the through the protective enclosure 1700 by disposing the wire of the headphone or accessory in an insertable gasket 1716 which fits snugly into one end of the shell base 1704 . fig1 illustrates another embodiment of protective enclosure 1800 which is substantially the same as protective enclosure 1700 of fig1 . however , protective enclosure 1800 has an alternative electrical pass - through for accessories . in the embodiment of fig1 , shell base 1804 includes an adapter cable 1816 that has an adapter plug 1812 at one end which plugs into a jack of handheld device 1802 . at the other end of the adapter cable 1816 is an adapter jack 1814 that is molded into , or otherwise integrally made part of , shell base 1804 . an external accessory , such as a pair of headphones , may then be plugged into the adapter jack 1814 while the handheld device 1802 in enclosed in protective enclosure 1800 . alternatively , a one - piece adapter that includes both a jack 1814 and a plug 1812 without a cable 1816 may be integrally disposed into shell base 1804 . shell lid 1806 is adapted to retain an o - ring 1808 that seals the protective enclosure 1800 when shell lid 1806 is latched tightly onto shell base 1804 so that water cannot enter protective enclosure 1800 . fig1 illustrates in the open position a crush - resistant , impact - resistant , watertight , protective enclosure 2000 for an electronic device such as a laptop computer . the protective enclosure 2000 may be manufactured in a manner similar to the enclosure of fig1 comprising an impact / crush resistant material such as glass - fiber reinforced engineered thermoplastic , such as for example , glass reinforced polycarbonate . it may also be made of thermoplastic polycarbonate , thermoplastic polypropylene , thermoplastic acrylonitrile - butadiene - styrene , and thermoplastic compositions containing one or more thereof , or other engineered thermoplastics that provide a shock - resistant and impact resistant shell . the inside of the enclosure is covered with a hook and loop liner 2002 . shock absorbing corner bumpers 2004 have hook and loop type bases so that they may attach at any point on the liner inside the enclosure at the corners of the electronic device to secure electronic devices of various sizes and provides a shock absorbent suspension system for the devices . the shape of the bumpers may vary in size and in depth . they may also vary such that the laptop is raised a predetermined height for the bottom of the enclosure so that there may be access to the ports and external drives such as cd and dvd . these bumpers allow the enclosure to be adaptable to any size laptop computer by placing it inside the enclosure and securing it into position with the bumpers 2004 . straps 2006 also secures the laptop into position . fig2 illustrates a laptop 2008 secured in position as described above . an opening for a door or docking position 2010 may be provided that allows the case to be prewired for power or other usb connections . the watertight access ports may include holes that have a moveable watertight plug , or any type of watertight button or lever . the liner 2002 may also have some cushioning that cushions the laptop and protects it against breakage if the enclosure and laptop are dropped or otherwise subjected to shock . normally , however , most of the cushioning is provided by the corner bumpers and the liner is not cushioned . in accordance with the embodiment of fig1 , the liner 2002 has a thickness of approximately 0 . 25 . this enclosure is also adaptable to protect pc tablets of the type illustrated in fig1 a . the hook and loop liner may be adjacent to the touch screen but does not exert mechanical pressure on the touch screen so that mechanical inputs such as style stokes are sensed only when intended . the engineered thermoplastics may be reinforced with glass fibers , carbon fibers , metal fibers , polyamide fibers , and mixtures thereof . referring to fig2 the enclosure 2000 may have an elevated protective rim 2012 substantially surrounding a perimeter of the enclosure . this rim may be further reinforced with stiffeners made of steel or other hard material that are integrally embedded into the enclosure so that the stiffeners provide additional strength and protection to the enclosed devices , as shown in fig1 b . an adjustable heavy - duty handle 2016 may be attached to or integrally designed into protective enclosure 2000 to allow easy and reliable transportation . fig2 illustrates the top of the enclosure wherein heavy - duty corner bumpers , such as bumper 2016 , provide additional protection against mechanical shock and are securely attached to the corners of the base . the ribs 2012 also substantially surround a perimeter of the base of the enclosure . fig2 illustrates a front view of the protective enclosure 2000 . an addition protective rib 2018 is provided along the front of the case and extends around the case on the ends , as shown in fig2 . fig2 illustrates the back of the protective enclosure wherein an opening 2010 is provided in the protective enclosure 2000 which is sealed with a rubber plug 2020 . the plug 2020 of the usb hub is shown in more detail in fig2 . the usb cable hub allows the protective enclosure 2000 to be wired for both power as well as usb connections . in addition , provisions may be made to provide ventilation for the enclosure through opening 2010 . fig2 illustrates the usb hub 2021 . the hub has mounting apertures such as 2022 that are disposed to receive fasteners to mount the hub inside of the protective enclosure 2000 . a usb connecter 2024 , that is disposed to connect to a usb slot in a computer laptop or pc tablet computer , is connected by a cable 2026 to the hub 2020 . fig2 illustrates the integrated usb hub 2021 mounted in the enclosure 2000 . the cable 2026 and usb connector 2024 allow a laptop computer or other computer to be connected to the usb hub 2021 . the corner bumpers 2004 are disposed to be removably attached to the enclosure lining 2002 so that the computer may be moved to a new location or the inside of the protective enclosure 2000 to facilitate the making of a connection between a laptop computer and the hub 2020 . the hook and loop liner 2005 , that is attached to the base of the shock absorbing corner bumpers 2004 , extends beyond the base dimensions by a predetermined amount to increase the adhesion between the bumpers 2004 and liner 2002 of the enclosure 2000 . fig2 illustrates how the usb assembly comprising the hub 2021 , cable 2026 , and connector 2026 may be mounted in an enclosure for a pc tablet protective enclosure such as 1400 shown in fig1 . the foregoing description of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed , and other modifications and variations may be possible in light of the above teachings . the embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . it is intended that the appended claims be construed to include other alternative embodiments of the invention except insofar as limited by the prior art . | 0 |
referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first , particularly , to fig1 thereof , there is shown an engine schematic that is regulated or controlled through the use of a control unit 1 according to the invention . a combustion engine implemented as a reciprocating piston engine 2 ( diesel or otto - cycle engine ) is represented , which is filled via valves 3 and via a charging air tract 4 and that is evacuated via an exhaust tract 5 . the input air passes through an air filter 6 and an exhaust gas turbocharger 7 with variable turbine geometry , through an intercooler 8 via an inlet valve 3 into the cylinder , where fuel may be injected through the use of an injection system . following the compression and combustion of the air - fuel mixture , the resulting exhaust gas is discharged through an exhaust valve 3 via the exhaust tract . during this , the compressed exhaust gas passes through the exhaust gas turbocharger 7 , drives the exhaust gas turbocharger and thus compresses the charging air . it then passes through an oxides of nitrogen storage catalytic converter 10 and a diesel particle filter 11 and finally passes through an exhaust flap 12 into the exhaust pipe 13 . the valves 3 are driven via a variable camshaft 14 . the adjustment is carried out via a camshaft adjuster 15 that can be actuated by the control unit 1 . some of the exhaust gas can be fed into the charging air tract 4 via a high - pressure exhaust gas recirculation valve 16 . an exhaust gas treated partial flow can be fed via a suitable exhaust gas cooler 17 and an exhaust gas recirculation low pressure valve 18 into the charging air tract 4 in the low - pressure region after the exhaust gas turbocharger 7 . the turbine geometry of the exhaust gas turbocharger 7 is adjustable through the use of an actuator 19 . the charging air feed (“ gas ”) is regulated through the use of the main throttle flap 20 . inter alia , the exhaust gas recirculation low pressure valve 18 , the actuator 19 , the main throttle flap 20 , the exhaust gas recirculation high pressure valve 16 , the camshaft adjuster 15 and the exhaust flap 12 can be actuated ( solid lines ) via the control unit 1 . furthermore , the control unit 1 is supplied with temperature information ( intercooler 8 , exhaust gas cooler 17 ) through the use of sensors and setpoint generators for example , and with actual emission values ( for example from a sensor or physical / empirical model ). yet more operating state information can be used for this purpose : accelerator pedal position , choke flap position , air mass , battery voltage , engine temperature , crankshaft revolution rate and top dead center , selected gear and the speed of the vehicle . there is thus a complex control and regulating system that will adjust , regulate and optimize as far as possible the engine operation in respect of different target variables ( command variables ) in diverse operating states . the following exemplary embodiments relate to the control and regulation of emission values depending on predetermined upper emission limits and cumulative actual values . such a basic system is represented in fig2 . in this case , the control unit 1 determines one or more reference variables x ( t ) that are necessary and effective for influencing the emissions . from the reference variables , control variables are derived , which , in the combustion engine 2 or the components thereof ( for example position of the main throttle flap 20 , camshaft setting , the setting of the turbine geometry of the exhaust gas turbocharger 7 , the setting of the exhaust flap 12 , etc . ), influence the emissions ( for example nox , hc , co , carbon black ) of the combustion engine . the emissions are detected as mass flows ( emission rates ) em ds ( for example mass per unit time [ mg / s ]). from these emissions , cumulative actual values em k of the emissions are derived ( integration of the emission rates over time ). the reference variable ( s ) x ( t ) are determined in the control unit 1 from the cumulative actual values em k , together with the elapsed operating time t or the distance covered s , known or predetermined upper emission limits em g and information about the driver &# 39 ; s intentions fw ( for example acceleration : a soll . ; torque : m soll ) and other operating conditions sb ( for example speed : v ; revolution rate : n ) of the combustion engine 2 . fig3 shows by way of example the relationship between nox emissions and carbon black emissions as a function of the exhaust gas recirculation rate ( egr ), which forms a reference variable x ( t ) here . the diagram shows that by increasing the egr the nox emissions can indeed be reduced , but in doing so the carbon black emissions rise . fig4 shows a diagram with combinations of reference variables of determined carbon black emissions that are plotted against determined nox emissions . if the object is now for example to minimize / to reduce the carbon black emissions in an ( arbitrary ) operating state , but in doing so to conform to a ( cumulative ) nox limit value , the emissions history ( cumulative actual values em g ) for past operating states ( possibly arbitrary different operating states set in random order ) must be taken into account . pareto - optimal target variable combinations , for which the carbon black emission can only be lowered further if the nox emission is increased , are identified by the x points . all pareto - optimal target variable combinations form the so - called pareto front , which connects the x points to each other . in the case of a minimization problem , points to the left below the pareto front ( hatched region ) cannot be achieved and all target variable combinations provided on the right and above are not pareto - optimal , because in each case there are combinations ( x points ) that can be more favorably achieved on the pareto front , both with respect to carbon black emissions and nox emissions . the representation in fig5 shows the selection of two target variables ( nox emissions and carbon black emissions ) from pareto - optimal target variable combinations . in the column on the right , a nox limit value nox - g ( dashed line ) is indicated as the upper emission limit ems and the column represented below this shows the nox emissions nox - k 1 accumulated so far in the hatched region as the cumulative actual value em k . because the cumulative nox emissions nox - k 1 are already relatively close to the nox limit value nox - g , a relatively high exchange ratio between the target variables carbon black emissions and nox emissions is selected here ( increased carbon black emissions , benefiting low nox ), in order not to exceed the nox limit value nox - g . the desired exchange ratio is indicated by the indifference curve i here , which is shown decreasing relatively steeply here , and is then shifted to the nearest target variable combination , in which a certain carbon black emission and a certain nox emission can be achieved for this operating point . the target variable combination is then assigned an egr as a suitable pareto - optimized reference variable x ( t ) using the information known from the diagram of fig3 . fig6 shows an example in which cumulative nox emissions ( nox - k 2 ) lie further below the nox limit value nox - g . here the exchange ratio of the indifference curve i is smaller ( the straight line decreases less steeply ). here a higher nox emission can thus be accepted without a risk of the nox limit value nox - g being exceeded . thus , the carbon black emission can be kept lower . the more gently sloping straight line is shifted to the next target variable combination , at which a certain nox emission and a corresponding carbon black emission can be achieved with an associated reference variable x ( t ) ( here the corresponding egr of fig3 ). fig7 shows an example in which the cumulative nox emissions ( nox - k 3 ) have exceeded the nox limit value nox - g . here the exchange ratio of the straight lines i ( vertical indifference curve ) is quasi infinite . regardless of the level of the carbon black emissions , the reference variable x ( t ) is selected for minimal nox emissions . fig8 shows , similarly to fig5 , an example in which co 2 will be minimized depending on the cumulative nox emissions . fig9 shows , similarly to fig5 , an example in which the indifference curve is not linear . with the approach illustrated , the emission values ( target functions ) can be improved during operation and depending on changing boundary conditions . in addition to the problems illustrated here , for which emission variables have been considered in pairs , the method can also be extended to multi - dimensional problems . thus for example , it is possible to determine pareto - optimized reference variables x ( t ) for multiple combinations ( for example for co 2 emissions , carbon black emissions and nox emissions ). in addition to the reference variable egr , other reference variables x ( t ) can be determined as pareto - optimized for regulation ( for example vtg position or rail pressure ). | 5 |
fig1 is a scheme indicating the construction of the electrodes in an embodiment of the electron gun for a cathode ray tube according to the present invention . fig2 is a perspective view showing the principal part of the embodiment indicated in fig1 . for the cathodes k r , k g and k b arranged along the x - axis , corresponding to the different colors , red , green and blue , respectively , there are disposed in common a first electrode g 1 , a second electrode g 2 , a third electrode g 3 and a fourth electrode g 4 . the cathodes , the first electrode g 1 and the second electrode g 2 constitute a triode part , and the third electrode g 3 and the fourth electrode g 4 , both of which are cylindrical , form a main electron lens of a bi - potential focusing type . the third electrode g 3 is divided into two parts , electrode g 31 and electrode g 32 , in the z - direction along the central axis . electrode plates c and d are two pairs of first deflection plates , which are disposed between the electrode g 31 and the electrode g 32 . they are so disposed that the side beams b r and b b pass through between the two first deflection plates of the two pairs , respectively . electrodes a and b are two pairs of the second deflection plates , which are disposed for converging the side beams b r and b b , which have passed through the main electron lens , on a screen . the side beams b r and b b move forward within the triode part parallelly to the center beam b g . a voltage v g31 is applied to the electrode g 31 ; a voltage v g32 is applied to the electrode g . sub . 32 ; a voltage v g4 is applied to the electrode g 4 ; a voltage v a is applied to the deflection plates a ; a voltage v b is applied to the deflection plates b ; a voltage v c is applied to the deflection plates c ; and a voltage v d is applied to the deflection plates d , for which v g31 = v g3 = v c , giving a focus voltage . further v g4 = v b , v a & lt ; v b and v c & lt ; v d . now , based on an electron gun fabricated on trial in practice according to the present invention , aberration characteristics for the center beam and the effect of the first deflection plates c and d on the side beams will be explained . the size of the electrodes of the electron gun fabricated on trial is as follows . normalized by the inner diameter d of the electrode , the length of the electrode g 31 is 2 . 65d ; the length of both the first deflection plates c and d is 0 . 7d ; the length of the electrode g 32 is 1 . 0d ; the length of the fourth electrode g 4 is 2 . 0d ; the length of both the second deflection plates a and b in the axial direction is 1 . 8d ; the length from the cathode side end of the electrode g 31 to the screen side end of the second deflection plates is 8 . 75d ; the distance from the cathode side end of the electrode g 31 to the screen is 36 . 4d ; and the space between the deflection plates a and b as well as the deflection plates c and d in the x - direction is 0 . 35d . the distance between each of the outgoing side beams b r , b b and the outgoing center beam b g in the x - direction is 0 . 35d . fig3 indicates the electrode construction of the bi - potential focusing lens used in the example fabricated on trial described above for explaining the characteristics of the center beam . although the deflection plates c and d are inserted between the electrodes g31 and g32 of the third electrode g 3 in the electrode construction of the present embodiment , they are not drawn in the figure . in the case of the bi - potential focusing lens , the high voltage v g4 is applied to the fourth electrode g 4 and the focus voltage v g3 is applied to the third electrode g 3 . the length of the third electrode is 4 . 65d ; the distance from the screen side end of the third electrode g 3 to the exit p 0 of the main electron lens is 1 . 51 d ; and the distance from the exit p 0 of the main electron lens to the screen is 30 . 24d . fig4 shows variations in the gradient of the electron beam - r 0 &# 39 ; (&# 39 ; represents differential with respect to the central axis z ) with respect to the spread radius r 0 of the electron beam at the exit p 0 of the main electron lens . in the same figure , a curve 4 represents the aberration characteristics of the bi - potential focusing lens used in the example fabricated on trial . the straight line 2 represents characteristics for an ideal main electron lens having no aberration . a curve 1 represents the characteristics of a prior art uni - potential main electron lens under an almost same condition as the example fabricated on trial for the present embodiment . that is , the example fabricated on trial for the present embodiment and the prior art main electron lens using a uni - potential focusing lens are identical in the point that the inner diameter of the electrodes is d ; the distance from the exit p 0 of the main electron lens to the screen is 30 . 24d ; the position of the object point is set at the cathode ( not indicated in the figure ) side end of the third electrode g 3 on the central axis z and in the angle magnification of the electron beam from the object point to the screen ( for this reason , the thermal spread of the electron beam and the spread of the spot by the space charge effect remain identical ). therefore it is possible to compare uniquely the spread purely due to the aberration therebetween . from this figure it can be understood that the characteristic curve 4 of the bi - potential focusing lens approaches the straight line 2 for the lens having no aberration and that better aberration characteristics of the center beam can be obtained than the prior art uni - potential focusing lens . fig5 is a scheme for explaining an improving effect of the present invention on the spot diameter on the screen . the figure indicates variations in the spot diameter obtained by adding the spread of the beam spot due to the thermal spread and to the space charge effect to the spread of the beam spot due to the aberration with respect to the spread radius r 0 of the electron beam at the exit p 0 of the main electron lens . here a curve 5 represents the spot diameter due to the thermal spread and the space charge effect . curves 6 and 7 represent spot diameters obtained by means of the prior art uni - potential focusing lens and the bi - potential focusing lens of the present example fabricated on trial , respectively . curves 8 and 9 represent variations in the spot diameter obtained by adding the spread due to the thermal spread and the space charge effect to the spread due to the aberration of the prior art uni - potential focusing lens and the bi - potential focusing lens of the present example fabricated on trial , respectively . the spot diameter can be decreased by about 15 % at the smallest diameter by the bi - potential focusing lens of the present example with respect to that obtained by the prior art uni - potential focusing lens . in addition , while the image magnification ( projection magnification ) of the object point is about 9 for the uni - potential focusing lens , it is about 5 for the bi - potential focusing lens , i . e . it can be reduced to a half . consequently the spot diameter as a whole obtained by the bi - potential focusing lens fabricated for the present example is considerably smaller than that obtained by the prior art uni - potential focusing lens . next the effect of the deflection plates c and d on the side beams in the present embodiment will be explained , referring to fig6 . in general , the relation between the incident angle θ ; of the side beam to the main electron lens l and the outgoing angle θ o from the main electron lens is expressed by θ i ≈ θ o for the uni - potential focusing lens and by θ i & gt ; θ o for the bi - potential focusing lens . for the fabrication the deflection plates a and b , which are convergence means should be located at a position p s , from which the side beams and the center beam are distant in some degree . here the position of p s is so determined that the distance from the central axis z to p s and the distance from the central axis z to the position 0 ( object point ), at which the side beam is emitted , are equal to each other . for a same incident angle θ i , p s is located at a position more distant from the main electron lens l by the bi - potential focusing lens than by the uni - potential focusing lens . further , as described previously , in order to have a same angle magnification of the electron beam as that obtained by the uni - potential focusing lens , the distance between the main electron lens l and the object point 0 should be longer than that required for the uni - potential focusing lens . for this reason , the third electrode becomes longer . consequently , if the bi - potential focusing lens having no deflection plates c and d were applied , as it is , a problem would take place that increase in the total length of the electron gun is caused . therefore , by the electrode construction in the present embodiment , as indicated in fig1 the third electrode is divided into two parts in the z - direction along the central axis , i . e . electrode g 31 and electrode g 32 and the deflect plates c and d are inserted therebetween . by such an electrode construction the side beam b r advancing parallelly to the center beam b g is emitted at a position q virtually sufficiently more distant from the central axis than the real object point p . in this way , since the incident angle θ i to the main electron lens can be taken large , the outgoing angle θ o from the main electron lens can be also large . for this reason , the separation position p s of the side beams from the center beam can be made closer to the main electron lens l . fig7 a to 7f indicate characteristics of the side beams for the example fabricated on trial of the electron gun described above . fig8 a to 8f indicate characteristics of the side beams by the uni - potential focusing lens for comparison . fig3 a to 3c show spot characteristics of an electron beam divergent from one point with divergence angles ( half angle ) of 1 °, 2 ° and 3 ° at a position , which is distant by 0 . 35d in the x - direction from the central axis z at the cathode ( not show in the figure ) side end of the third electrode g 3 . that is , they show variations in the spot shape on the screen of an electron beam entering obliquely a position in the neighborhood of the center of the main electron lens , satisfying the fraunhofer condition ( condition of coma zero ), using parameters of the ratio of the voltages applied to the third and the fourth electrode v g3 ; v g4 ( without taking convergence into account ). fig7 d to 7f show variations in the spot shape , in the case where the object point 0 is located at a position , which is 3 times as distant as the object point for fig7 a , i . e . when it is located at a position , which is distant by 1 . 05d from the central axis z ( corresponding to virtual object points q for the side beams b r and b b emitted by the cathodes k r and k b by the effect of the first deflection plates c and d in the present embodiment ). here the incident angle of the electron beam to the main electron lens is 12 . 6 ° ( fraunhofer condition ), which is more than about 2 times as large as the incident angle obtained by using the uni - potential focusing lens , which is 5 . 5 ° to 6 °. fig8 a to 8c as well as fig8 d to 8f indicate variations in the spot shape of an electron beam divergent from one point with divergence angles ( half angle ) of 1 °, 2 ° and 3 ° at a position , which is distant by 0 . 35d in the x - direction from the central axis z at the cathode ( not shown in the figure ) side end of the third electrode g 3 for the uni - potential focusing lens , similarly to the case indicated in fig7 a to 7f . fig8 a to 8c show variations in the spot shape , when the length of the fourth electrode is 1 . 05d , while fig8 d to 8f show variations in the spot shape , when the length of the fourth electrode 1 . 45d . comparing fig7 a to 7f with fig8 a to 8f , it can be found that the astigmatism is smaller for the bi - potential focusing lens than for the prior art uni - potential focusing lens . it can be understood that the spot shape obtained by the bi - potential focusing lens is more round than the spot shape obtained by the prior art uni - potential focusing lens and has a smaller spot diameter than the latter . consequently , by the present embodiment it was possible to improve the aberration characteristics of not only the center beam but also the side beams with respect to those obtained by the prior art technique without causing an increase in the total length . further , concerning the position where the first deflection plates c and d are located , as the result of various studies on the spot characteristics of the side beams , it was found preferable that , in particular in order to lead the side beams emitted by the triode part suitably between the deflection plates c and d , the distance from the center position of the main electron lens ( middle point between the electrode g 32 and the electrode g 4 ) to the center position of the deflection plate c is greater than 1 . 5d . fig9 is a scheme showing the construction of an example of another electron gun fabricated on trial , in the case where the distance from the cathode side end of the electrode g 31 to the center position of the first deflection plates c is 2 . 0d . since the first deflection plates c and d are located closer to the cathodes than in the preceding example , the separation position p s of the side beam b r from the center beam b g is brought closer to the screen than in the preceding example . in the present embodiment , the total length ( distance from the cathode side end of the electrode g 31 to the screen side end of the second deflection plates ) is 8 . 75d , which is equal to that used in the preceding example , owing to the fact that the length in the axial direction of the second deflection plates a and b is as small as 0 . 75d and the length of the fourth electrode is increased to 2 . 7d . further , in the present embodiment , the length l d of the first deflection plate d is smaller than the length l c of the plate c . fig1 indicates cross - section characteristics of a 2 ° diverging side beam b r advancing parallelly to the central axis z from the object point ( position distant by 0 . 35d from the central axis , z - axis , at the cathode side end of the electrode g 31 ), viewed at the position r directly before entering the main electron lens , i . e . position distant by 3 . 5d from the cathode side end of the electrode g 31 . it shows variations in the ratio w of the vertical diameter ( in the y - direction perpendicular to the x - direction ) to the horizontal diameter ( in the x - direction ) of the cross - section of the beam with respect to l d / l c , l c = 1 . 8d , l d being shortened . every time l d / l c is varied , the ratio of the voltages applied to the first deflection plates c and d is varied so that the side beam b r enters the main electron lens under the fraunhofer condition . from the figure , it can be understood that the cross - section of the beam is elongated horizontally ( long in the x - direction ) by decreasing l d . this means that it can compensate the astigmatism produced by the second deflection plates a and b ( effect of elongating the cross - section of the beam vertically ( long in the y - direction )). as the result , even in the case where the electric field produced by the second deflection plates a and b is strengthened in order to have a good convergence by decreasing the length of the second deflection plates a and b , it is possible to compensate the astigmatism produced thereby by decreasing l d . consequently it is possible to decrease further the length of the second deflection plates a and b with respect to that required in the preceding example , keeping the total length as it is . fig1 shows the spot shape of the side beam ( 1 ° diverging beam and 2 ° diverging beam ) on the screen in the state where the convergence and the focusing are realized in the following mode of realization in the embodiment indicated in fig9 . in the present example , normalized by the inner diameter d of the electrodes , the length of the electrode g 31 is 0 . 8d ; the length of the deflection plates c l c = 1 . 8d ; the length of the deflection plates d l d = 0 . 6d ; the length of the electrode g 32 is 1 . 45d ; the length of the fourth electrode g 4 is 2 . 7d ; the length of the deflection plates a and b in the axial direction is 0 . 75d ; the length from the cathode side end of the electrode g 31 to the screen side end of the second deflection plates is 8 . 75d ; the space between the deflection plates a , b and the deflection plates c , d in the x - direction is 0 . 35d ; and the distance from the cathode side end of the electrode g 31 to the screen is 36 . 4d . the ratio of the voltages given to the various electrodes is v g31 : v c : v d : v g32 : v g4 : v a : v b = 10 : 10 : 10 . 75 : 10 : 33 . 6 : 31 . 16 : 33 . 6 . in addition , since the second deflection plates c and d are inserted and the voltage v d applied to the deflection plates d is higher than the voltages v g31 and v g32 applied to the electrodes g 31 and g 32 , the center beam is also influenced by the electric fields produced by the electrode g 31 , the deflection plates d and the electrode g 32 . for this reason , in the preceding example and the present example , as indicated in fig2 two horizontal plates f are disposed between the two deflection plates d so as to be perpendicular to the deflection plates d and parallel to the z - axis so that the electric fields in the x - and the y - direction are identical to each other on the center beam in the region , where the deflection plates d are inserted . fig1 is an enlarged scheme of the part of the first deflection plates c and d in another embodiment of the electron gun according to the present invention . between the two inner deflection plates d of the first deflection plates there are disposed two electrode plates h so as to connect them , the electrode plates h being perpendicular to the deflection plates d and parallel to the z - axis , and electrode plates having apertures 16 and 17 on the surfaces of the electrode plates h and the deflection plates d opposite to the electrode g 31 and the electrode g 32 , respectively . the center beam b g passes through these apertures 16 and 17 . the voltages v g31 , v g32 and v d are so determined that v g31 = v g32 & lt ; v d and the electrodes g31 , d , h and g 32 form a focusing lens . fig1 is a scheme indicating an optically equivalent model of the electron gun , which has the part indicated in fig1 , in which l 0 is a focusing lens constituted by the electrodes g 31 , d , h and g 32 ; 12 denotes the triode part ; 13 denotes the first deflection plates ; 14 denotes the main electron lens ; and 15 denotes the second deflection plates . the trajectory path of the center beam b g is shorter than the trajectory paths of the side beams b r and b b . consequently , if there were no effect of the focusing lens l 0 , when the side beams b r and b b are focused on the screen , the center beam b g would advance as indicated by a full line 10 and thus it would be in a not focused state . in the embodiment indicated in fig1 the center beam b g is subjected to the focusing action by the focusing lens l 0 and advances as indicated by a broken line 11 . in this way the focusing point of the center beam b g can be in accordance with the focusing points of the side beams b r and b b . consequently it is possible to decrease the spot sizes of both the center beam and the side beams simultaneously . in the above the electron gun fabricated on trial has been described . however these concrete numerical values represent only one example and it is obvious that the present invention can be realized , not limited to this example . although a case where the bi - potential focusing lens is composed of two cylindrical electrodes has been indicated in the above , it may be composed of more than two cylindrical lenses . the present invention can be realized without impairing the essence thereof , if , in short , the main electron lens is constructed by a bi - potential lens and the electron beams can pass through the neighborhood of the center of the main electron lens by using electrostatic deflection plates disposed on the electron source side of the main electron lens . as explained above , by using the electrode construction according to the present invention , it is possible to provide an electron gun having aberration characteristics more excellent than those obtained by using a prior art uni - potential focusing lens . as illustrated in fig1 , it is possible to obtain a high definition crt having a small beam spot on the screen 94 by using an electron gun 95 structured according to the present invention so as to realize a superior high definition color imaging device remain almost identical to that of a prior art electron gun . furthermore the center beam and the side beams can be emitted parallelly to each other without inclining the construction of the electron lens part for the triode part serving as the side beam generating part with respect to the central axis , as it is required heretofore . for this reason the fabricating process for the electrodes is not complicated and it is possible to provide an electron gun having a high fabrication precision . | 7 |
the document management system preferably provides access to a document management repository via a folder incorporated into the existing operating system file structure . although the present invention is described as enabling users to access document management functionality from a microsoft windows operating system , it will be appreciated to those skilled in the art that the present invention is also suitably designed to interact with any operating system , such as unix , linux , macintosh or other operating system . in one embodiment , the document management platform provides access to network - based documents via a browser , such as internet explorer or netscape . in the presently preferred embodiment , a document repository managed by the document management platform is represented as a folder or data storage area within an internet explorer window . the document management platform permits a user to perform operations on the repository folder or data storage area , preferably insofar as the user has the appropriate access rights , as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art . referring now to fig1 , an illustration of a network environment for practicing the present invention is provided . the system comprises a data transport network 100 illustrative of a lan or wan environment in which a preferred embodiment is provided , such as a packet - switched tcp / ip - based global communication network . the network 100 is suitably any network and is preferably comprised of physical layers and transport layers , as illustrated by a myriad of conventional data transport mechanisms like ethernet , token - ring ™, 802 . 11 ( b ), or other wire - based or wireless data communication mechanisms as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art . connected to a data transport network 100 is a document management platform 102 . in the presently preferred embodiment , the document management platform preferably is a plug - n - play device having a hardware component consisting of a closed - box server that is easy to install , configure and support , and software components , both of which will be described in greater detail hereinbelow . the document management platform is suitably operable to provide services to at least one computer 104 , at least one image generating device 108 , and / or at least one server 106 connected to network 100 . it is suitably a document distribution solution with document management capabilities . the document management platform 102 suitably replaces or supplements existing facsimile , print and electronic mail servers , and preferably offers a more efficient method of transmitting , tracking and storing business - to - business documents . the document management platform 102 is preferably a client / server system , which is suitably implemented in both single and collaborative corporate workgroups ( although not limited to such environments ) and designed to increase productivity and reduce costs by making document communications more simple and reliable . the document management platform 102 suitably provides functionality enabling users to share documents and conduct collaborative work between various workgroups . also connected to data transport network 100 is computer 104 . the computer 104 is suitably either a server or client running on any os , such as windows nt , windows 2000 , windows xp , unix , linux , macintosh or other operating system . in addition , the computer 104 is suitably a thick client or thin client , as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art . for example , lan environment , the document management platform 102 provides services from a “ thin ” browser - based client . the disclosed document management platform architecture is suitably accommodating for a “ thick client ” driver - based computer 104 and for a “ thin client ” browser - based computer 104 . at least one image generating device 108 is connected to data transport network 100 . the image generating device is suitably a device such as a printer , facsimile machine , scanning device , copier , multi - function peripheral , or other like peripheral devices . the image generating device 108 is suitably any networked image generating device as will be appreciated to one of ordinary skill in the art . the image generating device 108 preferably has an internal device controller suitably acting as a fully functional server with the necessary hardware and software that ensure proper operation of the image generating device as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art . in addition , the image generating device 108 preferably comprises internal storage , which is suitably a hard disk and random access memory as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art . optionally , a server 106 is also connected to data transport network . because both the image generating device and the document management platform 102 suitably have server functionality , an additional server is not necessary to practice the present invention . however , corporate networks rarely have only one server , and often have more than two servers , wherein the servers may be configured to perform different tasks . the server 106 is suitably any fully functional server with the necessary hardware and software to ensure proper operation . the server 106 is suitably a data archiving , and the like , an electronic mail server , an application server , or any server configured for performing a function across a network . the document management platform 102 preferably comprises a document distribution module 12 and a document management module 114 . it should be noted that the document management platform 102 is not limited to these particular modules , and suitably comprises additional modules for device management . the main function of the document management module 114 is to store documents in a central document repository and to facilitate user capability to modify documents , collaborate during document editing , and search and locate stored documents . the main function of the document distribution module 112 is to route jobs to their destinations such as image generating devices , servers , computers , a document repository , etc . the document management platform 102 also suitably comprises internal storage 110 , in which at least one document repository or data storage area is suitably maintained . the document management platform 102 preferably interfaces with data transport network 100 via network interface 116 . thus , the document management platform 102 , server 106 , computer 104 and at least one image generating device 108 are in shared communication . the computer 104 suitably represents either a thick client or and a thin client with general interfaces to the document management platform 102 . the computer 104 interfaces with the document distribution module 112 for document distribution to selected devices . the document distribution module 112 suitably reports back to the computer 104 the status of the documents forwarded to the document distribution module 112 for distribution . the document management module 114 works with the document distribution module 112 and its components to enable users to quickly store and retrieve documents from a central repository , which is preferably stored in storage 110 on the document management platform 102 , but is also suitably stored on any storage device in communication with data transport network 100 . the repository allows a user to share documents and conduct collaborative work between various workgroups . when the document management module 114 receives a document in image form , such as it would from a facsimile or scanning device , it suitably routes the image to the repository for storage . the image can also be forwarded to the document distribution module 112 for further routing to an output device , e . g ., a printer . in addition , the image file is also suitably routed to other document management systems of a remote appliance over the network , and preferably odma compliant . a document received via electronic mail device is suitably processed as text or an attachment to a message and forwarded to the document management module 114 . both an image and a processed electronic mail document can be routed to the printer , repository , and other document management platform , and / or other output devices via the document distribution module 112 . referring now to fig2 , there is illustrated a hierarchical folder tree structure of a repository according to the present invention . the repository 200 is suitably comprised of a plurality of file folders or data storage areas . users can browse through the repository 200 to access file folders and documents through a suitable user interface , preferably a graphical user interface as will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art . authorized users suitably create a hierarchical tree by creating new file folders and documents . each file folder suitably contains both file subfolders and documents . a user is presented with file folders of two types : a private folder 202 and a group folder 204 . the private folder 202 allows only the folder owner access this type of file folder . the folder owner has all rights on the objects contained in it . the private folder 202 is suitably created when an administrator creates the user account . the group folder 204 is visible to users belonging to the group ( s ) assigned to this file folder . the operations that a user can perform on objects contained in the group folder 204 are limited to the access rights inherited from the respective group . in one embodiment , the document management system of the present invention also includes an inbox repository or storage area to post incoming scanned image data , facsimiles , printed data , and the like . such storages areas are suitably personal storage areas for each user or group or shared storage areas . the scanned images , facsimiles , printed data , and the like are posted to such storage areas based on the parameters provided by the user . the document management system of the present invention allows a user to automate selected operations to be performed on at least one document satisfying selected search criteria and located in a selected document data storage area . in operation , the user selects at least one operation to be performed on documents in a document data storage area . the user is provided the capability to select or define one or more operations to be performed . the user is then provided the opportunity to save the selected operations in a file or script . the user then associates the script with a selected document data storage area . the user then defines or selects the desired search terms or criteria for locating documents on which the selected operations are to be performed . a search is then performed using the defined search criteria and documents satisfying such criteria are located and received into the selected document data storage area . the documents received in the document data storage area will be automatically processed according to the operations specified in the associated script . preferably , only one script is associated with a document data storage area may be selected for each user . preferably , more than one document data storage area is associated with one script . preferably , the operations are performed in sequential order corresponding to the order in which the operations were associated with the data storage area . preferably , scripts are able to be edited , renamed , deleted , and shared between users in any suitable manner known in the art . preferably , the document data storage area is selected from a private folder , a group folder , and an electronic inbox . in one embodiment , the document management system also includes means adapted for deselecting the designated document data storage area so that the selected operations are no longer performed on documents in the document data storage area . until the user deselects the designated document data storage area , all selected operations are performed on documents received into the designated document data storage area . at this point , the user elects to stop the process or select another document data storage area for which selected operations are to be performed . in another embodiment , the document management system includes means adapted for determining whether the selected operations or script are able to be executed . if the determination is positive , the selected operations are stored in any suitable memory device . if the determination is negative , the user is prompted to edit or revise the script . the revised script is then reviewed to determine if the selected operations are able to be executed . in another embodiment , the document management system provides a plurality of document data storage areas . in this embodiment , at least one document is received into each document data storage area . at least one operation is associated with each document data storage area and the at least one operation associated with each document data storage area is performed on each document received into the associated document data storage area . referring now to fig3 , there is illustrated a flow chart of the process for performing at least one selected operation on documents received in a selected document data storage area according to the present invention . flow commences at process block 302 wherein the user selects at least one operation to be performed on documents in a document data storage area . the user is provided the capability to select or define one or more operations to be performed . the selected operations which may be performed on documents in the storage area include , but are not limited to , copying any documents in the data storage area to a selected destination ( copy to ), transferring any documents in the data storage area to a selected destination ( move to ), converting any documents in the data storage area from a first selected file format to a selected second selected file format ( convert to ), performing optical character recognition on any image format documents in the data storage area to convert image format documents to text format ( ocr ), assigning selected values to metadata fields any documents in the data storage area ( set metadata ), and identifying criteria which must be associated any documents in the data storage area in order for selected operations to be performed on documents ( filter by ). the copy to operation copies the documents received in the selected data storage area to a specified destination identified by the user . to identify the destination , the user provides selected information about the specified destination in any suitable manner known in the art . suitable destinations , include , but are not limited to , image generating devices , electronic mail servers , internet servers , and document management repository . the selected information about the destination is stored in a routing profile record in the document management system . the move to operation is similar to the copy to operation , except that the documents received in the selected data storage area are moved or transferred to a specified destination . to identify the destination , the user provides selected information about the specified destination in any suitable manner known in the art . suitable destinations , include , but are not limited to , image generating devices , electronic mail servers , internet servers , and document management repository . the selected information about the destination is stored in a routing profile record in the document management system . in the convert to operation , the documents received into the selected data storage area are converted from a first selected file format to a second selected file format . to select the appropriate formats , the user provides information about the formats in any suitable manner known in the art . preferably , the documents are able to be converted from ps to pdf , from pdf to ps , from ps to txt , from pdf to txt , from ps to tiff , from ps to jpg , and from ps to bmp . other types of document conversion , including any digital graphical storage format , are suitably utilized as will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art . the ocr operation extracts text from image format documents received into the selected data storage area , performs optical character recognition on such documents , and converts them to a text . suitable image formats include , but are not limited to , png , jpg , bmp , and tiff . in the set metadata operation , selected values are assigned to metadata fields within documents in the data storage area . to select the values for the metadata fields , the user provides selected information in any suitable manner known in the art . the metadata information is stored in a file located in the document management repository . in the filter by operation , certain criteria is identified and documents in the data storage area must meet such criteria in order for operations to be performed on the documents . for example , the user can specify that only electronic mail documents will have selected operations performed on the documents . the user provides the selected criteria by any suitable manner known in the art . flow then continues to decision block 304 wherein a determination is made as whether the selected operations are able to be performed . if the determination is negative , the user is prompted to modify the file or script as shown at process block 306 . the script is an ordered sequence of selected operations . the revised script is also analyzed to determine if the selected operations are able to be performed . if the determination is positive that the original script or the revised script is valid , flow continues to process block 308 wherein the user saves the selected operations in a script . flow then proceeds to process block 310 wherein the user selects a document data storage area for which the script is to be associated . the user identifies the appropriate data storage area by providing selected information about the data storage area in any suitable manner known in the art . such information includes , but is not limited to , data storage area location , data storage area name , access permission , user name associated with the data storage area , and user name password . the user is suitably either a system user or a guest account . if the user is not currently authorized to access the data storage area , the user is prompted to provide a username and password to gain access . user rights to the folder are suitably assigned by an administrator in accordance with the level of access provided to that particular user . at 312 , the user defines or selects the search criteria for locating documents on which the selected operations are to be performed . the search criteria is selected by any suitable means . the search criteria include at least one of keywords , indices , electronic document size , electronic document creation date , electronic document name , electronic document content , and electronic document creator name . at 314 , the search is initiated using the defined search criteria . at 316 , a determination is made whether the user desires to continue the search operation . for example , a user may have selected search criteria which will result in retrieving too many documents . if the user does not want to continue with such search criteria , flow proceeds back to 312 wherein the user defines the search criteria again . if the user desires to continue with the search criteria , flow proceeds to 318 wherein the search is performed using the search criteria and documents satisfying such criteria are located and received into the selected document data storage area . flow then continues to decision block 320 wherein a determination is made whether user desires to perform the selected operations on documents in the data storage area . a negative determination causes progression to flow to 330 wherein the process terminates a positive determination at decision block 320 means that the user is attempting to perform the selected operations on documents in the data storage area . at this point , progression flows to process block 322 wherein the selected operations are performed on documents in the document data storage area . flow then commences to decision block 324 wherein a determination is made as whether the operations were successfully performed . if the determination is negative , the user is notified as shown in process block 326 . at this point , the user may elect several options ( not shown ), such as modifying the script or stopping the process . if the determination is positive , flow then continues to process block 328 wherein the user deselects the selected document data storage area via any suitable means so that the selected operations are no longer performed on documents in the document data storage area . the user may deselect the document data storage area at any time . at this point , the user may select another data storage area to receive documents or stop the process as shown at 330 . although system as described runs on a network appliance , it is appreciated that it can also run on other operating systems , for example , linux ( and other unix operating systems ), and operating system by apple computers . 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 . it will be appreciated that various changes in the details , materials and arrangements of parts , which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention , may be made by those skilled in the area within the principle and scope of the invention as will be expressed in the appended claims . | 6 |
the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment is presented only for illustrative and descriptive purposes and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope and spirit of the invention . the embodiments were selected and described to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application . one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many variations can be made to the invention disclosed in this specification without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . the present disclosure describes a feed system for a sawdust pulping process where a progressive cavity pump is used in place of a rotary feeder to pressurize and transport sawdust feed material from a receiving vessel to a treatment vessel . fig1 is a schematic view of a conventional sawdust pulping system 100 with a rotary valve 105 configured to feed sawdust 101 into the sawdust chute 122 , 127 . sawdust 101 is fed to a feed conveyor 102 . recycled digester rejects 103 from other digesters in other pulping systems may also be fed to feed conveyor 102 . the teed conveyor 102 transports sawdust 101 and recycled digester rejects 103 to a receiving vessel 104 . the receiving vessel 104 may receive exhaust steam 126 . exhaust steam 126 is purge steam 112 which has been distributed to the rotary valve 105 to aide in purging solid material caught in the pockets of a rotary valve 105 . sawdust 101 from the receiving vessel 104 is discharged to a feed screw 124 located at the discharge end of the receiving vessel 104 . sawdust 101 in the feed screw 124 moves from the receiving vessel 104 into an upper section of sawdust chute 127 , connecting the discharge end of the feed screw 124 and the inlet pockets of the rotary valve 105 . the rotary valve 105 is comprised of multiple pockets to receive sawdust 101 feed material from the upper section of the sawdust chute 127 at atmospheric or near atmospheric pressure and pressurize the sawdust 101 while within the rotary valve 105 to the operating pressure of the treatment vessel 106 . the operating pressure of the treatment vessel 106 may be between 2 bar and 15 bar absolute . purge steam 112 may be distributed through purge steam distributor 114 to rotary valve 105 as chute purge steam 112 . from rotary valve 105 , pressurized sawdust 101 is transported via sawdust chute lower section 122 where treatment white black liquor 119 is added as the pressurized sawdust 101 enters the treatment vessel 106 . black liquor 110 ( source of black liquor 110 may be elsewhere in the mill ) may be pumped via black liquor pump 111 to a stream of white liquor 108 associated with white liquor pump 109 . white liquor 108 and black liquor 110 may be combined to give a combined white black liquor 113 . combined white black liquor 113 is heated in a heat exchanger 107 using purge steam 112 from purge steam distributor 114 . it may be desirable to bypass heat exchanger 107 with at least a portion of the combined white black liquor 113 as unheated white black liquor 117 . heated white black liquor 118 may be mixed with at least a portion of unheated combined white black liquor 117 to form treatment white black liquor 119 . treatment white black liquor 119 is used in the treatment vessel 106 to chemically treat the pressurized sawdust 101 entering treatment vessel 106 . purge steam 112 from purge steam distributor 114 is typically provided to treatment vessel 106 as digester purge steam upper 115 and digester purge steam lower 116 to aide in the movement of sawdust 101 through the treatment vessel 106 . it is possible for only one of the digester purge steam upper 115 or digester purge steam lower 116 to be used . sawdust 101 from treatment vessel 106 is discharged into surge tube 121 . from surge tube 121 , treated sawdust 123 may be sent for further processing , including depressurization , cooling , washing , bleaching , etc . volatile gases are removed from treatment vessel 106 via dncg release 120 . fig2 shows a schematic diagram of a conventional sawdust pulping system 200 with dilution and a slurry pump 10 for pulping finely divided comminuted cellulose material referred to as “ sawdust ” 101 herein . the sawdust 101 is fed continuously by feed conveyor 11 into a receiving vessel 12 where pretreatment may take place . pretreatment may consist of steaming or treatment with black liquor 110 or some other strength or yield enhancing chemical , for example polysulfide or anthraquinone and their derivatives . treatment and retention in receiving vessel 12 may be from 5 minutes to 60 minutes , but is preferably between 5 minutes and 20 minutes . the receiving vessel 12 may operate at atmospheric or super - atmospheric pressures . the receiving vessel 12 may exhibit single - convergence and side relief as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 500 , 083 and u . s . pat . no . 5 , 628 , 873 . receiving vessel 12 discharges into a conveyor 13 which includes a conventional conveying screw as shown in fig1 , or any other conventional means of conveying the pretreated sawdust may be provided . the conveyor 13 typically comprises a screw 13 ′ driven by a drive device such as an electric motor 13 ″, for example a variable speed electric motor . if the conveyor 13 is pressurized , some form of pressure - isolation device can be used between the receiving vessel 12 and the conveyor 13 . for example , a star - type feeder , such as rotary valve 14 , may be used . the conveyor 13 is a first mixer for mixing steam and cooking liquor with the sawdust 101 . cooking liquor , for example kraft white liquor , is added to the conveyor 13 in white liquor line 43 to begin the impregnation of the material with cooking chemicals . steam may be , but is not necessarily , added to the conveyor 13 via steam line 15 to begin the heating or continue the heating of the material begun in the vessel 12 and to remove unwanted air from the material . the conveyor 13 may also include a vent 16 for releasing non - condensable gases ( ncg ) to a conventional ncg collection system . a slurry having a consistency of about 25 % or more and a temperature of between about 125 ° f . to 175 ° f . may be discharged from conveyor 13 . the conveyor 13 discharges to a teed chute 17 in which the sawdust 101 slurry is diluted to a consistency of between about 5 % to about 15 %. the temperature of the sawdust 101 slurry in the feed chute 17 may be between about 150 ° f . to about 250 ° f . the feed chute 17 feeds a conventional slurry pump 18 . the slurry pump 18 pressurizes and transfers the sawdust 101 slurry to a conventional dewatering conveyor 19 via slurry conduit 20 . the slurry may be diluted to lower the consistency of about 5 % to about 10 % in the slurry conduit 20 , e . g . by dilution liquid ( e . g . recirculated liquor , filtrate , or hot water ), added via dilution liquor conduit 21 . the dewatering conveyor 19 may be a conventional separator such as a “ top separator ” or an “ inverted top separator ” or another suitable conveyor . the liquor removed from this dewatering conveyor 19 , via hot liquor line 22 is typically at about 250 ° f . to about 300 ° f ., may be used as the source of dilution in the dilution liquor conduit 21 , after being pressurized in pump 23 and heated in heat exchanger 26 . all or part of hot liquor in hot liquor line 22 may be flashed to produce a source of steam using conventional flash tank 24 . for example , the pressure of the hot liquor in hot liquor line 22 may be decreased under controlled conditions , i . e . flashed , in flash tank 24 to produce a source of contaminated steam 25 and hot flashed liquor 25 ′. the contaminated steam 25 may be used as the source of steam introduced to the conveyor 13 or receiving vessel 12 . this contaminated steam 25 may be supplemented by clean steam as needed . the hot flashed liquor 25 ′ from flash tank 24 may be used as the source of dilution liquid in teed chute 17 , or elsewhere . the dewatering conveyor 19 increases the consistency of the sawdust 101 slurry to between about 20 % to about 40 % and discharges the sawdust 101 slurry to a conventional steam mixer 27 . the steam mixer 27 may be any conventional device ( e . g . having an internal conveying screw ) for introducing steam to the slurry and heating the slurry to cooking temperature , typically about 250 ° f . to about 350 ° f . ( from 2 bar to 10 bar ), while the slurry &# 39 ; s consistency is being diluted by the steam addition to between about 15 % to about 35 %. the sawdust 101 slurry discharged from the steam mixer 27 proceeds to a retention vessel / digester 28 in which the cooking reaction is allowed to proceed . the retention time in the retention vessel / digester 28 may range from about 30 minutes to about 6 hours . it should be noted that retention vessel / digester 28 is static , that is , retention vessel / digester 28 does not include any real cooking circulations or associated screens , because cooking circulations would be difficult to operate for such a finely comminuted material as sawdust 101 . the retention vessel / digester 28 need not include an agitator at a retention vessel / digester discharge 29 but preferably includes as the discharge 29 a non - mechanical means , such as a single - convergence outlet with side relief as illustrated schematically in fig2 or liquid discharge jets or nozzles . the material is discharged through discharge 29 from retention vessel / digester 28 , typically at between about 5 % and about 20 % consistency , and is transferred , while still at cooking temperatures and pressures ( and without destructive reduction of pressure ), via transfer conduit 30 to a second treatment vessel 31 . in the second treatment vessel 31 the cooked , hot , pressurized material is cooled by means of filtrate from filtrate line 32 . the heat of the treated material entering second treatment vessel 31 is removed via liquid extraction line 33 and used , for example , as a source of heat for heat exchanger 26 . the hot liquor in liquid extraction line 33 is cooled somewhat in heat exchanger 26 and may then be sent to a conventional chemical recovery system , for example , to one or more flash tanks , to evaporators , to a recovery boiler , etc . the liquor in liquid extraction line 33 may also be used to treat material in receiving vessel 12 , conveyor 13 or feed chute 17 . the second treatment vessel 31 may be a pressure diffuser where the cooked sawdust 101 is typically cooled by diffusing the cooler liquid from filtrate line 32 , typically brownstock washer filtrate , through a pulp bed of cooked sawdust 101 ( pulp ) formed in the second treatment vessel 31 . the pulp is cooled to below cooking temperature ( e . g . below about 250 ° f .) in the second treatment vessel 31 . the hot cooking liquor is displaced by the cooler liquid in this process and the hot displaced liquor is extracted as is conventional from the bottom of the pressure diffuser ( in liquid extraction line 33 ). the cooled pulp is discharged from the top 34 of the second treatment vessel 31 and passed by cooled material discharge conduit 35 to a high density brown stock storage vessel 36 or the like . the pulp stored in the high density brown stock storage vessel 36 may be further treated by , for example , washing or bleaching , and sent to a paper , board , or pulp machine . fig3 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a system according to the present disclosure using a progressive cavity pump . a sawdust pulping system with a progressive cavity pump 300 has been conceived . sawdust 101 is fed to a receiving vessel 104 . sawdust 101 is discharged from receiving vessel 104 into feed screw 124 . connected to feed screw 124 is a thick slurry pump , specifically a progressive cavity pump 225 . the progressive cavity pump 225 has a stator piece 226 attached to the housing 228 and a rotor 227 within the housing 228 . an inlet 229 is operatively connected to feed screw 124 and an outlet 230 is operatively connected to the treatment vessel 106 . in some instances , the outlet 230 may be connected to a sawdust chute 122 a or it may be connected directly to treatment vessel 106 . if sawdust chute 122 a exists , it may be a pipe and may be short in length , such as 1 foot (“ ft .”) to 2 ft . in length . if the sawdust chute 122 a is used , treatment white black liquor 119 may be added to sawdust chute 122 a . it is also possible to add treatment white black liquor 119 ′ to the outlet 230 of the progressive cavity pump 225 . if desired , it is also possible to add treatment white black liquor 119 ″ directly to treatment vessel 106 . if desired , any combination of locations for treatment white black liquor 119 , 119 ′, 119 ″ may be used . when using progressive cavity pump 225 , it is not necessary to provide purge steam 112 to the progressive cavity pump , but it may be desirable to add purge steam 112 to treatment vessel 106 through one or both digester purge steam upper 115 and digester purge steam lower 116 . any volatile gases produced in treatment vessel 106 are removed via dncg release 120 . as part of the system purge , steam 112 may first flow to a steam distributor 114 and then to treatment vessel 106 . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with references to exemplary 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 . | 3 |
fig1 shows an acoustic surface wave signal transmission device 20 of a configuration having a single array . device 20 comprises a thin rectangular strip of anisotropic substrate or medium 22 , having a surface 23 upon which is formed an input or transmitting transducer 24 , an output or receiving transducer 25 , and an array or plurality of periodic or spaced discontinuities 27 represented by an array of metallic fingers . the substrate 22 can be any material capable of propagating acoustic energy or waves , such as y - cut , z - propagating lithium niobate ( linbo 3 ), for example . the input transducer 24 , the output transducer 25 , and the discontinuities array 27 can be formed on surface 23 of the substrate 22 by well - known techniques of depositing metal film , for example , where fingers are employed and ion beam etching , for example , where grooves are used . discontinuities such as metal fingers may be of any substance or metal , such as aluminum , whose reflection coefficient or impedance characteristic is different from that of the substrate 22 . in the embodiment shown in fig1 the fingers of the array 27 increase in width and the center - to - center spacing increases as the distance from the input transducer 24 increases for constant amplitude linear fm generation or response . the effect of the variation in width of the fingers of the array 27 is to provide for selective attenuation of the amplitude of the waves , produced by transducer 24 , by the process of phase cancellation . in the embodiment shown in fig2 the fingers of the array 21 decrease in width as the distance from the input transducer 24 increases when the present invention is used for pulse expansion , for example . fig3 shows a graph of typical performance where the device 20 of fig1 is used as a pulse compressor , for example . the ordinate of fig3 represents time delay and the abscissa represents frequency . the dotted curve 29 is a graph of an input signal lauched by the transducer 24 of fig1 . the solid curve 28 is a graph of the delay characteristic of the array 27 of fig1 . in the graph of fig3 the signal launched by the transducer 24 and represented by the curve 29 typically has a center frequency of 30 mhz and a bandwidth of 10 mhz . the total signal delay due to the array 27 of fig1 and plotted by the curve 28 of fig3 is typically on the order of 10 μs . the output of the transducer 25 of fig1 under the conditions graphed in fig3 by the curves 28 and 29 is a sin x / x function as shown in fig4 having a main lobe with a center frequency of 30 mhz and two sides lobes 18 and 19 . more side lobes , for example 15 and 16 exist of lower amplitude stretching out on either side . fig5 is a more detailed view of the portion 26 of device 20 shown in fig1 and is used to illustrate the operation of the present invention . in fig5 a surface acoustic wave represented by the arrow w 1 traveling on the substrate 22 and having an amplitude a , leaves first finger 30 and strikes a second finger 31 . a portion of the wave w 1 represented by the dashed lines at 33a , 33b , and 33c is reflected by the finger 31 and a portion of the wave w 1 represented by the arrow w 2 continues toward a third finger 32 . the wave w 1 strikes the finger 31 at an angle of incidence θ degrees at a first point 34 , which is along a front edge 35 of the finger 31 . the width of the finger 31 is represented by the term l z . the wave portion 33a of the wave w 1 is reflected at the point 34 toward a point 37 on the substrate 22 , which point 37 is at a distance represented by the term l x from the point 34 . the wave portion 33b of the wave w 1 traverses the width l z of the metal finger 31 . when the wave 33b strikes a back edge 39 of the finger 31 such as at a point 38 , for example , the part w 2 continues toward the finger 32 , the wave portion 33b , is reflected toward a point 40 on the finger 31 which is a distance l x from the point 38 . thus , the distance l x is the distance that the wave 33c travels trough the metal finger 31 . the discontinuities of the array 27 are generally of uniform width over their entire length . for example , referring to fig5 the edges 35 and 39 are parallel . when a wave w 1 of amplitude a traveling in a non - metallic substrate medium 22 strikes the boundary formed by a non - metallic region and a metallic region such as that represented by the edge 35 in fig5 the amplitude of the wave 33b transmitted through the metal finger 31 is a fraction τ of the wave w 1 amplitude a . where τ is the transmission coefficient of the metal finger 31 . the amplitude of the wave 33a reflected from the metal is a fraction γ d of the wave w 1 amplitude a . where γ d is the reflection coefficient at the point 34 where γ = √( 1 - γ d ) 2 . more particularly , z m = the characteristic impedance of the metallic finger 31 . when a wave travels through a metallic region 31 and strikes a boundary 39 formed by the metallic region 31 and a non - metallic substrate medium 22 such as that represented at edge 39 in fig5 the amplitude of the wave 33c reflected is a fraction γ u of the amplitude a of wave 33b where γ u is the reflection coefficient at the point 38 . where the non - metallic substrate medium 22 is the same at the rear boundary 39 as it is at the front boundary 35 , the relation γ d = - γ u exists . in fig5 the velocity of propagation of the acoustic wave 33a traveling on the substrate in the x direction , can be represented by v xf . the velocities of the acoustic wave 33c and 33b traveling through the metal finger 31 in the x and z directions , respectively , can be represented by v xm and v zm , respectively . the x and z directions are indicated by the arrows at 15 and 16 respectively . the arrows 15 and 16 are , respectively , parallel and perpendicular to the direction of the wave w 1 . in an anisotropic substrate , an acoustic wave travels faster in the direction of crystal orientation than when it travels against the crystal orientation . therefore , the velocity , v zm , of the acoustic wave traveling through the metal finger in the z direction will be different from the velocity , v xm , of the wave traveling through the metal finger in the x direction . three relations can be formed : where f is the frequency of an acoustic wave . relations such as k zm , k xf , and k xm are called wave numbers and can be thought of as the number of waves per centimeter . the variables λ zm , λ xf , and λ xm are the corresponding wavelengths of the waves 33b , 33a , and 33c respectively . the wave number is the reciprocal of the wavelength times 2π . as an acoustic wave travels through a metallic or non - metallic medium , its phase changes as a function of its velocity , v , through the medium , its frequency , f , and the distance , l , travelled . the phase or amplitude of such a wave is proportional to the function e - ikl where k = 2πf / v and k 1 is the phase . the function e - ikl can also be expressed as : in fig5 the reflected wave 33a propagates in the x direction across the substrate from the point 34 at a velocity v xf for a distance l x to the point 37 . the amplitude of the reflected wave 33a at point 37 is aγ d e - ik . sbsp . xf l . sbsp . x , where k xf is given in equation ( 2 ). a transmitted wave 33b propagates in the z direction across the metal finger 31 from the point 34 at a velocity v zm for a distance l z to the point 38 . the amplitude of this transmitted wave 33b is aγ . at the point 38 , part of this transmitted wave having an amplitude aτγ u e - ik . sbsp . zm l . sbsp . z , where k zm is given in equation ( 1 ), is reflected in the x direction toward the point 40 . at the point 40 , this reflected transmitted wave has traveled an additional distance l x and its amplitude then is aτ 2 u e - k . sbsp . zm l . sbsp . z e - ik . sbsp . xm l . sbsp . x , where k xm is given in equation ( 4 ). the total reflection coefficient γ tot of the wave reflected from the finger 31 is the sum of the reflection coefficients at the points 37 and 40 , i . e ., γ . sub . tot = γ . sub . d e . sup .- ik . sbsp . xf . sup . l . sbsp . x + τ . sup . 2 γ . sub . u e . sup .- ik . sbsp . zm . sup . l . sbsp . z e . sup .- ik . sbsp . xm . sup . l . sbsp . x ( 6 ) also , l x can be expreseed as a function of l z : substituting equation ( 5 ) into equation ( 6 ) illustrates the cyclical nature of the reflection coefficient as it relates to the distance l z and l x : γ . sub . tot = γ . sub . d ( cos k . sub . xf l . sub . x + i sin k . sub . xf l . sub . x ) + τ . sup . 2 γ . sub . u ( cos k . sub . zm l . sub . z + i sin k . sub . zm l . sub . z )( cos k . sub . xm l . sub . x + i sin k . sub . xm l . sub . x ) ( 8 ) the curve 14 of the graph of fig6 shows how the reflection coefficient γ varies as a function of the width , l z , of a discontinuity for a wave of wavelength λ . the curve 14 indicates that the reflection coefficient is a maximum for discontinuities the width of which is λ / 2 and is a minimum for discontinuities the width of which is 0 or λ . the amplitude of an acoustic wave of any particular frequency can be weighted , i . e ., variably attenuated , by a factor γ tot , by choosing the appropriate width l z of the finger 33 . the angle θ is chosen such that waves striking the points 34 and 38 will be reflected at a 90 - degree angle from the original direction of travel . the distance l x is not a design consideration since from equation ( 7 ) l x = l z tan θ . for any particular range of wave frequencies , the variations in widths of fingers or discontinuities in the array 27 can be arranged to effect the desired electrical output . for the configuration illustrated in fig1 the distance between the centers of the fingers is λ , i . e ., for a filter , the wave length of the wave desired to be reflected . for a dispersive device such as a pulse compressor or pulse expander , the distance between the centers of the fingers will vary according to the desired delay characteristics . it is well known in the electro - acoustic arts that the velocity v zf of an acoustic wave traveling in the direction on a section of y - cut , z - propagating lithium niobate crystal is 3 . 488 × 10 - 5 cm / s and that the velocity v xf of an acoustic wave in the x direction is 3 . 765 × 10 - 5 cm / s . it can be shown that the velocity v zm of such a wave traveling in the z direction through an aluminum finger deposited on such a crystal is approximately 0 . 985 v zf and that the velocity v xm of the wave in aluminum traveling in the x direction is 0 . 985 v xf . the phase weighting approach as described herein employs fingers which are substantially straight . the wavefront reflected from these fingers is much wider than the wavefront reflected from the shortened fingers in the chevron design with the result that diffraction degeneration of the wavefront is greatly reduced as a function of distance from the reflector . this result allows longer delay lines to be fabricated with less amplitude and phase distortion being introduced as a result of the weighting of the waves . it should be understood that the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in fig1 is not to be construed to limit the present invention to the illustrated geometric configuration . consistent with the spirit of the present invention , the principles set forth herein can also be applied to configurations having multiple arrays such as the double array devices shown in fig7 and 8 . referring to fig7 similar reference numerals are used to refer to like elements referred to in fig1 . a surface acoustic wave 42 launched by input transducer 24 toward a first array of fingers 44 is reflected by the array 44 toward a second array of fingers 43 . the array 44 consists of fingers , for example , the widths of which increase as the distance from the input transducer 24 . the array 43 is a mirror image of the array 44 , i . e ., the fingers of the array 43 are rotated 90 degrees clockwise in relation to the fingers of the array 44 but opposite fingers are of equal widths . a first reflected acoustic wave 45 propagates toward the array 43 and is in turn reflected by the array 43 toward the output transducer 25 . a second reflected acoustic wave 47 emerges from the array 43 , is received by the output transducer 25 , and converted into a corresponding electrical signal . the device of fig8 operates similarly to the device of fig7 . referring to fig7 similar reference numerals are used to refer to like elements referred to in fig1 and 7 . a surface acoustic wave 42 launched by input transducer 24 toward the array 44 is reflected by the array 44 toward an array 49 . as in fig7 the array 44 consists of fingers for example , the widths of which increase as the distance from the input transducer 24 . the fingers of the array 49 , however , have the same angular orientation as the fingers of the array 44 . also , as in fig7 opposite fingers are of equal widths . a first reflected acoustic wave 45 propagates toward array 49 and is reflected in a direction parallel to the direction of launching toward an output transducer 51 . a second reflected acoustic wave 53 emerges from the array 49 and is received by the output transducer 51 and converted into a corresponding output signal . as mentioned hereinbefore , the use of fingers in the array fingers 27 to explain the operation of the present invention is for purposes of illustration only . it is not meant that the scope of the present invention be so restricted or limited . by discontinuity it is meant any area or region encountered by a wave travelling upon medium 22 , the characteristic impedance of which is different from that of medium 22 . for instance , grooves etched in the surface of medium 22 , would result in acoustic waves travelling on the surface of medium 22 encountering a region of air , the characteristic impedance of which is different from that of medium 22 . a cross - section of such groove discontinuities are shown , for example , in fig9 b wherein the regions of air 60a , 60b , and 60c are the discontinuities . alternatively , the grooves of fig9 b can be filled with a conductive material such as , for example , copper or gold in order to provide a greater impedance mismatch . a cross - section of such filled groove discontinuities are shown , for example , in fig9 c wherein the regions of copper 62a , 62b , and 62c are the discontinuities . other such discontinuities which are within the scope of the principles of the present invention include ion implanted stripes which may vary in width according to the teachings of the present invention . it is to be noted , also , that the referred to herein is not the free space wavelength , but is the wavelength of the surface wave as it propagates on the surface of the medium 22 . | 7 |
fig1 to 4 are schematic cross - sectional views of a section of an interconnect stack 102 of an integrated - circuit device 100 during different processing stages of an embodiment of a method for fabricating a diffusion - barrier cap according to the invention . the interconnect stack 102 shown in fig1 at an intermediate processing stage contains a cu - containing conductive element 104 , which will also referred to as interconnect element 104 in the following . the interconnect element 104 is embedded laterally in a dielectric layer 106 . the dielectric layer 106 is made of an ultra - low - k ( ulk ) material . numerous suitable ulk - materials are known in the art . for example , sioch with k = 2 . 5 can be used for the dielectric layer 106 . a diffusion - barrier layer 108 is provided between the interconnect element 104 and the dielectric layer 106 on the sidewalls and bottom faces . suitable diffusion - barrier layer materials are well known in the art and include , by way of example , conformally deposited material layers of tan , ta , cusin , and sin , or other well known barrier - layer materials . the structure described heretofore can be fabricated by a known damascene or dual - damascene process . the dielectric layer 106 is in the present embodiment completely covered by a mask layer 110 , which is made of sio 2 . the mask layer is a thin film and supports the underlying ulk material during patterning , i . e . etching and lithography steps , and during a cu chemical mechanical polishing step , where it improves the control of the process and prevents an undesired opening on the ulk material . in typical dual - damascene processing , the structure of fig1 has been subjected to a cmp step after copper deposition , before further processing according to the present embodiment continues . further referring to the processing stage shown in fig1 , a metal layer 112 has been deposited on the structure provided after the cmp step . an example of a suitable metal is titanium ( ti ). the following description focuses on this example without implying any restriction on choice of the metal . other examples of suitable metals have been described previously in this application . the metal layer 112 has been deposited on the complete substrate surface in the present embodiment . in another embodiment , where no deposition of the metal layer on the dielectric layer is desired , the deposition can be laterally restricted to the interconnect element 104 by known techniques . the integrated - circuit device 100 is then subjected to an annealing step for inducing or enhancing diffusion of titanium from the metal layer 112 into a top section 104 . 1 of the interconnect element 104 . in the present embodiment , diffusion takes also place from the metal layer 112 into a top section 110 . 1 of the sio 2 mask layer 110 . the diffusion of titanium into the interconnect element 104 and into the mask layer 110 takes place simultaneously . care is taken that the diffusion covers only top sections 104 . 1 of the interconnect element and 110 . 1 of the mask layer . this can be controlled by setting a suitable temperature or temperature profile during annealing time span , and by limiting the annealing time span . afterwards , as shown in fig3 , the unreacted remaining metal layer 112 is removed from the surface using a suitable wet chemistry . alternatively , a reactive ion etching treatment can be used for this step . after that , the diffused ti in the top section 104 . 1 of the interconnect element 104 reacts with a second constituent . in the present embodiment , without restriction , silicon si atoms are incorporated at the surface of the interconnect element 104 for this purpose . this can be achieved for instance by using a plasma process , involving a decomposition of si - based precursors , such as trimethylsilane , silane or other known suitable precursor molecules . this process induces the formation of a tisi - rich layer 114 at the surface of the interconnect element 104 . this is occurs because the tisi compound is more stabile than a ticu compound . the tisi - rich layer 114 functions as a diffusion - barrier cap , and will also be referred to as such hereinafter . at the same time , the deposited second constituent , silicon in the present example , can also react with ti atoms present in the top section 110 . 1 of the mask layer 110 . this way , a dielectric surface layer of the type ti x / si y / o 116 is formed on top of the mask layer 110 . the ti x / si y / o layer is also referred to as the ti / si / o layer and as the etch - stop layer 116 herein . tisi is known to be an excellent barrier material against cu diffusion , and the ti / si / o layer 116 , which is formed on top of the dielectric mask layer 112 forms an excellent hard mask against an etching process that would attack the underlying dielectric layer 106 in the absence of the insulating ti / si / o layer 116 . the method described with reference fig1 to 4 provides a way to fabricate the self - aligned diffusion - barrier cap 114 in the form of the tisi - rich layer , or in the form of an alternative material layer with similar diffusion - barrier properties . further interconnect levels can then be fabricated on top of the structure shown in fig4 . therefore , an accurate integration of cu - containing interconnect elements can be achieved . the described method therefore allows improving the performance of an interconnect stack by providing the self - aligned efficient diffusion - barrier cap 114 on the interconnect element 104 . no dielectric liner is needed . fig5 is a schematic cross - sectional view illustrating the etch - stop function of a second compound built from a mask layer on a deposited metal layer in the embodiment of fig1 to 4 . the processing of fig1 to 4 has continued to the processing stage , which is shown in fig5 , with the deposition of a second dielectric layer 118 and the formation of openings 120 and 122 in the second dielectric layer 118 for a second interconnect element and a via connecting the second interconnect element with the interconnect element 104 , respectively . the opening 120 is also referred to as the via opening . usually , the openings 120 and 122 will be well aligned to the underlying interconnect element 104 . fig5 illustrates a rather exceptional case , in which the via opening 120 is slightly misaligned . the via opening 120 extends beyond a right lateral edge of the interconnect element 104 and into a lateral region of the dielectric 106 . however , thanks to the presence of the ti / si / o or etch - stop layer 116 , the formation of the via opening 122 by etching stops on the etch - stop layer 116 due to its excellent etch - stop properties . this way , an over - etch of the via opening 122 into the dielectric layer 106 is avoided . such an over - etch could potentially damage the structure and lead to device failure . fig6 is a schematic cross - sectional view of a section of an interconnect stack 202 of an integrated - circuit device 200 at an intermediate step of an alternative embodiment of a method for fabricating a diffusion - barrier cap according to the invention . the processing step shown in fig6 is based on that described with reference to fig1 to 4 with an exception that will be described further below . unless stated otherwise explicitly , like structural elements in the two embodiments are denoted by reference numerals according to a rule , in which reference numerals of the present embodiment differ from those of the previous embodiment only in the first digit , in which “ 1 ” is replaced by “ 2 ”. at the processing stage shown in fig6 no second mask layer or ti / si / o or etch - stop layer ( 116 in fig4 ) is present , so that the mask layer 210 is exposed at the substrate surface . the formation of the ti / si / o layer can be avoided by using a wet chemistry after the capping of the cu interconnect element 204 with ti and before the formation of the diffusion - barrier cap 214 . fig7 to 9 show cross - sectional views of a section of an interconnect stack 302 of an integrated - circuit device 300 according to a third embodiment of the method of the invention . again , like structural elements in comparison with the previous embodiments are shown with reference numerals which deviate from those of the previous embodiments only in the first digit , which is “ 3 ” in the present embodiment . the embodiment comprises the formation of air cavities for improving the dielectric properties of the interconnect stack . unlike in the previous embodiments , the dielectric layer 306 ′ and the second dielectric layer 318 ′ are deposited temporarily only , and for this reason are made of sio 2 . an additional wet - etch stop layer 321 is provided at the level of the bottom of the interconnect element 304 and embedded in dielectric material of the dielectric layer 306 ′. after completion of the processing of the interconnect element 304 and a second interconnect element 324 , which are connected by a via 326 , the dielectric layer 318 ′ is removed down the etch - stop layer 316 . this way , air cavities 328 and 330 are formed on the level of the second interconnect element 324 and the via 326 . subsequently , the ti / si / o or etch - stop layer 316 is removed , and formation of air cavities continues with the removal of the dielectric layer 306 ′ by a wet etch , which stops on the wet - etch stop layer 321 . this completes the formation of air cavities on this level by adding an air cavity 332 . while the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description , such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive ; the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments . other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention , from a study of the drawings , the disclosure , and the appended claims . in the claims , the word “ comprising ” does not exclude other elements or steps , and the indefinite article “ a ” or “ an ” does not exclude a plurality . the mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measured cannot be used to advantage . any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope . | 7 |
referring initially to fig1 , an under fire training system is shown and generally designated 10 . the system 10 includes a trainee - wearable harness 12 that bears a portable battery - powered receiver assembly 14 . the harness 12 , which can be made of nylon webbing , may be worn over a trainee &# 39 ; s clothing and supports leads 16 which connect the receiver assembly 14 with plural electrical muscle stimulation ( ems ) electrodes 18 which are selectively activated by the receiver assembly 14 responsive to trainer stimulation command signals received wirelessly from a transmitter remote control ( rc ) 20 . accordingly , the harness 14 may be worn by a trainee and is triggered remotely by a trainer manipulating the rc 20 . when activated , the electrodes 18 produce a strong muscle contraction on a targeted area on the trainee &# 39 ; s body ( e . g ., arms , legs or abdomen ). the resulting muscle contraction causes an extreme distraction , discomfort and immobilization of the targeted limb , thus simulating a life - like gunshot wound . in this way , the trainee completes various training scenarios while training himself to re - gain focus in the midst of a significant physical distraction so that he / she may return fire at a simulated advancing shooting suspect with accuracy despite the surprise , stress , and immobilization of the simulated gun shot wound . the possible training scenarios for the system 10 are many . an example of one such scenario is a building search for an armed suspect . as the officer makes entry into the building , the suspect at some point approaches and engages the officer in simulated gunfire . subsequently , the instructor remotely triggers the electrodes , which initiates a strong muscle contraction on the officer &# 39 ; s forearm of his gun hand causing the officer to involuntarily open his hand and drop his weapon . the officer &# 39 ; s forearm muscles will remain tightly contracted and immobilized . as the suspect advances and continues to fire , the officer is forced to quickly utilize the opposite ( weak hand ) to either recover the weapon or retrieve his / her back - up weapon and accurately return fire in order to neutralize the suspect &# 39 ; s attack and save his own life . possible combat training scenarios are possible as well as the system 10 is mobile and can be used anywhere , inside or outdoors . other example uses include high intensity police paint ball training scenarios using 9 mm paint training ammunition ; live fire static target drills , involving highly trained units such as swat and seal teams , etc . ; close quarter urban combat training in which police and military use the system 10 for tactical building and room clearing , downed officer extraction , sniper fire on a foot patrol , search warrant entry team drills and rescue drills , police patrol contacts such as pedestrian and traffic stops , surprise shooters , etc . ; use with the military multiple integrated laser engagement systems ( miles ) xxi — the live training system providing realistic training to our ground forces military war games ; combat shooting competitions where accuracy and efficiency are critical , such as in the us military &# 39 ; s top sniper competition in which the system 10 adds a new and extremely realistic element and challenge to the course ; private shooting schools that develop “ body guard combat courses ” or “ under fire survival ” courses where certification is achieved after a high level of accuracy is maintained during multiple scenarios and in which certification can be used to add to the private security professional &# 39 ; s resume or personal safety development ; and paint ball combat course applications . still other applications include but are not limited to simulating trauma to a fighter , ultimate fight mixed martial arts type fighting . the system 10 may be used to train such fighters to fight with a simulated injured limb and condition them to endure pain and immobility . returning to the details of the non - limiting example harness 12 shown in fig1 , the harness 12 envelopes at least portions of the trainee &# 39 ; s torso , shoulders , and upper legs . specifically , the harness 12 includes shoulder straps 22 a merging into a back center strip 12 b , with the receiver assembly 14 being sewn into or otherwise supported by the center strip 12 b . a chest strap 12 c and waist strap 12 d are connected to the shoulder straps 12 a , with the waist strap 12 d also being connected to the center strip 12 b as shown . opposite ends of the chest strap 12 c and waist strap 12 d are joined by detachable clips 12 e to facilitate donning and removing the harness 12 . additionally , attached to the shoulder straps 12 a are ring - shaped upper and lower elastic armbands 22 , one for each of the upper and lower left and right arm as shown . the armbands 22 surround the arms of the trainee and hold leads 16 that are connected to electrodes 18 adhered to the trainee &# 39 ; s upper ( biceps ) and lower ( forearms ) arms . the armbands may be detachably engaged with the remainder of the harness by a hook - and - eye fastener such as velcro ® to facilitate disposing an electrode lead or leads under them when they are detached and then attaching the armbands to the remainder of the harness to hold the leads against the trainee . further , left and right leg strips 24 are attached to and depend down from the waist strap 12 d and extend along the back of the trainee &# 39 ; s legs to terminate in ring - shaped leg bands 26 which hold leads 16 against the skin , with the leads 16 held by the leg bands 26 being connected to electrodes 18 adhered to the trainee &# 39 ; s upper ( thighs ) and lower ( calves ) legs . electrodes 18 may also be adhered to the abdomen of the trainee as shown in fig1 . in some embodiments , the leads 16 are wireless leads , i . e ., the receiver assembly 14 communicates wirelessly at least in part with the electrodes 18 . in this latter case each electrode may be packaged with its own small battery . in one implementation , the electrodes 18 are disposable electrodes pads that may otherwise be used for ems units and that may be physically instantiated by soft , spun - lace cloth electrodes that have conductive solid gel centers and are self - adhering for easy , one - step application . the electrodes may be applied by to the trainee by the trainer to each of the above muscle groups , and then connected to the appropriate leads 16 exiting the wearable harness 12 . turning now to fig2 , a simplified circuit diagram of an example receiver assembly 14 with electrodes 18 may be seen , with appropriate ground connections omitted for clarity . as shown , the receiver assembly 14 can include a wireless receiver 30 powered by one or more rechargeable or primary batteries 32 and controlled by a control circuit 34 , which may be implemented by a processor such as but not limited to a programmable gate array or microprocessor . the control circuit 34 can also be powered by the battery 32 . the receiver 30 may be a multiple channel nine volt receiver configured to receive a 75 mhz pulse controlled modulation ( pcm ) signal from the transmitter 20 shown in fig1 , although any appropriate frequency may be used , e . g ., 27 mhz , 2 . 4 ghz , etc . as shown , responsive to signals received by the receiver 30 , the control circuit 34 selectively energizes one or a group of relays 36 , with each relay 36 closing , when actuated , a respective contact 38 . in turn , each contact 38 when shut completes an electrical path between the battery 32 and a respective electrode 18 . in the embodiment shown , individual electrodes may be energized for , respectively , contracting the trainee &# 39 ; s lower left arm , upper left arm , lower right arm , upper right arm , lower left leg , upper left leg , lower right leg , upper right leg , and abdomen , although when only eight channels are provided one of the arm or leg electrodes may be replaced by the abdomen electrode or the abdomen electrode omitted . thus , the battery 32 communicates main electrode power to the electrodes 18 through respective main lines 40 while the control circuit communicates control signals to the relays 36 through respective control lines 42 , with a lead 16 containing a main line 40 and a control line 42 in some embodiments . in other embodiments , the relays and contacts are housed in the receiver unit worn in the back of the harness in fig1 so that the leads 16 contain only the main lines 40 . while fig2 shows that each contact 38 closes to energize a single electrode , each contact 38 may energize multiple closely - spaced electrodes on the same body portion as illustrated in fig1 . the control circuit 34 energizes and deenergizes the receiver assembly 14 responsive to on and off signals from a manually operated switch 44 . also , the control circuit 34 may provide indication of power and battery state by appropriately illuminating power and battery lamps 46 , 48 , e . g ., by turning on the power lamp 46 when power is supplied to the receiver assembly and by illuminating in red the battery lamp 48 when battery voltage falls below a threshold . as contemplated in some embodiments , the trainee may be given the option of terminating electrode energization regardless of signals being received by the receiver 30 , as a safety precaution . to this end , a trainee kill switch is provided which , when actuated as described more fully below , opens a contact 50 between the battery 32 and electrodes 18 . also , to ensure that the trainee is not subjected to electrode stimulation in the event that the receiver assembly 14 loses communication with the transmitter 20 shown in fig1 or a malfunction occurs , a timeout kill switch is provided . in the event that the control circuit 34 does not receive information from the transmitter 20 for longer than a threshold timeout period ( and / or in the event that the control circuit receives unexpected signals indicating transmitter malfunction ), the control circuit 34 controls a relay 52 to open a contact 54 between the battery 32 and electrodes 18 . opening either contact 50 , 54 may result in only the electrodes 18 being held deenergized or may result in the entire receiver assembly 14 along with the electrodes 18 being deenergized . fig3 shows that the receiver assembly 14 may be embodied in a parallelepiped - shaped enclosure with the leads 16 extending therefrom . the on / off switch 44 and indicator lamps 46 , 48 are shown embodied as light emitting diodes ( leds ) on the enclosure . electrode voltage intensity adjustment ports 56 may be provided on some receiver assemblies configured to vary electrode 18 voltage / current , with the voltage / current adjusted for maximum levels for purposes of present principles . a kill switch 58 with trainee - pullable plunger 60 is connected to the receiver assembly to open the contact 50 shown in fig2 when a trainee pulls the plunger 60 out of the kill switch 58 . details of an example kill switch 58 are shown in fig4 . as shown , the plunger 60 is engaged with a lever 62 of the contact 50 . pulling the plunger 60 outward pivots the lever 62 , mechanically ( and electrically ) opening the contact 50 . details of an example transmitter rc 20 are shown in fig5 . in one implementation the rc 20 includes a multiple channel battery - powered twelve volt wireless transmitter housed within a casing 64 . the casing 64 can includes an on / off switch 66 , a power indicator lamp 68 , an antenna , and plural ( e . g ., eight ) keys 70 . in the embodiment shown , when a key 70 is manipulated by a trainer , the transmitter rc 20 sends an electrode activation command in a corresponding respective channel which is received by the receiver assembly 14 and correlated to a respective one of the relays 36 shown in fig2 ( and , hence , energizing , with constant current , a respective electrode 18 on a respective body portion of the trainee . the associated electrode is energized as long as the trainer depresses a key 70 . by pressing one or more keys 70 simultaneously the trainer can target any desired combination of muscle groups for a simulated gunshot hit . when a key 70 is released by the trainer the electrode activation command terminates and the electrode is deenergized . as shown in fig5 , each key 70 ( not all possible keys shown ) may bear the label of the body portion of the trainee that will be stimulated when the key is pressed . alternate controllers for triggering the electrodes may include a wireless computer , a laser - based controlled , or other signal sending unit . while the particular personal under fire trainer for security and military personnel is herein shown and described in detail , it is to be understood that the subject matter which is encompassed by the present invention is limited only by the claims . | 6 |
this invention concerns a color film inspection method in printing a color film of an elongated or disk type which comprises displaying picture images of the color film on a display unit ( for instance a crt display ), evaluating the color and the density thereof and correcting them . the inspection method particularly aims at raising the processing capability in the color film inspection by judging the similarity of the picture images of the color film , and grouping similar picture images , and automatically displaying only a limited number of the picture images within a group thereof for evaluation . the similarity of picture images in a color film can be determined in accordance with the method , for instance , disclosed in japanese laid - open no . 26729 / 1979 ( which is described hereinafter ) wherein a frame of picture images is and compared with the preceding frame by using a video signal from a color tv camera . the following method of determination may also be used . an example is given in fig2 for successively determining images a to d of the negative film 20 to facilitate understanding . the first frame a is set as a reference image and a similarity to the following frame a &# 39 ; is evaluated according to a formula which is described hereinafter , and these determination signals , for example , of 5 steps , i . e . s1 , s2 , s3 , s4 and s5 are outputted . frames a and a &# 39 ; are regarded as similar ( or identical ) if the signals s1 to s5 exceed a prescribed value ( for example s3 ), and the mean characteristic data of frames a and a &# 39 ; are set as a new reference image 21 . the value can either be the mean of the 2 frames or the weighted mean corresponding to the number of the frames . then similarity based on the comparison between this newly established reference image 21 and the next frame b is obtained . when its determination signal is s2 or less , the picture image of this frame b is stored as another reference image 22 . then a similarity to the subsequent frame a &# 34 ; is calculated by comparing it to the previously stored reference images 21 and 22 , respectively . since the frame a &# 34 ; is similar to the reference image 21 , the mean value of frame a &# 34 ; and the reference image 21 is obtained by an averaging process to form a new reference image 23 for memory . a next step is the calculation of a similarity of frame c to the previously obtained reference images 21 to 23 . since the determination signal of frame c is below s2 with respect to the reference images 21 to 23 , the image is stored as a new reference image 24 . the same procedure is carried out for the images of frames a &# 34 ; and d to form new reference images 25 and 26 in this example . when a plural number of reference images are determined to be as similar , the picture image of the highest similarity of all is acknowledged as the similar image and a new reference image is formed . the following are considered as characteristic amounts for determining the similarity of images : the maximum density of image d max , the minimum density d min , the difference between red and green densities ( d r - d g ), the difference between green and blue densities ( d g - d b ), the mean density d of the total and divided picture images , contrast , histogram of hue or density , spatial frequency distribution , the shape of the image converted into an n value , etc . similarity x is calculated according to the following equation : ## equ1 ## this is the mean value of the density difference of the adjoining measurement points which indicates an average contrast of the whole image . the reference letters latd . sub . ( n ), latd . sub . ( r ), latd . sub . ( g ) and latd . sub . ( b ) denote the large area transmittance densities for neutral gray , red , green and blue , respectively ; d min and d max denote the minimum and the maximum densities for neutral gray , respectively ; and dc , df , du , dl , dri and dlf denote the mean densities for central , peripheral , upper , lower , right side and left side parts of the image plane , respectively . the characteristic values with an apostrophe represent those of the preceding frame or of a reference image . the values without an apostrophe denote a frame subject to a determination as to whether it is identical to the preceding frame or the reference image . when a determination signal s exceeds a prescribed value α ( signal s3 in the above example ) in the determination equation ( 1 ) mentioned above , the preceding and the subject frames are regarded as similar . this can be illustrated by the following relationship : ## equ2 ## both the predetermined value α and the degree of similarity for determination signals may be arbitrarily selected . stated in other terms , one roll of negative film generally includes plural frames of similar scenes . those similar scenes should preferably be printed at the same density . they are usually similar in place , incident , object and background but different in angle , or details such as the position or size of objects or arrangement of the scene . most of the similar frames are taken by a photographer successively but sometimes they are interposed with an entirely different frame . similarity can be determined by comparing adjacent frames . the method of the present invention can certainly contribute to an improvement in the determination precision . but the similarity cannot effectively be determined by comparing images of adjacent frames macroscopically ( e . g . in terms of average density of the frame ) nor microscopically ( e . g . in terms of density in pixels ). the experimental result indicates that such similarity can sufficiently be determined in terms of the color and structure of images . the image colors of different frames can be determined in terms of their difference on color coordinates . more specifically , it is assumed that the difference of colors on color coordinates having the red density -- green density and green density -- blue density as coordinate axes can be expressed simply as (| δrg |+| δgb |). the value becomes zero in comparison of the same images but becomes large in comparison of the image frame of blue sky with the image frame of snow scene . there are several factors for expressing the structure of images ; the difference in average density between the upper half and the lower half of a frame ( ul ), the difference in average density between the left half and the right half of a frame ( rl ), the value which expresses a frame is predominantly of shadow portion or of highlight portion ## equ3 ## or db which shows whether the frame includes an area of low contrast , e . g . sky , sea , wall etc . or an area of high contrast , e . g . the picture taken with strobe light or woods . in order to enhance precision in the determination , the number of factors expressing the structure of images should increase . the factors are , for example , neutral colors , the areas of read , green and blue in images , the density of central area or the density of peripheral areas . these values indicate the structure of images . even if the angle of a camera is slightly shifted , the value will not change widely . in order to compare two images , absolute value of the difference between values of two images such as | δul |, | δrl |, | δcp |, | δdb |, etc . should be checked . the similarity can be determined by comparing such absolute values and if there is at least one factor which exceeds the value of another frame , the frames are determined to be dissimilar . but if a slight variation is to be ignored , these values should be evaluated comprehensively . for instance , if the angle of the camera is shifted up or down very slightly , the absolute value | δul | will increase by a large margin . for higher precision in the similarity determination , a primary expression combining the value expressing the difference in color of two images and the value expressing the difference in structure of two images is used as a discriminant expression . the discriminant expression can be obtained by discriminant analysis which is a statistical means for multivariate analysis . according to the discriminant analysis , coefficients of the expression ( 1 ) which discriminate images are similar as follows : the coefficients of the expression ( 1 ) which discriminate that images are not similar are as follows : the values are analyzed according to the above coefficients and images are determined to be in either category having the higher value . alternatively , instead of calculating by the above two expressions , the difference of the two expressions is obtained so as to have the result by only one expression . the coefficients thus obtained are : k . sub . 1 = 1 . 259 , k . sub . 2 =- 1 . 939 , k . sub . 3 =- 3 . 797 , k . sub . 4 =- 3 . 361 , k . sub . 5 =- 15 . 813 , α = 0 . 0 by lowering the value α , it becomes possible to discriminate between images of high similarity and by increasing the value α , it becomes possible to discriminate between images of low similarity , too . the coefficients k 1 through k 5 are constants . they may assume different values depending on the sample population in discriminant analysis . the determination of similarity or dissimilarity , the determination of density ( i . e . signal values in proportion to optical density thereof instead , spectral sensitivity characteristics of the optical system linearity of measured value , etc ), but once the device to be used is determined , they can be treated as constants . the expression ( 1 ) can obviously be modified in a great number of ways . for instance , [| δrg |+| δgb |] can be divided into separate terms , | δrg | and | δgb |, and [| δul |+| δrl |] into | δul | and | δrl |. either one of | δrg | and | δgb | may be replaced with | δrb | to thereby modify the expression to |( latd &# 39 ;. sub . ( r ) - latd &# 39 ;. sub . ( b ) -( latd . sub . ( r ) - latd . sub . ( g ))|. this invention is by no means limited to the expression ( 1 ). as mentioned briefly in the embodiment of this invention , this method can be realized by storing the values representing the colors of images of a preceding frame in a memory and the values representing the structure thereof , and comparing the values of the frame in question with the above values for discrimination , and storing the values of the frame in question in memory , and displaying or rejecting the values , and proceeding to the next frame . alternatively , if the values of the frame in question are determined to be similar to the preceding frame , the mean value of the values of similar images may be stored in a memory for the same purpose . as mentioned in relation to the embodiment of this invention , this method is not limited to an adjacent frame but is expanded to include other different frames . fig3 illustrates a device to embody the method according to the present invention wherein the characteristic detected at a picture image detecting section 30 is inputted to a similarity calculating section 31 as image data pd to be compared with the reference image data previously stored in a memory 34 , whereby the similarity is calculated according to the aforementioned equation . then , the signal s , indicating the degree of the similarity of both images and calculated by the similarity calculating section 31 , is inputted to a comparing / determining section 32 where the signal s is compared with a prescribed value α , and the result rs of the comparison is outputted . in the case where the signal s is larger than the prescribed value α , a correction signal cr is transmitted to the reference image correcting section 33 where a correction for the reference image is performed . when the signal s is smaller than the prescribed value α , they are judged not similar and the image value is stored in the memory 34 as a reference image . on the multiple picture images of an elongated or disk type color film , similar images and different images are separated into groups as mentioned above and the frames regarded as similar are left out of the display process to a display unit ( that is , the appraisal process ). even though one frame is omitted from the display , the display and appraisal of another frame of a similar image will sufficiently achieve the expected effect since they are already determined to be similar . in the case where multiple similar frames exist , a portion thereof may be indicated on a display in the interim . the frame determined to be similar has its color and density corrected in a manner identical to the similar frame displayed on the display . in such an instance , the left half of the similar display can be used for displaying a reference image while the right half is used for an image to be corrected . if the display unit is provided with a color film automatic operation section ( e . g .-- japanese laid - open pat . no . 62243 / 1981 ), the color and density of a frame may be automatically calculated in accordance with its similarity to the preceding frame as cited in japanese laid - open pat . no . 153334 / 1981 . when the color and density are corrected based on the appraisal of the image on the display , the same complementary amount in identical color and density is given to similar frames . as described in the foregoing , according to the film inspection method for an elongated or disk type color film , when a film is printed , similar picture images of the color film are grouped and only a limited number of picture images within a group is displayed on a display , whereby the amount of display on the display unit is remarkably reduced and the processing capacity in the film inspection is drastically raised . for instance , when 10 , 000 frames of a color negative films were inspected by using the equation disclosed in japanese laid - open pat . no . 26729 / 1979 , 2 , 023 types of similar groups and 1 , 632 types of non - similar groups were obtained . this example shows that the number of picture images which should be subjected to the display for appraisal is reduced to one third of the original number of images , thereby increasing the processing capability by three - fold . | 7 |
the following description provides methods for improving cpu performance in a multi - cpu system by optimizing accesses to memory . in the following description , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention . it will be appreciated , however , by one skilled in the art that the invention may be practiced without such specific details . those of ordinary skill in the art , with the included descriptions , will be able to implement appropriate logic circuits without undue experimentation . various embodiments disclosed may allow cpus to track the state of a memory such that said memory , such as a dram , can be efficiently utilized in a multi - cpu system . for example , the claimed subject matter facilitates the ability for decoding incoming snoop addresses from other cpus , comparing them to contents of a dram tracking register ( s ), and updating said tracking register ( s ) appropriately . likewise , the transactions from other non - cpu bus - agents and / or bus mastering devices , such as a bus bridge , memory controller , input / output ( i / o ), and graphics could also be tracked without requiring additional pins or protocols . as previously described , the dram tracking logic has been disclosed in the related application from e . sprangle and a . rohillah . thus , the cpu can track the status of the dram accesses and the particular pages that are open . therefore , the claimed subject matter improves cpu performance by optimizing accesses to dram memory because the cpu will reorder transactions to efficiently utilize dram pages that are currently open . the term “ dram ” is used loosely in this disclosure as many modern variants of the traditional dram memory are now available . the techniques disclosed and hence the scope of this disclosure and claims are not strictly limited to any specific type of memory , although single transistor , dynamic capacitive memory cells may be used in some embodiments to provide a high density memory array . various memories arrays which allow piece - wise specification of the ultimate address may benefit from certain disclosed embodiments , regardless of the exact composition of the memory cells , the sense amplifiers , any output latches , and the particular output multiplexers used . [ 0015 ] fig1 illustrates an apparatus utilized in an embodiment . the apparatus depicts a high - level schematic of an n number of cpus to be coupled as to allow for tracking of the page status of dram memory ( ies ). in one embodiment , the apparatus is a system with multiple processors 102 and 104 that are coupled to dram memory 108 via a memory controller hub ( mch ) 106 . in the same embodiment , each processor 102 and 104 has a plurality of dram tracking registers . however , the claimed subject matter is not limited to two processors . rather , fig1 just illustrates one example of a multiprocessor shared - bus configuration . alternatively , one could utilize three or four microprocessors in a similar shared - bus configuration . in addition , the claimed subject matter is not limited to processors in a shared - bus configuration . one could utilize multiple processors in an independent - bus configuration , wherein a plurality of tracking registers would be incorporated into a snoop filter logic . these tracking registers would generate a dummy snoop to each processor to force the processors implementing this invention to update their tracking registers . in alternative embodiments , the processors may be utilized in other configurations , such as a switching fabric or a point - to - point . each processor , designated as 102 and 104 , comprises one or more dram tracking registers to track which dram memory pages are open in each bank and rank . for example , the cpu decodes an address for outgoing transactions from the out - going transaction queue and the dram tracking logic facilitates the loading of the particular page address into an appropriate tracking register . thus , the contents of the tracking registers indicate which pages are open in the particular dram bank . furthermore , the cpu then may reorder transactions to increase the possibility of a page - hit by accessing pages that are tracked as open . [ 0018 ] fig2 illustrates an apparatus in accordance with one embodiment . in one embodiment , the apparatus depicts a schematic of a logic utilized in conjunction with the dram tracking logic depicted in connection with fig1 . in one embodiment , the apparatus is incorporated within each cpu as discussed in connection with fig1 . from the perspective of one cpu , the apparatus receives at least one snoop address 202 from other cpus and agents to allow for decoding the snoop address and comparing to a plurality of dram tracking registers 204 . the cpu will use the result of the tracking register comparison to update the contents of the tracking register . based on the status of the open pages in the dram , a cpu may reorder the transactions to take advantage of the open pages and increase the likelihood of a page hit . in contrast , since a page - miss degrades performance as the cpu waits for the page - miss condition to be resolved a cpu may reorder the transactions to deprioritize page - miss transactions to decrease the likelihood of a page miss . the bank decoder 208 decodes the snoop address 202 to determine the particular dram bank the cpu is accessing . the multiplexer 206 selects the particular tracking register 204 based at least in part on the decoded bank information from the bank decoder and forwards the contents of the particular tracking register to a comparator 210 . a plurality of page - address bits of the snoop addresses is compared against the contents of the particular tracking register by the comparator 210 . in the event of no match , this indicates the other cpu or bus - agent is accessing a different dram page , which will close the page that is currently open and open a new page defined by the snoop address . also , the cpu with the snoop address will reload the contents of the tracking register with the snoop address . therefore , the cpu utilized the snoop address information from the other cpu and agents in conjunction with its own outgoing transactions for comparing and updating its own dram tracking register ( s ) 204 . [ 0022 ] fig3 illustrates a method in accordance with an embodiment . the method incorporates a first cpu receiving a snoop address from a second cpu or agent , as depicted by a block 302 . the first cpu to decode the snoop address to determine the appropriate dram bank , as depicted by a block 304 . the first cpu to select a register based at least in part on the bank information . subsequently , the first cpu to compare the bank information to the content of the selected register , as depicted by a block 306 in the event of no match , the first cpu to update the contents of the selected register with the value of the snoop address , as depicted by a block 308 . the cpu will take no actions in the event of a match , as depicted by a block 310 . [ 0023 ] fig4 depicts an apparatus in accordance with one embodiment . the apparatus in one embodiment is a plurality of processors 402 that incorporates a memory controller 404 that is coupled to a memory 406 . for example , the processor incorporates a memory controller by allowing the processor to perform memory controller functions , thus , the processor performs memory controller functions in contrast , in another embodiment , the processors 402 are coupled to a memory controller 404 that is coupled to a memory 406 and the processor does not perform memory controller functions . in both previous embodiments , the apparatus comprises the previous embodiments depicted in fig1 - 3 of the specification . also , in one embodiment , the apparatus is a system . also , the memory may be a synchronous dram ( sdram ), a rambus dram ( rdram ), a double data rate dram ( ddr dram ), a static random access memory ( sram ), or any memory that utilizes at least two accesses to generate a complete address for the memory . for example , in one embodiment , a sram may be utilized with several memory chips that are routed through a single multiplexer . while certain exemplary embodiments have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings , it is to be understood that such embodiments are merely illustrative of and not restrictive on the broad invention , and that this invention not be limited to the specific constructions and arrangements , shown and described , since various other modifications may occur to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon studying this disclosure . | 6 |
in the following detailed description , only the preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described , simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated by the inventor ( s ) of carrying out the invention . as will be realized , the invention is capable of modification in various obvious respects , all without departing from the invention . accordingly , the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature , and not restrictive . the present invention proposes a link adaptation method in consideration of a feedback mechanism for a communication link or channel in order to decide the optimum modulation method and transmission power for a wireless data communication link . feedback information used for the link adaptation method of the invention is a link margin that is defined as a difference between a signal - to - noise ratio measured at a receiver and a signal - to - noise ratio suitable for a method of modulating currently received data . the link margin means a power level higher than a signal power required for the current communication modulation method from the standpoint of the receiver . when the link margin is a positive number , it represents that reception power is higher than a required level . when the link margin is a negative number , it means a lack of reception power . a procedure of calculating a link margin value and feeding back it is described below . fig2 shows a procedure of transmitting a link margin request and reporting a link margin for link adaptation according to an embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig2 , when a sta 121 transmits / receives data to / from a sta 122 , the sta 121 delivers a link margin request packet to the sta 122 to grasp the state of a wireless data line connected to the sta 122 in step s 201 . the sta 122 estimates the state of the link , which is represented by a signal - to - noise ratio ( referred to as snt hereinafter ), using the link margin request packet to presume a link margin that represents a difference between a desired transmission power and currently used transmission power of the sta 121 in units of db in step s 202 . then , the sta 122 transmits a link margin report packet including the presumed link margin information to the sta 121 in step s 203 . the sta 121 adjusts a transmission power and a modulation method depending on the received link margin report packet in step s 204 , and applies the adjusted transmission power and modulation method to transmission of next data in step s 205 . here , the operation of requesting the link margin and adjusting the transmission power and modulation method depending on the link margin is called link adaptation . the link adaptation is carried out in each of a physical layer and a media access control layer . fig3 shows a procedure of exchanging information required for link adaptation between the stations and operations carried out between a physical layer and a media access control layer of each station . referring to fig3 , first of all , the sta 121 transmits the link margin request packet to the sta 122 in step s 301 . here , the link margin request packet includes information about a modulation method used in a corresponding link and information about a data transmission rate . the sta 122 that has received the link margin request packet demodulates the packet to extract information about the modulation method and data transmission rate and estimates a snr in step s 302 , which is carried out by the physical layer of the sta 122 . the modulation method , data transmission rate , and snr obtained by the physical layer are delivered to the media access control layer of the sta 122 . then , the media access control layer obtains the link margin using the modulation method , data transmission rate , snr , and a predetermined table in step s 303 . the table represents data transmission rates and snrs required therefor and uses a white noise table in a white noise environment . table 1 shows a general form of a table in the white noise channel environment . in table 1 , snrw n denotes a signal - to - noise ratio required for achieving transmission rate n that is a function of modulation method n in the white noise environment . table . transmission rate n represents a signal - to - noise ratio that a given channel environment ( white noise or delay spread channel ) and transmission rate require . when the physical layer and media access control layer of the sta 122 complete the step of presuming the link margin using the white noise table of table 1 , the sta 122 reports the link margin to the sta 121 using the link margin report packet in step s 304 . the physical layer of the sta 121 demodulates the received link margin report packet to extract a link margin presumption value and estimates a delay spread value of the link between the sta 121 and sta 122 in step s 305 . here , the delay spread value is used for deciding an actually required transmission power and transmission modulation method . furthermore , the delay spread value is utilized to select a table in a white noise channel environment or a table in a delay spread channel environment . table 2 shows the table in the delay spread channel environment . in table 2 , snrd n represents a signal - to - noise ratio required for achieving transmission rate n in the delay spread channel environment . transmission 1 is lower than transmission n , and transmission 2 through transmission n - 1 are sequentially increased . table . transmission rate n , that is , a required transmission power , is increased as transmission n is increased . the link margin presumption value extracted by the physical layer of the sta 121 and the delay spread value estimated by the physical layer are delivered to the media access control layer . the media access control layer estimates a snr value based on the link margin presumption value and decides a snr value required for the modulation method depending on the delay spread value in step s 306 . the media access control layers of the sta 121 and sta 122 share a table such as table 1 and table 2 . snr a2b in step s 306 , shown in fig3 , is an estimated snr of the channel that links the sta 121 to the sta 122 . the media access control layer of the sta 121 delivers a transmission rate and transmission power of subsequent data to the physical layer . then , the physical layer applies the received values to the current transmission rate and transmission power to adjust them in step s 307 . data subsequently transmitted from the sta 121 to the sta 122 is delivered with the adjusted transmission rate and transmission power in step s 308 . the link adaptation procedure in various modes is explained below in more detail . fig4 is a flow chart of link adaptation in a normal mode according to an embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig4 , the link adaptation includes a process s 410 of selecting a table and a process s 429 of selecting a transmission rate and a transmission power . specifically , the sta 121 compares the delay spread value estimated using the link margin report received from the sta 122 with a predetermined delay spread threshold value in step s 411 . when the estimated delay spread value is greater than the predetermined delay spread threshold value , the sta 121 selects the delay spread table of table 2 as a reference table in step s 413 . when the estimated delay spread value is less than or identical to the predetermined delay spread threshold value , the sta 121 selects the white noise table of table 1 as the reference table in step s 412 . when the reference table is selected , the sta 121 compares the estimated snr a2b transmitted from the sta 122 with the snr supporting a maximum transmission rate in the reference table , that is , table . transmission rate n (= snrd n or snrw n ) in step s 421 . when snr a2b is higher than table . transmission rate n , which means that the transmission power is unnecessarily used , the sta 121 reduces the transmission power until snr a2b corresponds to table . transmission rate n in step s 422 . when the reduced transmission power corresponds to transmission rate n , the transmission power is used for transmitting data in step s 427 . when snr a2b is lower than table . transmission rate n in step s 421 , the sta 121 compares snr a2b with table . transmission rate 1 supporting a minimum transmission rate in step s 423 . if snr a2b is lower than table . transmission rate 1 , the sta 121 increases the transmission power of snr a2b until it corresponds to the transmission power of table . transmission rate 1 in step s 424 , and sets a wireless communication transmission rate to transmission rate 1 in step s 426 . if snr a2b is lower than table . transmission rate 1 even when the transmission power is increased to the maximum power in step s 425 , the minimum transmission rate , transmission rate 1 , is selected as the transmission rate because the maximum power is restricted by the wireless communication system . the minimum transmission rate is used when subsequent data is transmitted in step s 426 . here , a frame length can be decreased if required . when snr a2b is increased to become higher than table . transmission rate 1 in step s 424 , a transmission rate is selected depending on the table selected in step s 410 and used for data transmission in step s 428 . fig5 is a flow chart of link adaptation in a high - rate data transmission mode according to an embodiment of the present invention . in the high - speed data transmission mode , a table - selecting process s 510 corresponds to the table - selecting process 410 shown in fig4 . after the table is selected , the sta 121 compares snr a2b with table . transmission rate n in step s 521 . when snr a2b is higher than table . transmission rate n , the sta 121 reduces the transmission power until snr a2b corresponds to table . transmission rate n in step s 522 and uses transmission rate n as the transmission rate in step s 523 . when snr a2b is lower than table . transmission rate n in step s 521 , the sta 121 increases the transmission power to the maximum power permitted by the system , and calculates snr a2b depending on the maximum power in step s 524 . when snr a2b is higher than table . transmission rate 1 , the sta 121 selects a transmission rate according to the selected table in step s 526 . when snr a2b is lower than table . transmission rate 1 , the sta uses transmission rate 1 as the transmission rate in step s 527 . here , the frame length can be reduced if required . the above - described operation selects a transmission rate for transmitting data at a high rate while minimizing unnecessary power consumption . fig6 is a flow chart of link adaptation in a transmission power saving mode according to an embodiment of the present invention . in the transmission power saving mode , a table - selecting process s 610 corresponds to those of fig4 and 5 . when the table is selected in step s 610 , the sta 121 compares snr a2b with table . transmission rate 1 in step s 621 in order to select a transmission power depending on table . transmission rate 1 corresponding to the minimum transmission power . when snr a2b is higher than table . transmission rate 1 , the sta 121 reduces the transmission power until snr a2b corresponds to table . transmission rate 1 in step s 622 , and uses table . transmission rate 1 as the transmission rate in step s 625 . when snr a2b is lower than table . transmission rate 1 in step s 621 , the sta 121 increases the transmission power until snr a2b corresponds to table . transmission rate 1 in step s 623 . here , the transmission power is restricted by the wireless communication system . accordingly , if snr a2b is lower than table . transmission rate 1 even when the transmission power has been increased to the maximum power , transmission rate 1 is used as the transmission rate in step s 625 . when snr a2b becomes higher than or identical to table . transmission rate 1 , data is transmitted at transmission rate n in step s 626 . according to the aforementioned methods , link adaptation between the receiver and transmitter in the wireless data communication system is carried out in the normal , high - rate data transmission and transmission power saving modes to obtain the optimum result in each mode . while this invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments , but , on the contrary , is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims . as described above , the link adaptation method using feedback information for a wireless communication system according to the present invention can perform link adaptation between a transmitter and a receiver using a feedback mechanism between the transmitter and receiver to improve the transmission capacity of the system . furthermore , the present invention can optimize a link state , extend power utilization time of a station , and reduce interference between stations . | 7 |
in the following , explanation will be made in detail about embodiments of the invention with reference to the attached drawings . fig1 a and 1b are views schematically showing a structure of an electromagnet device according to a first embodiment of the invention . fig1 a is a front view in which the electromagnet device is viewed from the direction orthogonal to both of the direction of driving a movable core and the direction of arranging legs forming each of the movable and a stationary core . fig1 b is a view showing the section 1 b in fig1 a with the section 1 b being enlarged . fig2 is a perspective view showing the stationary core in the electromagnet device shown in fig1 a and 1b . the electromagnet device 1 shown in fig1 a and 1b is , like the electromagnet device shown in fig5 a and 5b , formed of a stationary core 10 , a movable core 20 , an operating coil 30 and a shading coil 40 . each of the stationary core 10 and the movable core 20 is an e - shaped core formed with approximately e - shaped flat rolled silicon steel sheets laminated and secured by rivets 19 . the e - shaped stationary core 10 has a central leg 11 and a pair of outside legs 12 arranged so that the central leg 11 is located between the pair of outside legs 12 , thereby forming the e - shape . the e - shaped movable core 20 has a central leg 21 and a pair of outside legs 22 arranged so that the central leg 21 is located between the pair of outside legs 22 , thereby forming the e - shape . the stationary core 10 and the movable core 20 are arranged so that a magnetic pole face 12 a of the outside leg 12 at each end of the stationary core 10 and a magnetic pole face 22 a of the outside leg 22 at each end of the movable core 20 face each other and are supported with relative movement between them . therefore , it is possible that the magnetic pole faces 12 a and 22 a are made butted against each other and made separated from each other . the operating coil 30 is wound around the central leg 11 of the stationary core 10 . by turning on and off energization of the operating coil 30 , the movable core 20 is made butted against and separated from the stationary core 10 . as shown in fig1 b , each of the outside legs 12 has a first groove 15 on its magnetic pole face 12 a at a position on the side slightly near the central leg 11 . the first groove 15 is formed with the magnetic pole face 12 a made dented almost perpendicularly thereto . the first groove 15 linearly extends in the direction of the thickness of the stationary core 10 ( in the direction orthogonal to the paper in fig1 b ). the cross - sectional shape of the first groove 15 viewed from its longitudinal direction is formed in approximately rectangular . around the middle of each of the sidewalls of the first groove 15 in the direction of its depth , a groove 15 a is formed into which a part of a first linear section 40 a of the shading coil 40 is pressed . the shading coil 40 is subjected to plastic deformation by squeezing explained later . the groove 15 a also extends in the direction of the thickness of the stationary core 10 in parallel with the first groove 15 . each of the outside legs 12 has a second groove 17 formed on an outside face 12 b at a position slightly below its upper end with the outside face 12 b dented almost horizontally . like in the first groove 1 , a part of a second linear section 40 b forming the shading coil 40 is pressed into the second groove 17 . here , likewise , the shading coil 40 is subjected to plastic deformation . the second groove 17 extends linearly in the direction of the thickness of the stationary core 10 . the first groove 15 and the second groove 17 are almost in parallel with each other . moreover , the height of the bottom of the first groove 15 and the height of the lower face of the second groove 17 are almost equal . the stationary core 10 of the invention has no protrusion on the outside face 12 b of each outside leg 12 , unlike the protrusion 113 provided on the stationary core 110 of the electromagnet device 101 in fig5 a and 5b . in the embodiment , the outside face 12 b of each of the outside legs 12 is formed substantially flat except the second groove 17 . furthermore , as shown in fig2 , the stationary core 10 has a through hole 10 a formed so as to penetrate the stationary core 10 in its thickness direction . the through hole 10 a is disposed at the end of the central leg 11 on the side opposite to the movable core 20 . into the through hole 10 a , a supporting plate 91 is inserted . an elastic body 92 of an elastic material such as rubber is attached to the top end of the supporting plate 91 protruding from the through hole 10 a . moreover , on the bottom surface of a frame ( not shown ) in which the stationary core 10 is contained , a cushion sheet 95 is laid . by the elastic body 92 and the cushion sheet 95 , the stationary core 10 is elastically supported on the frame in a so - called floating state . the shading coil 40 is integrally formed by stamping out an approximately ellipsoidal frame from a metal plate of aluminum base alloy , for example . the shading coil 40 has , as shown in fig2 , the first linear section 40 a and the second linear section 40 b almost in parallel with each other and semicircular sections 40 c and 40 d facing each other . according to a further embodiment shown in fig6 , a protrusion 17 b is formed on a bottom 12 c of the second groove 17 . in this embodiment , the shading coil 40 is more securely form - locked in the second groove 17 due to the protrusion 17 b . next , an explanation will be made about an example of a method of attaching the shading coil 40 to each of the outside legs 12 of the stationary core 10 . fig3 a to 3c are views illustrating a method of attaching a shading coil to a magnetic pole . here , fig3 a is a cross sectional view showing a dimensional relation between a shading coil and first and second grooves formed in an outside leg of a stationary core for attaching the shading coil thereto . fig3 b is a cross sectional view showing the step of pressing each of the first linear section of the shading coil inserted in the first grooves and the second linear section positioned on the side of the second groove by a squeezing tool . fig3 c is a cross sectional view showing a state in which the shading coil has been attached to the outside leg of the stationary core . as shown in fig3 a , the first groove 15 is formed so that its width w 1 becomes substantially equal to the width w of each of the first linear section 40 a and the second linear section 40 b of the shading coil 40 except for a clearance provided for allowing the shading coil 40 to be inserted into the first groove 15 . moreover , the first groove 15 is formed so that its depth d 1 becomes larger than the thickness t of each of the first linear section 40 a and the second linear section 40 b . in addition , the second groove 17 is formed so that its width w 2 on the outside face 12 b of the outside leg 12 is approximately equal to the thickness t of each of the first linear section 40 a and the second linear section 40 b but its width inside the outside leg 12 increases toward its bottom . furthermore , the second groove 17 is formed so that its depth d 2 is made smaller than the width w of each of the linear section 40 a and the second linear section 40 b . first , as shown in fig3 b , the first linear section 40 a of the shading coil 40 is inserted into the first groove 15 to make the second linear section 40 b position on the side of the second groove 17 . next to this , the first linear section 40 a is pressed from above by a squeezing tool t 1 and the second linear section 40 b is pressed from the side toward the second groove 17 by another squeezing tool t 2 . then , as shown in fig3 c , the first linear section 40 a is made dented on its upper face by the squeezing tool t 1 , thereby being subjected to plastic deformation on its side faces so as to be pressed into the groove 15 a on each of the sidewalls of the first groove 15 . this can prevent the shading coil 40 from coming off . moreover , the second linear section 40 b is pressed into the second groove 17 . thus , its side face is made dented by the squeezing tool t 2 , and its end section inside the second groove 17 is subjected to plastic deformation upward and downward ( upward and downward in the figure ) to be pressed into the inside of the second groove 17 in which the width of the second groove 17 is made widened toward the bottom . each of the semicircular sections 40 c , 40 d of the shading coil 40 is deformed so as to extend outward ( in the direction of the thickness of the core ) from the outside leg 12 to the extent that the second linear section 40 b is pressed into sideward . as explained in the foregoing , it is unnecessary for the stationary core 10 of the electromagnet device 1 according to the invention to provide a part irrelevant to a magnetic attractive force ( the face 112 b in fig5 b ) on the outside leg 12 . therefore , when the necessary magnetic attractive force of the stationary core 10 is equal to that of the related stationary core 110 , the stationary core 10 can be downsized as compared to the related stationary core 110 in which the protrusion 113 is provided for securing the shading coil 140 . moreover , since the shading coil 40 inserted in both of the first groove 15 and second groove 17 is secured by squeezing , the shading coil 40 can be firmly attached to the stationary core 10 by relatively simple way . this makes the stationary core 10 excellent in productivity and durability . following this , an electromagnetic contactor provided with such an electromagnet will be explained . fig4 is a front view illustrating the structure of an electromagnetic contactor according to a second embodiment of the invention . the electromagnetic contactor 50 , as shown in fig4 , has a lower frame 60 and an upper frame 70 as a lower part and an upper part , respectively , of a case that is divided into two . inside them , components such as the electromagnet device 1 and a contactor device 80 are provided . the electromagnet device 1 is what is explained with reference to fig1 a and 1b and other drawings , and is formed of the stationary core 10 , the movable core 20 , the operating coil 30 and the shading coil 40 . the stationary core 10 is contained in the lower frame in a floating state . the stationary core 10 has a through hole formed so as to penetrate the stationary core 10 in its thickness direction . into the through hole , the supporting plate 91 is inserted . the elastic body 92 of an elastic material such as rubber is attached to each end of the supporting plate 91 protruding from the through hole . the supporting plate 91 is secured to the lower frame 60 by the elastic body 92 and the stationary core 10 is elastically supported on the lower frame 50 in the floating state . the movable core 20 is contained in the upper frame 70 while facing the stationary core 10 so as to be made butted against and separated from the stationary core 10 . between the movable core 20 and the operating coil 30 , a return spring 93 is provided . the contactor device 80 has a movable contactor 81 and a stationary contactor 82 which are butted against and separated from each other , thereby switching a circuit between connection and shutoff . the movable contactor 81 is held by a movable contact holder 83 . the movable contact holder 83 is supported by a connecting plate ( not shown ) on the back ( upper face ) of the movable core 20 so as to be slidable in the upper frame 70 . the movable contact holder 83 is held by a contact spring ( not shown ). the stationary contactor 82 is secured to the upper frame 70 at a part facing the movable contactor 81 . when the operating coil 30 is energized , the stationary core 10 and the movable core 20 attract each other , thereby moving the movable core 20 to contact the stationary core 10 . this makes the movable contact holder 83 supported by the movable core 20 move relative to the upper frame 70 . therefore , the movable contactor 81 is made in contact with the stationary contactor 82 . with the operating coil 30 is de - energized , the movable core 20 is energized by the return spring 93 to be separated from the stationary core 10 . this makes the movable contactor 81 separated from the stationary core 82 . according to the electromagnetic contactor of the second embodiment explained in the foregoing , it becomes possible to downsize its core , and enhance its productivity and its durability as explained above . thus , the electromagnetic contactor can be downsized and productivity and durability are enhanced . the disclosure of japanese patent application no . 2008 - 158772 filed on jun . 18 , 2008 is incorporated as a reference . while the invention has been explained with reference to the specific embodiments of the invention , the explanation is illustrative and the invention is limited only by the appended claims . | 7 |
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