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the foregoing and other features and advantages of various aspects of the invention ( s ) will be apparent from the following , more - particular description of various concepts and specific embodiments within the broader bounds of the invention ( s ). various aspects of the subject matter introduced above and discussed in greater detail below may be implemented in any of numerous ways , as the subject matter is not limited to any particular manner of implementation . examples of specific implementations and applications are provided primarily for illustrative purposes . unless otherwise defined , used or characterized herein , terms that are used herein ( including technical and scientific terms ) are to be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their accepted meaning in the context of the relevant art and are not to be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein . for example , if a particular composition is referenced , the composition may be substantially , though not perfectly pure , as practical and imperfect realities may apply ; e . g ., the potential presence of at least trace impurities ( e . g ., at less than 1 or 2 % by weight or volume ) can be understood as being within the scope of the description ; likewise , if a particular shape is referenced , the shape is intended to include imperfect variations from ideal shapes , e . g ., due to machining tolerances . spatially relative terms , such as “ above ,” “ upper ,” “ beneath ,” “ below ,” “ lower ,” and the like , may be used herein for ease of description to describe the relationship of one element to another element , as illustrated in the figures . it will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the apparatus in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures . for example , if the apparatus in the figures is turned over , elements described as “ below ” or “ beneath ” other elements or features would then be oriented “ above ” the other elements or features . thus , the exemplary term , “ above ,” may encompass both an orientation of above and below . the apparatus may be otherwise oriented ( e . g ., rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations ) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly . further still , in this disclosure , when an element is referred to as being “ on ,” “ connected to ” or “ coupled to ” another element , it may be directly on , connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present unless otherwise specified . the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and is not intended to be limiting of exemplary embodiments . as used herein , the singular forms , “ a ,” “ an ” and “ the ,” are intended to include the plural forms as well , unless the context clearly indicates otherwise . additionally , the terms , “ includes ,” “ including ,” “ comprises ” and “ comprising ,” specify the presence of the stated elements or steps but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other elements or steps . an embodiment of a high - temperature - and - high - pressure - steam - driven system for humidification - dehumidification ( hdh ) water purification using a thermal vapor compressor is illustrated in fig1 . this cycle involves the humidification of the carrier gas by water from the liquid composition followed by the dehumidification of the humidified carrier gas to release fresh water . the apparatus includes an evaporator 12 for humidification and a condenser 14 for dehumidification with conduits for the passage of a liquid composition and carrier gas therebetween . the energy for this cycle is input into the carrier gas after humidification in the evaporator 12 in the form of compression , and the carrier gas is then dehumidified in the condenser 14 . the carrier gas after dehumidification can be expanded by an expander 20 to a lower pressure , wherein the expander 20 expands the carrier gas to reduce its pressure and its temperature before it is reintroduced into the evaporator 12 . the separation of the humidification and dehumidification functions into distinct components ( i . e ., into the evaporator 12 and condenser 14 ) in the hdh apparatus can reduce thermal inefficiencies and improve overall performance . for example , recovery of the latent heat of condensation in the humidification - dehumidification process is affected in a separate heat exchanger ( i . e ., the condenser 14 ) in which the seawater , for example , can be preheated . the hdh process thus can provide high productivity due to the separation of the basic processes . using the apparatus and methods described herein , the principle of humidification - dehumidification of a carrier gas can be utilized to separate substantially pure water from a liquid composition . the liquid composition can be in the form of a water - based solution with dissolved components , such as salts , and / or a mixture containing solids and / or other liquids . the process is herein described in the context , for example , of water desalination , where purified water is separated from salt water , though the process and apparatus can likewise be utilized in the context of separating water from other liquid compositions . in the humidification - dehumidification methods , an inert carrier gas that can hold water vapor ( e . g ., selected from air , nitrogen , helium , carbon dioxide , argon , hydrogen , etc .) having the ability to carry water vapor is used as the medium for separating substantially pure water from the liquid composition ( e . g ., seawater , brackish water , etc .). in the embodiment of fig1 , the carrier gas is circulated through the evaporator 12 and condenser 14 and therebetween via conduits 18 and 22 in a closed loop . the evaporator 12 can be filled with a packing material in zone 32 in the form , e . g ., of polyvinyl chloride ( pvc ) packing to facilitate the gas flow and to increase the liquid surface area that is in contact with the carrier gas . the body of the evaporator 12 ( and the condenser 14 ) can be formed , e . g ., of stainless steel and is substantially vapor impermeable ; seals formed , e . g ., of epoxy sealant , gaskets , o - rings , welding or similar techniques , are provided at the carrier gas and water inputs and outputs of the evaporator 12 and at the interfaces of each modular component and adjoining conduits to maintain vacuum in the system . in one embodiment , the evaporator 12 is substantially cylindrical with a height of about 1 . 5 m and a radius of about 0 . 25 m . the evaporator 12 and condenser 14 are both of a modular construction ( i . e ., each in the form of a separate and discrete device ) and are substantially thermally separated from one another . the characterization of the evaporator 12 and condenser 14 as being “ substantially thermally separated ” is to be understood as being structured for little or no direct conductive thermal energy transfer through the apparatus between the evaporator and condenser , though this characterization does not preclude a mass flow carrying thermal energy ( via gas and / or liquid flow ) between the chambers . this “ substantial thermal separation ” characterization thereby distinguishes the apparatus from , e . g ., a dewvaporation apparatus , which includes a shared heat - transfer wall between the evaporator and the condenser . in the apparatus of this disclosure , the evaporator and condenser need not share any common walls that would facilitate conductive heat transfer therebetween . the carrier gas flows upward through the evaporator 12 from the port for conduit 22 to the port for conduit 18 . humidification of the carrier gas is achieved by spraying the liquid composition from one or more nozzles 34 into a spray zone 31 at the top of the evaporator 12 then through a zone 32 including a packing material , where some of the water in the liquid composition will evaporate , while a non - evaporated remnant of the liquid composition flows down through a rain zone 33 to a surface of collected remnant liquid composition in , e . g ., a tray at the bottom of the chamber . meanwhile , the carrier gas moves up through the evaporator 12 , as shown by arrow 26 , and is brought into contact with the liquid composition , particularly in the bed of packing material , to humidify the carrier gas with water vapor evaporated from the liquid composition . the carrier gas can consequently be saturated with water vapor before being withdrawn from the evaporator 12 via conduit 18 . in conduit 18 , the moisture - laden low - pressure carrier gas is then compressed to a higher pressure and higher temperature in the thermal vapor compressor ( also referred to as a “ thermocompressor ”) 16 and introduced into the condenser 14 , where the water is condensed from the gas via a dehumidification process . the thermal vapor compressor 16 can be , for example , in the form of a steam - jet ejector employing a venturi with a conduit for steam input 36 . in an example of this embodiment , the thermal vapor compressor 16 can compress the carrier gas using saturated steam ( e . g ., from an associated power plant ) at a pressure of 1 to 3 mpa . optionally , a mechanical compressor can also be included in conduit 18 , either upstream or downstream of the thermal vapor compressor 16 , to provide additional compression of the carrier gas . fig2 shows the effect of increasing the heating steam temperature , t st , in , ( and correspondingly reducing the total specific entropy rate of the steam entering the system ) on the least thermal energy required to produce 1 kg / s of water in a thermal water purification system . the total specific entropy rate of the steam entering the system is represented as { dot over ( s )} in /{ dot over ( m )} pw [ kj / kg · k ], where { dot over ( s )} in is the total entropy rate of the input steam ( w / k ), and { dot over ( m )} pw is the mass flow rate of the product water . for this illustration , the salinity , s 1 , of the seawater feed is set at 35 , 000 ppm ; and the temperature , t 0 , of the seawater feed is set at of 30 ° c . seawater properties are evaluated using the correlations presented by m . sharqawy , et al ., “ thermophysical properties of seawater : a review of existing correlations and data ,” desalination and water treatment ( 16 ), pages 354 - 380 ( 2010 ). the curves in fig2 are plotted at a recovery ratio ( rr ) of 50 %. it is observed that by increasing the steam temperature from 90 ° c . to 120 ° c . ( and correspondingly reducing { dot over ( s )} in by 31 . 6 %) the least thermal energy required is reduced by 27 %. if the steam temperature can be further increased to 200 ° c . ( correspondingly reducing { dot over ( s )} in by 59 %) the least thermal energy required is reduced by 50 %. the specific least thermal energy consumed is represented as δ { dot over ( h )} in , least /{ dot over ( m )} pw [ kj / kg ], where { dot over ( h )} is the total enthalpy rate ( w ). the dehumidification process also results in heating of the liquid composition that is eventually used to irrigate the evaporator 12 . the liquid composition is pumped via a pump , not shown , at a substantially constant mass flow from a source 28 , which can be , for example , a tank fed by a sea , ocean , groundwater , waste pool or other body of water , through a liquid - feed conduit 30 , as shown in fig1 , that passes through the condenser 14 , wherein the liquid composition is preheated before entering the evaporator 12 , thus recovering some of the energy input to the thermal vapor compressor 16 in the form of thermal energy , which is given back to the carrier gas stream in the evaporator 12 . the liquid - feed conduit 30 can have a flow configuration inside the condenser 14 that will increase its surface area to allow for thermal energy transfer from the moisture - laden carrier gas ( thereby driving precipitation of water from the carrier gas ) through the walls of conduit 30 into the liquid composition . the water vapor in the carrier gas therefore condenses ( along path 24 ) and is collected as substantially pure ( fresh ) water at the bottom of the condenser 14 , e . g ., in a collection tray . the collected fresh water , can then be removed from the condenser 14 to , e . g ., a storage tank 29 for use , e . g ., as drinking water , for watering crops , for washing / cleaning , for cooking , for industrial use , etc . the evaporator 12 and condenser 14 are operated at different pressures , wherein that pressure difference is maintained using the thermal vapor compressor ( tvc ) 16 to compress the humidified carrier gas with the steam supply and by using the expander 20 ( e . g ., in the form of a throttle valve , a nozzle , a turbine , a screw , a reciprocating expander , a centrifugal expander or a scroll expander ) to expand the dehumidified carrier gas and recover energy in the form of work , { dot over ( w )} out , as shown in fig1 , where the recovered work can be in the form of a mechanical energy or which can be converted to electricity by a generator , can be used in an auxiliary water - purification ( e . g ., desalination ) apparatus 42 , such as a reverse osmosis unit ( or a mechanical vapor - compression system or an electro - dialysis system ), as shown in fig3 to desalinate the brine output from conduit 40 the evaporator 12 . the auxiliary water - purification apparatus 42 , in turn , produces additional fresh water , which is output to the pure water storage tank 29 , and a higher - concentration brine , which is output to a brine containment 44 . a small amount of water can be condensed out of the carrier gas in both the thermal vapor compressor 16 and expander 20 and be collected . alternative water - purification apparatus that can be driven by the recovered work , { dot over ( w )} out , include a mechanical vapor compression system , which likewise can be driven by work in the form of a mechanical drive force or after conversion to electricity , or an electrodialysis system , which can be powered by work that has been converted to electricity . in other embodiments , the recovered work , { dot over ( w )} out , can be used for a variety of other applications , including pumping the carrier gas or liquid composition , providing electricity to the electrical grid , powering associated electrical components ( such as sensors or controllers ), or compress moist air with a mechanical compressor either upstream or downstream of the thermal vapor compressor 16 in conduit 18 . the carrier gas can operate in a closed loop and undergo the humidification process at a lower pressure and the dehumidification process at a higher pressure . the carrier gas and / or the liquid composition can also be heated in the system with a gas or liquid heater to achieve or maintain desired temperatures . the pressure ratio ( i . e ., the ratio of the absolute pressure in the condenser 14 to the absolute pressure in the evaporator 12 ) can be , for example , about 1 . 2 . this pressure differential creates an opportunity for greater heat recovery for the following reasons : ( 1 ) the heat recovered in the condenser 14 from the carrier gas to pre - heat the liquid composition is of a higher grade ( higher temperature ); ( 2 ) the carrier gas itself is heated ( apart from getting humidified ) in the evaporator 12 by virtue of being at a lower temperature than the liquid composition ; and ( 3 ) heat can be recovered as work output from the expander 20 , as described herein . a part of the compressor work can be supplied by the work , { dot over ( w )} out , extracted from the expansion process , for example , by coupling the expander 20 to a mechanical compressor positioned upstream from the thermal vapor compressor 16 or by using a motor - generator arrangement to transfer the work , { dot over ( w )} out , from the expander 20 to the thermal vapor compressor 16 to compress the injected fluid . alternatively or additionally , the work , { dot over ( w )} out , extracted from the expander 20 can be used to drive a heat pump to heat the fluid injected by the thermal vapor compressor 16 . cooling of carrier gas via expansion en route to the evaporator 12 results in a lower temperature in the evaporator 12 , which also improves the performance of the cycle . a psychrometric chart for an exemplary embodiment of a desalination process conducted with this apparatus and in accord with these methods is provided in fig4 , where air is the carrier gas , and where the pressure for dehumidification , p d , in the condenser 14 is greater than the pressure for humidification , p h , in the evaporator 12 . path 1 - 2 in fig4 is the carrier - gas humidification process in the evaporator 12 , wherein the process is approximated to follow the saturation line . path 2 - 3 is the thermo - compression process in which the humidified carrier gas is compressed to a higher pressure and temperature in the thermal vapor compressor 16 . path 3 - 4 is the dehumidification process in the condenser 14 , wherein this process also approximated to follow the saturation line at a higher pressure , p d . path 4 - 1 is the air expansion process through the expander 20 , where some of the energy that was input in the compressor 16 is recovered . high pressure and high temperature are possible because the heating steam is not brought in direct contact with the liquid composition ( e . g ., seawater ), it is instead brought in contact with the vapor laden carrier gas . thus , this new system can be designed such that the brine temperature does not exceed 60 ° c . for standard seawater concentrations , this is sufficient to avoid scale formation . in order to reduce the heat required to run a thermal desalination system , the input heating steam needs to be at a lower entropy state or of a lower mass flow rate . we will first investigate the effect of using low entropy , higher pressure ( saturated ) steam . fig5 illustrates the increase in the gained output ratio ( gor ), which is the ratio of the latent heat of evaporation of the water produced to the net heat input to the cycle , and the decrease in equivalent electricity consumption when higher pressure steam is used in a simulated experiment . for this example , the component effectivenesses and efficiencies are fixed along with the operating pressures and feed seawater conditions . the air and water side pressure drops are assumed to be zero . the temperature of the incoming seawater is 30 ° c . ; the energy based effectiveness of both the evaporator 12 and the condenser 14 is set at 80 %; the isentropic efficiency of both the thermal vapor compressor 16 and the expander 20 is assumed to be 100 %; the pressure in the evaporator 12 is 40 kpa ; the pressure in the condenser 14 is 48 kpa ; the quality of the input steam is assumed to be 1 ( ideal ); and the heat capacity ratio ( hcr ) of the evaporator is set at 1 . the strong impact that an increase in steam pressure can have on the performance of the humidification - dehumidification thermal - vapor - compressor ( hdh - tvc ) system can be clearly observed in fig5 . in this example , when the steam pressure is increased from 250 kpa to 1000 kpa ( i . e ., from a saturated steam temperature of 127 . 4 ° c . to 179 . 9 ° c . ), the gor is increased by 45 %. even though a higher pressure steam is used , the equivalent electricity consumption is still reduced by 9 % for the aforementioned increase in steam pressure . this is because the mass flow rate of high - pressure steam extracted from the ( fictious ) steam turbine is small , and the corresponding work lost in the steam turbine is reduced . as noted , above , the work recovered from an expander 20 can be used to drive a variety of processes within and / or outside the hdh apparatus . fig6 illustrates an embodiment of the system in which the recovered work , { dot over ( w )} out , from the expander 20 is supplied in the form of heat energy to a heat pump 46 where the heat is recycled ( a ) to the superheated steam supply that is then fed into the thermal vapor compressor 16 or ( b ) to the steam generation unit for generating the superheated steam . in an alternative embodiment , illustrated in fig7 , the recovered work , { dot over ( w )} out , from the expander 20 is supplied to a refrigeration or air - conditioning 48 unit where the work energy extracts heat from an object to be refrigerated via a vapor compression refrigeration device . an embodiment where the steam is supplied from a rankine or combined cycle power plant 50 is illustrated in fig8 . in this embodiment , heat 52 is input to the power plant 50 , which produces a work output , { dot over ( w )} out , and an output of steam 36 . the output steam 36 is fed to the thermal vapor compressor 16 where it is injected as a low - entropy heat source into the carrier gas in conduit 18 . this embodiment can be combined with ( a ) the auxiliary water purification apparatus 42 ( employing , e . g ., a reverse osmosis apparatus ), integrated as shown in fig3 ; ( b ) the heat pump 46 , integrated as shown in fig6 ; or ( c ) a refrigeration or air - conditioning unit , integrated as shown in fig7 . fig9 illustrates an embodiment of the invention that uses a multi - extraction humidification system , wherein the gas is extracted at multiple intermediate locations via intermediate conduits 56 from the evaporator 12 and / or from the condenser 14 and supplied at corresponding input locations to the condenser 14 or to the evaporator 12 , respectively , facilitating reduced entropy generation in the components and , hence , higher system performance . the gas can flow through the intermediate conduits 56 naturally , or the flow can be powered by a fan in one or more of the conduits . an expansion / compression device 58 is mounted in each intermediate conduit 56 to expand gas passing through a conduit 56 from the condenser 14 to the humidifier 12 or to compress gas passing through a conduit 56 from the humidifier 12 to the condenser 14 . the amount of gas extracted through an intermediate conduit 56 depends strongly on the operating temperatures , and this amount can be controlled by components , such as expanders and compressors that may be placed in the intermediate conduits 56 . providing multiple extractions can serve to essentially break up the evaporator 12 and condenser 14 into a number of smaller parts with different values of mass flow ratio and to thereby balance heat capacity rates across the evaporator 12 and / or across the condenser 14 , allowing for manipulation of gas temperatures , pressures and mass flow rates . in the system of fig1 , intermediate conduits 56 are provided for multi - extraction of the liquid composition . in this illustration , the inner and outer circuits for the liquid and gas flow in the system are reversed in comparison with the previous illustrations ; this switch in configuration in fig1 is made for ease of illustration of the intermediate conduits 56 . in this embodiment , the packing material 60 is segregated into distinct beds separated by brine collection receptacles ( e . g ., trays ) 62 , wherein the brine collection receptacles 62 are distributed across different heights of the humidifier 12 . inside the humidifier 12 , brine is collected in each of the brine collection receptacles 62 . the brine can be extracted from the receptacles 62 and passed through intermediate conduits 56 to corresponding intermediate locations in the condenser , where the brine is injected into conduit 30 . alternatively , the liquid composition ( e . g ., seawater ) can be extracted from intermediate locations in conduit 30 , passed through conduits 56 and injected into corresponding brine receptacles 62 at the other ends of the conduits 56 . in describing embodiments of the invention , specific terminology is used for the sake of clarity . for the purpose of description , specific terms are intended to at least include technical and functional equivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar result . additionally , in some instances where a particular embodiment of the invention includes a plurality of system elements or method steps , those elements or steps may be replaced with a single element or step ; likewise , a single element or step may be replaced with a plurality of elements or steps that serve the same purpose . further , where parameters for various properties are specified herein for embodiments of the invention , those parameters can be adjusted up or down by 1 / 100 th , 1 / 50 th , 1 / 20 th , 1 / 10 th , ⅕ th , ⅓ rd , ½ , ¾ th , etc . ( or up by a factor of 2 , 5 , 10 , etc . ), or by rounded - off approximations thereof , unless otherwise specified . moreover , while this invention has been shown and described with references to particular embodiments thereof , those skilled in the art will understand that various substitutions and alterations in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention . further still , other aspects , functions and advantages are also within the scope of the invention ; and all embodiments of the invention need not necessarily achieve all of the advantages or possess all of the characteristics described above . additionally , steps , elements and features discussed herein in connection with one embodiment can likewise be used in conjunction with other embodiments . the contents of references , including reference texts , journal articles , patents , patent applications , etc ., cited throughout the text are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety ; and appropriate components , steps , and characterizations from these references optionally may or may not be included in embodiments of this invention . still further , the components and steps identified in the background section are integral to this disclosure and can be used in conjunction with or substituted for components and steps described elsewhere in the disclosure within the scope of the invention . in method claims , where stages are recited in a particular order — with or without sequenced prefacing characters added for ease of reference — the stages are not to be interpreted as being temporally limited to the order in which they are recited unless otherwise specified or implied by the terms and phrasing .	8
in fig1 , a coordinate measuring machine serving as an exemplary embodiment of a device according to the invention is denoted in an entirety by the reference numeral 10 . the coordinate measuring machine 10 is illustrated here in gantry design , by way of example . however , the invention is not limited to a specific frame structure and can , for example , also be used in the case of coordinate measuring machines of horizontal arm design , and in the case of other machines . moreover , the invention can also be used for coordinate measuring machines and machines in the case of which a workpiece is moved relative to a fixed head part because it is only the relative movement between the head part and the workpiece that is important in the context of the present invention . the coordinate measuring machine 10 has a base 12 on which a gantry 14 with a drive 15 is arranged . the gantry 14 can be moved by means of the drive 15 along an axial direction that is usually denoted as y - axis . arranged on the upper transverse mount of the gantry 14 is a carriage that can be moved in x - direction . the carriage 16 carries a quill 18 that can be moved in z - direction . located on the lower free end of the quill 18 is a probe head 20 with a stylus 22 . on its free end , the stylus 22 has a contacting sphere 23 ( fig2 ) that serves to contact a surface point 24 on a workpiece 26 . in order to explain the subsequent exemplary embodiments , it may be assumed that the surface point 24 is a measurement point within a contour 25 that runs on a surface of the workpiece or measurement object 26 . the reference numerals 28 , 30 , 32 denote linear scales that are arranged parallel to the axial directions of the coordinate measuring machine 10 . by way of example , here these are glass scales that can be read off by means of suitable sensors ( not illustrated here ), in order to determine the moving positions of the gantry 14 , the carriage 16 and the quill 18 . by means of these measuring values , it is possible to determine the position of the probe head 20 in the measuring volume of the coordinate measuring machine 10 . the spatial coordinate of a contacted surface point 24 can then be determined from the position of the probe head . the reference numeral 34 denotes an evaluation and control unit that is connected via lines 36 , 38 to the drives and sensors of the coordinate measuring machine 10 . furthermore , here the evaluation and control unit 34 is connected to a control console 40 and a keyboard 42 . the control console 40 enables manual control of the coordinate measuring machine 10 . the keyboard 42 enables the input of operating parameters , and the selection of measurement programs etc . the control unit 34 has here a display 44 on which measurement results , parameter values , inter alia , can be outputted . furthermore it has a processor 46 and a memory 48 that is illustrated with a plurality of memory areas 48 a , 48 b . the memory 48 is denoted here as ram , but can also include a rom , the rom serving chiefly to store the so - called firmware of the coordinate measuring machine 10 . in exemplary embodiments , the firmware includes program code ( not illustrated here ) that , inter alia , implements a control device such as is explained below by means of fig3 to 5 in various exemplary embodiments . fig2 shows the probe head 20 of the coordinate measuring machine 10 with further details , although in a greatly simplified schematic representation . the stylus 22 is fastened on a movable part 50 that is connected by two leaf springs 52 , 54 to a probe head base 56 . owing to the leaf springs 52 , 54 , the movable part 50 can move with the stylus 22 relative to the probe head base 56 , the two mutually opposite movement directions being indicated here by the arrows 58 , 60 . the movement directions of the stylus 22 are typically parallel to the movement directions x , y , z in which the probe head 20 can be moved . persons skilled in this field will see that the probe head 20 illustrated in fig2 enables a deflection of the stylus 22 in only one axial direction 58 , 60 , and this is to be ascribed to the simplified illustration . further leaf springs 52 , 54 can be present for deflecting the stylus 22 in the two further axial directions , as is known from the relevant probe heads of the applicant . the reference numeral 62 denotes an actuator by means of which the part 50 can be deflected relative to the probe head base 56 . in the exemplary embodiment illustrated , the actuator 62 is , for example , a plunger coil that is arranged between two limbs 64 , 66 . the limb 64 is connected to the movable part 50 , while the limb 66 is connected to the probe head base 56 . the actuator 62 is capable of pressing the limbs 64 , 66 apart , or pulling them together , the result being that the stylus 22 with the part 50 is deflected in the spatial direction 58 or in the spatial direction 60 . such a deflection produced by means of the actuator 62 serves , inter alia , to set a defined measuring or contact force , respectively . moreover , within the scope of the present invention the actuator 62 is used for the purpose of reducing oscillations of the stylus 22 relative to the stationary probe head base 56 , by setting a defined contact force against an instantaneous differential acceleration of the stylus 22 relative to the probe head base 56 . the reference numeral 68 denotes a sensor that is likewise arranged between the two limbs 64 , 66 . the sensor 68 is illustrated here with a scale 70 that enables a current deflection x of the stylus 22 ( illustrated at the reference numeral 22 ′) to be acquired by measurement technique . by way of example , the sensor 68 can be a plunge coil , a hall sensor , an optical sensor or another position sensor or length sensor . here , the reference numerals 72 and 74 denote two acceleration sensors . the acceleration sensor 72 is arranged on the movable part 50 of the probe head that is connected to the stylus 22 . the acceleration sensor 74 is seated on the stationary base 56 of the probe head 20 . by means of the two acceleration sensors 72 , 74 it is possible to determine a differential acceleration of the stylus 22 relative to the probe head base 56 . since this differential acceleration represents in the ideal case a signal that is in phase opposition to the oscillations of the stylus 22 about its rest position , the differential acceleration is suitable as a correction signal for suppressing these oscillations . however , some exemplary embodiments of the invention manage without such acceleration sensors 72 , 74 and so the accelerating sensors 72 , 74 are to be regarded here as optional . fig3 shows one exemplary embodiment of a control device 80 by means of which a defined contact force of the stylus 22 is set . in exemplary embodiments , the defined contact force is set such that the contacting sphere 23 of the stylus is held continuously in contact with the contour 25 during movement of the probe head 20 along the contour 25 . the control device 80 receives as input variable a desired value 82 for the deflection of the stylus 22 . an actual deflection 84 of the stylus is subtracted from the desired deflection 82 . the difference yields the system deviation 86 . during scanning of a contour 25 on a workpiece 26 , the desired deflection 82 of the stylus 22 is advantageously set to zero . the actual deflection 84 can , for example , be determined by means of the position measuring device 68 . the system deviation 86 is amplified via a p element 88 . in an exemplary embodiment , the actual deflection 84 of the stylus 22 is , moreover , fed to a d element 92 , that is to say a differentiator . the output signal of the d element 92 is the deflection rate vact of the stylus 22 . it is denoted here by the reference numeral 96 . the deflection rate vact is amplified via a further p element 94 and subtracted from the amplified system deviation 86 at a summation point 98 . this branch of the control device 80 forms the behavior of a fluid damper , since the preliminary deflection of the stylus 22 is the more strongly damped the higher the deflection rate vact . practical tests by the applicant have , however , shown that such a simulation of a fluid damper does not yield an optimum result in all instances . consequently , in exemplary embodiments the control device 80 has a further branch with a further d element 100 , an fir filter 102 and a further p element 104 that are arranged in series with one another . on the input side , the further d element 100 receives the deflection rate 96 from the output of the d element 92 . the further d element 100 supplies the deflection acceleration 105 of the stylus 22 , and thus a signal that specifies a differential acceleration of the stylus 22 relative to the stationary probe head base 56 . since the oscillations of the stylus 22 are typically sinusoidal , the deflection acceleration is likewise sinusoidal , but shifted in phase by 180 °. in a ideal case , the subtraction of the deflection acceleration 105 leads to an optimum damping of the oscillations . however , there is the problem that existing interference signals ( noise , external disturbances , inter alia ) are disproportionately amplified by the twofold differentiation . in order to suppress these disturbances , use is made of the fir filter 102 , which in the present exemplary embodiment has a largely rectangular weighting . in other words , the fir filter 102 forms a sliding average from the current acceleration value and past acceleration values . the disturbances are reduced by the averaging . the filtered acceleration signal 107 is amplified by means of the further p element 104 and subtracted at the summation point 106 from the amplified system deviation 86 . this provides an actuating variable 108 by means of which the defined preliminary deflection of the stylus 22 is set . in exemplary embodiments , the actuating variable 108 is a control current by means of which the actuator 62 is actuated . the reference numeral 110 denotes a clock signal which indicates that the closed control loop 80 is traversed periodically . in other words , with each stroke of the clock signal 110 a desired value / actual value comparison is carried out in order to determine the system deviation 86 , and the manipulated variable for setting the contact force is determined by means of the elements 88 to 106 . fig4 shows another exemplary embodiment for a control device that is used in the coordinate measuring machine 10 from fig1 . the basic design of the control device 120 corresponds to the control device 80 from fig3 . identical reference symbols therefore denote identical elements in each case . by contrast with the control device 80 from fig3 , the control device 120 has , however , an fir filter 122 that has a largely triangular weighting . past acceleration values are weighted less in the fir filter 122 the further back they lie in the past . in other words , acceleration values lying further in the past feature less strongly in the weighted filter sum . by contrast with the fir filter 102 with a largely rectangular weighting , such an fir filter has the advantage that the phase shift of the filtered acceleration signal 107 is even less conspicuous than the unfiltered acceleration signal 105 . moreover , the control device 120 has an additional iir filter 124 that is arranged between the fir filter 122 and the further p element 104 . the iir filter 124 is designed as a high - pass filter in order to suppress high - frequency disturbances even further . such disturbances can be , in particular , the consequence of ground oscillations that are transmitted to the coordinate measuring machine 10 . such ground oscillations can , for example , already occur ( if only to a slight extent ) when someone passes the coordinate measuring machine 10 during the scanning measurement . fig5 shows another embodiment for a control device 130 that can be applied in the coordinate measuring machine 10 . in the case of the control device 130 , the acceleration of the stylus 22 relative to the probe head 20 is determined not by twofold differentiation , but by means of a state observer 132 . the state observer 132 is a model or a mathematical simulation of the probe head 20 . the state observer 132 is fed both the actuating variable 108 for setting the defined preliminary deflection , and the actual deflection 84 . the state observer 132 can model the system behavior of the probe head 20 by means of these input and output variables . the differential acceleration 134 can be determined in a known way from the modeled system behavior . the differential acceleration 134 is amplified again via a p element 104 and subtracted from the amplified system deviation 86 . fig6 shows a measurement profile 140 that was recorded without the new method . the measurement profile 140 exhibits the deflections of the stylus 22 relative to the probe head 20 during scanning of a horizontal contour 25 on a measurement object 26 . the oscillations of the stylus 22 are clearly to be recognized . fig7 shows a comparable measurement profile 142 that was , however , recorded by means of the new method . as may be seen , the oscillations of the stylus 22 are clearly reduced . ( for the sake of completeness , it may be noted that here the measurement profile 142 seems to include a linearly rising component . however , this component is not actually present . the linear rise is to be ascribed to the possibilities of representation in the measurement setup used .)	6
the following description of the preferred embodiment is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention , its application , or uses . the present invention provides an apparatus 10 for dissipating heat from a radiator surface of a mammal in response to a pumping action created through ambulation or varying pressure application to the extremity . apparatus 10 enhances heat extraction through these radiator surfaces by amplifying local blood flow using carefully controlled temperature settings and / or temperature control . these temperature settings are generally in a range from about 10 degrees celsius to about 40 degrees celsius and , more particularly , in a range from about 10 degrees celsius to about 40 degrees celsius . the pressure control can provide a negative pressure or an alternating positive and negative pressure . these pressures can generally be in a range of about 5 in . of water to about 35 in . of water . for individuals or mammalians of any type that are exercising , working , or moving about in extreme environments or those susceptible to heat stress , the present invention helps generally maintain the core body temperature within the zone for optimal performance . when overheated , the present invention serves to cool the body rapidly and non - invasively to reduce fatigue , increase endurance and strength , and improve cognitive function . by way of background , it should be understood that a significant amount of energy is generated through ambulating , in particular human ambulation . in such cases , when a shoe , boot , or other foot device strikes a surface while walking or moving , energy is consumed through compression and expansion of the sole of the foot device . until now , this energy is typically lost . however , according to the present invention , it has been found that by creating or defining a void in a predetermined area ( s ) of the sole of the foot device , energy that would otherwise be lost during compression and expansion of the sole may be harnessed to move fluids or gas to create pressure differentials within portions of the foot device . that is , by controlling the flow of gas or fluid , a pressure differential may be created inside the shoe or boot . this pressure differential may be used to enhance blood flow to certain vasculature found in the human foot . a pressure differential created by the pump may also be used to create a temperature differential for the purpose of delivering a thermal load to the foot . using a pump built into the sole of the shoe or boot or an insert placed in a shoe or boot and the energy generated through ambulation , gas or liquid moved by the pump may be managed for the purpose of expansion and contraction creating relative thermal change in that gas or liquid . the resulting temperature differential can then be used to deliver a thermal load to the foot via a heat exchanger located in close proximity ( or in direct contact ) with the foot . therefore , according to the principles of the present invention , a device is provided having an advantageous construction . as best seen in fig1 , a device 10 is illustrated having a pump 12 coupled within a shoe , boot , or foot device 14 . it should be recognized that although foot device 14 of the present disclosure is a boot , any such foot device may be used , such as a shoe , sandal , boot , and the like . additionally , application of the present invention is not limited to humans , but may be used in connection with any ambulatory mammal . foot device 14 defines an interior chamber 100 , which is adapted to receive a negative pressure or vacuum , a positive pressure , or an alternating positive and negative pressure therein . pump 12 is a dual chamber pump disposed at the rear of foot device 14 and is provided for generating differential pressures . pump 12 includes a low vacuum portion 102 and a high vacuum portion 104 and or a low pressure portion and a high pressure portion . low vacuum portion 102 includes a fluid conduit 106 disposed near a heal 108 of foot device 14 that is compressible under load during ambulation . a check valve ( not shown ) is operably coupled with fluid conduit 106 . in one case , the check valve may be operable to create a pressure during positive compression of heal 108 . alternatively , the check valve may be operable to create a vacuum following the positive compression of heal 108 — that is , during the relaxing stage of heal 108 following a heal impact . fluid conduit 106 of low vacuum portion 102 is further coupled to interior chamber 100 of foot device 14 . in this regard , low vacuum portion 102 can create a vacuum within interior chamber 100 . this vacuum is used to draw blood to the foot for improved cooling as is taught in the following u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 683 , 438 , 6 , 602 , 277 , 6 , 656 , 208 , and 6 , 673 , 099 , which are incorporated herein by reference . high vacuum portion 104 similarly includes a fluid conduit 110 disposed near heal 108 of foot device 14 that is compressive under load during ambulation . a check valve ( not shown ) is operably coupled with fluid conduit 110 . in one case , the check valve may be operable to create a pressure during positive compression of heal 108 . alternatively , the check valve may be operable to create a vacuum following the positive compression of heal 108 — that is , during the relaxing stage of heal 108 following a heal impact . device 10 may thus be used to generate hot or cold based on the required need of the user . fluid conduit 110 of high vacuum portion 104 is further coupled to a multi - chamber insert 30 . mechanical operation of pump 12 is actuated by the ambulation of the leg and foot of the individual and the force generated by the foot striking the ground . as a sole 16 of foot device 14 is compressed under the weight and force of striking a surface , the force generated drives pump 12 . as can be seen in the figure , multi - chamber insert 30 is provided in a position slightly forward from pump 12 and generally under the arch of the foot , which is known as a “ radiator ” region . multi - chamber insert 30 includes a plurality of voids 32 and sinters 34 . voids 32 are in fluid communication with high vacuum portion 104 and , thus , are under an extreme pressure differential ( positive or negative ) for the purpose of generating temperature differential . sinters 34 are open to the interior chamber 100 of foot device 14 . a thermally conductive material 24 is provided generally above multi - chamber insert 30 to enhance delivery of the thermal load to the bottom of the foot . in a “ dead loss ” evaporation system , tubes carry a liquid coolant from a reservoir to the evaporation / expansion chamber of the boot . as the interior temperature of the boot increases a temperature sensitive bimetallic reed valve will open to admit a small amount of liquid . the liquid will be evaporated off to create a temperature change . the temperature change will cause the reed valve to close stopping the admission of liquid . a bi - metallic reed - valve ( not shown ) admits an amount of liquid proportional to temperature into a void and or a porous membrane within foot device 14 or boot . a high vacuum is pulled within void 18 causing evaporation of the liquid . this evaporation creates a temperature differential between a heat sink 24 ( hot and / or cold conducting surface ), which has at least intermittent contact directly or indirectly to the bottom of the foot . in a closed loop system , liquid or gas will be circulated through a traditional compression and expansion system consisting of an expansion chamber , condenser , heat exchanger and compressor . foot device 14 will be fitted with a gas tight seal 20 that may either contact the skin of the user or contact a “ mating ” material 22 located on a liner or sock so as to cause a gas tight seal at their contact point . this gas tight seal helps maintain a pressure differential between the interior of foot device 14 and ambient . furthermore , it is further anticipated that an outer shell 40 of foot device 14 may be used as a “ radiator ” to dissipate heat . thus , device 10 may be sealed and operated as a no or limited fluid loss system . construction of this “ radiator ” is intended to be incorporated into the actual body of foot device 14 . thermally conductive , permeable , and / or impermeable tubing 46 is used to circulate liquid to indirectly contact ambient conditions . heat loss or gain may be by convection or conduction . furthermore , by allowing evacuation to ambient , device 10 may be built as a “ dead loss ” system . however , this would require a reservoir of appropriate liquid , generally indicated at 112 in phantom , to be housed within foot device 14 or carried on or attached to the body . perspiration may act as a supplemental liquid coolant within interior chamber 100 of foot device 14 . it should be understood that additional features , such as solar cells for electrical generation and or micro turbines driven by gas or liquid pumped by the action of ambulation causing actuation of the embedded pump , may further be used . a complimentary device , such as a sock or glove liner that contains thermally conductive material located on the palm of the hand and or the bottom of the foot , may further be used . the sock will be constructed in such a way as to cause a gas tight seal when contacting the accompanying boot or glove . furthermore , bifurcation of the vacuum and or pressure device will allow multiple areas of differing pressure and or vacuum within foot device 14 . a similar device may be used for the hand . using the action of ambulation and the forces generated by the foot and foot device 14 . the pressure and vacuum pump 12 housed in foot device 14 could be connected via gas impermeable hoses to a glove that has similar heat sink material located in the palm . the glove or mitten may be housed in a rigid or flexible shell that will not collapse at vacuum &# 39 ; s as high as 40 in . of water . the description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and , thus , variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention . such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention .	0
with reference now to the drawings , the preferred embodiment of the self - leveling follower is herein described . it should be noted that the articles “ a ”, “ an ” and “ the ”, as used in this specification , include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise . the follower according to the present invention is similar in basic respects to prior art followers . as shown in fig1 and 2 , the main body of the follower comprises a floor 6 with a spacer 8 on its upper side and a spring nub 18 on its bottom . the spring nub 18 interfaces with a follower spring ( not shown ) in the magazine while the spacer 8 elevates one set of cartridges in the magazine in relation to the other , allowing for a more efficient stacking of the ammunition . the improved follower departs from the prior art in the radical downward extension of the front 2 and rear 4 sides , shown in fig1 , 2 , and 5 . the extended sides 2 , 4 lessen the contortion of the follower in relation to the spring and magazine casing as the follower moves within the magazine during loading and unloading of ammunition . this is particularly important , as larger capacity magazines tend to curve slightly , forcing the follower to traverse a bend . sides 2 , 4 are also machined to fit inside the grooves of a magazine , particularly side 2 with trenches 10 , 12 . side 4 is manufactured with a projection that corresponds to the magazine wall . as shown in fig6 , the floor 6 is also manufactured with spring retention walls 24 , 26 , to keep the follower centered on the follower spring within the magazine . the combination of these features provides stability to the follower and creates three mechanisms for self - correction in the event the follower misaligns . another preferred feature of followers is the fashioning of them in a manner to allow easier assembly of the magazine . as shown in fig4 , trenches 10 , 12 , grooves 14 , 16 , 20 , 22 , and end 4 are all fashioned to insert around projections in the floor of the magazine , particularly those for securing the floor plate , while not allowing the follower to escape through the feed end of said magazine . these grooves 14 , 16 , 20 , 22 may be fashioned in any location on the follower , dependent on the magazine construction . in a preferred embodiment , shown in fig8 , 10 , 12 and 14 , additional features are added to increase reliability . the original embodiment is shown in fig7 , 9 , 11 and 13 for comparison . a slight ramp 72 is raised on floor 6 , right to left in fig8 , 10 , 12 and 14 . this subtle ramp mimics round stack geometry and shifts the force distribution on the last two rounds in the magazine so that more force is placed on the rounds &# 39 ; shoulder areas ( either the point where the jacket terminates or the point where the jacket decreased circumference as it encompasses the actual bullet , depending on round manufacture ). this lessens the chance of misfeed of the second to last round . ideally , this ramp should have an angle of incidence θ less than a degree , and a very slight angle , even less than one tenth of a degree , is effective and preferred . the length of the ramp 72 relative to the floor 6 of the follower should be sufficient to provide support to the bottom rounds of ammunition in such a manner to contribute to round stability . the length should be sufficient to support the round &# 39 ; s center of gravity , typically at least 40 % of the distance from the hind end of the follower to the fore . ideally , the ramp 72 should extend sufficiently to allow either the shoulder of the bottom round to rest on the ramp 72 , in most cases this would be 50 % to 75 % of the length of the floor of the follower . it is also conceivable that the ramp 72 may extend the entire length of the floor 6 . in another preferred embodiment , the hind area 74 of the spacer 8 is also designed to lessen misfeeding . instead of a straight slope , the spacer first tapers as a convex function , then switches to a concave function 78 ( fig1 ) as the edge of the spacer 8 approaches the floor 6 . the revised shape increases the force the bolt must exert on the round to actually cause a misfeed , thereby reducing its chance of occurrence . another preferred embodiment of the follower features a stop shelf 76 at the very rear of the follower , best seen in fig1 and 14 . stop shelf 76 is a small section of the floor which is raised a length l ( in the preferred embodiment l is approximately 0 . 0030 in .) in relation to the remainder of the floor 6 . stop shelf 76 facilitates interaction with a bolt stop after the last round is fired . although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments , numerous modifications and variations can be made and still the result will come within the scope of the invention . each feature listed in this specification as may be used individually or in concert with other preferred features to manufacture a follower that is improved over the prior art . no limitation with respect to the specific embodiments disclosed herein is intended or should be inferred .	5
fig2 to 6 relate to a first embodiment of a multilinear array according to the invention . as shwon in fig2 a multilinear array of this embodiment is mainly constituted by a photosensitive zone having n rows of p detectors d 11 , d 21 , d 31 , d 41 . . . d 1p , d 4p , and a part realizing the tdi function . this assembly is preferably realized on the same semiconductor substrate which can e . g . be a type p silicon substrate . however , it is obvious to the worker in the art that other substrates can be used . in the represented embodiment , the number of rows n is four . the photosensitive detectors d 11 to d 4p are e . g . constituted by photodiodes . as is more clearly shown in fig2 and 4 , the tdi part is mainly constituted by two charge transfer shift registers r 1 and r 2 of the ccd type arranged in parallel juxtaposed manner . the first shift register r 1 is a register with parallel inputs and series outputs having n × p stages subdivided into p groups of n stages by insulation barriers i . the second shift register r 2 is a register with parallel inputs and series output connected at the nth stages to the first register r 1 by means of a passage gate g p raised to a periodic potential φ p . this connection between register r 1 and register r 2 is symbolized by arrow f &# 39 ; in fig2 . the other stages of the shift registers r 1 and r 2 are separated from one another by an insulation barrier i . in a more specific manner , each column of four photosensitive detectors d 11 , d 21 , d 31 , d 41 is connected to a group of four stages e 1 , e 2 , e 3 , e 4 of the charge transfer shift register r 1 via a connection c 1 , c 2 , c 3 , c 4 and an interface which , in the represented embodiment , comprises a passage gate g x connected to a potential φ x and by a diode d &# 39 ; 1 , d &# 39 ; 2 , d &# 39 ; 3 , d &# 39 ; 4 . in the represented embodiment , registers r 1 and r 2 are constituted by single phase charge transfer shift registers which makes it possible to obviate a control phase , as will be explained in greater detail hereinafter . however , it is obvious to the expert that it is possible to use two - phase charge transfer shift registers or with a random number of control phases . as is more particularly shown in fig4 and 6 ( a ), each stage of the charge transfer shift registers r 1 and r 2 comprises a pair of electrodes connected to a continuous control phase v t , common to the two registers and by a pair of electrodes connected to an alternating control phase φ 1 for register r 1 and φ 2 for register r 2 . as the continuous control phase v t is common to the two registers r 1 and r 2 , register r 2 also has n × p stages . however , it is obvious to the worker in the art that in the case where r 2 is controlled independently of the r 1 , register r 2 must have at least p stages communicating with the nth stages of register r 1 . in each pair , one of the electrodes is a storage electrode and the other is a transfer electrode . furthermore , in order to obtain a good transfer between registers r 1 and r 2 , during the passage of charges from register r 1 to register r 2 under the control of the phase φ p applied to gate g p , the pairs of electrodes connected to the common phase v t are displaced by a half - stage . the assymetry in the surface potentials necessary for making the transfer unilateral is e . g . realized by an extra oxide thickness as shown in fig6 or by an implantation of impurities of the same type as the substrate . moreover , the series output of register r 2 is connected to a reading stage which , in per se known manner , has a reading diode d connected to a resetting mos transistor t 1 whose gate is connected to potential φ r and whose drain is at a d . c . voltage v r . diode d is also connected to an amplifier a 1 , which is in turn connected to the second amplifier a 2 via a mos transistor t 2 , whose gate is connected to an a . c . voltage φech . mos transistor t 2 performs a sampling and blocking function , so that at the output of amplifier a 2 there is a signal every p signals at the output of register r 2 , said signal being maintained during the output of the n following stages . the operation of the aforementioned multilinear array will now be described with more particular reference to fig3 and 6 . to facilitate the understanding of fig6 ( a ), the different sections a -- a , b -- b , c -- c of fig4 are shown in the same plane . fig3 symbolizes the realization of the time delay and summation function in register r 1 at a column of detectors in order to obtain the useful signal . following an integration time t , in stages e 1 , e 2 , e 3 , e 4 of register r 1 , there are charges 11 , 21 , 31 , 41 corresponding to the charges respectively integrated by the photodiodes of the first row , the second row , the third row and the fourth row . at the end of time t , there is a charge transfer , namely charges 41 having been read in the manner explained hereinafter , charge 31 passes into stage e 4 , charge 21 into stage e 3 , and charge 11 into stage e 2 . said transfer is symbolized by arrows . at the end of time 2t , there is again an integration in stages e 1 , e 2 , e 3 , e 4 of charges 12 , 22 , 32 , 42 , corresponding to the charges read by the photodiodes of the different rows during a new integration time t . this is followed by the transfer of the charges of one stage , as symbolized by the arrows and the same operation is recommenced for times 3t and 4t . thus , at the end of time 4t , there is a charge 14 in stage e 1 , a charge 24 plus 13 in stage e 2 , a charge 34 + 23 + 12 in stage e 3 and a charge 44 + 33 + 22 + 11 in stage e 4 , which corresponds to the useful signal which it is wished to read , namely the sum of the signals successively read by the photodiodes of the same position on the different rows at the end of the scanning of the four rows . an explanation will now be given with particular reference to fig5 to 6 of the different operations performed during an integration time t . as a function of time , fig5 shows the different periodic potentials φ p , φ x , φ 1 and φ 2 respectively applied to the gates g p , g x , register r 1 and register r 2 . fig6 ( b ) to 6 ( e ) show the shape of the potential wells beneath the stages of r 1 , gate g p and the stages of r 2 at the different times t 1 , t 2 , t 3 , t 4 of the integration time t . at time t 1 , potentials φ p and φ 2 are at high level , whilst potentials φ x and φ 1 are at low level . therefore the charges stored in stage e 4 of register r 1 during the preceding integration time are transferred into stage e 4 of register r 2 , as shown in fig6 ( b ). at time t 2 , φ p and φ 2 remain at high level , potential φ x is raised to a high level and then the charge integrated during the integration time t beneath the photodiodes of the different rows are transferred to the different stages e 1 , e 2 , e 3 , e 4 of register r 1 . as shown in fig6 ( c ), the charges so transfered are added to the charges already present in the different stages e 1 , e 2 , e 3 , whilst at stage e 4 charge 44 is directly transferred beneath stage e 4 of register r 2 . thus , by appropriately controlling the phase φ p , it is possible to directly transfer the charge from a photodiode d 4p below stage e 4 of register r 2 so that it is possible to have a less high capacity at the stages of register r 1 , because these stage realize a mazimum the sum of threee integrations , namely 11 + 22 + 33 . at time t 3 , φ p is brought to low level , which insulates register r 2 from register r 1 , as shown in fig6 ( d ). at time t 4 , φ 1 is raised to a high level , φ 2 is brought to low level , whilst φ x and φ p both remain at low level . thus , the charges of stages e 1 , e 2 , e 3 being beneath the pair of electrodes controlled by the continuous phase v t are transferred beneath the pair of electrodes controlled by the phase φ 1 , as shown in fig6 . in the same way , in register r 2 the charges are transferred to the output . this transfer is symbolized by the vertical lines in fig5 and takes place during most of the following integration times . with reference to fig7 to 9 , a description will now be given of another embodiment of the multilinear array according to the invention . in this embodiment , the photosensitive zone of the multilinear array is identical to the photosensitive zone of the embodiment of fig2 to 6 . in the same way , the ccd charge transfer shift registers r 1 and r 2 are identical in both embodiments . the differences between the two embodiments are based on the fact that the passage gate g p between registers r 1 and r 2 is controlled by the control potential φ 1 , which controls the transfer of charges into register r 1 . moreover , the interface between the photodiodes of the photosensitive zone and the inputs of the stages of shift register r 1 is realized by a charge injection device or cid associated with anti - blooming device . the cid is of particular interest in the case where the capacity of the photodetectors and their connections is high . as shown in fig7 the cid is constituted by a diode d &# 39 ; and by a passage gate g x connected to a potential φ x , which controls the passage of the charges from diode d &# 39 ; to the input of a corresponding stage e 1 , e 2 , e 3 , e 4 of shift register r 1 . thus , the charge injection device is constituted by a mos transistor , whose drain is realized by diode d &# 39 ;, the gate by g x and the source induced by the input stage of register r 1 . moreover , in the embodiment of fig7 the multilinear array comprises , on the side of diode d &# 39 ; opposite to register r 1 , a gate g b raised to a fixed voltage v b and a diode d b raised to a polarizing potential v db forming an anti - blooming device . thus , when the transferred signal charge is too high compared with the capacity of each stage of register r 1 , the excess charges are discharged over the potential barrier formed beneath gate g b . a description will now be given , with more particular reference to fig8 and 9 , of the operation of this embodiment of the multilinear array according to the invention , in which the passage gate g p between the nth stages of registers r 1 and r 2 is controlled by the control phase φ 1 of register r 1 . fig8 shows the diagram as a function of time of the potential φ 1 and φ 2 during an integration period t . at time t &# 39 ; 1 , phases φ 1 and φ 2 are at low level , whilst phase φ x is at high level . there is then a transfer of the charges integrated beneath diodes d 11 to d 4p into stages e 1 to e 4 of register r 1 . the charges integrated during this integration period are added to the charges already present in stages e 1 to e 4 of register r 1 . as φ 1 is at low level , the passage between register r 1 and register r 2 is blocked , as is shown in fig6 ( b ). thus , stages e 4 of register r 1 have charges 11 + 22 + 33 + 44 corresponding to the four integraton times necessary for the scanning by the complete array . φ x is then brought to low level , as shown in fig8 . a new integration of the charges in the photodiodes can recommence . at time t &# 39 ; 2 during the new integration of the charges , φ 1 and φ 2 are at high level . therefore the charges stored beneath stage e 4 of register r 1 are transferred beneath stage e 4 of register r 2 , whilst the charges beneath the electrodes controlled by v t of stages e 1 , e 2 , e 3 , of register r 1 pass beneath the electrodes controlled by φ 1 of the same stages , as shown in fig2 ( c ). φ 1 is then brought to low level , which blocks the passage between registers r 1 and r 2 and a periodic potential symbolized by the vertical bars of fig8 is then applied to register r 2 to carry out the transfer of charges 11 + 22 + 33 + 44 to the reading stage , where they are read in the same way as in the embodiment of fig2 to 6 . in this embodiment , only three control signals φ x and φ 1 and φ 2 are necessary for controlling the transfer of charges from the photosensitive zone to the reading stage , by performing the tdi function . however , as the passage gate g p between register r 1 and register r 2 is controlled by the same phase φ 1 as register r 1 , it is no longer possible to directly transfer the charge integrated by photodiodes d 4p to the stages e 4 of register r 2 . thus , the capacity of the stages of register r 1 must be greater than in the embodiment of fig2 to 6 . a description will now be given with reference to fig1 and 11 to two possible uses of the multilinear charge transfer array according to the invention . as shown in fig1 , in order to increase the number of rows of photodetectors of the multilinear array , it is possible to provide two tdi parts corresponding to the tdi parts of the present invention on either side of the photosensitive zone . thus , in the embodiment of fig1 , the photosensitive zone is constituted by eight rows of p photodetectors , each group of four contiguous rows being connected to a tdi part . a multiplexer is provided at the output of the two tdi parts in order to obtain the useful signal . fig1 shows the application of the multilinear array according to the present invention , to the analysis of documents by contact . in general , the photodiodes used in the arrays permitting the analysis by contact of an a 4 page in a facsimile machine are square photodiodes of side length 125 microns , arranged in the form of a single row . in order to increase the resolution and as shown in fig1 , the photodiodes are subdivided so as to form four rows of photodiodes of sizes 125 × 30 microns and spaced by 125 microns . a description of the structure of an elementary array has been given hereinbefore . in order to obtain very long multilinear arrays , several such elementary arrays are combined . thus , in the analysis of documents by contact , the combination of devices such as shown in fig1 consisting in each case of 288 photodiodes , makes it possible to obtain 1728 points on a length of 216 mm . the embodiments described hereinbefore have been given in an illustrative manner and can be modified in various ways . thus , the charge transfer shift registers r 1 and r 2 used in the embodiments shown are registers in which the charge transfer takes place on the surface . however , it is obvious to the worker in the art that these registers can be replaced by those in which the transfer takes place in the volume , which decreases the noise .	7
referring to fig1 to 8 , a liquid dispenser in accordance with the invention comprises the following components as discussed in detail below . a cylindrical container 1 has both ends open and comprises a first space 11 for containing a quantity of lotion and having an opening at one end , a pawl member 111 formed on the projecting opening of the first space 11 , a second space 12 for containing a quantity of lotion ( which is preferably different from that contained in the first space 11 ) and having an opening at one end , and a pawl member 121 formed on the projecting opening of the second space 12 . the first space 11 and the second space 12 do not communicate each other . a first transmission assembly 2 is disposed in the opening of the first space 11 and comprises a stepped diameter first sleeve 23 , a first rotation ring 21 in the first sleeve 23 , a first externally threaded pipe 25 , and a first internally threaded plunger 27 . the first sleeve 23 comprises internal teeth 231 on an intermediate portion of an inner surface . the first rotation ring 21 comprises an externally toothed section 211 one end adapted to engagement secure to the internal teeth 231 to anchor the first rotation ring 21 within the first sleeve 23 . one bare end of the first externally threaded pipe 25 is partially retained in the first rotation ring 21 . the first internally threaded plunger 27 comprises a separate internally threaded sealing ring 271 . both the first internally threaded plunger 27 and the sealing ring 271 are put on the first externally threaded pipe 25 and engagement secured thereto so as to bring about a sealing effect as detailed later . both the first sleeve 23 and the first rotation ring 21 may co - rotate to turn the first externally threaded pipe 25 . the first internally threaded plunger 27 is sealingly engaged with the inner surface of the first space 11 . further , both the first internally threaded plunger 27 and the sealing ring 271 may move axially toward bottom of the first space 11 by engagement moving along the first externally threaded pipe 25 . the first rotation ring 21 further comprises a ratchet wheel 212 on the other end . the pawl member 111 is engaged with the ratchet wheel 212 together they form a ratchet so that the first rotation ring 21 is allowed to turn in only one direction about the container 1 . a first dispensing assembly 3 comprises a hollow , cylindrical mounting member 31 , an elongated hollow first carrier 32 , and a first application head 33 integrally formed with one end of the first carrier 32 . the mounting member 31 is partially disposed in the first sleeve 23 and comprises an inlet opening 310 at one end and an outwardly extending rim 312 on the other end . the first carrier 32 comprises a shroud 322 extending outward and toward the mounting member 31 for receipt a portion of the mounting member 31 not disposed in the first sleeve 23 , and an inward extending annular stop member 321 at the open end of the shroud 322 . the first carrier 32 may axially move in the mounting member 31 in a range from the rim 312 contacting the blind end of the shroud 322 to the position when the rim 312 contacts the stop member 321 and being stopped by the stop member 321 ( i . e ., preventing the first carrier 32 from disengaging from the mounting member 31 ). the first application head 33 comprises an inwardly extending rim 323 at its opening distal the first carrier 32 . a ball 331 is partially disposed in the opening of the first application head 33 ( i . e ., projecting partially out of the opening of the first application head 33 ) and retained by the rim 323 but allowed to freely rotate to pick wet lotion ( see fig2 to 4 ). alternatively , the ball 333 may be replaced with a roller 333 ( see fig5 ) or a brush 332 ( see fig6 ) in other preferred configurations of the invention . the mounting member 31 further comprises an internal block member 311 proximate the bottom end . the first carrier 32 may axially move to have its bottom end not being sealed by the block member 311 in an open state of the liquid dispenser as shown in fig4 ( i . e ., the inlet opening 310 being not blocked ). alternatively , the bottom end of the first carrier 32 is blocked by the block member 311 when the liquid dispenser is closed as shown in fig3 ( i . e ., the inlet opening 310 being blocked ). as a result , lotion contained in the container 1 is prevented from leaking . a cup - shaped first cap 40 comprises on its inner surface a locking section 41 distal its open end . in a closed state of the liquid dispenser , a forward portion of the first sleeve 23 is lockingly , sealingly concealed by a portion of the first cap 40 from its open end to the locking section 41 and the shroud 322 is lockingly , sealingly concealed by the locking section 41 ( see fig3 ). as such , the first carrier 32 is retained . to the contrary , a removal of the first cap 40 can pull the first carrier 32 away from the first sleeve 23 a short distance until the rim 312 contacts the stop member 321 and being stopped by the stop member 321 ( see fig4 ). as a result , the inlet opening 310 is open . a second transmission assembly 5 is disposed in the opening of the second space 12 and comprises a stepped diameter second sleeve 53 , a second rotation ring 51 in the second sleeve 53 , a second externally threaded pipe 55 , and a second internally threaded plunger 57 . the second sleeve 53 comprises internal teeth 531 on an intermediate portion of an inner surface . the second rotation ring 51 comprises an externally toothed section 511 at one end adapted to engagement secure to the internal teeth 531 to anchor the second rotation ring 51 within the second sleeve 53 . one bare end of the second externally threaded pipe 55 is partially retained in the second rotation ring 51 . the second internally threaded plunger 57 comprises a separate internally threaded sealing ring 571 . both the second internally threaded plunger 57 and the internally threaded sealing ring 571 are put on the second externally threaded pipe 55 and engagement secured thereto so as to bring about a sealing effect as detailed later . both the second sleeve 53 and the second rotation ring 51 may co - rotate to turn the second externally threaded pipe 55 . the second internally threaded plunger 57 is sealingly engaged with the inner surface of the second space 12 . further , both the second internally threaded plunger 57 and the sealing ring 571 may move axially toward bottom of the second space 12 by engagement moving along the second externally threaded pipe 55 . the second rotation ring 51 further comprises a ratchet wheel 512 on the other end . the pawl member 121 is engaged with the ratchet wheel 512 together they form a ratchet so that the second rotation ring 51 is allowed to turn in only one direction about the container 1 . a second dispensing assembly 6 comprises a hollow , stepped diameter second carrier 61 , a tubular member 62 , a bullet shaped second application head 63 , and a hollow , conic exterior case 64 . the second carrier 61 comprises an annular flange 611 at one end disposed in the second sleeve 53 , and an axial passage 613 with the tubular member 62 partially fastened therein . the remaining portions of the tubular member 62 are axially inserted into the second application head 63 and fastened therein . one end of the second application head 63 is engaged with the second carrier 61 . the exterior case 64 is put on the second application head 63 and clamped between the second carrier 61 and the second sleeve 53 by engaging with both the flange 611 and the second sleeve 53 so as to fasten the second application head 63 , the second carrier 61 , the exterior case 64 , and the second sleeve 53 together . a cup - shaped second cap 70 is put on the second sleeve 53 to close the liquid dispenser in an unused state . as shown in fig2 to 4 , for opening the liquid dispenser a person may pull the first cap 40 away from the first sleeve 23 . and in turn , the first carrier 32 bounces outward due to the removal of the force exerted by the locking section 41 on the first carrier 32 . thus , an axial passageway of the first carrier 32 disengages from the block member 311 to communicate with the inlet opening 310 . the bouncing of the first carrier 32 will be stopped when the stop member 321 contacts the rim 312 . next , the person may turn the first sleeve 23 toward a predetermined direction ( i . e ., allowed direction such as clockwise direction ). and in turn , the first rotation ring 21 co - rotates to turn the first externally threaded pipe 25 . next both the first internally threaded plunger 27 and the sealing ring 271 move axially toward bottom of the container 1 along the first externally threaded pipe 25 . and in turn , lotion contained in the first space 11 is pushed to flow to the ball 331 via an axial channel of the first externally threaded pipe 25 , the inlet opening 310 , and the axial passageway of the first carrier 32 as indicated by arrows . the person may apply pushed out lotion to his or her body . it is envisaged by the invention that the first sleeve 23 is allowed to turn about the container 1 in only one direction ( e . g ., clockwise direction ) due to the ratchet engagement of the ratchet wheel 212 and the pawl member 111 . the amount of pushed out lotion for dispensing can be fairly controlled when turning the first sleeve 23 . as shown in fig3 , 5 , and 6 , after use , the person may close the first cap 40 onto the first sleeve 23 as shown in fig3 . thus , the first carrier 32 is pressed toward the first sleeve 23 due to the force exerted thereon by the locking section 41 . as such , the axial passageway of the first carrier 32 engages the block member 311 to block the flow from the inlet opening 310 to the axial passageway of the first carrier 32 . as a result , lotion in the first space 11 is prevented from leaking into the ball 331 ( fig3 ), the roller 333 ( fig5 ), or the brush 332 ( see fig6 ) via the inlet opening 310 . as shown in fig2 , 7 , and 8 , for opening the liquid dispenser a person may alternatively pull the second cap 70 away from the second sleeve 53 . next , the person may turn the second sleeve 53 toward a predetermined direction ( i . e ., allowed direction such as clockwise direction ). and in turn , the second rotation ring 51 co - rotates with the second externally threaded pipe 55 . next both the second internally threaded plunger 27 and the sealing ring 571 move toward bottom of the second space 12 along the second externally threaded pipe 55 . and in turn , lotion contained in the second space 12 is pushed to flow to the second application head 63 via an axial channel of the second externally threaded pipe 55 , the axial passage 613 , and the tubular member 62 as indicated by arrows . the person may apply pushed out lotion to his or her body . it is envisaged by the invention that after use the lotion remained in the tubular member 62 will not return to the second space 12 because the diameter of the tubular member 62 is sufficiently small and the strong cohesive force of the sticky lotion . thus , the remained lotion in the tubular member 62 is prevented from leaking out of the second application head 63 . moreover , the second sleeve 53 is allowed to turn about the container 1 in only one direction ( e . g ., clockwise direction ) due to the ratchet engagement of the ratchet wheel 512 and the pawl member 121 . further , the amount of lotion pushed out of the second space 12 for dispensing can be fairly controlled when turning the second sleeve 53 . after use , the person may simply close the second sleeve 53 by putting the second cap 70 thereon . while the invention has been described in terms of preferred embodiments , those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modifications within the spirit and scope of the appended claims .	0
embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . since these embodiments are provided so that a person of ordinary skill in the art will be able to understand the present invention , they may be modified in various manners and the scope of the present invention is not limited by the embodiments described herein . fig2 is a circuit diagram of an apparatus for sensing a fluctuation of a power supply voltage vdd in accordance with the present invention . referring fig2 , a fluctuation sensing apparatus 100 includes a current mirror circuit 120 , a first inverter inv 1 , a second inverter inv 2 and a level shifter 140 . the current mirror circuit 120 is connected to a power supply voltage ( normal vdd ) which can be changed in accordance with a fluctuation of pvt ( process voltage temperature ). that is , the potential level ( normal vdd ) to be set for the power supply voltage can be altered into a high voltage level ( high_vdd ) or a low voltage level ( low_vdd ). further , the current mirror circuit 120 is connected to a reference voltage vref which does not fluctuate . therefore , the current mirror circuit 120 outputs an output voltage out_mirror , as a differential signal , according to the power supply voltage ( normal_vdd ) and the reference voltage vref . as set forth above , the power supply voltage is typically used as a power source for dram operation , wherein the potential levels of the power supply voltage are 3 . 3v , 2 . 5v , 1 . 8v , and 2 . 5v in sdr sdrams , ddr sdrams and mobile memories for low power , ddr 2 sdrams , and rambus sdrams , respectively . the first inverter inv 1 receives the output voltage out_mirror from the current mirror circuit 120 and outputs to node x an inverted signal which is produced by the phase shift of the received signal . the second inverter inv 2 receives an output voltage from the first inverter inv 1 and outputs an inverted signal , as a first signal , which is produced by the phase shift of the received signal . in response to a logic level of the signal which is applied to node x , the level shifter 140 outputs a fluctuation voltage ( high voltage vpp or power supply voltage vdd ), as a second signal , when a potential level fluctuates , and outputs the power supply voltage vdd , as the second signal , when the potential level does not fluctuate . a logic level which is driven at node x , when the potential level of the power supply voltage vdd fluctuates at the current mirror circuit 120 , is out of phase with a logic level produced when the potential level of the power supply voltage vdd does not fluctuate at the current mirror circuit 120 . when the potential level of the power supply voltage vdd fluctuates by the pvt fluctuation and the fluctuated power supply voltage ( low_vdd ) is lower than the predetermined potential level ( normal_vdd ), the power supply voltage vdd in the level shifter 140 is reduced and the level shifter 140 then outputs a fluctuated voltage in a high level vpp as the second signal . when the potential level of the power supply voltage vdd fluctuates by the pvt fluctuation and the fluctuated power supply voltage ( high vdd ) is higher than the predetermined potential level ( normal_vdd ), the power supply voltage vdd in the level shifter 140 is increased and the level shifter 140 then outputs a fluctuated voltage in a power supply vulgate vdd as the second signal . in the embodiment of the present invention , the apparatus 100 for sensing the power supply voltage vdd detects whether the potential level of the power supply voltage vdd is altered into a low level ( low_vdd ) and whether the potential level of the power supply voltage vdd is not fluctuated . however , it is possible to detect whether the potential level of the power supply voltage vdd is altered into a high level ( high_vdd ) according to the architecture configured by a designer . fig3 is a circuit diagram showing a bit line sensing circuit 200 including the over - driving circuit illustrated in fig2 . referring fig3 , the bit line sensing circuit 200 according to the present invention includes a bit line sensing amplifier 290 , a pull - up line driver 240 and a voltage regulator 280 . the pull - up line driver 240 drives a pull - up line of the bit line sensing amplifier 290 in response to the first signal from the fluctuation detecting apparatus 100 illustrated in fig2 . in the pull - up line driver 240 , an external power supply voltage ( vext = vdd ) is applied to the pull - up line of the bit line sensing amplifier 290 when a first path is formed in response to the first signal . the voltage regulator 280 controls the potential level of the voltage driven on the pull - up line rto of the bit line sensing amplifier 290 by controlling drivability on the pull - up line rto of the bit line sensing amplifier 290 through a second path , in response to the second signal from the power voltage fluctuation detecting apparatus illustrated in fig2 , and by controlling a discharging time to discharge the driving voltage on the of the pull - up line rto . the bit line sensing circuit 200 further includes a core voltage supply 220 to drive a core voltage on the pull - up line rto of the bit line sensing amplifier 290 and a discharger 260 to discharge the driving voltage on the of the pull - up line rto of the bit line sensing amplifier 290 . the pull - up line driver 240 in the bit line sensing circuit 200 having the over - driving circuit includes : an on - off controller 242 which controls the power supply voltage ( vext = vdd ) to be driven on the pull - up line rto of the bit line sensing amplifier 290 via the first path by outputting a logic level of a power supply control signal vext_con in response to the first signal ; and a first charger 244 to apply , in response to the power supply control signal vext_con , the power supply voltage ( vext = vdd ) to the pull - up line rto of the bit line sensing amplifier 290 through the first path . the first charger 244 includes an nmos transistor which applies the power supply voltage ( vext = vdd ) to the pull - up line rto of the bit line sensing amplifier 290 through a source - drain path and the first path in response to the power supply control signal vext_con received by a gate electrode . the voltage regulator 280 in the bit line sensing circuit 200 includes a level detector 282 , a second charger 284 and a discharging time controller 286 . the level detector 282 determines a potential level of a charging voltage signal vext_ch and a discharging signal disch_ch which are outputted in response to the second signal . by controlling the drivability through a plurality of charging paths in response to the charging voltage signal vext_ch , the second charger 284 controls a potential level of an output voltage when the power supply voltage ( vext = vdd ) is applied to the pull - up line rto of the bit line sensing amplifier 290 . the discharging time controller 286 controls the discharging time to discharge the voltage , which is applied on the pull - up line rto of the bit line sensing amplifier 290 , by outputting a discharging control signal disch_con in response to the first signal and the discharging signal disch_ch . the second charger 284 includes a plurality of nmos transistors which apply the power supply voltage ( vext = vdd ) to the pull - up line rto of the bit line sensing amplifier 290 through a source - drain path and the second path in response to the charging voltage signal vext_ch received by gate electrodes which are arranged in parallel with each other . as mentioned above , the second charger 284 includes the plurality of nmos transistors . each of these transistors has a different size . when the charging voltage signal vext_ch is applied to the gate electrodes , the number of the transistors which are turned on is variable . the drivability on the pull - up line rto of the bit line sensing amplifier 290 is controlled by the variation in numbers of the turn - on transistors . also , the discharging time controller 286 controls the discharging operation of the voltage , which is driven on the pull - up line rto of the bit line sensing amplifier 290 , by controlling the logic level of the discharging control signal disch_con in response to the first signal . simultaneously , the discharging time of the voltage which is driven on the pull - up line rto of the bit line sensing amplifier 290 is adjusted by controlling , in response to the potential level of the discharging signal disch_ch , the activation time the discharging control signal disch_con is high in a logic level . the operation of the bit line sensing circuit 200 including the over - driving circuit will be described below in detail . when the fluctuation sensing apparatus 100 detects a low level fluctuation in which the power supply voltage ( vext = vdd ) is altered into a low level , the second signal is set up to a high voltage vpp and the high voltage vpp is input into the level detector 282 . at this time , the level detector 282 changes the potential level of the outputted charging voltage signal vext_ch . each of the nmos transistors in the second charger 284 is turned on individually in response to the potential level of the changed charging voltage signal vext_ch . the drivability on the pull - up line rto of the bit line sensing amplifier 290 is controlled by the number of turn - on transistors . as a result , the power supply voltage ( vext = vdd ), which is produced in proportion to the number of the turn - on transistors , is driven on the pull - up line rto of the bit line sensing amplifier 290 together with the power supply voltage ( vext = vdd ) driven by the first charger 242 . furthermore , even if the power supply voltage ( vext = vdd ) has a fluctuation to a low level ( low_vdd ), a sufficient potential level is provided for the pull - up line rto of the bit line sensing amplifier 290 by changing the potential level of the discharging signal disch_ch and controlling the discharging time to discharge the applied voltage on the pull - up line rto of the bit line sensing amplifier 290 through the level detector 282 . contrary to the above - mentioned operation , if the power supply voltage ( vext = vdd ) which is altered into a high level is detected by the fluctuation sensing apparatus 100 , the second signal is in a potential level of the core voltage vcore and the second signal is input into the level detector 282 . the level detector 282 performs non - activation of the charging voltage signal vext_ch and the non - activated charging voltage signal vext_ch turns off the plurality of nmos transistors in the second charger 284 . that is , the power supply voltage ( vext = vdd ) from the first charger 242 is driven on the pull - up line rto of the bit line sensing amplifier 290 . also , the power supply voltage ( vext = vdd ) is altered into a high level ( high_vdd ) without current consumption , by changing the potential level of the discharging signal disch_ch in the level detector 282 and controlling the discharging time to discharge the applied voltage on the pull - up line rto of the bit line sensing amplifier 290 through the discharger 260 . when there is no fluctuation of the power supply voltage ( vext = vdd ) in the fluctuation sensing apparatus 100 in fig2 , the potential level of the first signal is the same as that of the conventional over - driving control signal , and the on - off control and discharging operations are also the same as the conventional over - driving control operation . in the present invention , the potential level of the power supply voltage ( vext = vdd ) on the pull - up line rto of the bit line sensing amplifier 290 is controlled , in the case where the power supply voltage ( vext = vdd ) is changed while the bit line over - driving operation is performed . even if the power supply voltage ( vext = vdd ) fluctuates , the efficiency of the drivability on the pull - up line rto of the bit line sense amplifier 290 is not reduced by preventing a fluctuation of the voltage level substantially applied to the pull - up line rto . as apparent from the above , the present invention prevents the over - driving efficiency from being reduced by controlling the discharging time and the drivability using the size of the drivers when the power supply voltage is fluctuated while the bit line over - driving operation is performed . the present application contains subject matter related to the korean patent applications nos . kr 10 - 2005 - 0091661 and kr 10 - 2006 - 0044163 , filed in the korean patent office on sep . 29 , 2005 and on may 17 , 2006 respectively , the entire contents of which being incorporated herein by references . while the present invention has been described with respect to certain specific embodiments , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims .	6
the present invention discloses a gastroretentive , extended release composition which comprises ; ( a ) a graft copolymer which exhibits ph dependent behavior , represented by formula 1 i . a backbone having the formula p [ a ( x ) b ( y ) c ( z ) ] comprising : a dial ( a ), a dicarboxylic acid or acid anhydride ( b ) and a monomer containing pendent unsaturation ( c ) wherein ( x )= 41 - 45 %, ( y )= 49 - 53 % ( z )= 4 - 7 % by mole ; and ii . a graft which is a polymer of the basic monomer ( d ) and ‘ w ’ is a weight percent of the total weight of said graft copolymer such that ‘ w ’ is 22 - 52 %. the backbone of ph dependent graft copolymer is polyester . the components for the preparation of said polyester selected are as follows . the diol ( a ) is selected from the group comprising aliphatic diols and cycloaliphatic dials . the aliphatic diols are selected from 1 , 2 - ethane diol , 1 , 3 - propane diol , 1 , 2 - propane diol , 2 - methyl - 1 , 3 - propane diol , 1 , 4 - butane diol , 1 , 3 - butane diol , 1 , 2 - butane diol , 1 , 5 - pentane diol , 1 , 6 - hexane diol , 1 , 7 - heptane diol , 1 , 8 - octane diol , 1 , 9 - nonane diol , 1 , 12 - dodecane dial . the cycloaliphatic dial is 1 , 4 - cyclohexanedimethanol . the dicarboxylic acids or acid anhydrides ( b ) are selected from aliphatic dicarboxylic acid such as succinic acid , glutaric acid , adipic acid , pimelic acid , suberic acid , azelaic acid , sebacic acid dodecanedioic acid and succinic anhydride . the aromatic anhydride is phthalic anhydride . in one aspect of the invention , b is an aromatic dicarboxylic acid . the monomer containing pendent unsaturation ( c ) is selected from an epoxy compound such as glycidyl methacrylate , glycidyl acrylate and such like . in another aspect of the invention , c is a diol compound selected from trimethylolpropane monomethacrylate , trimethylolpropane mono acrylate and such like . the basic monomer ( d ) for the preparation of ph dependent graft copolymer is selected from 2 - vinylpyridine , 3 - vinylpyridine and 4 - vinylpyridine . the therapeutically active agent incorporated in the gastroretentive , extended release composition is selected from but not limited to the group comprising antibiotic drugs , cardiovascular drugs and vitamins . the gellable polymer incorporated in the gastroretentive , extended release composition is selected from the group comprising cellulosic polymers , alginate polymers and polyalkene oxide . the gas generating system incorporated in the gastroretentive , extended release composition comprises a gas generating agent and a carboxyl compound . the gas generating agent is alkali carbonates and bicarbonates such as sodium carbonate , calcium carbonate , sodium bicarbonate , potassium bicarbonate and such like . the carboxyl compound is selected from succinic acid , malic acid , maleic acid , fumaric acid , tartaric acid , citric acid and ascorbic acid . the gastroretentive , extended release composition further comprises various pharmaceutically acceptable ingredients such as lubricants , fillers , binders , flavours , colours , anti adherents , glidants , other aides and such like . the gastroretentive , extended release composition is prepared in pharmaceutical solid dosage form such as tablets , pills and capsules . in one of the embodiment the compositions are in the form of tablets . such a tablet comprises a therapeutically active agent in the range of 10 - 50 %, at least one ph dependent graft copolymer in the range of 20 - 40 %, at lease one gellable polymer in the range of 20 - 40 %, a gas generating system in the range of 12 - 18 % of the total weight of the formulation . the gastroretentive , extended release tablet was prepared by dry granulation method . a therapeutically active agent , a ph dependent graft copolymer , a gellable polymer and a gas generating system were dry granulated . to this a pharmaceutically acceptable lubricant was added and mixed thoroughly . the granular mixture was compressed into the tablet in the size of 13 mm in diameter . in - vitro evaluation of gastroretentive , extended release composition was carried out by usp dissolution apparatus using paddle method . the solid dosage forms as exemplified herein displayed floating behavior in acidic ph and swelled and expanded on floating . the following examples are presented in order to further illustrate the invention . these examples should not be construed in any manner to limit the invention . in the examples the diol , dibasic acid , unsaturated monomer and acidic monomer are described by the following abbreviations . 1 , 4 bd - 1 , 4 butane diol , 1 , 12 dd - 1 , 12 dodecane diol , 1 , 4 cd - 1 , 4 cyclohexane dimethanol , sa - succinic acid , seb - sebacic acid , aa - adipic acid , dda - dodecanedioic acid , gma - glycidyl methacrylate , tmpma - trimethylolpropane monomethacrylate , 4vp - 4 vinylpyridine . the synthesis of ph sensitive graft copolymers based on the above monomers is described in our copending indian patent application 0530del2010 , the content of which is incorporated and included as if set forth fully herein . this example describes the preparation and the dissolution profile of diltiazem hydrochloride tablet comprising the ph dependent copolymer of methylmethacrylate , dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate and butylmethacrylate . the drug diltiazem hydrochloride , the ph dependent copolymer , the gellable polymer hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose ( k4m ), the gas generating system comprising sodium bicarbonate and citric acid were dry granulated . to this the lubricant magnesium stearate was added and mixed thoroughly and then compressed into tablet 13 mm in diameter . the composition of the tablet is given in table 1 . the dissolution of diltiazem hydrochloride was monitored using a usp dissolution apparatus and paddle method at 50 rpm . the dissolution medium was 0 . 1 n hcl and the temperature was maintained at 37 ± 0 . 5 ° c . the tablet did not swell but dissolved and released the drug within 3 hours . since this composition did not swell and released the drug within 3 hours it does not serve as a gastroretentive device . this example describes the preparation and the dissolution profile of diltiazem hydrochloride comprising the ph dependent copolymer of methylmethacrylate , dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate and butylmethacrylate . the drug diltiazem hydrochloride , the ph dependent copolymer , the gellable polymer hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose ( k4m ), the gas generating system comprising sodium bicarbonate and citric acid were dry granulated . to this the lubricant magnesium stearate was added and mixed thoroughly and then compressed into tablet 13 mm in diameter . the composition of the tablet is given in table 2 . the dissolution of diltiazem hydrochloride was monitored using a usp dissolution apparatus and paddle method at 50 rpm . the dissolution medium was 0 . 1 n hcl and the temperature was maintained at 37 ± 0 . 5 ° c . although the drug was released over a period of 6 hours , the tablet did not swell . the composition therefore is not suitable as a gastroretentive delivery device . this example describes the preparation and the dissolution profile of diltiazem hydrochloride tablet comprising the ph dependent copolymer of methylmethacrylate , dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate and butylmethacrylate . the drug diltiazem hydrochloride , the ph dependent copolymer , the gellable polymer hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose ( k4m ), the gas generating system comprising sodium bicarbonate and citric acid were dry granulated . to this the lubricant magnesium stearate was added and mixed thoroughly and then compressed into tablet 13 mm in diameter . the composition of the tablet is given in table 3 . the dissolution of diltiazem hydrochloride was monitored using a usp dissolution apparatus and paddle method at 50 rpm . the dissolution medium was 0 . 1 n hcl and the temperature was maintained at 37 ± 0 . 5 ° c . although the drug was released over a period of 7 hours , the tablet did not swell . the composition therefore is not suitable as a gastroretentive delivery device . this example describes the preparation and the dissolution profile of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride gastroretentive tablet comprising the ph dependent graft copolymer the drug ciprofloxacin hydrochloride , the ph dependent graft copolymer , the gellable polymer hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose ( k4m ), the gas generating system comprising sodium bicarbonate and citric acid were dry granulated . to this the lubricant magnesium stearate was added and mixed thoroughly and then compressed into tablet 13 mm in diameter . the composition of the gastroretentive tablet is given in table 4 . the dissolution of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride was monitored using a usp dissolution apparatus and paddle method at 50 rpm . the dissolution medium was 0 . 1 n hcl and the temperature was maintained at 37 ± 0 . 5 ° c . a known volume of releasing solution was collected at predetermined intervals and analyzed for drug concentration . the tablet swelled in the release medium upon floating and retained its integrity for the entire duration over which the drug is released from the dosage form . the cumulative percent dissolution of the drug is summarized in the table 5 . the drug ciprofloxacin hydrochloride , the ph dependent graft copolymer , the gellable polymer hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose ( k4m ), the gas generating system comprising sodium bicarbonate and citric acid were dry granulated . to this the lubricant magnesium stearate was added and mixed thoroughly and then compressed into tablet 13 mm in diameter . the composition of the gastroretentive tablet is given in table 6 . the dissolution of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride was monitored using a usp dissolution apparatus and paddle method at 50 rpm . the dissolution medium was 0 . 1 n hcl and the temperature was maintained at 37 ± 0 . 5 ° c . a known volume of releasing solution was collected at predetermined intervals and analyzed for drug concentration . the tablet swelled in the release medium upon floating and retained its integrity for the entire duration over which the drug is released from the dosage form . the cumulative percent dissolution of the drug is summarized in the table 7 . the drug ciprofloxacin hydrochloride , the ph dependent graft copolymer , the gellable polymer hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose ( k4m ), the gas generating system comprising sodium bicarbonate and citric acid were dry granulated . to this the lubricant magnesium stearate was added and mixed thoroughly and then compressed into tablet 13 mm in diameter . the composition of the gastroretentive tablet is given in table 8 . the dissolution of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride was monitored using a usp dissolution apparatus and paddle method at 50 rpm . the dissolution medium was 0 . 1 n hcl and the temperature was maintained at 37 ± 0 . 5 ° c . a known volume of releasing solution was collected at predetermined intervals and analyzed for drug concentration . the tablet swelled in the release medium upon floating and retained its integrity for the entire duration over which the drug is released from the dosage form . the cumulative percent dissolution of the drug is summarized in the table 9 . the drug cephalexin monohydrate , the ph dependent graft copolymer , the gellable polymer hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose ( k100m ), the gas generating system comprising sodium bicarbonate and citric acid were dry granulated . to this the lubricant magnesium stearate was added and mixed thoroughly and then compressed into tablet 13 mm in diameter . the composition of the gastroretentive tablet is given in table 10 . the dissolution of cephalexin monohydrate was monitored using a usp dissolution apparatus and paddle method at 50 rpm . the dissolution medium was 0 . 1 n hcl and the temperature was maintained at 37 ± 0 . 5 ° c . a known volume of releasing solution was collected at predetermined intervals and analyzed for drug concentration . the tablet swelled in the release medium upon floating and retained its integrity for the entire duration over which the drug is released from the dosage form . the cumulative percent dissolution of the drug is summarized in the table 11 . the drug cephalexin monohydrate , the ph dependent graft copolymer , the gellable polymer hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose ( k100m ), the gas generating system comprising sodium bicarbonate and citric acid were dry granulated . to this the lubricant magnesium stearate was added and mixed thoroughly and then compressed into tablet 13 mm in diameter . the composition of the gastroretentive tablet is given in table 12 . the dissolution of cephalexin monohydrate was monitored using a usp dissolution apparatus and paddle method at 50 rpm . the dissolution medium was 0 . 1 n hcl and the temperature was maintained at 37 ± 0 . 5 ° c ., a known volume of releasing solution was collected at predetermined intervals and analyzed for drug concentration . the tablet swelled in the release medium upon floating and retained its integrity for the entire duration over which the drug is released from the dosage form . the cumulative percent dissolution of the drug is summarized in the table 13 . the drug cephalexin monohydrate , the ph dependent graft copolymer , the gellable polymer hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose ( k100m ), the gas generating system comprising sodium bicarbonate and citric acid were dry granulated . to this the lubricant magnesium stearate was added and mixed thoroughly and then compressed into tablet 13 mm in diameter . the composition of the gastroretentive tablet is given in table 14 . the dissolution of cephalexin monohydrate was monitored using a usp dissolution apparatus and paddle method at 50 rpm . the dissolution medium was 0 . 1 n hcl and the temperature was maintained at 37 ± 0 . 5 ° c . a known volume of releasing solution was collected at predetermined intervals and analyzed for drug concentration . the tablet swelled in the release medium upon floating and retained its integrity for the entire duration over which the drug is released from the dosage form . the cumulative percent dissolution of the drug is summarized in the table 15 . the drug riboflavin 5 ′- phosphate sodium , the ph dependent graft copolymer , the gellable polymer polyethylene oxide ( wsx 303 ), the as generating system comprising sodium bicarbonate and citric acid were dry granulated . to this the lubricant magnesium stearate was added and mixed thoroughly and then compressed into tablet 13 mm in diameter . the composition of the gastroretentive tablet is given in table 16 . the dissolution of riboflavin 5 ′- phosphate sodium was monitored using a usp dissolution apparatus and paddle method at 50 rpm . the dissolution medium was 0 . 1 n hcl and the temperature was maintained at 37 ± 0 . 5 ° c . a known volume of releasing solution was collected at predetermined intervals and analyzed for drug concentration . the tablet swelled in the release medium upon floating and retained its integrity for the entire duration over which the drug is released from the dosage form . the cumulative percent dissolution of the drug is summarized in the table 17 . the drug riboflavin 5 ′- phosphate sodium , the ph dependent graft copolymer , the gellable polymer polyethylene oxide ( wsx 303 ), the gas generating system comprising sodium bicarbonate and citric acid were dry granulated . to this the lubricant magnesium stearate was added and mixed thoroughly and then compressed into tablet 13 mm in diameter . the composition of the gastroretentive tablet is given in table 18 . the dissolution of riboflavin 5 ′- phosphate sodium was monitored using a usp dissolution apparatus and paddle method at 50 rpm . the dissolution medium was 0 . 1 n hcl and the temperature was maintained at 37 ± 0 . 5 ° c . a known volume of releasing solution was collected at predetermined intervals and analyzed for drug concentration . the tablet swelled in the release medium upon floating and retained , its integrity for the entire duration over which the drug is released from the dosage form . the cumulative percent dissolution of the drug is summarized in the table 19 . the drug diltiazem hydrochloride , the ph dependent graft copolymer , the gellable polymer hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose ( k15m ), the gas generating system comprising sodium bicarbonate and citric acid were dry granulated . to this the lubricant magnesium stearate was added and mixed thoroughly and then compressed into tablet 13 mm in diameter . the composition of the gastroretentive tablet is given in table 20 . the dissolution of diltiazem hydrochloride was monitored using a usp dissolution apparatus and paddle method at 50 rpm . the dissolution medium was 0 . 1 n hcl and the temperature was maintained at 37 ± 0 . 5 ° c . a known volume of releasing solution was collected at predetermined intervals and analyzed for drug concentration . the tablet swelled in the release medium upon floating and retained its integrity for the entire duration over which the drug is released from the dosage form . the cumulative percent dissolution of the drug is summarized in the table 21 . the drug diltiazem hydrochloride , the ph dependent graft copolymer , the gellable polymer hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose ( k15m ), the gas generating system comprising sodium bicarbonate and citric acid were dry granulated . to this the lubricant magnesium stearate was added and mixed thoroughly and then compressed into tablet 13 mm in diameter . the composition of the gastroretentive tablet is given in table 22 . the dissolution of diltiazem hydrochloride was monitored using a usp dissolution apparatus and paddle method at 50 rpm . the dissolution medium was 0 . 1 n hcl and the temperature was maintained at 37 ± 0 . 5 ° c . a known volume of releasing solution was collected at predetermined intervals and analyzed for drug concentration . the tablet swelled in the release medium upon floating and retained its integrity for the entire duration over which the drug is released from the dosage form . the cumulative percent dissolution of the drug is summarized in the table 23 . the drug diltiazem hydrochloride , the ph dependent graft copolymer , the gellable polymer hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose ( k15m ), the gas generating system comprising sodium bicarbonate and citric acid were dry granulated . to this the lubricant magnesium stearate was added and mixed thoroughly and then compressed into tablet 13 mm in diameter . the composition of the gastroretentive tablet is given in table 24 . the dissolution of diltiazem hydrochloride was monitored using a usp dissolution apparatus and paddle method at 50 rpm . the dissolution medium was 0 . 1 n hcl and the temperature was maintained at 37 ± 0 . 5 ° c . a known volume of releasing solution was collected at predetermined intervals and analyzed for drug concentration . the tablet swelled in the release medium upon floating and retained its integrity for the entire duration over which the drug is released from the dosage form . the cumulative percent dissolution of the drug is summarized in the table 25 . the drug ciprofloxacin hydrochloride , the ph dependent graft copolymer , the gellable polymer polyethylene oxide ( wsx 303 ), the as generating system comprising sodium bicarbonate and citric add were dry granulated . to this the lubricant magnesium stearate was added and mixed thoroughly and then compressed into tablet 13 mm in diameter . the composition of the gastroretentive tablet is given in table 26 . the dissolution of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride was monitored using a usp dissolution apparatus and paddle method at 50 rpm . the dissolution medium was 0 . 1 n hcl and the temperature was maintained at 37 ± 0 . 5 ° c . a known volume of releasing solution was collected at predetermined intervals and analyzed for drug concentration . the tablet swelled in the release medium upon floating and retained its integrity for the entire duration over which the drug is released from the dosage form . the cumulative percent dissolution of the drug is summarized in the table 27 . the drug ciprofloxacin hydrochloride , the ph dependent graft copolymer , the gellable polymer polyethylene oxide ( wsx 303 ), the gas generating system comprising sodium bicarbonate and citric acid were dry granulated . to this the lubricant magnesium stearate was added and mixed thoroughly and then compressed into tablet 13 mm in diameter . the composition of the gastroretentive tablet is given in table 28 . the dissolution of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride was monitored using a usp dissolution apparatus and paddle method at 50 rpm . the dissolution medium was 0 . 1 n hcl and the temperature was maintained at 37 ± 0 . 5 ° c . a known volume of releasing solution was collected at predetermined intervals and analyzed for drug concentration . the tablet swelled in the release medium upon floating and retained its integrity for the entire duration over which the drug is released from the dosage form . the cumulative percent dissolution of the drug is summarized in the table 29 . the drug ciprofloxacin hydrochloride , the ph dependent graft copolymer , the gellable polymer polyethylene oxide ( wsx 303 ), the gas generating system comprising sodium bicarbonate and citric acid were dry granulated . to this the lubricant magnesium stearate was added and mixed thoroughly and then compressed into tablet 13 mm in diameter . the composition of the gastroretentive tablet is given in table 30 . the dissolution of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride was monitored using a usp dissolution apparatus and paddle method at 50 rpm . the dissolution medium was 0 . 1 n hcl and the temperature was maintained at 37 ± 0 . 5 ° c . a known volume of releasing solution was collected at predetermined intervals and analyzed for drug concentration . the tablet swelled in the release medium upon floating and retained its integrity for the entire duration over which the drug is released from the dosage form . the cumulative percent dissolution of the drug is summarized in the table 31 . the drug ofloxacin , the ph dependent graft copolymer , the gellable polymer polyethylene oxide ( wsx 303 ), the gas generating system comprising sodium bicarbonate and citric acid were dry granulated . to this the lubricant magnesium stearate was added and mixed thoroughly and then compressed into tablet 13 mm in diameter . the composition of the gastroretentive tablet is given in table 32 . the dissolution of ofloxacin was monitored using a usp dissolution apparatus and paddle method at 50 rpm . the dissolution medium was 0 . 1 n hcl and the temperature was maintained at 37 ± 0 . 5 ° c . a known volume of releasing solution was collected at predetermined intervals and analyzed for drug concentration . the tablet swelled in the release medium upon floating and retained its integrity for the entire duration over which the drug is released from the dosage form . the cumulative percent dissolution of the drug is summarized in the table 33 .	0
when two beams intersect inside a photorefractive medium they are coupled to each other by diffraction from an optically induced refractive index grating . this grating is created by migration of charge carriers so that a diffusion field is formed inside the photorefractive medium . since all of the photorefractive materials are electro - optic , this diffusion field induces changes in the index of refraction . the plane wave coupled wave equations are as follows ## equ1 ## here a 1 and a 2 represent the amplitudes of the two coupling beams , z is the depth along the longitudinal axis , α is the absorption coefficient , i o =\| a 1 \| 2 +\| a 2 \| 2 , and γ is the photorefractive coupling coefficient . the general solution of these equations has been presented in reference ( 13 ). in the case of diffusive transport of charge carriers in the medium , the coupling constant is real and it is easy to show in that case that ## equ2 ## where x is the transverse beam coordinate ( henceforth implicit ), γ = 2γ is the intensity coupling constant and m ( x ), the input beam intensity ratio , is given by ## equ3 ## in cases where we pump a clean beam a 2 by an image bearing signal beam a 1 g ( x ) ( where g ( x ) corresponds to the amplitude modulation of the signal ), m may be replaced by mg 2 in eqs . ( 3 ) and ( 4 ). for negligible absorption ( small α ) we may rewrite eq . 4 as : f ( g ) is the photorefractive two - beam coupling operator , as ## equ4 ## where b = exp (- γl ) and l is the crystal thickness . the theoretical basis of the two - beam coupling joint transform correlator is derived from the solutions of the plane wave two - beam coupled wave equations ( 4 ) and ( 7 ). in the diffusion limit when a clean beam with spatially constant amplitude a ( o )= a 2 ( x , 0 ) is amplified by a beam bearing the joint spectra of two images r and s , the output at the crystal ( fourier ) plane can be written from eqs . ( 4 ) and ( 7 ) as : ## equ5 ## where ν x and ν y are spatial frequencies , m is the beam intensity ratio before passage of the signal beam through transparency bearing the objects g =\| r + s \|, λ is the wave length , f is the focal length , and r and s are the fourier spectra of r and s , respectively . the magnitudes of the functions r and s lie between 0 and 1 since they represent the transmittance function of the object transparencies . the quadratric term in the above equation is the one responsible for the correlation ( the same as in the cjtc ). the characteristics of the saturation nonlinearity which is associated with two - beam coupling may be adjusted through the beam ratio m and the gain γ . as we will show below , the correlator can be operated in a mode approaching that of an inverse filter correlator if m is chosen to be large . then the two - beam coupling operation will act as a hard clipping filter . at the hard clipping limit ( m very large ) it is possible to approximate the output a ( ν x , ν y ) of eq . ( 8 ) as () 0 indicates the zeroth order nonlinearity and z clip is defined as of the prior art . it is possible to write the nonlinear transfer function for the zeroth order nonlinearity as , ## equ6 ## where γ m is the mathematical gamma function , φ r ( ν x , ν y ) and φ s ( ν x , ν y ) are the phases of r and s respectively , x 0 is the separation between r and s and ε k is given by ## equ7 ## phase - only correlation occurs as shown in eq . ( 11 ) when k = 1 . the other terms expressed in the equation are higher order terms . also , we can see from eqs . ( 8 ) and ( 4 ) that when m becomes very large the hard - clipped nonlinearity of photorefractive two - beam coupling becomes similar to a zero order nonlinearity ; an operation which cannot be achieved by the thresholding techniques of ( 8 ). the value of m cannot be arbitrarily increased , for this would decrease the diffraction efficiency of the grating . realistically , m can only be increased to the limit where we can still detect correlation at the output . such problems when operating in the nonlinear regime have also been observed in deconvolution techniques using photorefractive material . in our investigation we carried out two different computer simulations . in one we used an idealized plane wave two - beam coupling model of the photorefractive correlator in order to compare the performances of the tbjtc and the cjtc . in the other we used the beam propagation method to account for diffraction effects through the crystal thickness and the effect of the beam crossing angles . these simulations verified the operability of the present invention . the procedure for two - beam coupling of continuous wave beams involves the following steps : ( 1 ) write the input field as the sum of the spatial profiles of the interacting beams . ( 2 ) propagate the input field a short distance dz along the z axis by multiplying its fourier transform by the transfer function h ( ν x , ν y ) and taking the inverse fourier transforms where h ( ν x ν y ) is given by ## equ8 ## where ν x and ν y are the spatial frequencies in the transverse directions . ( 3 ) use the new optical field intensity i after the propagation step to calculate δn , the resulting nonlinear refractive index change , using a suitable model of the nonlinearity . then multiply the optical field a ( x , z = dz ) by the corresponding phase transparency w ( x , z = dz ), ( 4 ) repeat step ( 1 ) as many times as needed to step through the interaction region . in eq . ( 14 ) we use the relation δn ( u , v )= n 3 r eff e ( u , v ) e s / 2 , where r eff is the effective electro - optic coefficient and e ( x , y ) is the space charge field in units of the debye field e s =[ k b tn t / ε ] 1 / 2 , n t is the photorefractive trap density ε is the crystal permittivity , k b is boltzmann &# 39 ; s constant , and t is the temperature . in the computer model we use an approximation that is valid when \|∇ 2 e \|& lt ;& lt ; 1 , where the spatial derivatives are taken with respect to the dimensionless coordinates u and v , and where u = k 0 x and v = k 0 y . k 0 is the debye wavenumber k 0 = e [ n t /( εk b t )] 1 / 2 . normalizing the optical intensity i ( u , v ) to the dark intensity i d , we find : ## equ9 ## with derivatives and fourier transforms () taken with respect to normalized spatial dimensions and k u , k v , the wave vector numbers in the u and v directions . the predicted outputs of the correlator were satisfactory . the intensity coupling constant used was γl = 6 and the half crossing angle outside the crystal was 0 . 17 radian . 250 steps were taken through a 2 . 5 mm crystal of batio 3 in a 1 . 0 mm ( horizontal )× 0 . 825 mm ( vertical ) aperture on a 2048 × 256 grid . the experimental arrangement for our tbjtc is shown in fig1 . a 20 mw argon laser beam was collimated and divided into two input beams of 2 mm diameter . one of the input beams r passed through a neutral density filter 1 and then was expanded by means of two lenses 3 and 5 to a diameter of 4 mm . its intensity was 10 - 3 mw / mm 2 . the other object beam o of intensity 1 . 8 mw / mm 2 passed through a mask having many pairs of circular holes . each pair would represent our signal and reference objects 7 and 9 . these two objects were fourier transformed by a lens l1 whose focal length of 16 cm was located at the crystal position . the joint spectra of the two images interfered with the clean reference beam r with diameter 2 . 5 mm within batio 3 crystal c . the external intersection angle theta between the two beams was 20 °. the output was fourier transformed by lens l2 of focal length 13 . 5 cm . the correlation results were projected onto a white screen 10 and detected by a camera 12 . the experimental results and the beam propagation model indicates that the device resolution is limited . these problems may be minimized in the future by using a reflection grating geometry . this configuration can reduce shearing effects between the interacting beams . implementing this requires a relatively thin crystal with its c - axis oriented toward the surface of the crystal . in this case , the beam crossing problem is eliminated and the grating spacing is small so that the resolution is very high . in addition , the speed increases because materials with large electro - optic coefficients such as barium titanate have p - type carriers ( holes ) so that the speed increases with smaller grating spacing . this is in contrast with the sillenite family in which it was observed that the speed decreases with smaller grating spacing . reference reports use of a ferroelectric crystal knbo 3 having a response time of 5 milliseconds in reflection geometry with large efficiency . this holds the promise of operating our proposed device at video frame rates . the correlation peak height , in contrast to the degenerate 4 - wave mixing jtc ( d4wmjtc ), is invariant under object - reference spacing in the input plane . the grating in the d4wmjtc is formed by the interference between the fourier transforms of the object and reference images . thus , any translation between the object and reference images changes the photorefractive grating spacing and , hence , correlation efficiency . under normal circumstances the d4wmjtc has a correlation peak which increases quadratically with this spacing . in the tbjtc , however , the grating responsible for the correlation is formed by the interference between the plane wave and the joint spectra of the two images . the fringe spacing of this grating is insensitive to the object - reference separation . the digitally - controlled jtc correlation peak is also roughly invariant under object - reference spacing as long as that spacing is less than the limit provided by the pixel size of the slm . in addition , photorefractives have a substantially large dynamic range and better spatial uniformity than slms . in summary , our tbjtc outperformed the pof in terms of pnr and snr , while achieving slightly better values than the nonlinear jtc with median thresholding . this superior performance results from noise compression in the joint transform plane . linear system correlators , such as the pof , cmf , cannot produce this noise compression . therefore , all optimization results for linear correlator systems are invalid for our nonlinear jtc . out tbjtc performs similarly to the digitally - controlled jtc ( dcjtc ), which applies a digitally computed thresholding and binarization to the intensity detected in the transform plane and electronically addresses a slm whose output is fourier transformed to produce the correlation . specifically , the tbjtc device possesses the same characteristics as the dcjtc , namely : 1 ) an increase in the signal - to - noise and peak - to - noise ratios for images in clutter ; 2 ) an increase in discrimination ability ; and 3 ) a reduced probability of false correlation peaks for noisy inputs . we have also invented what we believe to be the first photorefractive tbjtc that performs just as well as , if not better than , a phase - only jtc . moreover , this tbjtc enjoys the following advantages over the dcjtc : 1 ) the detector / computer slm device at the filter plane is replaced by a photorefractive crystal and double cycling is not necessary ; 2 ) implementing the photorefractive device in the reflective geometry provides exceedingly high spatial resolution in the joint transform plane ; 3 ) the compression nonlinearity is tuned by adjusting the beam ratios in the tbjtc . this nonlinearity enhances the pnr in the correlation plane . since numerous variations of the aforesaid embodiments will occur to the skilled worker in the art , the scope of the invention will be restricted solely by the terms of the following claims and art recognized equivalents thereof .	6
before any aspects of the invention are explained in detail , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings . the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways . also , it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting . the use of “ including ,” “ comprising ,” or “ having ” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items . the terms “ connected ,” “ coupled ,” and “ mounted ” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and , unless otherwise stated , encompass both direct and indirect connections , couplings , and mountings . in addition , the terms connected and coupled and variations thereof herein are not restricted to physical and mechanical connections or couplings . as used herein the term “ computer ” is not limited to a device with a single processor , but may encompass multiple computers linked in a system , computers with multiple processors , special purpose devices , computers or special purpose devices with various peripherals and input and output devices , software acting as a computer or server , and combinations of the above . in general , computers accept and process information or data according to instructions ( i . e ., computer instructions ). the drawings illustrate a system for automatically applying hypothesis testing to one or more data sets having a variety of statistically significant characteristics . specifically , with reference initially to fig1 , the system includes a general purpose computer 10 . the computer 10 provides a platform for operating a software program that applies hypothesis testing to one or more data sets . in the system identified , data and program files are input to the computer 10 , which reads the files and executes the programs therein . some of the elements of the computer 10 include a processor 12 having an input / output ( io ) section 14 , a central processing unit ( cpu ) 16 , and a memory module 18 . in one form , the software program for applying hypothesis testing is loaded into memory 18 and / or stored on a configured cd rom ( not shown ) or other storage device ( not shown ). the io section 14 is connected to keyboard 20 and an optional user input device or mouse 22 . the keyboard 20 and mouse 22 enable the user to control the computer 10 . io section 14 is also connected to monitor 24 . in operation , computer 10 generates the user interfaces identified in fig3 - 14 and displays those user interfaces on monitor 24 . the computer also includes cd rom drive 26 and data storage unit 28 connected to io section 14 . in some embodiments , the software program for effecting hypothesis testing may reside on storage unit 28 or in memory unit 18 rather than being accessed through the cd rom drive using a cd rom . alternatively , cd rom drive 26 may be replaced or supplemented by a floppy drive unit , a tape drive unit , or other data storage device . the computer 10 also includes a network interface 30 connected to io section 14 . the network interface 30 can be used to connect the computer 10 to a local area network ( lan ), wide are network ( wan ), internet based portal , or other network 32 . any suitable interface can suffice , including both wired and wireless interfaces . thus , the software may be accessed and run locally as from cd rom drive 26 , data storage deice 28 , or memory 18 , or may be remotely accessed through network interface 30 . in the networked embodiment , the software would be stored remote from the computer 10 on a server or other appropriate hardware platform or storage device . the software program provides algorithms relating to a plurality of statistical tests that can be applied under a variety of circumstances to the data sets . for example , the illustrated system provides the following statistical tests : one proportion z - test , one proportion binomial test , two proportion z - test , multi proportion chi - square test , one mean z - test , one mean t - test , two means z - test , two sample t - test ; f - test anova , chi square test , and an f - ratio test . fig1 illustrates a second set of statistical tests , known as parametric tests : one sample sign test , paired samples sign test , one sample wilcoxon signed ranks test , paired samples wilcoxon signed ranks test , mann whitney wilcoxon test , kruskal wallis test , and the friedman test . the system of course could include other statistical tests useful for hypothesis testing . these statistical tests are useful when applied to data embodying various characteristics . for example , some of the tests are useful when applied to attribute data while others are not . similarly , some of the tests are useful when applied to data wherein the mean or location of the process from which the data is drawn is known , and others are not . applying a test to a data set without understanding the assumptions underlying the test can generate erroneous or unfounded results . the system also establishes conventions associated with each test of the plurality of tests . among the conventions incorporated in the system is the convention of stating the null hypothesis as an equality for those tests wherein such a logical statement is appropriate . for example , the system avoids stating the null as being “ greater than or equal to ” a reference value . another convention adopted by the system is to state the alternative hypothesis statement as an inequality , which logically follows from the convention of defining the null hypothesis . the system automatically determines the appropriate statistical test . the determination of the appropriate statistical test is made automatically in response to indications or choices made by the user in response to queries or prompts generated by the system . the system design follows a logic map that forces the user to confront and affirm choices regarding the data and information available to the user seeking to apply hypothesis testing to the data . not only does the system drive the user to application of the correct test , but it also informs the user of the implications of the choices and consequences of making inappropriate indications . initially , the system provides this determination process by seeking an indication as to whether the data set the user seeks to asses is time ordered . in response to this indication , the system generates a confirmatory notification explaining the importance in hypothesis testing of process stability . more particularly , assuming the data subjected to the hypothesis testing is randomly drawn from a process of interest , it is imperative that the process be stable . otherwise , the results drawn from the hypothesis test are not meaningful . the test determining step also includes seeking an indication of the nature of data as being attribute data or continuous data , again because some of the statistical tests are useful with attribute data and some are not . in the illustrated system , if the indication is that the data are attribute data , then the system further seeks an indication as to the number of samples from which the data is drawn , an indication of sample size , and seeks an indication of normality of the data . likewise , in response to an indication that the data are continuous , the system then seeks an indication as to the number of samples from which the data are drawn , an indication of sample size and seeks an indication as to whether the data are normal , not normal , or if normalcy is unknown . the system , in determining the test , responds to the indications of normality . if the indication is that the data are either not normal or the normality of the data is unknown , then the system provides a confirmatory notification either to use a normality test to determine normality , to use non - parametric tests or to use data transformation functions . determining the test also includes identifying a statistical parameter of interest . identifying a statistical parameter of interest includes selecting a parameter of interest from among the following commons statistical parameters : proportion , mean , median , and variance of the data . determining the test also includes seeking an indication of whether , depending on the number of samples indicated , the data sample includes either paired data or differences between paired data samples . likewise , if the parameter of interest is indicated as being the mean , then the system also seeks an indication of whether variance of population is known . ultimately , the system automatically selects the appropriate statistical test from among the plurality of tests based on the indications and established conventions , and further provides a confirmatory notification of the nature of the selected test , the indications and established conventions . the system also automatically characterizes the data set by establishing test criteria , selecting an appropriate reference test value depending on the test selected ; and eliciting an indication of a description of the data of interest . specifically , the system prompts the user to identify values for the statistic of interest , e . g ., proportion , variance or mean . the system confirms the value and will prompt the user if inappropriate values are indicated . for example , the system will advise the user that the value of a population proportion must lie between zero and one . likewise , the system prompts the user to provide descriptions of the data , e . g ., names for the methods or treatments subjected to the hypothesis test . as described below , these indications , provided in the user &# 39 ; s own language or terms , are used in confirmatory notifications , construction of the null and alternative hypotheses , and in explaining and interpreting conclusions drawn from the hypothesis test . the system also automatically constructs the null and alternative hypothesis statements based in large part on the test selected , the data characterizations as indicated by the user , and according to the various conventions associated with the tests and data . defining the null hypothesis includes generating a confirmation of the indications made by the user and the implications of the chosen fields . the system also provides a confirmatory notification of the null hypothesis statement . in one embodiment , the null hypothesis statement is made in terms of an equality . the system likewise automatically constructs the alternative hypothesis statement based on the selected test and assumed conventions relating to the selected test and indications of the test criteria and population description . the system provides a confirmatory notification of the alternative hypothesis statement and the implications of the choices made by the user . the system also seeks an indication of the desired significance level to be applied to the hypothesis test , and describes the implications of the choice of significance level in hypothesis testing . the system then automatically conducts the selected test and generates an output . preferably , the output is in graphical and numeric form , and includes text using the terms provided by the user in describing the data . in this regard , the system generates an output including calculations of the values of the test statistic , calculating cut - off values , confidence intervals , and calculating p - values ; comparing the calculated p - value to the indicated significance level , comparing the value of the test statistic to one or more of the reference values , the cut - off values or confidence intervals in view of the null hypothesis statement . the system formulates and expresses the conclusion in terms of the selected test , the indicated test criteria and population descriptions , in terms indicated by the user , as to whether to reject the null hypothesis or not to reject the null hypothesis , and also states the basis for the conclusion . by using the terms supplied by the user and explaining the conclusion using both the indicated terms and the automatically calculated values of the test statistic , the system provides a tool for using hypothesis testing that reduces the likelihood or errors occurring though misunderstanding predicate assumptions of the tests , flawed null / alternative hypothesis statements and misinterpretation of the test results . the system is preferably in the form of computer - readable modules capable of providing the functionalities of the system . those of skill in the art will also readily recognize that the description and disclosure of the system herein also describes and discloses a method for automatically applying hypothesis testing to a data set . while there are many possible embodiments of the software program , one commercially available embodiment is the engine room ® data analysis software provided by moresteam . com ., and which can be purchased online at www . moresteam . com / engineroom . various other features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims .	6
the paperboard unitary one - piece blank 10 from which the corner protective device of the present invention is formed is shown , in its first embodiment , in fig1 . as shown in fig1 the blank 10 may be defined by a connected series of triangular panels and rectangular panels . the first triangular panel 11 has an inside free edge 13 , an outside free edge 14 , a fold line 15 and a truncated exterior free edge 44 . an opening 12 , preferably rectangular in shape , provides a locking means for the triangular panel 11 . the first rectangular panel 16 is connected to the first triangular panel 11 by its fold line 15 . panel 16 has a fold line 19 , parallel to the fold line 15 , an interior free edge 17 and an exterior free edge 18 , both free edges being perpendicular to the fold line 15 . the second triangular panel 20 is connected to rectangular panel 16 by its fold line 19 . the second triangular panel 20 has an exterior edge 21 and a second fold line 22 which is perpendicular to its fold line 19 . the second rectangular panel 23 is connected to the second triangular panel 20 by the fold line 22 and has a fold line 26 parallel to the fold line 22 . the second rectangular panel 23 has an interior free edge 24 and exterior free edge 25 , both of which are perpendicular to the fold lines 22 and 26 . the third triangular panel 27 is connected to the second rectangular panel 22 by the fold line 26 . a second fold line 30 of panel 27 is perpendicular to its fold line 27 . the third triangular panel 27 has a free edge 29 and a fastening means 28 , preferably a die - cut extendable tab . the third rectangular panel 31 is connected to the third triangular panel 27 by the fold line 30 . the third rectangular panel 31 has a second fold line 34 parallel to the fold line 30 . rectangular panel 31 has a parallel interior free edge 32 and an exterior free edge 33 . the fourth triangular panel 35 is connected to the rectangular panel 31 by the fold line 34 and has a second fold line 37 perpendicular to the fold line 34 . the fourth triangular panel 35 has a free edge 36 . the fourth rectangular panel 38 is connected to the fourth triangular 35 by the fold line 37 and has an interior free edge 39 and an exterior free edge 40 parallel and opposite to the free edge 39 . the rectangular panel 38 has a free edge 41 parallel to its fold line 37 . the free edge 41 forms a gap 42 between it and the free edge 13 of the first triangular panel 11 . an interior rectangular opening 43 is formed by the interior free edges 17 , 24 , 32 and 39 of the rectangular panels . although the fastening means of the blank shown in fig1 comprises an opening 12 and a tab 28 , alternatively other types of removable fastening means such as certain adhesives or tape may be used to removably fasten the first triangular panel 11 to the third triangular panel 27 . to erect the corner device of the present invention , the user folds the first triangular panel 11 at 90 ° to the flat blank 10 along fold line 15 . then he proceeds to fold , at 90 °, each of the subsequent fold lines 19 , 22 , 26 , 30 , 34 and 37 . he then inserts the tab 28 into the opening 12 to removably fasten together the first panel 11 and the third panel 27 . the erected corner protective device is shown in fig2 . an alternative embodiment , having two cells , is shown in fig3 and 4 . in the alternative embodiment illustrated in fig3 and 4 each of the panels , free edges and fold lines which correspond to the panels , free edges and fold lines of the embodiment shown in fig1 and 2 have been labeled with the same number but with the addition of the suffix &# 34 ; a &# 34 ;. for example , the exterior free edge 14a of the first panel 11a , shown in fig3 and 4 , corresponds to the free edge 14 of the first panel 11 shown in fig1 and 2 . the major differences between the blank shown in fig1 and the blank shown in fig3 are that the fold lines joining the fourth triangular panel 35a to the rectangular panels 31a and 38a are not continuous and the width dimension of the fourth rectangular panel ( the length of the free edges 33a and 32a ) is shorter than the blank of fig1 . as shown in fig3 the fold line joining the fourth triangular panel 35a to the third rectangular panel 31a is divided into two portions 45 and 46 , those portions 45 and 46 being discontinuous and providing between them a space for a three - sided free edge rectangular tab 27 . similarly , the fold line between the fourth triangular panel 35a has two discontinuous portions 48 and 49 with a space between them , providing for a rectangular tab 50 . tab 50 has three free edges and a connected non - folded and non - severed edge which is continuous to the rectangular panel 38 . when the blank 10a of fig3 is folded , as shown in fig4 the tabs 47 and 50 provide the means to space the triangular panel 35a from the triangular panel 20a , thereby providing a corner protector having two cells . in the blank of fig3 a dash line indicates a regular crease and the dash line with intervening crosses between each dash indicates a line of cut and crease , which cut - and - crease lines are fold lines and not severed lines .	1
referring to fig1 to 3 , a magazine which represents an embodiment of the present invention has lower and upper cases 10 and 12 made of a synthetic resin which are connected to each other by a hinge 14 so that they are relatively rotatable . it is possible to shade the interior of the magazine by rotating the lower and upper cases 10 and 12 about the hinge 14 so as to make opening ends of these cases fitted to each other . semicircular recesses 16 and 18 are formed in the surface of the opening ends of the lower and upper cases 10 and 12 which are in close contact with each other when these cases are closed . the recesses 16 and 18 form circles when the lower and upper cases 10 and 12 are closed . rotary dial members 20 and 22 are accommodated in these recesses 16 and 18 . the rotary dial members 20 and 22 are formed such that cylindrical portions 20b and 22b are integrally connected to outer peripheries of disk - like portions 20a and 22a ; and tubular shafts 20c and 22c extend from the disk - like portions 20a and 22a oppositely relative to the cylindrical portions 20b and 22b . the outer peripheries of the tubular shafts 20c and 22c are slidable on inner peripheries of the recesses 16 and 18 , and the rotary dial members 20 and 22 can therefore rotate about the shafts . ring - shaped projections 20d and 22d are arranged to project on axial - intermediate portions of the tubular shafts 20c and 22c . these projections are fitted in ring grooves formed in the recesses 16 and 18 , thereby constituting a shading structure , whereby any external light is inhibited from entering the inside of the lower and upper cases 10 and 12 through the gaps between the recesses 16 and 18 and the tubular shafts 20c and 22c . small tubular portions 24a and 26a which are formed on opposite ends of cylindrical - spools 24 and 26 which form a major part of a means for supporting a roll of photographic paper are inserted and fixed in the tubular shafts 20c and 22c . a support shaft 28 extends between the spools 24 and 26 , and a support tube 30 is axially supported on an axial - intermediate portion of the support shaft 28 . as shown in fig5 a central portion of a plate spring 31 is fixed to the support tube 30 by vises 31a and is adapted to press an inner peripheral portion of the roll r of photographic paper p fitted around the outer peripheries of the spools 24 and 26 . a plurality of ring grooves 32 are formed in the outer peripheral surfaces of the spools 24 and 26 , and pairs of partition plates 34 and 36 are fitted into the ring grooves 32 . the partition plates 34 and 36 are semicircular and have inner semicircular cuts 34a and 36a which are formed coaxially with the partition plates 34 and 36 and the edges of which are inserted into the ring grooves 32 . each pair of partition plates 34 and 36 form a disk when combined with each other . each pair of partition plates 34 and 36 have pairs of mating surfaces . a projection 38 extends from one of each pair of mating surfaces , and a recess 40 for receiving the projection 38 is formed in the other mating surface . the projection 38 has an elongated hole in which a pin 42 which projects from the recess 40 is accommodated . it is therefore possible for the partition plates 34 and 36 in the assembled state to move away from each other to an extent defined by the clearance between the pin 42 and the elongated hole 44 . the partition plates 34 and 36 are urged by a tension coil spring 46 stretched therebetween so that they become closer to each other . each pair of partition plates 34 and 36 are therefore brought into engagement with one of the ring grooves 32 by the urging force of the tension coil spring 46 . if it is desired to change the width of the photographic paper p fitted around the spools 24 and 26 , the partition plates 34 and 36 are moved in the axial direction of the spools and are set in different ones of the ring grooves 32 . it is thus possible for the partition plates 34 and 36 to be attached to the spools 24 and 26 by being positioned in accordance with the widthwise opposite sides of the photographic paper p . the ring grooves are therefore formed in positions corresponding to different widths of photographic paper p . as shown in fig3 and 5 , a ratchet wheel 48 is fixed on a side surface of the cylindrical spool 24 by bolts 47 . the ratchet wheel 48 constitutes a part of a checking means for checking the rotation of the cylindrical spools 24 and 26 in the direction of winding - up of the photographic paper . as shown in fig1 a part of bottom plate 10a of the lower case 10 is formed in parallel with the surface of the roll r of the photographic paper p , and support brackets 52 are fixed to a portion of the reset of the bottom plate 10a by vises 54 . side plates 56 and 58 upwardly extend parallel from the support brackets 52 while being suitable spaced apart from each other . upper portions of the side plates 56 and 58 enter the upper case 12 . a winding roller 60 is supported on portions of the side plates 56 and 58 in the vicinity of upper ends thereof . the photographic paper unrolled from the roll r is turned in the opposite direction by being wound around the roller 60 and is drawn out through an aperture 10b formed in the bottom plate 10a and through an aperture 62a formed in a shading plate 62 attached to a surface of the bottom plate 10a under the aperture 10b . a photographic paper drawing - out section is defined between the winding roller 60 and the aperture 62a . the pressing roller 64 faces the winding roller 60 . these rollers serve as pinching rollers which pinch an intermediate portion of the photographic paper p . the pressing roller 64 is axially supported in elongated holes 12a ( fig1 ) formed in the upper case 12 and is urged by elastic bodies ( not shown ) so that it is normally distanced from the winding roller 60 . a support shaft 66 is axially supported on the upper case 12 in parallel with a shaft 64a of the pressing roller 64 . one end of the support shaft 66 projects through the case to the outside , and a grip 68 is connected to the support shaft 66 at this end . the support shaft 66 is urged by a compression coil spring 67 in the direction in which it is moved away from the upper case 12 . if the grip 68 is moved in the axial direction of the support shaft 66 toward the case 12 , a gear 66a of the support shaft 66 and a gear 64b of the shaft 64a mesh with each other and , at the same time , the pressing roller 64 is pressed against the winding roller 60 . in this state , the photographic paper p can be driven in the lengthwise direction and unrolled from the roll r or it is drawn back or rewound around the roll r by the operation of rotating the grip in the normal or reverse direction . extreme end portions of an attachment bar 70 shown in fig4 are fixed to the side plates 56 and 58 . the attachment bar 74 has a plurality of attachment holes 72 formed in its intermediate portions , and a pair of guide brackets 76 and 78 are fastened by vises 74 passing through the attachment holes 72 and are thereby supported on the attachment bar 70 . as shown in fig4 the guide brackets 76 and 78 are formed of bent thin plates in the form of channels which are adapted to receive the opposite sides of the photographic paper p and prevent the photographic paper p from shifting in the transversal direction . correspondingly , the attachment holes 72 into which the vises 74 are fitted are selected so that the guide brackets 76 and 78 are positioned in accordance with the opposite sides of the photographic paper p . to mount the guide brackets 76 and 78 in this manner , the positions of the attachment holes 72 are determined with respect to the predetermined widths of a plurality of photographic paper p . a rotary shaft 82 which extend through the side plates 56 and 58 are supported on these plates . one end of a rotary arm 84 is connected to an intermediate portion of the rotary shaft 82 . a torsion coil spring 90 shown in fig3 is interposed between the rotary arm 84 and the side plate 56 . the torsion coil spring 90 functions in such a manner that the extreme end of the rotary arm 84 is constantly pressed , with a small urging force , against a portion of the photographic paper p linearly extending between the winding roller 60 and the aperture 62a . in consequence , in the case where the photographic paper p is stretched between the winding roller 60 and the aperture 62a , the rotary arm 84 is in a state as indicated by the double - dot - dash line in fig1 or , in the case where the photographic paper p is not stretched through this section , the rotary arm 84 is in a state as indicated in the solid line in fig1 . one end of a connection arm 92 is fixed to one axial end of the rotary shaft 82 . a pawl 94 which is formed at the other end of the connection arm 92 faces a ratchet wheel 48 connected to the cylindrical spool 24 supporting the roll of photographic paper , thereby constituting a part of the checking means . in the case where the photographic paper p exists in the drawing - out section , the connection arm 92 is displaced outward by the photographic paper p to a position indicated by the double - dot - dash line in fig1 while the rotary shaft 82 rotates counterclockwise , thereby moving the pawl 94 away from the ratchet wheel 48 . if the leading end of the photographic paper is drawn back into the lower case 10 to a predetermined extent , the connection arm 92 swings clockwise as shown in fig1 by virtue of the urging force of the torsion coil spring 90 so that the pawl 94 engages with the ratchet wheel 48 , thereby checking the rotation of the roll r in the winding - up direction ( in the clockwise direction as shown in fig1 ) in the photographic paper drawing - out section , guide plates 96 and 97 such as those shown in fig4 are disposed on the opposite sides of the path through which the photographic paper p is transferred and which the rotary arm 84 faces and enters . an opening 96a is formed in the guide plate 96 so that the rotary arm 84 can partially enter the path of the photographic paper through this opening . a roller 98 is axially supported on the guide plate 97 so that it faces one side of the photographic paper passing along the guide plate . the extreme end of the rotary arm 84 comes close to a small - diameter portion 98a of the roller 98 when no portion of the photographic paper exists therebetween . as shown in fig1 a release block 99 is disposed such that it faces one side of the connection arm 92 , and a pin 100 projecting from the release block 99 is axially supported on the lower case 10 . the release block 99 is supplied with a torque in the counterclockwise direction as shown in fig1 by the urging force of a torsion coil spring 99a , and serves as a release means for moving the pawl 94 away from the ratchet wheel 48 by forcibly swinging the connection arm 92 counterclockwise as shown in fig1 . the release block 99 also faces a release projection 101 which is attached to a portion of the upper case 12 . the release projection 101 is apart from the release block 99 during an opened state of the magazine in which the upper case 12 has been moved away from the lower case 10 by being rotated clockwise as shown in fig1 about the hinge 14 . in this state , the release block 99 is allowed to rotate counterclockwise by the urging force of the torsion coil spring . when , as shown in fig1 the upper case 12 is fitted to the lower case 10 , the release projection 101 acts to rotate the release block 99 clockwise around the pin 100 so that the release block 99 is moved to a position at which this block does not contact the connection arm 92 . a guide bracket 102 is attached to the bottom plate 10a . the guide bracket 102 guides the photographic paper p between the aperture 62a and a photographic paper guide 103a of a printing apparatus 103 , and supports the shading plate 62 in such a manner that the plate is slidable between the guide bracket 102 and the bottom plate 10a . the shading plate 62 closes the aperture 10b in a shading manner while being urged by a compression coil spring 106 interposed between the shading plate and the lower case 10 . when the lower and upper cases 10 and 12 are mounted on the printing apparatus 103 , a top end portion of a block 108 which projects from the printing apparatus 103 comes into contact with a slanted portion 62b of the shading plate 62 and moves the plate against the urging force of the compression coil spring 106 until the aperture 62a coincides with the aperture 10b , thereby enabling the photographic paper to be transferred . to load the photographic paper p while the magazine is detached from the printing apparatus , the upper case 12 is rotated relative to the lower case 10 , thereby opening the magazine . correspondingly , the release projection 101 is moved away from the release block 99 , the release block 99 rotates counterclockwise as viewed in fig1 by the urging force of the torsion coil spring 99a , and the connection arm 92 is thereby allowed to swing counterclockwise as viewed in fig1 about the rotary shaft 82 so that the pawl 94 is moved away from the ratchet wheel 48 , thereby enabling the roll r to be rotated . after the roll r has been removed , a new roll r is fitted around the cylindrical spools 24 and 26 and the support tube 30 , and the rotary dial members 20 and 22 are fitted into the recesses 16 . the upper case 12 is then brought into close contact with the lower case , and the rotary dial members 20 and 22 are also closed to the recesses 16 , thereby shading the interior of the magazine defined inside the lower and upper cases 12 . before the lower and upper cases are closed , the photographic paper p unrolled from the roll r is wound around the winding roller 60 and is turned in the opposite direction , and a leading end portion of the paper is led through the path between the guide plates 96 and 97 and the guide brackets 76 and 78 and is brought into contact with the shading plate 62 . at this time , the rotary arm 84 is made to swing counterclockwise as shown in fig1 by the stiffness of the drawn - out portion of the photographic paper and is maintained in this swung position . it is thereby possible for the connection arm 92 to be maintained in the position indicated by the double - dot - dash line in fig1 to prevent any engagement between the pawl 94 and the ratchet wheel 48 while the release projection 101 rotates the release block 99 to the position indicated by the solid line in fig1 as the upper case 12 closes the opening between itself and the lower case 10 . the lower and upper cases 10 and 12 are thereafter loaded in the printing apparatus 103 . at this time , the block 108 projecting from the printing apparatus moves the shading plate 62 against the urging force of the compression coil spring 106 , thereby opening the aperture 10b . the operator then rotates the grip 68 while pressing the same , and the pressing roller 64 is thereby rotated while , in corporation with the winding roller 60 , pinching the photographic paper p , so that the leading end of the photographic paper p is supplied to the printing apparatus through the aperture 10b . the printing apparatus draws in the photographic paper p in order to perform printing corresponding to a predetermined length of photographic paper . this drawing operation can be performed smoothly while preventing any shift of the photographic paper in the transversal direction since there is no portion causing a large resistance to drawing - out of the photographic paper . if a need to load a magazine accommodating different photographic paper arises , the magazine set in the printing apparatus is removed . in this case , the rotary dial members 20 and 22 are rotated in the reverse direction in order to draw back the photographic paper p into the magazine before it is taken out of the printing apparatus 103 . as the leading end of the photographic paper passes over a position in the vicinity of the extreme end of the rotary arm 84 , the rotary arm 84 positively enters the path for the photographic paper p by the urging force of the torsion coil spring 90 , as indicated by the solid line in fig1 and the connection arm 92 makes the pawl 94 engage with the ratchet wheel 48 , thereby checking the operation of winding up the roll r . the operator is thereby informed of the state in which the photographic paper p has been drawn back into the magazine to the predetermined extent , and the operator stops applying the torque to the rotary dial members 20 and 22 . the operator then takes the magazine out of the printing apparatus . the shading plate 62 is thereby released from the block 108 and is automatically closes the aperture b as it is moved by the urging force of the compression coil spring 106 . thereafter , the operator can supply the printing apparatus with the desired magazine in which a roll of photographic paper p having different width is accommodated , only by performing the above described operation . the removed magazine can be set in the printing apparatus with the above - described procedure if it is desired to use the magazine again . at the time of replacement of the magazine , the photographic paper p has been entirely accommodated in the magazine . therefore there is no possibility of the photographic paper p being fogged , and the whole of the photographic paper p can be used without being wasted . since an intermediate portion of the photographic paper p is located in the gap between the winding roller 60 and the pressing roller 64 , the leading end of the photographic paper p can easily be transferred to the printing apparatus by the rotation of the grip 68 when the magazine is reused .	6
as discussed in detail below , the illustrated embodiments comprise a variety of unique multi - positional or multi - configurable rack mounting mechanisms , rack structures , and rack computer systems . for example , the multi - positional or multi - configurable mounting mechanisms may include a linear positioning system , such as a rail - to - track mechanism or rail - to - rail interface assembly , which facilitates variable positions or configurations of a computer chassis ( e . g ., a telecommunications device ) within the rack structure . the linear positioning system , e . g ., rail mechanism , enables multiple horizontal depths or lateral positions in a plane oriented away from legs of the rack structure , thereby facilitating multiple configurations of the device mounted in the rack structure . by further example , a variety of tool - free couplings and latch mechanisms may be used to simplify the assembly and mounting process . any suitable computer chassis may be mounted in the rack structure using these multi - positional rack - mounting mechanisms . for example , the computer chassis may include various network servers , web - servers , applications servers , routers , security systems , telecommunications devices , and other suitable rack mountable devices . depending on the desired application and environment , the multi - positional rack mounting mechanisms enable the computing devices to be mounted in a variety of positions or configurations within the rack structure . for example , the computer chassis may be mounted in a frontal , central , or rearward position of the rack structure ( i . e ., multiple positional configurations or mounting depths ). the multi - positional or multi - configurable rack mounting mechanisms also enable flexible access to the computing devices at variable positions within the rack structure . turning now to the figures , several embodiments of a rack structure and corresponding mounting mechanisms are illustrated . fig1 is a perspective view illustrating a rack structure 10 ( e . g ., a telecommunications or telco rack structure ) in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . as illustrated , the rack structure 10 comprises a plurality of vertical supports , such as mounting legs 12 and 14 , which extend upwardly from a support base 16 . the illustrated support base 16 has lateral support members 18 and 19 extending outwardly from opposite sides of the vertical support or mounting legs 12 and 14 , such that lateral support is provided for various devices mounted to the mounting legs 12 and 14 . additionally , the support base 16 may comprise a plurality of stationary mounting mechanisms , such as mounting receptacles 20 - 26 , which can be secured to a stationary surface ( e . g ., bolted to the floor ) or a mobile unit ( e . g ., a cart ). if desired , these mounting receptacles 20 - 26 may be used to provide additional stability and security for the various devices mounted to the rack structure 10 . for device mounting , the rack structure 10 also may comprise one or more pairs of multi - positional rack mounts or rail interfaces 28 and 30 , as illustrated in fig1 and 2 . for example , as discussed in detail below , the rail interfaces 28 and 30 may enable multiple mounting depths or positional configurations of a computer chassis having rails engageable with the rail interfaces 28 and 30 . additionally , the rail interfaces 28 and 30 may be coupled to the mounting legs 12 and 14 at a variety of vertical positions . a variety of tool - free and / or tool - based mounting mechanisms also may be used to enable the various mounting configurations , the coupling of the rail interfaces 28 and 30 to the mounting legs 12 and 14 , and the coupling of the desired device to the rail interfaces 28 and 30 . for example , each of the illustrated vertical supports or mounting legs 12 and 14 has a plurality of mounting mechanisms , such as mounting receptacles 32 and 34 . on front rack mount sections 36 and 38 , the rail interfaces 28 and 30 also may have various mounting mechanisms , such as front mounting receptacles 40 - 42 and 44 - 46 and front mounting and alignment members 48 - 50 and 52 - 54 , respectively . the rail interfaces 28 and 30 also can include integral or separate fasteners , such as fasteners 56 - 58 and 60 - 62 , respectively . on lateral device mount sections 64 - 66 , the rail interfaces 28 and 30 may further include a variety of mounting mechanisms , such as elongated rail channels or opposite rail support structures 68 - 70 and 72 - 74 and lateral mounting receptacles 76 and 78 , respectively . any additional or alternative tool - based or tool - free fasteners and receptacles are also within the scope of the present embodiments . for example , the foregoing mounting mechanisms 32 - 78 may comprise threaded fasteners , latch mechanisms , snap - fit mechanisms , spring - loaded couplings , male and female interlocking mechanisms , pins , retainers , straps , rail structures and mating channels , bossed members and slots , servo - mechanisms , electro - mechanical latches , and other suitable couplings . as discussed in further detail below , a desired device may be mounted directly or indirectly ( e . g ., via rails ) to the multi - positional rack mounts or rail interfaces 28 and 30 . for example , the rail interfaces 28 and 30 may be coupled to opposite sides of the desired device , which can then be mounted to the rack structure 10 via fasteners 56 - 62 . alternatively , the desired device may be mounted to the rail interfaces 28 and 30 after mounting the rail interfaces 28 and 30 to the respective legs 12 and 14 of the rack structure 10 . in either mounting configuration , the rail interfaces 28 and 30 can be mounted to the mounting legs 12 and 14 at the desired vertical mounting position by extending the fasteners 56 - 58 and 60 - 62 through front mounting receptacles 40 - 42 and 44 - 46 and engaging the fasteners connectively into the corresponding mounting receptacles 32 and 34 , respectively . accordingly , the rail interfaces 28 and 30 are mountable at multiple vertical heights , while also providing multiple horizontal or lateral depths extending away from the legs 12 and 14 in a plane aligned with the rail interfaces 28 and 30 . if desired , an alignment member may be used to ensure proper alignment and orientation of the rail interfaces 28 and 30 . fig3 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of an alignment member ( e . g ., a multi - positional rack mount or rail 80 ) for aligning the rail interfaces 28 and 30 of fig1 and 2 with the rack structure 10 of fig1 . as illustrated , the alignment member or rail 80 has alignment holes 82 - 84 and 86 - 88 , which can be disposed about the front mounting alignment members 48 - 50 and 52 - 54 of the rail interfaces 28 and 30 . in use , the alignment holes 82 - 88 ensure proper alignment and positioning of the rail interfaces 28 and 30 with the respective legs 12 and 14 . for example , the foregoing alignment member or rail 80 may act as a continuous mounting guide for the rail interfaces 28 and 30 until the fasteners 56 - 58 and 60 - 52 securely couple the rail interfaces 28 and 30 to the corresponding receptacles 32 and 34 in the legs 12 and 14 , respectively . alternatively , the alignment member or rail 80 can be used for initial alignment of the rail interfaces 28 and 30 followed by subsequent fastening to the legs 12 and 14 . again , any suitable alignment and mounting mechanism is within the scope of the present embodiments . in addition to the foregoing alignment function , the rail 80 of fig3 also may be used for mounting a desired device to the rail interfaces 28 and 30 . fig4 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a computer chassis 90 having a pair of the rails 80 of fig3 exploded from the rail interfaces 28 and 30 of fig1 - 3 . the illustrated computer chassis 90 may comprise one or more processors , memory modules , hard disk drives , floppy disk drives , optical drives , circuit boards , communication devices ( e . g ., network , wireless , etc . ), audio / video devices , power supplies , fans , and other desired computing components . it also should be noted that one or more computing components may embody removable modular components , such as multiple hard drives , multiple power supplies , redundant cooling fans , and one or more disk drives . however , any suitable components and configurations are within the scope of the illustrated embodiments . as illustrated in fig4 , a pair of the multi - positional rack mounts or rails 80 may be coupled to opposite sides 92 and 94 of the computer chassis 90 , such that the computer chassis 90 can be mounted to the rack structure 10 via the rail interfaces 28 and 30 . the rails 80 may be mounted to the computer chassis 90 by a variety of mounting mechanisms , such as threaded fasteners , snap - fit fasteners , latch mechanisms , spring - loaded fasteners , retainer rings , straps , cotter pins , and other tool - free and / or tool - based fastening mechanisms . however , the illustrated rails 80 have a plurality of latching mechanisms or receptacles 95 , such as keyhole slots 96 , 98 , and 100 . on the opposite sides 92 and 94 , the computer chassis 90 has mating latch mechanisms , such as bossed members 102 , 104 , and 106 , which are coupleable with the corresponding keyhole slots 96 , 98 , and 100 of the rails 80 . for assembly , the rails 80 can be mounted to the sides 92 and 94 by aligning and engaging an enlarged portion 108 of the keyhole slots 96 , 98 , and 100 with an enlarged portion of the bossed members 102 , 104 , and 106 . the rails 80 can then be interlocked with the sides 92 and 94 by sliding the keyhole slots 96 , 98 , and 100 along the bossed members 102 , 104 , and 106 into a narrowed portion 110 of the keyhole slots 96 , 98 , and 100 . at this position , the retention of the bossed members 102 , 104 , and 106 within the narrowed slot portion 110 of the keyhole slots 96 , 98 , and 100 prevents any vertical or outward separation of the computer chassis 90 from the rails 80 . lateral retention within the keyhole slots 96 , 98 , and 100 may be achieved by a variety of mechanisms . in certain embodiments , the keyhole slots 96 , 98 , and 100 may restrict the lateral / transversal release of the bossed members 102 , 104 , and 106 from the narrowed slot portion 110 and into the enlarged slot portion 108 , at which point the computer chassis 90 and rails 80 can be separated by an outward / vertical movement . for example , the bossed members 102 , 104 , and 106 and corresponding keyhole slots 96 , 98 , and 100 may be structured for a compressive - fit or snap - fit within the narrowed slot portion 110 . alternatively , the rails 80 may include a wide variety of additional tool - based or tool - free retaining mechanisms , such as a snap - fit mechanism , a spring - loaded latch or pin , threaded fasteners , a retaining clip or pin , or other suitable couplings . for example , externally threaded fasteners 112 may be disposed through the rails 80 and connectively into the computer chassis 90 to prevent lateral disengagement of the foregoing bossed members 102 , 104 , and 106 from the narrowed slot portion 110 of the keyhole slots 96 , 98 , and 100 , respectively . other suitable mounting and the release mechanisms are also within the scope of the illustrated embodiment . as illustrated in fig4 and 5 , the computer chassis 90 may be mounted to the rack structure 10 via sliding engagement between the rails 80 and the rail interfaces 28 and 30 , respectively . the tool - free engagement between the rails 80 and the rail interfaces 28 and 30 facilitates quick and tool - less acceptance and mounting of the computer chassis 90 with the rack structure 10 . although an additional user may assist , the illustrated embodiments allow a user to single - handedly mount the computer chassis 90 to the rack structure 10 without such assistance . for example , a single user can hold the computer chassis 90 , guide the rails 80 into the rail interfaces 28 and 30 , and tool - lessly install the computer chassis 90 into the rack structure 10 . if the computer chassis 90 is particularly heavy or unwieldy , then the foregoing quick and tool - free mounting mechanism may avoid the use of supports , guides , multiple users , or other additional mounting aids . in the illustrated embodiment , the rails 80 comprise outer rail structures 114 and 116 , which can be movably coupled within the channels or rail support structures 68 - 70 and 72 - 74 of the rail interfaces 28 and 30 . however , any suitable linear positioning mechanism is within the scope of the present technique . the illustrated rails 80 also may have a mounting engagement guide or insert guiding structure , such as a tapered rail section 118 , which facilitates the initial engagement and subsequent sliding of the rails 80 into the rail support structures 68 - 70 and 72 - 74 . again , the tapered rail section 118 guides the rails 80 into the rail interfaces 28 and 30 , thereby simplifying the mounting of the computer chassis 90 into the rack structure 10 without multiple users or tools . once the rails 80 are engaged with the rail interfaces 28 and 30 , the computer chassis 90 can be linearly moved to any desired position within the range of the engaged rails 80 and interfaces 28 and 30 . as a result , the multi - positional interaction between the rails 80 and the corresponding rail interfaces 28 and 30 ( e . g ., collectively a rail mechanism or rail - rail interface assembly ) provides a multi - positional mounting functionality to the rack structure 10 , the computer chassis 90 , and the combined rack computer system . for example , fig5 is a perspective view illustrating a multi - configurable rack computer system 120 having the computer chassis 90 of fig4 front - mounted to the rack structure 10 of fig1 , 3 , and 4 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention . if desired , the computer chassis 90 may be secured in this front mounted configuration by any suitable attachment mechanism , such as a threaded fastener , a snap - fit mechanism , a spring - loaded latch or pin , a threaded fastener , a latch mechanism , or any other suitable tool - based or tool - free fastener . for example , one or more rack mounting fasteners may be disposed in front mount panels 122 and 124 of the computer chassis 90 . in the illustrated embodiment , one or two fasteners disposed in each of the front mount panels 122 and 124 may be coupled to the front mounting alignment members 48 - 50 and 52 - 54 of the rail interfaces 28 and 30 , respectively . for example , threaded fasteners may be disposed in mount sections 126 and 128 of the front mount panels 122 and 124 , while tool free latch mechanisms 130 and 132 also may be accessible on the front mount panels 122 and 124 . if removal is desired for maintenance or other reasons , then the computer chassis 90 can be easily removed from the rack structure 10 by releasing these fasteners and slidingly disengaging the rails 80 from the rail interfaces 28 and 30 , respectively . alternatively , the computer chassis 90 may be mounted in a non - frontal configuration . fig6 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the multi - configurable rack computer system 120 of fig5 having the computer chassis 90 mounted to the rack structure 10 at an intermediate mounting position 134 . again , the computer chassis 90 may be secured in this centrally mounted configuration by any suitable attachment mechanism , such as a threaded fastener , a snap - fit mechanism , a spring - loaded latch or pin , a threaded fastener , a latch mechanism , or any other suitable tool - based or tool - free fastener . in the illustrated embodiment , a mounting abutment member or multi - positional guide 136 also may be coupled to one or both of the rails 80 , such that the computer chassis 90 can be maintained in the intermediate mounting position 134 . for example , the multi - positional guide 136 may have a rack - mounting fastener 138 , which can secure the computer chassis 90 to the front mounting and alignment member 48 . alternatively , the guide 136 may be abutted against one of the rail interfaces 28 and 30 at the intermediate mounting position 134 . the rack - mounting fastener 138 may comprise any suitable fastening mechanisms , including both tool - free and tool - based fasteners . if removal or repositioning is desired for any reason , then the computer chassis 90 can be easily released from the rack structure 10 by disengaging the rack - mounting fastener 138 from member 48 and slidingly moving the rails 80 along the rail interfaces 28 and 30 . fig7 is a close - up perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the multi - positional guide 136 of fig6 . as illustrated , the multi - positional guide 136 comprises a rack abutment or positioning section 140 , which can either abut against or couple to the rack structure 10 at the desired positional relationship between the rails 80 and the rail interfaces 28 and 30 . for example , as discussed above , the rack - mounting fastener 138 may be coupled to member 48 by suitable attachment mechanisms , such as threaded engagement . the multi - positional guide 136 also has an inner rail mount section 142 , which may be coupled to the rail 80 at the desired mounting position for the computer chassis 90 . for example , the illustrated inner rail mount section 142 comprises a mounting receptacle 144 and a tool - free mounting member or rail catch 146 , which has a central insert section 148 surrounded by inner and outer catch sections 150 and 152 . as illustrated in fig8 , the multi - positional guide 136 is mountable to the rail 80 by aligning and inserting the outer catch section 152 into one of a plurality of mating latch structures or slots 154 in the outer rail structure 116 of the rail 80 . once inserted , the multi - positional guide 136 may be rotated downwardly onto the outer rail structure 114 , where a suitable fastener can be inserted through the mounting receptacle 144 of the multi - positional guide 136 and connectively into one of a plurality of mounting receptacles 156 in the rail 80 . it should be noted that other suitable rail positioning member or stop mechanism is within the scope of the present embodiment . moreover , a plurality of these multi - positional guides 136 or other stops may be disposed on one or both of the rails 80 to control the linear movement between the rails 80 and the corresponding rail interfaces 28 and 30 . if a flexible or movable mounting connection is not desired , then the rack structure 10 and corresponding multi - positional rack mounts or rail interfaces 28 and 30 also can provide a fixed mount configuration . fig9 is a perspective view illustrating a pair of the rail interfaces 28 and 30 of fig2 mounted to the computer chassis 90 of fig4 in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention . in the illustrated embodiment , the multi - positional rack mounts or rail interfaces 28 and 30 are mounted directly to the sides 92 and 94 of the computer chassis 90 via fasteners 158 , which extend through receptacles 78 in the rail interfaces 28 and 30 and connectively into the sides 92 and 94 of the computer chassis 90 . again , the fasteners 158 may comprise any suitable tool - free or tool - based coupling mechanisms , such as threaded fasteners , snap - fit mechanisms , latches , spring - loaded fasteners , bossed members and keyholes slots , and other suitable fastening mechanisms . once attached , the rail interfaces 28 and 30 and accompanying computer chassis 90 may be mounted to the rack structure 10 by directly coupling the rail interfaces 28 and 30 to the legs 12 and 14 . fig1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the computer chassis 90 of fig9 being mounted to the rack structure 10 illustrated in fig1 . as illustrated , the rail interfaces 28 and 30 and accompanying computer chassis 90 are positioned at the desired height along the legs 12 and 14 , where the fasteners 56 - 58 and 60 - 62 are inserted through the receptacles 48 - 42 and 44 - 46 and are engaged connectively into the mounting receptacles 32 and 34 , respectively . if removal or repositioning is desired for any reason , then the computer chassis 90 can be removed from the rack structure 10 by disengaging the fasteners 56 - 62 from receptacles 12 and 14 . the computer chassis 90 and rail interfaces 28 and 30 can then be lifted away from the rack structure 10 .	8
referring now more particularly to the figure , there is provided a telephone line circuit having tip input terminal 14 connected to a telephone central office ( not shown ) through a conductor known as a tip conductor and a ring input terminal 9 connected to a telephone central office through a conductor known as the ring conductor . ring terminal 9 is connected to full wave rectifier bg1 having four diodes connected in a bridge arrangement so as to convert an ac ring signal to pulsed dc . the full wave rectifier bg1 is further connected to tip terminal 14 through the series circuit including resistor r22 and capacitor c5 . capacitor c5 provides dc isolation to the ring detector circuit , included in ic2 , while resistor r22 limits current from the line . resistor r21 is connected across the output of full wave rectifier bg1 for providing a current threshold for sensing circuit ic2 . sensing circuit ic2 includes a light emitting diode and a light responsive transistor which isolates the telephone line current from the rest of the line circuit . transistor q4 has its base connected to the emitter of the light responsive transistor in ic2 for multiplying the output current of the ic2 circuit . bias resistor r28 is connected across the base - emitter path of transistor q4 . current limiting resistor r17 is connected to the collector of transistor q4 and also to one side of capacitor c4 . capacitor c4 is part of the analogue circuit which provides timing for the ring function and the re - ring function of the line circuit . transistor q5 is connected as a voltage regulator diode with its base and collector tied together and connected to chasis ground which is - 24v with respect to earth ground which is standard in the telephone industry . the emitter of transistor q5 is connected to one side of capacitor c4 . a portion of the analogue timing circuit includes resistors r1 and r2 , which are connected in series with capacitor c4 . diode cr11 acts as a voltage reference clamp and is connected between capacitor c4 and resistor r1 . the parallel combination of resistor r27 and diode cr12 is connected between diode cr11 and resistor r1 . resistor r27 is part of the analogue - time delay utilized during the re - ring operation . diode cr12 provides a shunt around time - delay resistor r27 when hold relay hd , which will be discussed later , is not energized . resistor r9 is connected to resistor r27 for providing a time constant for the discharge of capacitor c4 when the hold relay hd is energized . ici - 10 , which in this embodiment is a nor gate , has input terminals 8 and 9 shorted together and therefore operates as an inverter . the inputs of ici - 10 are connected to one side of capacitor c4 which controls the turn on of ici - 10 . the output terminal 10 inverts the input signals of ici - 10 and is connected to switching transistor q3 through current limiting resistor r13 . the collector of transistor q3 is connected to relay coil rn which is part of the ring relay . ring relay coil rn is magnetically coupled to normally open contacts 12 and 13 , normally open contacts 6 and 7 , normally open contacts 15 and 16 , and normally closed contacts 14 and 15 . diode cr7 is connected across ring relay coil rn to provide for transient protection . resistor r14 is connected to the collector of transistor q3 and to diode cr4 which is further connected to one side of capacitor c4 to provide a discharge path for capacitor c4 . referring now to another portion of the circuit , key input terminal 16 , known as the a lead , is adapted to be connected to a telephone line key which when depressed applies ground to input terminal 16 . input terminal 16 is connected to the parallel combination of resistor r20 and diode cr9 . resistor r20 is connected in a series circuit with resistor r18 . this series circuit is further connected to capacitor c1 for providing input voltage to inverter ici - 4 . resistor r19 is connected to one side of capacitor c1 and diode cr9 for quickly discharging capacitor c1 whenever the telephone is hung up , and the ground is removed from input terminal 16 . ici - 4 is a nor gate with its inputs 5 and 6 connected together so as to be an inverter . the output of inverter ici - 4 is connected to the input terminals 1 and 2 of ici - 3 which is also a nor gate with its inputs connected together as an inverter . the output terminal 3 of ici - 3 is connected to diode cr3 , diode cr2 , and current limiting resistor r6 . the other side of resistor r6 is connected to the base of transistor q1 . the collector of transistor q1 is connected to answer relay coil an . answer relay coil an is magnetically coupled to contacts an1 and an2 . diode cr5 is connected across answer relay coil an for providing transient protection . referring now to another portion of the line circuit , resistors r4 and r5 are connected to earth ground terminal 15 through resistor r15 . terminal 15 is also connected to the b + supply ,. resistors r4 and r5 are further connected in series and to the b + supply through loop relay contacts lp1 when the contacts are closed . loop relay contacts lp1 are magnetically coupled to loop relay coil lp which is connected to ring input terminal 9 which is in series with the ring lead of the telephone line . resistor r4 is connected to timing capacitor c2 and to the b + lead . the other side of timing capacitor c2 is connected to input terminal 13 of nor gate ici - 11 . resistor r3 is also connected to capacitor c2 to provide discharge path for the capacitor . the other input terminal of nor gate ici - 11 is connected to differentiating capacitor c3 which differentiates the output signal from ici - 3 . output terminal 11 of ici - 11 is connected to current limiting resistor r7 which is further connected to switching transistor q2 . the collector of switching transistor q2 is connected back to input terminal 12 of ici - 11 to provide positive feedback to ici - 11 in order to latch on ici - 11 . the collector of transistor q2 is further connected to hold relay coil hd . hold relay coil hd is magnetically coupled to normally open hold contacts hd 12 and 13 , 6 and 7 , 9 and 10 , 15 and 16 . the hold coil is also magnetically coupled to normally closed hold contacts 5 and 6 . diode cr6 is connected across hold relay hd to provide transient protection . the earth ground line common to the relay coils rn , an , and hd is connected to diode d1 which is a light emissive diode ( led ) used to indicate line condition for maintenance purposes . diode cr1 is connected across led - d1 to provide reverse bias protection for the led . current limiting resistor r30 is connected to led - d1 and further to output terminal 8 and to one side of triac q6 . triac q6 is used to switch the station lamp current . the station lamps ( not shown ) are adapted to be connected to output terminal 8 . in the past , a coil and contact relay device was used to switch current to the lamps ; however , since relatively high currents are required to light the lamps and a large number of switching actions were required , relay contacts deteriorated thus making the line circuit unreliable . one current conducting electrode of triac q6 is connected to input terminal 4 which is connected to an ac power supply ( not shown ). in the past , the power terminals of the lamp circuit switch ( relay ) was connected to the interrupter , thus a high current mechanical interrupter was required . since triac q6 is gated on with relatively low gating currents through the interrupter and the power terminals are not connected to the interrupter , a low current solid state interrupter may be used with the line circuit . the gate of triac q6 is connected to resistors r23 and r24 . resistor r23 is further connected to the cathode of triac q6 to insure turn off of triac q6 at zero voltage crossover . resistor r24 is connected to the interrupter ( not shown ) which is an ac voltage source on at a 50 % duty cycle through normally closed hold contacts hd5 and 6 and normally open ring contacts rn6 and 7 on ring in . this resistor is further connected to the first mentioned ac source at input terminal 4 through normally open hold contacts hd 6 and 7 when the circuit is in the hold state . resistor r24 provides current limiting to the gate of triac q6 . resistor r24 is further connected to input terminal 2 which provides ac voltage which is 90 % time on and 10 % time off when the circuit is in the hold state . re - ring relay coil rr is connected to ground through resistor r29 and to input terminal 7 through hd relay contacts 9 and 10 and rn relay contacts 6 and 7 . re - ring relay coil rr is magnetically coupled to re - ring relay contacts rr1 . re - ring relay contacts rr1 are connected to the gate of triac q6 through ring contacts 15 and 16 and hold contacts 9 and 10 . re - ring relay coil and contacts act as an and gate in that current must be flowing through coil rr at the same time that there is voltage across normally open contacts rr1 in order to gate on triac q6 in the re - ring mode . referring to another portion of the circuit , terminals 5 and 6 are connected to the interrupter ( not shown ) and across rn relay contacts 12 and 13 , and hd relay contacts 12 and 13 . terminals 1 and 11 are connected to a ringer 25 for local ringing and further to ring contacts 9 and 10 . when the telephone is on hook and there is no incoming ac ringing signal on the tip and ring terminals , all of the relays are de - energized . when a ringing signal is received across the tip conductor 14 and ring conductor 9 , the signal is rectified by full wave rectifier bg1 and current flows through the led in ic2 . light is impinged upon the base of the light responsive transistor in ic2 . capacitor c4 charges through resistor r 17 to a level sufficient to overcome the threshold voltage of nor gate ici - 10 , thus placing a logic zero at its input terminals 8 and 9 . nor gate ici - 10 inverts the logic zero input to an output logic one at its output terminal 10 thus supplying a positive bias to transistor q3 . transistor q3 conducts current and current flows through the ring relay coil rn . rn contacts 12 and 13 are closed , thus starting the interrupter motor ( not shown ). furthermore , rn contacts 9 and 10 are closed which cause local ringing of the telephone . the interrupter supplies various interrupted ac signals to input terminals 7 and 2 . the energization of relay coil rn furthermore closes contacts 6 and 7 . current flows from terminal 7 through normally closed contacts hd 5 and 6 to gate on triac q6 . when triac q6 is gated on , current flows through its anode and cathode electrodes from input terminal 4 to lamp output terminal 8 . the signal supplied at input terminal 7 is 50 % on and 50 % off , thus the gating of the triac and the energization of the lamp will be 50 % on and 50 % off . if the phone is not answered and the ring - in cycle ceases , capacitor c4 discharges through resistor r2 and r1 , diode cr12 , resistor r9 , through hold relay coil hd and terminal 15 . this removes a logic level zero from the inputs 8 and 9 of ici - 10 , thus turning off transistor q3 and de - energizing relay coil rn . this opens the ring relay contacts and local ringing as well as lamp indication ceases . when an incoming call is answered , the telephone key which is connected to input terminal 16 is shorted to ground . inputs 5 and 6 of ici - 4 detect a logic level one which is inverted to logic level zero at output terminal 4 , and then reinverted by ici - 3 at its output terminal 3 to a logic level one . the logic level one forward biases transistor q1 , thus allowing current to flow through answer relay coil an . this causes relay contacts an2 to shunt loop relay coil lp thus providing zero impedance electrical signal connection to the telephone hand set ( not shown ). energization of relay coil an also closes relay contacts an1 . this provides continuous gating of traic q6 from ac input terminal 4 . triac q6 gates on thus providing uninterrupted lamp current to lamp output terminal 8 . when a call is to be placed on hold , a hold key is depressed which removes the ground from input terminal 16 . input terminals 5 and 6 of ici - 4 return to a logic zero thereby returning output terminal 3 of ici - 3 to zero which turns off transistor q1 , thus de - energizing answer relay coil an . answer relay contacts an2 are thus opened and the current flows through loop relay coil lp . with loop relay coil lp energized , relay contacts lp1 are closed , thus causing capacitor c2 to charge through resistor r3 . this charging of capacitor c2 provides a logic zero level on input terminal 13 and nor gate ici - 11 . a logic zero level is provided at the inputs 5 and 6 of ici - 4 and as previously described , resulted in a logic zero level at ici - 3 . as a result , ici - 3 makes a transistor from a logic one level to a logic zero level when a party is placed on hold . this negative transition is differentiated by capacitor c3 , thereby providing a temporary logic level zero at input terminal 12 of ici - 11 . since ici - 11 is a nor gate , the presence of two logic level zeros at its input provide a logic level one at its output terminal 11 . this forward biases transistor q2 and current flows through hold relay coil hd through the collector - emitter path of transistor q2 . with transistor q2 saturated , its collector is essentially grounded , thus applying a positive feedback of a logic level zero through resistor r8 to input terminal 12 of ici - 11 , thereby latching on ici - 11 . energizing hold relay coil hd closes contacts hd 15 and 16 , thereby providing a current path from the ring input terminal 9 through coil lp , through the hold impedance resistors r10 , r11 , r12 back to tip input terminal 14 . thus , the incoming call has been placed on hold . with the energization of hold coil hd , hold relay contacts 12 and 13 are closed , thus applying energy to start the interrupter motor . the interrupter motor supplies a signal to input terminal 2 which is 90 % on and 10 % off . current flows from input terminal 2 through normally closed rn contacts 14 and 15 through the closed hold contacts 6 and 7 to gate on triac q6 . triac q6 then conducts current to lamp terminal 8 at a flash rate of 90 % on and 10 % off during the hold cycle . when a call which was previously on hold is answered , the key button connected to input terminal 16 is depressed and ground is again applied to input terminal 16 . therefore , logic one exists at terminals 5 and 6 of ici - 4 . this causes the answer relay to be energized , as previously described , thereby shunting loop relay coil lp by closing contacts an2 . the shunting of loop relay coil lp opens contacts lp1 ; therefore , capacitor c2 discharges through cr2 to the logic one level at nor gate ici - 3 . this applies a logic level one to input terminal 13 of ici - 11 thereby causing a logic level zero at output 11 . transistor q2 is turned off thus de - energizing hold relay coil hd . as hold relay coil hd de - energizes , hold relay contacts 15 and 16 open and the holding impedance r10 , r11 , and r12 are removed from across the tip and ring input terminals 14 and 9 . with answer coil energized , again answer contacts an1 are closed thus providing steady lamp current through triac q6 . when a party has been placed on hold for a predetermined time , for example , one minute , the audible indicator 25 will be re - rung and the lamp 26 will provide a unique indication that re - ring is occurring for that particular line . this predetermined timing cycle begins when a line is placed on hold . while the line is on hold , the collector transistor q2 is approximately at ground potential . timing capacitor c4 is charged through resistors r9 , r27 , r1 , and r2 . when the charge on capacitor c4 reaches the threshold level of ici - 10 at its inputs 8 and 9 , a logic level zero is applied to the inputs of ici - 10 . this level zero is inverted and a logic level one is applied at the output 10 of ici - 10 . transistor q3 then conducts thus energizing ring relay rn closing ring contacts rn 9 and 10 causing an audible indication that the system is re - ringing . in order to supply a unique lamp indication of re - ring , re - ring relay rr is utilized . when ring relay rn is energized , ring contacts 6 and 7 are closed ; and since hold contacts 9 and 10 are already closed due to the fact that transistor q2 is on , current flows from input terminal 7 at a rate of 50 % on and 50 % off through re - ring relay coil rr and resistor r29 . another signal from input terminal 2 is applied to re - ring contacts rr1 at a rate of 90 % on and 10 % off . current passes through these contacts when the contacts are closed to the gate of triac q6 through ring contacts 15 and 16 and hold contacts 6 and 7 . the combination of re - ring coil rr and re - ring contacts rr1 act as an and gate , i . e . current is supplied to the gate of triac q6 only when these signals are applied simultaneously to the re - ring coil rr and re - ring contacts rr1 . thus , a composite signal of 90 % on and 10 % off from input terminal 2 , and 50 % on and 50 % off from input terminal 7 , is applied to the gate of triac q6 . thus , the triac q6 and the lamp which is connected to output terminal 8 conducts in accordance with this composite signal providing a unique indication that this particular line has been on hold for longer than a predetermined time and is being re - rung . the line circuit will continue to re - ring and provide unique lamp indication until that particular line key is depressed ( at terminal 16 ) thus applying ground to input terminal 16 again causing logic level one to be applied to input terminals 5 and 6 of ici - 4 . a logic level zero is applied to the output terminal 3 of ici - 3 , thus forward biasing diode cr3 which in turn causes capacitor c4 to quickly discharge . a logic level one is provided at the input terminals of ici - 10 , thus providing a logic level zero at its output terminal . this turns off transistor q3 which in turn de - energizes ring relay rn . this ends the re - ring cycle . the circuit described above has been built and operated with components having the following sets of values : an -- 2 form a reed , 24 volt 1750 ohm coil lp -- 1 form a reed , 16 ma 39 . 6 ohm coil rr -- 1 form a reed , 16 ma 39 . 6 ohm coil resistors r6 , r7 , r13 , r17 , r18 , r23 -- 10 k ohms from the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention , it will be apparent that many modification may be made therein . it will be understood , therefore , that this embodiment is intended as an exemplification only and that the invention is not limited thereto . it is to be understood that it is intended in the appended claims to cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention .	7
the complete light unit consist of a dual high power led lamps as depicted in fig1 . the present invention combines a hand - held function in conjunction with a head - lamp function . these features can be described as multi illumination points . referring now to fig1 , a view of the present invention . the main body ( 10 ) is cylindrical tube shape fabricated from aluminum anodize material for durability , measuring approximately six inches in length . the main body ( 10 ) is strong and lightweight , which makes it convenient for the application specifically that of the headlamp function . the main led lamp is located at the top end of the main body ( 10 ) which is intended to be used when the flashlight is hand - held , the main led lamp ( 16 ) is recessed into the body for protection as well as heat dissipation . the secondary led lamp ( 14 ) is also recessed and is located on the side of the main body ( 10 ) which is intended for when the flashlight is used as a head lamp . the head lamp function will be described later on fig3 . the power source for this multi illumination point flashlight comes from user replaceable battery cells which are loaded through the battery cap ( 12 ) located at the bottom of the main unit ( 10 ). fig2 is an outline of the internal electrical components required to operate the flashlight headlamp . this image depicts the position of each major internal component . it should be noted , that the exact position of these components can shift slightly . prior to first use , the user will need to install a pair of battery cells into the battery compartment ( 38 ) of the flashlight by unscrewing the threaded battery cap ( 12 ). there are extruded ribs ( 46 ) around the battery cap ( 12 ) for ease grip during battery installation . once the battery cells are properly inserted , the battery cap ( 12 ) can be screwed back on firmly and the flashlight is ready for use . referring again to the battery cap ( 12 ) functions , there is a built - in external soft flexible silicone control pad ( 42 ) as shown on fig1 that will be used to energize and de - energize the flash light . the material is soft and contains a conductive contact pad ( 40 ) that when depressed against the contact ( 44 ) point on the main circuit board ( 36 ) it completes the circuit allowing the logic function to commence . the best way to describe the silicone conductive pad ( 40 ) and ( 42 ) is to think of it as a momentary on / off switch . the initial signal is received by the circuit board ( 36 ) whenever the switch is closed . once the logic function is read by the circuit board ( 36 ) the user selects which light to power by pressing a single time the top of the silicone pad ( 42 ). the logic function is as follows : the main led lamp ( 16 ) becomes energized , when pad ( 42 ) is initially depressed , when the pad ( 42 ) is depressed a second time , the side led lamp ( 14 ) becomes energized , when the pad ( 42 ) is depressed a third time only the side led lamp is energized and when the pad ( 42 ) is depressed a fourth time all led lamps are de - energize . the main circuit board ( 36 ) receives its power from the battery cells . the battery cells and the main circuit board ( 36 ) are always electrically connected . the energy consumed by the main circuit board ( 36 ) when the flashlight is not in use is negligible . as previously stated , the control signal is activated when the silicone pad ( 42 ) is depressed . the signal is received and processed by the led control circuit ( 34 ) which reads the sequence and sends a signal to the led drive circuit ( 24 ) via bus lines ( 26 , 28 ). once the led drive circuit ( 24 ) receives the instruction , the appropriate led lamp is energizes via conductive paths ( 20 , 22 ). the logic process is repeated every time one cycle of the logic is completed . additional mechanical structures on fig2 are the led lamp reflector ( 30 ) and ( 18 ) which have the led lamp as radiation light source . the reflector is parabolic shape which emits a direct beam from the led lamps . there is a transparent cover to protect the internal light from any impacts . in fig3 , there are several additional features molded into the body that facilitate the usage of the flashlight . first , the main body contains a knurl ( 48 ) feature which surrounds the embodiment . this knurl ( 48 ) provides a secure and comfortable grip to the user during handling of the flashlight , preventing accidental slip from the user &# 39 ; s hand . also , the secondary feature is a set of retention channels ( 50 a , 50 b ) that provides retention by means of an external bracket . the external bracket will be a head strap with a mechanical retainer that will allow for the flashlight to rotate around its axis . referring to fig4 , there is a representation of the head strap mechanism that will hold the flashlight in place when the user decides to use it as a hands - free device by means of head strap . the headband will go around the headband retainer channels that will hold the flashlight in the desired position . the flashlight will be located around the locking tab ( 54 ) which will go around the retention channels ( 50 a , 50 b ) previously described on fig3 . once the flashlight is loaded the entire system can be locked in place . all of the components described on fig1 through 4 are intended to work in harmony to produce the desired outcome , which is to produce a comfortable and easy to use multi illumination point flashlight headlamp .	5
fig1 shows a directional control valve 1 comprising a valve body 2 having a longitudinal bore 3 in which a spool 4 is inserted . the spool can shuttle back and forth within the bore 3 . the spool 4 may be caused to move in any suitable way , e . g . hydraulically or electromagnetically . depending on the position of the spool 4 within bore 3 , the inlet 5 may be fluidly connected to either a first outlet 6 or a second outlet 7 . if the spool 4 is to the far right of fig1 the inlet 5 will be fluidly connected to first outlet 6 , whereas if the spool is to the far left of fig1 the inlet 5 will be connected to the outlet 7 . fig1 shows the spool 4 in a central , neutral position in which the inlet 5 is entirely blocked by the central seal 8 of the spool 4 and thus in this position the inlet 5 is not fluidly connected to either of the first and second outlets 6 , 7 . the movement of the spool 4 within bore 3 is limited by the stoppers 9 a , 9 b which are inserted into the bore 3 and fixed to the valve body 2 , one at either end of the bore 3 . the two stoppers 9 a , 9 b are identical and therefore only the right hand stopper 9 a will be described below . the stopper 9 a has a sealing part 10 on its innermost end ( i . e . the end that is inserted most deeply into the bore 3 when the stopper 9 a is in use ) and an engaging part 11 on its outermost end . the sealing part 10 has a circumferential groove 12 extending around the circumference of the sealing part 10 . an o - ring 13 is mounted in the groove 12 to provide a fluid tight seal against the inner surface of the valve body 2 ( specifically against the wall of the bore 3 ). the engaging part 11 of the stopper 9 a is shown in more detail in fig2 a - 2 c . the engaging part 11 has an external thread ( e . g . a helical thread ) 14 that engages with an internal thread 15 formed on the bore 3 of the valve body 2 . the thread 14 of the stopper 9 a engages with the thread 15 of the bore 3 so that the two parts are in threaded engagement and such that rotation of the stopper 9 a relative to the valve body 2 causes axial movement of the stopper 9 a within the bore 3 . thus the axial position of the stopper 9 a within the bore 3 can be adjusted by rotating the stopper 9 a in one or other direction . as the end face 16 of the stopper 9 a defines the limit of movement of the spool 4 , this axial adjustment allows for easy adjustment of the spool stroke limit without removal of the stopper 9 a from the bore 3 . the engaging part 11 of the stopper 9 a is wider than the sealing part 10 so that the o - ring 13 mounted in groove 12 does not catch on the internal thread of the bore 3 as it is inserted , thus reducing the risk of damage to the o - ring 13 and corresponding reduced risk of failure thereof . this difference in diameters between the sealing part 10 and the engaging part 11 forms a shoulder 21 near the middle of stopper 9 a . once both stoppers 9 a , 9 b have been inserted into the bore 3 , to either side of the spool 4 , the valve 1 is tested to see whether the limits of the spool 4 stroke are optimally defined by the stoppers 9 a , 9 b . this may be done by setting the spool 4 to one limit ( e . g . abutting stopper 9 a ) and testing the flow ( from inlet 5 to first outlet 6 ) and then setting the spool 4 to the other limit ( abutting stopper 9 b ) and testing the flow ( from inlet 5 to second outlet 7 ). if the spool 4 does not move far enough in one direction the inlet 5 may not fully open , thus restricting flow . if the spool 4 moves too far in one direction the outlet 6 or 7 may be partially closed , thus restricting flow . if the flow is not optimum for one particular spool position then the axial position for the appropriate stopper 9 a , 9 b is adjusted by rotating the stopper 9 a , 9 b in one or other direction so as to move the stopper 9 a , 9 b axially in or out . the valve 1 can then be retested and this process repeated until all spool limits are optimally set . at no point in this process is either stopper 9 a , 9 b removed from the bore 3 and at no point are the fluid seals formed by the o - rings 13 broken . therefore this calibration process is fast and effective . once the optimum axial positions of the stoppers 9 a , 9 b have been determined it is desirable to fix the stoppers 9 a , 9 b in place within the bore 3 . the fixing of stopper 9 a will be described below . the stopper 9 b is identical and is fixed in the same way . as shown in fig2 a , the stopper 9 a has an internal bore 17 formed in the engaging part 11 ( i . e . the outermost end of the stopper 9 a when it is inserted in the bore 3 ). the stopper bore 17 is an internally threaded bore which receives an externally threaded expansion pin 18 ( see fig2 c ) such that the pin 18 and bore 17 are in threaded engagement . the expansion pin 18 is tapered such that as it is inserted deeper into bore 17 , it imparts an increasing radially outward force to the engaging part 11 of stopper 9 a . the engaging part 11 of stopper 9 a has eight radial cuts 19 formed therein ( although in other examples a different number of cuts 19 can be used ). each cut 19 extends radially through the engaging part 11 from the bore 17 to the outer surface of the engaging part 11 . each cut 19 also extends axially from the outer end 20 of stopper 9 a to the shoulder 21 formed between the engaging part 11 and the sealing part 10 . the cuts 19 divide the engaging part 11 into multiple ( eight in this case ) sections 22 which splay outwardly as the expansion pin 18 is inserted into stopper bore 17 . thus each section 22 is pressed firmly against the inside of bore 3 , increasing the friction therebetween and preventing further rotation of stopper 9 a relative to valve body 2 ( and thus preventing further axial movement of stopper 9 a relative to valve body 2 ). cuts 19 are best seen in fig2 b and 2 c . it should be noted that for clarity fig2 c does not show the external thread that is formed on the outer surface of the engaging part 11 , nor does it show the external thread formed on the outer surface of the pin 18 . the threads on the outer surface of the engaging part 11 are of course broken by the cuts 19 at regular intervals along their helical paths . the stopper 9 a can be prevented from rotating while the pin 18 is rotating by a tool ( not shown ) engaging with the cuts 19 or other details formed on the surface of the engaging part 11 facing a direction opposite to the sealing part 10 . fig3 shows a second example of a directional control valve 1 . this second example is identical to the first example in most respects and identical components are indicated by the same reference numerals . the difference in the second example is that instead of the innermost end faces of stoppers 9 a , 9 b defining the limits of movement of the spool 4 , the axial positions of stoppers 9 a , 9 b within bore 3 define the preload that is provided to coil springs 23 that are mounted within bore 3 between the stoppers 9 a , 9 b and the spool 4 . the springs 23 are mounted on a small locating projection 24 on the end 16 of the stopper 9 a . in fig3 the right hand stopper 9 a is shown in cross - section whereas the lefthand stopper 9 b is shown in side view ( although the remainder of the valve body 2 is shown in section ). the springs 23 provide resistance to the spool 4 and thus define its axial position as a function of fluid pressure within the valve 1 . accordingly the same calibration process applies as was described above in relation to the valve 1 of fig1 . thus the stoppers 9 a , 9 b are in the form of a threaded plug or bumper with a sealing o - ring 13 and are screwed into the threaded opening 15 in the valve housing 2 . the threads 14 of the stopper 9 a , 9 b , applied to the thread 15 of the bore 3 allow for smooth adjustment of the positions of the stoppers 9 a , 9 b without the need to disassemble the valve 1 . the threaded part 14 of the stoppers 9 a , 9 b is radially cut and provided with a smaller coaxial threaded hole 17 . after determining the optimal positions of the stoppers 9 a , 9 b , a tapered , threaded pin 18 is screwed into the threaded stopper &# 39 ; s hole 17 causing the expansion of the threaded part 11 of the stopper 9 a , 9 b . this results in the introduction of stresses and increases the thread friction between the stopper 9 a , 9 b and the valve body 2 , thus providing a self - locking thread . if a more permanent fixing is desired or required , the screw threads 14 , 15 can be further secured together with adhesive applied to the threads 14 , 15 .	5
the present invention will be described with reference to the drawing figures wherein like numerals represent like elements throughout . the features of the present invention may be incorporated into an integrated circuit ( ic ) or be configured in a circuit comprising a multitude of interconnecting components . the present invention provides a plurality of combinations of sfbc , sm , fd and beam selection according to the number of available data streams and spatial streams and the number of transmit and receive antennas . the combinations provide flexibility on the design of mimo - ofdm systems and scalable solutions for any number transmit and receive antenna configuration . each combination has trade - offs between performance , reliability and data rate . therefore , a combination can be chosen according to some criteria , such as robustness , a data rate , a channel condition , or the like . the number of data streams is preferably decided based on a modulation and coding scheme . the number of spatial streams is decided by the number of transmit and receive antennas . there are two modes of operation of the system : a closed loop and an open loop . the closed loop is used when channel state information ( csi ) is available to the transmitter . the open loop is used when csi is not available at the transmitter . a variant may be used for transmission to legacy sta where it provides diversity benefits . in the closed loop mode , csi is used to create virtually independent channels by decomposing and diagonalizing the channel matrix by precoding at the transmitter and further antenna processing at the receiver . given the eigenvalue spread of wireless channels , a trade - off is made between a data rate and robustness by employing sfbc and / or sm . this scheme allows for a simple receiver implementation , simpler than a minimum mean square error ( mmse ) receiver . the combined solution enables higher throughput over a larger range compared to traditional techniques . the technique allows per sub - carrier power / bit loading and maintains a sustained robust link through closed loop operation with csi feedback . another benefit of the technique is that it is easily scalable to any number of antennas at both transmitter and receiver . the csi can be obtained at the transmitter either by feedback from the receiver or through exploiting channel reciprocity . latency requirements and feedback data rates are typically not significant to the inherent frequency non - selectivity of eigenvalues . a transmit antenna calibration scheme is required . in addition , channel quality information ( cqi ) is used to determine a coding rate and a modulation scheme per sub - carrier or group of sub - carriers . the determined coding rate and modulation scheme determines the number of data streams . according to the number of data streams , the combinations are chosen with the available spatial streams . fig1 is a block diagram of an ofdm - mimo system 100 implementing a closed loop mode in accordance with the present invention . the system 100 includes a transmitter 110 and a receiver 130 . the transmitter 110 includes a channel coder 112 , a multiplexer 114 , a power loading unit 116 , a plurality of optional sfbc units 118 , a plurality of serial - to - parallel ( s / p ) converters 120 , a transmit beamformer 122 , a plurality of ifft units 124 and a plurality of transmit antennas 126 . the channel coder 112 codes data preferably in accordance with a cqi which is provided by the receiver 130 . the cqi is used to determine a coding rate and modulation scheme per sub - carrier or group of sub - carriers . the coded data stream is multiplexed by the multiplexer 114 into two or more data streams 115 . the transmit power level of each data stream 115 is adjusted by the power loading unit 116 based on feedback 150 provided from the receiver 130 . the power loading unit 116 adjusts power levels with respect to the data rate of each eigenbeam to balance the total transmit power over all eigenbeams ( or sub - carriers ). the optional sfbc units 118 perform sfbc on the data streams 115 . sfbc is performed over eigen - beams and sub - carriers for each data rate that is transmitted . eigen - beam and sub - carrier pairs are selected to ensure independent channels . ofdm symbols are carried on k sub - carriers . to accommodate sfbc , the sub - carriers are divided into l pairs of sub - carriers ( or group of sub - carriers ). the bandwidth of each group of sub - carriers should be less than the coherence bandwidth of the channel . however , when combined with eigen - beamforming this restriction is relaxed due to the frequency insensitivity of the eigen - beams . the pairs of sub - carrier groups used by the block code are considered independent . the following is an example of the alamouti type sfbc applied to an ofdm symbol : once the optional sfbc units 118 construct ofdm symbols for all sub - carriers , the coded blocks are multiplexed by the s / p converters 120 and input to the transmit beamformer 122 . the transmit beamformer 122 distributes eigen - beams to the transmit antennas . the ifft units 124 convert the data in frequency domain to the data in time domain . the receiver 130 comprises a plurality of receive antennas 128 , a plurality of fft units 132 , a receive beamformer 134 , a plurality of optional sfbc decoding units 136 , a demultiplexer 138 , a channel decoder 144 , a channel estimator 140 , a csi generator 142 and a cqi generator 146 . the fft units 132 convert samples received in time domain by the antennas 128 to frequency domain . the receive beamformer 134 , the optional sfbc decoding units 136 , the demultiplexer 138 and the channel decoder 144 process the samples converted to the frequency domain . the channel estimator 140 generates channel matrix using a training sequence transmitted from the transmitter and decomposes the channel matrix into two beam - forming unitary matrices u and v , ( u for transmit and v for receive ), and a diagonal matrix d per sub - carrier ( or per sub - carrier group ) by singular value decomposition ( svd ) or eigenvalue decomposition . the csi generator 142 generates csi 147 from the channel estimation results and the cqi generator generates a cqi 148 based on the decoding results . the csi and the cqi provide feedback 150 from the receiver 130 to the transmitter 110 . the channel matrix h between nt transmit antennas and nr receive antennas can be written as follows : where u and v are unitary matrices and d is a diagonal matrix . uεc nrxnr and vεc ntxnt . then , for transmit symbol vector s , transmit precoding is simply performed as follows : where n is the noise introduced in the channel . the receiver completes the decomposition by using a matched filter : after normalizing channel gain for eigenbeams , the estimate of the transmit symbols s becomes the symbols s is detected without having to perform successive interference cancellation or mmse type detector . d h d is a diagonal matrix that is formed by eigenvalues of h across the diagonal . therefore , the normalization factor α = d − 2 . u are eigenvectors of hh h , v are eigenvectors of h h h and d is a diagonal matrix of singular values of h ( square roots of eigenvalues of hh h ). if the optional sfbc units 118 and the optional sfbc decoding units 136 are removed from the transmitter 110 and the receiver 130 , respectively , the transmitter 110 and the receiver 130 may be used for sm . in the open loop mode , a combination of space - frequency coding and spatial spreading in the transmitter 110 provides diversity without requiring csi 147 . the cqi 148 is used to determine a coding rate and modulation per sub - carrier or group of sub - carriers . this coding rate and modulation scheme determines the number of data streams . according to the number of data streams , the combinations are chosen with the available spatial streams . fig2 is a block diagram of a system 200 implementing an open loop mode in accordance with the present invention . the system 200 includes a transmitter 210 and a receiver 230 . in the open loop mode , a combination of space - frequency coding and spatial spreading in the transmitter 210 provides diversity without requiring csi . a variant of this scheme may be used when operating with legacy ieee 802 . 11a / g user equipment . the transmitter 210 includes a channel coder 212 , a multiplexer 214 , a power loading unit 216 , a plurality of sfbc units 218 , a plurality of serial - to - parallel ( s / p ) converters 220 , a beamformer network ( bfn ) 222 , a plurality of ifft units 224 and a plurality of transmit antennas 226 . as in the closed loop mode , the channel coder 212 uses cqi to determine coding rate and modulation per sub - carrier or group of sub - carriers . the coded data stream 213 is multiplexed by the multiplexer 214 into two or more data streams 215 . the bfn 222 forms n beams in space , where n is the number of antennas 226 . the beams are pseudo - randomly constructed by the bfn matrix operation . the independent sub - carrier groups used for the sfbc coding are transmitted on individual beams . for legacy support , sfbc coding may not be performed . instead diversity through beam permutation is performed which improves diversity and therefore the performance of legacy ieee 802 . 11a / g user equipment . the receiver 230 includes a plurality of receive antennas 231 , fft units 232 , a bfn 234 , an sfbc decoding and combining unit 236 and a channel decoder 238 . the fft units 232 convert samples received in time domain by the receive antennas 231 to frequency domain . the sfbc decoding and combining unit 236 decodes and combines symbols received from sub - carrier groups / eigen - beams and converts them from parallel to serial using a prior knowledge of the constellation size . symbols are combined using mrc . the channel decoder 238 decodes the combined symbol and generates a cqi 240 . if the sfbc units 218 and the sfbc decoding function of the sbc decoding and combining unit 236 are removed from the transmitter 210 and the receiver 230 , respectively , the transmitter 210 and the receiver 230 may be used for sm . examples of sfbc , sm , fd and beam selection combinations in accordance with the present invention are explained hereinafter . s i denotes the group of the modulated symbols . the length depends on how many groups the sub - carriers for data are divided into . sub - carriers are divided into two groups . each s i includes symbols whose length is a half of the number of sub - carriers for data . d n denotes singular values of the channel matrix , where d 1 & gt ; d 2 & gt ; d 3 & gt ; . . . & gt ; d m , m is the maximum number of the singular values , ( i . e ., the number of transmit antennas ). rate = 1 means that m symbols are sent and recovered per one sub - carrier during one ofdm symbol duration . when less than m symbols are sent and recovered , the rate is fractional . in fd , s i is sent on a half of sub - carriers and s i * is sent on the other half of sub - carriers . in a siso case , only one data stream and one spatial stream are implemented . without using fd , one symbol is sent per sub - carrier . using fd , one symbol is sent per two sub - carriers . it is summarized in table 1 . in a closed loop mode , beam selection with or without fd and sfbc may be used . since data transmitted on the beam having smaller singular value will die , one beam is selected through svd . the svd beam having a larger singular value is chosen . for a beam selection without fd , one data symbol is sent per a sub - carrier and for a beam selection with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers . in a beam selection with fd , the rate is a half of that in the beam selection without fd case , but the reliability is increased . although the data transmitted on the beam having smaller singular value will die , two symbols can be sent at the same time by using sfbc through two sub - carriers . using this scheme , one data symbol is sent per sub - carrier . comparing with the beam selection case , the performance of this case will be degraded , since the second stream with the smaller singular value includes only noise . one data stream case for the 2 × 1 mimo - ofdm closed loop is summarized in table 2 . in an open loop mode , sm with or without fd and sfbc may be used . for sm ( with the fixed beamforming matrix ) without fd , one data symbol is sent per sub - carrier for each spatial stream by using the fixed beamforming and sm , and for sm with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers for each spatial stream by using the fixed beamforming and sm . combination of fd and non - fd is possible . in such case , one symbol is sent on two sub - carriers on one spatial stream and one symbol is sent on one sub - carrier on the other spatial stream . the data rate is ¾ of the sm without fd case . if sfbc with the fixed beamforming matrix is used , two data symbols of the data stream are sent on two sub - carriers through two antennas by using the fixed beamforming . the data rate is a half of the sm without - fd case . one data stream case for the 2 × 1 mimo - ofdm open loop is summarized in table 3 . for two data stream case , an open loop mode should be used since an svd beam having a smaller singular value carries nothing but noise and will die , as explained hereinbefore . without fd , one data symbol is sent per sub - carrier for each spatial stream and with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers for each spatial stream . combination of fd and non - fd is possible . two data stream case for the 2 × 1 mimo - ofdm open loop is summarized in table 4 . in a closed loop mode , sm with or without fd , beam selection with or without fd and sfbc may be used . in a closed loop mode , two spatial beams are formed by svd for each sub - carrier . for sm without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for each spatial stream and for sm with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers by using one spatial stream . combination of fd and non - fd is possible . for beam selection , one svd beam between two beams for each sub - carrier is selected , which has larger singular value , and the other beam of each sub - carrier is discarded . for beam selection without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier by using one spatial stream . for beam selection with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers by using one spatial stream . two spatial streams for each sub - carrier are generated according to the svd of the channel of each sub - carrier and two data symbols can be sent on two sub - carriers by using sfbc . one data stream case for the 2 × 2 mimo - ofdm closed loop is summarized in table 5 . in an open loop , sm with or without fd and sfbc may be supported . sm is implemented with a fixed beamforming matrix and both spatial streams of each sub - carrier may be used . for sm without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for each spatial stream and for sm with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers by using one spatial stream . combination of fd and non - fd is possible . two data symbols of the data stream can be sent on two sub - carriers for each spatial stream by using the fixed beamforming and sfbc . the transmitting method is same as one for the 2 × 1 system . however , the performance will be better , since two receive antennas are used in a receiver . one data stream case for the 2 × 2 mimo - ofdm open loop is summarized in table 6 . in a closed loop mode , sm with or without fd may be used . sm is performed with svd beamforming and two spatial streams are available for each sub - carrier . since there are two data streams , one spatial stream should be assigned to each data stream , and sfbc is not possible for the same reason . for sm without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for each spatial stream and for sm with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers by using one spatial stream . combination of fd and non - fd is possible . two data stream case for the 2 × 2 mimo - ofdm closed loop is summarized in table 7 . in an open loop , sm is implemented with the fixed beamforming matrix and two spatial streams are available for each sub - carrier . as explained hereinbefore , one spatial stream is assigned to each data stream . for sm without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for each spatial stream and for sm with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers by using one spatial stream . combination of fd and non - fd is possible . two data stream case for the 2 × 2 mimo - ofdm open loop is summarized in table 8 . in a closed loop mode , beam selection with or without fd and sfbc may be used . beams are generated with svd beam forming , and for beam selection , one spatial beam is selected ( only one beam is available since two other beams do not carry nothing but noise and will die ). the beam having the largest singular value is selected . for beam selection without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for the chosen spatial stream and for beam selection with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers for the chosen spatial stream . for sfbc with svd beamforming , two spatial streams are selected for each sub - carrier : one corresponding to the largest singular value and the other one corresponding to one of the rest . however , even though two symbols can be sent at the same time by using sfbc through two sub - carriers , the performance will be very low , since one spatial stream includes only noise . one data stream case for the 3 × 1 mimo - ofdm closed loop is summarized in table 9 . for sm without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for each spatial stream and for sm with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers for each spatial stream . combination of fd and non - fd is possible . one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers on one spatial stream and one symbol is sent per one sub - carrier on two other spatial streams , or one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers on two spatial streams and one symbol is sent per one sub - carrier on the other spatial stream . sfbc may be implemented with or without fd . among three spatial streams for each sub - carrier , two spatial streams are used for sfbc and the other one is used for independent data symbol . therefore , three symbols can be sent for each sub - carrier at each instant . one data stream case for the 3 × 1 mimo - ofdm open loop is summarized in table 10 . in this case , an open loop structure should be used to send and recover two data streams . sm and sfbc are implemented with the fixed beamforming matrix and two data streams are divided into three spatial streams for each sub - carrier . for sm without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for each spatial stream and for sm with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers for each spatial stream . combination of fd and non - fd is possible . with sfbc , one data stream is sent and recovered by using sfbc and the other data stream does not use sfbc . among three spatial streams for each sub - carrier , two spatial streams are used for sfbc and the other one is for the other data stream . two data stream case for the 3 × 1 mimo - ofdm open loop is summarized in table 11 . in this case , an open loop structure should be used to send and recover three data streams . sm and sfbc are implemented with the fixed beamforming matrix and three data streams are divided into three spatial streams for each sub - carrier and sfbc is not possible in this case . for sm without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for each spatial stream and for sm with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers for each spatial stream . combinations of fd and non - fd are possible . three data stream case for the 3 × 1 mimo - ofdm open loop is summarized in table 12 . two spatial streams are available for this case . two beams are selected among three beams for each sub - carrier generated through svd . two svd beams having larger singular values are selected . for sm without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for each spatial stream and for sm with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers for each spatial stream . a combination of fd and non - fd is possible . for sfbc , two spatial streams for each sub - carrier are selected and two symbols are sent at the same time by using sfbc through two sub - carriers . using this scheme , two data symbol can be recovered per two sub - carriers . one data stream case for the 3 × 2 mimo - ofdm closed loop is summarized in table 13 . two spatial streams are available for this case . two beams among three beams for each sub - carrier generated through svd are selected . two svd beams having larger singular values are selected . for sm without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for each spatial stream and for sm with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers for each spatial stream . a combination of fd and non - fd is possible . two data stream case for the 3 × 2 mimo - ofdm closed loop is summarized in table 14 . in a closed loop case , three spatial streams are available . for sm without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for each spatial stream , and for sm with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers for each spatial stream . combinations of fd and non - fd are possible . for sfbc , two spatial streams among three spatial streams are selected . preferably , two bad spatial streams for each sub - carrier are selected , which have smaller singular values . two symbols are sent at the same time by using sfbc on the two bad spatial streams of two sub - carriers . for the other good stream for each carrier , one data symbol is sent without sfbc . for the non - sfbc spatial stream , if fd is used , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for this spatial stream and if fd is not used , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers for this spatial stream . one data stream case for the 3 × 3 mimo - ofdm closed loop is summarized in table 15 . three spatial streams are available for this case and two data streams are divided into three spatial streams for each sub - carrier . in a closed loop , for sm without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for each spatial stream , and for sm with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers for each spatial stream . combinations of fd and non - fd are possible . for sfbc , two spatial streams are selected among three spatial streams . preferably , two bad spatial streams for each sub - carrier are selected , which have smaller singular values . for one data stream , two symbols are sent at the same time by using sfbc on two bad spatial streams of two sub - carriers , and for the other good stream for each carrier , the other data stream is sent without sfbc . for the non - sfbc spatial stream , without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for this spatial stream , and with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers for this spatial stream . two data stream case for the 3 × 3 mimo - ofdm closed loop is summarized in table 16 . three spatial streams are available for this case and three data streams are divided into three spatial streams for each sub - carrier . in a closed loop , for sm without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for each spatial stream and for sm with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers for each spatial stream . combinations of fd and non - fd are possible . two data stream case for the 3 × 3 mimo - ofdm closed loop is summarized in table 17 . only one spatial stream is available for this case . in a closed loop case , one beam among four beams for each sub - carrier generated through svd is selected . the svd beam having the largest singular value is selected . for sm without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for the spatial stream and for sm with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers for the spatial stream . for sfbc with svd beamforming , two spatial streams for each sub - carrier are selected among four beams generated through svd . one corresponds to the largest singular value and the other corresponds to one of the rest . although two symbols can be sent at the same time by using sfbc through two sub - carriers , the performance will be low , since the bad spatial stream includes only noise . one data stream case for the 4 × 1 mimo - ofdm closed loop is summarized in table 18 . for sm without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for the spatial stream and for sm with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers for the spatial stream . combinations of fd and non - fd are possible as shown in table 19 below . for one data stream , these combinations may not be used to maintain same quality for all data symbols . combination of sm and sfbc with the fixed beamforming matrix are possible . a first option is one 2 × 2 sfbc and two sm . for one data stream , this option may not used to maintain same quality for all data symbols . the other two spatial streams of each sub - carrier are used for sm of another two data symbols of the data stream . without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for each spatial stream and with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers for each spatial stream . combinations of fd and non - fd are possible as shown in table 20 . a second option is using two 2 × 2 sfbc . four spatial streams of each sub - carrier are divided into two groups of two streams and each group is assigned to each sfbc . for each instant , four ( 4 ) data symbols are sent on two sub - carriers by using the fixed beamforming and two 2 × 2 sfbcs . in this case , an open loop should be used to send and recover the two data streams . sm is implemented with the fixed beamforming matrix and two data streams are divided into four spatial streams for each sub - carrier . for sm without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for the spatial stream and for sm with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers for the spatial stream . combinations of fd and non - fd are possible as shown in table 21 . the combination cases 1 and 3 in table 21 may not used to maintain the same quality for each data symbol of each data stream . combination of sm and sfbc with the fixed beamforming matrix is possible . a first option is one 2 × 2 sfbc and two sm . one data stream is assigned to the sfbc and the other data stream is sent by sm . two spatial streams of each sub - carrier are used for sfbc and the other two spatial streams of each sub - carrier are used for sm . without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for each spatial stream , and with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers for each spatial stream . a combination of fd and non - fd is possible as shown in table 22 . this combination may not used to maintain the same quality for each data symbol of the data stream , which uses sm . a second option is using two 2 × 2 sfbcs . each data stream is assigned to the separate 2 × 2 sfbc . four spatial streams of each sub - carrier are divided into two groups of two streams and each group is assigned to each sfbc . for each instant , 2 data symbols of each data stream are sent on two sub - carriers by using the fixed beamforming and each 2 × 2 sfbcs . in this case , an open loop should be used to send and recover three data streams . sm is implemented with the fixed beamforming matrix and three data streams are divided into four data symbols for each sub - carrier . all the combinations in table 21 can be used . combination of sm and sfbc with the fixed beamforming matrix is possible . a first option is using one 2 × 2 sfbc and two sms . two spatial streams of each sub - carrier are used for sfbc . one data stream is sent using this sfbc and the fixed beamforming and the other two spatial streams of each sub - carrier are used for sm of the other two data streams . without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for each spatial stream , and with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers for each spatial stream . a combination of fd and non - fd is possible as shown in table 23 . three data stream case for the 4 × 1 mimo - ofdm open loop for sfbc is summarized in table 23 . in this case an open loop should be used to send and recover four data streams . sm is implemented with the fixed beamforming matrix and four data streams are divided into four spatial streams for each sub - carrier . all the methods in table 21 can be used . only two spatial streams are available for this case . two beams are selected among four beams for each sub - carrier generated through svd . two svd beams having larger singular values are selected . for sm without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for the spatial stream and for sm with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers for the spatial stream . combinations of fd and non - fd are possible as shown in table 24 . for sfbc , two spatial streams for each sub - carrier are selected , which have larger singular values . two symbols are sent at the same time by using sfbc through two sub - carriers . using this scheme , two data symbol are recovered per two sub - carriers at each instant . one data stream case for the 4 × 2 mimo - ofdm closed loop is summarized in table 24 . two spatial streams are available for this case . two beams are selected among four beams for each sub - carrier generated through svd . two svd beams having larger singular values are selected . without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for each spatial stream , and with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers for each spatial stream . a combination of fd and non - fd is possible . two data stream case for the 4 × 2 mimo - ofdm closed loop is summarized in table 25 . sm is implemented with svd beamforming and three spatial streams are available for this case . three spatial streams that have larger singular values are selected . without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for each spatial stream , and with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers for each spatial stream . combinations of fd and non - fd are possible as shown in table 26 . for sfbc , three spatial streams for each sub - carrier are selected , which have larger singular values . among them , two spatial streams , preferably two bad spatial streams , are assigned for sfbc . two symbols are sent at the same time by using sfbc on two bad spatial streams of two sub - carriers , and for the best spatial stream of each carrier , one data symbol is sent without sfbc . for the latter spatial stream , without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for each spatial stream , and with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers for each spatial stream . one data stream case for the 4 × 3 mimo - ofdm closed loop is summarized in table 26 . sm is implemented with svd beamforming and three spatial streams are available for this case . two data streams are divided into three spatial streams for each sub - carrier . all the sm methods in table 26 can be applied to this case . for sfbc , one data stream is sent by using sfbc . three spatial streams for each sub - carrier are selected , which have larger singular values . among them , two spatial streams , preferably two bad spatial streams , for each sub - carrier are assigned for sfbc . two symbols are sent at the same time by using sfbc on two bad spatial streams of two sub - carriers . the other stream is sent by using sm . all the methods for sfbc in table 26 can be used for this case . two data stream case for the 4 × 3 mimo - ofdm closed loop is summarized in table 27 . sm is implemented with svd beamforming and three spatial streams are available for this case . three data streams are divided into three spatial streams for each sub - carrier . without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for each spatial stream , and with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers for each spatial stream . combinations of fd and non - fd are possible . three data stream case for the 4 × 3 mimo - ofdm closed loop is summarized in table 28 . sm is implemented with svd beamforming and four spatial streams are available for this case . without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for each spatial stream , and with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers for each spatial stream . combinations of fd and non - fd are possible as shown in table 29 . a first option for sfbc is using one 2 × 2 sfbc and two sms . by singular values of each sub - carrier , two spatial streams , preferably two bad spatial streams having smaller singular values , are selected . on these two bad spatial streams of each sub - carrier , the data symbol is sent by using sfbc . by using the other two good spatial streams of each sub - carrier two data symbols are sent by using sm , without sfbc . in this case , without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for each spatial stream , and with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers for each spatial stream . a combination of fd and non - fd is possible as shown in table 30 . a second option is using two 2 × 2 sfbcs . each two data symbols are assigned to the separate 2 × 2 sfbc . four spatial streams of each sub - carrier are divided into two groups of two spatial streams and each group is assigned to each sfbc . for each instant , four ( 4 ) data symbols of the data stream on two sub - carriers are sent by using the svd beamforming and two 2 × 2 sfbcs . one data stream case for the 4 × 4 mimo - ofdm closed loop for sm is summarized in table 29 and one data stream case for the 4 × 4 mimo - ofdm closed loop for sfbc is summarized in table 30 . sm is implemented with svd beamforming and four spatial streams are available for this case . two data streams are divided into four spatial streams for each sub - carrier . all the methods in tables 29 and 30 can be used . 4 × 4 mimo - ofdm open loop — two data stream case . in this case , all the options for 4 × 1 for two data stream case may be used . sm is implemented with svd beamforming and four spatial streams are available for this case . three data streams are divided into four spatial streams for each sub - carrier . all the methods in table 29 can be used . for sfbc , one 2 × 2 sfbc and two sms are used for three data streams . one data stream is sent by using the 2 × 2 sfbc with svd beamforming . by singular values of each sub - carrier , two spatial streams , preferably two bad spatial streams having smaller singular values , are selected . on these two bad spatial streams of each sub - carrier , two data symbols of one data stream on two sub - carriers are sent by using sfbc and svd beamforming . the other two data streams are sent by using sm with svd beamforming . using the other two good spatial streams of each sub - carrier , two data symbols per sub - carrier are sent for the other two data streams by using sm , without sfbc . in this case , without fd , one data symbol is sent per one sub - carrier for each spatial stream , and with fd , one data symbol is sent per two sub - carriers for each spatial stream . a combination of fd and non - fd is possible as shown in table 31 . three data stream case for the 4 × 4 mimo - ofdm closed loop for sfbc is summarized in table 31 . sm is implemented with svd beamforming and four spatial streams are available for this case . four data streams are divided into four spatial streams for each sub - carrier . all the methods in table 29 can be used . 4 × 4 mimo - ofdm open loop — four data stream case . in this case , all the options for 4 × 1 for four data stream case may be used . although the features and elements of the present invention are described in the preferred embodiments in particular combinations , each feature or element can be used alone without the other features and elements of the preferred embodiments or in various combinations with or without other features and elements of the present invention .	7
fig1 depicts a system 100 including an autonomous vehicle 104 for deployment in a facility , such as a manufacturing facility , warehouse or the like . the facility can be any one of , or any suitable combination of , a single building , a combination of buildings , an outdoor area , and the like . a plurality of autonomous vehicles can be deployed in the facility . autonomous vehicle 104 is also referred to herein simply as vehicle 104 . vehicle 104 need not be entirely autonomous . that is , vehicle 104 can receive instructions from human operators , computing devices and the like , from time to time , and can act with varying degrees of autonomy in executing such instructions . system 100 can also include a computing device 108 for connection to vehicle 104 via a network 112 . computing device 108 can be connected to network 112 via , for example , a wired link 116 , although wired link 116 can be any suitable combination of wired and wireless links in other embodiments . vehicle 104 can be connected to network 112 via a wireless link 120 . links 120 can be any suitable combination of wired and wireless links in other examples , although generally a wireless link is preferable to reduce or eliminate obstacles to the free movement of vehicle 104 about the facility . network 112 can be any suitable one of , or any suitable combination of , wired and wireless networks , including local area networks ( lan or wlan ), wide area networks ( wan ) such as the internet , and mobile networks ( e . g . gsm , lte and the like ). computing device 108 can transmit instructions to vehicle 104 , such as instructions to carry out tasks within the facility , to travel to certain locations in the facility , and the like . in general , the tasks assigned to vehicle 104 by computing device 108 require vehicle 104 to perform various actions at various locations within the facility . data defining the actions and locations are provided to vehicle 104 by computing device 108 via network 112 . when vehicle 104 is assigned a task by computing device 108 , vehicle 104 is configured to generate a path for completing the task ( e . g . a path leading from the vehicle &# 39 ; s current location to the end location of the task ; the path may include one or more intermediate locations between the start location and the end location ). in some embodiments , computing device 108 can assist vehicle 104 in path generation ( also referred to as path planning ), or can generate the path without the involvement of vehicle 104 and send the completed path to vehicle 104 for execution . generation of the above - mentioned paths can be based on , for example , a map of the facility stored at either or both of computing device 108 and vehicle 104 . various mechanisms for path generation will be apparent to those skilled in the art ; path generation is not directly relevant to the present disclosure , and is therefore not discussed in further detail herein . vehicle 104 , in general , generates and executes commands to move about the facility , perform various tasks within the facility , and the like . in addition , vehicle 104 monitors various internal operational parameters , such as error and warning conditions ( e . g . a low battery or other energy supply ). further , as will be discussed in greater detail herein , vehicle 104 is configured to detect objects ( i . e . obstacles ) in its vicinity . the presence or absence of objects , the task and movement commands , and the operational parameters mentioned above collectively define a current state of vehicle . as will be described herein , vehicle 104 includes an illumination system , and is configured to control the illumination system to signal its current state to outside viewers . before describing the above - mentioned control of the illumination system by vehicle 104 , a brief description of certain components of vehicle 104 will be provided . referring now to fig2 , an isometric view of autonomous vehicle 104 is shown , along with a block diagram of certain internal components of vehicle 104 . vehicle 104 is depicted as a terrestrial vehicle , although it is contemplated that vehicle 104 , in other embodiments , can be an aerial vehicle or a watercraft . vehicle 104 includes a chassis 200 containing or otherwise supporting various components , including one or more locomotive devices 204 . devices 204 in the present example are wheels . in other embodiments , however , any suitable locomotive device , or combination thereof , may be employed ( e . g . tracks , propellers , and the like ). locomotive devices 204 are driven by one or more motors ( not shown ) contained within chassis 200 . the motors of vehicle 104 can be electric motors , internal combustion engines , or any other suitable motor or combination of motors . in general , the motors drive locomotive devices 204 by drawing power from an energy storage device ( not shown ) supported on or within chassis 200 . the nature of the energy storage device can vary based on the nature of the motors . for example , the energy storage can include batteries , combustible fuel tanks , or any suitable combination thereof . vehicle 104 , in the present embodiment , also includes a load - bearing surface 208 ( also referred to as a payload surface ), upon which items can be placed for transportation by vehicle 104 . in some examples , payload surface 208 can be replaced or supplemented with other payload - bearing equipment , such as a cradle , a manipulator arm , or the like . vehicle 104 can also include a variety of sensors . in the present example , such sensors include at least one load cell 212 coupled to payload surface 208 , for measuring a force exerted on payload surface 208 ( e . g . by an item being carried by vehicle 104 ). the sensors of vehicle 104 can also include one or more machine vision sensors 216 , such as any suitable one of , or any suitable combination of , barcode scanners , laser - based sensing devices ( e . g . a lidar sensor ), cameras and the like . vehicle 104 can also include a location sensor ( not shown ) such as a gps sensor , for detecting the location of vehicle 104 with respect to a frame of reference . the frame of reference may be , for example , a global frame of reference ( e . g . gps coordinates ), or a facility - specific frame of reference . other sensors that can be provided with vehicle 104 include accelerometers , fuel - level or battery - level sensors , and the like . vehicle 104 can also include anchors 220 for securing items or other equipment to chassis 200 , or for lifting chassis 200 ( e . g . for maintenance ). in addition , vehicle 104 includes an illumination system 224 . in general , illumination system 224 is configured to emit visible light from at least a portion of chassis 200 . in the present embodiment , illumination system 224 includes an array of light - emitting components , such as light emitting diodes ( leds ) extending substantially entirely around the perimeter of chassis 200 . in the present embodiment , the leds are individually addressable and each capable of emitting multiple colours ( e . g . red , green and blue ). in other embodiments , each led can be a single - colour led . in other embodiments , other light - emitting components can be employed instead of , or in addition to , the above - mentioned leds . for example , the array shown in fig1 can be replaced by a substantially annular display panel ( e . g . an lcd or oled display ) extending around chassis 200 . in further embodiments , the illumination system can include one or more projectors ( not shown ) supported by chassis 200 . for example , forward and rear - facing projectors can be disposed at opposite ends of chassis 200 ( e . g . with one of the projectors adjacent to sensor 216 ). in further embodiments , any suitable combination of projectors , with any suitable orientation , can be supported by chassis 200 . in addition , vehicle 104 includes a central processing unit ( cpu ) 250 , also referred to as a processor 250 , interconnected with a non - transitory computer - readable medium such as a memory 254 . processor 250 and memory 254 are generally comprised of one or more integrated circuits ( ics ), and can have a variety of structures , as will now occur to those skilled in the art ( for example , more than one cpu can be provided ). memory 254 can be any suitable combination of volatile ( e . g . random access memory (“ ram ”)) and non - volatile ( e . g . read only memory (“ rom ”), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (“ eeprom ”), flash memory , magnetic computer storage device , or optical disc ) memory . vehicle 104 also includes a communications interface 258 ( e . g . a network interface controller or nic ) interconnected with processor 250 . via communications interface 258 , link 120 and network 112 , processor 254 can send and receive data to and from computing device 108 . for example , vehicle 104 can send updated location data to computing device 108 , and receive instructions ( e . g . tasks to be performed within the facility ) from computing device 108 . additionally , processor 250 is interconnected with the other components of vehicle 104 mentioned above , such as sensors 212 and 216 , and illumination system 224 . memory 254 stores a plurality of computer - readable programming instructions , executable by processor 250 , in the form of various applications , including an illumination control application 262 ( also referred to herein as application 262 ). as will be understood by those skilled in the art , processor 250 can execute the instructions of application 262 ( and any other suitable applications stored in memory 254 ) in order to perform various actions defined within the instructions . in the description below processor 250 , and more generally vehicle 104 , is said to be “ configured to ” perform certain actions . it will be understood that vehicle 104 is so configured via the execution of the instructions of the applications stored in memory 254 . those skilled in the art will appreciate that in some embodiments , the functionality of processor 250 executing application 262 can be implemented using pre - programmed hardware or firmware elements ( e . g ., application specific integrated circuits ( asics ), electrically erasable programmable read - only memories ( eeproms ), etc . ), or other related components . memory 254 also stores lighting pattern definitions 266 , for use by processor 250 in controlling illumination system 224 . in general , as will be discussed in greater detail below , lighting pattern definitions 266 define a plurality of lighting patterns for controlling illumination system 224 . each lighting pattern definition also defines conditions under which that lighting pattern definition is to be employed to control illumination system 224 . the contents of lighting pattern definitions 266 and the selection of a lighting pattern definition for controlling illumination system 224 will be described in greater detail below . referring now to fig3 , a method 300 of controlling an illumination system for an autonomous vehicle is depicted . the performance of method 300 will be described in connection with its performance in system 100 , although it is contemplated that method 300 can also be performed in other suitable systems . the blocks of method 300 as described below are performed by vehicle 104 , via the execution of application 262 by processor 250 . in other embodiments , however , some or all or method 300 can be performed by computing device 108 . beginning at block 305 , vehicle 104 is configured to store lighting pattern definitions 266 , as mentioned above . lighting pattern definitions 266 can be stored in the form of a database , flat file , or any other suitable data structure . in general , lighting pattern definitions 266 contains a plurality of records , with each record including one or more parameters for controlling a illumination system 224 . as will be seen below , some records include parameters for controlling only certain portions of illumination system 224 . the parameters in the lighting pattern definition records can vary widely . table 1 illustrates non - limiting examples of lighting pattern definitions . as seen in table 1 , lighting pattern definitions 266 includes a plurality of records , each defining a lighting pattern — that is , a set of parameters used by processor 250 to control illumination system 224 . in the above example , each record is identified by a pattern identifier ( e . g . “ p - 00 ” and so on ), although such an identifier can be omitted in other embodiments . each lighting pattern definition record also includes an indication of a state of vehicle 104 in which the pattern is to be used to control illumination system 224 . the state in which each pattern is to be used is illustrated above in the “ corresponding state ” column in table 1 . as will be discussed below in greater detail , the state of vehicle 104 is defined by state data received at processor 250 . the state data indicates which ones of a plurality of sub - states are active in vehicle 104 , and can also include data defining the active sub - states . for example , one sub - state may be a “ warnings ” sub - state , and the state data may indicate that a low battery warning is active . as seen above , the pattern “ p - 05 ” is configured for use when a low battery warning is present . each lighting pattern definition record further includes lighting parameters for controlling illumination system 224 . any combination of a wide variety of lighting parameters may be employed . the lighting parameters can define any one or more of colour , brightness , images to be projected ( when illumination system 224 includes a projector ), areas or shapes to be illuminated ( for example , identifying certain portions of the above - mentioned array of leds ) and the distribution of such areas ( e . g . the spacing between the areas , the locations of the areas on the array of leds ), and the like . other parameters are also contemplated , including frequency parameters defining a frequency at which illumination system 224 ( or certain areas thereof ) will flash when under the control of the relevant pattern definition . as will be apparent from table 1 , the lighting parameters can also include variable parameters whose values depend on other data available to processor 250 . for example , the pattern “ p - 03 ” specifies that an arrow image is to be projected not in any predefined direction , but rather in the direction ( either current or planned ) of travel of vehicle 104 . various example parameters in addition to those shown in table 1 will occur to those skilled in the art throughout this document . it is also noted that a wide variety of formats may be employed to store the lighting parameters . although the lighting parameters are presented in plain language in table 1 for the purpose of illustration , it will now be apparent to those skilled in the art that any of a wide variety of formats can be employed to store the lighting parameters , depending on the requirements of processor 250 and illumination system 224 . in addition , as shown in table 1 , each lighting pattern definition record can include one or more segment identifiers each corresponding to one or more predefined portions of illumination system 224 . in the present example , in which illumination system 224 includes a projector and the above - mentioned array of leds , the segment identifiers correspond , respectively , to the projector and each of the four sides of the array . a wide variety of other segment identifiers are also contemplated ( for example , the array can be divided into a greater or smaller number of separately controllable segments , and the segments need not be aligned with the sides shown in fig2 ). the use of segment identifiers by processor 250 will be described below in greater detail . at block 310 , processor 250 is configured to receive state data defining a current state of vehicle 104 . the state data can be received from various sources , including internal sensors and other systems housed within chassis 200 , and computing device 108 . in general , the state data can include any one of , or any combination of , trajectory data , environmental data , and control data . trajectory data defines a trajectory of vehicle 104 . trajectory data can therefore include the current location and velocity of vehicle 104 ( either received from computing device 108 or from onboard sensors such as a gps sensor within chassis 200 ). trajectory data can also include planned locations and velocities of vehicle 104 , in the form of one or more sets of path data , each set identifying a sequence of locations ( and , in some embodiments , accompanying vectors ) to which vehicle 104 is to travel . the trajectory data can also include locomotion commands ( e . g . defined as vectors consisting of a direction and a speed ; or defined as power instructions to the motors driving wheels 204 ) generated by either or both of processor 250 and computing device 108 based on the path data . the generation of the path data can be performed in a wide variety of ways . for example , the path data can include a global path identifying a target location , and a local path identifying a series of intermediate locations that vehicle 104 will traverse to reach the target location . in some embodiments , the global path can be generated by computing device 108 while the local path can be generated by processor 250 itself . in other embodiments , both the global and local paths can be generated by computing device 108 , or by processor 250 . environmental data defines at least one object in the vicinity of vehicle 104 . for example , processor 250 can be configured to detect objects within the field of view of a sensor such as sensor 216 , and to determine the position of such objects in relation to vehicle 104 . in some embodiments , the environmental data can also include mapping data stored in memory 254 or received from computing device 108 and identifying the locations of one or more objects within the facility mentioned earlier . environmental data can also include indications of whether the objects detected in the vicinity of vehicle 104 are in stationary or in motion . when the objects are in motion , the environmental data can also include vector data defining the direction and velocity of travel of the objects ( either in relation to vehicle 104 or in relation to another frame of reference , such as one specific to the facility in which vehicle 104 is deployed ). control data defines various operational parameters of vehicle 104 , received at processor 250 from sensors and other components supported by chassis 200 . for example , the control data can include indications of any warning conditions that are active ( e . g . a low battery warning ), any error conditions that are active ( e . g . an emergency stop error ), and identifiers of any discrete operating modes currently active in vehicle 104 . an example of a discrete operating mode is a docking mode , in which vehicle 104 is configured to perform a predetermine sequence of movements to approach or couple with other equipment in the facility . the operational parameters can also include any of a variety of diagnostic data collected by processor 250 from sensors onboard vehicle 104 . for example , the operational parameters can include data indicating wear on certain components ( e . g . the motors driving wheels 204 ), data indicating failures of certain components , and the like . having received the state data , at block 315 processor 250 is configured to identify any active sub - states based on the state data . in the present example , the identification is performed by determining , at processor 250 , whether each of a plurality of previously defined sub - states is active based on the state data . the sub - states are ranked in order of their importance to the control of illumination system 224 . an example of sub - states to be evaluated at block 315 is shown below in table 2 . as seen above , each sub - state includes a rank , with the higher ranks being more important to the control of illumination system 224 , as will be discussed below in greater detail . each sub - state record also includes one or more activity conditions , which can be evaluated by processor 250 to determine whether the corresponding sub - state is currently active . in other embodiments , rather than refer to activity conditions as shown above , processor 250 can determine which sub - states are active based on the origins of the above - mentioned state data . for example , the receipt of data from a warnings sub - system of vehicle 104 can indicate to processor 250 that the warnings sub - state is active . based on the contents of table 2 , a wide variety of other sub - states and rankings will now be apparent to those skilled in the art . the contents of table 2 , or any other suitable ranked listing of sub - states , can be stored in memory 254 ( for example , within application 262 or as a separate database or other data structure ). turning briefly to fig4 , an example implementation of block 315 of fig3 is illustrated , based on the contents of table 2 . beginning at block 400 , processor 250 is configured to set the highest ranked active sub - state to “ idle ”. in other embodiments , processor 250 can first determine whether the idle sub - state is indeed active , for example if there are lower - ranked sub - states and certain conditions must be satisfied to enter the idle state . the current highest ranked active sub - state can be stored in memory 254 . at block 405 , processor 250 is configured to determine whether the operational data of the state data received at block 310 indicates that a discrete operating mode ( such as a docking mode ) is active . when the determination at block 405 is affirmative , processor 250 is configured to update the highest ranked active sub - state at block 410 , by replacing the identification of the idle sub - state with the identification of the discrete mode sub - state . the above procedure is then repeated for each of the remaining sub - states . in other words , processor 250 is configured to determine , at blocks 415 , 425 , 435 and 445 respectively , whether the trajectory , objects , warnings and errors sub - states are active based on the state data and the conditions in table 2 . for each affirmative determination , processor 250 is configured to replace the current highest ranked active sub - state in memory 254 ( at blocks 420 , 430 , 440 and 450 , respectively ) with the sub - state most recently determined to be active . finally , at block 455 , processor 250 is configured to return ( that is , to the primary processing routine shown in fig3 ) the current highest ranked sub - state . thus , the performance of block 315 , in the present example , consists of a series of determinations , in which positive results override any previous positive results . returning to fig3 , having identified the active sub - states ( for example , via the process shown in fig4 ), processor 250 is configured to perform block 320 . at block 320 , processor 250 is configured to select a lighting pattern definition corresponding to the highest ranked active sub - state . more specifically , processor 250 is configured to select , from table 1 or any other suitable set of lighting pattern definitions , the record corresponding to the highest ranked active sub - state . in the present example , if the highest ranked active sub - state is “ idle ”, then the record “ p - 00 ” from table 1 is selected at block 320 . in some embodiments , lighting pattern definitions 266 include more than one lighting pattern record for a given sub - state . for example , records p - 05 and p - 06 both relate to the “ warnings ” sub - state . in such embodiments , processor 250 is configured to select the subset of records corresponding to the highest ranked active sub - state , and then to select from that subset the lighting pattern corresponding to the state data . for example , if the state data indicates that a low battery warning is present , and the warnings sub - state is the highest ranked active sub - state , then processor 250 is configured to select from patterns p - 05 and p - 06 based on the state data . since the state data includes the warning condition identifier “ low battery ”, the pattern p - 05 is selected . having selected a lighting pattern definition , in some embodiments processor 250 can be configured to proceed directly to block 350 , and control illumination system 224 according to the selected lighting pattern definition . in the present example , however , processor 250 is configured to perform additional actions prior to controlling illumination system 224 . the additional actions performed by processor 250 , which are described below , include retrieving a transitional lighting pattern ( where available ) and selecting additional lighting patterns for other segments of illumination system 224 . at block 325 , processor 250 is configured to retrieve an identifier of the previously selected lighting pattern definition . for example , upon completion of a performance of method 300 , processor 250 can store , for instance in a cache in memory 254 , an identifier of the selected lighting pattern definition ( or definitions ), for use in subsequent performances of method 300 . the previous lighting pattern identifier retrieved at block 325 identifies the lighting pattern that is currently being used to control illumination system 224 . having retrieved the identifier of the previous lighting pattern definition , processor 250 is configured , at block 330 , to determine whether a transitional lighting pattern between the previous lighting pattern and the lighting pattern selected at block 320 is available . memory 254 can contain a set of transitional lighting patterns defining lighting parameters for transitioning between different records in lighting pattern definitions 266 . in other embodiments , such transitional lighting patterns can be stored directly in lighting pattern definitions 266 . in general , a transitional lighting pattern definition identifies a source lighting pattern and a destination lighting pattern , and includes lighting parameters such as colour , brightness and the like , described above . for example , a transitional lighting pattern between patterns p - 00 and p - 02 may include lighting parameters for controlling the array of leds to fade the solid white colour of p - 00 down to zero brightness over a specified period of time before fading the two white sections ( e . g . headlights ) up to a specified brightness over a second period of time . when a transitional lighting pattern is available , processor 250 is configured to retrieve the transitional lighting pattern from memory 254 at block 335 . when no transitional lighting pattern is available , processor 250 is instead configured to proceed to block 340 . at block 340 , processor 250 is configured to determine whether any segments of illumination system 224 remain to be processed . as noted above , each lighting pattern definition record can include a segment identifier identifying a portion of illumination system 224 . as seen in table 1 , some lighting pattern definition records correspond to specific segments of illumination system 224 ( e . g . only certain sides of the array of leds , or only the projector ). in such embodiments , in the course of one performance of method 300 processor 250 is configured to repeat the performance of blocks 320 , 325 , 330 , and 335 for each segment of illumination system 224 . thus , at block 340 , processor 250 is configured to determine whether , for the current performance of method 300 , blocks 320 - 335 have not yet been performed . when the determination is affirmative , processor 250 is configured to select the next un - processed segment and proceed to block 320 ( the same state data and active sub - states can be employed for all segments ). it will now be apparent to those skilled in the art that for some segments , there may not exist a lighting pattern definition record for the highest ranked active sub - state . for example , referring to table 1 , there are no lighting pattern definition records for the segments array 1 and array 2 that correspond to the sub - state “ mode ”. in such situations , processor 250 can be configured to store an ordered list of all active sub - states at block 315 , rather than a single highest ranked active sub - state . thus , when no lighting pattern definition record exists for the highest ranked active sub - state , processor 250 can search for a lighting pattern definition record corresponding to the next highest ranked active sub - state , and ( if necessary ). if processor 250 determines that there are no lighting pattern definition records for the relevant segment corresponding to any of the active sub - states , then processor 250 is configured to set the lighting pattern for that segment to null at block 320 and proceed to process the next segment . when the determination at block 340 is negative — that is , when all segments have been processed — processor 250 is configured to proceed to block 350 . at block 350 , processor 250 is configured to control illumination system 224 according to the selected lighting pattern definition . as will now be apparent to those skilled in the art , when multiple lighting pattern definitions were selected during the performance of method 300 , at block 350 , processor 250 is configured to control illumination system 224 based on each selected lighting pattern definition . thus , when illumination system 224 includes a plurality of segments , processor 250 is configured to control each segment based on the corresponding selected lighting pattern definition . in some embodiments , processor 250 can issue independent instructions to the various segments of illumination system 224 . for example , when illumination system 224 includes a projector and an array of leds , processor 250 can be configured to transmit instructions to the projector separately from the array . processor 250 can also , however , be configured to mix the selected lighting pattern definitions for the respective segments to generate a single mixed lighting pattern definition . processor 250 can then be configured to instruct illumination system 224 on the basis of the mixed lighting pattern definition . for example , the above - mentioned array of leds can be controlled by processor 250 via such a mixed lighting pattern definition , constructed from lighting pattern definitions selected for each segment of the array as defined in table 1 . further , processor 250 can be configured to control illumination system 224 ( or certain segments thereof ) based on both the pattern definitions selected at block 320 and any transitional lighting patterns retrieved at block 335 . for a given segment , the transitional pattern and the selected pattern can be mixed together before transmission to illumination system 224 . for certain lighting pattern definitions , the performance of block 350 consists of sending the lighting parameters to illumination system 224 . for other lighting pattern definitions , however , processor 250 is configured to perform additional actions at block 350 to control illumination system 224 . for example , when a lighting pattern definition includes variable lighting parameters , such as the path direction of pattern p - 03 in table 1 , at block 350 , processor 250 is configured to determine a direction . the determination of a direction ( e . g . in which to project the arrow image referred to by pattern p - 03 ) can be based on either or both of a global and local path stored in memory 254 . in some embodiments , the pattern itself can specify whether a global path or a local path are to be considered in controlling illumination system 224 . further , processor 250 can be configured to generate a direction based on a weighted combination of inputs , such as a direction of a global path , a direction of a local path , and a direction specified by a locomotion command whose execution is beginning ( that direction may not exactly match the local path ). the paths can also be limited and smoothed by processor 224 prior to control of illumination system 224 . as a further example , a lighting pattern definition contains variable parameters such as the object direction and closest object selection of pattern p - 04 , processor 250 is configured to select the specified number of objects based on the criteria ( e . g . distance from vehicle 104 ) specified in the pattern definition . processor 250 can also be configured , in some embodiments , to determine motion vectors of the objects , and to perform a vector simplification process on such motion vectors prior to transmitting the lighting parameters to illumination system 224 . various examples of the results of performing block 350 at processor 250 will now be discussed , with reference to fig5 - 10 . referring to fig5 a , a pattern defining headlights 500 on the array of leds ( on the “ forward ” segment of the array , based on the direction of motion of vehicle 104 , illustrated by arrow 502 ), and a second pattern defining tail lights 504 on the array , are illustrated . when the direction of travel of vehicle 104 changes ( as illustrated by arrow 502 ′), the headlights can be repositioned ( as shown by headlights 500 ′) in the new direction of travel . as will now be apparent to those skilled in the art , headlights 500 can be defined by a pattern definition similar to p - 02 shown in table 1 . referring to fig5 b , the array of illumination system 224 is shown in three successive states 510 , 512 and 514 , in which all segments of the array are illuminated at a frequency ( e . g . 1 hz ) specified by a lighting pattern definition . referring to fig5 c , the array of illumination system 224 is shown in three successive states 520 , 522 and 524 , in which all segments of the array are illuminated with two sets of discrete sections specified by a lighting pattern definition , alternating at a frequency ( e . g . 1 hz ) specified by the lighting pattern definition . referring to fig6 a , vehicle 104 is shown in three states 600 , 602 and 604 , illustrating a variant of the pattern shown in fig5 b , in which all segments of the array are reduced in brightness at a given frequency rather than being turned off as in state 512 . referring to fig6 b , a combination of three lighting pattern definitions is illustrated . in particular , headlights 610 defined by a first pattern are illustrated in a forward direction ( as indicated by arrow 612 ); tail lights 614 defined by a second pattern are illustrated in a rearward direction ; and a set of discrete sections of the array distributed along the sides of vehicle 104 are activated according to a third pattern ( e . g . representing hazard lights in a warning sub - state ), flashing at a frequency defined in the third pattern . referring to fig6 c , vehicle 104 is shown in three states 620 , 622 and 624 . the headlight and tail light patterns of fig6 b are illustrated , and a variant of the third “ hazard ” pattern of fig6 b is also illustrated , in which the discrete sections of the array are activated in a sequence giving the appearance of motion . the sequence may be repeated at a frequency defined by the above - mentioned pattern definition . referring to fig7 a , a more complex example of a lighting pattern definition corresponding to a trajectory sub - state is illustrated . in particular , in an initial state 700 , the array is controlled by processor 250 to activate a plurality of discrete sections 702 that gather in a planned direction of travel 704 ( that is , a direction specified by path data ), prior to actual movement of vehicle 104 . the array of illumination system 224 is then configured to display a single headlight 706 spanning the forward segment of the array in a second state 708 , still prior to motion of vehicle 104 . when motion begins ( in a third state 710 ), processor 250 is configured to control the array to display headlight 706 as well as the discrete sections mentioned above , travelling now in a direction opposite the direction of travel . referring to fig7 b , a section 712 ( e . g . of length specified by the lighting pattern definition ) of the array can be activated to indicate the position of an obstacle 714 detected by vehicle 104 . for example , the lighting pattern definition may specify that the position of the activated section is to be determined by minimizing the distance between the activated section and the detected object . referring to fig7 c , an example of projector lighting control is illustrated . in particular , an arrow 716 is shown projected in the direction of travel of vehicle 104 ( as shown in pattern p - 03 of table 1 ). in addition , a safety , or exclusion , zone 718 can be projected on the surface over which vehicle 104 is travelling to illustrate the area to be occupied by vehicle 104 . the width and length of the safety zone can be defined in the corresponding lighting pattern definition . referring to fig8 , a further projection lighting pattern is illustrated , consisting of three stages 800 , 802 and 804 . the stages are projected in sequence , to illustrate an arrow extending from vehicle 104 in a direction of travel . thus , the underlying lighting pattern definition can refer to a plurality of images for projection ( three images , in the present example ), and can also specify the sequence of such images and the frequency with which the projector is to be controlled to switch between the images . referring to fig9 a , the results of block 350 based on two projection - based patterns are illustrated . in particular , a first pattern causes illumination system 224 ( particularly , the projector ) to project an arrow 900 indicating a direction of travel of vehicle 104 . further , a second pattern causes the projector to project a border 902 ( e . g . on the surface over which vehicle 104 travels ) around an obstacle 904 detected by vehicle 104 . referring to fig9 b , another variation is shown in which arrow 900 and border 902 are projected . in addition , processor 250 can be configured to determine ( e . g . based on data from sensor 216 , a camera or other input ) whether obstacle 904 is a human . when the determination is affirmative , processor 250 can be configured to project an instruction to the obstacle while vehicle 104 is in motion , such as a stop sign 906 . in fig9 c , vehicle 104 has altered its trajectory to come to a stop as a result of the detection of obstacle 904 . processor 250 therefore controls illumination system 224 to cease projecting arrow 900 ( that is , the “ motion ” sub - state of table 2 is determined to no longer be active ). instead , processor 250 controls the projector of illumination system 224 to continue projecting border 902 , and to also project a crosswalk 908 and a stop sign 910 indicating that vehicle 104 will remain stationary . fig1 illustrates a further lighting pattern definition that can be employed to control the projector when path data indicates that vehicle 104 will reverse its direction of travel . in particular , a description 1000 of the planned change in trajectory is projected on the surface over which vehicle 104 travels . variations to the above systems and methods are contemplated . for example , in some embodiments , computing device 108 can perform portions of method 300 , rather than processor 250 . for example , computing device 108 can be configured to store lighting pattern definitions and receive state data from vehicle 104 , and to select lighting pattern definitions for transmission to vehicle 104 . in other words , in such embodiments , processor 250 performs only block 350 of method 300 , while computing device 108 performs the remainder of method 300 . other subdivisions of method 300 between computing device 108 and vehicle 104 will also now be apparent to those skilled in the art . in further embodiments , illumination system 224 and associated control hardware can be implemented as a separate module that is mountable on any of a variety of autonomous vehicles . in other words , illumination system 224 can be implemented as an augmentation for autonomous vehicles that otherwise lack the illumination functionality described above . in such embodiments , the discrete module includes illumination system 224 as described above , as well as a processor , memory , and interface hardware for communicating with an on - board processor of the autonomous vehicle . thus , when the discrete module is mounted on an autonomous vehicle , the autonomous vehicle may include two distinct computing devices — one supported within the discrete module and responsible for illumination control , and one contained within the vehicle and responsible for motion control ( e . g . trajectory planning and the like , as mentioned earlier ). the discrete computing device configured to control the illumination system performs method 300 as shown in fig3 and as described above . as will now be apparent , at block 310 the computing device configured to control the illumination system ( i . e . the computing device housed in the discrete module ) is configured to receive the state data from the computing device contained within the vehicle . that is , the vehicle computing device can be configured to receive the state data as described earlier herein , and to then transmit the state data to the illumination computing device . in some embodiments , the illumination computing device can instead be configured to intercept the state data , so as to receive the state data without requiring any additional activity on the part of the vehicle computing device . for example , the discrete module can include electrical contacts for connecting to various data buses of the vehicle computing device , to permit the illumination computing device to capture the state data . the scope of the claims should not be limited by the embodiments set forth in the above examples , but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole .	7
a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described herein below with reference to the accompanying drawings . in the following description , well - known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail . a detailed description of the invention will be made hereinbelow with reference to fig2 to 5 . referring to fig2 a power controller 100 varies a current being supplied to amplifiers in the receiver of the radio terminal depending on a transmission / reception state , a received signal strength indicator ( rssi ) and a quality of signal ( qos ). the receiving amplifiers have a linearity which depends on the current supplied thereto , and includes a low noise amplifier 130 for amplifying an input signal and an intermediate frequency ( if ) amplifier 160 for amplifying an if signal . commonly , the characteristic of amplifiers is determined by variation of an output signal with respect to an input signal , as shown in fig4 . when a high current is supplied to the amplifiers , the input - to - output characteristic curve of the amplifiers is straightened at a p 1 db point of fig4 thereby increasing the linearity . an rssi measurer 120 analyzes a received signal to measure rssi . in a cdma ( code division multiple access ) system , the rssi is measured using a pilot signal . a signal quality ( qos ) analyzer 101 measures a signal - to - noise ratio for an input signal . when employing digital modulation , the signal quality analyzer determines the signal quality depending on the ratio of signal energy to noise energy with respect to each data bit . in addition , the signal quality analyzer 101 examines the signal quality using crc ( cyclic redundancy check ). a variable power supply 110 , under the control of a power controller 100 , controls the current being supplied to the low noise amplifier 130 and the if amplifier 160 in response to a control signal a , as shown in fig5 . referring to fig3 power controller 100 examines in step 300 whether the radio terminal is presently in a transmission mode of operation . when the radio terminal is in the transmission mode , power controller 100 examines in step 310 whether the rssi measured by the rssi measurer 120 is higher than or equal to a threshold . when the rssi is higher than or equal to the threshold , the power controller 100 examines in step 320 whether the signal quality measured by the signal quality analyzer 101 is high enough . as described above , the signal quality is determined according to the signal - to - noise ratio and the crc . when the signal quality is high , the power controller 100 controls the variable power supply 110 so as to supply a low current to the receiving amplifiers of the radio terminal . that is , since the quality of the received signal is high , the receiver demodulates the received signal even though the current supplied to the amplifiers is low . in this manner , it is possible to decrease power consumption in the radio terminal . when the signal quality is low in step 320 , the power controller 100 supplies the high current to the amplifiers to increase an amplification ratio so as to prevent data loss during demodulation , in step 340 . if the rssi is not higher than or equal to a threshold in step 310 , the process proceeds directly to step 340 . thereafter , the power controller 100 performs a transmission operation in step 350 , and then returns to step 300 . in summary , when rssi is low during transmission , the external noises and the transmission signal may be induced into the receiving amplifiers , causing cross modulation . to prevent this , the power controller 100 supplies the high current to the amplifiers . however , when the rssi is high , the external noises and the transmission signal which are induced into the receiving amplifiers are negligible , so that the receiver can properly demodulate the received signal even with the normal low current . in this manner , it is possible to reduce power consumption . while the invention has been shown and described with reference to a certain preferred embodiment thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .	7
with respect to step ( a ), the nacl brine that is the starting material for the purification process of the present invention , has the following preferred or more preferred characteristics : the nacl brine of step ( a ) contains 17 to 25 wt % of nacl . the wt % of ingredients in the brine disclosed herein is based on the total weight of the brine . the iodide content of the brine is no greater than 10 ppmw . the brine will contain at least 1 . 0 ppmw , more preferably at least 0 . 5 ppmw . the ppmw of iodide is based on the weight of the brine . the brine can contain alkali and alkaline earth metals other than na . separate removal of these elements ( metals ) is unnecessary in the practice of the present invention . the ph of the starting nacl brine is greater than 6 and is generally around 8 , which is characteristic of iodide - containing nacl brines available for purification and then further industrial use . the brine is preferably also essentially free of organic material . preferably the brine contains no more than 20 ppmw of organic material , more preferably no more than 5 ppmw , based on the weight of the brine . with respect to step ( b ), the ph adjustment is carried out by adding acid to the nacl brine to reach the ph desired of 1 . 5 or lower as described above , most preferably no greater than 1 . 0 . hcl is the preferred acid because other common inorganic acids present problems in subsequent use of the purified brine such as in chlor - alkali production . for other use of the purified brine , sulfuric acid can be used in step ( b ). with respect to step ( c ), the temperature desired at which the oxidation will be carried out is established for the nacl brine prior to addition of the oxidizing agent to the brine . this addition is accompanied by mixing . the amount of addition is monitored by a orp ( oxidation - reduction potential ) meter to obtain the oxidation - reduction ( redox ) potential for forming the iodine - chlorine anionic complex under the condition of the ph of the nacl brine already established . the combination of ph and redox potential is effective to oxidize the iodide to form the stable anionic iodine - chlorine complex . thermodynamically , at the ph and orp conditions established in steps ( b ) and ( c ), the identity of the iodine - chlorine complex is ( icl 2 ) − the preferred oxidizing agent used in step ( c ) is sodium hypochlorite . with respect to step ( d ), the contacting of the nacl brine with nonionic adsorption resin one with the other is preferably carried out after addition of the desired amount of oxidizing agent and the orp of the brine has stabilized at the desired potential , but before the anionic iodine - chlorine complex can start to decompose . the non - ionic adsorption resin can be used in either gel or in bead ( granular ) form to carry out the adsorption function . the beads can be small in the gel resin type or larger in the engineered resins designed for high flow rate applications . the preferred resin is styrene / divinylbenzene polymer and is available from multiple suppliers in different bead diameters and pore size . another resin that can be used as the adsorbent is polyacrylic resin . the preferred embodiment for a flow through system such as would be employed at commercial scale is a granular form to facilitate the operation of the bed of adsorption resin . a range of commercially available adsorption resins is available . the preferred selection will be based on engineering requirements . smaller beads and higher pore volumes are generally more expensive and will have a higher pressure drop in the fixed bed . for high iodine - feed concentration solutions , such as 10 ppmw iodine , smaller beads will be preferred to provide higher capacity for the same size bed . for lower iodine - feed concentration solutions , larger beads can be used , balancing the improved pressure drop with lower capacity from the lower pore volumes . because the density of non - ionic ( non - functionalized ) adsorption resins is very low relative to strong base anion exchange resins and brine solutions , the non - functionalized resins can be employed in an upflow bed instead of the more common downflow beds used in brine purification . with the low density of the non - functionalized resin , the beads will float even in a static system with low concentrations of nacl present such as 4 % nacl . this feature extends the range of usefulness beyond applications for purification of salt solutions produced from dissolving dry nacl for direct use in industrial applications such as chlor - alkali production . when dry nacl is dissolved for a feedstock , a consistent high concentration nacl solution is typically produced , such as 24 % nacl , with a high uptime to fix the designs of production . such design parameters are found in the more common brine softening applications . however , nacl solutions can also be present as a side product from other industrial processes . since these nacl solutions are not the primary products , the nacl solution is typically not close to saturation and can often be highly variable . using an upflow , floating system allows additional flexibility in a process purifying a solution which operates at variable nacl concentrations and might have low uptime which would require times for the bed to remain static with no brine flow . designing a system using a strong base anion exchange resin with variable density or low uptime would be more complicated and difficult to operate . the nonionic nature of the resin arises from the resin ( polymer ) being free of functional groups , i . e . being non - functionalized . the resin is also preferably free of organic groups , which can be non - ionic , that are not part of the monomers forming the polymer that is the non - ionic adsorption resin used in step ( d ), but instead are added later such as by reaction with the polymer or adsorption into the pores of the adsorption resin . thus , the non - ionic adsorption resin used in the present invention is preferably that which consists of the polymer backbone . the non - ionic adsorption resin is also hydrophobic . to entrap the iodine - chlorine anionic complex in the pores of the non - ionic adsorption resin , the beads of the resin can be mixed with the nacl brine after formation of the anionic complex or the beads of the resin can be formed into a fixed bed through which the brine containing the anionic complex passes . the process of the present invention can be conducted batchwise or as a continuous process . when the adsorptive capacity of the non - ionic adsorption resin is reached , the non - ionic adsorption resin and the remaining nacl brine are separated from one another , such as by passing the brine containing the resin though a screen thorough which the brine passes , but not the beads of the resin . in the flow system , the iodine - containing brine is passed through the resin bed at a fixed flow rate until the adsorptive capacity of the non - ionic adsorption resin is reached . the resultant nacl brine then preferably contains no more than 100 ppbw of iodine , more preferably no more than 10 ppbw . the ppmw and ppbw of iodine and other ingredients disclosed herein in the nacl brine are on a weight basis ( ppbw ). when the goal product quality can no longer be achieved , the resin is regenerated . the resin can then be regenerated by washing with a conventional elution liquid that removes the adsorbed iodine - chlorine complex from the pores of the resin . the resin is then useable again in the practice of the process of the present invention . the oxidation - reduction potentials disclosed with respect to the present invention are referenced to an ag / agcl electrode . in the examples , the adsorptive capacity of non - ionic ( non - functionalized ) adsorption resin will be compared with that of anionic adsorption resin . a large aliquot of fresh dow xad1600n resin , which is a non - functionalized adsorbent resin , was placed in a solution of 20 % nacl solution to equilibrate overnight . xad 1600n is characterized in its product sheet as ( a ) a macromolecular cross - linked aromatic polymer with no added functional groups , ( b ) being useful in a fixed bed , ( c ) having a harmonic mean bead size of 400 ± 50 μm , a uniformity coefficient of 1 . 25 , a surface area of & gt ; 700 m 2 / g , a porosity of 1 . 4 cc / g , and a bulk density of 660 g / l and specific gravity of 1 . 015 - 1 . 025 . overnight , the resin volume shrank slightly as it equilibrated with the nacl solution . after equilibration , the resin was filtered from the nacl solution and placed moist into erlenmeyer flasks ( 4 ) to prepare for isotherm testing . the weight of the resin added to each flask is reported in the first column of table 1 . a solution of 20 % nacl was prepared from crystallized dry nacl and lab grade deionized water and had a ph of 8 . this nacl solution was not purified to remove ca or mg which were present in the dry nacl . the nacl solution was adjusted to a ph of 1 by addition of aqueous 20 % hcl solution . and then 21 . 9 ppmw iodide was added as potassium iodide . the orp of the nacl / iodide solution was adjusted with dilute naoci solution to a stable value of 900 mv . the resultant solution was then immediately portioned into 500 ml aliquots , and an aliquot was added to each of the four erlenmeyer flasks containing the moist resin . the solutions were each mixed with the moist resins for 24 hours . after cessation of mixing , the resin floated to the top of the solution and was filtered , and the remaining iodine concentration in the solution was measured . from the results given in table 1 , an equilibrium capacity of 35 g i / l resin was calculated for a 1 ppm i solution . the s6368a resin is characterized in its product sheet as a strong base anion exchange resin with a quaternary amine group . the resin used in this comparison example is shipped in the chloride form ( type 1 ). it is further characterized as being engineered for use in flowing beds , with the resin being in bead form having a mean bead size of 0 . 62 ± 0 . 05 mm , a uniformity index of 1 . 1 , a bulk density of 640 g / l and a density of 1 . 06 g / ml . the procedure of example 1 was then repeated for this comparison example , with the exception that 6 . 03 ppmw of iodide was added to the acidified nacl solution . the proximity of the density of the resin beads and the density of the acidified nacl solution resulted in some of the beads suspending in the solution . the amount of the beads added to each flask is reported in the first column of table 2 , which shows the results of this comparison example . from the results given in the table , an equilibrium capacity of 5 . 3 g i / l resin was calculated for a 1 ppm i solution . comparison of the results reported in table 1 vs . those reported in table 2 shows a significant improvement in the adsorptive capacity of the non - functionalized resin vs . the anion exchange resin . for example , the resin weight of 0 . 2639 g of non - functionalized resin in table 1 is shown to reduce the i concentration in the nacl solution from 21 . 9 ppm to 0 . 412 ppm , which corresponds to an adsorptive capacity of 30 . 68 g i / l for the resin . in contrast , the resin weight of 0 . 2786 g reported in table 2 is shown to reduce the i concentration from 6 . 03 ppm to 1 . 09 ppm , corresponding to an adsorptive capacity of the anionic exchange resin of only 6 . 45 g i / l . the adsorptive capacity of the non - functionalized resin is almost 5 × that of the anion exchange resin . similar superiority is revealed by comparing the results for 1 . 0073 g of non - functionalized resin ( table 1 ) with 1 . 2551 g of anion exchange resin ( table 2 ), resulting in adsorptive capacities of 8 . 14 g i / l vs 1 . 62 g i / l , respectively . the calculated capacity in each table is determined by subtracting the end measured i concentration from the starting measured concentration , which is the amount of iodine removed in each experiment . these amounts are converted from g / 500 ml to g / l . next , the weight of resin in the first column of the table , based on the density of the resin , is converted to volume of resin . the adsorptive capacity of the resin is the ratio of the g / l of i removed per the volume of the resin doing the removal . the comparison of adsorptive capacities can be made more precise by standard methodology for comparing resin adsorptive capacity , which involves plotting ( xy plot ) the calculated adsorptive capacity of the resin against the end measured ppm of i in the acidified nacl solution . the four adsorptive capacity determinations reported in each of tables 1 and 2 provide a curve , from which the adsorptive capacity for each resin can be read at the same i concentration for each curve , e . g . a concentration of 1 ppm i in solution . for example , in table 1 , the adsorptive capacity equation is given as y = 9 . 639ln ( x )− 34 . 112 , wherein x is the i amount in the solution and y is the adsorptive capacity of the resin , giving an adsorptive capacity of 35 g / l for the non - functionalized resin reported in table 1 . the procedure of example 1 was repeated using the same non - functionalized resin , except that the ph was adjusted to 2 and 28 . 9 ppmw of iodine as potassium iodide was added . the results are reported in table 3 . as is apparent by comparing the end measured i concentration in the acidified nacl solution with the starting measured i concentration , very little i was adsorbed by the resin at the solution ph of 2 . a bed of the xad1800n non - functionalized adsorbent resin of example 1 was prepared in a small laboratory column following standard procedures . due to its specific gravity of 1 . 015 - 1 . 025 , the resin sinks when loaded into the column in water and then floats as nacl solution is introduced into the bed . the column was prepared to run upflow . after preparation and settling of the bed was completed , a solution prepared from dry nacl and deionized lab water was prepared at a concentration of 20 % nacl . no additional purification to remove ca and mg or other impurities was conducted . the solution was adjusted to a ph of 1 with 20 % hcl solution . then 800 ppb i was added as potassium iodide to the nacl solution . the orp was then adjusted to 880 mv by naoci addition . this solution was fed upflow at 5 bed volumes / hr producing outlet quality brine averaging 10 ppb i .	2
fluid ejection devices based upon piezoelectric technology can be produced by bonding or gluing together a plurality of wafers machined previously using micromachining technologies typically used for manufacturing mems ( microelectromechanical systems ) devices . in particular , fig1 shows a liquid - ejection device 1 that does not form part of the present disclosure . with reference to fig1 , a first wafer 2 is machined so as to form thereon one or more piezoelectric actuators 3 , designed to be controlled for generating a deflection of a membrane 7 , which extends partially suspended over one or more chambers 10 that are designed to define respective reservoirs for containing fluid 6 to be expelled during use . a second wafer 4 is machined so as to form one or more chambers 5 for containing the piezoelectric actuators 3 such as to insulate , in use , the piezoelectric actuators 3 from the fluid 6 to be expelled ; a third wafer 8 is machined to form one or more inlet holes 9 of the fluid 6 , in fluid connection with the chambers 10 ; and a fourth wafer 12 is machined to form holes 13 for expelling the fluid 6 ( outlet holes ). then , the aforementioned wafers 2 , 4 , 8 and 12 are assembled together by means of bonding regions and / or gluing regions and / or adhesive regions . said regions are designated as a whole in fig1 by the reference number 15 . following upon steps of bonding / gluing , the fluid ejection device 1 of fig1 is obtained . the manufacturing process described with reference to fig1 involves machining of at least four wafers made of semiconductor material in separate steps , and steps of assembly of said wafers to obtain the finished fluid ejection device . this leads to high manufacturing costs and a greater complexity of machining and integration on account of the large number of wafers that are to be machined . furthermore , the steps of assembly of the wafers typically require a high precision , and any possible misalignment between the wafers during assembly may entail both structural weaknesses and a non - optimal operation of the finished device . with reference to fig2 - 23 , there now follows a description of a process for manufacturing a fluid ejection device 50 ( illustrated in fig2 at the end of the manufacturing steps ), according to one embodiment of the present disclosure that overcomes one or more of the drawbacks described with reference to the steps for manufacture of the device of fig1 . in particular , fig2 - 5 describe steps for micromachining a top wafer including one or more cavities for housing piezoelectric actuators and one or more fluid ejection holes or nozzles ( or outlet nozzles ). fig6 - 13 describe steps for micromachining an intermediate wafer that houses the piezoelectric actuators . finally , fig1 describes steps for micromachining a bottom wafer that houses fluid - access channels or inlet channels . fig1 a - 15 and 17 - 23 describe steps for coupling together the aforementioned wafers , and further manufacturing steps for completing formation of the fluid ejection device according to the present disclosure . hence , according to the present disclosure , the steps of manufacture of the fluid ejection device 50 envisage machining and assembly of a small number of wafers ( in particular , three wafers ). with reference to fig2 , a wafer 100 , including a substrate 101 , is provided , for example having a thickness of between approximately 400 and 1000 μm , in particular approximately 725 μm . the substrate 101 is , according to one embodiment of the present disclosure , made of semiconductor material , such as silicon . the substrate 101 has a first surface 101 a and a second surface 101 b , opposite to one another in a direction z . on the first surface 101 a , a first interface layer 103 , made of silicon oxide ( in particular , sio 2 ) is formed by thermal oxidation . the first interface layer 103 has , for example , a thickness of between approximately 0 . 7 and 2 μm , in particular approximately 1 μm . on top of the first interface layer 103 an intermediate layer 105 of epitaxially grown polysilicon is formed , having a thickness , for example , of between approximately 15 and 50 μm , in particular approximately 25 μm . in particular , the intermediate layer 105 is grown epitaxially until it reaches a thickness greater than the desired thickness ( for example , approximately 3 μm more ), and then is subjected to a step of cmp ( chemical mechanical polishing ) for reducing the thickness thereof and obtaining an exposed top surface with low roughness . the intermediate layer 105 may be made of a material other than polysilicon , for example silicon or some other material , provided that it can be removed selectively with respect to the material of which the first interface layer 103 is made . formed on top of the intermediate layer 105 is a second interface layer 107 , similar to the first interface layer 103 ( e . g ., made of silicon oxide sio 2 , with a thickness , for example , of between 0 . 7 and 2 μm , in particular approximately 1 μm ). formed on top of the second interface layer 107 is a structural layer 109 , for example of polysilicon . the structural layer 109 has a thickness , for example , of between approximately 80 and 150 μm , in particular 105 μm . the structural layer 109 is , for example , grown epitaxially on top of the second intermediate layer 107 until it reaches a thickness greater than the desired thickness ( for example , approximately 3 μm more ), and is then subjected to a step of cmp for reducing the thickness thereof and obtaining an exposed top surface with low roughness . with reference to fig3 a , the substrate 101 could be reduced in thickness by means of the grinding technique until it reaches a thickness , for example , of between 400 and 600 μm , for example 600 μm . this is followed by a step of forming a mask on top of the wafer 100 , above the structural layer 109 . for this purpose , a mask layer is formed , e . g ., of teos ( tetraethyl orthosilicate ) oxide deposited with the pecvd technique , having a thickness of approximately 2 . 5 μm , on top of the structural layer 109 . the mask layer is defined lithographically so as to form an edge - mask region 111 and a nozzle - mask region 112 . the edge - mask region 111 is designed to delimit a portion of the wafer 100 that , in subsequent steps , will contain a layer of glue or adhesive layer from a portion of the wafer 100 that , in subsequent steps , will operate as chamber for containing a piezoelectric actuator . the nozzle - mask region 112 is designed to delimit a surface portion 109 ′ of the wafer 100 in which part of the liquid - ejection channel is to be formed . in particular , the surface portion 109 ′ has , in top view , a substantially rectangular shape , with chamfered corners . fig3 b is a schematic top view of the wafer 100 , where the edge - mask region 111 and the nozzle - mask region 112 are visible . the cross - sectional view of fig3 a is taken along the line of section iii - iii of fig3 b . with reference to fig4 , a photoresist mask 115 is formed on the wafer 100 designed to coat the surface of the wafer 100 except for the surface portion 109 ′. by means of a dry - etching step ( indicated by the arrows 116 ), the region of the structural layer 109 that extends into an area corresponding to the surface portion 109 ′ not protected by the mask 115 is partially or completely removed . according to the embodiment illustrated in fig4 , the structural layer 109 is removed completely until the second intermediate layer 107 , which operates as etch - stop layer , is reached . there is thus formed a channel 118 that extends throughout the thickness of the structural layer 109 . alternatively ( in a way not shown in the figure ), it is possible to partially remove the structural layer 109 , up to a depth of , for example , 80 μm , and complete the etching step subsequently , during the step of fig5 . as shown in fig5 , the mask 115 is removed , and then a further etching step is performed , identified in the figure by the arrows 123 , in order to remove portions of the structural layer 109 not protected by the edge - mask regions 111 and nozzle - mask regions 112 . in one embodiment , the etch is of a dry type , and the etching chemistry is chosen in such a way as to remove selectively the material of which the structural layer 109 is made but not the material of which the second intermediate layer 107 is made . thus formed in the structural layer 109 is a pad recess 120 and a piezoelectric - housing recess 122 , which are separated from one another by the edge - mask regions 111 and by the structural - layer portion 109 lying underneath the latter . the depth , in the structural layer 109 , of the pad recess 120 and of the piezoelectric - housing recess 122 is comprised , for example between 20 and 50 μm , for example 25 μm . during this etching step , it is possible to complete etching of the channel 118 in the case where the step of fig4 has not enabled the second intermediate layer 107 to be reached . instead , since the etching chemistry for removal of the structural layer 109 is chosen in such a way as to remove selectively the structural layer 109 but not the intermediate layer 107 , etching of the channel 118 does not proceed any further in depth in the wafer 100 . with reference to fig6 - 13 , there are now described steps of machining of a wafer 200 that houses one or more actuator elements ( e . g ., piezoelectric elements ), designed to be operated , in use , for expelling fluid from the fluid ejection device according to the present disclosure . with reference to fig6 , the wafer 200 is provided , including a substrate 201 , for example having a thickness of between approximately 400 and 1000 μm , in particular approximately 725 μm . the substrate 201 is , according to one embodiment of the present disclosure , made of semiconductor material , such as silicon . the substrate 201 has a first surface 201 a and a second surface 201 b , opposite to one another in the direction z . on the first surface 201 a , a membrane layer 202 is formed , for example of silicon oxide , having a thickness , for example , of between approximately 1 and 4 μm , in particular 2 . 5 μm . this is followed by formation of a stack including a piezoelectric element and electrodes for actuation of the piezoelectric element . for this purpose , deposited on the wafer 200 , above the membrane layer 202 , is a first layer of conductive material 204 , for example titanium ( ti ) or platinum ( pt ), having a thickness , for example , of between approximately 20 and 100 nm ; then , on top of the first layer of conductive material 204 , a layer of piezoelectric material 206 , for example pzt ( pb , zr , tio 3 ), having a thickness , for example , of between 1 . 5 and 2 . 5 μm , in particular 2 μm , is deposited ; then , deposited on top of the layer of piezoelectric material 206 is a second layer of conductive material 208 , for example ruthenium , having a thickness , for example of between approximately 20 and 100 nm . as shown in fig7 , formed on top of the second layer of conductive material 208 is a mask 211 , designed to cover the second layer of conductive material 208 in an area corresponding to portions of the latter that will form , subsequently , a top electrode for actuation of the piezoresistive element . an etching step enables removal of portions of the second layer of conductive material 208 not protected by the mask 211 . using the same mask 211 , but different etching chemistry , etching of the wafer 200 is continued to remove exposed portions of the layer of piezoelectric material 206 so as to form a piezoelectric element 226 . etching is interrupted at the first layer of conductive material 204 , and ( fig8 ) the mask 211 is removed . etching of the second layer of conductive material 208 is carried out , for example , by means of wet etching , and etching of the piezoelectric layer 206 by means of dry or wet etching . as shown in fig9 , the second layer of conductive material 208 is defined so as to conclude formation of the top electrode . for this purpose , a mask 213 ( for example , a photoresist mask ) is formed on top of part of the second layer of conductive material 208 in such a way as to remove selective portions thereof that extend at the outer edge of the piezoelectric element 226 , but not portions of the second layer of conductive material 208 that extend at the centre of the piezoelectric element 226 . the portion of the piezoelectric element 226 exposed following upon the etching step of fig9 forms , in top view , a frame that surrounds the top electrode 228 completely or partially and has a width p1 , for example , measured in the direction x , of between 4 and 8 μm . there is thus formed a top electrode 228 , designed to be biased , in use , for activating the piezoelectric element 226 ( as illustrated more clearly in what follows ). as shown in fig1 , a mask 215 ( for example , a photoresist mask ) is formed , which is designed to protect the top electrode 228 and the piezoelectric element 226 and extends laterally with respect to the piezoelectric element 228 for a distance p2 , measured in the direction x starting from the edge of the piezoelectric element 228 , of , for example , between 2 and 8 μm . this is followed by an etching step to remove portions of the first layer of conductive material 204 not protected by the mask 215 . a bottom electrode 224 is thus formed for actuating the piezoelectric element in use . as shown in fig1 , the mask 215 is removed from the wafer 200 , and a step of deposition of a passivation layer 218 is carried out on the wafer 200 . the passivation layer is , for example , silicon oxide sio 2 deposited with the pecvd technique , and has a thickness , for example , of between approximately 15 and 495 nm , for example approximately 300 nm . by means of a subsequent lithography and etching step , the passivation layer 218 is selectively removed in a central portion of the top electrode 228 , whereas it remains in at an edge portion of the top electrode 228 , of the piezoelectric element 226 , of the bottom electrode 224 , and of exposed portions of the membrane layer 202 . according to what has been described so far , the passivation layer 218 does not cover the top electrode 228 completely , which can hence be contacted electrically by means of a conductive path . instead , the bottom electrode 224 may not be accessible electrically , being completely protected by the overlying piezoelectric element 226 and by the passivation layer 218 . then , simultaneously , a step is performed of selective removal of a portion of the passivation layer 218 in an area corresponding to the bottom electrode 224 , and in particular in an area corresponding to the portion of the bottom electrode 224 that extends , in the plane xy , beyond the outer edge of the piezoelectric element 226 . in this way , a region 224 ′ of the bottom electrode 224 is exposed and can thus be contacted electrically by means of a conductive path of its own . the openings to form the electrical contacts with the top electrode 228 and the bottom electrode 224 can be made during one and the same lithography and etching step ( in particular , using one and the same mask ). the step of forming a first conductive path 221 and a second conductive path 223 is illustrated in fig1 . for this purpose , a step of deposition of conductive material , such as for example a metal , in particular titanium or gold , is carried out until a layer is formed having a thickness , for example , of between approximately 20 and 500 nm , for example approximately 400 nm . by means of photolithography steps , the layer of conductive material thus deposited is selectively etched to form the first conductive path 221 , which extends over the wafer 200 in electrical contact with the top electrode 228 , and the second conductive path 223 , which extends over the wafer 200 in electrical contact with the bottom electrode 224 through the region 224 ′ formed previously . the first and second conductive paths 221 , 223 extend over the wafer 200 until regions where it is desired to form conductive pads 227 are reached , which are designed to operate as electrical access points for biasing , in use , the top electrode 228 and the bottom electrode 224 so as to activate the piezoelectric element 226 in a way in itself known . as shown in fig1 , the passivation layer 218 and the membrane layer 202 are selectively etched in a region which extends alongside the stack formed by the bottom electrode 224 , the piezoelectric element 226 , and the top electrode 228 , to form a trench 225 that exposes a surface portion of the substrate 201 . the trench 225 has a quadrangular or circular shape , in any case with a maximum diameter such as to be completely contained , in top view when aligned along z , by the channel 118 illustrated in fig4 . in particular , according to one embodiment , the trench 225 has , in top view , a shape that is the same as the shape chosen , once again in top view , for the channel 118 . in any case , irrespective of the shape chosen for the trench 225 , in subsequent manufacturing steps the trench 225 will be set aligned , in the direction z , with the channel 118 so that the channel 118 and the trench 225 will be in fluid connection with one another ( this step is illustrated in greater detail in fig1 a and 14b ). furthermore , the piezoelectric - housing recess 122 , formed in the wafer 100 , is designed to house the piezoelectric element 226 and the top electrode 228 and the bottom electrode 224 . the piezoelectric - housing recess 122 surrounds the piezoelectric element 226 completely and insulates it fluidically from the external environment and above all from the channel 118 , which extends outside the piezoelectric - housing recess 122 . in this way , when in use the fluid ejection device interacts with the fluid to be ejected , the piezoelectric element is not in contact with said fluid . the process steps described with reference to fig2 - 5 ( machining of the wafer 100 ) and 6 - 13 ( machining of the wafer 200 ) can be carried out indifferently either in parallel or sequentially . in any case , with reference to fig1 a , the wafer 100 ( in the machining step of fig5 ) and the wafer 200 ( in the machining step of fig1 ) are coupled together in such a way that the channel 118 and the trench 225 will be substantially aligned with one another in the direction z , and in fluid connection with one another . fig1 b shows the wafer 100 and the wafer 200 at the end of the coupling step of fig1 a . with reference to the wafer 100 , the portions of the structural layer 109 that extend to a height , along z , greater than the recesses 120 and 122 are the portions of the structural layer 109 protected by the edge - mask region 111 and by the nozzle - mask region 112 . during the coupling step of fig1 a and 14b , it is the edge - mask regions 111 and nozzle - mask regions 112 that provide part of the coupling interface between the wafers 100 and 200 . to guarantee a good adhesion between the wafers 100 and 200 , a bonding polymer 230 is applied on the wafer 100 in the edge - mask regions 111 and nozzle - mask regions 112 ; after the step of alignment and coupling between the wafers 100 and 200 , a step of thermal treatment ( which may vary in time and in temperature according to the bonding polymer 230 used ) enables completion of adhesion between the wafers 100 and 200 . with reference to fig1 , the substrate 201 of the wafer 200 is subjected to a grinding step to reduce the thickness thereof to a value of approximately 70 μm . by means of successive lithography and etching steps , the remaining portion of the substrate 201 is selectively etched until the membrane layer 202 is reached so as to open a chamber 232 in an area corresponding to the piezoelectric element 226 ( in other words , the chamber 232 is aligned , in the direction z , to the piezoelectric element 226 ). the chamber 232 moreover extends also towards the channel 118 and the trench 225 formed previously , which are thus fluidically accessible from outside . portions 201 ′ of the substrate 201 that extend , in top view , laterally with respect to the piezoelectric element 226 , to the channel 118 , and to the trench 225 are preserved . with reference to fig1 , the steps of machining of a wafer 300 are now described . the steps of fig1 can be carried out simultaneously with any of the steps described with reference to fig2 - 15 , either prior thereto or afterwards , indifferently . with reference to fig1 , the wafer 300 including a substrate 301 , made , for example , of semiconductor material , in particular silicon , is provided having a top face 301 a and a bottom face 301 b , opposite to one another in the direction z . on the top face 301 a an intermediate layer 302 is formed , made , for example , of silicon oxide sio 2 . then , on top of the intermediate layer 302 , a structural layer 304 is formed , made , for example , of semiconductor material , in particular silicon or polycrystalline silicon . the structural layer 304 has a thickness , for example , of between approximately 30 and 70 μm , for example approximately 50 μm . the structural layer 304 is selectively etched ( by means of lithography and etching steps , in themselves known ), to form a trench 306 that extends throughout the thickness of the structural layer 304 until the intermediate layer 302 is reached . the intermediate layer 302 functions , in this case , as etch - stop layer . the trench 306 has , in top view , a circular shape with a diameter of approximately 20 μm . however , other shapes and dimensions may be chosen , as desired . in subsequent manufacturing steps , the trench 306 forms an inlet channel for the fluid to be ejected . with reference to fig1 , the wafer 300 is coupled to the wafer 200 in such a way that the trench 306 is in fluid connection with the chamber 232 . the coupling step is carried out , as described with reference to fig1 a and 14b , using a bonding polymer 236 , laid on the surface of the portions 201 ′ of the substrate 201 of the wafer 200 . following upon alignment and physical coupling between the wafers 200 and 300 , a step of thermal treatment of the bonding polymer 236 ( in a way in itself known , according to the bonding polymer used ) enables bonding of the wafers 200 and 300 together by means of the bonding polymer 236 . with reference to fig1 , a grinding step is carried out on the underside 301 b of the substrate 301 of the wafer 300 to reduce the thickness of the substrate 301 . the grinding step proceeds until a desired thickness of the substrate 301 is obtained , such approximately 150 μm . a subsequent step of chemical polishing of the exposed surface of the substrate 301 enables removal of possible imperfections deriving from the previous grinding step . a masked - etching step is carried out so as to open a channel 312 throughout the thickness of the substrate 301 in an area corresponding to the trench 306 , exposing a surface portion of the intermediate layer 302 . the channel 312 is , in particular , aligned along z with the trench 306 . a further selective - etching step enables removal of the portion of the intermediate layer 302 exposed through the channel 312 , setting the channel 312 in fluid communication with the trench 306 and thus forming a channel 316 for access to the chamber 232 . subsequent manufacturing steps envisage the formation of the fluid ejection nozzle . said nozzle is formed by machining the wafer 100 so as to set the chamber 232 in fluid communication with the outside world through the channel 118 . for this purpose ( fig1 ), to facilitate subsequent manufacturing steps , the wafer 300 is coupled , by means of a thermal - release biadhesive tape 410 , with a fourth wafer 400 having the sole function of favoring handling of the device that is being produced . in subsequent steps , the fourth wafer 400 will be removed . the fourth wafer 400 is , for example , made of silicon and has a thickness of approximately 500 μm . the thermal - release biadhesive tape 410 is , for example , laid on the wafer 400 by lamination . with reference to fig2 , the substrate 101 of the wafer 100 is completely removed by means of a grinding step and a subsequent step of chemical etching to remove possible residue of the substrate 101 not removed by the grinding step . the chemical etching presents moreover the advantage of being more precise than grinding , and chemical etching can be chosen in such a way as to be selective in regard to the material to be removed , with etch stopping at the intermediate layer 103 . it is hence advisable in this step to provide alignment markers 103 ′ on the exposed intermediate layer 103 . said markers 103 ′ have the function of identifying with high precision , in subsequent machining steps , the spatial arrangement of the channel 118 where the fluid ejection nozzle is to be formed . with reference to fig2 , steps of deposition of a resist mask 502 , lithography of the resist layer 502 , and etching of the underlying intermediate layer 103 are carried out . a new etch using the same resist mask 502 enables removal of selective portions of the structural layer 105 exposed through the resist mask 502 so as to form a trench 501 that extends throughout the thickness of the structural layer 105 in an area corresponding to the channel 118 and aligned , in the direction z , with the channel 118 . the etch is interrupted at the intermediate layer 107 . a subsequent etching step ( fig2 ) enables removal of the portion of the intermediate layer 107 exposed through the trench 501 . the resist mask is removed , and the intermediate layer 103 is etched up to complete removal thereof . in this way , a fluid ejection nozzle 510 is formed . in particular , the nozzle 510 has , in top view , a circular shape and a diameter chosen as desired , according to the application of the fluid ejection device and the amount of fluid that is to be ejected . even more in particular , the nozzle 510 has , in perspective view , a cylindrical or frustoconical shape . the axis of the cylinder or truncated cone is aligned , along z , with the axis of the channel 118 . with reference to fig2 , production of the liquid - ejection device 50 is completed by removing the fourth wafer 400 and the thermal - release biadhesive tape 410 , and by opening a window 515 through the wafer 100 to make the conductive pads 227 accessible from outside . removal of the fourth wafer 400 and the thermal - release biadhesive tape 410 moreover renders the inlet channel 316 fluidically accessible from outside . furthermore , it is possible to form electrical connections 520 , for example by means of conductive wires , in the area of the pads 227 . by appropriately biasing the pads 227 through the electrical connections 520 , the piezoelectric element 226 is actuated in use . fig2 - 26 show the liquid - ejection device 50 in operating steps during use . in a first step ( fig2 ), the chamber 232 is filled with a fluid 52 that is to be ejected . said step of charging of the fluid 52 is carried out through the inlet channel 316 ( see arrow 530 ). as shown in fig2 , the piezoelectric element 226 is controlled through the top electrode 228 and the bottom electrode 224 ( which are biased through the electrical connections 520 ) in such a way as to generate a deflection of the membrane layer 202 towards the inside of the chamber 232 ( arrow d1 ). said deflection causes a movement of the fluid 52 through the channel 118 towards the nozzle 510 and generates controlled expulsion of a drop 55 of fluid 52 towards the outside of the fluid ejection device 50 . as shown in fig2 , the piezoelectric element 226 is controlled through the top electrode 228 and the bottom electrode 224 ( which are biased through the electrical connections 520 ) in such a way as to generate a deflection of the membrane layer 202 in a direction opposite to that of fig2 ( arrow d2 ) so as to increase the volume of the chamber 232 by recalling further fluid 52 towards the chamber 232 through the inlet channel 316 . the chamber 232 is hence recharged with fluid 52 . the piezoelectric element may then again be actuated , as illustrated in fig2 , for expulsion of a further drop of fluid . the steps of fig2 and 26 are repeated throughout the printing process . actuation of the piezoelectric element by biasing the top electrode 228 and bottom electrode 224 is in itself known and not described in detail herein . from an examination of the characteristics of the disclosure provided according to the present disclosure , the advantages that it affords are evident . in particular , the steps of manufacture of the liquid - ejection device according to the present disclosure utilize coupling of just three wafers , reducing the risks of misalignment in so far as just two steps of coupling between wafers ( i . e ., the step of fig1 a and the step of fig1 ) are performed , and the manufacturing costs are reduced . finally , it is clear that modifications and variations may be made to what has been described and illustrated herein , without thereby departing from the sphere of protection of the present disclosure . for instance , the steps described with reference to fig2 are not necessary in the case where a pre - machined wafer of a soi ( silicon - on - insulator ) type is purchased . however , it should be noted that this latter solution has a cost higher than the one associated with the steps of fig2 . likewise , also the wafers 200 and 300 may be of the soi type . the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments . these and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above - detailed description . in general , in the following claims , the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims , but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled . accordingly , the claims are not limited by the disclosure .	1
throughout the following description , specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the invention . however , the invention may be practiced without these particulars . in other instances , well known elements have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the invention . accordingly , the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative , rather than a restrictive , sense . an sts - 1 to ds3 / e3 demapper extracts e3 or ds3 payloads from vc - 3 structures mapped into an sts - 1 spe via au - 3 or tug - 3 mapping schemes . in brief , during each sts - 1 clock cycle , the demapper receives a vc - 3 payload byte containing varying amounts of pdh ds3 / e3 payload information . the ds3 / e3 payload information is extracted and temporarily stored . the extracted ds3 / e3 payload information is written into the fifo buffer once a full byte of such information has been accumulated in the temporary storage location . accordingly , ds3 / e3 payload information bytes are written to the fifo buffer at a non - uniform rate , not once per sts - 1 clock cycle . that is , fifo buffer write operations are “ gapped ” so that only full ds3 / e3 payload information bytes are written to the fifo buffer . specifically , the demapper extracts the payload information bits from the incoming vc - 3 , assembles the extracted payload information bits into payload bytes , and writes the assembled payload bytes into a fifo buffer using a 6 . 48 mhz ( sts - 1 byte rate ) clock . a vc - 3 payload byte mapped with ds3 data contains 0 , 1 , 5 , or 8 ds3 payload information bits . a vc - 3 payload byte mapped with e3 data contains 0 , 1 , 7 , or 8 e3 payload information bits . only ds3 / e3 payload information bits are written into the fifo buffer ( not shown ). non - payload information bits , such as those used to accommodate sonet transport overhead factors , are not written into the fifo buffer . the assembled ds3 / e3 payload information bytes are read from the fifo buffer and output as a serial data stream using a parallel - in - serial - out ( piso ) converter . the fifo buffer read clock frequency is equal to the input pdh data rate , divided by 8 . in ds3 mode , the fifo buffer read clock is nominally a 44 . 736 / 8 = 5 . 592 mhz clock . in e3 mode , the fifo buffer read clock frequency is nominally 34 . 368 / 8 = 4 . 926 mhz . bytes of ds3 / e3 data are read from the fifo buffer every read clock cycle . gapped data flow results , since ds3 / e3 data bytes are written into the fifo buffer at a non - uniform rate , but read from the fifo buffer at a uniform rate . on average , the rate at which data is written to the fifo buffer equals the rate at which data is read from the fifo buffer , in both ds3 and e3 modes of operation . in ds3 mode , assuming a nominal payload rate , the average number of bits written to the fifo buffer per sts - 1 clock cycle is approximately 5592 ds3 bits per frame /( 9 × 90 ) sts - 1 bytes per frame = 6 . 9037 bits . similarly , in e3 mode , the average number of bits written to the fifo buffer per sts - 1 clock is 4296 e3 bits per frame /( 9 × 90 ) sts - 1 bytes per frame = 5 . 3037 bits . however , since fifo buffer write operations are gapped as aforesaid , and since fifo buffer read operations are constant ( not gapped ), the true instantaneous fifo buffer fill level ( the separation between the fifo buffer &# 39 ; s write address and read address pointers ) fluctuates . specifically , the instantaneous fifo buffer fill level varies as a periodic function ( waveform ) having a period equal to one sts - 1 row , relative to the fifo buffer &# 39 ; s fixed center value ( labelled fifo_center in fig1 , 2 , 3 , 5 a and 6 a ). the amplitude of the variation of the instantaneous fifo buffer fill level relative to the fifo buffer center depends on the alignment of the spe within the incoming sts - 1 , and on the ds3 / e3 payload mapping scheme ( i . e . au - 3 or tug - 3 ). each sts - 1 frame has 783 possible sonet pointer positions . each sonet pointer position corresponds to a different spe alignment and to a distinct fifo buffer true fill level periodic waveform . instead of incurring the complexity and expense of storing and retrieving a separate waveform for each sonet pointer position , the invention approximates the demapper fifo buffer &# 39 ; s outgoing data rate to derive an approximation of the desired fifo buffer fill level for any sonet pointer position , as shown in fig4 . as depicted in fig7 , the derived approximation is compared with the fifo buffer true fill level , and the difference is output as an error indication which can be utilized by fifo buffer centering logic to maintain a desired separation between the fifo buffer &# 39 ; s write address and read address pointers before buffer overflows or under - runs occur . the following terms are used to describe the invention : the “ gap_pattern ” approximation value is derived with the aid of accumulators 10 , 12 ( fig4 ). as explained below , accumulator 10 outputs a “ bits_read ” cumulative total of the approximate number of bits read from the fifo buffer and accumulator 12 outputs a “ bits_written ” cumulative total of the number of bits written to the fifo buffer . the “ fifo buffer write clock ” signal is applied to bits_read accumulator 10 once per sts - 1 fifo buffer write clock cycle in order to update its cumulative total once per sts - 1 fifo buffer write clock cycle . a fifo buffer write operation occurs whenever the “ fifo buffer write clock ” and “ fifo buffer write enable ” signals are simultaneously applied to bits_written accumulator 12 . the d output port of first dual - input multiplexor 14 is connected to the y input port of o - to - y rollover counter 16 . the constant value “ 9 ” is continuously applied to multiplexor 14 &# 39 ; s first input port s 1 . the constant value “ 2 ” is continuously applied to multiplexor 14 &# 39 ; s second input port s 2 . a binary ds3 / e3 mode select signal applied to multiplexor 14 &# 39 ; s select port determines which one of multiplexor 14 &# 39 ; s input values “ 9 ” or “ 2 ” is asserted at multiplexor 14 &# 39 ; s d output port and applied to counter 16 &# 39 ; s y input port . in ds3 mode , the binary signal applied to multiplexor 14 &# 39 ; s select port results in application of the value “ 9 ” to counter 16 &# 39 ; s y input port . in e3 mode , the binary signal applied to multiplexor 14 &# 39 ; s select port results in application of the value “ 2 ” to counter 16 &# 39 ; s y input port . at the beginning of each sts - 1 row , a reset signal is applied to counter 16 &# 39 ; s reset port , resetting counter 16 to assert a value of zero at counter 16 &# 39 ; s count output port . the value applied to counter 16 &# 39 ; s y input port determines the number of consecutive clock cycles for which counter 16 counts incrementally before rolling the value output at its count port over to zero to begin a fresh count . thus , in ds3 mode , counter 16 outputs at its count port , in sequence , one of the ten values { 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 } during each of first through tenth consecutive fifo buffer write clock cycles respectively , after which counter 16 rolls over to zero then sequentially outputs one of the same ten values for another ten consecutive fifo buffer write clock cycles , etc . in e3 mode , counter 16 outputs at its count port , in sequence , one of the three values { 0 , 1 , 2 } during each of first , second and third consecutive fifo buffer write clock cycles respectively , after which counter 16 rolls over to zero then sequentially outputs one of the same three count values for another three consecutive fifo buffer write clock cycles , etc . the constant value “ 7 ” is continuously applied to second dual - input multiplexor 18 &# 39 ; s first input port s 1 . the constant value “ 5 ” is continuously applied to multiplexor 18 &# 39 ; s second input port s 2 . the constant value “ 6 ” is continuously applied to third dual - input multiplexor 20 &# 39 ; s first input port s 1 . multiplexor 18 &# 39 ; s d output port is connected to multiplexor 20 &# 39 ; s second input port s 2 . the same binary ds3 / e3 mode select signal applied to multiplexor 14 &# 39 ; s select port is also applied to multiplexor 18 &# 39 ; s select port , and determines which one of multiplexor 18 &# 39 ; s input values “ 7 ” or “ 5 ” is asserted at multiplexor 18 &# 39 ; s d output port and applied to multiplexor 20 &# 39 ; s second input port s 2 . in ds3 mode , the binary signal applied to multiplexor 18 &# 39 ; s select port results in application of the value “ 7 ” to multiplexor 20 &# 39 ; s s 2 input port . in e3 mode , the binary signal applied to multiplexor 18 &# 39 ; s select port results in application of the value “ 5 ” to multiplexor 20 &# 39 ; s s 2 input port . the count value output by counter 16 is applied to multiplexor 20 &# 39 ; s select port . the value applied to multiplexor 20 &# 39 ; s s 2 input port is asserted at multiplexor 20 &# 39 ; s d output port as long as the value applied to multiplexor 20 &# 39 ; s select port is non - zero . the value applied to multiplexor 20 &# 39 ; s s 1 input port is asserted at multiplexor 20 &# 39 ; s d output port as long as the value applied to multiplexor 20 &# 39 ; s select port is zero . in ds3 mode , during the first fifo buffer write clock cycle , the count value output by counter 16 is zero . consequently , during the first fifo buffer write clock cycle , multiplexor 20 outputs the value “ 6 ” in ds3 mode . during the second through tenth consecutive ds3 mode fifo buffer write clock cycles , the count value output by counter 16 is non - zero ( i . e ., the values { 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 } are consecutively output by counter 16 during the second through tenth cycles respectively ). consequently , in ds3 mode , during each of the second through tenth fifo buffer write clock cycles , multiplexor 20 outputs the value “ 7 ”. accordingly , multiplexor 20 repeatedly outputs the sequence of ten values { 6 , 7 , 7 , 7 , 7 , 7 , 7 , 7 , 7 , 7 } in ds3 mode . in e3 mode , during the first fifo buffer write clock cycle , the count value output by counter 16 is zero . consequently , during the first fifo buffer write clock cycle , multiplexor 20 outputs the value “ 6 ” in e3 mode . during the second and third consecutive fifo buffer write clock cycles , the e3 mode count value output by counter 16 is non - zero ( i . e ., the values { 1 , 2 } are output by counter 16 during the second and third cycles respectively ). consequently , in e3 mode , during each of the second and third fifo buffer write clock cycles , multiplexor 20 outputs the value “ 5 ”. accordingly , multiplexor 20 repeatedly outputs the sequence of three values { 6 , 5 , 5 } in e3 mode . multiplexor 20 &# 39 ; s d output port is connected to one of first adder 22 &# 39 ; s two “+” input ports . adder 22 &# 39 ; s other “+” input port is connected to the out port of bits_read accumulator 10 . adder 22 adds the values asserted at its two input ports and applies the resultant total to the in port of bits_read accumulator 10 , which asserts that total at its out port on the next fifo buffer write clock cycle as the bits_read value . the aforementioned sts - 1 row start reset signal is applied to the clear ports of bits_read accumulator 10 and bits_written accumulator 12 , causing both accumulators to output a value of zero at the beginning of each sts - 1 row . in ds3 mode , multiplexor 20 consecutively outputs at its d output port one value from the sequence { 6 , 7 , 7 , 7 , 7 , 7 , 7 , 7 , 7 , 7 } during each of ten consecutive ds3 mode fifo buffer write clock cycles . those values are added as aforesaid by adder 22 and bits_read accumulator 10 , such that , on average , the bits_read value asserted at the out port of bits_read accumulator 10 during each of ten consecutive ds3 mode fifo buffer write clock cycles is ( 6 +( 9 * 7 ))/ 10 = 6 . 90 . this closely approximates the previously explained average of 6 . 9037 bits written to the fifo buffer per sts - 1 write clock cycle in ds3 mode , assuming a nominal payload rate . in e3 mode , multiplexor 20 consecutively outputs at its d output port one value from the sequence { 6 , 5 , 5 } during each of three consecutive e3 mode fifo buffer write clock cycles . those values are added as aforesaid by adder 22 and bits_read accumulator 10 , such that , on average , the bits_read value asserted at the out port of bits_read accumulator 10 during each fifo buffer write clock cycle is ( 6 + 5 + 5 )/ 3 = 5 . 3333 in e3 mode . this closely approximates the previously explained average of 5 . 3037 bits written to the fifo buffer per sts - 1 write clock cycle in e3 mode , assuming a nominal payload rate . a constant value “ 8 ” is applied to one of second adder 24 &# 39 ; s two “+” input ports . adder 24 &# 39 ; s other “+” input port is connected to the out port of bits_written accumulator 12 . adder 24 adds the values asserted at its two input ports and applies the resultant total to the in port of bits_written accumulator 12 , which asserts that total at its out port on the next clock cycle as the bits_written value . as previously explained , bits_written accumulator 12 is cleared ( reset to zero ) at the beginning of each sts - 1 row . once per fifo buffer write operation , adder 24 adds the value “ 8 ” to bits_written accumulator 12 &# 39 ; s cumulative total ( i . e . the bits_written value is incremented by 8 if the fifo buffer write enable signal is applied to accumulator 12 &# 39 ; s enable port during an sts - 1 fifo buffer write clock cycle ) to reflect the fact that one 8 - bit byte of ds3 / e3 data has been written to the fifo buffer . as previously explained , the fifo buffer write operation is performed only if a full data byte is available to be written to the fifo buffer ; the write operation is not necessarily performed every write clock cycle . accumulators 10 , 12 are cleared ( reset to zero ) at the beginning of each sts - 1 row to minimize round - off errors caused by approximating the bits_read value output by accumulator 10 . during each fifo buffer write clock cycle , the instantaneous bits_read value output by accumulator 10 is applied to subtracter 26 &# 39 ; s “−” input port , the instantaneous bits_written value output by accumulator 12 is applied to subtracter 26 &# 39 ; s “+” input port , and subtracter 26 outputs the difference between those two input values as the instantaneous gap_pattern value ( i . e ., gap_pattern = bits_written - bits_read ). also during each fifo buffer write clock cycle , the instantaneous gap_pattern value output by subtracter 26 is applied to one of adder 28 &# 39 ; s two “+” input ports , the predefined ( constant ) fifo_center value is applied to the other one of adder 28 &# 39 ; s “+” input ports , and adder 28 outputs the sum of those two input values . the summation value output by adder 28 is applied to the in port of d - type flip flop 30 . the fifo buffer write clock signal is applied to flip flop 30 &# 39 ; s clock port , causing flip flop 30 to output at its out port the desired_fill value in synchronization with the fifo buffer write clock signal . fig5 a and 6a show desired_fill values , derived as aforesaid , superimposed on corresponding true_fill values ( obtained from the fifo buffer controller — not shown ), for the spe frame alignments shown in fig1 and 2 respectively . the fill_error values graphically depicted in fig5 b and 6b are derived using the equation fill_error = true_fill − desired_fill and are adjusted by subtracting the pending data bits to be removed or added from the fifo buffer to compensate for sonet pointer justification events , as explained below . sonet pointers enable spe movement across sonet / sdh frame boundaries . frequency differences between network elements are handled by incrementing or decrementing the sonet pointer . this relocates the spe within the sonet frame by adding an spe byte to or subtracting an spe byte from the sonet frame . such sonet pointer justification events , which are not synchronized with the fifo buffer read or write clocks , cause sudden phase changes which are absorbed by the fifo buffer and reflected in the fifo buffer fill level . this “ excess ” phase information is transient and has the effect of temporarily shifting the true_fill pattern up or down . excess phase information added to or subtracted from the fifo buffer due to sonet pointer justification events is compensated for by the pointer processing logic ( not shown ). determination of the aforementioned fill_error value necessitates removal of such excess phase information to prevent “ double accounting ” for such information by the demapper . the fill_error equation thus becomes fill_error = true_fill − desired_fill − ptr_phase . fig7 depicts circuitry for determining the fill_error value . block 32 represents the fig4 circuitry , which outputs the desired_fill value , as aforesaid . subtracter 34 subtracts both the ptr_phase value ( obtained from the pointer processing logic — not shown ) and the desired_fill value from the true_fill value ( obtained from the fifo read and write address pointers — not shown ) to produce the fill_error value . the fill_error value can be used to vary the frequency of the fifo buffer read clock , and adjust the fifo buffer write address and read address pointers until the fill_error value is minimized . the fill_error value may also be used to indicate impending fifo buffer overflows or under - runs . it can thus be seen that the invention facilitates maintenance of fifo buffer fill levels during synchronization and desynchronization of signals between asynchronous clock domains , allowing fifo buffer centering to be performed well in advance of overflow or under - run events . “ double accounting ” of transient sonet pointer justification events , which temporarily shift the periodic fifo buffer fill pattern above or below the fifo buffer center , is prevented . the mapper and demapper fifo buffers &# 39 ; desired fill levels are accurately estimated for all possible spe frame alignments , independently of the ds3 / e3 mapping scheme ( tug - 3 or au - 3 ) and independently of the ds3 / e3 payload rate ( whether ds3 or e3 ). as will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing disclosure , many alterations and modifications are possible in the practice of this invention without departing from the spirit or scope thereof . for example , the bits_written , bits_read , and ptr_phase values are rounded up to the nearest byte since the fifo buffer storage locations are byte - wide . as another example , the invention is readily adapted to use with serial ( bit - wide ) fifo buffers , in which case the accuracy of the derived fill_error value is improved . the fig4 circuitry need not be capable of handling both ds3 and e3 signals , but can be simplified for handling only one type of signal . this can be achieved by removing multiplexors 14 , 18 . if only ds3 signals are to be handled , the constant value “ 7 ” is applied to multiplexor 20 &# 39 ; s input port s 2 and the constant value “ 9 ” is applied to counter 16 &# 39 ; s y input . if only e3 signals are to be handled , the constant value “ 5 ” is applied to multiplexor 20 &# 39 ; s input port s 2 and the constant value “ 2 ” is applied to counter 16 &# 39 ; s y input . the scope of the invention is to be construed in accordance with the substance defined by the following claims .	7
with reference now to the drawings , and in particular to fig1 to 10 thereof , a new and improved hand gun safety storage cabinet embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral 13 will be described . more specifically , the hand gun safety storage cabinet 10 of the instant invention essentially comprises a container 11 having a container rear wall 12 , a top wall 13 , a floor 14 , and spaced first and second side walls 15 and 16 respectively . a front wall continuous perimeter flange 17 is formed to have a front wall opening 20 therethrough , with the perimeter flange having a hinge plate 18 extending into the opening 20 from the first side wall 15 and a latch flange 19 extending into the opening 20 relative to the second side wall 16 in adjacency thereto . a door plate 21 is provided having a door plate first end 22 mounted to the hinge plate 18 to permit pivoting of the door plate relative to the container 11 . the door plate includes a door plate second end 23 to overlie the latch flange 19 , as well as the perimeter flange in a first position when the door plate is in contiguous communication with the latch flange and to permit spacing of the door plate relative to the latch flange 19 when the door plate is pivoted about the hinge plate 18 spacing the door plate relative to the perimeter flange 17 . the hinge plate 18 is typically arranged to utilize spring hinges to bias the door plate 21 in a latched orientation to the container 11 . the door plate 21 , as indicated in fig4 includes a door plate first side 24 spaced from a door plate second side 25 . a plurality of finger access openings 26 are directed through the door plate in adjacency to the first side 24 and the door plate second end 23 . a door plate slot 27 is directed through the door plate 21 parallel to the second side 25 medially between and spaced from the access openings 26 . the fig6 indicates the use of a container mounting plate 28 that may be integral with or as a separate plate structure relative to the rear wall 12 . for example , the mounting plate 28 may be utilized in lieu of the rear wall 12 integrally formed to the container 11 , having mounting plate apertures 29 directed therethrough for ease of securement of the container 11 relative to a convenient support , either in a vertical or horizontal orientation as desired . the fig8 indicates the latch plate mechanism 30 employed by the invention that is oriented between the finger access openings 26 and the door plate second side 25 . the latch plate 30 may be integrally mounted to an interior surface of the door plate 21 , or alternatively as a separate member having mounting apertures 31 to permit mechanical fastening of the latch plate 30 relative to the door plate 21 . the latch plate includes a latch plate first side 32 parallel to and below the door plate first side 24 , with a latch plate second side 33 spaced from the door plate second side 23 . the latch plate includes a latch plate first end 34 oriented in adjacency to and parallel the door plate first end 22 , with a door plate second end 35 parallel to and spaced from the door plate second end 23 . a plurality of spaced guide ramps 36 are provided , with one of the guide ramps 36 oriented below an associated access aperture 26 , with each guide ramp 36 canted from the latch plate first side 32 to position above the latch plate , with the guide ramps 36 having a partition wall 37 oriented medially of the guide ramps 36 and medially below the access apertures 26 . the partition wall 37 enhances ease of guidance and displacement of an individual &# 39 ; s fingers that are directed through the access apertures 26 to guide the fingers onto the lock levers 41 , as indicated in fig1 for example . a plurality of spring positioning recesses 39 are provided , with one below each of the guide ramps 36 . the lock levers 41 , as noted above , are arranged in a parallel relationship relative to one another , and parallel relative to the partition wall 37 . the lock levers 41 are pivotally mounted about lock lever axles 42 that are mounted to the latch plate 30 , one below each of the spring positioning recesses 39 . each lock lever 41 includes a lock lever first plate on a first side of an associated axle 42 , with a lock lever second plate 44 positioned on a second side of the axle 42 . the lock lever first plate 43 captures the spring member 40 between the lock lever first plate 43 and an associated spring positioning recess 39 . the lock lever second plate 44 oriented between an axle 42 and the latch plate second side 33 is arranged to provide for reception of each of the lock lever second plates 44 within a lock plate recesses 48 directed into a lock plate 47 . the lock plate 47 is slidably mounted below the axles 42 in a parallel relationship between the axles 42 and the latch plate second side 33 . the lock plate recess 48 having the lock lever second plates 44 removed therefrom permit sliding movement relative to the latch plate 33 as the lock plate 47 is slidably mounted within lock plate guide loops 53 . the lock plate 47 includes a lock plate first end 47a positioned in sliding adjacency relative to the latch plate first end 34 , with the lock plate second end positioned in adjacency and sliding relationship relative to the latch plate second end 35 . the lock plate second end includes an extension plate 49 orthogonally oriented relative to the lock plate extending substantially along the latch plate second end 35 , with the lock plate extension plate having an extension plate projection 50 that is oriented coextensively relative to the lock plate second end 47b . in this manner , the lock plate and the extension plate projection 50 are directed within the container 11 and captured between the container rear wall 12 and the continuous flange 17 , with the latch flange 19 positioned between the lock plate extension plate 49 and the door plate 21 . lock plate slide plates 54 are mounted in adjacency to the latch plate second end 35 to provide for a sliding surface to maintain orientation of the lock plate and extension plate relative to the latch plate 30 . a lock plate latch lug 51 is fixedly mounted to the lock plate 47 and slidingly projects through a latch plate slot 52 that is coextensive with an in alignment with the door plate slot 27 . in this manner when an individual directs a plurality of fingers through the access apertures 26 to release the lock lever second plates 44 relative to the lock plate recesses 48 , the lock plate and the extension plate 49 are thereby free to slide , wherein an individual utilizes a second hand to grasp the lock plate latch lug 51 to effect its sliding relative to the latch plate slot 52 and the door plate slot 27 to thereby displace the lock plate and extension plate relative to the perimeter flange and associated latch flange 17 and 19 respectively . the fig8 and 10 indicate the use of a cover plate 58 positioned and mounted between the guide loops 53 to maintain the latch levers 41 in adjacency relative to a lock plate 30 , as well as preventing unauthorized and unwarranted tampering of the latching structure . further it should be noted that first and second support hooks 60 and 61 are provided , with the first support hook having a c - shaped recess for receiving a gun barrel therethrough ( not shown ), with the second hook having a support tang projecting from the support hook to position a pistol body thereon and in this manner to provide for immediate access and grasping of the pistol upon opening of the door structure relative to the invention . as to the manner of usage and operation of the instant invention , the same should be apparent from the above disclosure , and accordingly no further discussion relative to the manner of usage and operation of the instant invention shall be provided . with respect to the above description then , it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention , to include variations in size , materials , shape , form , function and manner of operation , assembly and use , are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art , and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention . therefore , the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention . further , since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art , it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described , and accordingly , all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to , falling within the scope of the invention .	4
referring now to the figure of a battery 10 which includes a zinc containing anode 12 formed of a metal screen current collector 14 supporting a layer 16 of anode material and a cathode 18 formed of a cathode layer 20 containing silver supported on a metal screen current collector 22 . the anode 12 and cathode 18 are separated by an alkali resistant , hydrogen permeable regenerated cellulose separator 26 containing particles 28 of a fluoride . additional regenerated separation films 24 may be provided on either or both sides of the separator film 26 . the solubility of silver oxide in water is 13 μg / ml while that of silver fluoride is 1 . 82 grams / ml . this huge discrepancy in the solubility of the two salts provides a driving force enabling any silver ions in the neighborhood of the separator to remain in solution . the encapsulation of the active salt in regenerated cellulose is effected as follows . a solution of cellulose , with a degree of polymerization from 200 to 1200 , in the form of , but not limited to , microcrystalline cellulose , cotton fiber , paper and microgranular cellulose , is dissolved using a variety of different solvents , including , but not limited to , licl / dmac , trifluoroacetic acid and n - morpholine n - oxide . with licl / dmac the applicable range is 3 to 8 % weight licl to dmac and the applicable range for the percent weight solution of cellulose to solvent is 1 to 11 %. the dissolved cellulose may be crosslinked in a variety of ways , including reacting it with an alkyl dihalide . the hydrogen permeable separator preferably contains hydrogen permeable domains within the regenerated cellulose film . the hydrogen permeable domain material is preferably soluble in a common solvent to cellulose so that the domains form on casting . suitable hydrogen permeable materials are cellulose ethers in which the ether group contains 2 to 8 carbon atoms and is present in the separator film in an amount from 10 to 60 parts by weight to 100 parts of cellulose . a fluoride containing salt , in the solubility range of 10 μg / ml to 10 mg / ml is added to the solution as a suspension . salts meeting the required criteria include , but are not limited to , calcium fluoride , magnesium fluoride , lead fluoride , barium fluoride , mercury ( i ) fluoride and strontium fluoride . the resulting mixture is then cast via conventional methods . these methods are known to those skilled in the art of membrane fabrication . they include extrusion of the solution onto a conveyor belt , casting onto a glass plate with a casting knife or casting onto a well - leveled glass plate . after casting , the resulting solution is coagulated with conventional techniques , preferably using water as the coagulating agent . coagulation may be attained either by exposure to ambient moisture or by direct application of a water stream to the resulting solution . the coagulated cellulose material is then washed to remove the solvent and the licl salt . the fluoride salt , because of its relatively insolubility , will remain in the gel . it is possible to employ alcohols mixed with water , but it is preferable that they be kept below 50 % volume ratio . after thorough washing of the resulting gel , the gel may be dried by any conventional methods , including air - drying , press - drying , or vacuum - drying . 100 g of licl is dissolved in 2 kg of dimethylacetamide ( dmac ) at room temperature . 40 g of microcrystalline cellulose ( mcc , aldrich 31 , 069 - 7 ) is placed in a solution containing 2 kg of licl / dmac solvent and heated to 120 degrees celsius for 15 minutes . the cooled solution provides a clear solution . the solution is cooled to room temperature and 3 . 2 g caf 2 is added to the solution . after gelling with ambient moisture , the gel is rinsed with deionized water to remove all solvent and licl . the clean gel is placed in a dry - press mount at 105 degress celsius for 1 . 5 hours at which point a clear hazy film is obtained . an experiment was performed to determine the effectiveness of adding a fluoride to the separator film . a film of example 1 was compared to regenerated cellulose in terms of silver plating . both films were exposed to a 3 % aqueous silver nitrate solution for 10 minutes , rinsed several times in distilled water , and then developed in 50 % by weight potassium hydroxide for 2 minutes . the latter exposure induces silver plating on the cellulose films . the presence of silver on the separators was detected with a spectrace quanx x - ray fluorescence analyzer operating at a tube voltage of 40 kv and 0 . 4 milliampere current . results are reported in terms of detector count number . 40 grams of microcrystalline cellulose ( mcc , aldrich 31 , 069 - 7 ) is placed in a solution of 2 kg of 5 % licl / dmac and heated to 120 degrees celsius for 15 minutes . the cooled solution affords a clear solution of mcc . 26 . 7 grams of ethyl cellulose ( ec ) are dissolved in 530 ml dmac separately . the mcc and ec solutions are combined in a 60 / 40 weight ratio by polymer weight . to this mixture 3 . 3 g caf 2 is added and stirred for 15 minutes . 40 ml of the combined solution is placed on a glass tray . a humidifier providing water over the glass tray yields a gelled product containing phases of mcc and ec . this gel is then washed with water repeatedly until all dmac and licl are removed . the gel is then dried with a press - dry , affording a film useful as a separator . it is to be realized that only preferred embodiments of the invention have been described and that numerous substitutions , modifications and alterations are permissible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims .	7
an illustrative aspect of the present invention will be explained with reference to fig1 through 4 . fig1 is a side sectional view illustrating the general construction of a color laser printer 1 , which is an example of an image forming apparatus of the present invention and hereinafter referred to as the printer . in the following description , the right side of fig1 corresponds to the front side of the printer 1 . further , printer components provided for respective colors generally have the same structural configuration , and thus the name thereof with a representative number is used in descriptions of those components unless they need to be explained separately . for example , the transfer roller 14 represents the transfer rollers 14 k , 14 y , 14 m , 14 c for colors black , yellow , magenta and cyan , respectively . the printer 1 includes a main casing 2 and a paper feed tray 4 at the bottom of the main casing 2 . sheets 3 ( an example of recording media ) are stacked in the paper feed tray 4 . a pickup roller 5 is provided above the front end of the paper feed tray 4 . a pair of registration rollers 8 is provided above the pickup roller 5 . the top sheet 3 in the paper feed tray 4 is picked up by the pickup roller 5 as it revolves and passed to the registration rollers 8 . the registration rollers 8 perform a skew correction for the sheet 3 as necessary and pass the sheet 3 onto a belt unit 11 in a image forming unit 10 . the image forming unit 10 includes the belt unit 11 , a scanner unit 19 , a process unit 20 , a fuser unit 31 and a circuit board 34 . the belt unit 11 is configured such that a belt 13 is stretched and looped over belt rollers 12 , one of which is arranged in the front and the other in the rear . the belt 13 rolls counter - clockwise as the rear belt roller 12 revolves and the sheet 3 on the top surface of the belt 13 is passed to the rear . inside a loop of the belt 13 , the transfer roller 14 is arranged on an opposite side of the belt 13 from a side where a photosensitive drum 28 is arranged in the process unit , which will be explained later . the photosensitive drum 28 is an example of a photosensitive body of the present invention . the transfer roller 14 is an example of a transfer unit that is an object for the current measurement and included in the developer transport section of the present invention . it is prepared by covering a metal roller shaft with a rubber having conductive properties . the transfer roller 14 is pressed against the photosensitive drum 28 so that the sheet 3 is sandwiched between the transfer roller 14 and the photosensitive drum 28 when it is passed through on the belt 13 . the scanner unit 19 , which is an example of an exposure unit of the present invention , includes an optical system ( not shown ). the optical system is configured to apply different colors of laser beams l to the surfaces of the respective photosensitive drums 28 . a polygonal mirror ( not shown ) guides laser beams emitted from laser diodes ( lds ) 33 toward the respective photosensitive drums 28 . the process unit 20 includes a frame 21 that can be pulled out of the main casing 2 , and four removable developer cartridges 22 ( 22 k , 22 y , 22 m and 22 c ) placed in the frame 21 . the developer cartridges 22 are provided for four different colors of developer . in this example , black , yellow , magenta and cyan developer cartridges are arranged in this order from an upstream to the downstream of the sheet feed path . at the bottom of the frame 21 , the photosensitive drum 28 and charger 29 are provided for the developer cartridge 22 . the charger 29 is an example of a charger of the present invention . the developing cartridge 22 includes a toner container 23 , a feed roller 24 , an developing roller 25 and a layer thickness control blade 26 . the feed roller 24 , the developing roller 25 and the layer thickness control blade 26 are arranged in the lower portion of the developing cartridge 22 . the developing roller 25 is an example of a developer transport section that is not an object for the current measurement . the toner container 23 of the developing cartridge 22 contains positive charge toner particles in the corresponding color . the positive charge toner in each color is an example of developer . the toner particles ejected from the toner container 23 are passed to the developing roller 25 by the feed roller 24 as it revolves , and positively charged due to triboelectricity produced between the feed roller 24 and the respective developing roller 25 . the developing roller 25 starts revolving when a developing bias is applied . as the developing roller 25 revolves , the toner particles passed thereon goes through between the layer thickness control blade 26 and the developing roller 25 . as a result , the toner particles are more positively triboelectrically charged , and a thin layer of the toner particles with an even thickness is formed on the developing roller 25 . the photosensitive drum 28 includes a metal drum body that is grounded and the outer surface thereof is covered with a positive charge photosensitive layer , which may be made of polycarbonate . the charger 29 is a scorotron charger and includes a discharge wire 29 a and a grid 29 b . the discharge wire 29 a is arranged at a predetermined distance away from the photosensitive drum 28 such that it faces the photosensitive drum 28 . the grid 29 b is arranged between the discharge wire 29 a and the photosensitive drum 28 . it is configured to control the electric discharge from the discharge wire 29 a to the photosensitive drum 28 . in the charger 29 , a high voltage is applied to the discharge wire 29 a to induce corona discharge so that a current from the discharge wire 29 a to the grid 29 b remains constant . namely , the surface of the photosensitive drum 28 is positively charged at an even level by maintaining the grid voltage constant . the fuser 31 includes a heat roller 31 a , which includes a heat source , and a pressure roller 31 b , which is configured to press the sheet 3 against the heat roller 31 a . it thermally fixes the toner image transferred on the surface of the sheet 3 . during image formation , the photosensitive drum 28 revolves counter - clockwise and the surface thereof is positively charged at an even potential ( e . g ., at + 800 v ) by the charger 29 according to the revolution . a high - speed raster line of the laser beam is emitted from the scanner 19 and the positively charged area of the photosensitive drum is exposed to light of the laser beam . as a result , an electrostatic latent image that corresponds to an image to be printed on the sheet 3 is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 28 . the exposed area of the surface of the photosensitive drum 28 is charged at + 200 v , for example . the developing roller 25 holds the positively charged toner particles on the surface thereof . as the developing roller 25 revolves , the positively charged toner particles touch the photosensitive drum 28 and cling to the area where the electrostatic latent image is formed . as a result , the electrostatic latent image becomes visible . because the exposed area on the surface of the photosensitive drum 28 has a potential lower than the developing bias ( of about + 400 v ) that is applied to the developing roller 25 , the toner particles are held in the area in a form of a toner image ( a developing image ) a negative transfer voltage ( of about − 3000 v ) is applied to the transfer roller 14 . the sheet 3 is passed through between the photosensitive drum 28 and the transfer roller 14 . when it passes through a transfer point ( a transfer nip of the transfer drum 14 ), the toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 28 is transferred onto the sheet 3 due to the negative transfer voltage . the sheet 3 on which the toner image is transferred is passed to the fuser 31 and the toner image is thermally fixed . the sheet 3 on which the toner image is thermally fixed is transferred from the fuser 31 to an upper area of the printer 1 and ejected onto a paper receiving tray provided on the top surface of the main casing 2 . fig2 is a schematic diagram illustrating configurations of the electrical circuit 50 formed on the circuit board 34 and the printer components related to the electrical circuit 50 . the electrical circuit 50 includes a cpu 60 , a rom 61 and a ram 62 . it further includes a charge voltage supply circuit 51 , an ld drive circuit 52 , a developing bias supply circuit 53 , a motor drive circuit 54 , a transfer voltage supply circuit 55 and a transfer current detection circuit 56 . the cpu 60 is an example of determination unit , current control section , improper exposure detection execution section , light intensity control section or separation control section . the ld drive circuit 52 is an example of a light intensity control section . the transfer voltage supply circuit 55 is an example of a current control section and a voltage control section . the transfer current detection circuit 56 is an example of current measurement section , current detection circuit , current control section and current control sections . the rom 61 stores operation programs . the cpu 60 performs overall control of the printer 1 by executing those operation programs . the ram 62 stores image data used for the printing process . the charge voltage supply circuit 51 generates a charge voltage vcgw that is applied to the discharge wire 29 a of the charger 29 and a grid voltage vcgg that is applied to the grid 29 b of the charger 29 . the ld drive circuit 52 generates an ld drive current id that is supplied to the ld 33 for illuminating the surfaces of the photosensitive drum 28 with the laser beam l from the ld 33 at a predetermined level ( i . e . with a predetermined amount of the laser ) according to the control performed by the cpu 60 . the developing bias supply circuit 53 generates a developing bias vdev ( the bias voltage ) that is applied to the developing roller 25 . the motor drive circuit 54 , which is an example of a separation control section , is connected to a motor 25 a that is provided for bringing the developing roller 25 pressed against or separating it from the photosensitive drum 28 . the developing roller 25 is installed so as to be movable in a direction toward the photosensitive drum 28 until it is pressed against the photosensitive drum 28 and in a direction away from the photosensitive drum 28 . during the printing operation of the printer 1 , the cpu 60 controls the motor drive circuit 54 to drive the motor 25 a so that the developing roller 25 is pressed against the photosensitive drum 28 to make the toner particles cling to the photosensitive drum 28 . in improper exposure detection mode , which will be explained later , the cpu 60 controls the motor drive circuit 54 to drive the motor 25 a so as to separate the developing roller 25 from the photosensitive drum 28 and restrict a current flowing from the photosensitive drum 28 to the developing roller 25 . the cpu 60 controls the transfer voltage supply circuit 55 to generate a transfer voltage vt that is applied to the transfer roller 14 . the transfer voltage vt is an example of a bias voltage . the transfer current detection circuit 56 detects a transfer current it that is generated when the transfer voltage vt is applied . the cpu 60 performs constant current control to regulate the transfer current it to a predetermined level based on a detection signal ( a feedback signal ) sent by the transfer current detection circuit 56 . when the transfer voltage supply circuit 55 is deactivated , the transfer current detection circuit 56 also detects an inflowing current ir that flows from the charged photosensitive drum 28 to the transfer current detection circuit 56 via the belt 13 and the transfer roller 14 . fig3 is a timing chart that illustrates timing of voltage application and current feed , and also timing of the current flowing from the photosensitive drum to the transfer roller . the voltages and the current explained above vary as in this timing chart . how the ld drive current id is supplied differs depending on situations in which the exposure is proper or not . the following section describes how the ld drive current id is supplied when the exposure is proper . first , the timing of voltage application and current feed will be explained . the cpu 60 controls the charge voltage supply circuit 51 to start application of the charge voltage vcgw to the discharge wire 29 a and application of the grid voltage vcgg to the grid 29 b at time t 1 when a predetermined time has elapsed since the printer 1 is turned on . when the charge voltage vcgw and the grid voltage vcgg reach thresholds at t 2 , the cpu controls the main motor drive circuit ( not shown ) to rotate the main motor so that the photosensitive drum 28 starts revolving . at t 2 , the main motor starts revolving . at t 3 , the first charged area of the photosensitive drum 28 completely passes through an exposure point p ( see fig2 ) at which the laser beam l from the ld 33 is focused . the cpu 60 remains on standby during the period between t 2 and t 3 . at t 3 , the cpu 60 controls the ld drive circuit 52 to start supply of the ld drive current id for the improper exposure detection . since operations in a condition that the exposure is proper are being discussed here , the ld drive circuit 52 should continuously supply the ld drive current id to keep the ld 33 turned on . the supply of the ld drive current id continues until a predetermined time elapses at t 4 . at t 4 , the cpu 60 stops the supply of the ld drive current id from the ld drive circuit 52 to turn the ld 33 off , and then goes on standby until a print request is input by a user of the printer 1 . when the print request is input at t 9 , the cpu 60 switches the supply of the ld drive current id between on and off ( only the case that the supply remains on is shown in fig3 ) based on the image data on the image to be printed . namely , the photosensitive drum 28 is exposed according to the image data and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data is formed on the photosensitive drum 28 . the supply of the ld drive current id continues until a complete shape of the electrostatic latent image is formed at t 14 . the exposure of the photosensitive drum 28 starts at t 9 and an area of the photosensitive drum 28 that is firstly exposed to the light by the exposure reaches a point where it faces the developing roller 25 shortly after t 11 . the cpu 60 controls the developing bias supply circuit 53 to start the application of the developing bias vdev at t 10 , which is earlier than t 11 , so that the developing bias vdev rises to a proper level at the time of t 11 . the developing bias vdev is continuously regulated to a constant level until the entire electrostatic latent image on the photoconductive drum 28 becomes visible at t 15 . the first exposed area of the photosensitive drum 28 reaches a point where it faces the transfer roller 14 shortly after t 13 . the cpu 60 controls the transfer bias supply circuit 55 to start the application of the transfer bias vt at t 12 , which is earlier than t 13 , so that the transfer bias vt rises to a sufficient level at the time of t 13 . the transfer bias vt is continuously regulated to a constant level until the entire toner image held by the photosensitive drum 28 is transferred onto the sheet 3 at t 16 . next , the timing at which the inflowing current flows from the photosensitive drum 28 to the transfer roller 14 will be explained . after the charging has started at t 1 , the first charged area of the photosensitive drum 28 reaches a point where it faces the transfer roller 14 at t 5 . when the first charged area of the photosensitive drum 28 has reached the point where it faces the transfer roller 14 , the electric charge on the surface of the photosensitive drum 28 moves to the transfer roller 14 via the belt 13 , that is , a current flows from the photosensitive drum 28 to the transfer roller 14 . the inflowing current ir rises up to a certain level and then remains at that level . when the first exposed area of the photosensitive drum 28 has reached at the point where it faces the transfer roller 14 at t 7 , the inflowing current ir falls because the electric charge is reduced by the exposure and remains low until the first exposed area passes the point at t 8 . the exposure is stopped at t 4 . when an area that has passed the exposure point p after t 4 reaches the point where it faces the transfer roller 14 , the inflowing current rises back to the previous level and remains at that level . an improper exposure is a condition that the photosensitive drum 28 is not properly exposed . causes of the improper exposure include an improper laser beam level , an improper charge level on the photosensitive drum 28 and broken harnesses . if the ld 33 or the ld drive circuit 52 becomes defective or deteriorates , the proper level of the laser beam cannot be achieved . if the charge voltage supply circuit 51 or the charger 29 becomes defective or deteriorates , the photosensitive drum 28 is not properly charged . moreover , the photosensitive drum 28 is not properly charged if it itself deteriorates . these causes are only some examples and the improper exposure may result from other causes . when the improper exposure occurs , the photosensitive drum 28 is not properly exposed and the electric charge on the surface thereof is not sufficiently reduced . therefore , the inflowing current ir does not fall sufficiently even when the first exposed area of the photosensitive drum 28 reaches the point where it faces the transfer roller 14 at t 7 as illustrated in fig3 . the cpu 60 detects the improper exposure by comparing a current detected ( or measured ) in the period between t 7 and t 8 with a threshold . fig4 is a flowchart of the determination process in the improper exposure detection . when the printer 1 is turned on , the cpu 60 enters improper exposure detection mode before starting the image forming process . the determination process starts when the cpu 60 enters improper exposure detection mode . in step s 101 , the cpu 60 drives the motor 25 a to separate the developing roller 25 from the photosensitive drum 28 so that a current does not flow between the photosensitive drum 28 and the developing roller 25 . in step s 102 , the cpu 60 controls the charge voltage supply circuit 51 to apply the charge voltages ( the charge voltage vcgw , the grid voltage vcgg ) to the charger 29 ( at t 1 in fig3 ). as a result , the charging of the photosensitive drum 28 starts . in step s 103 , the cpu 60 drives the maim motor to start the rotation of the photosensitive drum 28 ( at t 2 ). in step s 104 , the cpu 60 remains on standby until the first charged area of the photosensitive drum 28 reaches the point where it faces the transfer roller 14 . the cpu 60 starts a timer ( not shown ) at t 1 at which the application of the charge voltages to the charger 29 starts . when a predetermined time ( a period between t 1 and t 5 ) has elapsed , the cpu 60 assumes that the first charged area of the photosensitive drum 28 reaches the point where it faces the transfer roller 14 . to determine other points of timing , it also uses the timer to determine elapsed time and determine the timing based on the elapsed time . in step s 105 , the inflowing current ir starts flowing from the charged area of the photosensitive drum 28 to the transfer roller 14 via the belt 13 when the first charged area of the photosensitive drum 28 reaches the point where it faces the transfer roller 14 ( at t 5 ). the inflowing current ir rises to a constant level at t 6 . the cpu 60 controls the transfer current detection circuit 56 and determines the value of the inflowing current ir during the period between t 6 and t 7 . namely , the cpu 60 measures the second flowing current ir 2 that flows into the transfer roller 14 when the second area of the photosensitive drum 28 faces the transfer roller 14 , where the second area is an area that is not exposed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 28 . the second inflowing current ir 2 is an example of a current measured by the current measurement unit when - the second area of the photosensitive body , which is an unexposed area of the photosensitive body , faces the developer transport section . in step s 106 , the cpu 60 controls the ld drive circuit 52 so that the photosensitive drum 28 is exposed ( between t 3 and t 4 ). if the exposure step of s 106 is performed prior to step s 105 , a step in which the value of the inflowing current ir 1 from the first area of the photosensitive drum 28 is determined ( step s 108 , which will be explained later ) can be performed immediately after step s 105 and before step s 106 . the first area of the photosensitive drum 28 is an area that needs to be exposed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 28 . in step s 107 , the cpu 60 remains on standby until the photosensitive drum 28 revolves and the area thereof needs to be exposed reaches the point where it faces the transfer roller 14 . “ the area thereof need to be exposed ( first area )” refers to an area that is actually exposed by the exposure unit when the exposure is proper . the reason why the area is expressed as “ the area needs to be exposed ” instead of “ the exposed area ” is that it may not be exposed at all when the improper exposure occurs . namely , “ the area needs to be exposed ” is a target area of the exposure performed by the exposure unit whether the improper exposure occurs . in step s 108 , the inflowing current ir 1 flows from the first area of the photosensitive drum 28 to the transfer roller 14 via the belt 13 when the first area reaches the point where it faces the transfer roller 14 ( at t 7 ). the cpu 60 controls the transfer current detection circuit 56 and determines the value of the inflowing current ir during the period between t 7 and t 8 . namely , the cpu 60 measures the first inflowing current ir 1 flowing into the transfer roller 14 when the first area of the photosensitive drum 28 faces the transfer roller 14 . the first inflowing current ir 1 is an example of a current measured by the current measurement section when the area of the photosensitive body , which is an area of the photosensitive body that needs to be exposed , faces the developer transport section . in step s 109 , the cpu 60 calculates a difference between the first and the second inflowing currents measured in step s 105 and step s 108 , respectively , compare the difference with the second threshold , and determines whether the exposure is proper based on the result of the comparison . by comparing the difference with the second threshold , chances of false detection of the improper exposure due to environmental factors , such as ambient temperature and humidity , during the measurement can be reduced . if the exposure is proper , the difference should be substantially the same because the environmental factors affect the value of the currents flowing from the first area and the first area at the same level . namely , by comparing the difference between the first inflowing current and the first inflowing current with the threshold , the improper exposure is properly detected without affected by the environmental factors . if the difference is lower than the second threshold , the cpu 60 determines that the exposure is improper and proceeds to step s 110 . if the difference is equal to or higher than the second threshold , the cpu 60 determines that the exposure is proper and proceeds to step s 117 . in step s 110 , the cpu 60 compares the difference with the third threshold that is lower than the second threshold . if the difference is lower than the third threshold , the cpu 60 determines that a printer component that affects the exposure of the photosensitive drum 28 is defective , that is , the printer component does not function at all or its performance is reduced due to deterioration . the printer component that affects the exposure of the photosensitive drum 28 is such as the ld drive circuit 52 , the ld 33 , the charge voltage supply circuit 51 , the charger 29 and the harnesses . if the ld 33 becomes defective , for example , the first area of the photosensitive drum 28 is not properly exposed . as a result , the electrical charge is not reduced as much as it should be by the exposure and the difference between the first and the second inflowing currents ( i . e ., the currents flowing from the area that should be exposed and from the area should not be exposed ) is equal to or close to zero . if the charger 29 becomes defective , it cannot charge the photosensitive drum 28 to a proper level . as a result , the first inflowing current ir 1 does not vary largely from the second inflowing current ir 2 and thus the difference between them is equal to or close to zero . if the photosensitive drum 28 becomes defective ( or deteriorated in this case ), it cannot be properly charged . as a result , the electrical charge is not reduced as much as it should be by the exposure and the difference in the first and the first inflowing currents ir is equal to or close to zero . by comparing the difference with the third threshold , the malfunctions of the printer components can be detected . when a printer component other than the ones that described above becomes defective , the malfunction may affect the exposure of the photosensitive drum 28 . if the improper exposure occurs due to the malfunction , the difference in the currents also becomes equal to or close to zero and thus the malfunction can be detected . when the malfunction is detected , the cpu 60 proceeds to step s 111 . if the malfunction is not detected , the cpu 60 proceeds to step s 112 . in step s 111 , the cpu 60 reports the malfunction , for example , by displaying a message indicating the malfunction on a display screen of the printer 1 , by providing audio information , or by sending email to an administrator of the printer 1 . in step s 112 , the cpu 60 controls the ld drive circuit 52 to increase the amount of laser light emitted from the ld 33 by one step and to expose the photosensitive drum 28 to the increased intensity of light . although the amount of increase per step can be set to any amount , it should be set to a small amount because the total amount of the light may largely exceed a proper level if the amount of increase per step is set to a large amount . in step s 113 , the cpu 60 remains on standby until the photosensitive drum 28 revolves and the area thereof that needs to be exposed in step s 112 reaches the point that it faces the transfer roller 14 . when the area reaches the point where it faces the transfer roller 14 in step s 114 , a signal that indicates the first inflowing current ir 1 is output from the transfer current detection circuit 56 and it is input to the cpu 60 . in step s 115 , the cpu 60 determines whether the exposure is proper in the same manner as step s 109 . if the exposure is improper , the cpu 60 proceeds to step s 116 . if the exposure is proper , the cpu 60 proceeds to step s 117 . in step s 116 , the cpu 60 determines whether the number of times that the intensity of light emitted from the ld 33 is increased exceeds the limit , or whether the light intensity reaches the upper limit . if at least one of results of the determinations is yes , the cpu 60 determines that a malfunction occurs , and proceeds to step s 111 . if both of them are no , the cpu 60 returns to step s 112 and repeat the steps . in step s 117 , the cpu 60 starts the image forming process . the printer 1 of this illustrative aspect can detect the improper exposure of the photosensitive drum 28 based on the comparison of the first inflowing current with the threshold . further , the inflowing current ir is measured for the improper exposure detection while the constant current control , which regulates the transfer voltage vt applied to the transfer roller 14 to a constant level , is deactivated . if the constant current control is activated , the current is quickly returned to the original level even when the inflowing current ir is present . therefore , the inflowing current ir is not measured precisely . by measuring the inflowing current ir while the constant current control is deactivated , variations in the current continue for a certain period of time . thus , the inflowing current ir is more easily measured ( or detected ). the transfer current detection circuit 56 is used for measurement of the inflowing current ir . the transfer current detection circuit 56 is included in the current control section ( cpu 60 , transfer voltage supply circuit 55 and transfer current detection circuit 56 ) for the constant current control that regulates the transfer voltage vt to the constant level . namely , extra printer components are not required for the measurement of the inflowing current ir and thus the number of parts of the printer 1 does not increase . the difference between the first and the first inflowing currents is compared with the second threshold . therefore , the improper exposure is reliably detected regardless of the environmental factors in the inflowing current measurement . if the difference is lower than the third threshold , which is lower than the second threshold , a malfunction of the exposure unit is determined , that is , the exposure unit is not practically functioning . if the improper exposure is detected , the ld 33 is controlled so as to increase the intensity of light emitted from the ld 33 . therefore , an impact of the improper exposure can be reduced . if the improper exposure is detected , the intensity of light emitted from the ld 33 is increased such that the difference between the first and the second inflowing currents is equal to or higher than the second threshold . if the difference is equal to or higher than the second threshold , the exposure is considered as proper . therefore , an impact of the improper exposure can be reduced by increasing the intensity of light so that the difference is equal to or higher than the second threshold . next , another illustrative aspect of the present invention will be explained with reference to fig5 . in this aspect , a cleaning section is added to the printer 1 of the illustrative aspect described above and other configurations are the same . the same printer components as those in the previous illustrative aspect are indicated by the same symbols and will not be explained . the cleaning section includes cleaning rollers 65 and a cleaning voltage supply circuit ( not shown ). each cleaning roller 65 is arranged in a location ahead of the corresponding transfer roller 14 and behind the corresponding charger 29 in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 28 . it is pressed against the transfer roller 14 by a pressing member ( not shown ). the cleaning voltage supply circuit is configured to apply a bias voltage to the cleaning roller 65 . after the transfer of an image onto the sheet 3 by the transfer roller 14 is complete , the bias voltages are applied to the cleaning roller 65 , and residues , such as paper and toner residues , on the photosensitive drum 28 are collected temporarily by the cleaning roller 65 . the developing roller 25 is an example of the transfer unit that is not an object for the current measurement . the cleaning roller 65 is also an example of the transfer unit that is not an object for the current measurement . the transfer roller 14 is an example of the transfer unit that is an object for the current measurement . when the cpu 60 measures the inflowing current ir for the improper exposure based on a signal from the transfer current detection circuit 56 , the developing roller 25 is separated from the photosensitive drum 28 while keeping the cleaning roller 65 pressed against the photosensitive drum 28 . because the cleaning roller 65 does not face the first area of the photosensitive drum 28 before the first area reaches the point where it faces the transfer roller 14 , it does not affect the accuracy of the inflowing current measurement . by keeping the cleaning roller 65 pressed against the developing roller 25 , a separation control mechanism for separating a transfer unit that is not an object for the current measurement from the photosensitive drum 28 can be simplified . the present invention is not limited to the aspect explained in the above description made with reference to the drawings . the following aspects may be included in the technical scope of the present invention , for example . ( 1 ) in the above aspect , the improper exposure is detected based on the inflowing current ir flowing from the photosensitive drum 28 to the transfer roller 14 . however , it may be detected based on an inflowing current flowing from the photosensitive drum 28 to the developing roller 25 , that is , to a transfer unit that is an object for the inflowing current measurement . it may be also detected based on an inflowing current flowing from the photosensitive drum 28 to the cleaning roller 65 . in this case , the developing roller 25 and the transfer roller 14 are separated from the photosensitive drum 28 to restrict current flow between the photosensitive drum 28 and the feed parts that are not objects for the measurement , that is , the developing roller 25 and the transfer roller 14 . thus , the value of the inflowing current can be accurately measured . ( 2 ) in the above aspect , when the improper exposure is detected , the intensity of light emitted from the ld 33 is increased . however , the developing bias vdev ( the bias voltage ) applied to the developing roller 25 may be varied instead of or in addition to the increase in the intensity of light emitted from the ld 33 so as to increase the amount of developer transported to the photosensitive drum 28 . ( 3 ) in the above aspect , the difference between the first and the second inflowing currents is compared with the second threshold and whether the exposure is proper is determined based on the result of the comparison . however , it may be determined based on a result of comparison between the first inflowing current and the first threshold . in this case , the exposure is determined as improper if the first inflowing current is equal to or higher than the first threshold . if the exposure is determined as improper , the intensity of light is increased to maintain the inflowing current lower than the first threshold . ( 4 ) in the above aspect , the current flowing from the area of the photosensitive drum 28 that is not exposed ( i . e ., the second flowing current ) is measured first and then the current flowing from the area of the photosensitive drum 28 that needs to be exposed ( i . e ., the first flowing current ) is measured . however , the first flowing current may be measured first and then the second flowing current may be measured . in this case , the first area of the photosensitive drum 28 returns to a point where the ld 33 charges the photosensitive drum 28 ( point r in fig2 ) faster in comparison to the case that current flowing from the second area is measured first . therefore , exposed points on the photosensitive drum 28 , where electrical potential is lower than unexposed points on the photosensitive drum 28 , can be recovered faster and thus a start of the image forming process is not interfered . ( 5 ) in the above aspect , the printer 1 enters improper exposure detection mode when it is turned on . however , it may be configure to enter improper exposure detection mode at a certain interval under the condition that the image forming process is not performed . alternatively , it may be configured to enter improper exposure detection mode upon a request input from the outside . ( 6 ) in the above aspect , a color laser printer is used as an example of image forming apparatus . however , an image forming apparatus of the present invention is not limited to a color laser printer , but rather may be a monochrome laser printer , a color led printer or a monochrome led printer . further , it may be a multi - function machine having a facsimile function , a copier function , and the like .	6
fig1 is a block diagram of the bio - alarm security system . fig2 is a circuit diagram of the pulse transducer and transmitting portion of the bio - alarm security system . fig3 is a circuit diagram of the signal receiving , comparison and alarm control portion of the bio - alarm security system . fig4 is a circuit diagram of a single channel embodiment of the system . fig5 is a block diagram of a recording system for use in the system . referring now in detail to the drawings , in the preferred embodiment of the invention the pulse rate is used as an indicia of psychological arousal and false alarms are minimized by requiring that this physiological symptom occur within two employees within a given time to activate the alarm as opposed to an elevated heartbeat rate of a single employee . referring specifically to fig1 showing the schematic arrangements of units of apparatus for carrying out the present invention , a pair of pulse transducers 12 and 14 are secured to two employees . the pulse rate of the two employees detected by the transducers are transmitted by fm transmitters 16 and 18 to receivers 20 and 22 preferably located in a security area . the signals are then fed to rate detectors 24 and 26 where the heartbeat rates are compared with the normal rates for the two employees which have been studied and recorded over a period of time under working conditions . a comparative signal is then delivered to the and gate 28 from each detector . if one or neither of the signals indicate a heartbeat rate greater than the predetermined normal rate for each employee , the output of the and gate is low indicating normal operation . if , however , both heartbeat rates are above the normal rates , a high output is given off which activates an alarm 30 . as indicated above , by monitoring the pulse rates of two employees the chances of a false alarm are reduced over those present in monitoring the pulse rate increases of only one employee . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiment shown could be readily enlarged to monitor the pulse rates of any number of employees . referring to fig2 a presently preferred embodiment of the electrical apparatus employed in the heartbeat detection and transmission includes the pulse rate detectors 12 and 14 ( only 12 being shown ) which are plethysmograph transducer assemblies , each comprised of an infrared light source 32 such as an l . e . d . and a phototransistor 34 . because the circuitry for detecting , transmitting , receiving and comparing the heartbeat rates for each of the two employees is the same , only one circuit will be described . the plethysmograph transducer assembly is quite small and adapted to be secured to the earlobe and worn similarly to an earring . the assembly detects the heartbeat of the wearer by directing infrared light from the light source 32 through the earlobe to the phototransistor 34 ; the variations in the amount of light received by the phototransistor resulting from the pulsating blood level within the earlobe causing variations in the current flow through the phototransistor . these variations in current flow represent the pulse rate of the employee . previous plethysmograph transducers have employed visible light energy , however , experimentation indicates that an infrared light source provides a stronger signal , apparently due to the absorption properties of the blood through which the light passes . the pulse rate signal detected by the plethysmograph transducer assembly 12 is capacitively coupled by the capacitor 35 to an amplifier 36 which also serves as a low pass filter to reduce 60 hz interference . the amplified signal is used to frequency modulate a crystal controlled low power integrated circuit transmitter 16 . the output of the transmitter is coupled to an antenna 40 through a tank circuit 42 . the heart rate transmitter assembly is preferably powered by rechargeable batteries ( not shown ). referring to fig3 each heart rate signal is received by an fm receiver 22 which is preferably located in a security area . a single multiplex receiver could be employed in lieu of two receivers 22 and 24 if desired . the fm receiver demodulates the signal and provides a varying dc voltage output which fluctuates with each heartbeat . the signal is coupled via capacitor 44 to an oscillator 46 which is typically a monostable multi - vibrator and acts as a frequency to voltage converter in converting each input pulse to a dc voltage which is proportional to the rate of the pulse . this frequency to voltage conversion is accomplished by means of the differentiator circuit comprised of a capacitor 47 , connected between the output of the oscillator 46 and ground , and a resistor 49 connected between the oscillator output and the negative input to a comparitor 48 . it should be noted that this method of time - averaging is sufficient since the output of the oscillator is relatively narrow pulses , which for the embodiment shown are negative - going . the dc voltage is then coupled to the negative input of the comparator 48 through a resistor 49 . the voltage at the positive terminal is determined by the variable resistor 52 , negative voltage supply 50 and resistor 64 and represents the normal heartbeat rate on the job for the person to whom the plethysmograph assembly is secured plus an additional safety factor to include moments of slight arousal which occur from day to day . when the voltage at the positive terminal of the comparator 48 is greater ( more negative ) than that at the negative terminal , a normal situation is seen to exist , i . e ., the employee is not overly excited , and a low level signal is given out by the comparator causing the diode 54 of the and gate 28 to forwardly bias and permit current flow from the voltage supply 56 through resistors 58 and 60 , diode 54 , resistor 64 and variable resistor 52 to ground . if , however , the employee becomes overly excited , as during a robbery , the elevated heartbeat causes the voltage at the negative terminal of the comparator 48 to exceed that at the positive terminal and a high level voltage is given off by the comparator which back - biases the diode and prevents current flow through the diode . when both diode 54 and 68 of the second circuit are back - biased ( both employees are excited ), comparator 70 to which the anodes of both diodes 54 and 68 are connected , is triggered , energizing a relay 72 which activates an alarm 30 . if only one of the employees becomes excited , the voltage supply 56 is grounded in the second circuit and the alarm is not activated . in the preferred embodiment , the receiver , comparator and gate circuits are powered by 110 ac line voltage ( ps ) but shift automatically to battery power in case of line power failure . it should also be noted that if one heartbeat rate signal is missing and the other heartbeat rate exceeds its preset threshold , or if both signals are missing , the relay 72 is closed activating the alarm . in the first case , the receiver 22 detects the missing carrier signal from the pulse rate transmitter 12 and provides a signal to the negative input terminal of comparator 48 through resistor 49 . when the remaining channel indicates an emergency either by a missing signal or excessive pulse rate , this signal activates the comparator in the same manner as a high pulse rate causing diodes 54 and 68 to be back - biased , triggering comparator 70 and energizing the alarm . in a second embodiment of the invention , only a single person is monitored . in this embodiment , the same heart rate detection and transmission apparatus is employed , but , as seen in fig4 the receiving end is simplified in that the gate circuitry is not needed and the output from the comparator 48 directly drives the output relay 72 . utilizing this embodiment of the invention , if a single employee becomes psychologically aroused beyond the preset limit manifested by the physiological response of an elevated heartbeat , the alarm is sounded . another feature of the present invention involves the use of a recording system as shown in fig5 . by making a periodic record , a person &# 39 ; s arousal level could be checked after the occurrence of a robbery . if an employee were involved in the crime , the stress experience during the commission of the robbery may not be sufficient to trigger the alarm , but a check of such recordings would indicate an elevated stress level for perhaps a few days or a week prior to the commission of the crime . this information may be quite helpful in a subsequent investigation . such a system could , of course , have other implementation wherein it may be desirable to monitor a person &# 39 ; s state of arousal to determine when an individual may be under a continual state of stress . one extreme example would be a guard at an underground missile site . in implementing this feature of the invention , the dc voltage which indicates heart rate at points a or b in fig3 may be applied at point a in the circuit illustrated in fig5 . from point a the voltage is fed into a frequency converter 76 wherein the varying dc voltage is converted to a variable frequency which can be recorded on a conventional audio tape recorder 78 . the recorder is preferably activated for about two seconds every three minutes or so during the time the employee is working , by a timer 80 to allow relatively long periods of pulse rate information to be stored with a minimum amount of tape being used . various other changes and modifications may be made in carrying out the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof . insofar as these changes and modifications are within the purview of the appended claims they are to be considered as part of the present invention .	0
referring to fig1 , a light distributing assembly 10 constructed in accordance with the present invention is illustrated . assembly 10 comprises a transparent light receiving and distributing block 12 having a top facet 14 , a side facet 16 and a bottom facet 18 . as illustrated in fig2 , facets 14 , 16 and 18 are coated with a layer of reflective material such as aluminum or reflective paint . in particular , facet 14 is covered with a layer of aluminum 20 . facet 16 is covered with aluminum layer 22 . facet 18 is covered by reflective aluminum layer 24 . block 12 also has an output facet 26 . output facet 26 does not include a reflective layer as its purpose is to output light from block 12 into the rest of assembly 10 . output facet 26 is in contact with and optically coupled to the input of a tape member 28 which comprises a base portion 30 and a plurality of individual strips 32 defined between a plurality of cuts 34 . each of the strips 32 has a raised volume or jewel 36 of triangular cross - section , which acts as a source of relatively high intensity light output , as will be described below . in particular , each jewel 36 has a pair of triangular facets , including triangular facets 38 on one side and an identical triangular facet 40 on the other side . in addition , each jewel 36 has a rectangular window facet 42 which acts to output light . distributing block 12 and strips 32 may be made out of the same material , and even molded together in one piece . suitable materials include any optically clear material , such as polyvinyl chloride or the like . in the case of strips 32 , flexibility is also desirable so that strips 32 will easily conform to natural movement of the fabric to which they are adhered , as will be described below . in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention , it is contemplated the light is fed into the system using a light source , such as a light - emitting diode or led 44 embedded in block 12 . light 46 output from led 44 reflects against aluminum layers 20 through 24 until it exits as an output ray 48 into base portion 30 . block 12 is shaped in a manner which results in outputting ray 48 in directions substantially parallel to facet 14 , thus resulting in the transmission of light at relatively shallow angles into base portion 30 and strips 32 . the result is that at points of reflection 50 substantially total internal reflection occurs and there is relative efficiency in the transmission of light through the system . the result is that a light ray 48 is propagated the length of strips 32 as illustrated most clearly in fig3 . however , when a light ray 52 encounters rectangular facet 42 , the angle of incidence 54 is greater than the critical angle and light ray 52 exits as an output ray 56 . likewise , other rays with slightly different paths , such as light ray 58 , exit as output ray 60 because they meet the same optical condition as the angle of incidence being greater than the critical angle which results in totaled internal reflection , while some rays such as light rays 49 , continue through the length of strips 32 . while , in principle , light is output all along the length of strips 32 , a far greater portion of light produced by led 44 is output through window facets 42 . thus , window facets 42 appear to be principal sources and strips 42 may be arranged to form a pattern on a costume , making the light attractive and yet enhancing safety by improving the visibility of a costume when it is being worn by a child . as noted above , there is , in principle , some leakage of light along the length of the system . this can be a function of surface irregularity in the optical material , an insufficiently high index of refraction , and / or combinations of the same . this problem can be alleviated by coating the material with a reflective layer 62 ( such as reflective paint ) as illustrated in fig4 . it is noted that the bottom surface of the strips is generally stitched facing against the fabric in accordance with the invention . thus using a coating of reflective material 62 greatly increases the brightness of the system . an addition , an additional measure of refinement may be achieved by applying a layer of reflective material 64 , such as a silver spray , to those portions of the top side of strips 32 where reflection should occur , thus assuring a maximum concentration of light exiting through facets 42 . preferably , the spray is applied on strips 32 in the direction shown by arrow 67 , thus decreasing the potential for application of reflective material 64 to facets 42 . in accordance of the present invention , the assembly illustrated in fig1 may be injection molded as a single piece with cuts 34 already included . alternatively cuts 34 may be made with a knife as a simple ribbon of molded plastic light conductor . implementation of the system merely involves insertion of an led 44 ( which may be molded integrally into the system by forming the system around the led during injection molding ). then it is necessary for strips 32 to be secured in place and a source of power such as a battery or transistorized circuit attached to led 44 . as illustrated fig5 , it is contemplated that block 12 and base portion 30 will be located under a piece of plush fabric 66 . plush fabric 66 includes a hole 68 through which strips 32 are passed allowing strips 32 to be sewn into place with jewels 36 exposed to view . sewing may be done by hand using stitches 70 securing strips 32 to plush fabric 66 over plush hairs 72 . alternatively , if the hairs 72 ′ are long enough and / or strip 32 thin enough , strips 32 may be buried within hairs 72 ′, as illustrated in fig6 . referring to fig7 , an alternative embodiment of the lighting assembly 110 of the present invention is illustrated . in this embodiment , a central light distributing block 112 , drives a plurality of light - emitting strips 132 which are integrally molded with block 112 . as illustrated in fig8 , block 112 and strips or fingers 132 are in optical communication with each other and are made of an optically transparent material so that they can conduct light in a manner similar to that of a fiber - optic fiber . light is output by jewels 136 at the output of fingers 132 . escape , from the system of light input into the system by a light - emitting diode 144 is prevented by reflective layers of aluminum 120 and 124 . in accordance with the present invention , it is contemplated that fingers 132 will be of circular cross - section as illustrated in fig9 . the operation of the assembly 110 illustrated in fig7 and 8 is similar to the operation of the embodiment illustrated in fig1 through 6 . in particular , light emitting diode 144 outputs light 146 which is reflected internally between aluminum wires 120 and 124 and then through fingers 132 until finally exiting jewels 136 as output light ray 156 . in accordance with the present invention , it is contemplated that fingers 132 will be located under a piece of plush fabric 166 as illustrated in fig1 . in accordance with the preferred embodiment the end of fingers 132 with its jewel 136 will poke through a hole 168 in plush fabric 166 . it is also contemplated that glue 170 will secure fingers 132 to the underside 174 of plush fabric 166 . in accordance with the invention , it is also contemplated that fingers 132 may be placed in fur 172 in the manner of fig6 . in accordance with the present invention , it is contemplated that is not necessary that all strips or fingers be of the same shape and size . for example , as illustrated in fig1 , fingers 232 in assembly 210 are of different lengths in order to accommodate placement to make a desired pattern . in accordance with this embodiment of the invention , each of the fingers 232 is selected to be a size which results in relatively short lengths between block 212 and output jewels 236 . use of the assembly 210 of fig1 is illustrated in fig1 , where block 210 , illustrated in phantom lines because it is located under the sweatshirt 280 of a user such as child 282 . likewise , fingers 232 are also illustrated as phantom lines because they are underneath sweatshirt 280 . as noted above , fingers 232 terminate in jewels 236 which poke out through holes in the sweatshirt 280 or other garment and in which they are incorporated . in accordance with the preferred embodiment , it is also contemplated that jewels 236 may be pointed enough and sharp enough to be able to be pushed through plush fabric or other fabric without the necessity of cutting a separate hole . also in accordance of the invention , it is contemplated that the same may be glued in position . more particularly , as illustrated in fig1 and 14 , ends of fingers 332 may be terminated in a hard plastic optical member 336 illustrated schematically in cross - section in fig1 . in addition , the structure may include barb 384 which enables jewel 336 to be pushed through fabric 366 and retained therein without the use of glue . in accordance with the present invention , it is contemplated that fingers 332 will be made of a soft resilient material selected for its comfort and ability to be formed into a pattern . such comfort is enhanced through the use of plush fabric 366 . the end of finger 332 is glued into a hole 388 . alternatively , the inside of the hole may be textured and the end of finger 332 jam - fitted . the material of jewel 336 , on the other hand , is selected for its rigidness , even with a relatively thin diameter , thus allowing it to act as a needle and be easily pushed through a fabric . finger 332 and jewel 336 may , alternatively , be constructed of a single piece of compromise material stiff enough to act as a needle and pliable enough to be bent and be comfortable . knitted fabric is preferred for its ability to receive a needle point like the point 390 of jewel 336 . point 390 should be somewhat rounded to avoid injury and discomfort . referring to fig1 , it accordance of the present invention it is also contemplated that fingers , such as fingers 442 may be made of two different materials with different indices of refraction with the core 492 having an index of refraction different from the index of refraction of sheath 494 . the relationship between the two indices of refraction is selected using the same principles used in the selection of the core and the sheath in conventional fiber - optic structures . the particular selection of indices of refraction are well known to those in the fiber - optic art and form no part of the instant invention . upon selection of the typical relationship between indices of refraction , improved efficiency in the transmission of light is experienced . alternatively , a reflective silvery material , such as aluminum , may be used in place of a sheath of different index of refraction . finally , fluorescent pigments 598 which when illuminated continue to glow after light falls on them may be used for a added measure of safety . they may be applied to the surface , as illustrated in fig1 , or incorporated in the plastic melt . the same may also be done for a light distributing member without a cap as illustrated in fig1 , which includes pigment paint spots 598 . pigment sold under the trademark luminova is believed to yield superior results . referring to fig1 , yet another variation for the light - emitting end of a light - conducting finger is illustrated . in the embodiment illustrated in fig1 , there is no cap . rather , the shape of the cap is integrally molded into the end 699 of finger 632 . in this case , finger 632 is made of a material which is flexible enough to be formed into a desired shape , while at the same time being stiff enough to be able to be poked through a fabric . such poking through the fabric may be facilitated through the use of a small amount of a suitable lubricant . while an illustrative embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated , it is understood the various modifications will be obvious to persons of ordinary skill in the art . such modifications are within the spirit and scope of the invention and are within the scope of this patent which is limited and defined only by the appended claims .	5
various embodiments are described in detail below , with reference to the accompanying drawings . in the described embodiments , an at - cut quartz - crystal vibrating piece is used as an exemplary piezoelectric vibrating piece . an at - cut quartz - crystal vibrating piece has a principal surface ( in the yz plane ) that is tilted by 35 ° 15 ′ about the y - axis of the crystal coordinate system ( xyz ) in the direction of the y - axis from the z - axis around the x - axis . thus , in the following description , new axes tilted with respect to the axial directions of the quartz - crystal vibrating piece are denoted as the x ′- axis , y ′- axis , and z ′- axis , respectively . regarding a height in the y ′- axis direction , a positive (+) direction is denoted as high and a negative (−) direction is denoted as low . the overall configuration of this embodiment of a quartz - crystal vibrating device 100 a is described with reference to fig1 , 2 , and 3 a - 3 c . fig1 is an exploded perspective view of a quartz - crystal vibrating device 100 of this embodiment before the package base and lid have been bonded together . fig2 is an elevational section , along the line a - a in fig1 , after stacking the package lid 11 a on the package base 12 a . fig3 a is a perspective , upside - down view of the package lid 11 a before it is bonded to the package base 12 a . fig3 b and 3c are similar perspective views of the package lid 11 a after it is bonded to the package base 12 a . in this specification , a situation in which the package base and package lid have been placed in vertical alignment with each other without being compressed together is referred to as “ stacked ,” and a situation in which the package base and package lid have been compressed together with sealing material ( and thus bonded together ) is referred to as “ bonded .” the first embodiment of a quartz - crystal vibrating device 100 a shown in fig1 includes a package lid 11 a that defines a lid recess 111 . the device also includes a package base 12 a that defines a base recess 121 . a quartz - crystal vibrating piece 10 is mounted onto the base recess 121 . the lid recess 111 and base recess 121 are formed by sand - blasting or wet - etching . for example , whenever the base recess 121 is formed by sand - blasting , the conjunction 126 of the bottom surface m 3 and the side surface m 4 of the base recess 121 is sharp , substantially without any corner radius . however , whenever the base recess 121 is formed by etching , the conjunction 126 has a significant corner radius . in this specification , the conjunctions are indicated as being sharp . the quartz - crystal vibrating piece 10 comprises the quartz - crystal piece 10 . a respective excitation electrode 102 a , 102 b is disposed substantially centrally on each main surface of the quartz - crystal piece 19 , wherein the main surfaces face each other across the thickness dimension of the quartz - crystal piece 10 . a respective excitation electrode 102 a is connected to the extraction electrode 103 a and extends toward the − z ′- axis corner of the quartz - crystal piece 101 on the + x ′- axis side . similarly , a respective excitation electrode 102 b is connected to the extraction electrode 103 a and extends toward the + z ′- axis corner of the quartz - crystal piece 101 on the − x ′- axis side . the quartz - crystal vibrating piece 10 is bonded to the package base 12 a , which is fabricated from a piezoelectric body such as glass or quartz - crystal . bonding is performed using electrically conductive adhesive 13 ( fig2 ). the package base 12 a comprises a peripheral sealing surface m 2 on the upward - facing main surface (+ y ′- side surface ) surrounding the base recess 121 . on the package base 12 a are respective base castellations 122 a , 122 b on the − z ′- axis edge and on the + z ′- axis edge . on the lower main surface of the package base 12 a are external electrodes 125 a , 125 b formed in the + z ′- axis region and in the − z ′- axis region . the lower main surface is termed the vibrating device mounting surface . in each base castellation 122 a , 122 b is a respective base - edge electrode 123 a , 123 b connected to the respective external electrode 125 a , 125 b . thus , the base - edge electrodes 123 a , 123 b connect the respective base castellations 122 a , 122 b to the respective external electrodes 125 a , 125 b . also , connecting electrodes 124 a , 124 b on the peripheral sealing surface m 2 of the package base 12 a and are also connected to the respective base edge - surface electrodes 123 a , 123 b . turning to fig2 , an electrically conductive adhesive 13 is applied onto each connecting electrode 124 a , 124 b . the electrically conductive adhesive 13 connects the extraction electrodes 103 a , 103 a on the quartz - crystal vibrating piece 10 to the respective connecting electrodes 124 a , 124 b . thus , the quartz - crystal vibrating piece 10 is mounted onto the peripheral sealing surface m 2 of the package base 12 a , which achieves connection of the excitation electrodes 102 a , 102 b on the quartz - crystal vibrating piece 10 to the respective external electrodes 125 a via the respective extraction electrodes 103 a , 103 b , and achieves connection of the electrodes 124 a , 124 b to the respective base - edge electrodes 123 a , 123 b . whenever an alternating voltage ( voltage that alternates between positive and negative values of a selected voltage ) is applied across the external electrodes 125 a , 125 b , the quartz - crystal vibrating device 10 exhibits thickness - shear vibration . this embodiment of a quartz - crystal vibrating device 100 a also comprises a package lid 11 a , which is bonded to the peripheral sealing surface m 2 on the package base 12 a using a sealing material such as low - melting - point glass lg . bonding the package lid 11 a to the package base 12 a forms an interior cavity ct in which the quartz - crystal vibrating piece 10 is mounted . the cavity ct is filled with an inert gas or is evacuated . the low - melting - point glass lg is a lead - free , vanadium - based glass having an adhesive component that melts at 350 ° c . to 400 ° c . vanadium - based glass can be formulated as a paste mixed with binder and solvent , and bonds to various materials by melting and solidifying . the melting point of vanadium - based glass is lower than the melting point of the package lid 11 a or the melting point of the package base 12 a since the package lid and base are fabricated of piezoelectric material or glass . vanadium - based glass forms a highly reliable air - tight seal and resists water and humidity . low - melting - point glass ( lmp glass ) forms a highly reliable air - tight seal and resists water and humidity from entering into the cavity ct . since the coefficient of thermal expansion of lmp glass can be controlled effectively by controlling its glass structure , lmp glass can be bonded to various materials having different respective coefficients of thermal expansion , such as ceramics , glass , semiconductor material , and metal . in fig3 a , the lid recess 111 is drawn upside - down ( facing upward ), to provide clarity . the package lid 11 a is cubic - shaped , with an exemplary length l 1 in the z ′- axis direction of approximately 3 , 200 μm , an exemplary width w 1 in the x ′- axis direction of approximately 2 , 500 μm , and an exemplary height h 1 in the y ′- axis direction of approximately 180 μm . although not shown , the package base 12 a can have the same dimensions as the package lid 11 a . the package lid 11 a has a peripheral sealing m 1 surrounding the lid recess 111 . the peripheral sealing surface m 1 is bonded to the peripheral sealing surface m 2 of the package base 12 a . the width w 3 of the peripheral sealing surface m 1 is approximately 400 μm . on the peripheral sealing m 1 of the package lid 11 a , a layer of low - melting - point glass lg is applied ; this layer has a thickness d of 10 μm to 15 μm . as the low - melting - point glass lg is applied to the peripheral sealing surface m 1 of the package lid 11 a , a “ communication groove ” 112 is also formed . the communication groove 112 includes a first groove portion 112 a , a second groove portion 112 b , and a third groove portion 112 c . one end of the first groove portion 112 a ( extending in the + x ′- axis direction ) opens into the lid recess 111 , and the other end ( extending in the − x ′- axis direction ) is connected to the second groove portion 112 b ( extending in the + z ′- axis direction ). one end of the third groove portion 112 c ( extending in the − x ′- axis direction ) is connected to the second end of the second groove portion 112 b . the second end of the third groove portion 112 c extends toward the base castellation 122 a so as to communicate with the base castellation whenever the package lid 11 a and package base 12 a are stacked together ( see fig1 and 2 ). the width w 5 of each of the first groove portion 112 a , the second groove portion 112 b , and the third groove portion 112 c is in the range of 10 % to 30 % of the width w 3 of the peripheral sealing m 1 . i . e ., the width w 5 is in the range of 40 μm to 120 μm . in the first embodiment , further details are described below under the assumption that w 5 = 100 μm . the length w 4 of the first groove portion 112 a in the x ′- axis direction is approximately 300 μm . therefore , on the second groove portion 112 b ( wherein w 5 = 100 μm ) the low - melting - point glass lg is applied on the + x ′- axis side at a width of 200 μm , and on the − x ′- axis side at a width of 100 μm . since the first groove portion 112 a is situated at substantially the center - line of the lid recess 111 in the z ′- axis direction , the length l 2 of the second groove portion 112 b in the z ′- axis direction is approximately 1 , 600 μm . the length w 2 of the third groove portion 112 c in the x ′- axis direction is in the range of 800 μm to 1 , 000 μm . as indicated by the lines bl in fig1 , whenever the package lid 11 a and package base 12 a are stacked together , the third groove portion 112 c extends toward the base castellation 122 a . also , as shown in fig2 , whenever the package base 12 a and package lid 11 a are stacked together , the third groove portion 112 c is disposed on top of the base castellation 122 a . consequently , whenever the package base 12 a and package lid 11 a are stacked together prior to bonding , the cavity ct is in communication with the exterior environment via the base castellation 122 a and the communicating groove 112 . hence , whenever the stacked - together package base 12 a and package lid 11 a is placed inside a vacuum reflow chamber , gas formed between particles of the low - melting - glass is released to the environment outside the cavity ct . also , whenever the package base 12 a and package lid 11 a , as stacked together , are placed inside a chamber filled with an inert gas , the inert gas flows via the communicating groove 112 to inside the cavity ct . after these gaseous exchanges through the communicating groove 112 are completed , the package base 12 a and package lid 11 a are bonded together by continued heating of the low - melting - point glass lg and compressing the package lid 11 a and package base 12 a together . during this compression , low - melting - point glass lg situated in the adjacent communicating groove 112 migrates into the communicating groove 112 and seals it , leaving the cavity ct with the desired vacuum or inert gas inside . there are various ways in which to seal the communicating groove 112 , depending upon the manner in which the package lid and base are compressed together . in fig3 b , some of the low - melting - point glass lg in the vicinity of the second groove portion 112 b is pressed , thereby hermetically sealing the communicating groove 112 . in this instance , even if the package base 12 a and package lid 11 a are bonded together , the groove portion 112 a connected to the cavity ct and the groove portion 112 b connected to the base castellation 122 a remain , indicating the residual presence of the communicating groove 112 . in fig3 c , some of the low - melting - point glass lg in the vicinity of the first groove portion 112 a is compressed , thereby hermetically sealing the communicating groove 112 . in this instance , even if the package base 12 a and package lid 11 a are bonded together , the groove portion 112 ′ remains , indicating the residual presence of the communicating groove 112 . although not shown in the drawings , the two regions of low - melting - point glass lg indicated in fig3 b and 3c may be filled at the same time . also , the first groove portion 112 a and second groove portion 112 b may be compressed entirely together , which would eliminate all the groove portions . in fig3 b and 3c , regions of low - melting - point glass lg around the third groove portion 112 c are not likely to be compressed . due to the presence of the base castellation 122 a , the low - melting - point glass lg applied near the third groove portion unit 112 c is not likely to be affected by pressure even when the package lid 11 a and package base 12 a are compressed together . also , even when strong compression is applied to the low - melting - point glass lg , it tends merely to flow into the base castellation 122 a rather than seal the communicating groove 112 . in the first embodiment , the low - melting - point glass lg is applied in a peripheral zone around the package lid 11 a . alternatively , the low - melting - point glass can be applied to the peripheral sealing surface 112 formed on the package base 12 a instead of to the package lid 11 a . alternatively , the low - melting - point glass can be applied to the peripheral surfaces on both the package lid 11 a and the package base 12 a . fig4 is a flow - chart showing an embodiment of a method for manufacturing the first embodiment of a quartz - crystal vibrating device 100 a . in fig4 , the protocol s 10 is directed to manufacture of the quartz - crystal vibrating piece 10 , the protocol s 11 is directed to manufacturing the package lid 11 a , and the protocol s 12 is directed to manufacturing the package base 12 a . these protocols can be performed separately or in parallel . fig5 is a plan view of the lid wafer 11 w used in this embodiment . fig6 is a plan view of the base wafer 12 w used in this embodiment . in protocol s 10 , the quartz - crystal vibrating piece 10 is manufactured . protocol s 10 comprises steps s 101 and s 102 . in step s 101 , a layer of chromium ( cr ) is formed , followed by formation of an overlying layer of gold ( au ), on both main surfaces of a quartz - crystal wafer ( not shown ) by sputtering or vacuum - deposition . then , a photoresist is applied uniformly over the surface of the metal layer . using an exposure tool ( not shown ), the profile outlines of the quartz - crystal vibrating pieces 10 are lithographically exposed onto the main surfaces of the quartz - crystal wafer . after removing unneeded regions of the gold and chromium layers , second layers of chromium ( cr ) and gold ( au ) are formed . then , a photoresist is applied uniformly on both surfaces of the quartz - crystal wafer . using an exposure tool ( not shown ), the profile outlines of the quartz - crystal vibrating pieces 10 are lithographically exposed onto both surfaces of the quartz - crystal wafer . unneeded regions of the gold layer and chromium layer are removed again , and third layers of chromium ( cr ) and gold ( au ) are formed . then , a photoresist is applied uniformly on both main surfaces of the quartz - crystal wafer to form the patterns of electrodes on both main surfaces of the quartz - crystal wafer . then , the gold and chromium layers are etched to form the excitation electrodes 102 a , 102 b and extraction electrodes 103 a , 103 b on the quartz - crystal wafer . in step s 102 , individual quartz - crystal vibrating pieces 10 are cut from the quartz - crystal wafer to form multiple separate pieces each having excitation electrodes 102 a , 102 b and extraction electrodes 103 a , 103 b . in protocol s 11 , the package lid 11 a is manufactured . protocol s 11 comprises steps s 111 and s 112 . in step s 111 , as shown in fig5 , several hundreds to several thousands of lid recesses 111 are formed on the lid wafer 11 w , which is a circular , uniformly planar plate of quartz - crystal material . on the lid wafer 11 w , lid recesses 111 are formed by etching or mechanical processing . each lid recess 111 is surrounded by a respective peripheral sealing surface m 1 . in step s 112 , as shown in fig5 , a low - melting - point glass lg is printed on the peripheral sealing surfaces m 1 on the lid wafer 11 w by screen - printing . the low - melting - point glass lg is applied in a manner that also forms the communicating groove 112 that provides communication of the lid recess 111 to the external environment ( ventilated via the base through - hole bh 1 in fig6 ). then , the low - melting - point glass lg on the peripheral sealing surfaces m 1 is preliminarily cured . in protocol s 12 , package bases 12 a are manufactured , protocol s 12 comprises steps s 121 and s 122 . in step s 121 , as shown in fig6 , several hundreds to several thousands of base recesses 121 are formed on a base wafer 12 w , which is a circular , uniformly planar plate of quartz - crystal material . on the base wafer 12 w , the base recesses 121 are formed by etching or mechanical processing . each base recess 121 is surrounded by a peripheral sealing surface m 2 . respective rounded - rectangular through - holes bh 1 are also formed ( between longitudinal sides of adjacent package bases ) on the package base 12 a in the z ′- axis directions . the through - holes extend depthwise through the thickness of the base wafer 12 w . later , when the base through - holes bh 1 are cut through in half , they form respective base castellations 122 a , 122 b ( refer to fig1 ). in step s 122 , a layer of chromium ( cr ) is formed , followed by formation of an overlying layer of gold ( au ), on both main surfaces of the base wafer 12 w by sputtering or vacuum - deposition . after selected regions in this metal bilayer are etched , connecting electrodes 124 a , 124 b are formed on peripheral sealing surfaces m 2 , as shown in fig6 . at the same time , the external electrodes 125 a , 125 b are formed on the base wafer 12 w , and the base edge - surface electrodes 123 a , 123 b are formed on the inner surfaces of the base through - holes bh 1 ( refer to fig1 ). in step s 13 , the quartz - crystal vibrating pieces 10 , manufactured in protocol s 10 , are mounted onto the peripheral sealing surfaces m 2 on the package bases 12 a using electrically conductive adhesive 13 . here , the quartz - crystal vibrating piece 10 is mounted onto the peripheral sealing surface m 2 of the package base 12 a ( fig2 ), so as to align the extraction electrodes 103 a , 103 b on the quartz - crystal vibrating pieces 10 with respective connecting electrodes 124 a , 124 b formed on the peripheral sealing surface m 2 of the package bases 12 a . in step s 14 , the lid wafer 11 w and base wafer 12 w are stacked together by co - aligning them . the lid wafer 11 w in fig5 includes a respective orientation flat of formed on an outer edge thereof , and the base wafer 12 w includes a respective orientation flat of formed on an outer edge thereof . using the orientation flats of as alignment references , the lid wafer 11 w and the base wafer 12 w are precisely aligned together when the wafers are stacked . when stacked , the lid recesses 111 and base recesses 121 form respective cavities ct . each cavity ct communicates to the external environment via respective base through - holes bh 1 and communicating grooves 112 . as a stack , the wafers are heated in an evacuated chamber or in a chamber filled with inert gas , at a temperature in the range of 350 ° c . to 400 ° c . the wafers must be adequately heated . placing wafers inside the chamber that are not well - heated initially prevents the low - melting - point glass lg from reaching its melting point . if the wafers are placed in a vacuum - reflow chamber , the gas inside the cavity ct is ventilated via the communicating groove 112 to the external environment in the chamber . alternatively , if placed in a chamber filled with inert gas , the inert gas may enter the cavities ct via the communicating groove 112 . in step s 15 , the lid wafer 11 w and the base wafer 12 w are compressed against each other to bond the lid wafer 11 w to the base wafer 12 w . when the wafers are placed inside a vacuum - reflow chamber or a chamber filled with an inert gas , the low - melting - point glass lg is heated to a temperature in the range of 350 ° c . to 400 ° c ., in which the low - melting - point glass lg reaches its the melting temperature . at this point , whenever the lid wafer 11 w and base wafer 12 w are compressed against each other , at least some of the low - melting - point glass enters the communicating groove 112 to seal it ( refer to fig3 b and 3c ). thus , the cavities ct are formed that are either evacuated or filled with inert gas . after cooling the stacked wafers to room temperature , the low - melting - point glass lg solidifies and bonds together the lid wafer 11 w and base wafer 12 w . in step s 16 , the bonded lid wafer 11 w and base wafer 12 w is cut into individual pieces . the quartz - crystal vibrating devices 100 a are cut into individual pieces using a dicing unit such as laser beam or dicing saw . the cuts are made by cutting along predetermined scribe lines sl , denoted by dot - dash lines in fig5 and 6 . in this first embodiment , the desired width of the laser or cutting blade is in the range of 50 to 200 μm . thus , several hundreds to several thousands of quartz - crystal vibrating devices 100 a according to the first embodiment are made . in the second embodiment , the package lid 11 b comprises a communicating groove 212 having a different shape than the communicating groove 112 in the first embodiment . the following descriptions of the package lid 11 b are made with reference to fig7 and 8 . fig7 is a plan view of the lid wafer 21 w before bonding . fig8 a is an exploded perspective view of the package lid 11 b before bonding , and fig8 b is an exploded perspective view of the package lid 11 b after bonding . in this embodiment , components that are similar to corresponding components in the first embodiment have the same reference numerals . turning first to fig7 , the lid wafer 21 w defines communicating grooves 212 , each including a first groove portion 212 a , a second groove portion 212 b , and a third groove portion 212 c located on the peripheral sealing surface m 1 of the respective lid . one end of the first groove portion 212 a extends in the x ′- axis direction and opens in the respective lid recess 111 , while the other end is connected to the second groove portion 212 b , which extends in the z ′- axis direction . the third groove portion 212 c extends in the x ′- axis direction and is connected to the other end of the second groove portion 212 b . the width w 5 of the first groove portion 212 a , the second groove portion 212 b , and the third groove portion 212 c is in the range of 10 % to 30 % of the width w 3 of the peripheral sealing surface m 1 ; i . e ., w 5 = 40 μm to 120 μm . in this second embodiment , details are described below with the width w 5 assumed to be 100 μm , on the lid wafer 21 w , the distance w 6 between adjacent package lids 111 in the x ′- axis directions is a sum : w 6 = 2 ( w 3 )+ w 5 . the length w 7 of the first groove portion 212 a in the x ′- axis direction is also a sum : w 7 = w 3 + w 5 , which is approximately 500 μm . also , since the first groove portion 212 a makes its connection substantially along the center - line of the package lid 111 in the z ′- axis direction , the length l 2 of the second groove portion 212 b in the z ′- axis direction is approximately 1 , 600 μm . the length w 8 of the third groove portion 212 c in the x ′- axis direction is approximately 900 μm to 1 , 100 μm . whenever the package lid 11 b and package base 12 a are stacked together , the third groove portion 212 c extends toward the region of the base castellation 122 a ( fig1 ). therefore , whenever the lid wafer 21 w and base wafer 12 w ( fig6 ) are stacked together , the cavity ct is in communication with the external environment via the base through - hole bh 1 ( fig6 ) and the communicating groove 212 . in this second embodiment , the width of the laser or blade used for cutting the bonded lid wafer 21 w and base wafer 12 w ( fig6 ) is approximately 100 μm . to prevent clogging of the dicing apparatus , it is preferred that the scribe lines sl ( indicated by dot - dash lines ) be formed along the second groove portion 212 b of the communicating groove 212 . the package lid 11 b before bonding is as indicated in fig8 a . this means that the second groove portion 212 b is not disposed , and the first groove portion 212 a , the second groove portion 212 b , and the third groove portion 212 c are formed on the peripheral sealing surface m 1 of the package lid 11 b extending in the x ′- axis direction . to seal the cavity ct hermetically after stacking the lid wafer 21 w and base 12 w , the first groove portion 212 a connected to the cavity ct ( lid recess 111 in fig8 ) needs to be sealed , as shown in fig8 b . when the low - melting - point glass lg is heated and the lid wafer 11 w and base wafer 12 w are being compressed together , the low - melting - point glass lg surrounding the first groove portion 212 a spreads and closes off the first groove portion 212 a so as to seal it hermetically . in this case , even if the package base 12 a and package lid 11 a are bonded together , the groove portion 212 a ′ remains , indicating the prior presence of the communicating groove 212 before the low - melting - point glass lg was compressed . in the third groove portion 212 c , which partially covers the base through - hole bh 1 , the low - melting - glass lg surrounding the third groove portion 212 c will not likely compressed . the second embodiment of a quartz - crystal vibrating device is manufactured by a method that is substantially similar to the flow - chart of fig4 depicting the method for manufacturing the first embodiment of a quartz - crystal vibrating device 100 a . in step s 15 pertaining to the separation of individual quartz - crystal vibrating pieces from one another , the lid wafer 21 is cut along the second groove portion 212 b on the communicating groove 212 extending along the z ′- axis direction . the following third to sixth embodiments have respective package lids having different communicating grooves . when discussing the package lid being compressed against the package base , the filling of the communicating groove with compressed low - melting - point glass is not described or shown in the respective drawings . fig9 a is a perspective view of a package lid 11 c after forming the communicating groove 312 but before performing compression . on the peripheral sealing surface m 1 of the package lid 11 c , low - melting - point glass lg is applied as a sealing material . as applied , the low - melting - glass lg defines a communicating groove 312 used for temporarily communicating the lid recess 111 to the external environment . the communicating groove 312 has a serpentine pattern that provides multiple folds in the x ′- axis direction . when bonding the package lid 11 c to the package base 12 a the low - melting - point glass lg in the vicinity of the communicating groove 312 is squeezed so as to seal the communicating groove 312 hermetically . since the total length of the communicating groove 312 is compressed into the serpentine pattern , and thus longer than in the first and second embodiments , the length over which the communicating groove 312 can be sealed is correspondingly extended . this allows , for example , the cavity ct to be sealed in a vacuum . fig9 b is a perspective view of the package lid 11 d of the fourth embodiment before bonding but after forming the communicating groove 412 . the communicating groove 412 , defined in the as - applied low - melting - glass lg , has a longitudinally extended zigzag pattern , in which the groove is folded multiple times in the z ′- axis direction . during bonding the package lid 11 d and package base 12 a together , compression causes the low - melting - point glass lg in the vicinity of the communicating groove 412 to be squeezed in a manner that closes off the communicating groove 412 and hermetically seals it . since the length of the communicating groove 412 is extended compared to the first and second embodiments , the sealing area of the communicating groove 412 is correspondingly extended . fig1 a is a perspective view of the package lid 11 e of the fifth embodiment after forming the communicating groove 512 , but before bonding the package lid to the package base . on the peripheral sealing surface m 1 of the package lid 11 e , low - melting - glass lg is applied as a sealing material . the communicating groove 512 comprises a first groove portion 512 a and a third groove portion 512 c , both extending in the x ′- axis direction , and a second groove portion 512 b . the second groove portion 512 b is connected to the first groove portion 512 a and the third groove portion 512 c and extends in the z ′- axis direction . the first groove portion 512 a is configured to connect , while widening smoothly , from its opening into the lid recess 111 to the second groove portion 512 b . the narrower opening of the first groove portion 512 a into the lid recess 111 is approximately 50 μm , and the wider connection of the first groove portion 512 a to the second groove portion 512 b is approximately 200 μm . thus , one end of the first groove portion 512 a is connected to the lid recess 111 . the third groove portion 512 c connects the second groove portion 512 b to the base through - hole bh 1 ( fig6 ). in the configuration shown in fig1 a , since the end of the first groove portion 512 a opening into the lid recess 111 is narrower , this end of the communicating groove 512 a can be easily sealed when the package lid 11 e is being bonded to the package base 12 a . also , since the first groove portion 512 a expands in width from the lid recess 111 outward in a substantially linear manner , pneumatic communication via the groove 512 is assured . fig1 b is a perspective view of the package lid 11 f of the sixth embodiment after forming the communicating groove 512 but before bonding . on the peripheral sealing surface m 1 of the package lid 11 f , low - melting - point glass lg is applied as a sealing material . the communicating groove 612 comprises a first groove portion 612 a and a third groove portion 612 c , both extending in the x ′- axis direction , and a second groove portion 612 b . the second groove portion 612 b extends in the z ′- axis direction . the first groove portion 612 a is configured to connect , while widening in a stepwise manner , from its opening into the lid recess 111 to the second groove portion 612 b . the narrower opening of the first groove portion 612 aa into the lid recess 111 is approximately 50 μm , and the wider connection of the first groove portion 612 a to the second groove portion 612 b is approximately 200 μm . the configuration of the seventh embodiment of a quartz - crystal vibrating device 100 g is described with references to fig1 and 12 . fig1 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment 100 g before being bonded together . fig1 a is a perspective view of the package lid 11 g before it is bonded to the package base , and fig1 b and 12c are upside - down perspective views of the package lid 11 g in the seventh embodiment after the sealant has spread out by application of heat and pressure . in this embodiment , components that are similar to corresponding components in the first embodiment have the same reference numerals . turning first to fig1 , the seventh embodiment of a quartz - crystal vibrating device 100 g comprises a package lid 11 g defining a lid recess 111 , a package base 12 g defining a base recess 121 , and a quartz - crystal vibrating piece 10 ′ mounted inside the base recess 121 . extraction electrodes 103 a and 103 b ′ are formed on the − y ′ surface of the quartz - crystal vibrating piece 10 ′. the quartz - crystal vibrating piece 10 ′ is bonded to the package base 12 g , which is fabricated of a material such as a piezoelectric material ( e . g ., quartz - crystal ) or glass , using an electrically conductive adhesive 13 . each of the four corners of the package base includes a respective base castellation 722 a - 722 d . on the lower main surface ( i . e ., the mounting surface of the quartz - crystal vibrating device ) of the package base 12 g are a pair of excitation electrodes 725 a , 725 b formed on both z ′- axis edges of the device . opposing corners of the package base 12 g include respective base castellations 722 a , 722 b , on which respective base edge - surface electrodes 723 a , 723 b are formed . one end of each edge - surface electrode is connected to a respective external electrode 725 a . the other two opposing corners of the package base also include respective base castellations 722 c , 722 d . each of these base castellations 722 c , 722 d includes a respective edge - surface electrode 723 c , 723 d that is connected to a respective external electrode 725 a , 725 b . on the peripheral sealing surface m 2 of the package base 12 g are connecting electrodes 724 a , 724 b , which are connected to the other ends of the respective base edge - surface electrodes 723 a - 723 d . the connecting electrode 724 b is situated on the peripheral sealing surface m 2 of the package base 121 just outboard of the base recess 121 . the connecting electrode 724 b extends on the peripheral sealing surface m 2 in the − z ′- axis direction to the same side of the peripheral sealing surface m 2 as the connecting electrode 724 a . alternatively , the connecting electrode 724 b can extend ( in the − z ′- axis direction ) across the bottom surface m 3 of the package base 121 to the same side of the peripheral sealing surface m 2 on which the connecting electrode 724 a is located . similar to the first embodiment , when mounting the quartz - crystal vibrating piece 10 ′ onto the peripheral sealing surface m 2 of the package base , the excitation electrodes 102 a , 102 b on the quartz - crystal vibrating piece 10 ′ are connected to the respective connecting electrodes 724 a , 724 b on the package base 12 g . hence , whenever an alternating voltage ( voltage that alternates between the positive and negative of a particular value ) is applied across the external electrodes 125 a , 125 b , the quartz - crystal vibrating device 10 ′ exhibits thickness - shear vibration . the package lid 11 g is described with reference to fig1 a - 12c . in these figures , the lid recess 111 is drawn facing upward to provide a better understanding . as shown in fig1 a , the package lid 11 g comprises a peripheral sealing surface m 1 that surrounds the lid recess 111 . the peripheral sealing surface m 1 is bonded to the peripheral sealing surface m 2 of the package base 12 g . low - melting - point glass lg is applied to the peripheral sealing surface m 1 of the package lid 11 g in a manner that forms a communicating groove 712 . the communicating groove 712 includes a first groove portion 712 a and a second groove portion 712 b . one end of the first groove portion 712 a extends in the x ′- axis direction to the lid recess 111 , while the other end is connected to the second groove portion 712 b . the second groove portion 712 b extends in the z ′- axis direction . here , the dimensions of the first groove portion 712 a and the second groove portion 712 b are as described for the respective first groove portion 112 a and second groove portion 112 b in the first embodiment . whenever the package lid 11 g and package base 12 g are bonded together , the second groove portion 712 b extends to the base castellation 722 a ( see base line bl in fig1 ). whenever the package lid 11 g and package base 12 g are stacked together for bonding , the cavity ct is connected temporarily to the external environment via the base castellation 722 a and the communicating groove 712 . this temporary communication is sufficient to achieve the desired gaseous exchange . after the cavity has been appropriately ventilated ( with an inert gas or evacuated ), the communicating groove 712 is hermetically sealed as the cavity ct itself is sealed hermetically . during bonding , application of heat and pressure to the package lid 11 g and package base 12 g squeezes the low - melting - point glass lg in the vicinity of the communicating groove 712 , which compresses it and seals the communicating groove 712 with the low - melting - point glass . fig1 b shows a situation , after compression , in which some of the low - melting - point glass lg in the vicinity of the second groove portion 712 b has been squeezed . even after bonding this package lid 11 g and package base 12 g together , the first groove portion 712 a and a part of the second groove portion 712 b remain open to the cavity ct , while another part of the second groove portion 712 b remains open to the base castellation 722 a . these vestigial openings indicate the residual existence of the communicating groove 712 before the low - melting - point glass lg had been compressed . in fig1 c , some of the low - melting - point glass lg surrounding the first groove unit 712 a has been compressed , thereby sealing the communicating groove 712 . even after bonding this package lid 11 g to the package base 12 g , the groove portion 712 ′ remains , indicating the residual presence of the communicating groove 712 before compression of the low - melting - point glass lg . although not indicated in the drawings , two areas of low - melting - point glass lg indicated in fig1 b and 12c may be compressed at the same time . also , the entire first groove portion 712 a and second groove portion 712 b may be compressed . the seventh embodiment of a quartz - crystal vibrating device can be manufactured by a method depicted by a flow - chart that is substantially similar to the flow - chart of fig4 . however , during manufacture of the seventh embodiment , the shape of the extraction electrode 103 b ′ on the quartz - crystal vibrating piece 10 ′ in the protocol s 10 is different . also , the shape of the communicating groove formed in the low - melting - point glass lg in step s 112 is different . also , the protocol s 12 for manufacturing the package base 12 g is different from the first embodiment . in the following description , the protocol s 12 for manufacturing the base wafer 72 w is explained with reference to fig1 . fig1 is a plan view of the base wafer in the seventh embodiment . in step s 121 , as shown in fig1 , the base recesses 121 are formed on the base wafer . at the same time , respective base through - holes bh 2 are formed on the four corners of the package base 12 g . each through - hole bh 2 is a circular cut - hole that extends through the base wafer 72 w depthwise . when the bonded wafer is being cut along cut lines , these round through - holes bh 2 are become four respective quarter - round sections , which become the castellations 722 a - 722 d ( see fig1 ). in step s 122 , the external electrodes 725 a , 725 b ( fig1 ) are formed on the lower main surface of the base wafer 72 w , as indicated in fig1 . also , in the base through - holes bh 2 are formed respective base edge - surface electrodes 723 a , 723 b , which are connected to the respective external electrode 725 a . also formed are the base edge - surface electrodes 723 c , 723 d , which are connected to the external electrode 725 b , ( fig1 ). on the peripheral sealing surface m 2 are formed the connecting electrode 724 a ( connected to the base edge - surface electrodes 723 a , 723 b ) and the connecting electrode 724 b ( connected to the base edge - surface electrodes 723 c , 723 d . the general configuration of this embodiment of a quartz - crystal vibrating device 100 h is described with reference to fig1 . fig1 is an exploded perspective view of the eighth embodiment 100 h before bonding the pieces together . in this embodiment , components that are similar to corresponding components in the first embodiment have the same reference numerals . as shown in fig1 , the vibrating device 100 h comprises a quartz - crystal frame 20 that is sandwiched between the package lid 11 a and the package base 12 h . when the package lid 11 a and the package base 12 h are bonded to respective peripheral sealing surfaces of the quartz - crystal frame 20 , the package base 12 h and the quartz - crystal frame 20 form a cavity ct ( fig2 ). in the eighth embodiment , the package lid 11 a is bonded to the quartz - crystal frame 20 using low - melting - point glass lg , and the package base 12 h is bonded to the quartz - crystal frame 20 using low - melting - point glass lg . in this embodiment the connecting electrodes 124 a , 124 b ( fig1 ) are not formed on the package base 12 h , which is different from the package base 12 a used in the first embodiment . the quartz - crystal frame 20 is fabricated from an at - cut quartz - crystal material having an upper main surface me facing the package lid 11 h and a lower main surface mi facing the package base 12 h . the quartz - crystal frame 20 comprises a vibrating portion 201 ( including the excitation electrodes 202 a , 202 b ) and an outer frame 205 that surrounds the vibrating portion 201 . also , a respective joining portion 204 a and 204 b extends between an edge of the vibrating portion 201 and the outer frame 205 . the joining portions 204 a , 204 b extend from the vibrating portion 201 to each edge of the outer frame 205 in the z ′- axis directions . this leaves two l - shaped voids 208 situated between the vibrating portion 201 and the outer frame 205 . on both edges of the quartz - crystal frame 20 in the z ′- axis directions , respective castellations 206 a , 206 b are formed . these castellations were originally formed as rounded - rectangular quartz - crystal through - holes ch ( fig1 ). on each castellation 206 a , 206 b is a respective side - surface electrode 207 a , 207 b . on the upper main surface me of the joining portion 204 a , an extraction electrode 203 a is formed . the extraction electrode connects from the respective excitation electrode 202 a to the respective edge - surface electrode 207 a on the respective castellation 206 a . on the lower main surface mi of the joining portion 204 b , an extraction electrode 203 b is formed . the extraction electrode 203 b connects from the respective excitation electrode 202 b to the respective edge - surface electrode 207 b on the respective castellation 206 b . when the stacked upper main surface me on the crystal frame 20 is bonded to the package lid 11 a , and the lower main surface mi on the crystal frame 20 is bonded to the package base 20 h , the communicating groove 112 extends to the quartz - crystal castellation 206 a . hence , when the package lid 11 a is stacked onto the quartz - crystal frame 20 for bonding , the cavity ct is in temporary pneumatic communication with the external environment via the base castellation 122 a , the quartz - crystal castellation 206 a , and the communicating groove 112 . during bonding , but after ventilating the cavity , the applied low - melting - point glass lg is heated while the package lid 11 a and quartz - crystal frame 20 are being compressed together , which bonds the quartz - crystal frame 20 and package lid 11 a together . during compression of the low - melting - point glass lg in the vicinity of the communicating groove 112 , the communicating groove 112 becomes hermetically sealed after having been evacuated or filled with an inert gas as specified during the previous gaseous exchange . the excitation electrodes 202 a , 202 b are connected to respective external electrodes 125 a , 125 b ( formed on the lower main surface ( mounting surface ) of the vibrating device 100 h ) via respective extraction electrodes 203 a , 203 b , edge - surface electrodes 207 a , 207 b , and base edge - surface electrodes 123 a , 123 b . in this eighth embodiment , after the package base 12 h and the quartz - crystal frame 20 have been bonded together using the low - melting - point glass lg , the package lid 11 a is bonded to the quartz - crystal frame 20 . alternatively , the package base 12 h , the quartz - crystal frame 20 , and the package lid 11 a can be bonded together at the same time . although low - melting - point glass lg was applied on the package lid 11 a , the low - melting - point glass alternatively can be formed on the peripheral sealing surface me of the quartz - crystal frame 20 . in this embodiment , although the package base 12 h and the quartz - crystal frame 20 are bonded together using the low - melting - point glass lg , the package base 12 h and quartz - crystal frame 20 can alternatively be bonded together by siloxane bonding or by anodic bonding , instead of using low - melting - point glass lg . during manufacture of the eighth embodiment 100 h , the package lid 11 a is manufactured by the following protocol s 11 described in the first embodiment . the package base 12 h is manufactured according to the protocol s 12 described in the first embodiment . however , this embodiment still includes the steps of forming each electrode , forming the pair of external electrodes 125 a , 125 b , and forming the base edge - surface electrodes 123 a , 123 b . the method for manufacturing the quartz - crystal frame 20 is described using fig1 as a reference . fig1 is a plan view of the quartz - crystal wafer 20 w of this embodiment . first , a profile outline of the quartz - crystal frame 20 is formed on a planar quartz - crystal wafer 20 w by etching . during this step the quartz - crystal vibrating portion 201 , the outer frame 205 , and the pair of voids 208 are formed , and the rounded , rectangular through - holes ch are formed on each quartz - crystal frame 20 in the z ′- axis directions . each half of a quartz - crystal through - hole ch forms a respective castellation 206 a , 206 b ( fig1 ). on both surfaces of the quartz - crystal wafer 20 w and on the surface of the through - holes ch , a foundation layer of chromium ( cr ) is formed , followed by an overlying layer of gold ( au ), are formed by sputtering or vacuum - deposition . then , a photoresist is applied uniformly on the entire surface of the metal film . using an exposure tool ( not shown ), the outline pattern of the excitation electrodes 202 a , 202 b , the extraction electrodes 203 a , 203 b , and the quartz - crystal side - surface electrodes 207 a , 207 b are exposed onto the quartz - crystal wafer 20 w . afterward , regions of the metal layer denuded by the photoresist are etched . as shown in fig1 , the excitation electrodes 202 a , 202 b and the extraction electrodes 203 a , 203 b are formed on the quartz - crystal wafer 20 w , and the edge - surface electrodes 207 a , 207 b are formed on the inside surfaces of the through - holes ch . representative embodiments have been described in detail above . as evident to those skilled in the art , the present invention may be changed or modified in various ways within the technical scope of the invention . for example , as an alternative to at - cut quartz - crystal vibrating pieces , the present invention may be directed to the manufacture of tuning - fork type vibrating pieces . in this specification , although the various embodiments have been described in the context of quartz - crystal vibrating pieces , it will be understood that the embodiments can be applied with equal facility to piezoelectric materials such as lithium tantalite and lithium niobate . furthermore , the present disclosure can be applied to piezoelectric oscillators that also include an ic configured as an oscillating circuit mounted inside the package on the package base .	7
restriction enzymes and other enzymes used in cloning were obtained from boehringer mannheim roche . standard molecular biology techniques were used unless indicated otherwise . the nucleotide sequence of dpp8 shown in fig1 was used to search the genbank database for homologous nucleotide sequences . nucleotide sequences referenced by genbank accession numbers ac005594 and ac005783 were detected and named gdd . the gdd nucleotide sequence is 39 . 5 kb and has 19 predicted exons . the analysis of the predicted exon - intron boundaries in gdd suggests that the predicted open reading frame of gdd is 3 . 6 kb in length . in view of the homology of dpp8 and the gdd nucleotide sequences , we hypothesised the existence of dppiv - like molecules other than dpp8 . we used oligonucleotide primers derived from the nucleotide sequence of gdd and reverse transcription pcr ( rt - pcr ) to isolate a cdna encoding dppiv - like molecules . rt - pcr amplification of human liver rna derived from a pool of 4 patients with autoimmune hepatitis using the primers gdd pr 1f and gdd pr 1r ( table 1 ) produced a 500 base pair product . this suggested that dppiv - like molecules are likely to be expressed in liver cells derived from individuals with autoimmune hepatitis and that rna derived from these cells is likely to be a suitable source for isolating cdna clones encoding dppiv - like molecules . primers gdd pr 3f and gdd pr 1r ( table 1 ) were then used to isolate a cdna clone encoding a dpp4 - like molecule . primers gdd pr1f and gdd pr 7r ( table 1 ) were then used to isolate a cdna clone encoding a dpp4 - like molecule . a 1 . 9 kb product was observed and named dpp4 - like - 2b . as described further herein , the sequence of dpp4 - like - 2b overlaps with the sequence of dpp4 - like - 2a . the dpp4 - like - 2a and 2b fragments were gel purified using wizard ® pcr preps kit and cloned into the pgem ®- t - easy plasmid vector using the ecori restriction sites . the ligation reaction was used to transform jm 109 competent cells . the plasmid dna was prepared by miniprep . the inserts were released by ecori restriction digestion . the dna was sequenced in both directions using the m13forward and m13reverse sequencing primers . the complete sequence of dpp4 - like - 2a and 2b fragments was derived by primer walking . the nucleotide sequence 5 ′ adjacent to dpp4 - like - 2b was obtained by 5 ′ race using dc tailing and the gene specific primers gdd gsp1 . 1 and 2 . 1 ( table 1 ). a fragment of 500 base pairs ( dpp4 - like - 2c ) was observed . the fragment was gel purified using wizard ® pcr preps kit and cloned into the pgem ®- t - easy plasmid vector using the ecori restriction sites . the ligation reaction was used to transform jm109 competent cells . the plasmid dna was prepared by miniprep . the inserts were released by ecori restriction digestion . the dna was sequenced in both directions using the m13forward and m13reverse sequencing primers . we identified further sequences , be727051 and be244612 , with identity to the 5 ′ end of dpp9 . these were discovered while performing blastn with the 5 ′ end of the dpp9 nucleotide sequence . be727051 contained further 5 ′ sequence for dpp9 , which was also present in the genomic sequence for dpp9 on chromosome 19p13 . 3 . this was used to design primer dpp9 - 22f ( 5 ′ gccggcgggtcccctgtgtccg3 ′), ( seq id no : 34 ). primer 22f was used in conjunction with primer gdd3 ′ end ( 5 ′ gggcgggacaaagtgcctcactgg3 ′), ( seq id no : 35 ) on cdna made from the human cem cell line to produce a 3000 bp product as expected . an analysis of the nucleotide sequence of fragments dpp4 - like 2a , 2b and 2c with the sequencher ™ version 3 . 0 computer program , and the 5 ′ fragment isolated by primers dpp9 - 22f and gdd3 ′ end , revealed the nucleotide sequence shown in fig3 . the predicted amino acid sequence shown in fig3 was compared to a predicted amino acid sequence encoded by a predicted open reading frame of gdd ( predicted from the nucleotide sequence referenced by genbank accession nos . ac005594 and ac005783 ), to determine the relatedness of the nucleotide sequence of fig3 to the nucleotide sequence of the predicted open reading frame of gdd ( fig4 ). regions of amino acid identity were observed suggesting that there may be regions of nucleotide sequence identity of the predicted open reading frame of gdd and the sequence of fig3 . however , as noted in fig4 , there are regions of amino acid sequence encoded by the sequence of fig3 and the amino acid sequence encoded by the predicted open reading frame of gdd which are not identical , demonstrating that the nucleotide sequences encoding the predicted open reading frame of gdd and the sequence shown in fig3 are different nucleotide sequences . as described further herein , the predicted amino acid sequence encoded by the cdna sequence shown in fig3 is homologous to the amino acid sequence of dpp8 . accordingly , and as a cdna consisting of the nucleotide sequence shown in fig3 was not known , the sequence shown in fig3 was named cdna dpp9 . the predicted amino acid sequence encoded by cdna dpp9 ( called dpp9 ) is 969 amino acids and is shown in fig3 . the alignment of dpp9 and dpp8 amino acid sequences suggests that the nucleotide sequence shown in fig3 may be a partial length clone . notwithstanding this point , as discussed below , the inventors have found that the alignment of dpp9 amino acid sequence with the amino acid sequences of dpp8 , dpp4 and fap shows that dpp9 comprises sequence necessary for providing enzymolysis and utility . in view of the similarity between dpp9 and dpp8 , a full length clone may be of the order of 882 amino acids . a full length clone could be obtained by standard techniques , including for example , the race technique using an oligonucleotide primer derived from the 5 ′ end of cdna dpp9 . in view of the homology between the dpp8 and dpp9 amino acid sequences , it is likely that cdna dpp9 encodes an amino acid sequence which has dipeptidyl peptidase enzymatic activity . specifically , it is noted that the dpp9 amino acid sequence contains the catalytic triad ser - asp - his in the order of a non - classical serine protease as required for the charge relay system . the serine recognition site characteristic of dpp4 and dpp4 - like family members , gyswgg , ( seq id no : 36 ), surrounds the serine residue also suggesting that dpp9 cdna will encode a dpp4 - like enzyme activity . further , dpp9 amino acid sequence also contains the two glutamic acid residues located at positions 205 and 206 in dppiv . these are believed to be essential for the dipeptidyl peptidase enzymatic activity . by sequence alignment with dppiv , the residues in dpp8 predicted to play a pivotal role in the pore opening mechanism in blade 2 of the propeller are e 259 , e 260 . these are equivalent to the residues glu 205 and glu 206 in dppiv which previously have been shown to be essential for dppiv enzyme activity . a point mutation glu 259 lys was made in dpp8 cdna using the quick change site directed mutagenesis kit ( stratagene , la jolla ). cos - 7 cells transfected with wildtype dpp8 cdna stained positive for h - ala - pro4 mbna enzyme activity while the mutant cdna gave no staining . expression of dpp8 protein was demonstrated in cos cells transfected with wildtype and mutant cdnas by immunostaining with anti - vs mab . this mab detects the v5 epitope that has been tagged to the c - terminus of dpp8 protein . point mutations were made to each of the catalytic residues of dpp8 , ser739a , asp817ala and his849ala , and each of these residues were also determined to be essential for dpp8 enzyme activity . in summary , the residues that have been shown experimentally to be required for enzyme activity in dppiv and dpp8 are present in the dpp9 amino acid sequence : glu 354 , glu 355 , ser 136 , asp 914 and his 946 . the dpp9 amino acid sequence shows the closest relatedness to dpp8 , having 77 % amino acid similarity and 60 % amino acid identity . the relatedness to dppiv is 25 % amino acid identity and 47 % amino acid similarity . the % similarity was determined by use of the program / algorithm “ gap ” which is available from genetics computer group ( gcg ), wisconsin . dpp4 - like - 2a was used to probe a human master rna blot ™ ( clontech laboratories inc ., usa ) to study dpp9 tissue expression and the relative levels of dpp9 mrna expression . the dpp4 - like - 2a fragment hybridised to all tissue mrna samples on the blot . the hybridisation also indicated high levels of dpp9 expression in most of the tissues samples on the blot ( data not shown ). the dpp4 - like - 2a fragment was then used to probe two multiple tissue northern blots ™. ( clontech laboratories inc ., usa ) to examine the mrna expression and to determine the size of dpp9 mrna transcript . the autoradiographs of the dpp9 transcript was seen in all tissues examined confirming the results obtained from the master rna blot . a single major transcript 4 . 4 kb in size was seen in all tissues represented on two blots after 16 hours of exposure . weak bands could also be seen in some tissues after 6 hours of exposure . the dpp9 transcript was smaller than the 5 . 1 kb mrna transcript of dpp8 . a minor , very weak transcript 4 . 8 kb in size was also seen in the spleen , pancreas , peripheral blood leukocytes and heart . the highest mrna expression was observed in the spleen and heart . of all tissues examined the thymus had the least dpp9 mrna expression . the multiple tissue northern blots were also probed with a β - actin positive control . a 2 . 0 kb band was seen in all tissues . in addition as expected a 1 . 8 kb β - actin band was seen in heart and skeletal muscle . a rat multiple tissue northern blot ( clontech laboratories , inc ., usa ; catalogue #: 7764 - 1 ) was hybridized with a human dpp9 radioactively labeled probe , made using megaprime dna labeling kit and 32 p dctp ( amersham international plc , amersham , uk ). the dpp9 pcr product used to make the probe was generated using met3f ( ggctgagaggatggccaccaccggg ), ( seq id no : 37 ), as the forward primer and gdd3 ′ end ( gggcgggacaaagtgcctccactgg ), ( seq id no : 35 ), as the reverse primer . the hybridization was carried out according to the manufacturers &# 39 ; instructions at 60 ° c . to detect cross - species hybridization . after overnight hybridization the blot was washed at room temperature ( 2 × ssc , 0 . 1 % sds ) then at 40 ° c . ( 0 . 1 . times . ssc , 0 . 1 % sds ). the human cdna probe identified two bands in all tissues examined except in testes . a major transcript of 4 kb in size was seen in all tissues except testes . this 4 kb transcript was strongly expressed in the liver , heart and brain . a second weaker transcript 5 . 5 kb in size was present in all tissues except skeletal muscle and testes . however in the brain the 5 . 5 kb transcript was expressed at a higher level than the 4 . 4 kb transcript . in the testes only one transcript approximately 3 . 5 kb in size was detected . thus , rat dpp9 mrna hybridised with a human dpp9 probe indicating significant homology between dpp9 of the two species . the larger 5 . 5 kb transcript observed may be due to crosshybridisation to rat dpp8 . a unigene cluster for mouse dpp9 was identified ( unigene cluster mm . 33185 ) by homology to human dpp9 . an analysis of expressed sequence tags contained in this cluster and mouse genomic sequence ( ac026385 ) for chromosome 17 with the sequencher ™ version 3 . 0 computer program revealed the nucleotide sequence shown in fig6 . this 3517 bp cdna encodes a 869 aa mouse dpp9 protein ( missing n - terminus ) with 91 % amino acid identity and 94 % amino acid similarity to human dpp9 . the mouse dpp9 amino acid sequence also has the residues required for enzyme activity , ser , asp and his and the two glu residues . the primers mgdd - pr1f ( 5 ′ acctgggaggaagcaccccactgtg3 ′), ( seq id no : 38 ), and mgdd - pr4r ( 5 ′ ttccacctggtcctcaatctcc3 ′), seq id no : 39 ), were designed from this sequence and used to amplify a 452 bp product as expected from liver mouse cdna , as described below . b57b16 mice underwent carbon tetrachloride treatment to induce liver fibrosis . liver rna were prepared from snap - frozen tissues using the trizol ®. reagent and other standard methods . 2 . mu . g of liver rna was reverse - transcribed using superscript ii rnase h - reverse transcriptase ( gibco brl ). pcr using mdpp9 - 1f ( acctgggaggaagcaccccactgtg ), ( seq id no : 40 ), as the forward primer and mdpp9 - 2r ( ctctccacatgcagggctacagac ), ( seq id no : 41 ), as the reverse primer was used to synthesize a 550 bas pair mouse dpp9 fragment . the pcr products were generated using amplitaq gold ® dna polymerase . the pcr was performed as follows : denaturation at 95 ° c . for 10 min , followed by 35 cycles of denaturation at 95 ° c . for 30 seconds , primer annealing at 60 ° c . for 30 seconds , and an extension 72 ° c . for 1 min . dpp9 pcr products from six mice as well as the largest human dpp9 pcr product were run on a 1 % agarose gel . the dna on the gel was then denatured using 0 . 4 m naoh and transferred onto a hybond - n + membrane ( amersham international plc , amersham , uk ). the largest human dpp9 pcr product was radiolabeled using the megaprime dna labeling kit and [ 32 p ] dctp ( amersham international plc , amersham , uk ). unincorporated label was removed using a nap column ( pharmacia biotech , sweden ) and the denatured probe was incubated with the membrane for 2 hours at 60 ° c . in express hybridisation solution ( clontech laboratories , inc ., usa ). ( fig8 ). thus , dpp9 mrna of appropriate size was detected in fibrotic mouse liver using rt - pcr . furthermore , the single band of mouse dpp9 cdna hybridised with a human dpp9 probe indicating significant homology between dpp9 of the two species . 1 . abbott c a , g w mccaughan & amp ; m d gorrell 1999 two highly conserved glutamic acid residues in the predicted beta propeller domain of dipeptidyl peptidase iv are required for its enzyme activity febs letters 458 : 278 - 84 . 2 . abbott c a , d m t yu , g w mccaughan & amp ; m d gorrell 2000 post proline peptidases having dp iv like enzyme activity advances in experimental medicine and biology 477 : 103 - 9 . 3 . mccaughan g w , m d gorrell , g a bishop , c a abbott , n a shackel , p h mcguinness , m t levy , a f sharland , d g bowen , d yu , l slaitini , w b church & amp ; j napoli 2000 molecular pathogenesis of liver disease : an approach to hepatic inflammation , cirrhosis and liver transplant tolerance immunological reviews 174 : 172 - 91 . 4 . scanlan m j , b k raj , b calvo , p garin - chesa , m p sanz - moncasi , j h healey , l j old & amp ; w j rettig 1994 molecular cloning of fibroblast activation protein alpha , a member of the serine protease family selectively expressed in stromal fibroblasts of epithelial cancers proceedings of the national academy of sciences united states of america 91 : 5657 - 61 . 5 . handbook of proteolytic enzymes . barrett a j , n d rawlings & amp ; j f woess . 1998 ., london : academic press . 1666 . 6 . jacotot e , c callebaut , j blanco , b krust , k neubert , a barth & amp ; a g hovanessian 1996 dipeptidyl - peptidase iv - beta , a novel form of cell - surface - expressed protein with dipeptidyl - peptidase iv activity european journal of biochemistry 239 : 248 - 58 . 7 . rawlings n d & amp ; a j barrett 1999 merops : the peptidase database nucleic acids research 27 : 325 - 31 . 8 . park j e , m c lenter , r n zimmermann , p garin - chesa , l j old & amp ; w j rettig 1999 fibroblast activation protein : a dual - specificity serine protease expressed in reactive human tumor stromal fibroblasts journal of biological chemistry 274 : 36505 - 12 . 9 . levy m t , g w mccaughan , c a abbott , j e park , a m cunningham , e muller , w j rettig & amp ; m d gorrell 1999 fibroblast activation protein : a cell surface dipeptidyl peptidase and gelatinase expressed by stellate cells at the tissue remodelling interface in human cirrhosis hepatology 29 : 1768 - 78 . 10 . de meester i , s korom , j van damme & amp ; s scharp 1999 cd26 , let it cut or cut it down immunology today 20 : 367 - 75 . 11 . natural substrates of dipeptidyl peptidase iv . de meester i , c durinx , g bal , p proost , s struyf , f goossens , k augustyns & amp ; s scharp . 2000 , in cellular peptidases in immune functions and diseases ii , j langner & amp ; s ansorge , editor . kluwer : new york . p . 67 - 88 . 12 . mentlein r 1999 dipeptidyl - peptidase iv ( cd26 ): role in the inactivation of regulatory peptides regulatory peptides 85 : 9 - 24 . 13 . morrison m e , s vijayasaradhi , d engelstein , a p albino & amp ; a n houghton 1993 a marker for neoplastic progression of human melanocytes is a cell surface ectopeptidase journal of experimental medicine 177 : 1135 - 43 . 14 . mueller s c , g ghersi , s k akiyama , q x a sang , l howard , m pineiro - sanchez , h nakahara , y yeh & amp ; w t chen 1999 a novel protease - docking function of integrin at invadopodia journal of biological chemistry 274 : 24947 - 52 . 15 . holst j j & amp ; c f deacon 1998 inhibition of the activity of dipeptidyl - peptidase iv as a treatment for type 2 diabetes diabetes 47 : 1663 - 70 . 16 . marguet d , l baggio , t kobayashi , a m bernard , m pierres , p f nielsen , u ribel , t watanabe , d j drucker & amp ; n wagtmann 2000 enhanced insulin secretion and improved glucose tolerance in mice lacking cd26 proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america 97 : 6874 - 9 . 17 . ohtsuki t , h tsuda & amp ; c morimoto 2000 good or evil : cd26 and hiv infection journal of dermatological science 22 : 152 - 60 . 18 . wesley u v , a p albino , s tiwari & amp ; a n houghton 1999 a role for dipeptidyl peptidase iv in suppressing the malignant phenotype of melanocytic cells journal of experimental medicine 190 : 311 - 22 . 19 . korom s , i de meester , t h w stadlbauer , a chandraker , m schaub , m h sayegh , a belyaev , a haemers , s scharp & amp ; j w kupiecweglinski 1997 inhibition of cd26 / dipeptidyl peptidase iv activity in vivo prolongs cardiac allograft survival in rat recipients transplantation 63 : 1495 - 500 . 20 . tanaka s , t murakami , h horikawa , m sugiura , k kawashima & amp ; t sugita 1997 suppression of arthritis by the inhibitors of dipeptidyl peptidase iv international journal of immunopharmacology 19 : 15 - 24 . 21 . augustyns k , g bal , g thonus , a belyaev , x m zhang , w bollaert , a m lambeir , c durinx , f goossens & amp ; a haemers 1999 the unique properties of dipeptidyl - peptidase iv ( dpp iv / cd26 ) and the therapeutic potential of dpp iv inhibitors current medicinal chemistry 6 : 311 - 27 . 22 . hinke s a , j a pospisilik , h u demuth , s mannhart , k kuhn - wache , t hoffmannn , e nishimura , r a pederson & amp ; c h s mcintosh 2000 dipeptidyl peptidase iv ( dpiv / cd26 ) degradation of glucagon — characterization of glucagon degradation products and dpiv - resistant analogs journal of biological chemistry 275 : 3827 - 34 . 23 . korom s , i de meester , a coito , e graser , h d volk , k schwemmle , s scharpe & amp ; j w kupiec - weglinski 1999 immunomodulatory influence of cd26 dipeptidylpeptidase iv during acute and accelerated rejection langenbecks archives of surgery 1 : 241 - 5 . 24 . tavares w , d j drucker & amp ; p l brubaker 2000 enzymatic - and renal - dependent catabolism of the intestinotropic hormone glucagon - like peptide - 2 in rats american journal of physiology endocrinology and metabolism 278 : e134 - e9 . 25 . david f , a m bernard , m pierres & amp ; d marguet 1993 identification of serine 624 , aspartic acid 702 , and histidine 734 as the catalytic triad residues of mouse dipeptidyl - peptidase iv ( cd26 ). a member of a novel family of nonclassical serine hydrolases j biol chem 268 : 17247 - 52 . 26 . ogata s , y misumi , e tsuji , n takami , k oda & amp ; y ikehara 1992 identification of the active site residues in dipeptidyl peptidase iv by affinity labeling and site - directed mutagenesis biochemistry 31 : 2582 - 7 . 27 . dipeptidyl peptidase iv ( dppiv / cd26 ): biochemistry and control of cell - surface expression . trugnan g , t ait - slimane , f david , l baricault , t berbar , c lenoir & amp ; c sapin . 1997 , in cell - surface peptidases in health and disease , a j kenny & amp ; c m boustead , editor . bios scientific publishers : oxford . p . 203 - 17 . 28 . steeg c , u hartwig & amp ; b fleischer 1995 unchanged signaling capacity of mutant cd26 / dipeptidylpeptidase iv molecules devoid of enzymatic activity cell immunol 164 : 311 - 5 . 29 . fulop v , z bocskei & amp ; l polgar 1998 prolyl oligopeptidase — an unusual beta - propeller domain regulates proteolysis cell 94 : 161 - 70 . 30 . ausubel f m , r brent , r e kingston , d d moore , j g seidman , j a smith & amp ; k struhl , ed . current protocols in molecular biology . 1998 , john wiley & amp ; sons : usa . 31 . molecular cloning : a laboratory manual . sambrook j , e f fritsch & amp ; t maniatis . 1989 . 2nd ed ., cold spring harbor : cold spring harbor laboratory press . 32 . augustyns k j l , a m lambeir , m borloo , i demeester , i vedernikova , g vanhoof , d hendriks , s scharpe & amp ; a haemers 1997 pyrrolidides — synthesis and structure - activity relationship as inhibitors of dipeptidyl peptidase iv european journal of medicinal chemistry 32 : 301 - 9 . 33 . stockel - maschek a , c mrestani - klaus , b stiebitz , h u demuth & amp ; k neubert 2000 thioxo amino acid pyrrolidides and thiazolidides : new inhibitors of proline specific peptidases biochimica et biophysica acta — protein structure & amp ; molecular enzymology 1479 : 15 - 31 . 34 . schon , i born , h u demuth , j faust , k neubert , t steinmetzer , a barth & amp ; s ansorge 1991 dipeptidyl peptidase iv in the immune system . effects of specific enzyme inhibitors on activity of dipeptidyl peptidase iv and proliferation of human lymphocytes biological chemistry hoppe seyler 372 : 305 - 11 . 35 . coligan j e , a m kruisbeek , d h margulies , e m shevach & amp ; w strober , eds . current protocols in immunology . 1998 , john wiley & amp ; sons : usa . 36 . fibroblast activation protein . rettig w j . 1998 , in handbook of proteolytic enzymes , a j barrett , n d rawlings & amp ; j f woessner , editor . academic press : san diego . p . 387 - 9 .	2
herein will be described in detail specific preferred embodiments of the present invention , with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention , and is not intended to limit the invention to that illustrated and described herein . the present invention is susceptible to preferred embodiments of different forms or order and should not be interpreted to be limited to the specifically expressed methods or compositions contained herein . in particular , various preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a number of different configurations and applications of the inventive method , compositions , and their applications . the following equipment was used in experiments described below : 4000 ml kimax beaker ; thermolyne cimarec 2 with magnetic mixer ; acculab v600 scale with a 0 . 1 gram readability ; and accurite 100 °- 400 ° f . thermometer . a solution comprising a complex mixture of ions was produced by the steps of adding the following reagents to the beaker : 200 ml water ; 50 grams of sodium silicate ( solid ); 25 grams of ammonium hydroxide ( 29 ° baume ); 50 grams of potassium hydroxide ( flakes ). a slight ammonia odor was detectable . the solution was forced into exotherm by heating while stirring . the temperature was maintained above 180 ° f . for 10 minutes and then turned off . the solution continued its exotherm for several more minutes and then was allowed to cool down . the solution was examined by liquid - phase 29 si nmr ( nuclear magnetic resonance ) spectroscopy , which identified sio 4 as illustrated by the spectrum of fig1 . a solution comprising a complex mixture of ions was produced in accordance with example 1a except that sodium hydroxide was substituted for potassium hydroxide . the solution was examined by liquid - phase 29 si nmr ( nuclear magnetic resonance ) spectroscopy , which identified sio 4 as illustrated by the spectrum of fig2 . a 1010 steel coupon was immersed in the solution comprising a complex mixture of ions prepared in accordance with example 1a when the temperature was below 140 ° f . with no external electromotive force required . a visible , tenacious film formed on the steel panel . the panel was examined by xps ( x - ray photoelectron spectroscopy ) and the presence of silicon and nitrogen on the surface of the panel was detected , as illustrated by fig3 ( summary scan spectrum ), fig4 ( high - resolution spectrum of si2p peak ), and fig5 ( high - resolution spectrum of n1s peak ). another steel panel immersed in this solution was analyzed via edax with the results illustrated in the spectrum of fig6 . an aluminum panel immersed in this solution was analyzed via edax with the results illustrated in the spectrum of fig7 . 1 table 4 provides semi - quantitative , zaf - corrected and normalized edax results ( atomic -%). a 1010 steel coupon was immersed in the solution comprising a complex mixture of ions prepared in accordance with example 1b when the temperature was below 140 ° f . with no external electromotive force required . a visible , tenacious film formed on the steel panel . the panel was examined by xps and the presence of silicon and nitrogen on the surface of the panel was detected , as illustrated by fig8 ( summary scan spectrum ), fig9 ( high - resolution spectrum of si2p peak ), and fig1 ( high - resolution spectrum of n1s peak ). in each of two glass beakers , 70 grams of montmorillonite i clay was immersed in 100 grams of fresh water . in one beaker 5 ml of the solution comprising a complex mixture of ions prepared in accordance with example 1a was added to the fresh water . both beakers were observed closely . in the beaker to which the inventive solution had been added , the clay slowly began to delaminate and fall to the bottom of the beaker as finely divided particles . in the other beaker there was no visible delamination of the clay . after 24 hours the clay in treated beaker had been completely separated into constituent elements . in the other beaker , the clay was still intact and there was a slight indication of the clay swelling . 600 grams of penreco ® drakeol ® 5 was added to a glass beaker with 120 grams of the solution comprising a complex mixture of ions prepared in accordance with example 1a . the heater was turned on with continuous stirring . the temperature of the mixture was raised above 265 ° f . and boiled at that temperature for 20 minutes , at which time salts formed and precipitated from the solution to the bottom of the beaker . the oil phase was bright and clear . this solution will hereinafter be referred to as “ con1 ”. 5 grams of con1 , prepared in accordance with the procedure described in example 4 , was mixed with 100 grams of drakeol ® 5 and stirred . the resulting solution will hereinafter be referred to as “ additive 1 ”. 10 ml of the additive 1 was mixed into 200 ml of diesel fuel . the additive 1 was completely miscible in the diesel fuel . 4 grams of additive 1 and 225 grams of unleaded gasoline were mixed in a beaker . the additive 1 was miscible in the gasoline . the mixture prepared in accordance with example 6 was used in experiments for testing on two - cycle engines to measure fuel economy and “ do no harm ”. the engine chosen for the test procedure was a homelite two - cycle leaf blower with a 30 cc engine . the need to turn the blower at high rpm places a load on the small engine . the engine is run in the 7200 rpm range with a constant load at all times . two - cycle engines , which typically use a mixture of fuel to oil at a 50 : 1 ratio , are difficult to lubricate and are not fuel - efficient . the two - cycle lubricants currently being widely used to lubricate and protect against engine damage contain a large amount of “ bright stock ”, a heavy fraction in oils that is very toxic and polluting . a two - cycle engine of this type , if not properly lubricated , will typically seize up within 20 minutes or less . it would thus not be expected that a lubricant made with a silicon - containing component would provide protection for a two - cycle engine against seizure and failure . the fuel was prepared using standard two - cycle oil at a fuel : oil mix ratio of 50 : 1 . two control runs were made with a new engine ; each run using 225 grams of gasoline mixed with 4 . 5 grams of standard two - cycle oil . a “ baseline ” control run length ( i . e ., time to fuel exhaustion ) was determined by averaging the lengths of the two runs , which resulted in a baseline of 29 minutes , 45 seconds . a one - pint volume of treated two - cycle oil was then prepared that contained 5 % ( by weight ) of conl , which had been prepared in accordance with example 4 . four identical test runs were then performed ; each using 225 grams of gasoline mixed with 4 . 5 grams of the treated two - cycle oil , running the test engine until it shut down for lack of fuel . the time to fuel exhaustion was measured in each of the four tests . results from the four runs were as shown below in table 1 : the average of the four test runs ( using the con1 as an additive ) was 33 minutes and 13 seconds compared with control runs ( baseline — no additive ) of 29 minutes and 45 seconds or a decrease in fuel usage for identical runs . there was also a noticeable reduction in particulate emissions with the test mixtures prepared using the con1 additive . the engine did not seize and , in fact , appeared to run smoother with the test mixtures prepared using con1 . this test demonstrated that the con1 additive improved fuel economy and reduced emissions , and did not harm the engine . 300 grams of methyl ester ( soy methyl ester , columbus foods , chicago , ill .) were placed in a beaker to which 15 grams of the solution comprising a complex mixture of ions prepared in accordance with example 1a was added . the solution was heated to above 200 ° f ., began to foam , and on cooling formed soap . this example mixture was deemed not to be a candidate as a fuel or lubricant additive . 5 grams of con1 was added to 100 grams of methyl ester , in which it was completely miscible . the resulting mixture was used as a fuel additive at a rate of approximately one ounce of fuel additive mixture to 10 gallons of automotive gasoline or diesel fuel . 0 . 1 grams ammonia paratungstate ( solid ) was added to 40 grams of the complex mixture of ions produced in accordance with example 1a with stirring until the solid dissolved . a 1010 steel panel was then immersed in the resulting solution and extracted after 1 minute . a visible thin , tenacious , adherent film had formed on the metal substrate . the panel surface was examined by edax and the results that were obtained are illustrated by the spectrum shown in fig1 . the presence of tungsten and silicon was detected on the surface of the metal . the above - described solution of ammonia paratungstate was then dehydrated with drakeol ® 5 using the general procedure described in example 4 , by heating to above 300 ° f . with stirring until salts formed and precipitated to the bottom of the glass beaker . a 1010 steel panel was inserted in the resulting solution while the temperature was about 180 ° f . and a visible , thin film was present on the panel . this panel was then analyzed by edax . the results that were obtained are illustrated by the spectrum provided at fig1 . the presence of tungsten and silicon was detected on the surface . 0 . 1 grams of ammonia molybdate ( solid ) was added to 40 grams of the complex mixture of ions produced in accordance with example 1a , with stirring until the solid dissolved . a 1010 steel panel was then immersed in the resulting solution and extracted after 1 minute . a visible , thin , tenacious , adherent surface had formed on the metal . the panel surface was then analyzed by edax . the results are illustrated by the spectrum provided at fig1 . silicon and molybdenum were detected on the metal surface . the electroless deposition of tungsten and molybdenum from aqueous solutions is another novel characteristic of the present invention . the conventional art teaches that such deposition is not possible . for example , the conventional text by frederick a . lowenheim , “ electroplating : fundamentals of surface finishing ” ( 1977 ) mcgraw - hill book company ( tx ), asin 0070388369 ( pg . 141 ) teaches that “ from the standpoint of their electrode potentials , it should be possible to electroplate such metals as tungsten and molybdenum from aqueous solutions with a ph of about 5 . nevertheless ( in spite of claims in the literature ) these metals cannot be deposited in pure form from aqueous solutions ”. therefore , the electroless deposition of tungsten and molybdenum , together with other refractory metals , from aqueous solutions is new in the art . silicon / refractory metal surfaces would find wide fields of commercial use in , for example , protection of metal surfaces , reducing coefficients of friction , inhibiting corrosion , hardening metals and , as previously described , could impart high heat resistance . other specific areas of potential usage include as fuel additives for jet turbine engines in aircraft in addition to ground use turbine applications . a thermal barrier could easily be formed by the methods of the present invention for use on components designed for hostile thermal environments , such as super - alloy turbines and the combustor and augmentor components of gas turbine engines . the silicon - nitrogen could diffuse into the surface of the jet turbine components and form a heat resistant ( and potentially reflective ) coating . there is no method known today for coating jet turbine engine components that does not involve taking the engine apart and either replacing components or applying metallizing sprays . the methods currently used obviously place a heavy financial burden on turbine owners because of both the downtime and the replacement costs for parts and materials . another commercial use segment of significant potential value is burners for industrial combustion systems , such as gas - fired furnaces for heat - treating and low - no x industrial pyrolysis furnaces . the combustion of natural gas generates substantial quantities of nitrogen oxides and much time and money has been spent on improving natural gas burner designs to lower their no x emissions . the new low no x burners will reduce no x emissions for periods of time , but it is expected that metals in natural gas in the parts per billion range will slowly build up on the nozzles of the burners and affect flow patterns to increase no x emissions . a heat resistant coating on industrial burners would significantly extend the useful life of the burners with continued low no x emissions . such a heat resistant coating has the further advantage of potentially permitting the use of less expensive burner materials . the thin coating of the silicon nitride , for example , could improve the flow characteristics of combustion gases giving further benefits in terms of burner design options for lowering no x emissions and improving burner performance . for the tests of this example , a 2000 model year lincoln town car with a 4 . 6 - liter engine and an automatic transmission was used . a base line fuel consumption figure was first established by running the vehicle for over 300 miles at about 72 mph continuously with regular unleaded fuel . the resulting baseline average fuel consumption was 22 . 4 mpg . the fuel tank was then refilled using the additive in accordance with the present invention as described above in example 9 ( one ounce of fuel additive per 10 gallons of diamond shamrock brand regular unleaded fuel ). the test car was then driven over approximately the same highway at about the same speed ( 72 mph ) and at generally the same ambient conditions . the onboard computer indicated that the car achieved 25 . 9 mpg with the additive - treated fuel . this amounts to a decrease in fuel usage of 3 . 5 gallons per tank , or a 15 . 6 % improvement in fuel economy . a 1991 ford f150 pickup with a 4 . 9 l engine , a standard five speed manual transmission , and 325 , 000 miles of usage , which had an established baseline of 15 . 5 mpg using regular unleaded fuel , was tested using additive 1 prepared in accordance with the procedure described above in example 5 , using 1 ounce of additive 1 per 10 gallons regular unleaded fuel . under test conditions similar to those described above with respect to example 12 , this test vehicle obtained a fuel usage of 19 . 67 mpg , which is a fuel economy benefit of 26 . 9 %. a 1998 chevrolet ck3500 4 × 4 with a 6 . 5 - l diesel engine with 184 , 165 miles was used as a test vehicle . a baseline mileage was established at 14 . 7 mpg . one test run was then made with the test vehicle to establish a baseline . three test runs were then made using additive 1 in standard on road automotive diesel fuel . the ratio of addition was 1 ounce of additive 1 to 10 gallons of diesel fuel . the results were as follows in table 2 : for the following example , a diesel - electric generator with a 150 kw fiat engine was used . the fiat engine had 13 , 850 hours of use prior to testing . the purpose of the test was to determine the effect if any of additives prepared in accordance with the present invention on fuel efficiency and environmental emissions . the engine typically released substantial particulates upon start - up , and generally continued visible smoking during operation . the generator was set at 33 % load capacity for this test . a base line of fuel usage was determined by filling the fuel tank to the top of the tank . the diesel engine was then started , and the generator was run with a 33 % load for 8 hours . the fuel tank was then refilled and the amount used to fill the tank was noted to determine fuel consumption . the fuel tank capacity was 100 gallons . as noted in table 3 , the base line fuel consumption ( with no additive 1 ) was 4 . 075 gallons per hour , as compared to the test fuel consumption of 3 . 634 gallons per hour using additive 1 as described above . this amounts to a reduction in fuel consumption of approximately 9 . 24 %. further , as noted , the test engine had relatively heavy particulate emissions during startup for the baseline run , which is not atypical for a diesel engine . the engine had noticeably significant reductions in startup particulates after treatment , indicative of improvement in the combustion process . in merkl , a study of low purity silicon / potassium is described ( see example 1 of merkl at column 23 ). as discussed above , the merki method employed an endothermic phase that lasted 6 hours followed by an exothermic phase that lasted for 45 minutes . in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention , a reaction scheme was employed comprising a novel variant wherein the rate of addition of the alkali metal is varied and no endothermic reaction is employed . this example used 616 grams of ferrosilicon rocks containing about 75 % silicon with about 25 % iron , and a rock size of approximately 1 cm ( about ½ inch ). other reagents included 2000 grams ammonium hydroxide ( 26 ° baume ) and 616 grams potassium hydroxide ( flakes ). the ingredients were added as quickly as possible and then forced into an exothermic reaction by applying heat to the vessel . the exothermic reaction lasted for 45 minutes and a clear viscous fluid resulted . specific gravity was then measured at 1 . 2 . the resulting solution was decanted from the unreacted ferrosilicon rocks . approximately one hour after preparation of the solution as described in example 16 , a panel of 1010 steel was immersed in the solution for 30 seconds and then extracted . the panel was then analyzed via edax . the analytical results are provided in the spectrum provided at fig1 . silicon was detected on the surface of the metal . 600 grams of drakeol ® 5 was placed in a 4000 - ml beaker and 120 grams of a ferrosilicon solution prepared in accordance with example 16 was added . the solution was heated with stirring . above 300 ° f . salts precipitated , leaving a clear and bright solution , indicating that all the water had been removed . the heat was turned off and the temperature dropped to 180 ° f ., at which time a panel of 1010 steel was immersed in the oil solution for 1 minute . the panel was extracted and a thin , tenacious film was observed on the metal . the panel was then analyzed via edax . the result is provided in the spectrum shown in fig1 . silicon was detected on the metal surface , which indicates that a soluble silicon species in the oil is deposited on the metal from the oil - based solution . this solution is hereinafter referred to as “ con2 ”. con2 was added to 150 solvent neutral bp 901 base oil at a ratio of 1 gram con2 to 20 grams solvent neutral oil , to provide make an oil and lubricant additive . although 150 solvent neutral bp 901 base oil was used in this example , those skilled in the art will recognize that any similar oil , such as any base oil manufactured from solvent refined paraffinic lube distillates or a us 350h group 2 oil may be used with satisfactory results . 5 grams of con2 prepared in accordance with example 18 was stirred into 100 grams of drakeol ® 5 . the resulting mixture , referred to hereinafter as “ additive 2 ” was placed in the fuel tank of the model year 2000 lincoln town car previously referred to in the context of example 12 , at the rate of one ounce of the additive 2 per ten gallons of regular diamond shamrock brand unleaded fuel . as noted with respect to example 12 , base line fuel consumption for this vehicle had previously been established at 22 . 4 mpg . the test vehicle was then driven 310 miles at an average speed of 72 mph . during the first 100 miles the onboard computer registered at 24 . 5 mpg . for the balance of the test the onboard computer registered 27 . 4 mpg , for an improvement in fuel economy of 5 mpg or 22 . 3 %. this represents a further increase in fuel efficiency over the example 12 results using con1 of 3 . 5 mpg or 15 . 6 %. in this example , additive 2 was tested in the ford 150 pickup of example 13 ( now with 334 , 000 miles of usage ) at the ratio of 1 ounce per 10 gallons of diamond shamrock brand regular unleaded fuel . the vehicle was then driven for 220 miles and an average of 19 . 37 mpg was achieved , which is similar to the result achieved in example 13 . in this example , a stoichiometric amount of ammonium phosphate monobasic is dissolved in water . the ph of the solution is raised to 14 by the addition of an alkali metal hydroxide . the resulting solution is then heated to above 180 ° f . and maintained at elevated temperature for 20 minutes or until the odor of the ammonia is no longer present . a panel of 1010 steel is then immersed in the solution for 20 seconds and a thin , tenacious film is formed on the metal . a stainless steel kitchen knife is immersed in the solution for 30 seconds , removed , and dried . a thin tenacious film formed on the stainless steel . stainless steel is a passive metal alloy and does not accept a new surface without significant preparation in a dilute nitric acid solution followed immediately by placement in a plating bath with applied electromotive force in order to obtain a new surface . the solution contains ammonium / alkali metal / phosphorous and water . the solution is then dehydrated thermally in a hydrocarbon oil . a panel of 1010 steel was immersed in the oil solution for 30 seconds and a thin tenacious film formed on the steel panel . in this example , a stoichiometric amount of ammonium sulfate is dissolved in water . the ph of the aqueous solution is raised to above 12 and the solution is then heated to above 180 ° f . and held at that temperature until the odor of ammonia is no longer present . a stainless steel knife is then immersed in the solution and a thin , tenacious film is formed on the stainless steel piece . the solution contains ammonium / alkali metal / sulfur and water . the solution is then thermally dehydrated in a hydrocarbon oil . a panel of 1010 steel was immersed in the oil solution for 30 seconds and a thin tenacious film formed on the steel panel . in this example , ammonium acetate is dissolved in water . the ph of the solution is then raised to above 12 and held at a temperature above 180 ° f . until the odor of ammonia is no longer present . the solution contains ammonium / alkali metal / carbon and water . the solution was then thermally dehydrated in a hydrocarbon oil . in this example , a stoichiometric amount of ammonium borate is dissolved in water . the ph of the solution is then raised to above 12 by the addition of an alkali metal and then heated for 20 minutes or until the odor of ammonia is no longer present . the solution contains ammonium / alkali metal / boron . a stainless steel panel is immersed in the solution and a thin , tenacious film formed on the stainless steel . the solution is then dehydrated thermally in a hydrocarbon oil . a panel of 1010 steel was immersed in the oil solution and a thin tenacious film formed on the metal . in this example , 54 . 4 grams of bismuth bb &# 39 ; s ( small spheres ) is mixed with boiling h 2 so 4 and water . the solution is decanted and the bismuth bb &# 39 ; s are washed with water , dried , and then weighed . a total of 2 . 4 grams of bismuth was dissolved into the solution , which had a ph below 2 . the solution was raised to a ph of 8 by adding ammonium hydroxide , and the ph was further raised above 12 by the addition of potassium hydroxide . the solution was then heated to above 180 ° f . until the odor of ammonia was no longer present . a panel of 1010 steel was immersed in the solution and a thin , tenacious film formed on the steel panel . the solution was then thermally dehydrated in a hydrocarbon oil . a panel of 1010 steel was immersed in the oil solution for 30 seconds and a thin tenacious film formed on the steel panel . in this example , ferrosilicon ( 75 % si ) is placed in a reaction vessel . ammonium hydroxide , an alkali metal hydroxide , and water are then placed in the reaction vessel . the vessel is then heated to 180 ° f . and an exothermic reaction occurs which continues until the solution is too viscous to support further reaction . a solution of ethanol / methanol is placed in a glass beaker . a measured amount of the aqueous silicon solution is poured into the alcohol mixture . there is an immediate precipitation of salts . a panel of 1010 steel is then immersed in the solution for 30 seconds , and a thin tenacious film formed on the steel panel . the aqueous silicon solution is then thermally dehydrated into a hydrocarbon oil and some of the silicon becomes partly soluble in the oil . the sulfur oil of example 22 ( above ) is then mixed with the silicon oil and the oils are miscible . a beaker of ethanol / methanol is added to a vessel and the sulfur / silicon oil is added to the ethanol / methanol solution . a 1010 steel panel is then immersed in the sulfur / silicon oil solution for 30 seconds and then extracted . a thin tenacious film had formed on the steel panel . ethanol is currently being touted as a method of reducing dependency on oil resources . ethanol has limitations in the transport and handling of the solution . ethanol is extremely corrosive ; thus , any system that would allow for film forming on metals that contact ethanol would be valuable . bio - diesel is also being touted as a method to reduce reliance on oil . bio - diesel , for example , is a mixture of 80 % hydrocarbon diesel fuel and 20 % methyl esters . the methyl ester is derived from vegetable oils , primarily soybean oils , and is processed to remove the glycerin . the methyl ester can then be added to hydrocarbon diesel at any ratio and used for combustion purposes . the aqueous solution of example 1a above is first thermally dehydrated in a hydrocarbon oil . the resulting solution is then added to the methyl esters and becomes completely miscible . a 1010 steel panel is immersed in the modified methyl ester for 30 seconds . a thin tenacious film is deposited on the steel substrate . methyl esters can thus be used to bring thin tenacious films onto all the metal parts in internal combustion engines . while the preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described , modifications thereof can be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and teachings of the invention . the embodiments described herein are exemplary only , and are not intended to be limiting . many variations and modifications of the invention disclosed herein are possible and are within the scope of the invention . accordingly , the scope of protection is not limited by the description set out above , but is only limited by the claims which follow , that scope including all equivalents of the subject matter of the claims . the examples provided in the disclosure are presented for illustration and explanation purposes only and are not intended to limit the claims or embodiment of this invention . while the preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described , modification thereof can be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and teachings of the invention . process criteria , pendant processing equipment , and the like for any given implementation of the invention will be readily ascertainable to one of skill in the art based upon the disclosure herein . the embodiments described herein are exemplary only , and are not intended to be limiting . many variations and modifications of the invention disclosed herein are possible and are within the scope of the invention . use of the term “ optionally ” with respect to any element of the invention is intended to mean that the subject element is required , or alternatively , is not required . both alternatives are intended to be within the scope of the invention . the discussion of a reference in the description of the related art is not an admission that it is prior art to the present invention , especially any reference that may have a publication date after the priority date of this application . the disclosures of all patents , patent applications , and publications cited herein are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety , to the extent that they provide exemplary , procedural , or other details supplementary to those set forth herein .	2
the present embodiment herein is not intended to be exhaustive and to limit in any way the scope of the invention , rather it is used as examples for the clarification of the invention and for enabling of other skilled in the art to utilize its teaching . the present invention describes an improved capillary for wire bonding ( either ball or wedge bonding ). wire bonding is a prior art technique which include the following stages : first , as shown in fig1 ( a ), a capillary 4 , through which bonding wire 7 is threaded , is targeted over a the die 2 and positioned above bond pad 22 . at this stage wire clamps 6 are closed . a ball 3 is formed by a spark discharge created by an electric torch 5 on part of wire 7 , which extends from the lower end of a capillary 4 . electric torch 5 is there moved aside in the direction shown by arrow b . next , as shown in fig1 ( b ), the wire clamps 6 open and the capillary 4 is lowered . the ball 3 on the tip end of the wire 7 is pressed against the first bonding area 8 by the face 4 b of the tip of capillary 4 , and an ultrasonic vibration is applied to the capillary tip 4 by a horn ( not shown ), so as to bond the ball 3 to the first bonding area 8 . afterward , as shown in fig1 ( c ), capillary 4 is raised and moved in direction a , so as to be positioned at a point above the second bonding . next , as shown in fig1 ( d ), the capillary 4 is lowered toward a second contact point 8 a on a lead finger 9 and wire 7 is crushed against the second bonding point 8 a , as shown in fig1 ( e ). an ultrasonic vibration is applied to the capillary 4 by the horn ( not shown ), so as to bond the wire 7 to the second bonding point 8 a . then , as shown in fig1 ( f ), the capillary 4 is raised off the bonding point . the clamps 6 , which move together with the capillary , are closed at a pre - set height . this prevents the wire from feeding out the capillary and pulls at the bond . the wire detaches at its thinnest cross section which was already weakened , near the stitch 11 as shown in fig1 ( f ). a new ball 3 ′ is formed again by an electronic torch 5 on the tail of the wire 7 which extends from the end of the capillary 4 as shown in fig1 ( g ). the cycle is thus completed and ready for the next ball bond . this sequence of stages demonstrates the active role , that face 4 b of capillary 4 , has in the wire bonding process . during a life span of a capillary , it may lead through it several hundred meters of threaded bond wire , as a result , there exist mutual wearing of the capillary and the bonding wire at their contact area , the extent of which depends on the relative hardness of the capillary surface and the bonding wire . because the capillary is made of alumina , or other hardened ceramic materials , some of the constituents on the outer surface of the soft gold or aluminum wires will be smeared on the faces of the capillary which are in contact with the wires , namely the sidewalls of the bore of the capillary and the pressing surface of the capillary tip . the outer surface of the bond wire includes contaminates , which consist of residues of lubricating materials and of other materials , which are used in the manufacturing of the bond wires or capillary . this is so because wires that are usually made of gold or of aluminum , are manufactured by extrusion processes by which they are pulled through orifices of decreasing diameter , and in order to enable the wire manufacturing process , special lubricating material are used , which adhere to the surface of the wire and are not completely removed even after the final cleaning of the wire . part of these depositions is smeared over the surface of the bore of the capillary during the travel of the bonding wire in it . other part of these contaminants adheres to the surface of the face of the tip of capillary . besides , during their manufacturing the capillaries themselves are subjected to polishing process , these processes can leave some organic sludge residues on the alumina surface of the capillary , which contribute as well to the contamination of the face of the capillary . during bonding in general , and during ball bonding in particular , both the capillary and the wire get heated . this causes the polymerization and oxidation of these residues , which are then converted into a solid a buffer layer , separating between the hard alumina pressing surface of the face of the capillary tip and the wire . this buffer layer prevents the correct application of the bonding force by the capillary while the bond is being formed which results with bonds having inconsistent quality . the present invention discloses a method for the reduction of the amount of contamination that is delivered from the outer surface of the bond wire to the surface area of the capillary which is in contact with the bond wire , extending by this the working time period of the capillary and improves the ball bond and the stitch qualities at all the stages of its service life . the method includes the covering of the active alumina surface of the capillary , which is in contact with the bond wire , with an inert surface , which rejects accumulation of contaminates , particularly on the face of the capillary which presses the bond wire . [ 0048 ] fig2 shows an embodiment 10 , of the present invention . it includes coating the outer surface of the tip of the capillary 4 with a layer 41 of deposited polymer having thickness of 0 . 3 - 8 μm . it is a long lasting layer which prevents the adherence of organic contaminates originating from bonding wire 7 and other sources as described above , on surface of the pressing face 4 b of the tip of capillary 4 . polymer layer 41 deposited inside bore 4 a , does not affect wire 7 travel along the capillary bore 4 a , even at the narrow “ bottle neck ” 42 , of the capillary in which the clearance between the 7 and sidewalls of bore 44 surface is minimal . in embodiment 10 of the invention , the polymer film 41 includes the compound with the generic name -“ parylene ” ( poly - para - xylylene ), a thermoplastic film polymer , which is deposited on the outer surface of capillary 4 by the process of vapor - phase - polymerization . the coating of objects with films of “ parylene ” by vapor - phase - polymerization is a known process whose description is documented , e . g ., in pages 1323 - 1330 of “ concise encyclopedia of polymer science and engineering ”, jacqueline i . kroschwitz , executive editor , john wiley & amp ; sons inc . 1990 . the polymer deposition procedure was applied to wire bonding capillaries , which after being thoroughly clean washed and dried , were introduced into the deposition chamber of a vapor - phase - polymerization system . the performance of capillaries according to the present invention was compared to that of reference capillaries , which were identical capillaries without a polymer film . both type of capillaries were employed in a commercial wire bonder and the resulting bonds were tested using standard test devices . it was found in these tests that the properties of the bonds obtained with the capillaries of the present invention , in both the ball bonding and the wedge bonding processes , were superior to the properties of the bonds of the reference capillaries with regard to all the test parameters . [ 0056 ] fig3 ( a ) compares the ball diameter of the bonds which were obtained by the capillary according to the present invention to the ball diameter of the ball bonds which were obtained by the untreated reference capillary . fig3 ( b ) compares the shear force per unit area of the ball bonds which were obtained by the capillary according to the present invention , to the shear force per unit area of the bonds which were produced by the untreated reference capillaries . [ 0057 ] fig3 ( c ) compares the b . s . r , ( which is the ball to wire size ratio ), of the balls which were obtained by the capillary according to the present invention , to the b . s . r of balls which were produced by the untreated reference capillaries , and fig3 ( d ) compares the stitch pull force of the wedge bonds which were obtained by the capillary according to the present invention , to the stitch pull force of the wedge bonds which were produced by the untreated reference capillaries . according to the findings presented in fig3 the present invention increases the life span of capillaries from 0 . 7 [ mwire ] to 1 . 4 [ mwire ]. the bond quality obtained by the capillaries according to the present invention was superior to the bond quality obtained by the reference untreated capillaries ( the bonds are smaller and stronger ), and this improved quality was maintained throughout their whole life span , without the need for changing of the wire bonding process parameters , in contrast to existing capillaries which show deterioration in bond quality at an early stage of 0 . 4 [ mwire ]. while the invention has been described with respect to a single embodiment , it will be appreciated that many variations , modifications and other applications of the invention may be made .	7
while the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in various forms , there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be described a presently preferred embodiment with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiment illustrated . it should be understood that the title of this section of this specification , namely , “ detailed description of the invention ”, relates to a requirement of the united states patent office , and does not imply , nor should be inferred to limit the subject matter disclosed herein . referring now to the figures and in particular to fig1 , there is shown a side action crimping tool 10 embodying the principles of the present invention . the tool 10 includes a head 12 , a stationary handle 14 and a crimping or operating handle 16 . as the names reveal , the stationary handle 14 is mounted , in a stationary manner , to the head 12 and provides for support and stability in using the tool 10 , as well as assists in developing the leverage needed to operate the tool 10 . the operating handle 16 , on the other hand , is used to operate or actuate the tool 10 . the present tool 10 is of the side action type in that one of the handles 16 actuates the tool 10 while the other is for stability and leverage and further that the tool 10 operates on strapping from the side of the head 12 , rather than the top of the head . the head 12 includes a plurality of movable jaw element sets or pairs 18 a , b , 20 a , b and 22 a , b , and in fact at least three jaw element pairs . this is unlike known crimping tools that use only two pairs of jaw elements . the jaws 18 - 22 pivot between an open position in which the strap s and crimp seal c are positioned in the tool 10 ( between the jaws , i . e ., between jaws 18 a , 20 a , 22 a and 18 b , 20 b and 22 b , respectively ) and a closed position in which the jaws 18 - 22 move inward to deform the seal c and compress the seal c onto the strapping material s thus forming the crimp seal . it will be appreciated that when the jaws 18 - 22 are open , the distance between the jaws ( that is , the distance between jaw elements 18 a and 18 b , between elements 20 a and 20 b and between elements 22 a and 22 b , or the jaw opening 23 ) is ( slightly ) greater than the with of the crimp seal c , and that closing the jaws 18 - 22 moves the jaws toward one another . a linkage arrangement , indicated generally at 25 , in the head 12 operably connects the jaws 18 - 22 to one another and to the operating handle 16 so that pivoting the operating handle 16 away from the stationary handle 14 opens the jaws 18 - 22 and pivoting the operating handle 16 toward the stationary handle 14 closes the jaws 18 - 22 . such an arrangement is well known in the art and will be recognized by those skilled in the art . in order to create joint , the seal c must not only be bent inward ( or closed ), onto the flat portions of the strap s , but also an undulation or “ wave ” like deformation is formed in the crimp seal c , transverse to the longitudinal axis of a c the seal c ( see fig5 ). in order to form this wave , as indicated generally at w , as seen in fig2 and 4 a - 4 c , a crimper ( two total ) 24 , 26 is positioned between adjacent pairs of jaw elements 18 - 22 . a present tool includes two crimpers , one crimper 24 between the first and second pair of jaw elements 18 , 20 and a second crimper 26 between the second and third pair of jaw elements 20 , 22 . again , unlike known tools which have two pairs of jaw elements and one crimper , the present tool includes three pairs of jaw elements 18 - 22 and two crimpers 24 , 26 . thus , while the joint made using known tools is of a w - shape , a joint seal c made using the present tool 10 is a ww - shape ( see fig5 ). this provides a number of advantages , some of which are not readily apparent . first , the increased number of waves or undulations , increases the tortuousness of the path that a strap would have to follow in order to pull out of the joint . this , of course , increases the overall joint strength . additionally , the increased number of jaw pairs 18 - 22 and crimpers 24 , 26 allows the use of straight crimpers 24 and 26 , rather than known peaked crimpers . that is , as seen in fig2 and 4 a - 4 c , the present tools uses crimpers 24 and 26 that are essentially straight across the tool or from the point 28 adjacent one jaw element , e . g ., 18 a of a pair , to a point 30 adjacent the other jaw element , e . g ., 18 b , of that pair . as such , in a present tool 10 , the crimper 24 , 26 is formed straight ( as indicated at 32 ) from one jaw element to the other jaw element , and has a rounded profile in cross - section as indicated at 34 in fig4 c ( transverse to the elongated direction ). this is quite unlike known tools which use a peaked crimper that essentially provides an anvil surface , about which the strap and seal are bent ( and cut or torn ) as the jaws compress and close the seal . it has been found that by increasing the number of jaw element pairs 18 - 22 ( to at least three pairs ) and accordingly increasing the number of crimpers 24 , 26 , the depth to which the crimps ww ( fig5 ) must be made can be significantly reduced . while one may suppose that such an arrangement would unacceptably reduce the joint strength , it has been found that the increased number of reduced depth crimps provides acceptable joint strength while greatly reducing the opportunity for joint failure due to severed plastic strap ( under the crimp seal ). those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention has been described with reference to a side action crimp sealing tool , but that the invention is equally well applicable to known top action sealing tools as well . all patents referred to herein , are hereby incorporated herein by reference , whether or not specifically done so within the text of this disclosure . in the disclosures , the words “ a ” or “ an ” are to be taken to include both the singular and the plural . conversely , any reference to plural items shall , where appropriate , include the singular . from the foregoing it will be observed that numerous modification and variations can be effectuated without departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the present invention . it is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific embodiments illustrated is intended or should be inferred . the disclosure is intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims .	1
the present invention is an improved process for manufacture of fluoran leuco dyes of formula 1 containing a phenylenediamine moiety . the process of the invention comprises reacting a keto acid of formula 2 with aminodiphenylamine of formula 3 in an alkanesulfonic acid such as methanesulfonic acid , ethane sulfonic acid or in an arenesulfonic acid such as benzenesulfonic acid , 1 - napthalenesulfonic acid , or 2 - naphthalenesulfonic acid . methanesulfonic acid is preferred . alkanesulfonic acids or arenesulfonic acids may be liquids or low melting point solids . the solid forms can be liquefied with mild heating above the melting point of the material . the keto acid is then able to be more conveniently dissolved into the liquefied sulfonic acid . in formulas 1 , 2 and 3 , r , r 1 and r 2 may be the same or different and each represents alkyl ( c 1 - c 8 ), aryl or aralkyl . aromatic ring in aryl and aralkyl may be unsubstituted or substituted with alkyl , alkoxy or halogen ; wherein r 1 — n — r 2 may form pyrrolidinyl , piperidinyl and morpholinyl ring moieties . r 3 , r 4 , r 5 and r 6 each independently represent hydrogen , alkyl ( c 1 - c 8 ), cycloalkyl , alkoxy ( c 1 - c 8 ), halogen , aryl or aralkyl . the aromatic ring in aryl and aralkyl may be unsubstituted or substituted with alkyl , alkoxy or halogen ; said alkyl or alkoxy moieties being from one to eight carbons . also , the pairs r 3 and r 4 , r 4 and r 5 , and r 5 and r 6 may form alicyclic or aromatic ring structures . preferably the alkanesulfonic acid is methanesulfonic acid . methane sulfonic acid is typically available commercially as a colorless liquid . it is also available in anhydrous form . the keto acid is first dissolved in the sulfonic acid such as methanesulfonic acid . warming to about 30 ° c . and more preferably 35 ° c . aids dissolution . in one embodiment , preferably the keto acid is 2 -( 2 - hydroxy - 3 , 4 - dimethyl benzoyl ) benzoic acid . after dissolution of the keto acid in methanesulfonic acid , an aminodiphenylamine such as 3 - methoxy - 4 ′- dimethylaminodiphenylamine is added and the reaction mixture is stirred for a time and temperature , preferably room temperature overnight , to allow the reaction to proceed . the reaction mixture is then made alkaline such as with a 10 % solution of sodium hydroxide and extracted with solvent such as toluene . if desired , the fluoran can be further recrystallized from organic solvents such as isopropanol heated to an elevated temperature . in general , the keto acid of formula 2 , and more specifically of formula 7 can be used as a starting material ( such as if purchased commercially ) or can be prepared by reacting the corresponding substituted phenol , such as alkyl phenol , or more particularly for example , 3 , 4 - dimethylphenol ( formula 8 ) is reacted with phthalic anhydride ( formula 9 ) in the presence of anhydrous aluminum chloride and 1 , 2 - dichloroethane as solvent . the keto acid ( formula 7 ) should be free of unreacted phenol ( formula 8 ), so it is important to drive the formation of the keto acid to completion or to remove unreacted phenol to isolate the pure keto acid . it is usually more convenient to drive the reaction to completion by allowing sufficient time for reaction completion . in the presence of strong acid , unreacted phenol if present gives rise to formation of a competing fluoran ( formula 10 ) as a side reaction and impurity . 2 -( 2 - hydroxy - 3 , 4 - dimethylbenzoyl ) benzoic acid ( 2 . 7 g , 0 . 01 mole ) was added to sulfuric acid ( 15 ml ) in a three - necked , 250 ml round - bottom flask , equipped with a mechanical stirrer and reflux condenser carrying a drying tube . the contents of the flask were warmed to 35 ° c . with stirring until all the acid had dissolved . then , 3 - methoxy - 4 ′- dimethylaminodiphenylamine ( 2 . 4 g , 0 . 01 mole ) was added and the reaction mixture was stirred overnight at room temperature . the reaction mixture was poured on to ice / water and made alkaline with sodium hydroxide ( 10 %); toluene ( 50 ml ) was added and the reaction mixture was kept at 85 °- 90 ° c . for two hours with vigorous stirring . the warm toluene layer was separated , washed with hot water , dried and filtered hot . on cooling , the product separated as grayish white solid . this solid was purified by recrystallization from hot isopropanol . a white solid was obtained . yield : 2 . 0 g ( 43 %). m . p . : 185 °- 187 ° c . ir ( kbr ) n — h band at 3258 cm − 1 and c ═ o band at 1758 cm − 1 . 2 -( 2 - hydroxy - 3 , 4 - dimethylbenzoyl ) benzoic acid ( 2 . 7 g , 0 . 01 mole ) was added to methanesulfonic acid ( 15 ml ) in a three - necked , 250 ml round - bottom flask , equipped with a mechanical stirrer and reflux condenser carrying a drying tube . the contents of the flask were warmed to 35 ° c . with stirring until all the acid had dissolved . then 3 - methoxy - 4 ′- dimethylaminodiphenylamine ( 2 . 4 g , 0 . 01 mole ) was added and the reaction mixture was stirred overnight at room temperature . the reaction mixture was poured on to ice / water and made alkaline with sodium hydroxide ( 10 %); toluene ( 50 ml ) was added and the reaction mixture was kept at 85 °- 90 ° c . for two hours with vigorous stirring . the warm toluene layer was separated , washed with hot water , dried and filtered hot . on cooling , the product separated as greyish white solid . this solid was purified by recrystallization from hot isopropanol . a white solid was obtained . yield : 3 . 7 g ( 80 %) m . p . : 185 °- 187 ° c . ir ( kbr ) n — h band at 3258 cm − 1 and c ═ o band at 1758 cm − 1 . unless otherwise indicated , all measurements herein are by weight and in the metric system . the principles , preferred embodiments , and modes of operation of the present invention have been described in the foregoing specification . the invention which is intended to be protected herein , however , is not to be construed as limited to the particular forms disclosed , since these are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive . variations and changes can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .	2
the following discussion of the embodiments of the invention directed to an electric propulsion and lift system for an aircraft is merely exemplary in nature , and is in no way intended to limit the invention or its applications or uses . fig1 is a top view of an aircraft 10 including a fuselage 12 , a right wing 14 mounted to a right side of the fuselage 12 , a left wing 16 mounted to a left side of the fuselage 12 , a horizontal stabilizer 18 and a vertical stabilizer 20 . a flap 22 is pivotally mounted to a trailing edge of the wing 14 and a flap 24 is pivotally mounted to a trailing edge of the wing 16 . further , a cruise engine 30 including a propeller 32 is mounted to a leading edge 34 of the wing 14 and a cruise engine 36 including a propeller 38 is mounted to a leading edge 40 of the wing 16 . the aircraft 10 is intended to represent any aircraft suitable for an electric propulsion and lift system of the invention discussed herein , and can include single engine aircraft , multi - engine aircraft , prop aircraft , jet engine aircraft , swept - wing aircraft , straight - wing aircraft , commercial aircraft , military aircraft , etc . the electric propulsion and lift system of the invention on the aircraft 10 includes a plurality of electric motor / propeller assemblies 42 mounted to each of the flaps 22 and 24 , where each assembly 42 includes an electric motor 44 and a propeller 46 having propeller blades 48 . in this embodiment , four of the assemblies 42 are mounted to each of the flaps 22 and 24 . however , it is noted that this is for illustration purposes only in that the number of the assemblies 42 provided on the aircraft 10 would depend on various factors , such as the length of the flaps 22 and 24 , the size of the motors 44 , the size of the aircraft 10 , etc . fig2 is a cross - sectional view through line 2 - 2 of the wing 16 showing the flap 24 in an extended orientation at a certain angle , where the assembly 42 is also angled downward . when the aircraft 10 is in its take - off or landing posture , the flaps 22 and 24 will be extended some amount depending on the aircraft type to provide additional aerodynamic lift as discussed above . when the flaps 22 and 24 are extended , and the propellers 46 are rotating , airflow is directed downward relative to the orientation of the aircraft 10 to provide some power lift . further , rotation of the propellers 46 draws airflow over the wings 14 and 16 and the flaps 22 and 24 in addition to the airflow over the wings 14 and 6 caused by movement of the aircraft 10 to increase the aerodynamic lift , where the propellers 46 cause the direction of the flow to be more downward further increasing the lift capability . traditionally , when the flaps 22 and 24 are extended , airflow over the wings 14 and 16 of the aircraft 10 is directed downward some amount which provides additional lift . however , if the deflection of the flaps 22 and 24 is greater than some amount , the airflow will not follow the corner where the flap 22 or 24 pivots relative to the wing 14 or 16 , creating airflow turbulence . by drawing air over the wings 14 and 16 using the propellers 46 , the amount that the flaps 22 and 26 can be extended before the airflow separates at the corner is increased , which provides increased aerodynamic lift in addition to the downward thrust provided by the propellers 46 . when the aircraft 10 takes off and has achieved a certain air speed , the flaps 22 and 24 are no longer needed for added lift , and they are retracted to provide a better in - flight cruise orientation . the engines 30 and 36 provide the main thrust that propels the aircraft 10 to provide airflow over the wings 14 and 16 for aerodynamic lift . when the aircraft 10 is in its cruise configuration and the flaps 22 and 24 are retracted , the electric motors 44 can be turned off because they are no longer needed to provide lift , and can be feathered or folded to reduce drag . in an alternate embodiment , the motors 40 can be left on , so that the propellers 46 provide additional thrust for aircraft cruising , which allows the size of the engines 30 and 36 to be reduced . in yet another embodiment , for certain aircraft designs it may be possible to eliminate the cruise engines 30 and 36 , where the electric motor / propeller assemblies 42 provide all of the lift and thrust capabilities for the aircraft 10 . for some designs , all of the motors 44 may be the same size . in other designs , the motors 44 can be of different sizes , where , for example , some of the motors 44 may only be run for aircraft flight during cruising operations , and where all of the motors 44 may be operational for take - off and landing . further , because the motors 44 can be operated at different speeds , and thus provide different lift characteristics of the wings 14 and 16 , control of the motors 44 can be used to rotate the aircraft 10 for roll control , such as for turning , where it may be desirable to lift one of the wings 14 or 16 more than the other for landing or otherwise . further , it may be desirable to provide a different number of the blades 48 on the propellers 46 for noise control or otherwise . as mentioned , the motors 44 are electric motors , which can be powered by any suitable power source , represented generally as power source 50 . in one non - limiting design , the power source 50 is a generator that is operated by rotation of the propellers 32 and 38 on the engines 30 and 36 . alternately , the power source 50 can be one or more batteries , where the batteries 52 are charged by the engines 30 or 36 or externally charged when the aircraft 10 is on the ground . in yet another embodiment , it is possible to provide a separate battery in association with each of the motors 44 . the foregoing discussion discloses and describes merely exemplary embodiments of the present invention . one skilled in the art will readily recognize from such discussion and from the accompanying drawings and claims that various changes , modifications and variations can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims .	1
please refer to fig1 . fig1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the laptop 1 according to an embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig1 , the laptop 1 of the invention includes a monitor 10 , a hinge 12 , and a body 14 . the body 14 accommodates main electronic elements such as a motherboard ( mb ), a hard disk ( hd ), and a central processing unit ( cpu ). the monitor 10 is used for presenting and showing information calculated by the main electronic elements of the body 14 . the monitor 10 is pivotally connected to the body 14 via the hinge 12 . when the user does not use the laptop 1 , the user can push the monitor 10 to close to the body 14 . contrarily , when the user wants to use the laptop 1 , the user can push the monitor 10 to rotate relatively to or away from the body 14 , as shown in fig1 . it should be noticed that the electronic apparatus of the invention is not limited to the laptop 1 , and can be an electronic apparatus with a hinge engaged to a monitor and a body , for example , a folded - type cell phone . in order to clearly show the hinge 12 in fig1 , please refer to fig2 . fig2 is an explosion view of the hinge 12 shown in fig1 . as shown in fig2 , the hinge 12 of the invention includes a monitor support part 120 , a body support part 122 , and a sensor 126 . the monitor support part 120 and the body support part 122 are respectively engaged to the monitor 10 and the body 14 of the laptop 1 . as shown in fig2 , the body support part 122 is pivotally connected to the monitor support part 120 , the body support part 122 includes a fixed axle 1220 , a stop part 1222 , and an elastic washer 1224 , and the amount of the elastic washer varies with the practical demand . the stop part 1222 is engaged to the fixed axle 1220 , and one side of the stop part 1222 includes a second electrical connection part 12220 . besides , the flange of the stop part 1222 includes a mountain - type protrusion 12222 with a through hole 12224 thereon for accommodating the protrusion part 1226 . the protrusion part 1226 is connected to a grounding bar 12260 . the grounding bar 12260 is grounded via a grounding line 12262 connected to the metal mounting base 140 of the body 14 , or extending the grounding bar 12260 to ground directly . please refer to fig2 and fig5 . the monitor support part 120 includes a rotating structure 1200 and a rotating part 1202 , and the rotating structure 1200 can be rotatably engaged to the fixed axle 1220 . one side of the rotating part 1202 includes a first electrical connection part 12020 opposite to the second electrical connection part 12220 , and the rotating part 1202 is fixed on the rotating structure 1200 . the elastic washer 1224 is engaged to the fixed axle 1220 and posited on the side of the stop part 1222 not including the second electrical connection part 12220 . besides , the flange of the rotating part 1202 includes a pillar 12022 and a second concave area 12024 . the sensor 126 is electrically connected to the first electrical connection part 12020 and the second electrical connection part 12220 via a conducting wire 12264 and 12264 ′ respectively . it should be noticed that the protrusion part 1226 needs to be insulated from the second electrical connection part 12220 , and the electrical insulation can be done by filling or coating the through hole 12224 with an insulation object or an insulation material . please refer to fig3 a through fig4 b . fig3 a is a schematic diagram illustrating the body support part 122 and the monitor support part 120 when the monitor 10 is opened , and the angle θ shown in the diagram represents the included angle between the monitor 10 and the body 14 . fig3 b is another view angle of the body support part 122 and the monitor support part 120 shown in fig3 a . fig4 a is a schematic diagram illustrating the body support part 122 and the monitor support part 120 when the monitor is closed . fig4 b is another view angle of the body support part 122 and the monitor support part 120 shown in fig4 a . it should be noticed that , as shown in fig3 a and fig3 b , the rotating part 1202 of the monitor support part 120 does not contact with the protrusion part 1226 embedded in the through hole 12224 of the stop part 1222 . from the opened status , when the user begins to rotate the monitor 10 ( refer to fig1 ) toward the body 14 , the included angle θ between the monitor 10 and the body 14 decreases . meanwhile , the first electrical connection part 12020 of the rotating part 1202 persistently contacts with the second electrical connection part 12220 of the stop part 1222 , which means that the electrical connection between the first electrical connection part 12020 and the second electrical connection part 12220 remains conduct status . once the rotating part 1202 is rotated relatively to the stop part 1222 to a particular position , as shown in fig4 a and 4b , the second concave area 12024 of the rotating part 1202 interferes with the protrusion part 1226 . therefore , the first electrical connection part 12020 of the rotating part 1202 is forced to be separated at a distance d from the second electrical connection part 12220 of the stop part 1222 to break off the electrical connection therebetween . then , the protrusion part 1226 slides into the second concave area 12024 , and meanwhile the rotating part 1202 is electrically connected to the protrusion part 1226 via the pillar 12022 and grounded via the grounding bar 12260 or the grounding line 12262 ( refer to fig1 ). as shown in fig2 , the invention further includes a wear washer 1223 and a limiting rotation washer 1221 . the wear washer 1223 is used to separate elements not to contact and rub with each other directly , thus the rubbing damage of the elements can further be improved . the shape of the limiting rotation washer 1221 is similar to the combination of flanges of discs with different size ( a big disc 1221 a and a small disc 1221 b ). the rotating structure 1200 has a protrusion pillar 1222 ′, and the protrusion pillar 1222 ′ can slide along a part of the flange of the limiting rotation washer 1221 , in other words , the protrusion pillar 1222 ′ would slide along the flange of the small disc 1221 b and stopped by the flange of the big disc 1221 a . accordingly , the rotatable angle of the rotating structure 1200 is limited , so the shape of the limiting rotation washer 1221 can be modified to limit the rotatable angle of the monitor 10 . in some cases , the hinge 12 or the monitor 10 might be damaged by a non - predicted exterior force such as rotating the opened angle between the monitor 10 of the laptop more than 180 degree . therefore , the damage possibility of the mechanism caused by over - rotation can be reduced . in addition , please refer to fig5 , the first electrical connection part 12020 can provide an automatic lock function via a first concave area 12021 and an inclined plate 12023 corresponding to a cam . in fact , as shown in fig2 , the stop part 1222 contacts with the wear washer 1223 ; the wear washer 1223 contacts with the elastic washer 1224 ; the elastic washer 1224 contacts with a screw bolt 1227 ; the conducting wire 12264 ′ of the sensor 126 is connected to the screw bolt 1227 . because the material of the wear washer 1223 , the elastic washer 1224 , and the screw bolt 1227 is metal , the sensor 126 can be electrically connected to the stop part 1222 . in another embodiment , the conducting wire 12264 ′ can be directly connected to the stop part 1222 , so the sensor 126 can be electrically connected to the stop part 1222 . the sensor 126 can be a hall sensor . the hall sensor generates a magnetic field and a hall voltage as well according to the inputted current . further , the inputted current can be calculated from the hall voltage . in fact , the sensor 126 of the invention can be other type of sensors capable of detecting the variation of the signal . please refer to fig1 and fig2 , the sensor 126 is electrically connected to the body support part 122 and the monitor support 120 respectively . when the electrical connection between the monitor support part 120 and the body support part 122 varies ( e . g . from the opened monitor to be closed or from the closed monitor to be opened ), the sensor 126 can correspondingly transmit the signal to the electronic controller 127 or the system , so that the electronic controller 127 can switch the monitor 10 on / off according to the signal . accordingly , when the monitor support part is rotated relatively to the body support part to a particularly position , the monitor support part is detached from the body support part . therefore , the electrical connection between the monitor support part and the body support part varies at the particular position . therefore , the sensor electrically connected to the monitor support part and the body support part would transmit an electronic signal to the controller in the computer . the controller then selectively switches the monitor off according to the electronic signal . furthermore , the electronic apparatus of the invention can achieve a goal of selectively switching the monitor off via the hinge , and has a better appearance design . with the example and explanations above , the features and spirits of the invention will be hopefully well described . those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device may be made while retaining the teaching of the invention . accordingly , the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims .	6
in accordance with the present invention , fig1 illustrates . . . thermally conductive material is interposed between inner pan 135 and outer pan 125 encompassing the bottom 200 of vessel 100 . however , by fabricating the vessel 100 according to the teachings of this invention the thermally conductive material extends upward to fill the lower portion of the cavity 105 separating the outer surface 130 a of the upright wall 130 of the inner pan 202 and the inner surface 120 b of the upward wall 120 of the outer pan 201 . as illustrated in the expanded view in fig1 b , marked as a , the thermally conductive material in this preferred embodiment comprises at least three layers of materials . the first layer 150 is in contact with the outer surface 135 a of the inner pan , having the opposing side in contact with a middle or second layer 150 . the other side of the middle layer 150 is in contact with the a first surface of the third layer 160 , the other surface of layer 160 being contact with the inner surface 125 b of the outer pan . as will be further illustrated with reference to fig2 , the middle layer generally does not extend upward into the cavity 105 , thus layers 150 and 160 are connected over the extent of the cavity 105 which they partially fill , terminating at an edge 210 , having a common interface therein 206 . layers 150 and 160 are preferably aluminum , or a suitable allow thereof , and surround a middle layer 150 comprising copper or a suitable allow thereof . the middle copper layer , being more thermally conductive than the surrounding aluminum layers transfer heater laterally from layer 160 , such that the temperature across the inside bottom surface 135 b of the inner pan 202 is uniform for cooking foodstuff , thus accommodating a range of heating methods and burner or flame configures used to heat the vessel 100 from the bottom of surface of the outer pan 125 a . referring back to fig1 a , the cooking vessel has an upper rim 102 formed at the termination of the edge 103 of the outer upper wall 120 , with edge 104 of the inner upper wall 130 . edges 104 and 103 are preferably welded together during fabrication to prevent water from seeping in or entering cavity 105 . the heating from cooking would rapidly vaporize a small quantity of water trapped in cavity 105 , which may present a hazard or damage the vessel 100 in escaping rapidly therefrom . further , edge 104 flairs outward in a substantially horizontal direction before terminating at the contact point with upper end of the inner wall 130 , thus forming a sealable surface for receiving lid 110 . lid 110 has a domelike central region 112 terminating at its periphery with an edge 115 that conforms to the shape of rim 104 . a slight upward facing concavity in rim 104 provides for the collection of condensed moisture therein , thus providing a sealing liquid between rim 102 and lid 110 to form a so called “ waterless ” cooking vessel . lid 110 is illustrated as including an optional handle or knob 166 for ease of placement and removal from vessel 100 . it should be noted that the outward extending flair of rim portion 104 also approximately defines the width of cavity 105 , as wall section 103 extends in the substantially vertical direction where it intersect rim 104 at edge 102 . dual wall cooking vessel 100 also preferably includes one or more handles ( not shown ) disposed on the exterior side surface for grasping during cooking or serving . the method and result of friction bonding the inner and outer vessels is illustrated by the schematic expanded view of fig2 a and 2b , which corresponds to region b in fig1 . initially an aluminum plate 160 is disposed on the bottom surface 125 b of the outer vessels 125 . a copper layer in the form of a sheet or plate 140 is disposed on top of aluminum plate 160 . a second aluminum plate 150 is then disposed on top of copper plate 140 . finally , the outer surface 135 b of the bottom of vessel 201 is disposed on top of aluminum plate 150 . as the copper plate 140 has a series perforations or holes to enhance the attachment with the surrounding aluminum plates 150 and 160 , which are illustrated as a series of gaps 145 . as will be further described with respect to fig3 , upon impact or friction bonding of the assembly in fig2 a the gaps 145 , caused by perforations in copper plate 140 , are filled as the upper surface of aluminum plate 160 has become bonded or welded to the lower surface of aluminum plate 150 at interface 205 . both the upper 150 and lower aluminum plate 160 have are essentially welded or fused to the surrounding stainless steel layers 125 b and 135 b respectively by the friction bonding process . both aluminum plates 150 and 160 are reduced in thickness due to the lateral flow caused by the impact bonding , the upper aluminum plate 150 is reduced in thickness more than the lower plate 160 . the preferred sequential steps used to construct a dual wall vessels from the two single wall vessels is illustrated in fig3 a through 3g , inclusive . fig3 a and 3b merely illustrate that the inner vessel 201 and outer vessels 202 , which are initially formed of stainless steel by a drawing operation that shapes the inchoate rims 104 and 103 in shaping the upper portions proximal to the open end of each vessel . in fig3 c the previously described assembly of the lower aluminum plate or layer 150 , copper layer 140 and upper aluminum layer 160 are spot welded via electrodes 301 ( disposed on the inside of the vessel 201 , and electrode 302 , contacting bottom of the lower aluminum layer 150 , the assembly of layer being aligned with the center of vessel 201 . preferably , each of the aluminum plates and copper plate are substantially circular corresponding to the shape of the bottom of vessel s 201 and 202 , however the upper aluminum plate 150 in addition to being about half the thickness of aluminum plate 160 in this preferred embodiment also has a smaller diameter owing to its greater propensity to flow during impact bonding process illustrated by fig3 e . however , prior to impact bonding of the inner and outer vessels to the intervening aluminum copper layers , as shown in fig3 d , it is also preferable that the inner vessel 201 and outer vessel 202 are carefully co - axially aligns such that the inchoate rim 103 of outer vessel 202 is in contact with the inchoate rim 104 of inner vessel 201 . this assembly is then stabilized by spot welding at the center of the bottom of vessels 201 and 202 a shown by the presence of inner electrode 301 ′ and the outer electrode 302 ′. thus the inner vessel 201 and outer vessel 202 is attached at the centers of their respective bottom portion 135 and 125 to aluminum later or plate 160 , copper sheet 140 and aluminum plate 150 . in the step portrayed by fig3 e the inner and outer pans are impact or friction bonded to each after first pre - heating the assembly 300 e to about 500 ° c . o , after which a forming mandrel contacting the inner bottom surface 135 b is accelerated by a driven mass downward toward the support under the bottom surface 125 a of vessel assembly 300 e . as the aluminum layer having the lowest melting point of the material in the assembly and have been preheated to about 80 % of its melting point , the friction and heat generated by the sudden impact causes the flow and fusion of the intervening aluminum layers to each other and the remainder of the contacting layers of the vessels not previously welded together to form strong bonds there between . it should be noted in fig3 c that as upper aluminum layer 150 has a narrower diameter than both the copper layer 140 and the bottom aluminum layer 105 such that the force applied by the friction or impact bonding process results in a proportionately higher compressive stress on layer 150 , thus causing it to extrude laterally and upward into cavity 105 . as lower aluminum layer 160 also flows into cavity 105 , generally surrounding and embedding copper layer 140 , its flow terminates at substantially the same height as extruded aluminum layer 150 about the air - metal interface labeled 210 in fig1 b . not wishing to be bound by theory , it is believed that the initial flow of layer 150 eventually equalizes the stress on both layers causing them to flow together into cavity 105 . also not wishing to be bound by theory , it is further believed that the initial and greater extrusion of layer 150 serves another purposes in that it facilitates the initial fusion bonding of layer 160 to the stainless steel bottom 125 at interface 125 b , further stabilizing the friction bonding and flow of the other layers in a uniform and repeatable manner . as the fusion or friction bonding occurs in less than a fraction of a second the actual manner and operation of the invention is not certain , and hence was not readily predictable . after impact bonding as described with respect to fig3 e , the rim of the pan is formed in the steps illustrated by fig3 f and fig4 . in the first of a sequence of two steps , the now aligned and contacting inchoate rims of the inner 104 and outer wall 103 as welded by the electrode assembly and process illustrated further detail in fig4 . counter rotating electrodes 410 and 420 substantially conform to the external shape of the inchoate rim surfaces formed during the drawing processes in the internal vessel 210 and external vessel 202 illustrated in fig3 a and 3b . thus , complimentary shaped electrodes 400 and 420 rotating about their respective spindles 411 and 423 grasp the mating rim portion causing the rotation of the bonded assembly ( which will form double wall vessel 100 shown in fig3 g ) about its central axis 431 , thus exposing the entire periphery of the rim to the welding electrodes 410 and 420 . therefore the entire periphery of the contact wall edges that form surface 103 and 104 in fig1 are welded together . the welding operation thus seals cavity 105 . in the second step , illustrated in fig3 f , the final rim shape of vessel 10 is formed by a circular cutting tool 310 that follows around the upper end of outer wall 120 of vessel 202 trimming an annulus through the weld to form the top edge 102 illustrated in fig1 . the thus completed double wall vessel 100 is illustrated in fig3 g . it should be appreciated that the aluminum layers 160 and 150 are optionally laminates of multiple layers of thinner aluminum sheet with the outer layers being selected for their ability to adhere to stainless steel , copper , the adjacent aluminum layer encountered between the gaps in the copper sheet , or alternative materials used to formed the inner and outer vessels , or a substitute heat transfer layer for the copper sheet . in a preferred embodiment the lower aluminum sheet 160 is constructed of three layers of aluminum in which aluminum alloy 3003 is surrounded by layers of aluminum alloy 1050 to provide a total thickness of 6 mm . the outer aluminum layers in this laminate preferably have thickness of about 0 . 2 to 0 . 3 mm . the upper aluminum layer 150 is similarly of a three layer construction with aluminum alloy 3003 being surrounded by sheets of aluminum alloy 1050 , however the initial thickness is preferably less , or about 3 . 5 mm . this construction is preferred as the 3003 aluminum alloy is harder than the surrounding 1050 aluminum alloys . however , it should be appreciated that the other metals may be substituted for the inner layer of 1003 aluminum layer . the copper layer preferably has a thickness of about 0 . 6 mm before impact bonding . the holes or gaps in the copper layer are preferably of a diameter of about 2 to 10 mm and cover less than about 30 % of the area of the sheet . after impact bonding the upper aluminum layer 150 is reduced in thickness from its initial value of about 3 . 5 mm to about 1 . 5 mm . the lower aluminum layer or plate 160 undergoes a more limited reduction of thickness , from the initial value of 6 mm to about 3 mm . the copper layer is only slightly deformed from about 0 . 6 mm to 0 . 5 mm . the surrounding inner and outer vessel walls if fabricated from stainless steel do not undergo a substantial change thickness upon impact bonding , retaining their initial thickness of about 0 . 5 mm . although the copper layer is preferably of comparable dimensions to the bottom of the inner and outer vessels , it may also extend into the cavity 105 there between , as it can be initially fabricated in a bowl like shape to conform to the intended cavity shape or , being significantly thinner than the surrounding aluminum layers , is readily deformed from a plate into a bowl like shape as the inner and outer vessel are nested together in fig3 d . it should be appreciated that the outer surface of the outer vessel can have cladding or decorative layers outside of the stainless steel , for example one or more layers of external copper cladding optionally extends partly upward corresponding to the portion of the cavity that is filled with the aluminum layers during fusion or impact bonding . such a contrasting external layer also serves a non - decorative function of alerting the consumer to the distinct thermal characteristics of the bottom portion of the pan , as opposed to prior art dual wall cooking vessels . while the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment , it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth , but on the contrary , it is intended to cover such alternatives , modifications , and equivalents as may be within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .	0
fig3 depicts a representative wireless communication network 10 , such as an lte - advanced network 10 ( although embodiments of the invention are not limited to this radio access technology ). a ue 12 communicates with a nodeb or enodeb 14 , which provides radio communication services to a plurality of ue 12 in a geographic area , or cell 16 . the enodeb 14 is controlled by a radio network controller ( rnc ) 18 , which connects through a core network ( cn ) 20 to one more other packet data or telecommunication networks , such as the public switched telephone network ( pstn ) 22 . the ue 12 includes a radio frequency ( rf ) transceiver 30 , which receives and transmits wireless communication ( e . g ., data and control ) signals from and to the enodeb 14 on one or more antennas 31 a , 31 b . the transceiver 30 is controlled by a controller 32 , which may comprise a general purpose processor , digital signal processor ( dsp ), or other processing circuit , as known in the art . functionality comprising embodiments of the present invention may be implemented as software modules stored in memory 34 and executed by the controller 32 . similarly , the enodeb 14 includes an rf transceiver 40 , which receives and transmits wireless communication signals from and to one or more ue 12 in the cell 16 , on one or more antennas 41 a , 41 b . the transceiver 40 is controlled by a controller 42 , which may comprise a general purpose processor , digital signal processor ( dsp ), or other processing circuit , as known in the art . functionality comprising embodiments of the present invention may be implemented as software modules stored in memory 44 and executed by the controller 42 . additionally , a table mapping a cs index n dmrs to a dynamic cs value for layer 0 n dmrs ( 2 ) , as discussed further herein , may reside in memory 44 . the dual antennas 31 a , 31 b and 41 a , 41 b on the ue 10 and enodeb 14 , respectively , indicate that the network 10 supports su - and mu - mimo . furthermore , the dual wireless communication indicators mean that the network 10 supports carrier aggregation . when employing multi - layer transmission it is important to achieve maximum orthogonality between the dmrs of the different layers by combining cs and occ separation and by maximizing the distance between adjacent dmrs . the minimum inter - dmrs distance becomes particularly important when four layers are co - scheduled on the same cc . these layers may all belong to the same ue or to different ues co - scheduled in mu - mimo configuration . in order to maximize the distance between layers , the working assumption in case of four layers per cc is to divide adjacent dmrs with a combination of three cs and possibly occ . simulation results show that the performance achieved with smaller inter - dmrs distance is not sufficient to achieve acceptable link performance in case of four - layer transmission . in case of two layers per ue , the working assumption is to separate the 2 dmrs of the ue by six cs values , while in case of three layers per ue the working assumption is to divide the adjacent dmrs of the ue by three cs values and occ . thus , according to the working assumption in rel - 10 , dmrs should be allocated to positions that are multiple of three cs positions in order to maximize spacing between dmrs belonging to the same ue or to different ues in mu - mimo modality . as previously observed , the n dmrs field is used in rel - 8 also for phich allocation according to equation ( 1 ). in case of cross - cc scheduling and multi - cw transmission , as for rel - 10 , the phich allocation shall be different for each cw and each cc . a natural extension of equation ( 1 ) is to substitute n dmrs with n dmrs , k , c ( 2 ) , thus obtaining : n phich , k , c group =( i prb — ra lowest — index + n dmrs , k , c ( 2 ) ) mod n phich group + i phich n phich group n phich , k , c seq =(└ i prb — ra lowest — index / n phich group ┘+ n dmrs , k , c ( 2 ) ) mod 2 n sf phich ( 2 ) in equation ( 2 ), the field n dmrs , k , c ( 2 ) represents the cs index for one of the layers associated to the k th cw on the c th ul cc . in case the considered cw is mapped to multiple layers ( and so multiple cs values ) n dmrs , k , c ( 2 ) is chosen according to a rule . for example , n dmrs , k , c ( 2 ) could be the cs associate to the dmrs corresponding to the 1 st layer of the considered cw . it is observed that the current mapping of n dmrs to n dmrs , k , c ( 2 ) values according , e . g ., to the table of fig1 , does not respect the desired regularity property , making it inefficient to schedule users , especially in mu - mimo configuration . an example of this is demonstrated in fig2 , which depicts the cs / occ spacing using the mapping table of fig1 . in this example , two ul carriers are controlled by one dl carrier . two ue 12 are co - scheduled in mu - mimo modality on each cc and two layers per ue 12 are assumed . according to rel - 10 working assumptions , in case of rank - 2 transmission ( two layers per ue 12 ) a different cw is associated with each layer . therefore , a phich instance is generated according to the index n dmrs , k , c ( 2 ) for each k th allocated codeword on each c th ul cc . note that , according to the working assumption in the prior art ( e . g ., fig1 ), the allocation of the cs on the second cc is suboptimal , as the spacing of three cs and occ between adjacent layers is not respected . following the mapping in fig1 and the rules listed above in table 1 , the first two dmrs , transmitted on the first carrier , are assigned cyclic shifts of 0 , 3 , 6 , and 9 , with alternating occ . however , this is not possible for the dmrs transmitted on the second carrier . a cs of one is not supported in the table of fig1 , so dmrs for layer 2 is mapped to a cs of 2 . the rules of table 1 require a minimum cs spacing of three ; however a cs of five is not supported in the table of fig1 , so dmrs for layer 2 is mapped to a cs of 4 . according to one embodiment of the present invention , a table mapping n dmrs to n dmrs , k , c ( 2 ) values comprises a plurality of sets , wherein the cs values in each set have a minimum cs spacing corresponding to the minimum among the layer - specific offsets specified in the rules of table 1 . in particular , of the twelve potential cs values , the table mapping n dmrs to n dmrs , k , c ( 2 ) values comprises two sets , and the minimum cs spacing in each set is three . fig4 depicts one embodiment wherein the table conforms to this restriction . in the table of fig4 , the mapping is constructed according to the principle of mapping 8 cs out of the grid of available 12 cs in a regular way , so that it is possible to allocate dmrs that are spaced by three cs values in mu - mimo settings . fig5 and 6 depict alternative mappings that conform to the same restriction . fig7 depicts the allocation of resources in the same example as for fig2 , but considering the allocation rule according to the embodiment of the present invention depicted in fig4 . it is now possible to achieve optimal inter - dmrs spacing for the considered configuration , thus overcoming the technical deficiency in the prior art mapping ( e . g ., fig1 ). in particular , the dmrs on carrier 0 are mapped to cs 0 , 3 , 6 , and 9 , with alternating occ , as in the prior art . however , according to the mapping of the table of fig4 , the dmrs on carrier 1 are able to be mapped to cs 1 , 4 , 7 , and 10 , also achieving a cs separation of three . fig8 depicts a method 100 of determining cs and occ values associated with dmrs , for each transmission layer , by a transceiver , such as a ue 12 , in a wireless communication system 10 employing mimo operation . a semi - static cs value n dmrs ( 1 ) is received ( block 102 ), such as from higher layer signaling via an enodeb 14 . a dynamic cs index value n dmrs is received ( block 104 ), such as in a dci transmission from the enodeb 14 . a predetermined table is indexed with n dmrs occ ( block 106 ) to obtain one of , e . g ., twelve first cs values n dmrs ( 2 ) and an occ value n dmrs occ associated with dmrs for layer 0 . the cs values n dmrs ( 2 ) in the table are arranged into , e . g ., two sets of cs values n dmrs ( 2 ) , the cs values n dmrs ( 2 ) within each set being separated by a minimum predetermined offset ( e . g ., three ). for layers other than layer 0 , a first cs value associated with dmrs for that layer is derived by adding an integer multiple of the minimum predetermined offset to n dmrs ( 2 ) ( block 108 ). a second cs value for each layer ( the one used to encode dmrs ) is calculated by adding n dmrs ( 1 ) and ( n dmrs ( 2 ) + offset ) ( block 110 ). an occ value is calculated by adding n dmrs occ ( the occ value for layer 0 , obtained by indexing the table with n dmrs ) to a layer - specific offset ( block 112 ). dmrs are then encoded using the final cs and occ values for each layer , and transmitted ( block 114 ). the dmrs are received and decoded , such as by the enodeb 14 , and are used to characterize the channel , as an aid in interpreting received data streams on each layer . the process then repeats with the reception of a new dynamic cs value n dmrs ( block 104 ). the semi - static cs value n dmrs ( 1 ) is updated ( block 102 ) on an infrequent basis by higher level signaling , as indicated by the dashed line in fig8 . one embodiment of the present invention is based on a modification of the phich mapping rule . according to the prior art ( e . g ., rel - 8 ), the phich allocation is a function of the dynamically signalled dmrs allocation index n dmrs on pdcch . however , flexibility in cs allocation is enhanced by the combined use of the dynamically signalled index n dmrs ( 2 ) and a semi - statically signalled index n dmrs ( 1 ) . according to one embodiment , n dmrs ( 1 ) is employed in order to improve flexibility in phich resource allocation in case of cross - cc scheduling . in particular , the n dmrs ( 1 ) index is signalled per ul cc in case of cross - cc scheduling , and is re - labelled as n dmrs , c ( 1 ) where c denotes the cc index . additionally , the phich allocation formula of equation ( 1 ) is modified . dependency of the phich allocation on the dmrs index n dmrs , k , c ( 2 ) for cw k and carrier c is introduced , optionally in conjunction with the semi - static dmrs allocation offset per carrier n dmrs , c ( 1 ) . n phich , k , c group =( i prb — ra lowest — index + n dmrs , k , c ( 2 ) + n dmrs , c ( 1 ) ) mod n phich group + i phich n phich group n phich , k , c seq =(└ i prb — ra lowest — index / n phich group ┘+ n dmrs , k , c ( 2 ) + n dmrs , k , c ( 1 ) ) mod 2 n sf phich ( 3 ) n phich , k , c group =( i prb — ra lowest — index + n dmrs , k , c ( 2 ) + n dmrs , c ( 1 ) ) mod n phich group + i phich n phich group n phich , k , c seq =(└ i prb — ra lowest — index / n phich group ┘+ n dmrs , k , c ( 2 ) ) mod 2 n sf phich ( 4 ) n phich , k , c group =( i prb — ra lowest — index + n dmrs , k , c ( 2 ) ) mod n phich group + i phich n phich group n phich , k , c seq =(└ i prb — ra lowest — index / n phich group ┘+ n dmrs , k , c ( 2 ) + n dmrs , k , c ( 1 ) ) mod 2 n sf phich ( 5 ) these embodiments achieve two objectives . first , multiplexing of different phich messages referring to different cw in cross - cc scheduling modality is enabled . second , enhancement of dmrs allocation flexibility is achieved by exploiting the different n dmrs , c ( 1 ) on different cc . fig9 depicts an example , considering the same settings as those described with respect to the example of fig2 , and n dmrs , 0 ( 1 ) = 0 and n dmrs , 1 ( 1 ) = 1 is considered . the n dmrs to n dmrs ( 2 ) mapping rule according to the prior art ( i . e ., the table of fig1 ) is considered . the modified phich allocation rules according to any of equations ( 3 ), ( 4 ) or ( 5 ) are considered . it is now possible to preserve optimal dmrs allocation even in this setting , because none of the allocated dmrs are associated with identical ( n phich , k , c group , n phich , k , c seq ) parameters . embodiments of the present invention present numerous advantages over the prior art . embodiments enable greater orthogonally of dmrs by allowing for the minimum recommended dmrs separation in cs and occ for each transmission layer . embodiments also allow for additional efficiency in dmrs assignment compared to the prior art . improved scheduling flexibility is enabled for multi - carrier operation , and phich constraints are reduced for practical scheduling configurations . although embodiments of the present invention have been described herein as being performed in a ue 12 , based on cs parameters received from an enodeb 14 , the invention is not limited to this configuration . rather , embodiments may be advantageously performed in any transceiver node of a wireless communication network 10 that transmits reference signals to assist a receiver in channel characterization . furthermore , although embodiments have been described herein with respect to an lte - advanced network 10 , the present invention is not limited to this protocol or radio access technology , and may be advantageously applied in a wide variety of wireless communication systems . the present invention may , of course , be carried out in other ways than those specifically set forth herein without departing from essential characteristics of the invention . the present embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive , and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein .	7
fig1 shows a membrane 1 , for example a polymide membrane , overlying a circuit 2 to be tuned . the circuit 2 is placed over a substrate 3 . lateral portions 20 , 21 support the membrane 1 . the membrane 1 carries a metal film 4 , placed on the bottom portion of the membrane 1 , that acts as the tuning element . tuning of the circuit 2 is achieved via capacitive coupling between the metal film 4 and the circuit 2 . in particular , a parallel plate capacitor is formed between the metal film 4 and the circuit 2 . since the capacitance for a parallel plate capacitor varies inversely with the size of the gap between the upper plate and the lower plate of the capacitor , the circuit 2 can be tuned by controlling the deflection of the membrane 1 . deflection and control of the position of the membrane 1 is obtained through piezoelectric actuators 5 disposed on the top portion of the membrane 1 . the actuators 5 allow the membrane 1 , and correspondingly the metal film 4 , to be moved either upwards or downwards . in the preferred embodiment , each actuator 5 comprises two layers 10 , 11 . the layers 10 , 11 will bend upwards or downwards according to the sign of the voltage applied to the layers . a first embodiment of the invention provides that both layers are made of a piezoelectric material , i . e . that both layers are ‘ active ’ layers . a second embodiment of the invention provides that only one of the two layers is an active layer . in the second embodiment , the active layer can either be the top layer 10 or the bottom layer 11 . it is preferable to dispose the actuators so as to avoid mass loading of the membrane . mass loading of the membrane 1 would slow down the response time of the tuning device . fig1 shows a first way of disposing the actuators 5 , namely along the width periphery of the membrane 1 . disposition of the actuators 5 along the periphery of the membrane 1 allows a portion of the actuators 5 to be supported by the horizontal component of the lateral portions 20 , 21 . in particular , the layers 10 , 11 of the actuators 5 are so positioned over the membrane 1 and the lateral portions 20 , 21 that a first portion of each layer 10 , 11 will lie both over the membrane 1 and the lateral portion 20 or 21 , and a second portion of each layer 10 , 11 will lie over the membrane 1 only . upon application of a voltage , the first portion will provide the required support without mass loading the membrane , and the second portion will provide the upward / downward bending required for moving the membrane 1 . additionally , upon application of a voltage , the shape of the membrane 1 will remain substantially parallel to the base of the substrate 3 . in particular , the section of the membrane 1 placed above the tuning or conductive element 4 will undergo a movement parallel to the substrate , thereby forming a well - defined and substantially uniform gap between the membrane and the substrate , wherein the term ‘ uniform ’ is intended to mean that all regions of the conductive element 4 will be , at any time , substantially at the same distance from the circuit to be tuned . deflection , force and response time of the tuning arrangement are a function of the dimension of the actuators 5 . therefore , deflection , force and response time of the arrangement can be optimized through patterning of the actuators 5 . according to the present invention , multi - layered structures having more than two actuation layers are also possible , but not preferred , given that their presence complicates the fabrication process without giving too much advantage in terms of membrane deflection . electrical connections to the actuators are not shown , for clarity purposes . fig5 , described later , will show one example of electrically connecting the actuators . according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention , the layers 10 and 11 are each about 20 micrometers thick , the membrane 1 is about 10 micrometers thick and the distance between the membrane 1 and circuit 2 is about 50 micrometers . fig2 shows a top plan view of the membrane 1 and the actuators 5 with reference to the embodiment of fig1 , to better illustrate the preferred position of the actuators 5 with reference to the membrane 1 . the membrane 1 can be about 10 mm long and about 6 mm wide , while the actuators can be about 4 mm long and about 3 mm wide . fig3 and 4 correspond to fig1 and 2 and show an alternative embodiment of the actuators , wherein the actuators 105 , although being positioned on a region of the membrane different from the periphery of the membrane , nevertheless allow preventing mass loading of the membrane 101 . in particular , also in this embodiment , a first portion of each actuator lies both over the membrane 101 and the lateral portion of the substrate , and a second portion of each actuator lies over the membrane only . fig2 and 4 show actuators 5 , 105 having a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the top . this shape , although preferred , has been shown for explanatory purposes only . other shapes are also possible , so long as mass loading of the membrane is reduced or prevented . fig5 ( a ) to 5 ( c ) show schematic views of a two - layered piezoelectric actuator with parallel polarization directions to be used in accordance with the present invention . the polarization directions are shown by the small arrows depicted within each layer . the actuator shown in fig5 ( a )- 5 ( c ) comprises an upper layer 10 and a lower layer 11 . electrodes 12 , 13 , and 14 are alternated with layers 10 and 11 . layers 10 and 11 deflect on applying voltages between the electrodes 12 , 13 and 14 . on choosing the proper polarities for the voltage , a tensile force t 1 or thrusting force t 2 can be generated in the plane of the layers 10 , 11 . the forces t 1 , t 2 will create a deflection in the middle section of the layers 10 , 11 . for a given piezoelectric material such as pzt or plzt , the amount of deflection and force depends on the dimension of the layers , which can be adjusted to meet the requirements of the particular application . when no voltage is applied , the actuator does not cause the membrane to be deflected , as shown in fig5 ( a ). when voltage having a first polarity is applied , for example a positive polarity , the actuator causes the membrane to be deflected in a first direction , for example upwards , as shown in fig5 ( b ). when voltage having a second polarity , opposite to the first polarity , is applied , for example a negative polarity , the actuator causes the membrane to be deflected in a second direction , for example downwards , as shown in fig5 ( c ). the present invention also discloses a process for combining a piezoelectric actuator , like for example the actuator 5 shown in fig1 - 5 , with a polymide membrane . according to a first embodiment of the process , the actuator is purchased commercially and then combined with the membrane . combination of the commercially available actuator ( for example a pi ceramic pl - 122 . 251 actuator , about 0 . 5 mm thick ) with the membrane can be obtained by means of a thin layer of adhesive , about 1 micron thick . the use of the thin layer of adhesive will be described in better detail with reference to fig6 ( c )( 1 ). according to a second embodiment of the process , the actuator is made in - house and integrated with the membrane during the fabrication process . note that the actuating assembly shown in fig1 - 4 may be fabricated by processes other than those depicted in the following figures . further , while the following figures depict multiple separate fabrication steps , alternative fabrication processes may allow several separate steps to be combined into fewer steps . finally , alternative fabrication processes may use a difference sequence of steps . fig6 ( a )- 6 ( e ) show a process according to the first embodiment of the present invention , where a commercial piezoelectric actuator is assembled with a membrane . in each step of the process , generally known microfabrication techniques , such as masking , etching , deposition , and lift - off are used . fig6 ( a ) shows a first step , where a trench 41 having a trench depth is patterned into the silicon wafer substrate 3 . the trench depth is equal to the height of the air gap ( for example between about 10 and about 100 microns ) between the membrane ( like the membrane 1 of fig1 ) and the circuit to be tuned ( like the circuit 2 of fig1 ). fig6 ( b ) shows a second step , where the metal circuit 2 is deposited and patterned in the trench . fig6 ( c )( 1 ) shows a third step , where a thin layer 44 , about 1 micron thick , of polymide , for example pix - 1400 , is spinned onto the wafer 3 and the metal circuit 2 . the polymide layer 44 will act as an adhesive to bond the base substrate ( the substrate comprising the circuit ), and the carrier substrate ( the substrate carrying the membrane and the actuator ), together . fig6 ( c )( 2 ) shows a third step alternative to the third step shown in fig6 ( c )( 1 ), where a polymide layer 44 is spinned onto a separate test wafer ( not shown in the figures ) and then the layer is transferred onto the base substrate 3 by pressing the base substrate 3 onto the test wafer and then lifting or sliding it off . alternatively to the polymide layer 44 , a thin layer of gold , e . g . a layer having a thickness of 1 . mu . m , can be deposited on the substrate 3 . if the step of fig6 ( c )( 1 ) is followed , the thin layer of adhesive over the circuit does not pose a problem regarding the device performance . in the following steps it will be assumed that the third step of fig6 ( c )( 2 ) has been followed . fig6 ( d ) shows a fourth step , where a carrier substrate 45 carrying the membrane 1 and the metal film 4 is aligned and pressed onto the base substrate 3 . bonding between the carrier substrate 45 and the base substrate 3 is obtained , for example , by pre - baking at about 100 . degree . c . for about 120 seconds , followed by a hard bake at about 120 . degree . c . for about 1 hour . in case a layer of gold is used , as disclosed above , such layer can be present either on the substrate 3 , or on the substrate 45 , or on both of them . once gold is used , the bonding process preferably requires a first step of pressing the substrates 3 and 45 together and a second step of heating at a temperature preferably comprised between 200 . degree . c . and 400 . degree . c . fig6 ( e ) shows a fifth step , where the two - layered actuators 5 are connected to the membrane 1 . the connection is obtained by spinning or transferring a thin layer of polymide on the commercial piezoelectric actuators 5 . the actuators 5 are then aligned and gently pressed onto the border of the membrane 1 , followed by hard baking at about 120 . degree . c . for about 1 hour to strengthen the bond . the actuators 5 are thus anchored on the membrane . as already explained with reference to fig1 - 4 , a first , inner , portion of the actuators 5 is supported by the membrane only , while a second , outer , portion of the actuators 5 is supported by the membrane and the substrate . fig7 ( a )- 7 ( f ) and fig8 ( a )- 8 ( f ) show a process according to the second embodiment of the present invention , where a thin film home - made piezoelectric actuator is assembled with the polymide membrane during the fabrication process . the process according to the second embodiment is preferred , because a thin film piezoelectric actuator provides more flexibility in optimizing the thickness and lateral dimensions of the actuator as compared to a commercially available one . in each step of the process , generally known microfabrication , techniques such as masking , etching , deposition , and lift - off are used . fig7 ( a )- 7 ( f ) show a first series of steps of the process according to the second embodiment . fig7 ( a ) shows a first step , where a silicon wafer 51 having a protective layer 52 ( for example a sin layer ) deposited on the bottom side and etched trenches 53 on the top side is provided . the layer 52 is , for example , 0 . 5 microns thick . the depth of the trenches 53 is substantially equal to the thickness of the thin film piezoelectric actuator later obtained . fig7 ( b ) shows a second step , where a protective layer 54 ( for example a sin layer ) of about 0 . 5 microns and a 0 . 5 microns ti — pt metal film 55 are deposited on the top side of the silicon wafer 51 . fig7 ( c ) shows a third step , where the ti — pt film 55 is patterned into rectangular pads 56 . fig7 ( d ) shows a fourth step , where the protective layer 52 on the bottom side of the wafer is patterned to form a mask 57 for the silicon etch . the window formed by means of the mask 57 is carefully aligned to the metal pads on the top side using an infrared mask aligner . infrared aligners are known per se to the person skilled in the art , and will not be described in detail in the present application . fig7 ( e ) shows a fifth step , where the two - layered piezoelectric actuating structure 5 is formed . the piezoelectric structure comprises , for example , two layers of piezoelectric film intertwined with three layers of metal electrodes . for example , in case both layers are active , i . e . made of a piezoelectric material , the bottom electrode can be made of ti — pt , the middle electrode can be made of ti — pt , and the top electrode can be made of any metal . the metal electrodes are not shown in fig7 ( e ), for clarity purposes . for a schematic representation of the metal electrodes , reference can be made , for example , to the elements 12 to 14 of fig5 ( a ) to 5 ( c ). the metal electrodes can have arms , not shown in fig7 ( e ) for clarity purposes , extending out of the trench to allow access to them . fig7 ( f ) shows a sixth step , where a polymide layer 59 ( forming the membrane 1 shown in fig1 ) is spinned to achieve the desired thickness ( usually about 4 to 30 microns ). additionally , the polymide layer 59 is cured at a temperature between about 200 . degree . c . and 400 . degree . c ., preferably about 300 . degree . c ., to firmly embed the piezoelectric actuating structure in the polymide . fig8 ( a )- 8 ( f ) show a second series of steps of the process according to the second embodiment . fig8 ( a ) shows a seventh step , following the sixth step of fig7 ( f ), where a metal film 60 , for example a ti — au film , is deposited on the cured polymide 59 . the metal film 60 will eventually be patterned into a tuning electrode like the metal film 4 of fig1 . fig8 ( b ) shows an eighth step , where photoresist 61 is spinned , patterned and hard baked on the film 60 to act as a protective layer against the metal etchants used in the following tenth step . fig8 ( c ) shows a ninth step , where silicon is etched from the backside of the wafer by mounting the wafer in a customized wafer holder and immersing the holder in a koh solution at about 100 . degree . c . the wafer holder , not shown in the figure but well known per se to the person skilled in the art , seals the polymide side from the koh solution . in this way , an opening 62 etched in the silicon substrate is formed . preferably , the lateral dimensions of the metal pads 56 are just smaller ( about 100 microns ) than the lateral dimensions of the opening 62 . the lateral dimensions are the length and the width of the rectangular ( when looking from the top ) ti — pt film pad 56 . the lateral dimensions of the pads 56 are preferably smaller than the lateral dimensions of the opening 62 to possibly enable removal of the ti — pt pad . the use of a ti — pt pad is preferred , to make the fabrication process for the polymide membranes on silicon wafers more reliable . embodiments where the ti — pt pad is not removed are also possible . in such embodiments , the ti — pt pad will form one of the electrodes . fig8 ( d ) shows a tenth step , where a portion of protective layer 54 , a portion of the ti — au layer 60 , and the rectangular pads 56 , are etched away , for example by successively immersing the wafer in buffered oxide etchant ( boe ) solution together with a metal etchant solution and by dry etching . as a consequence of this step , the metal film 4 of fig1 is formed . alternatively , the rectangular pads 56 can be kept , to be used as a portion of the bottom electrode . fig8 ( e ) shows an eleventh step , where the residual photoresist 61 is removed , for example by spraying with acetone and spin drying . in this way , a carrier substrate containing a polymide membrane 59 , a metal film 4 , and actuators 5 is obtained . fig8 ( f ) shows a step where the carrier substrate obtained through the process described in fig7 ( a ) to 8 ( e ) is bonded to a base substrate like the one disclosed in fig6 ( c )( 2 ) to form the tunable device according to the present invention . as also disclosed in the embodiment fo fig6 d , gold can be used to bond the two substrates . with reference to fig6 ( e ) and fig8 ( f ), they both show a two - layered global structure , where the first layer comprises a wafer with membrane and actuator , and the second layer comprises a wafer with a circuit pattern or component . given that the structure only contains two layers , such structure can be miniaturized using standard cleanroom processing techniques . while several illustrative embodiments of the invention have been shown and described , numerous variations and alternative embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art . such variations and alternative embodiments are contemplated , and can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims .	8
fig1 shows the operation of writing a year in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention . it is contemplated that this operation will be used on and after jan . 1 , 2000 , although it could be implemented at any time . the operation starts at step 102 . in step 104 , the year is expressed in binary integer format . in step 106 , the year is written into the year field . the operation ends at step 106 . fig2 shows the operation of reading a year in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention , and the integer value is calculated . the integer value is compared with the ranges for ascii ( step 206 ), ebcdic ( step 208 ) and the integer format described above for the invention ( step 210 ) and is treated accordingly ( steps 212 - 216 ). if the integer value falls outside any of these ranges , an error message is given ( step 218 ). the operation then ends ( step 220 ). fig3 shows a data structure for use with the two operations described above . data record 300a includes year field or datum 302a and other fields 304a ; similarly , data record 300b includes year field or datum 302b and other fields 304b . the other fields can contain any information desired to be associated with the year . year field 302a contains the bits 0011 0000 0011 0000 . these bits correspond to ascii 00 and are interpreted as indicating the year 1900 . year field 302b contains the bits 0000 0111 1101 0000 . these bits lie outside the ranges for both ascii and ebcdic , but instead have an integer value of 2000 and are interpreted as indicating the year 2000 . fig4 shows a computing device for implementing the invention . computing device 400 includes storage 402 for storing the data records of fig3 . read / write device 404 reads from and writes to the storage under control of a processor such as microprocessor 406 , thus allowing data exchange between the storage and the microprocessor . the microprocessor or other processor has logic circuitry with comparing capabilities 408 and year determining capabilities 410 for performing the operations of fig1 and 2 . the computing device could be , e . g ., an appropriately programmed ibm - compatible pc , macintosh , mainframe or any sized computer ( micro , mini , super and mainframe ). the device can also include any or all of input 412 ( e . g ., a keyboard ), printer 414 and display 416 as needed . the following table shows the encoding of years according to the prior art and the preferred embodiment of the present invention : __________________________________________________________________________byte : byte : __________________________________________________________________________f e d c b a 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 hex code integer value0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 ascii 00 12 , 3361 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 ebcdic 00 61 , 6803 1 8 4 2 1 5 2 1 6 3 1 8 4 2 1 binary place values2 6 1 0 0 0 1 5 2 4 2 67 3 9 9 4 2 2 6 86 8 2 6 8 48 40 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 binary integer 2000__________________________________________________________________________ the operations described above can be performed on any suitable computer with the appropriate programming or can be implemented in firmware , hard - wired configuration , microcode , or the like . the medium of fig3 can be a floppy disk , a hard disk , rom , ram , a tape backup medium , or any other digital storage medium , as needed . examples of uses for the invention include the following . in a payment processing system at a bank , it is crucial to distinguish a payment due date in 2000 from one in 1900 . even commercial computer systems that do not process payments , such as airline reservation systems , frequently process date - sensitive information . microcomputer applications , such as word processors and spreadsheets , often need to utilize information stored as date codes and thus need to be able to handle data representing all dates in which such applications will be used . this invention enables the date codes in the data base for the years 1900 - 1999 to remain the same , while storing dates codes for years 2000 and beyond in the binary integer format described above . the software for processing the dates codes need only be changed to include the capability of analyzing and processing date codes in both the integer - encoded format and the format involving years represented by the last two decimal digits . while the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described , those skilled in the art who have reviewed this specification will readily appreciate that other embodiments can be achieved . for example , the ranges can be varied to accommodate different character sets previously used to encode year data . also , the ranges that are unused in the preferred embodiment can be used to indicate years b . c . alternatively , to indicate years b . c ., the integer - encoded format can be encoded with a &# 34 ; minus &# 34 ; symbol by setting the highest - order bit to one , as is known in the art . available negative integers include all negative integers not falling within the range described above for ebcdic . furthermore , the integer value used to indicate the year can include an offset , so that the year 2000 can be written , say , as 0000 0000 0000 0000 , thus making it possible to write an additional two thousand years . numbering systems other than binary , such as octal , can be used , although they decrease the practical range of years . other variations exist for the invention , which should therefore be construed as limited only by the appended claims .	8
fig1 to 17 illustrate different embodiments 1 , 5 , 30 , 31 of a jet regulator from which the water should emerge as a shower - like water jet formed from a multiplicity of individual jets . the substantially pot - shaped jet regulator housing 2 has , on its outlet face side 3 which forms the pot base of the pot - shaped jet regulator housing 2 , a plurality of through - holes 4 . the jet regulators 1 , 5 , 30 and 31 are assigned a separate inlay part 6 which is inserted into the housing interior as far as the outlet face side 3 . the inlay part 6 has a plurality of hose - like spray nozzles 7 which are designed to generate a multiplicity of preferably visibly separately emerging individual jets . the spray nozzles 7 extend through in each case one outlet - face - side through - hole 4 of the jet regulator housing 2 and project with their free spray nozzle end region beyond the outlet face side 3 of the jet regulator 1 , 5 , 30 , 31 . the already - known jet regulators 1 , 5 , 30 , 31 also have an insert part 8 which is inserted into the housing interior , between which insert part and the outlet face side 3 the inlay part 6 is secured in position in the axial direction . in the jet regulators 1 , 5 , 30 , 31 illustrated here , the jet regulator housing 2 on the one hand and the outlet - side spray nozzles 7 on the other hand need not be produced as a multi - component injection - molded part in a complex injection molding die ; it is rather also possible for said components to be produced separately from one another in separate and relatively simple injection molding dies . even though the separately produced components 2 , 7 of the jet regulators 1 , 5 , 30 , 31 are inserted into one another merely in an easily detachable manner , the inlay part 6 with its soft elastic spray nozzles 7 , which are also subjected to not possibly inconsiderable manual exertion of force for the detachment of limescale deposits , is arranged secured in position in the housing interior in such a way that there is no risk of functionally detrimental relative displacements of the components assembled to form the jet regulators 1 , 5 , 30 , 31 . from the longitudinal sections in fig2 , 4 , 6 , 8 , 10 , 11 and 16 , it is clear that the inlay part 6 of the jet regulators 1 , 5 , 30 , 31 has a disk - shaped base element 9 on which the hose - like spray nozzles 7 are held . here , the inlay part 6 has in this case a pot - shaped sub - region whose pot base forms the base element 9 with the spray nozzles 7 . the in this case pot - shaped inlay part 6 of the jet regulators 1 , 5 , 30 , 31 has a circumferential edge region 10 which projects counter to the inflow direction and which is designed as a sealing edge which bears sealingly against the housing inner circumference . for this purpose , the circumferential edge region 10 which projects counter to the inflow direction is oriented obliquely outward such that said circumferential edge region practically forms a lip seal which bears sealingly against the housing inner circumference of the jet regulator housing 2 . since the circumferential edge region 10 of the inlay part 6 bears sealingly against the inner circumference of the jet regulator housing 2 , undesired leakage flows between the inlay part 6 and the inner circumference of the jet regulator housing 2 are prevented . it can be seen from the perspective views from below in fig3 , 7 , 14 and 17 that the spray nozzles 7 provided on the jet regulators 1 , 5 , 30 , 31 are provided on circular paths arranged concentrically around the jet regulator longitudinal axis . here , a non - perforated central region 11 which is not equipped with spray nozzles 7 is provided on the outlet face side of the jet regulator housing 2 . positioned upstream of the jet regulators 1 , 5 , 30 , 31 is in each case one flow rate regulator 12 which limits the maximum throughflow capacity per unit of time to a pressure - independent maximum value . the flow rate regulator 12 is connected in a latchable or similarly detachable manner to the jet regulators 1 , 5 , 30 , 31 on the inflow side of the latter . in order that the function of the flow rate regulators 12 and of the jet regulators 1 , 5 , 30 , 31 positioned downstream thereof at the outflow side cannot be impaired by dirt particles possibly entrained in the water , in each case one upstream screen 13 is positioned upstream of the flow rate regulators 12 and of the jet regulators 1 , 5 , 30 , 31 , which upstream screen is connected likewise in a detachable manner to the flow rate regulator 12 and to the respective jet regulator 1 , 5 , 30 , 31 . into the jet regulator housing 2 of the jet regulators 1 , 5 , 30 , 31 there is provided a diffuser 14 ( cf . fig5 to 8 , 15 to 17 ) or a distributor 15 ( cf . fig1 to 4 , 9 to 14 ) which breaks the inflowing water flow into a multiplicity of partial flows distributed over the circumference of the diffuser 14 or distributor 15 . for this purpose , the components 14 , 15 have an annular wall 16 in which are provided a plurality of throughflow openings 17 distributed preferably uniformly over the circumference of the annular wall 16 . an annular duct 18 leads from the throughflow openings 17 to the spray nozzles 7 of the inlay part 6 . the distributor 15 of the jet regulator 1 , 30 shown in fig1 to 4 and 9 to 14 has a central overflow 19 which is of substantially pot - shaped form and whose overflow openings form the throughflow openings 17 . here , the distributor 15 forms the insert part 8 which secures the inlay part 6 in the axial direction . the distributor 15 has for this purpose an outer annular wall 20 which surrounds the pot - shaped overflow 19 with a spacing and which is connected to said overflow via an inflow - side , annularly encircling perforated or connecting plate 21 which is arranged approximately in a radial plane . the outer annular wall 20 of the distributor 15 rests with its outflow - side face end region on an annular shoulder 22 of the inlay part 6 in such a way that the inlay part 6 is secured in position in the jet regulator 1 , 30 so as to be immovable in the axial direction . it is clear from a comparison of fig1 to 4 , 5 to 8 , 9 to 14 and 15 to 17 that each jet regulator 1 , 5 , 30 , 31 has an inflow - side component 23 which is held in a detachably latchable manner on the jet regulator housing 2 or on a housing part 24 of the jet regulator 1 , 5 , 30 , 31 . here , the insert part 8 which secures the inlay part 6 in the axial direction is itself secured in the housing interior of the jet regulator housing 2 by the inflow - side component 23 . while it is the case in the jet regulators 1 , 30 , 31 illustrated in fig1 to 4 and 9 to 17 that the flow rate regulator 12 forms the component 23 that can be detachably latched in the inflow - side region of the jet regulator 1 and which bears with an annular wall 25 against the distributor 15 or the diffuser 14 , the jet regulator housing 2 of the jet regulator 5 shown in fig5 to 8 has two housing parts 24 , 26 , the inflow - side housing part 24 of which forms a component 23 , which secures the insert part 8 in the housing interior , of the jet regulator 5 . the insert part 8 of the jet regulator 5 is in this case formed as a hold - down sleeve which tapers in the inflow direction and which bears at the inflow side against the adjacent face end region of the housing part 24 and at the outflow side against an annular shoulder 22 of the inlay part 6 . it can be seen from the longitudinal section in fig6 that that duct portion of the annular duct 18 which is formed between the diffuser 14 and the adjacent inner circumference of the housing part 24 tapers such that , in said region , a vacuum is generated which can be used for sucking air into the housing interior of the jet regulator housing 2 , wherein it is intended for the air to be mixed with the water flowing through . the jet regulators 1 , 5 have a jet regulator housing 2 which can be inserted into an outlet mouthpiece ( not illustrated in any more detail here ) which can be mounted on the outlet end of a sanitary outlet fitting . for this purpose , the jet regulators 1 , 5 have , on their jet regulator housing 2 , an annular flange or annular shoulder 32 by means of which the jet regulator 1 , 5 rests on an annular shoulder provided at the inside in the outlet mouthpiece . the jet regulator 30 also has an annular flange or annular shoulder 32 on the housing outer circumference of its jet regulator housing 2 . the jet regulator 30 can be inserted into an intermediate bracket 36 from the inflow side of the latter until the annular flange or annular shoulder 32 of the jet regulator comes to rest on an annular shoulder provided on the inner circumference of the sleeve - shaped intermediate bracket or on the inflow - side face edge of the intermediate bracket 36 . the jet regulator 30 can be fastened in the water outlet of a sanitary outlet fitting by means of the intermediate bracket 36 . for this purpose , the sleeve - shaped intermediate bracket 36 has , on its outer circumference , an external thread 37 by means of which the intermediate bracket 36 can be detachably screwed into an internal thread on the water outlet of a sanitary outlet fitting . by contrast , the jet regulator 31 bears on its jet regulator housing 2 an external thread 33 by means of which the jet regulator 31 can be screwed into an internal thread provided at the inside on the water outlet of an outlet fitting ( likewise not illustrated here ). while the inlay parts 6 of the jet regulators 1 , 5 , 30 have provided therein a corresponding number of spray nozzles 7 such that said spray nozzles 7 can all extend through through - holes 4 provided in the jet regulator housing 2 , the jet regulator 31 in fig1 to 17 has in relation thereto a reduced number of spray nozzles 7 on its inlay part 6 , wherein the inlay part 6 of the jet regulator 31 sealingly closes off those through - holes 4 of the jet regulator housing 2 which are arranged on the inner circular path in order to reduce the throughflow capacity . to be able to sealingly close off those through - holes 4 of the jet regulator housing 2 which are arranged on the inner circular path , spray - nozzle - shaped studs 34 are in this case provided on the inlay part 17 , which studs extend through and sealingly close off the through - holes 4 provided on the inner circular path . it is clear from fig1 to 17 that the jet regulators illustrated here may also be part of a modular jet regulator construction kit or system . here , the jet regulator 31 may also be assigned a plurality of inlay parts 6 which can be selectively inserted into the jet regulator housing 2 and of which the inlay part 6 illustrated merely by way of an example in fig1 to 17 closes off individual through - holes 4 of the jet regulator housing 2 in order to reduce the throughflow capacity . the jet regulator 31 shown in fig1 to 17 is designed for a low throughflow capacity . since the through - holes 4 arranged on the inner circular path are closed off by the studs 34 which project from the inlay part 6 , the water can emerge only through the spray nozzles 7 arranged on the outer circular path . the advantage of the jet regulator design shown in fig1 to 17 is that only the inlay part 6 and therefore only a single component must be changed in order to adapt the jet regulator 31 to a different throughflow capacity . it is self - evident that the inlay part 6 shown in fig1 to 17 may also be used in jet regulator designs such as are shown in fig1 to 14 .	4
reference is now made to fig1 a . the disclosed subsea device can generally be seen as divided into three sections or floors where the top section is given reference numeral 20 , middle section 30 and bottom section 40 . top section 20 can be denoted a directionally controlling unit which controls and limits rotation around the vertical axis 11 . this unit typically comprises two thrusters 21 , one at each side , but may also be eccentrically connected by a wire that holds back any rotation . the middle section 30 can also be denoted a pump unit and comprises water inlet 31 , at least one thruster or propel 32 ( two shown in fig1 a ) powered by a motor 33 . the pump unit 30 is arranged to suck water in through the water inlets 31 and to move it vertically downwards to bottom section which is the nozzle assembly 40 of the blower 10 . the bottom section or the nozzle assembly 40 of the blower is shown in fig1 a comprising a central nozzle 41 arranged to direct water substantially vertically downwards with a force sufficient to disintegrate / erode more or less solid masses at the seafloor . in addition the blower has inclined nozzles 42 arranged symmetrically around the vertical axis 11 through the blower 10 . when only two nozzles 42 are arranged mutually symmetrically around a common vertical axis , it means that their horizontal components are directed oppositely in relation to one another and that their angle in relation to the vertical axis is the same . for instance both nozzles can be arranged with an angle deviating 20 degrees from the axis , 25 degrees from the axis , 30 degrees from the axis , or other chosen , common angle for both the two nozzles . these nozzles contributes to blow disintegrated material much farther away from the blower compared to what the central nozzle 41 is capable of alone , and these nozzles 42 also contribute to holding the space around the blower free from sediment , so that the operator has good visibility and so that water sucked into the blower does not become severely contaminated . since the side nozzles come in pairs , the blower maintains a neutral position in the water , since the horizontal forces are nulled out . fig1 b shows the blower seen from straight above , where the two horizontal thrusters 21 ( one at each side ) control or limit the rotation of the blower around its vertical axis , or simultaneously or separately are used to move the blower along a line parallel with the thruster axis . typically it is desirable at the thrusters ensure that the blower &# 39 ; s orientation is held stationary , without rotation . the nozzles 41 and 42 ( two ), a number of three in total , are shown with dotted lines in fig1 b . fig2 a shows a slightly different embodiment from that shown in fig1 a and 1b . the only difference is that there is an extra set of side nozzles 43 which has a direction a little closer to the horizontal line than the side nozzles 42 . this embodiment thus can create an even larger horizontal movement of sediment , but is otherwise equivalent with the embodiment shown in fig1 a and 1b . also other nozzle configurations having a substantially vertical central nozzle and a number of inclined nozzles arranged in pair or rotationally symmetrically around the blower &# 39 ; s vertical axis are contemplated . fig2 b shows a top view of the blower from fig2 a in principally the same manner as fig1 b does for the variant according to fig1 a . the dotted lines show the nozzle assembly comprising the nozzles 41 , 42 ( two ) and 43 ( two ), a total of five nozzles . fig3 shows the blower suspended by a wire 51 or the like from a crane 52 arranged on a barge or boat 53 . it should be emphasized , however , that the suspensions , cranes or the like do not form part of the inventive aspect of the subsea device and can have entirely different forms than those shown . in some cases a rigid , jointed suspension may be used , thus eliminating the need for stabilizing thrusters present . the disclosed device can advantageously be provided with sonar , echo - sounder or the like ( not shown ) to monitor the distance to the seafloor and to subsea installations . it can furthermore be provided with gyro ( not shown ) which in cooperation with the thrusters 21 automatically can control and limit any rotation about the vertical axis .	4
in order to fully appreciate the quantum - dot cascade laser which is the subject of the present invention , it is useful to compare it with a prior art quantum - well laser . with further reference to fig1 there are shown two electronically coupled dots or alternatively , two electronically coupled wells . photons are generated by the transition of an electron from the first excited state to the ground state of the coupled dots or coupled wells . in both cases , electrons are injected directly into the excited state by a current tunneling through the upstream barrier . once an electron is de - excited , it escapes quickly through the downstream barrier so that photon absorption is negligible . a significant distinction between the quantum - dot laser and prior - art quantum - well lasers is that in the quantum - dot laser , the excited and ground electronic levels as shown in fig1 represent truly discrete states while in the case of a quantum - well laser , the excited and ground electronic levels shown in fig1 represent the bottom of a continuous band of states . specifically , in the quantum - well laser , electrons form bands due to their free movement in the two dimensions transverse to the direction of conduction - band energy variation shown in fig1 ( i . e ., the direction of current flow ). consequently , the dominant electronic decay mechanism in the quantum wells is nonradiative , involving emission of an optic phonon rather than a photon . since the bands are continuous in energy , such transitions are always allowed . furthermore , since the electron - optic - phonon coupling is much stronger than the electron - photon coupling such nonradiative transitions will always dominate the radiative ones . in a sharp contrast , the rate of radiative decay dominates the nonradiative rate in the quantum - dot laser . inasmuch as the excited and ground states of the coupled dots are discrete levels , nonradiative decays involve emission of a phonon at the difference energy ε 1 - ε 0 . in general , phonon energies form a continuous band so that such one - phonon decays are allowed . however if the difference energy ε 1 - ε 0 is larger than the largest phonon energy ( e . g ., the optic phonon energy at ω lo = 36 mev in gaas ) then no single phonon can carry away the electronic energy . multiphonon decay processes are still allowed but the rate of these is negligible ( except in certain narrow energy bands ). the dominant decay mechanism in quantum dots therefore is photon emission . the size of each of the coupled dots is strongly constrained by the requirement that the energy difference between the excited and ground states exceed the optic - phonon energy ω lo . the resulting maximum dot size l can be estimated from the energy spacing in a square well of size l , ## equ1 ## for gaas , with an effective mass m * = 0 . 067 m , dots smaller than l = 20 nm in all three dimensions are required . with reference to fig2 there is shown a basic structure ( sandwich ) of an array of double quantum dots , suitable for the construction of a laser . it includes conducting sheets 60 , which provide the basic structural support for the array of double quantum dots and provide conductive pathways to other sandwiches of quantum dots stacked above and below the sandwich . in a preferred embodiment , the conducting sheets may be made of n - doped gaas , although those skilled in the art can readily appreciate that the other materials made from group iii - group v elements , or group ii - group vi elements , could be substituted from the gaas . positioned between the conducting sheets , is an array of quantum dots , spaced to provide a dot density that is effective for lasing . preferable , and as shown in fig2 the quantum dots 62 are completely separated by , and sandwiched between barrier layers 64 . while it is not explicitly shown in fig2 the barrier material completely surrounds each of the double dots on each side , i . e ., above , below and in space between adjacent dots . those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that quantum dots 62 may be made from any suitable material , i . e ., gaas or other group iii - group v ; group ii - group vi materials , where group iii is b , al , ga , in , ti ; group v is n , p , as , sb , bi ; group ii is zn , cd , hg ; and group vi is o , s , se , te , po and that the barrier layers are likewise made from a suitable barrier material , i . e ., algaas . laser action will only occur if the gain coefficient γ ( ω ) exceeds the distributed loss , where α i is the bulk loss and α m =( 1 / l ) log ( 1 / r ) is the loss through mirrors . relation ( 2 ) jointly constrains the minimum density of dot pairs and the uniformity of dot sizes . the gain is proportional to the three - dimensional density of coupled dots and is given by : where ƒ is the fraction of coupled dots with an electron in the excited state ( we neglect the small fraction of dots with an electron in the ground state ) and σ ( ω ) as the product of an oscillator strength s and a normalized lineshape function g ( ω ), in the dipole approximation the oscillator strength is given by : ## equ2 ## where α = e 2 / c = 1 / 137 is the fine structure constant , n is the index of refraction , and ω fi is the transition frequency between initial and final states . the dipole matrix element between initial and final state & lt ; ƒ \| r · e \| i & gt ; projects the polarization direction e on the dipole moment . in the coupled dot , the transition dipolemoment lies purely along the current direction so the radiation will be polarized in that direction . in the sec ond line of equation ( 5 ), the dipole matrix element is approximated by the product of the distance between the dots d and interdot hybridization t / ω fi , where t is the tunnel coupling between dots . the remaining factor is the normalized lineshape function g ( ψ ). it is assumed that inhomogeneous broadening due to disorder will determine the lineshape . taking , for convenience , a lorentzian lineshape with fwhm disorder broadening of δψ , one finds a peak gain coefficient of : ## equ3 ## by equating the peak gain to the total loss , a joint requirement on density and uniformity for a quantum - dot laser can be stated . as described by salch and teich in fundamentals of photonics , published by wiley , new york 1991 , the distributed loss for a semiconductor injection laser is at least 10 cm - 1 . the interdot hybridization t / ω fi must be sufficiently small such that the spontaneous emission rate ω sp dominates the leakage rate from the excited state through the downstream barrier . in turn , the spontaneous emission rate must be smaller than the escape rate from the ground state . assuming a fixed escape rate γ through the downstream barrier , these inequalities require : which clearly limits the hybridization to ( t / ω fi ) 2 & lt ; 1 / 10 . further assuming a transition energy of 100 mev , interdot spacing of d = 10 nm , and index refraction n = 3 , it is found that lasing requires an excited coupled - dot density to broadening energy ration of : ## equ4 ## hence at 10 % disorder broadening of the transition energy ( 5 % nonuniformity ), and an excited fraction near f = 1 , requires a minimum density of one coupled dot pair per ( 180 nm ) 3 volume . to achieve this average density of coupled dots throughout the region occupied by the lasing mode requires a three - dimensional structure . one such preferred structure , as shown in fig3 is a layered structure , comprising a stack of two - dimensional arrays of coupled quantum dots ( see fig2 ) with an overall density for the gain requirements . finally , the threshold current for such a quantum - dot device can be determined . since radiative decays dominate , the current flowing through each pair of dots need only be adequate to replenish losses due to spontaneous emission . the total spontaneous emission rate is given by : ## equ5 ## using the same parameters as above , a threshold current of j t = ew sp 25 16 pa per coupled dot pair is obtained . for a uniform array of dots in three dimensions , this gives a current density of 4 . 9 ma / cm 2 . this threshold current density of the quantum - dot device is six - and - a - half orders of magnitude lower than the 14 ka / cm 2 required for the quantum - well cascade laser . with reference to fig3 there is shown an embodiment of a quantum - dot laser constructed according to the teachings of the present invention so far described . specifically , substrate 702 provides the basic structural support for the laser . the substrate typically is a monocrystalline wafer whose lattice parameters are well suited for growing thereover the various functional layers needed for laser operation while maintaining a high degree of monocrystallinity free from dislocations or defects . overlying the substrate 702 is the cladding layer 704 which is suitably reflective of photons generated within double dot array layers 714 and which are constructed as shown previously in fig2 . while only three such double - dot array layers 714 are shown , those skilled in the art can readily appreciate that the number of such layers can be varied to realize effective double - dot density depending upon the particular materials utilized for each layer . additionally , it may be desirable to have opposite edges of cladding layer 704 to be highly reflective of emitted radiation , although at least one of the two edges , 712a , 712b should be partially transmissive for laser light to exit . it is also desirable to provide electrical contacts 708 , 710 to substrate 702 and contact layer 706 , respectively , to provide a current flow through the structure sufficient to support the lasing . finally , it should be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that additional downstream barrier ( s ) may be advantageously utilized such that escape from the excited state of energy , by tunneling is eliminated , thereby enhancing the overall efficiency of the quantum - dot cascade laser . the dimensions of the various layers are chosen in accordance with known laser design principles . a variety of known techniques are available for the production of structures of the kind described , such as molecular beam epitaxy ( mbe ) or alternatively , chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ). at this point those skilled in the art will appreciate that the requirement for a pair of quantum dots imposed upon the invention as described to this point is solely to prevent leakage via tunneling from the excited state . consequently , if this tunneling can be prevented via some other means such as &# 34 ; bandstructure engineering &# 34 ;, e . g ., by placement of a superlattice with a forbidden band at the excited - state energy , then the invention can be embodied in a laser in which the lasing transition takes place within a single dot or single &# 34 ; vertical transition &# 34 ;. with reference now to fig4 there it shows a portion of the conduction band diagram of the quantum dot , vertical transition laser according to the invention . specifically , forbidden miniband 408 and allowed miniband 409 are associated with superlattice bragg reflector 410 and indicate energy regions in which the superlattice is , respectively , relatively transparent and relatively opaque to electrons . upstream active region 411 and downstream active region 421 are shown upstream and downstream , respectively , from quantum dot 405 which is shown by wavy arrow 406 emitting a photon when a vertical transition from a excited , high energy state to a final , low energy state occurs . as can be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art , with this geometry , there are no allowed final states at the energy of the excited state of the quantum dot in the region immediately downstream of the quantum dot . since an excited electron cannot escape by tunneling , it can only decay -- preferably by photon emission to a lower energy state of the quantum dot . consequently , this avoids the need for a second quantum dot or double dot , however , at the cost of a superlattice bragg reflector downstream of the single quantum dot . a further refinement to the above vertical transition quantum dot laser can take advantage of the inherent phonon emission . with reference now to fig5 there it shows the vertical transition quantum dot energy transition diagram of fig4 having an additional quantum dot 419 . specifically , photon emission transition 406 is further enhanced with phonon emission 407 to the additional quantum dot 419 . including this second dot having an energy level tuned sufficiently below the lower lasing level allows relatively quick depopulation of this lower lasing level . finally , those skilled in the art will quickly appreciate that the principles diagrammed in fig4 and 5 could be combined into a single dot structure having three energy levels . with reference now to fig6 there it shows a conduction band diagram for the combined device constructed from the principles discussed in fig4 and 5 . as can be seen from this conduction band diagram showing a vertical transition within a single quantum dot 405 , a photonic emission results when an electron transition takes place from level 3 , ( 413 ) to level 2 ( 415 ). resonant phonon emission occurs from level 2 to level 1 ( 417 ). advantageously , the energy difference between level 2 and level 1 is engineered such that this phonon transition occurs readily . preferably , level 1 is the ground state of the quantum dot . while there has been described and illustrated a quantum dot cascade laser , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modification and variations are possible without deviating from the broad principle and spirit of the invention which shall be limited solely by the scope of the claims appended hereto .	8
some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the related drawings of fig1 - 5 . additional embodiments , features and / or advantages of the invention will become apparent from the ensuing description or may be learned by practicing the invention . in the figures , the drawings are not to scale with like numerals referring to like features throughout both the drawings and the description . the following description includes the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention . this description is not to be taken in a limiting sense , but is made merely for the purpose of describing the general principles of the invention . fig2 a - 2b generally illustrate a mobile communication device 6 comprising first and second optical sensors 10 , 12 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . first optical sensor 10 is preferably disposed on a front portion 8 of mobile communication device 6 in the general proximity of a speaker 14 of mobile communication device 6 , as generally shown in fig2 a . second optical sensor 12 is preferably disposed on a back portion 9 of mobile communication device 6 , as generally shown in fig2 b . each of first and second optical sensors ( 10 , 12 ) is adapted to sense light in the general vicinity of mobile communication device 6 . a person skilled in the art would readily appreciate that the location of each optical sensor as well as the number of optical sensors used in accordance with the general principles of the present invention may be varied by the mobile communication device manufacturer . as generally depicted in fig3 , mobile communication device 6 also comprises a light intensity detector ( lid ) 16 operatively coupled between first optical sensor 10 , second optical sensor 12 , and a processor 18 . lid 16 receives light input from first and second optical sensors 10 , 12 . lid 16 detects the intensity of light sensed by first and second optical sensors 10 , 12 , and generates corresponding light intensity output that is fed into processor 18 . processor 18 compares the intensity of light ( i f1 ) sensed by first optical sensor 10 with the intensity of light ( i f2 ) sensed by second optical sensor 12 , i . e . determines the relative light intensity , and outputs a corresponding light intensity comparison signal δi , where δi =\| i f2 − i f1 \|, to a controller 20 ( fig3 ). based on the comparison signal , controller 20 may suspend an image stream or resume a suspended image stream during an ongoing simultaneous image / voice transmission . specifically , if δi ≧ δi ref during an ongoing simultaneous image / voice transmission , where δi ref is a pre - set value , controller 20 concludes that user 22 has brought mobile communication device 6 in proximity to his / her ear , i . e . does not wish to view images any more , as generally depicted in fig4 a , and automatically suspends the image stream with the voice transmission portion going on uninterrupted . alternatively , if δi & lt ; δi ref during an ongoing simultaneous image / voice transmission , controller 20 concludes that user 24 has pulled mobile communication device 6 away from his / her ear , i . e . may wish to view images again , as generally depicted in fig4 b , and automatically resumes the suspended image stream with the voice transmission portion going on uninterrupted . a person skilled in the art would appreciate that the user may manually suspend an image stream during an ongoing simultaneous image / voice transmission by simply covering first optical sensor 10 with a finger or by bringing his / her finger in close proximity to first optical sensor 10 , e . g ., by partially or fully obstructing the view of first optical sensor 10 , such as in the vicinity of device speaker 14 ( fig2 a ). the suspended image stream ( image transmission portion ) would automatically resume if the user were to remove his / her finger from first optical sensor 10 or move his his / her finger away from the vicinity of speaker 14 , i . e . if the user were to no longer block or interfere with the light - sensing field of first optical sensor 10 . in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention , mobile communication device 6 may operate as follows . after establishing connection with another communication device , as referenced by “ start ” step 26 of fig5 , the user performs a simultaneous image / voice transmission , step 28 , fig5 . lid 16 detects the intensity of light sensed by first and second optical sensors 10 , 12 during the ongoing simultaneous image / voice transmission , step 30 , fig5 . processor 18 receives input from lid 16 representative of the detected light intensity and generates a light intensity comparison signal δi , step 32 , fig5 . controller , 20 determines whether δi ≧ δi ref , where δi ref is a pre - set value , step 34 , fig5 . if the answer is in the affirmative , controller 20 suspends the image transmission portion of the ongoing image / voice transmission with the voice transmission portion going on uninterrupted , step 36 , fig5 , and the cycle repeats , as generally illustrated in fig5 . if the answer is in the negative , controller 20 allows the image transmission portion of the ongoing image / voice transmission to proceed simultaneously with the voice transmission portion , or resumes a previously suspended image transmission portion with the voice transmission portion going on uninterrupted , step 38 , fig5 , and the cycle repeats . the above - described novel setup reduces mobile communication device user inconvenience during simultaneous image / voice transmission by automating the entire procedure . all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context . in particular , the terms “ comprises ” and “ comprising ” should be interpreted as referring to elements , components , or steps in a non - exclusive manner , indicating that the referenced elements , components , or steps may be present , or utilized , or combined with other elements , components , or steps that are not expressly referenced . while the present invention has been described in detail with regards to several embodiments , it should be appreciated that various modifications and variations may be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention . in this regard it is important to note that practicing the invention is not limited to the applications described hereinabove . many other applications and / or alterations may be utilized provided that such other applications and / or alterations do not deviate from the intended purpose of the present invention . also , features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used in another embodiment to provide yet another embodiment such that the features are not limited to the embodiments described above . thus , it is intended that the present invention cover all such embodiments and variations as long as such embodiments and variations come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents .	7
while the present invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which a particular embodiment is shown , it is to be understood at the outset that a person skilled in the art may modify the invention herein described while still achieving the favorable results of this invention . accordingly , the description which follows is to be understood as a broad teaching disclosure directed to persons of skill in the appropriate arts and not as limiting upon the present invention . referring now to the figures and particularly to fig1 a , the prior art method of determining hopper , bin or silo weight is to weigh the entire mechanism , which includes the hopper , the feed mechanism and all supporting structure . the first step is to weigh the mechanism without the product as shown in fig1 a . the mechanism with the product is then weighed as shown in fig1 b ; the difference being the product weight . this method is not without its inherent drawbacks and deficiencies in that often , the weight of the mechanism ( hopper , feed mechanism and supporting structure ) is many times the weight of the product . this requires a very high resolution in order to measure small changes in product weight which is consequently , expensive and necessarily complex . this is particularly an issue when low density products such as cat litter must be measured . another method is to employ a level detector to measure the height of the product , but this method is also unreliable due to clumping or when especially low density product is present . another method of determining hopper level or fill is to infer hopper level based on fill weight . measurement of weight is normally considered a good method of determining hopper level since bulk density of a given material usually fairly consistent , and it “ integrates ” the uneven surface level of the product and does not rely on material characteristics . the main drawback of this method is that some of the material may not be in the “ fixed shape ” zone , as shown by the dotted lines in fig1 c . if this is the case some degree of error may be introduced by unknown or variable volume of the product not in the fixed shape zone . notwithstanding the foregoing , level by weight is still considered the most accurate method of solid particle level measurement , albeit the most expensive . hopper level may also be measured directly as shown in fig1 d by employing a level sensor positioned above the hopper , but this method can be unreliable due to product shape . in addition , the surface characteristics of some materials make it difficult to reliably sense the location of the surface . note that in connection with the above methods , the vibratory conveyor is not running . another method of weight measurement is to measure a batch amount of product delivered to the hopper . if the time required to deliver a batch amount is known , then the flow rate can be determined . a change in weight with respect to time is the flow rate , or in other words , the first derivative of the weight with respect to time yields the flow rate . there are currently two measurement methods or techniques in general use — supported and suspended . in both cases , the entire weight of the mechanism ( the hopper , vibratory tray and the electromagnetic drive ) plus the weight of the product is measured . the most commonly employed method for measuring small weights is shown in fig2 a and fig2 b . the flow begins with a full hopper , as shown in fig2 a and as product flows out of the hopper on the vibratory conveyor , the hopper level drops after a measured time period as shown in fig2 b . this is an inference of product level during weight measurement . however , the actual measurement is all of the material plus the equipment , except that which is in “ free fall ” as shown in fig2 b . since product flow is the first derivative of the weight measurement , and the “ loss in weight ” is a vary small part of the total , very high weight resolutions must be averaged over time in order to obtain a good signal representative of the product flow rate . when the hopper is large , all of the weight is measured , including the supports and base as described in fig2 a and fig2 b . this is very little difference in the output of the two methods and as actual product weight can be a very small percentage of the total weight measurement , a very high measurement resolution is needed in order to be meaningful . fig2 c and fig2 d illustrate the use of only two scales , however , the actual minimum would be three for actual use . as seen from the foregoing , the methods and apparatus described above generally require , in one form or another , that the entire mechanism ( hopper , base , and driver ) be weighed along with the material in order to measure the weight or flow rate of a product contained in the hopper . the present invention , in contrast , enables weighing only the hopper and the product , which results in a much improved and more accurate weight measurement . more specifically , the present invention hinges around a concept that , for the purposes stated herein , shall be referred to as the “ decoupling point ”. the decoupling point may be defined as the point at which the weight of particulate in a hopper , bin , or some other container ( generally tapering ) with an opening at the bottom , transfers the preponderance of the additional material &# 39 ; s weight to the walls of the container , and not to the material below that point which is supported by a surface ( e . g ., a “ platen ”) or other supporting means . stated otherwise , there is a point at which sufficient material is added to the bin so that a “ material bridge ” is formed across the hopper and the weight of the material transfers from the platen below to the container itself . also , the material is in continuous contact with itself from the top of the material until it contacts the bottom surface . there are two generally accepted methods of containing the material between the hopper discharge and the receiving container — angle of repose ( shown in fig2 a ) and some type of flexible coupling as shown in fig7 b , with angle of repose being the most prevalent . for most particulate matter in a shaped vessel , such as a hopper shown in fig3 a and fig3 b , there exists a point above which the weight of the material is transferred to the hopper , and below which its weight is transferred to the material below , which is supported by the base . in fig3 a , both the scale and the base support product weight while in fig3 b , only the scale supports the weight as the product below the illustrated decoupling line is supported by the base . only product added above the decoupling point shown will be subject to being weighed . again , the decoupling point , illustrated in the difference between fig3 a and fig3 b , is the point at which above all the material weight is transferred to the hopper or support vessel , and below which a transition starts that transfers the product weight from the hopper to the material below , as will be discussed herein below . the decoupling point for a particular material may be determined by measurement . fig4 a illustrates the point at which the decoupling point occurs . more specifically , fig4 a is an expanded graph of the actual weight ( act weight ) of a hopper vs . the measured weight ( mea weight ), as shown in fig4 b . in experiments that were performed , the decoupling point is shown at an actual weight of 4 . 85 and a measured weight of 1 . 7 , and it is at this point where the relationship between the actual weight and the measured weight becomes linear . referring now to fig4 a and fig4 b , the measured weight was set to zero ( tare weight ) with the hopper completely empty . as material was first added to the hopper , the measured weight did not indicate any weight . as more and more material is added to the hopper ( see the section of fig4 a below the decoupling point ), the measured weight approaches a linear relationship with the actual weight . once the level in the hopper reaches the decoupling point , the added weight of the material is supported by the hopper and the measured weight is the actual weight . fig4 b illustrates the linear relationship between the weight of the material transferred to the hopper as it is filled up from the decoupling point . note that the relationship remains the same ( linear ) as the hopper is filled to the maximum level . with respect to the foregoing , note that most of the error observed between the actual weight and the measured weight is due to the method of actually measuring the material in the hopper . in experiments that were performed , the actual weight of the material in the hopper was measured using a centriflow ® flow meter ( available from eastern instrument laboratories , inc ., wilmington , n . c .) and integrating the signal to determine the weight of the material in the hopper . since the meter is positioned at the free fall end of the vibratory feeder , the material in the feeder is weighed and any small change in the vibratory feeder level would contribute to error , however , over the entire weight of the hopper , the difference is small . referring now to fig5 a and 5 b , the fill decouple weight varies for different materials ( see table 1 ). fig5 a is an expanded view about the origin , with respect to fig5 b , to illustrate the start of the process . table 1 illustrates three very different possible fill materials and their respective characteristics . as previously noted , the decouple weight is the weight that must be added to the measured weight to give the correct weight . it is normally determined by a best fit straight line through the data , and then the actual weight indicated at zero measured weight . also , note that in fig4 a and 4 b , the decouple weight is the actual weight minus the measured weight , assuming that the measured weight is “ zeroed ” with the hopper completely empty . it should be noted that once the measured is “ zeroed ” with the hopper empty , and the offset of the decoupled weight is added , the measured weight is still not accurate until the actual weight is above the decouple point . it is preferred , in best modes , to presume that a measured weight will be accurate when the actual weight is twice ( 2 ×) the decoupled weight . as shown in fig5 b , over a weight range of approximately 100 lbs , the best fit lines of all three materials ( almonds , plastic pellets and kitty litter ) are parallel , indicating that only the offset is affected by different materials . this means that the calibration of the scale is not affected by material selection , only the offset , which is a procedural “ zero .” the decouple volume data in table 1 is calculated from the decouple weight and bulk density . the decouple volume point is the actual physical point at which the material couples to the hopper . comparing almonds to plastic pellets , the larger almonds require more volume to support itself on the hopper wall than the plastic pellets . also , the size variation range is over 10 : 1 and the density 2 : 1 , and the decouple weight changed approximately ± 1 lb . the hopper employed for this measurement was small and can hold approximately 100 lbs , making the offset change no more than one percent ( 1 . 0 %) over the product range . no decoupling point change was detected from maximum to minimum material weight for this hopper . referring now to fig6 a and 6 b , with respect to discharge decouple weight , a reasonable assumption would be that the fill and discharge weights differ , i . e ., as one fills a hopper from empty , more weight would be supported by the base , and when discharge begins , some of the fill decouple weight is transferred to the hoppers walls or the discharge decouple weight . fig6 a illustrates this effect . in the illustrated example , note the 2 . 3 lb difference between the measured hopper weight and the actual weight integrated by the centriflow ® flow meter , which is assumed to be the actual weight . from table 1 , the fill decouple weight was 3 . 38 lbs , so the discharge decouple weight is 3 . 38 − 2 . 3 = 1 . 08 lbs . the hopper weight measurement is “ calibrated ,” as shown in fig6 a , by adding fill or discharge decouple weight to the empty run hopper weight , which yields the measured product weight . the cmf weight is the actual weight integrated by the centriflow ® flow meter and is assumed to be the correct weight . with respect to fig6 a , it is important to note that the “ calibrated ” measured product weight joins the actual weight and also that the measured product weight rises almost immediately to the correct weight ( note the dotted circle in fig6 a ), so that it would be easy in software to find the peak if an accurate discharge batch weight were required . fig6 b illustrates a full run of 40 lbs of almonds that was delivered in a batch . note that if software is employed to pick the maximum and minimum , batch weight is accurate to at least one percent , and possibly 0 . 25 %. it will be noted that the data presented herein was derived using a vibratory feeder , which is considered one of the most widely used short term flow variable feed devices . furthermore , another factor contributing to flow variation by the decouple weight method is the volume of material below the decouple point , which as previously mentioned , is not weighed . actual small flow rate changes contribute to the variation in the volume or weight below the decouple point , increasing the indicated variability . the variability introduced by the decouple unweighted volume is time dependent , so longer product runs tend to reduce measurement error . while the disclosure discussed herein above refers to the use of the decouple system of the present invention used in conjunction with a vibratory feeder , other feeder mechanisms may be employed with equal efficacy . for example , a slide gate valve , a rotary valve and a screw feeder . since the screw feeder is similar to the vibratory feeder , a detailed discussion thereof is not deemed necessary . fig7 a illustrates schematically the present system employed in combination with a slide gate valve . when a slide gate valve is used the decoupling point remains unchanged , but the volume of material supported by the base decreases significantly ( as compared to the vibratory feeder of fig3 a ). another advantage of the slide gate feeder is that the material flow is the most constant which results in making the flow calculation smoother . fig7 b illustrates schematically the present system employed in combination with a rotary valve feeder and the supported volume is small , similar to the slide gate valve discussed herein above . the rotary valve supplies a pulsating material flow , which by its nature is not as good , in terms of the flow rate measurements , as the slide gate valve . in some circumstances , the rotary valve is superior to the vibratory conveyor , if sized correctly . the foregoing embodiments and examples are to be considered illustrative , rather than restrictive of the invention , and those modifications which come within the meaning and range of equivalence of the claims are to be included therein .	6
a burner assembly which embodies the features , concepts and principles of the invention is illustrated in fig1 where it is identified by the reference numeral 10 . as is conventional and well known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art , the burner 10 may be surrounded by a windbox 12 which provides combustion air to the burner at a pressure sufficient to cause it to flow into the combustion zone 14 in a combustion chamber or firebox 16 through an entrance 18 in a wall 20 of the combustion chamber 16 . as is also well known to those of ordinary skill in the art , an entrance , such as the entrance 18 , may preferably be in the form of a generally circular opening which extends through the wall 20 of combustion chamber 16 . the burner 10 is equipped with an elongated venturi tube 22 having an inlet end 25 that is spaced from entrance 18 and a outlet end 26 that is positioned adjacent to and in alignment with entrance 18 . the venturi tube 22 also has a throat 24 disposed between inlet end 25 and outlet end 26 . as would be well known to the routineer in the burner art , the venturi tube 22 may generally be circular in cross - sectional configuration , and the outlet end 26 thereof should preferably and generally be larger in diameter than either the inlet end 25 or the throat 24 . as illustrated in fig1 outlet end 26 of venturi tube 22 is preferably positioned within and surrounded by entrance 18 . additionally , the outer periphery 28 of outlet end 26 is smaller in diameter than the annular inner edge surface 30 of entrance 18 . thus , an annular gap 32 is presented between the outer periphery 28 of the outlet end 26 of the venturi tube 22 and the inner edge surface 30 . an annular shroud 33 is positioned within entrance 18 and is mounted on edge surface 30 so as to provide a mouth 35 for the gap 32 . the burner assembly 10 is also provided with a swirler 34 which is positioned centrally within the outlet end 28 of the venturi tube 22 . as can be clearly seen in fig1 the outer diameter of the swirler 34 is smaller than the internal diameter of the venturi tube 22 at the outlet end 28 of the latter . this provides an annular space 36 which surrounds the swirler 34 within the venturi tube 22 . the burner assembly 10 of the invention also may preferably be provided with a conventional ignitor 38 and one or more central fuel gas nozzles 40 . only a single nozzle is shown in fig1 ; however , one of ordinary skill in the burner art would understand that the burner 10 may include a plurality of central fuel gas nozzles spaced evenly around the longitudinal axis of the venturi tube 22 . the determinative factor in choosing the number of central fuel gas nozzles to use is simply to make sure that the central or primary gas flow is evenly distributed in the combustion air . the nozzle or nozzles 40 , as the case may be , provide fuel gas to the air flowing through the center of the venturi tube 22 . the burner assembly 10 may also preferably be equipped with a conventional steam operated fuel oil atomizer unit 42 so that the burner 10 is adapted to burn fuel oil as well as gaseous fuels including natural gas . in accordance with the concepts and principles of the invention , the burner assembly includes at least one fuel gas poker 44 for delivering fuel gas to the air traveling through the venturi tube 22 on its way to the combustion zone 14 . although only a single poker 44 is shown in fig1 the burner assembly 10 may preferably include three or more fuel gas pokers 44 spaced evenly around the inside of the venturi tube 22 . conventionally the burner may include six to eight pokers 44 as illustrated in fig2 ; however , if the invention of the &# 39 ; 803 patent is employed , the burner 10 may need only three pokers 44 . the pokers 44 may each include an elongated tube 45 and a nozzle 47 , and the same may conventionally be linked together by a fuel gas manifold 46 as shown in fig . 2 . the principal design consideration in selecting the correct number of pokers for any given installation is that the fuel gas be distributed evenly around the entire circumference of the venturi tube 22 . desirably burner assembly 10 of the invention may include one or more ducts 48 for internal recirculating flue gas 49 from a point within the combustion chamber 16 adjacent combustion zone 14 to the air flowing through venturi tube 22 at the low pressure zone 72 in throat 24 thereof . a single duct 48 is shown in fig1 for illustrative purposes . however , burner assembly 10 preferably may include four ducts 48 spaced 90 degrees apart around the periphery of the venturi tube 22 as best shown in fig2 . again , the principal design consideration in selecting the correct number of ducts 48 for a given application is simply that the recirculated flue gas be distributed evenly around the entire circumference of the venturi tube . ducts 48 may each be provided with an outlet 50 which is connected to the venturi tube at a point adjacent to the low pressure zone 72 at the throat 24 of the venturi tube 22 so that recirculated flue gas 49 is inducted into the venturi tube 22 . each duct 48 also preferably has an inlet 52 which is in fluid communication with the interior of the combustion chamber via an opening 54 in wall 20 . thus , flue gas 49 from adjacent the combustion zone 14 in chamber 16 may be inducted into the air flowing through the venturi tube 22 and intermixed therewith at throat 24 . as is illustrated in fig1 the burner 10 of the invention may also be provided with at least one external fuel gas injector 56 . the injector 56 may preferably include an elongated tube 58 and a nozzle 60 . the nozzle 60 protrudes through an opening 62 which extends through wall 20 such that the nozzle 60 is positioned in outwardly spaced relationship relative to entrance 18 . that is to say , opening 62 is positioned outwardly beyond the inner edge surface 30 of entrance 18 and therefore the nozzle 60 is positioned to direct a flow of fuel gas into said combustion chamber 16 at a location adjacent to and externally of the combustion air flowing into combustion zone 14 . a single fuel gas injector 56 is shown in fig1 for illustrative purposes . however , as shown in fig2 the burner assembly 10 may preferably include four to eight fuel gas injectors 56 spaced 45 degrees apart around the periphery of the venturi tube 22 . again , the principal design consideration in selecting the correct number of fuel gas injectors 56 for a given application is that the fuel gas be distributed evenly around the entire periphery of the combustion zone 14 . the injectors 56 are provided with a manifold 64 which distributes fuel gas thereto . in operation , combustion air enters the burner 10 from windbox 12 and is divided into three separate and distinct portions . the flow path of primary air is designated by the arrow 66 , the flow path of secondary air is designated by the arrow 68 and the flow path of tertiary air is designated by the arrow 70 . as dictated by the shape and size of the venturi tube 22 , the shape and configuration of the swirler 34 and the shape and size of the entrance 18 , primary air 66 moves to the center of the venturi tube 22 where it is mixed with fuel gas from the centrally located fuel nozzle 40 and caused to flow through the swirler 34 which rotates the primary air / central fuel gas mixture in a manner well known to the routineer in the burner art . thus , primary air 66 and central fuel gas from nozzle 40 are thoroughly mixed and agitated as the same are directed into the center core of the combustion zone 14 . secondary air 68 moves in a generally straight line through the venturi tube 22 and passes into the combustion zone . as the secondary air 68 passes around the swirler 34 , it is in the shape of an annular envelope that surrounds the swirler 34 and the swirled primary air 66 . as can be seen viewing fig1 the fuel gas pokers 44 are positioned radially outwardly relative to the swirler 34 and such that the fuel gas from the poker nozzles 47 is intermixed with the secondary air 68 . thus , straight line secondary air 68 and the fuel gas from poker nozzles 47 are directed in a straight line into the combustion zone 14 at a position which is radially outward of the center of the latter . tertiary air 70 moves in a straight line around the periphery of the venturi tube 22 and is guided by the mouth 35 so that it passes through the gap 32 between the outlet end 26 of the venturi tube 22 and the inner edge surface 30 of the entrance 18 . the tertiary air 70 is in the shape of an annulus which surrounds the venturi tube 22 and the secondary air 68 as it is introduced into the combustion zone 14 . fuel gas from the injectors 56 is introduced into the combustion chamber 16 at a position which is radially outward relative to the center of the combustion zone 14 and to the primary , secondary and tertiary air flows 66 , 68 and 70 . generally speaking , the outlet end of the venturi tube 22 may preferably be about 6 to about 40 inches in diameter . the shape of the venturi tube 22 is not necessarily critical to the operation of the burner 10 . that is to say , the shape of the venturi tube is in some measure dictated by the desired air flow rate characteristics . however , it has been determined experimentally that the venturi tube 22 may preferably be shaped such that the ratio of the diameter of the throat 24 to the diameter of the outlet end 26 may preferably be in the range of from about 1 : 1 . 2 to about 1 : 1 . 6 . it has also been determined experimentally that the ratio of the total cross - sectional area of the annular gap 32 to the total cross - sectional area of the outlet end 26 of the venturi tube 22 may preferably , but not necessarily , be in the range of from about 1 : 6 to about 1 : 8 . it is also preferred , but not necessarily required , that the swirler 34 be positioned at a distance from the outlet end 26 which is within the range of from about 0 . 4 to about 0 . 6 times the internal diameter of outlet end 26 . the difference between the forward velocity of the swirled primary air stream 66 and the forward velocity of the straight line secondary air stream 68 is associated with the physical design of the burner . conceptually , all of the primary air stream 66 passes through the swirler 34 . on the other hand , the secondary stream 68 passes around the swirler 34 and theoretically none of it passes through the swirler 34 . clearly none of the tertiary air flow 70 passes through the swirler 34 . the swirler 34 imposes a degree of aerodynamic resistance on the primary stream 66 passing therethrough . thus , the velocities of the straight line streams 68 and 70 are greater than the velocity of the primary stream 66 . as can be seen from fig3 when the ratio of swirled primary air flow to straight line air flow ( secondary + tertiary ) is greater than about 0 . 2 , air resistance increase rapidly . on the other hand , when the ratio of swirled primary air flow to straight line air flow is less than about 0 . 08 , flame stability problems occur . from these parameters , the preferred relative air flow velocities may be determined . thus , in actual operation , it is preferred that the ratio of the forward velocity of the primary swirled air stream 66 to the forward velocities of the straight line air streams 68 and 70 should be in the range of from about 1 : 1 . 1 to about 1 : 1 . 5 . as set forth above , the preferred lower limit of the tertiary air flow velocity is about 1 . 1 times the primary air velocity . in accordance with fig4 an increase in the velocity of the tertiary air velocity is accompanied by a decrease in the amount of recirculated flue gas 49 which can be induced into the combustion air by the venturi effect at low pressure zone 72 in venturi tube 22 . there is a comparatively small influence on the amount of flue gas recirculated by induction when the ratio of the velocities of the tertiary and primary air streams is 1 . 5 or less . however , when this ratio exceeds 1 . 5 , the recirculated flue gas rate drops off quickly . this phenomena also supports the preference for a primary air velocity to tertiary air velocity ratio of 1 . 5 or less . in accordance with the invention , the recirculated internal flue gas rate should preferably be within the range of from about 4 % to about 8 %, inclusive , based on the total amount of combustion air supplied to the burner . the effectiveness of such recirculation is apparent from fig7 . the center core of the burner flame is located in the central part of the combustion zone 14 . this part of the flame , which is fed primarily by the primary air flow and the fuel from the central fuel nozzles 40 , is responsible for stability and vibration of the entire flame . in addition , the core of the flame plays a role as a flame pilot whenever the heat load is reduced to a minimum . it is well known to the routineer in the burner art that the most stable flame occurs when the conditions in the burner are stoichiometric . from a practical viewpoint , however , flames are sufficiently stable whenever the amount of air is at least 70 % of the amount that is theoretically sufficient to burn all of the fuel and no greater than 110 % of such amount . thus , the fuel / air ratio in the primary air stream should be maintained such that the available oxygen ranges from about 70 % to about 110 % of theoretical at the time the primary air stream enters the combustion zone . as can be seen from fig5 however , there is an effective reduction in emitted no x without a corresponding increase in emitted co when the ratio of the excess air factor in the secondary stream 68 to the excess air factor in the tertiary air stream 70 is in the range of from about 1 . 3 : 1 to about 2 . 7 : 1 . when this ratio is less than about 1 . 3 : 1 , no x reduction is negligible . when this ratio is above about 2 . 7 , co emission becomes unacceptable . coupled with the foregoing information , one must take into consideration the fact that the state of the art knowledge is that the local excess air factor should preferably never be more than 2 . 0 to prevent local cooling of the flame , and should preferably never be less than about 0 . 7 to avoid the unacceptable concentrations of incompletely combusted products in the flue gas . based on these considerations , and in accordance with the concepts and principles of the present invention , it has been determined that the excess air factor provided by the primary stream 66 should preferably be in the range of from about 0 . 7 to about 1 . 1 , that the excess air factor provided by the secondary stream 68 should preferably be in the range of from about 0 . 7 to about 2 , and that the excess air factor provided by the tertiary stream 70 should preferably be in the range of from about 0 . 5 to about 0 . 7 . with reference to the foregoing considerations the preferred relative primary fuel gas flow can be determined . thus , the primary fuel gas flow is a multiplication product of the relative primary air flow and the primary excess air factor , which is ( 0 . 08 − 0 . 20 )×( 0 . 7 − 1 . 1 )=( 0 . 056 − 0 . 22 ). it is known that in order to avoid stability and vibration problems when the heat load is reduced , such reduction should be accompanied by an increase in the proportion of the fuel gas fed to the core of the flame . usually , under full load conditions , the amount of fuel fed to the core of the flame should be about 6 % of the total fuel flow rate . tests have shown that the amount of fuel gas fed to the center of the flame should be increased at a rate which is about the fourth degree root of the burner turndown . thus , to accommodate a standard turndown of 12 . 5 : 1 , the fuel fed to the core of the flame should amount to 6 − 4 × 12 . 5 = 19 . 6 % of the total fuel rate . so the amount of the total fuel in the primary air stream 66 should preferably range from about 6 % to about 19 %. these numbers are comparatively close to the numbers calculated above . with reference to fig6 it can be seen that a desirable degree of no x reduction is achieved without an unacceptable increase in co emissions when the ratio of the fuel gas rate from the injector nozzles 60 ranges from about 65 % to about 85 % of the total fuel rate . thus , under full load , the secondary fuel gas flow from the poker nozzles 47 should preferably range from about 9 % to about 29 % of the total fuel gas flow . under partial loads , the secondary fuel gas flow from the poker nozzles 47 should preferably be a little less than about 5 % of the total fuel gas flow . so the overall secondary fuel gas flow rate from the poker nozzles 47 should preferably range from about 5 % to about 29 % of the total fuel gas flow . in sum , and in accordance with the concepts and principles of the present invention , it has been determined that the flow rate of the primary fuel gas from nozzles 40 should preferably be in the range of from about 6 % to about 19 % of the total fuel supplied to the burner , that the flow rate of the secondary fuel fed from poker nozzles 47 should preferably be in the range of from about 5 % to about 29 % of the total fuel supplied to the burner , and that the flow rate of the tertiary fuel supplied from nozzles 60 should preferably be in the range of from about 52 % to about 89 % of the total fuel supplied to the burner . it has also been determined in accordance with the principles and concepts of the invention , that the ratio of recirculated internal flue gas 49 to total combustion air flow ( 66 , 68 and 70 ) should preferably be in the range of from about 0 . 04 : 1 to about 0 . 08 : 1 . this factor is determined by a balance between flame stability and emission reduction and is controlled by the various flow rates of the combustion air as discussed above .	5
fig1 a illustrates portions of a portable wall - attachable fire fighting apparatus . apparatus 10 is illustrated in fig1 a without monitor 24 attached . fig1 b illustrates apparatus 10 with monitor 24 attached . monitor 24 could be an integral part of the apparatus . alternately , to enhance versatility , a base could be designed such that the base is attachable , such as by fitting 16 , with a variety of monitors . referring to fig1 a , a base is preferably comprised of a saddle 12 of lightweight construction , such as aluminum . the benefit of lightweight construction is that it may enable a firefighter to carry the apparatus up the ladder of a tank . the saddle shape of base 12 is better illustrated by the end view of fig1 b . base 12 is shown provided with one or more screw clamps 18 . a variety of attachment means could be utilized . screw clamp 18 permits a given base 12 to be attached to a variety of rim walls , from concrete block walls to tank walls to bulldozer blades and pickup truck tailgates . base 12 is shown fitted with pipe 22 , preferably having swivel connections 20 . pipe 22 preferably ends in one or more hose connections 14 . fig1 a shows an apparatus designed for a 2½ ″ hose connection . the apparatus of fig1 a and 1b can likely be made portable by firefighters up a ladder of a tank in an emergency . in fig1 a and 1b a 5 ″ monitor connection 16 is provided for mating with monitor 24 . again monitor 24 is preferably also constructed of aluminum in order to achieve a lightweight result . monitor 24 is shown with a 3 ″ waterway . nozzle 26 is connected to the outlet end of monitor 24 . means are provided on a monitor , as is known in the art , to adjust the monitor in azimuth and inclination . fig2 a and 2b illustrate a larger version of the portable wall attachable fire fighting apparatus . in fig2 a and 2b only one fitting 14 is provided for connection with a hose . fig2 a and 2b illustrate the placement of lifting eye 13 to permit the portable wall - attachable fire fighting apparatus to be lifted into place by a crane . monitor 24 is shown providing a 4 ″ waterway with a dual hand - wheel and a 3½ ″ outlet . the apparatus is shown having a 4 ″ flanged monitor connection 16 . provision is made for a 5 ″ hose connection 14 . fig3 illustrates a connecting piece 28 that provides an enhancement for the portable wall - attachable fire fighting apparatus . stem 28 would screw into hose fitting 14 and provide a fitting 15 for connection to a hose . stem 28 provides valve 30 and auxiliary discharge port 32 . the value of stem 28 is to be able to siphon fluid off from the hose prior to delivery to the monitor outlet in order to use the fluid for an auxiliary discharge unit . fig4 illustrates portions of the methodology of the present invention . firefighter 40 is illustrated climbing ladder 32 on the side of tank 36 having a sunken or dislodged roof 38 . firefighter 40 is shown carrying apparatus 10 to the top of the tank wall where it will be set in place . wand 40 is shown in place connected to hose 34 in order to distribute foam at least over the area immediately below and on both sides of the ladder in the tank for the protection of firefighter 40 . apparatus 10 is connected to hose 34 . if apparatus 10 contains an auxiliary discharge port the firefighter may not only adjust the monitor to appropriately target a mainstream of fluid but the firefighter may also attach discharge apparatus to the auxiliary port in order to target secondary areas . fig5 a and 5b are similar to fig2 a and 2b , discussed above . fig5 a , in particular , illustrates an adjustable lockdown lug 30 , useful for affixing the portable wall attachable fire fighting apparatus to a wall rim portion provided by portable frame . as can be seen in fig6 a , 6 b , 7 a and 7 b , lug 30 locks around an angle element 46 or 56 , affixed to the wall rim provided by the portable frame . fig6 a and 6b and 7 a and 7 b illustrate two embodiments of a portable frame that can be used to provide a wall rim portion to which the portable wall attachable fire fighting apparatus can be attached . the frame of fig6 a and 6b is particularly adapted for being bolted to a pickup truck bed . frame element 40 comprises pieces of angle iron having bolt holes 41 for becoming affixed to a pickup truck bed . transverse angle iron element 48 attaches to and between side angle iron elements 40 . vertical plate 42 is affixed between side angle iron frame elements 40 . vertical plate 42 provides the wall rim portion to which the fire fighting apparatus may be attached . webbing 44 is designed to hold wall element 42 securely in place with respect to frame elements 40 and 48 . preferably , the upper rim of vertical wall portion 42 is firmly secured to an angle rim element 46 . adjustable lockdown lug 30 is designed to lock over a portion of angle iron element 46 , helping to further secure the portable fire fighting apparatus to the portable frame . lockdown screw 19 adjustably attaches the fire fighting apparatus to wall portion 42 provided by the portable frame . the frame illustrated in fig7 a and 7b is intended to be installed or located upon the ground . leg strap hose receivers 53 are provided attached to frame legs 50 . leg receivers 53 receive hose to help provide ballast for the frame on the ground . preferably legs 50 of the frame of fig7 a and 7b would be removable for ease in handling . as in fig6 a and 6b , the frame of fig7 a and 7b provides wall 58 which provides a wall rim portion for attaching the portable fire fighting apparatus . as in fig6 a and 6b , the top of vertical wall 58 is preferably affixed to an angle iron element 56 to help provide a secure attachment for the portable fire fighting apparatus . in the following claims , when a base and / or a monitor are referred to , it should be understood that one or more bases and one or more monitors could be used . although the invention can be practiced with one base and one monitor , multiple bases and / or multiple monitors would not change the nature of the invention . the foregoing disclosure and description of the invention are illustrative and explanatory thereof , and various changes in the size , shape , and materials , as well as in the details of the illustrated system may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention . the invention is claimed using terminology that depends upon a historic presumption that recitation of a single element covers one or more , and recitation of two elements covers two or more , and the like .	0
in order to illustrate the technique and effects of the present invention , a detailed description will be disclosed by the following disclosure in conjunction with figures . it is noted that the same components are labeled by the same number . an embodiment provides a communication terminal compatible with a plurality of smart cards , and the communication terminal comprises but is not limited to a mobile phone , a tablet computer or a personal digital assistant , etc . the communication terminal comprises a socket 100 ( refer to fig1 and fig2 ) and a chassis 200 ( refer to fig3 and fig4 ). the socket 100 is used for inserting a sim card , and a size of the socket 100 in the present invention fits for 2ff card . the chassis 200 is used for the socket 100 being compatible with a card smaller than the 2ff card , such as 3ff card 300 and 4ff card 400 . the shape of the socket 200 is identical with that of the 2ff card , and the socket 200 arranges a card slot 111 for inserting a 3ff and / or 4ff card . preferably , as shown in fig3 and fig4 , the 3ff card 300 and the 4ff card 400 respectively arrange two chassis 200 which means the 3ff card 300 and the 4ff card 400 are not set up in the same chassis 200 . therefore , it assures to narrow down the chassis to improve useful space of the communication terminal so that it conforms to a development of thinner communication terminals . as fig1 and fig2 illustrate , the socket 100 comprises a main body 110 made of plastic . the main body 110 arranges a groove for inserting a 2ff card and the chassis 200 . the surface where the groove of the main body 110 locates is covered by the shell 120 made of iron . the main body 110 arranges a transmission mechanism 112 for inserting or ejecting 2ff card or the chassis 200 ( as fig5 shows ). when 2ff card or the chassis 200 is pushed off , insert 2ff card or the chassis 200 with hands , and the 2ff card or the chassis 200 is locked until the 2ff card or the chassis 200 arrives at the lock location . on the contrary , when 2ff card or the chassis 200 is locked , push 2ff card or the chassis 200 with hands and loosen , and then the 2ff card or the chassis 200 ejects ( refer to fig5 to fig8 ). it arranges a guide groove 113 in the main body 110 and a rail 211 on the chassis 200 for the chassis entering into or ejecting from the socket 100 accurately . it also arranges a disk device for storing the chassis 200 in the communication terminal so that the chassis 200 is stored in the disk device if not used . in hence , the present invention provides the chassis 200 for the communication terminal being compatible with the 3ff card 300 and the 4ff card 400 well , and without doubt , the communication terminal is also compatible with other smaller sim cards that is also protected in the present invention . refer to any one of fig5 to fig8 , the transmission mechanism comprises a locating bar 510 , a supporting member 520 and a retaining spring 530 . one side of the locating bar 510 is swingably connected with the first fixed part of the main body 110 , and the other side of the locating bar 510 is connected with the supporting member 520 . one side of the retaining spring 530 is connected with the second fixed part of the main body 110 , and the other side of the retaining spring 530 is connected with a connecting member 521 . the supporting member 520 comprises the connecting member 521 and the hook 522 extending into the groove . a chute for the other side of the locating bar 510 sliding , and the chute comprises an intersection groove 5211 and a locating groove 5212 for locating the locating bar 510 . a first sliding groove 5213 for guiding the other side of the locating bar 510 from the intersection groove 5211 to the locating groove 5212 and a second sliding groove 5214 for guiding the other side of the locating bar 510 from the locating groove 5212 to the intersection groove 5211 are set up between the intersection 5211 and the locating groove 5212 . the junction between the first groove 5213 and the locating groove 5212 appears stair shape for preventing the other side of the locating bar 510 from going back , the junction between the locating groove 5212 and the second sliding groove 5214 appears stair shape for preventing the other side of the locating bar 510 from going back , and the junction between the second sliding groove 5214 and the intersection groove 5211 appears stair shape for preventing the other side of the locating bar 510 from going back . the locating groove 5212 is u - or v - shaped , and two walls of the valley of u - shape or v - shape of the locating groove 5212 are dislocated so that the locating groove 5212 guides the locating bar 510 to the direction of the second sliding groove 5214 , not guiding to back . besides that , the locating groove 5212 also appears step shape to prevent the locating bar 510 from going back . refer to fig5 showing an original state diagram that the chassis does not insert into the communication terminal . at this moment , the other side of the locating bar 510 locates in the intersection groove to push the socket 200 ( or a 2ff card ), the socket 200 pushes the hook 522 , and the connecting member 521 compresses the retaining spring 530 . with the movement of the connecting member 521 , the other side of the locating bar 510 enters into the first sliding groove 5213 from the intersection groove 5211 until the hook 522 touches the main body 110 . at this moment , the other side of the locating bar 510 slides through a transition step of the first sliding groove 5213 and the locating groove 5212 into the locating groove 5212 ( refer to fig6 ). and then release the hand so that the connecting member 521 returns back under the elastic force from the retaining spring 530 until the other side of the locating bar 510 arrives against the valley wall of the locating groove 5212 ( refer to fig7 ). in hence the chassis 200 is locked in the groove . when it needs to pull the chassis 200 out , it pushes the chassis 200 until the hook 522 touches the main body 110 . at this moment , the other side of the locating bar 510 slides through a transition step of the second sliding groove 5214 and the locating groove 5212 into the second sliding groove 521 ( refer to fig8 ). and then release the hand so that the connecting member 521 returns back under the elastic force from the retaining spring 530 , and the other side of the locating bar 510 moves to the intersection groove 5211 along with the second sliding groove 5214 . therefore , it ejects the chassis 200 to back to the original state . the present invention provides a communication terminal compatible with a plurality of smart cards that a mobile terminal is compatible with 3ff and / or 4ff card because of the arrangement of the correspondent chassis in the case that it only arranges 2ff card socket . the present invention has been described with reference to certain preferred and alternative embodiments which are intended to be exemplary only and not limited to the full scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims .	7
while disclosed embodiments can take many different forms , specific embodiments thereof are shown in the drawings and will be described herein in detail with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles thereof as well as the best mode of practicing same , and is not intended to limit the application or claims to the specific embodiment illustrated . in summary , embodiments hereof incorporate one or more additional electrodes into an electrochemical gas sensing cell for the purposes of cell diagnostics . the sensor may be a conventional 2 , 3 or more electrode ( or other ) amperometric design . the diagnostic electrode is in direct communication with the incoming target gas passing through the diffusion barrier controlling access to the cell . in one aspect hereof , the diagnostic electrode ( s ) is / are preferably gas diffusion electrodes having areas on same scale as the known electrodes used in electrochemical gas sensors . they are preferentially coplanar with the sensing electrode ( although other geometries come within the spirit and scope hereof ). they can be fabricated , without limitation , using a similar process . in sensors in accordance herewith , the diagnostic electrode ( s ) is directly exposed to the target gas in the gas phase in parallel with the sensing electrode . this is unlike the above noted patent application , u . s . patent application ser . no . 13 / 644 , 485 , incorporated herein by reference , where the diagnostic electrode ( s ) are immersed in electrolyte , structures which rely on diffusion in the liquid phase . one solution to the need to confirm access of the ambient atmosphere , with the target gas and other components , to the target gas sensing electrode , is to use an auxiliary sensing electrode which is physically adjacent to the target gas sensing electrode . this auxiliary electrode can be used to detect a second gas , such as oxygen which is normally present as a background component . this structure could , for example , be implemented as in any of the designs of fig1 to 4b . in those figures , s - 1 is the target gas sensing electrode , and d - 1 is the second gas sensing diagnostic electrode . in all cases , the sensing electrode is of a relative size that causes the cell to operate in a diffusion limited mode based upon the use of the sensing electrode alone . such electrode structures could be screen printed or automatically puddled on a substrate , such as a flexible tape , t - 1 . the two electrodes could be the same material , for example , as in a co sensor with an oxygen diagnostic electrode or two different materials . a preferred implementation is shown in fig5 whereby the electrodes are in the form of a disc and concentric ring ( as in fig3 a , b or 4 a , b ). fig5 illustrates a sensor 10 which has a housing 10 a which defines a diffusion cavity 10 b that has a diffusion barrier , such as a capillary , 10 c positioned in ambient gas port 10 c - 1 . sensor 10 takes advantage of the fact that in current sensor designs the sensing electrode , such as si , does not need to be the full diameter of the cavity 10 b above it . cavity 10 b is , at least in part , located between the target gas diffusion barrier 10 c and the target electrode s - i . it has been shown that the target gas , being consumed by the sensing electrode s - i , is almost entirely consumed by the central region of the sensing electrode , signified by the ‘ cone ’ 20 , ( as indicated by the dotted line ) and that additional sensing electrode material outside this region is therefore unnecessary . the diagnostic ( or oxygen detecting ) electrode , d - i , can then be concentric around the existing sensing electrode s - i . note that the gas being detected as a diagnostic , for example oxygen , is not consumed by the sensing electrode s - i . hence , it can be detected and consumed by the diagnostic electrode , d - i . the diagnostic electrode would not be operated continuously as the relatively large toxic sensor capillary would result in a very high oxygen signal . it would preferably be operated intermittently under the control of circuits 22 coupled thereto . its steady state signal would give a direct measure of the capillary diffusion limitation ( assuming oxygen concentration is known , measured or constant ). it can also beneficially function in a transient mode as described in above noted published patent application us 2010 / 252455 , previously incorporated by reference . there will be a background current present due to the presence of dissolved oxygen in the electrolyte but this will be small compared with the current due to oxygen entering through the capillary . fig6 and 7 show alternative approaches in sensors 10 - 1 , 10 - 2 . these configurations have the advantage of containing both an oxygen and a toxic , for example a co , sensor whereby the oxygen sensor has its own diffusion limiter ( capillary and / or membrane ) but takes its gas sample from inside the cavity , such as 10 b - 1 , or 12 a of the toxic sensor . the disadvantage of this approach however is that the oxygen signal will not be very sensitive to restriction or blocking of the outer toxic sensor capillary unless the restriction or blocking is so severe that the diffusional restriction of the toxic sensor capillary becomes comparable to that of the oxygen sensor capillary . we have further recognized that it is not necessary to have a sensing electrode that occupies the whole bottom face of the ‘ diffuser ’ cavity , 10 b - 2 in fig8 . only small sensing electrodes , such as electrodes 4 or 5 in fig8 , are necessary to ensure a signal limited by capillary , 10 c - 3 and a target gas concentration near zero in cavity 10 b - 2 . therefore it is possible to have a multiplicity of electrodes , such as electrodes 4 and 5 which can be intermittently powered via control circuits 22 - 3 . any number of separate electrodes can potentially be incorporated , for example as in fig9 and 10 , provided that the combination of electrodes operating at any given time has sufficient activity to maintain capillary diffusion limited behavior . in other words , such combinations of electrodes must be capable of fully consuming the capillary limited flux of the target gas reaching it . with this type of structure , while one or more electrodes is operating , other electrode ( s ) may be performing different functions , including operating as diagnostic electrodes or being treated electrochemically for remediation purposes . thus , control circuits 22 - 3 can switch , activate , or deactivate electrodes , both for sensing a target gas and the second , diagnostic gas to implement the various diagnostic methods discussed herein . a similar concept can also be applied to any other electrodes within the sensor , for example multiple reference and or counter electrodes can be provided for similar reasons . a further benefit is that there is built in redundancy due to the use of multiple sensing electrodes . since these can be operated alternately , any poisoning or degradation processes may occur differently on the different electrodes and hence drift in performance can be detected by comparison of the responses on the various electrodes . exemplary pluralities of electrodes , such as electrodes 4 - 9 in the fig8 - 10 , are preferably deposited on a single support tape , such as tapes t 1 - t 10 , using selective deposition techniques such as direct puddling , screen printing , or puddling onto a temporary support followed by press transfer . respective conductors , such as c 6 - c 9 are used to electrically connect each of the electrodes 4 - 9 to the control circuits , such as 22 - 3 . from the foregoing , it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope hereof . it is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred . it is , of course , intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims . further , logic flows depicted in the figures do not require the particular order shown , or sequential order , to achieve desirable results . other steps may be provided , or steps may be eliminated , from the described flows , and other components may be added to , or removed from the described embodiments .	6
fig1 shows a schematic diagram of a fluid analysis apparatus 100 used in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . a simplified diagram of the analysis apparatus of the invention is shown in fig1 a . the apparatus of this invention is advantageously designed as a module for use with a logging tool , such as for example the rdt ™ tool string by halliburton energy services corporation , which tool is configurable for a variety of sampling , testing and monitoring purposes . as shown , fluids enter the device at the top and pass through two sections , referred to as polarization and resonance sections , respectively . measurements are performed as the fluid flow 15 passes through the device . the fluid entering the system is initially subjected to a strong magnetic field to achieve rapid polarization of the hydrogen nuclei . nmr measurements take place in the lower section , where the field strength is lowered . in a preferred embodiment , two separate radio frequency coils are used for pulse transmission and for reception . this split scheme allows for a transmitter coil 30 that is longer than the receiver 35 . in accordance with this invention , by pulsing a larger volume of fluid and by receiving only from the bottom portion , relaxation times can be determined without regard for the actual flow rate . more specifically , with reference to fig1 the fluid to be analyzed flows into the measurement chamber 10 , which is widened to a diameter of approximately 2 cm in a specific embodiment . the increase in diameter ( compared to a standard 0 . 2 inch — i . e ., 0 . 508 cm — flow tube diameter ) serves two purposes : it increases the available volume and nmr signal amplitude and it slows down the fluid , which allows to shorten the length of the fluid analyzer apparatus . in a specific embodiment , the incoming fluids encounter a conical diffuser 5 that breaks the typical plume - like flow pattern which develops when a narrow flow channel widens into a larger volume . the result is a more consistent flow velocity over the entire cross section of the measurement volume . the length of the analysis apparatus is dictated by the requirement for sufficient polarization time at various possible pump - out rates , and in a preferred embodiment is about 1 meter . in alternative embodiments the measurement volume may be filled with collimators , i . e ., thin tubes , the goal being to slow down the fluid as much as possible across the entire cross section , while maintaining the initial flow conditions . in a specific embodiment , fluids can be pressurized to up to 25 , 000 psi , although higher or lower pressure values can be used in alternative implementations . under such high pressure conditions , there must be outside counter - pressure , which in the above specific embodiment is selected to be about 20 , 000 psi , so that the structure is designed to absorb a differential pressure of about 5 , 000 psi . most of this differential pressure is absorbed in a steel hull ( not shown ), serving as a pressure barrel that in a preferred embodiment has connectors on each end that mate to a tool string , for example of the rdt tool . preferably , inside components of the device are either solid ( magnetic elements ) or are potted in solid compounds to allow the pressure to pass through and not to damage any components . as shown in fig1 in a preferred embodiment there are four main sections of the analyzer apparatus , labeled ( a ) through ( d ). sections ( a ) and ( b ), which occupy the top portion of the instrument are required to rapidly polarize and then stabilize the nuclear magnetic moment . the equilibrium magnetization of the device in this embodiment corresponds to an applied field of 1 , 000 gauss , although up to about 2 , 500 gauss can be applied in section ( a ) in order to achieve very fast polarization . the nmr measurement takes place in sections ( c ) and ( d ), where section ( c ) is longer than d . in the specific embodiment , section ( c ) is about two - three times the length of section ( d ). as noted , the radio frequency coil of the device is preferably split into a transmit - only portion ( c ) and a transmit / receive portion ( d ). in accordance with the invention , it is important that the fluid flows from section ( c ) into ( d ) and not vice versa , because otherwise measurements would be inaccurate . thus , excitation pulses are applied to the entire resonating volume ( c )+( d ), while reception is only made from section ( d ). as described in further detail below , the nature of a saturation - recovery t 1 experiment , used in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the method , is that a single pulse can be used to prepare a large volume , while the actual readout may happen over a smaller volume . in the present invention , this feature is used to render the measurement of t 1 relaxation times largely independent of flow velocities , up to a certain practical limit . the rf antennas in a preferred embodiment are wound bifilar , where the transmit coil is longer , extending throughout regions ( c ) and ( d ). in a specific embodiment , transmission and reception both operate at 4 . 258 mhz at room temperature , consistent with 1 , 000 gauss field strength . at higher temperatures , the operating frequency is reduced to track the reversible reduction in magnetic field strength . as further shown in fig1 the analysis apparatus may also have a permeable flux return and magnetic shield 20 , magnets in configurations discussed in detail below , faraday shields 40 and 45 and oil bath 50 . preferably , in close proximity can be placed one or more temperature sensors ( not shown ) that track the magnets &# 39 ; temperature for frequency adjustment and the sample &# 39 ; s temperature for viscosity calculations . as described next , using the apparatus illustrated in fig1 it is possible to determine hydrogen density , relaxation times and self - diffusivity without altering the fluid . the magnetic field in the measurement volume of the device shown in fig1 in general is not entirely uniform . this volume can be split conceptually into an interior region , where the field gradient is negligible , and a fringe region , where the field changes with an approximately uniform gradient . the fringe region may comprise about one third of the total sensitive volume . during t 1 measurements and at short pulse - to - pulse spacings ( such as 0 . 25 ms ), the effect of the gradient is not noticeable . to perform a diffusion measurement , in accordance with a preferred embodiment the main flow is diverted and a sample is stagnated within the nmr chamber . furthermore , the pulse - to - pulse spacing ( t e ) is increased to induce diffusion - dependent signal dephasing . the uniform and the fringe regions are large compared to the largest possible diffusion length , therefore , these regions are essentially isolated from each other for the duration of a single pulse - echo train . fig2 a is a cross - sectional view of the first section a of the apparatus that the flowing fluid encounters after it enters the measurement chamber . the purpose of this pre - polarization section is to polarize hydrogen nuclei in the fluid ( s ) as rapidly as possible , so that they will exhibit full polarization under the operating field . the flow tube 60 , is made from ceramic , glass or peek material , and is surrounded by a faraday shield 45 . this shield consists in a preferred embodiment of a copper cylinder tube , slotted vertically along its axis . in a preferred embodiment , the magnet consists of eight segments 25 that are magnetized as indicated by the arrows in fig2 a . the magnet material is preferably samarium - cobalt with very low temperature coefficient . a supplier for this material is electron energy corp ., lancaster , pa . this magnet configuration is known as the “ halbach ” configuration , which produces a highly uniform and strong field in the interior . the magnet is dimensioned to produce a field of about 2 , 000 - 2 , 500 gauss within the flow tube 60 . the exact value is not critical and may vary by several hundred gauss . this magnet is encased in a magnetically permeable steel tube that acts as magnetic shield and confines the field to the inside of the apparatus . fig2 b is a cross - sectional view of the second section ( b ) of the apparatus , which is located between the polarization section ( a ) and the measurement sections ( c ) and ( d ). the purpose of section ( b ) is to allow the hydrogen spins to settle to an equilibrium polarization that is close to a non - flowing magnetization corresponding to an external field of 1 , 000 gauss . without this section it would be possible that overpolarized fluids may enter the measurement section below and cause a distortion in the nmr amplitude that is dependent on the flow rate . in a preferred embodiment , the transversal magnetic field generated in the flow tube is approximately 850 gauss , but again the exact value is not critical and can be varied in practical implementations . as shown , all magnet elements of this section are magnetized in the same direction , resulting in a weaker field than that in section ( a ). fig2 c is a cross - sectional view of the third section ( c ) of the apparatus . this is the transmit - only section that follows the stabilization section ( b ). in a preferred embodiment , the transversal magnetic field is about 1 , 000 gauss , accurate to +/− 10 gauss , corresponding to a hydrogen nmr resonance frequency of 4 . 26 mhz . a solenoidal coil 30 wound around the measurement volume generates an rf field of that frequency in longitudinal direction ( out of the paper plane ). the solenoid is electrically shielded against the fluid by a slotted copper tube 45 . this tube terminates any electric field emanating from the coil . the shield allows magnetic flux to pass through as long as there is at least one slot running from top to bottom parallel to the longitudinal axis . a second shield in the form of a second copper tube 40 is mounted between the solenoid and the magnet elements . this shield is not slotted , because it needs to pass only a static magnetic field . all dynamic electromagnetic fields are terminated at this shield as well as any interference or noise from the outside . any fluid ( s ) within this section typically are fully polarized corresponding to the working field of 1 , 000 gauss . the application of a frequency - swept pulse that covers the frequency range corresponding to fields from 990 to 1010 gauss saturates the nuclear magnetization . in accordance with the present invention the subsequent built - up towards the equilibrium condition can be monitored in section ( d ) of the apparatus . fig2 d is a cross - sectional view of the last section ( d ) of the apparatus 100 . this is the transmit / receive section of the device . in a preferred embodiment , the transversal magnetic field is 1 , 000 gauss , accurate to +/− 1 gauss , corresponding to a hydrogen nmr resonance frequency of 4 . 26 mhz . a solenoidal coil 35 wound around the measurement volume generates an rf field of that frequency in longitudinal direction ( out of the paper plane ) and also receives induced nmr signals from the measurement volume . the two faraday shields are identical to those in section ( c ). the nmr time constants t 1 of the fluid ( s ) under investigation are determined by varying the delay time between a broadband saturation pulse and a read - out sequence . if the flow velocity does not exceed 10 cm / s , the measurement is generally independent of the flow speed and of the flow profile . in manufacturing this magnet system , a large number of segments is produced , magnetized and their actual magnetic remanence br is measured . the best - matching segments are preferably used to build up section ( d ), such that the field variations are as small as possible , preferably not to exceed 0 . 1 %. segments with inferior match are used for section ( c ), where the accuracy requirement is reduced to about 1 %. the magnetic elements for sections ( a ) and ( b ) have different dimensions and are uncritical in their magnetic remanence . the electronics used in the analysis apparatus of the present invention is similar to that of a nmr spectrometer and is illustrated in a block diagram form in fig3 . the comparatively low frequency of 4 . 2 mhz used in a preferred embodiment of the invention allows many traditionally analog functions to be realized readily as digital signal processing ( dsp ) algorithms . a frequency source 34 , controlled by a pulse programmer , sends its signal to a power amplifier 37 , which in turn drives the transmitter antenna 30 . all timing functions , like pulse widths and acquisition windows , are fully programmable . on the receive side , the signal from the receiver antenna 35 is amplified , synchronously demodulated and integrated . in a preferred embodiment the system also performs its own calibration . all pertinent calibration factors are stored in the tool itself and after calibration echo amplitudes are reported on a scale of 0 - 2 . more specifically , as shown in fig3 the two coils of the device 30 , 35 are connected to resonating capacitors 31 . these capacitors are of the npo ( no temperature coefficient ) and ptc type ( positive temperature coefficient ), shunted in parallel , as shown . the resultant temperature characteristic is such that with increasing temperature , when the static magnetic field weakens ( typically 1 % per 100 ° c . ), the capacitance increases at twice the rate ( typically 2 % per 100 ° c .). the resultant lc circuit resonant frequency drops at half the capacitor rate ( 1 % per 100 ° c .) and therefore follows the nmr resonance , making re - tuning of the circuit unnecessary . in a transmit mode , the controller 33 gates the signal generator 34 of the apparatus and the power amplifier 37 to produce a radio frequency pulse in both coils . the high voltage applied causes all crossed diodes 39 to conduct , thereby connecting the two coils . in receive mode , the crossed diodes stop conducting and signal is only received from the lower coil 35 . the signal is amplified , digitized and fed into the digital signal processor 33 for demodulation and further processing . nmr measurements are based on the observation that when an assembly of magnetic moments , such as those of hydrogen nuclei , are exposed to a static magnetic field they tend to align along the direction of the magnetic field , resulting in bulk magnetization . the rate at which equilibrium is established in such bulk magnetization upon provision of a static magnetic field is characterized by the parameter t 1 , known as the spin - lattice relaxation time . the spin - lattice relaxation time t 1 describes the coupling of nuclear spins to energy - absorbing molecular motions like rotation , vibration and translation . in most fluids at or above ambient temperatures , the coupling to these modes is very inefficient , resulting in t 1 &# 39 ; s in the millisecond and second range . another related and frequently used nmr parameter is the spin - spin relaxation time constant t 2 ( also known as transverse relaxation time ), which is an expression of the relaxation due to non - homogeneities in the local magnetic field over the sensing volume of the logging tool . the mechanisms for spin - spin relaxation time t 2 include , in addition to those contributing to t 1 , the exchange of energy between spins . these effects are small in bulk fluids and therefore t 2 basically equals t 1 . spin - spin coupling is relevant in heavy oil components , such as asphaltenes , resins , etc . both relaxation times provide indirect information about the formation porosity , the composition and quantity of the formation fluid , and others . another measurement parameter used in nmr is the formation diffusivity . generally , diffusion refers to the motion of atoms in a gaseous or liquid state due to their thermal energy . self - diffusion of a fluid is directly related to the viscosity of the fluid , a parameter of considerable importance in borehole surveys . in a uniform magnetic field , diffusion has little effect on the decay rate of the measured nmr echoes . in a gradient magnetic field , however , diffusion causes atoms to move from their original positions to new ones , which also causes these atoms to acquire different phase shifts compared to atoms that did not move . this contributes to a faster rate of relaxation . expressions for t 1 in closed form have been derived only for spherical molecules . this is obviously a poor approximation to chain - type hydrocarbon molecules , but should serve as illustration for the underlying mechanisms . translational and rotational relaxation rates are , respectively : 1 / t 1 ( rotational )∝( a 3 / b 6 ) η / kt . ( 4 ) where n is the spin density of the fluid ( proportional to the hydrogen index i h ), a is the molecular radius and b is the distance between hydrogen spins on the same molecule . both mechanisms have the same basic relationship with viscosity and temperature , which explains the relative simplicity of eq . ( 2 ). pressure exerts its effect by changing fluid density . pure liquids are barely compressible and the effect pressure has on them is limited . downhole pressures over 10 , 000 psi can induce significant changes in fluid viscosity ( jones , 1991 ). as a rule - of - thumb , high pressures and high temperatures have opposing effects . higher temperatures expand fluids and increase mobility and relaxation times , while increased pressures reduce mobility and relaxation times in liquids . probably the biggest effect downhole high pressures have is the increase in dissolved gas volume . the relaxation times in the gas phase exhibit the following behavior : the reason the relationship in eq . ( 2 ) is not followed is that protons in the gas phase relax by spin - rotation and not by dipole - dipole interaction . increasing the pressure on gas increases t 1 , which is contrary to the behavior of fluids . for the gas signal to be detectable downhole , the bulk density and the hydrogen density must be relatively high , i . e . only the high - viscosity end of eq . ( 5 ) is visible . under these circumstances , methane relaxation times are in the range from hundreds of milliseconds to several seconds . dissolved gas has a profound effect on the t 1 of oil . see , appel et al ., 2000 . lo et al . ( 2000 ) have developed a mixing - rule model for methane - alkane mixtures that links gor to t 1 and diffusivity . in this model , t 1 consists of two components : one proportional to kt / η ( eq . 2 ) and one proportional to η / kt ( eq . 5 ). the observed t 1 is a combination of the two , weighted by the proton fractions of the alkane and the methane gas . based on the discussion above , following are examples of measurements that can be made in accordance with the method of the present invention . in the apparatus of the present invention t 1 relaxation times and hydrogen density can be measured continuously whether or not the fluid is stagnant or flowing . this mode is most useful during the pump - out period to get an initial assessment of mud filtrate contamination . fig4 illustrates the pulse sequence employed used in a preferred embodiment . it will be appreciated that it is a standard saturation - recovery sequence , where an initial saturation pulse is followed by a variable delay . in a preferred embodiment , the delay is programmable and is typically stepped through the values 1 , 2 , 4 , 8 , 16 , . . . , 16384 ms in cyclical fashion . the recovered magnetization at the end of the delay is determined by a short read - out sequence , consisting of two pulses and one spin echo . the height of the echo , if plotted as function of delay time , traces out a recovery curve that is converted into a t 1 distribution by standard inversion methods . in one embodiment , the inversion algorithm is a variant of the method employed to calculate t 2 distributions from wireline data , as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 517 , 115 . see also prammer , 1994 reference . with the above sequence it takes 33 seconds to complete a measurement cycle . the signal - to - noise figure of the system is so high that additional averaging may be unnecessary . the sequence described above is insensitive to fluid flow and can be used to continuously monitor the t 1 profile of pumped fluids . more specifically , the t 1 measurement sequence is initiated by a frequency - swept saturation pulse . with reference to fig1 its frequency is selected such that the entire range of resonance frequencies within the sections ( c ) and ( d ) of the apparatus are affected . in a specific embodiment , this range is typically the nmr center frequency +/− 1 % ( 4 . 2 mhz +/− 40 khz ). pulse amplitude , frequency sweep rate and pulse length are adjusted to effect saturation in volumes ( c ) and ( d ). as noted , following the saturation pulse , a variable delay is inserted . in a preferred embodiment , consecutive measurements with delay values of 1 ms , 2 ms , 4 ms , . . . up to 16384 ms are used . during these intervals , the nuclear magnetization builds up again to its equilibrium value . also during this time , depending on the flow rate , fluid volume moves from volume ( c ) into volume ( d ), while unprepared fluid enters volume ( c ). as long as the flow rate is not high enough to allow unprepared fluid from ( a ) or ( b ) to enter ( d ), it will be appreciated that the measurement is independent of the actual flow rate . after the saturation - recovery delay , the instantaneous value of the nuclear magnetization is determined . this is done with a short pulse sequence , consisting of a π / 2 pulse , followed by a π pulse . the rf phase of these pulses is shifted by 90 ° against each other to cancel the effects of b 0 and rf field imperfections . this is equivalent to the start of a cpmg sequence . the time between these pulses is typically 0 . 125 ms and 0 . 125 ms after the π pulse a spin echo forms . this echo is digitized , quantified and its amplitude is taken as a measure of the recovered magnetization as function of the saturation - recovery delay . note that the π / 2 and π pulses can be narrow - band and need not be frequency - swept . the reason is that they are only relevant for section ( d ) which has a very tightly controlled field and resonance frequency distribution . examples for t 1 distributions for some example fluids obtained in accordance with the method of this invention are shown in fig5 and 6 . the data points were acquired according to the sequence in fig4 and inverted from the time domain to the t 1 domain . the horizontal axis , “ time ,” in fig5 denotes the time elapsed between the saturation pulse and the readout sequence , the vertical axis is signal amplitude in arbitrary units . the results are easier to interpret after inversion from time domain to t1 domain , as shown in fig6 . in this example 53 points are specified for the inversion result . the single , sharp peak at 2 - 3 s is characteristic of water , the rounded peak in the “ oil window ” 0 . 5 - 1 s indicates oil and the broad response from the crude oil in the bottom panel is characteristic for complex hydrocarbons . shown in this figure here are examples of t 1 saturation - recovery data for three different fluids : brine , diesel oil and a crude oil . the data points illustrated have been acquired by circulating different fluids through the analyzer . shown from top to bottom are : water ( mild brine ) with a single relaxation peak in the “ water window ” at 2 seconds ; next a simple hydrocarbon ( diesel ) with a single relaxation peak in the “ oil window ” at 0 . 5 - 1 second ; and a complex hydrocarbon ( crude ), which shows a characteristic asymmetric distribution that starts in the few tens of milliseconds and extends to the “ oil window .” these samples were under atmospheric conditions at ambient temperature . at elevated temperatures , eq . ( 2 ) predicts an increase in t 1 proportional to the absolute temperature in addition to increases due to reduction in viscosity . it is important to note that using the apparatus and method of the present invention the determination of long relaxation times does no longer depend on how long an echo train persists . in the implementation discussed above small perturbations in the applied field have relatively limited effect . additionally , the saturation pulse prepares a much larger sample volume than what is actually used for the readout portion . therefore , as long as the flow rate is low enough , and the readout is based on a fluid sample that was present anywhere within the regions ( c ) or ( d ) during the saturation pulse , the measurement is valid . in contrast to t 1 , the t 2 parameter generally cannot be determined on a flowing sample . distributions of t 2 times are determined in accordance with the present invention by standard carr - purcell - meiboom - gill ( cpmg ) sequences on samples that have been stagnated momentarily . in a specific embodiment , stagnation is achieved by closing a valve below the analyzer apparatus and diverting the flow stream around the sample chamber . the time required for a t 2 measurement is almost entirely determined by the polarization time (“ wait time ”) of about 15 seconds . the hydrogen density or the total number of hydrogen atoms within the measurement volume is a by - product of any t 1 or t 2 measurement . it can be represented as the area under any t 1 distribution and is typically normalized to the hydrogen density of a reference oil at measurement temperatures . at room temperature , the reference oil and water have the same hydrogen density . the reported number is the relative hydrogen index i h in the range 0 - 2 , with accuracy around 1 %. hydrogen density is automatically converted to hydrogen index i h . the hydrogen index is hydrogen density relative to that of water at ambient conditions . under the assumption that the oil contains only hydrogen and carbon atoms , the mass density ρ m , the hydrogen index i h , and the hydrogen - to - carbon ratio r are related as follows : see , for example , after zhang et al ., 1998 . since the hydrogen index is measured , either the mass density or the h : c ratio can be computed from an estimate of the other variable . it has been reported that most saturated hydrocarbon liquids have relative hydrogen indices of 1 within +/− 5 %. the hydrogen density in gases is significantly lower due to the overall lower density . thus , a depressed hydrogen index serves as a first - order alert to the presence of gas and a change in the relationship between t 1 and viscosity . appel et al . ( 2000 ) reported a reduction of about 20 % on live oil samples at 180 ° f . under the assumption that all gas is methane ( ch 4 ), the observed hydrogen index can be approximated as follows : where x is the volumetric gas fraction ( m 3 / m 3 ) and ρ , in g / cm 3 , is the density of methane . the density of methane follows from its temperature and pressure , and eq . ( 6a ) can be used to derive a first - order approximation for the gas fraction x . diffusion measurements in accordance with the present invention are implemented using steady - gradient spin - echo ( sgse ) experiments . see , kimmich et al ., 1997 . the experiment requires that the fluid flow be temporarily stopped . the idea of using the fringes of a uniform - field volume for diffusometry is derived from so - called ssf - sgse methods . its main advantage over pulsed - field gradient spin - echo ( pfgse ) diffusometry is instrumental simplicity and superior stability . the main drawback is a limit on sensitivity , which , for the downhole implementation , is approximately 10 − 6 cm 2 / s . as noted above , the sensitive volume of the apparatus of this invention can be divided into an interior , homogeneous region and an exterior gradient region . the field in the fringe volume , which makes up about ⅓ of the total volume , can be approximated by a single field gradient value g 0 . at short echo spacings ( 0 . 25 ms ), the effect of the field gradient is too small to be relevant . the pulse sequence used both for diffusion measurements and for diffusivity calibration is shown in fig7 . in particular , two carr - purcell - meiboom - gill ( cpmg ) sequences with a short echo spacing ( typically 0 . 25 ms ) and a long spacing ( t e ) are alternated . the long echo spacing is selected as an integer multiple of the short spacing . in this case , echoes line up in time , i . e ., occur at the same elapsed time since the excitation pulse and the ratio of their amplitudes can be formed . assuming that the fluid under investigation has a t 2 relaxation time , ( the argument also holds for an arbitrary distribution of t 2 times ) and diffusivity d , the two echo trains for the short and the long echo spacing can be described as follows : a 2 = i h k 0 exp (− t / t 2 ) exp (− t / t d )+ i h ( 1 − k 0 ) exp (− t / t 2 ) 1 / t d = 1 / 12 ( γ g 0 t e ) 2 d . ( 7 ) the system parameter k 0 is the gradient volume divided by the total volume . the hydrogen gyromagnetic ratio γ is equal to 26 , 754 rad / s / gauss . both k 0 and g 0 are temperature - dependent and are determined during calibration . the diffusivity d is derived from eqs . 7 by taking the ratio of corresponding echoes , as follows : a 2 / a 1 = k 0 exp (− t / t d )+( 1 − k 0 ) ( 8 ) this curve is fit to a uni - exponential model plus an offset . in fig8 the top two curves are the a 1 and a 2 signals for water at room temperature . below is the ratio curve and the best - fit uni - exponential model . since d for water is known as 2 . 5 × 10 − 5 cm 2 / s , these curves determine the calibration parameters g 0 and k 0 . the top two curves in fig8 are spin echo amplitudes at different echo spacings . the accelerated decay for the longer spacing is a manifestation of diffusion in the gradient region of the magnetic field . the ratio curve ( below ) is the sum of an exponential and a constant term , corresponding to the gradient - field region and the uniform - field region , respectively . the best - fit model curve is also plotted and is not distinguishable from the data . in this expression , the viscosity η is measured in cp , the temperature t in kelvin and the diffusivity d in cm 2 / s . the temperature may be obtained in a preferred embodiment from the rdt fluid temperature sensor . the proportionality factor has been determined by fitting eq . ( 1 ) to data from pure alkanes and methane - alkane mixtures . in a preferred embodiment , the system performs its own calibration , provided the sample chamber is filled with a known reference fluid ( typically oil ) and the system is heated through its operating temperature range . at specific temperature points , the built - in processor system records the sensor &# 39 ; s resonance frequency and amplitude response and stores the results in a permanent calibration table . after calibration , the hydrogen density is reported in percentage of that of the reference fluid , all times are in seconds and diffusivities are in cm 2 / s . several practical applications are made possible by the apparatus and method of the present invention . broadly , such applications relate to the measurement of relaxation distributions for the purpose of differentiation between reservoir hydrocarbons and oil - based mud ( obm ) filtrates , as well as support for fluid - typing by wireline and lwd nmr tools . other practical applications relate to calculation of hydrocarbon viscosity and gas - to - oil ratio and the modeling of fluid composition , as shown in the specific examples below . one suitable method for the identification of different oils is described in detail in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 107 , 796 , which is incorporated herein for all purposes . the differentiation is based on differences in t 2 distributions , where crude oils typically exhibit more complex distributions and characteristically short relaxation times . similar differentiation is possible based on t 1 relaxation measurements . it will be appreciated that in general t 2 relaxations are faster to measure and can be based on thousands of data points from a cpmg sequence . t 1 measurements are typically slower and yield few date points . however , as long as the underlying degrees of freedom in either distributions are not more than three - four , meaningful relaxation time distribution can be computed from about ten or more data points on a t 1 recovery curve . examples of specific practical applications follow . ps connate oil v . mud filtrate differentiation t 1 distributions can be used for qualitative fluid characterization of this type without invoking much of the relaxation theory . in a specific embodiment , the product ηt 1 is set to 1 at t = 300k and a simple viscosity scale is established from 1 , 000 cp to 1 cp , corresponding to the t 1 range 1 ms to 1 , 000 ms . see also fig6 . the water peak is distinctly offset due to the different molecular structure . the complexity of the distribution in the bottom panel of fig6 is believed to reflect a distribution of internal mobilities due to a mix of short and long hydrocarbon chains . contrast this appearance to the simple structure in the center panel in fig6 . this contrast provides a simple method to differentiate between complex oils ( crudes ) and simple oils ( filtrates ), that can be applied in a relatively straightforward manner using the techniques of the present invention . both wireline and lwd tools take their readings in the invaded zone , which is more or less flushed by filtrates . porosity measurements by nmr are in fact hydrogen density readings in the fluid phase , calibrated to a water sample and corrected for temperature . consequently , a lower - than - anticipated hydrogen index ( dissolved gas , etc .) may cause an undercall in porosity . techniques are available to correct this effect for entrained methane , but it is more precise to sample the invaded zone and directly determine the hydrogen index of the produced fluid . fluid typing based on wireline / lwd nmr is complicated by the fact that t 1 and t 2 distributions are modulated by variations in pore sizes and by the bulk relaxation response of crude oils . the interpretation makes simplifying assumptions about the hydrocarbon phase ( non - wetting , single t 1 for oil ; single t 1 for gas ). in accordance with the present invention this approach can be refined by determining the actual relaxation profiles from fluid samples and by feeding this information back into the saturation calculation . wireline and lwd nmr tools operate at frequencies between 0 . 5 mhz and 2 mhz , while the fluid analyzer described above operates at about 4 mhz . it will be appreciated that this difference is irrelevant for the relaxometry of fluids with t 1 ≡ t 2 . this condition indicates a uniform and flat energy spectrum in the employed frequency range . determination of viscosity under true reservoir conditions has always been a challenge . as noted above , the nmr - derived diffusivity d has a universal correlation with viscosity . in order to obtain a continuous viscosity reading , however , it is desirable to also derive a viscosity estimate from t 1 and i h alone . for the case of no dissolved hydrocarbon gas ( i . e . i h close to 1 ) and no entrained paramagnetic oxygen , currently the best available correlation is : where t 1 and t 2 are in s , t is in k , and η is in cp ( see , lo et al ., 2000 ). to compute viscosity from a t 1 distribution , one can use the approximation : where t 1 g . m is the geometric mean taken over the t 1 distribution . it is expected that this correlation can be improved by including the hydrogen index once a sufficient body of downhole nmr data becomes available . for dead oils ( gor = 0 ), the relationship between t 1 and d is basically linear , as can be seen with reference to eqs . ( 1 ) and ( 2 ). increasing gas contents introduces a deviation from the linear behavior . modification of eq . 2 and substituting from eq . 1 leads to : where f ( gor ) is a function that has been determined empirically for methane - n - alkane mixtures . see freedman et al ., 2000 . the proportionality factor in eq . ( 13 ) is approximately 2 × 10 5 ( lo et al ., 2000 ). accordingly , the gor can be determined graphically by means of a crossplot t 1 v . d with gor as parameter , as shown in fig1 of the lo et al reference . emerging practical applications aim at a comprehensive understanding of the reservoir fluid system , the evaluation of which can be improved using the present invention . although the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments , it is not intended to be limited to the specific form set forth herein , but on the contrary , it is intended to cover such modifications , alternatives , and equivalents as can be reasonably included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims .	6
as illustrated in fig3 in a first embodiment of a current equalizer assembly for lcd backlight panel of this invention , a current equalizer ( 10 ) is connected with two cold cathode fluorescent lamps ( ccfls ) ( 101 , 103 ). the current equalizer ( 10 ) is composed of a differential current choke ( 11 ) and a capacitor ( 12 ), in which the capacitor ( 12 ) strides on a terminal ( b ) of a primary coil and on a terminal ( d ) of a secondary coil of the differential current choke ( 11 ) such that a current flowing through those two ccfls can lighten the ccfls ( 101 , 103 ) uniformly . the structure and circuit connections of this invention are to be described below . a terminal ( a ) of the primary coil of the differential current choke ( 11 ) is connected to a terminal ( c ) of the secondary coil of the differential current choke ( 11 ) to form a common end ( 110 ), which is coupled to a terminal ( a ) of a secondary coil of a booster ( 40 ), and a common end of the ccfls ( 101 , 103 ) is connected with a terminal ( b ) of the secondary coil of the booster ( 40 ). two ends of the capacitor 12 are jointed with other respective ends of the ccfls ( 101 , 103 ). in a second embodiment shown in fig4 three current equalizers ( 10 , 20 , 30 ) are connected with four ccfls ( 101 , 103 , 105 , 107 ). two ends of a capacitor ( 22 , 32 ) are coupled to one end of every two neighboring ccfls ( 101 , 103 , 105 , 107 ), meanwhile , a common end of those four ccfls ( 101 , 103 , 105 , 107 ) is connected with the terminal ( b ) of the secondary coil of the booster ( 40 ). moreover , two ends of the capacitor ( 12 ) of the current equalizer ( 10 ) are coupled with respective common ends ( 210 , 310 ) of the current equalizers ( 20 , 30 ). in a third embodiment shown in fig5 three current equalizers ( 10 , 20 , 30 ) are connected with three ccfls ( 101 , 103 , 105 ). two ends of a capacitor ( 32 ) of the third current equalizer ( 30 ) are connected to one end of those two ccfls ( 101 , 103 ) respectively . one end of a capacitor ( 22 ) of the second current equalizer ( 20 ), ( namely , a terminal ( b ) at a primary coil of a differential current choke ( 21 ) of the second current equalizer ( 20 )), is jointed with one end of the third ccfl ( 105 ). furthermore , a terminal ( d ) at a secondary coil of the differential current choke ( 21 ) of the second current equalizer ( 20 ) is connected to a terminal ( c ) at a secondary coil of a differential current choke ( 31 ) of the third current equalizer ( 30 ). in the differential current choke ( 11 ) of the first current equalizer ( 10 ), a terminal ( a ) at a primary coil and a terminal ( c ) at a secondary coil are jointed together to form a common end ( 110 ), which is connected to the terminal ( a ) at the secondary coil of the booster ( 40 ). besides , two ends of a capacitor ( 12 ) of the first current equalizer ( 10 ) are connected to a terminal ( a ) at the primary coil of the differential current choke ( 21 ) of the second current equalizer ( 20 ) and a terminal ( a ) at a primary coil of the differential current choke ( 31 ) of the third current equalizer ( 30 ). moreover , the other end of the ccfls ( 101 , 103 , 105 ) are put together and coupled with a terminal ( b ) at a secondary coil of the booster ( 40 ). [ 0019 ] fig6 a shows the structure of a current equalizer of this invention , and fig6 b shows an equivalent circuit of fig6 a . in order to equalize the current flowing through those two ccfls ( 101 , 103 ) according to the circuitry principles of this invention , namely ia = ib , the voltage vc across two terminals of a capacitor has to satisfy the following equation ( 1 ): where ia = ib = io , za and zb represent impedance of the ccfls ( 101 , 103 ). an ic passing through the capacitor is : ic = vc zc = vc 1 j   ω   c = j   ω   cvc = j   ω   c  ( 2  vx ) ( 2 ) for equalizing ia and ib , let l = lm + lk ( mutual inductance and leakage inductance in a differential current choke ) to obtain ix = vx j   ω   l × 1 2 = - j   ω   c  ( 2  vx ) ( 3 ) or   c = 1 16   π 2  lf  2 all the embodiments of this invention are made in accordance with abovesaid circuitry principles . a core of uu . 98 is wound by coated wires of 0 . 2 phi in 91 turns ( ts ) on both sides to form a differential current choke ( l = 11 . 9 mh ). the differential current choke ( s ) and capacitor ( s ) of 147 pf are adopted for mating with two ccfls ( toshiba lcd panel ( ltm15c151a )) and operated and tested at 60 khz . as the current data obtained in those two ccfls of conventional circuits shown in fig2 are 6 . 42 ma and 9 . 53 ma respectively , while that of this invention shown in fig3 are 8 . 47 ma and 8 . 52 ma , the current difference between ccfls has been obviously and significantly reduced . in practical applications , the capacitance c might be included in the stray capacitance and is therefore negligible particularly when the inductance l is large enough . in the above described , at least one preferred embodiment has been described in detail with reference to the drawings annexed , and it is apparent that numerous variations or modifications may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope thereof , as set forth in the claims below .	7
referring to fig1 , there is disclosed a side view of a light up glass 10 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . the light up glass 10 comprises mainly of two parts : glass body 1 and glass bottom 2 . fig2 shows that the glass base 2 further comprises 3 chambers from top to bottom : power source chamber 21 , light source chamber 22 , and logo film chamber 23 . a power source chamber 21 has a recess with a positive 32 and negative terminal 33 for receiving the power source 31 . a positive wire lead 34 connects the positive terminal 32 to the light source 37 through a wire channel 36 . a negative wire lead 35 connects the negative terminal 32 to the light source 37 through the wire channel 36 . the positive wire lead 34 and the negative wire lead 35 also connect to a pressure on / off switch 40 . the light source 37 sits in a recess inside the light source chamber 22 . all the chambers including the power source 21 , light source 22 and logo film 23 chambers are sealed and water proof . in another embodiment , the power source chamber 21 , light source chamber 22 , and may be arranged on the same layer . in another embodiment , the power source chamber 21 and light source chamber 22 may be combined as one single chamber , thus the power source 31 and light source 37 are in proximity . the chamber is sealed and water proof . thus , there is no need of a wire channel 36 to protect the wire lead 34 , 35 that connect the power source 31 and light source 37 . a logo film chamber 23 is below the light source chamber 22 . the logo film 38 can be placed in the logo film chamber 23 . different logo films 38 may be used and switched out from the logo film chamber 23 . a lid 24 is placed below the logo film chamber 23 to cover the logo film 38 . the lid 24 is actually the bottom surface of the light up glass 10 that touches the table surface . when the pressure on / off switch 40 is pressed in due to the weight of the light up glass 10 that is placed on a table surface , the circuitry between the light source 37 and the power source 31 are opened / disconnected so that the light source 37 will not be receiving power and will be off . when the light up glass 10 is lifted up , the pressure on / off switch 40 is not pressed in , the circuitry between the light source 37 and the power source 31 are closed / connected so the light source 37 will be powered on . the glass base 2 should be sealed and water resistant so the inside electrical components are not exposed and damaged by the surrounding liquids . in another embodiment , there may be a button channel 39 that passes through the logo film chamber 23 , lid 24 allowing the pressure on / off button 40 to pass through these chambers . the glass body 1 and the housing of the glass bottom 2 may be made of acrylic or any other material suitable or known in the art for making drink containers . the drink container may be shaped as pilsner , glass , shot , shooter or other different shapes and have different volumes . the light up glass 10 may be made from molds of different shapes and volumes . any light source 37 suited for the intended purpose will suffice , such as , but not limited to light - emitting diodes ( led &# 39 ; s ), fiber optics , halogen , incandescent , laser , fluorescent , magnetic , and the like . the partition 23 a between the light chamber 22 and logo film chamber 23 and the lid 24 are constructed from transparent materials for allowing the light to transmit through . when the glassware 10 is picked up , the pressure sensitive button 40 is turned on , the light transmits through the partition 23 a into the logo film chamber 23 and partially and selectively transmits through the logo film 38 and develops the light pattern of the logo . this light pattern continuously transmits through the transparent lid 24 and projects onto the solid surface including a dining table surface , a bar table surface or a surrounding wall . referring to fig3 , there is disclosed a bottom view of a light up glass 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention with removal of the lid 24 and logo film chamber 23 . it is observed that a light 37 ( e . g . led ) is located in the center of the glass bottom 2 . in this embodiment , the pressure sensitive switch 40 is located inside the light source chamber 22 near the perimeter . the roof 41 of the light source chamber 22 may be made of a non - transparent material so that the light won &# 39 ; t be diffused and transmit to the unwanted direction . alternatively , the light chamber 22 of transparent material may contain a piece of non - transparent material 42 to cover the roof , thus blocking the light transmit towards the unwanted direction . the logo films 38 may contain company &# 39 ; s logos or advertisement images or personal messages such as greetings or congratulations . then the light shines through the logo film , the light up glass 10 project a company &# 39 ; s logo onto a solid surface below the acrylic glass when the glass is lifted . referring to fig4 - 6 , there are disclosed perspective views of the light up glass which projects a company &# 39 ; s logo onto a solid surface below the acrylic glass when the item is lifted . in another embodiment , the light up glass 10 may be made of one single unit mold with the logo already built into the bottom of the glass . in another embodiment , the light up glass 10 may contain a removable lid 24 so that the logo film 38 may be switched to provide advertisement for different merchants . the power source 31 may be batteries , such as rechargeable battery or solar powered rechargeable battery . the components such as power source 31 and light source 37 may be already built in the light up glass 10 and cannot be replaced . in another embodiment , these components may be replaced . in another embodiment , the light up glass 10 may project the logo image up into the liquid inside the glass instead of showing the logo on a flat surface below . in this embodiment , the logo film 38 is installed above the light source 37 instead of below the light source 37 . while there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to the preferred embodiments , it will be understood that the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention and not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed . obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings . the embodiments discussed were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated all such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are entitled .	6
referring to the drawing figures , like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views . fig1 a illustrates a first embodiment of the present invention , in which resistive heater elements 1 are embedded in a plate 2 ( e . g ., made of quartz , alumina or generally an electrically insulating material that has a low coefficient of thermal expansion and is compatible with an etch process ). in turn , the plate 2 is inset in and affixed to an electrode housing 3 . the electrode housing 3 is made of metal ( e . g ., aluminum ) and it is machined with an inset to receive the plate 2 . furthermore , the outer edge of electrode housing 3 is machined with a slight convexity in order to be flush with the convexity of the bottom surface 3 a of plate 2 . as stated , the plate 2 is machined so that a bottom surface 3 a thereof has a slight convexity ( e . g ., approximately 0 . 025 to 2 millimeters ). an electrode 4 ( e . g ., an electrode of any of : silicon , anodized aluminum , carbon and silicon carbide ) is attached to the integrated housing 3 and the plate 2 structure ( e . g . by bolts at several locations about the periphery of the electrode 4 ) such that the upper surface 4 a of electrode plate 4 is pressed against the bottom surface 3 a of the plate 2 . the electrode 4 has a flat upper surface 4 a facing the convex bottom surface 3 a of the housing 3 and a slightly concave bottom surface 4 b . the convexity of the bottom surface 3 a of plate 2 and the flatness of the upper surface 4 a of electrode 4 create a spatially homogeneous mechanical pressure between the two surfaces when the electrode 4 is pressed against the plate 2 and attached to the electrode housing 3 . this resultant mechanical pressure leads to an improved physical , thermal and electrical contact between the two surfaces . fig1 b is a cross - sectional view through line 1 b — 1 b of fig1 a . fig1 b illustrates a preferred pattern of the resistive heater elements 1 embedded within the plate 2 . the preferred pattern of the resistive heater elements 1 includes five different zones z 1 , z 2 , z 3 , z 4 , and z 5 . zones z 1 – z 4 are outer zones and zone z 5 is an inner zone . the boundaries of the five zones z 1 – z 5 are shown in fig1 b by dashed lines . each of the resistive heater elements 1 in one of the five zones z 1 – z 5 is supplied with power from a separate power source ( not shown ). by adjusting the power to each of the zones z 1 – z 5 , the temperature of each zone z 1 – z 5 can be controlled independently . thus , the desired temperature and temperature uniformity of the electrode 4 can be achieved . furthermore , an rf filter or an rf choke ( see fig6 ) can be employed to isolate the power supplied to the resistive heater elements 1 of each of the zones z 1 – z 5 from rf energy supplied to a plasma . a second configuration of the heater elements 1 can take the form of a ring pattern wherein a multiplicity of concentric ring heating elements include a multiplicity of radial heating zones . for instance , fig1 c presents a concentric ring heating configuration with 5 radial heating zones , wherein the contacts for each concentric ring heating element are alternately rotated 180 degrees between adjacent rings to permit a more azimuthally symmetric design . in fact , the preferred contact rotation may be every 72 degrees . the design shown in fig1 c can permit highly resolved radial control of the electrode temperature ; however , it would lack control of azimuthal temperature variations . as stated above , the slight convexity of the bottom surface 3 a of the plate 2 and the electrode housing 3 permits good thermal contact between the electrode 4 and the plate 2 having the resistive heater elements 1 embedded therein . when the flat back side 2 a of the plate 2 is pressed against and attached to the inner surface 3 b of the electrode housing 3 , a good spatially homogeneous thermal contact can be achieved as a result of applied mechanical pressure . further , when the flat upper surface 4 a of the electrode 4 is pressed against the resultant convex surface 3 a of the plate 2 and the electrode housing 3 , a good spatially homogeneous thermal contact is also achieved . the slight concavity of the bottom surface 4 b of the electrode 4 compensates for bending when the electrode 4 is pressed against the convex bottom surface 3 a of the plate 2 and the electrode housing 3 . fig2 shows a first variation of the first embodiment of the present invention , wherein direct current or dc power is communicated to the resistive heater elements 1 . for example , an electrical conduit 5 may be passed along side of a gas conduit 6 through a rf transmission feed 7 at the top of the electrode housing 3 as shown in fig2 . wires 8 , as illustrated by dashed lines , may be passed through the electrical conduit 5 and also through gas baffle plates 9 located between the inner surface 3 b of the housing 3 and the flat back side 2 a of the plate 2 . the wires 8 may be connected directly , such as by soldering , to the resistive heating elements 1 embedded in the plate 2 . furthermore , for gas distribution to the processing chamber ( see fig7 ), the plate 2 has a plurality of gas orifices 10 as shown in cross - section in fig2 by dashed lines . the temperature of the plate 2 and the resistive heater elements 1 within each of the five zones z 1 – z 5 is regulated , ( e . g ., by monitoring the resistance of each of the resistive heating elements 1 and then sensing the temperature as a result of the dependence of the material resistivity ). fig3 illustrates a second variation of the first embodiment of the present invention , wherein the plate 2 is entirely embedded within the electrode housing 3 via an aluminum electrode plate 11 . thus , the aluminum electrode plate 11 separates the plate 2 from the electrode 4 . the gas orifices 10 through the plate 2 are aligned with corresponding smaller orifices 12 through the aluminum electrode plate 11 , which in turn are aligned with correspondingly smaller orifices 13 through the electrode 4 as shown in fig3 . this arrangement of smaller and smaller orifices 10 , 12 and 13 allows for the passage of gas through a showerhead inject plate to the processing chamber ( see fig7 ). the electrical connections of the second variation of the first embodiment of the present invention shown in fig3 are similar to the electrical connections of the first variation of the first embodiment of the present invention shown in fig2 . referring to fig4 a , a second embodiment of the present invention is shown , wherein resistive heater elements 1 are recessed in the electrode 4 so that the top surface 1 a of the resistive heater elements 1 are flush with the top flat surface 4 a of the electrode 4 . the electrode housing 3 is preferably made of aluminum and has a slightly convex bottom surface 3 a . however , unlike the first embodiment shown in fig1 a , 2 , and 3 , the electrode housing 3 of the second embodiment has no plate inset therein and attached thereto . fig4 b is a cross - sectional view through line ivb — ivb of fig4 a . similar to fig1 b of the first embodiment of the present invention , fig4 b illustrates a preferred pattern of the resistive heater elements 1 which is the same as that described for fig1 b above . however , a concentric ring pattern may also be employed as shown in fig1 c where greater radial control is preferred and azimuthal asymmetries are negligible . fig5 illustrates a partial cross - section through the electrode 4 of fig4 b . the electrode 4 has diffused resistive heater elements 1 which are doped either p - or n - type . the resistive heater elements 1 are recessed in the top flat surface 4 a of the electrode 4 of the second embodiment of the present invention to function similarly to the resistive heating elements 1 embedded in the plate 2 of the first embodiment of the present invention . the recessing of the resistive heater elements 1 so as to be flush with the top surface 4 a of the electrode 4 may be done by oxide masking and diffusion . the temperature of the electrode is preferably controllable . first , the electrode 4 is oxidized to form a thin ( e . g ., approximately 1 micrometer thick ) sio 2 layer 14 . then , the semiconductor wafer ( see fig6 ) is coated with a photo - resist using standard photo - resist techniques , such as spin coating . the pattern of the resistive heater elements 1 is then exposed using a mask having the appropriate pattern for the resistive heater elements 1 . the pattern of the resistive heater element is etched into the sio 2 oxide layer 14 using either wet or dry etch techniques . after etching the pattern into the oxide and removing the photo - resist the appropriate impurity ( from either a group iii element or a group v element ) is diffused into the electrode 4 through the openings 15 in the sio 2 oxide layer 14 . suitable metallic contacts may then be made to the diffused regions in order to provide the means for applying dc power to the resistive heating elements 1 . the resistance of the resistive heater elements 1 may be controlled by means of controlling the time and temperature of the diffusion . since the control of the actual temperature of the electrode 4 is important , it should be possible to form an array of p - n junction diodes at the same time as the fabrication of the resistive heating elements 1 , possibly using an extra process step . the forward voltage drop of the diodes , vf , which is very predictably a function of temperature , could be used to monitor temperature . due to the inherent physics of silicon as a semiconductor wafer , and depending on the doping level of the electrode , this system would have an absolute upper limit of operation of 300 c . ( 575 k ). the second embodiment of the present invention may have an operability issue because of the inherent upper limit of the operating temperature being about 300 c . as a result of the physics of using a semiconductor as a heater . however , the 300 c . upper limit is above the normally desired operating temperature and therefore , should not be a limitation . as in the first embodiment , electrical connection of the dc power supplies to the resistive heater elements 1 are provided . wires ( not shown ) are passed through the rf transmission feed 7 of the upper electrode housing 3 to contacts 16 located adjacent to the surface in contact with the electrode 4 as shown in fig6 . the contacts 16 and wires ( not shown ) are insulated from the surrounding conducting structure via insulation 17 . a bolt 18 connecting the electrode 4 to the electrode housing 3 may force contact between the aligned contacts 16 in the electrode housing 3 and electrode 4 . in any of the above - described embodiments , the power delivered to individual zones z 1 – z 5 may be independently controlled by commands accepted from a centralized computer 100 , as shown in fig7 and 8 . referring to fig7 , the computer 100 can be employed to control other functions and can communicate with a control processor 20 . in turn , the control processor 20 commands the dc power level output from the dc power supply 21 . in one embodiment of the present invention , an rf choke or filter 22 is inserted between the dc power supply 21 and the resistive heater elements 1 so as to isolate the dc power supply 21 from the applied rf signals supplied from the rf power supply 23 . moreover , in yet another embodiment , the match network 24 enables proper rf power matching when generating the plasma . the gas box 25 , along with the pump 26 regulate gas flow and pressure within the processing chamber 27 . fig8 illustrates a computer system for communicating with a control processor 20 to command the dc power level output from the dc power supply 21 to the resistive heating elements 1 which are embedded within the plate 2 of the first embodiment of the present invention or recessed in the electrode 4 of the second embodiment of the present invention . the computer system includes a computer 100 to implement the method of the present invention . the computer 100 includes a computer housing 102 which houses the motherboard 104 . the motherboard 104 contains a central processing unit ( hereinafter “ cpu ”) 106 , a memory 108 ( e . g ., dram , rom , eprom , eeprom , sram , sdram , and flash ram ), and other optional special purpose logic devices ( e . g ., asics ) or configurable logic devices ( e . g ., gal and reprogrammable fpga ). the memory 108 stores information for the temperature of the resistive heater elements 1 , etc . preferably , the memory 108 stores information even when the upper electrode housing 3 and the electrode 4 are turned off and not in use . the computer 100 also includes plural input devices ( e . g ., a keyboard 122 and mouse 124 ) and a display card 110 for controlling the monitor 120 . in addition , the computer system 100 further includes a floppy disk drive 114 ; other removable media devices ( e . g . compact disc 119 , tape , and removable magneto - optical media ( not shown )); and a hard disk 112 , or other fixed , high density media drives , connected using an appropriate device bus ( e . g ., a scsi bus , an enhanced ide bus , or an ultra dma bus ). also connected to the same device bus or another device bus , the computer 100 may additionally include a compact disc reader 118 , a compact disc reader / writer ( not shown ) or a compact disc jukebox ( not shown ). although the compact disc 119 is shown in a cd caddy , the compact disc 119 can be inserted directly into cd - rom drives which do not require caddies . in addition , a printer ( not shown ) also provides printed listings of the electrode temperature . as stated above , the computer system includes at least one computer readable medium . examples of computer readable media are compact discs 119 , hard disks 112 , floppy discs , tape , magneto - optical discs , proms , ( eprom , eeprom , flash eprom ), dram , sram , sdram , etc . stored on any one or on a combination of computer readable media , the present invention includes software for controlling both the hardware of the computer 100 and for enabling the computer 100 to interact with a human user . such software may include , but is not limited to , device drivers , operating systems , and user applications , such as development tools . such computer readable media further includes the computer program product of the present invention for the method of controlling electrode temperature . the computer code devices of the present invention can be any interpreted or executable code mechanism , including but not limit to , scripts , interpreters , dynamic link libraries , java classes , and complete executable programs . the first and second embodiments of the present invention and several variations thereof have been described for multi - zone heaters for a single - electrode upper structure . however , the concept is easily extended to a segmented upper electrode , wherein the pattern of resistive heater elements is either segmented per each sub - electrode , embedded within a single electrode plate , or embedded within each sub - electrode silicon plate . obviously , numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings . it is therefore understood that , within the scope of the appended claims , the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein .	7
referring now to the drawings and in particular to fig1 there is shown in schematic form one embodiment of this invention , indicated generally by the numeral 10 . enclosed in the dashed outline 12 is a digital apparatus for generating a sinusoidal drive sweep signal which is outputted on line 40 , to drive an electrohydraulic vibrator 46 which is resting with its baseplate 48 on the surface 49 of the earth 50 . on the baseplate is a sensor 51 , which is nominally an accelerometer , the output of which is doubly integrated in an integrator 52 which provides the integrated sensor signal on a lead 53 to the control apparatus . the heart of the system is a read - only memory 26 which comprises a number of memory locations , such as for example 128 , in each of which is stored a number which represents one of 128 digital amplitude values that in sequence correspond to a single cycle of a sine wave . in other words , as each one of the address locations is read out , the sequence of numbers will be a digital sine wave . a time - varying series of pulses is provided on a magnetic tape in a cassette reader 18 . the cassette is driven at constant speed by means of a clock 19 through lead 20 , so that the output pulses on lead 22 will be precisely timed in accordance with the master program , from which the cassette tape was copied . the pulses on line 22 go to a first digital counter 24 , the count of which at any instant on leads 23 goes to the read - only memory 26 and , depending on the count , contacts a specific memory location . the digital values stored therein are then outputted on line 28 , and this is the reference sweep signal . the sinusoidal components are provided by the memory , and the varying repetition rate of the sine wave is derived from the varying time - spaced pulses which are pre - recorded on the magnetic tape of the cassette . a second counter 32 is driven by the pulse output of the cassette through lead 29 which feeds a frequency ratio control 30 which will be described in detail in connection with fig3 and which sets the rate of the output pulse train on lead 31 . the second counter 32 is connected to the memory 26 by leads 33 , and for each count of the counter 32 , a digital word is outputted over lead 34 to a digital multiplier 36 and to a digital - to - analog converter 38 , the output of which is the drive sweep signal on lead 40 . if the frequency ratio control 30 is set at unity , then both counters 24 and 32 will read the same number , and the same addresses will be contacted , and the drive sweep and the reference sweep signals will be in synchronism . however , it is well known that the drive sweep must be set at an advance phase ahead of the reference sweep so that , with the normal phase delay in the electrohydraulic vibrator 46 , the baseplate 48 will then be in phase with the reference sweep signal . since the frequency ratio control is therefore the means of shifting the phase of the digital drive sweep signal on 34 , with respect to the digital reference sweep signal on 28 , it is controlled by the phase comparator 60 through leads 62 and 64 . the drive sweep signal on lead 40 goes to the electronic control 47 of the seismic vibrator 46 positioned with its baseplate 48 on the surface 49 of earth 50 . in operation this produces a pulsating sinusoidal pressure on the surface of the earth which generates seismic waves that propagate through the earth as is required in seismic operations . the output of an accelerometer sensor 51 fastened to the baseplate 48 so as to be responsive to the output of the vibrator is doubly integrated in 52 , so that the output analog signal on line 53 is substantially a measure of the alternating displacement of the baseplate , except that it may have harmonics due to the operation of the vibrator . the signal on lead 53 goes to analog - to - digital converter 54 which outputs to comparator 60 a digital signal 59 , representing the baseplate displacement amplitude . the reference sweep signal on 28 also goes to phase comparator 60 , where the phase of the two signals is compared , and appropriate signals are sent to the frequency ratio control 30 and then to the second counter 32 , to alter the phase of the drive sweep signal whenever the baseplate signal and the reference sweep signal are not in phase . in lead 34 , which carries the digital drive sweep signal , there is a digital multiplier 36 . as is well known , in seismic vibrator systems the drive sweep , which is a sinusoidal varying - frequency , long - duration signal , is normally tapered at its beginning and ending portions . this taper involves gradually increasing the amplitude at the start of the sweep from zero to a maximum constant value , and during a corresponding period at the end of the sweep , similarly reducing the amplitude from its constant value down to zero . these tapers can be set for varying rates of increase and decrease . in this embodiment , on a second track of the magnetic tape in the cassette reader 18 there is a control signal sent by line 41 to a counter in a taper control box 42 . pulses of the cassette properly timed with the pulses going out on line 22 , control the counter in box 42 to provide an output digital number on line 44 which increases with time in the selected manner from 0 to 1 . as this digital number on line 44 is a second input to the multiplier 36 , it acts to control the amplitude of the sine wave outputting on line 40 in accordance with the selected taper , at the beginning and the end of the sweep . this is a complete description of the system in fig1 except for the control of the cassette reader 18 by a radio - transmitted signal which is received by antenna 16 to the radio receiver 15 . this provides a start signal on line 14 to the cassette reader to start reading - out the prerecorded values . referring now to fig2 there is shown in a simple schematic manner the operation of the read - only memory 26 . consider a type of electromechanical contactor in which a movable contact 72 is rotated about axis 73 , and is sequentially stepped from one to another of the terminals numbered 70a , 70b , 70c , 70d , . . . 70n . there is also a second rotating contact 74 which may be contacting the same contacts ( or may be in a separate apparatus synchronized or driven by the same signals as the contact 72 ). associated with each of the contacts 70 is a digital number which , when the rotating contact 72 contacts that terminal , the number than appears on the lead 28 or 34 , as appropriate . consequently , as the counters 24 or 32 continually increment , they step the contacts 72 and 74 from one terminal to the other in accordance with arrow 76 . one of these contacts 72 runs at the speed of the pulses on the line 22 from the cassette reader . the other , contactor 74 while it nominally operates in synchronism with the first contact 72 , has a further frequency ratio control means 30 , which causes it to step faster or slower as required in order to maintain a selected angle 75 in advance of 72 . this advance is an amount of phase lead , which equals the phase lag normal to the vibrator at each value of frequency . referring now to fig3 there is shown in considerably greater detail certain parts of the apparatus of fig1 . the corresponding parts are indicated by the same numerals , such as , for example , the antenna 16 , the radio receiver 15 , the incoming signal line 14 , the cassette reader 18 , read - only memory 26 , etc . the dashed - line box labeled 42 provides details for the box 42 of fig1 . similarly , the dashed - line box 60 provides further details of the phase comparator 60 of fig1 while box 30 shows details of the frequency ratio control 30 . consider the box 60 in comparison with the corresponding box 60 of fig1 . as in fig1 the signal from the integrator of the sensor output on line 53 goes to the analog - to - digital converter 54 which has an output on line 59 to the box 60 . it goes inside the box to a digital filter 102 . correspondingly , the reference sweep signal on line 28 goes into the box 60 and to the digital filter 100 . these two filters are identical in their operation and , to the extent that they eliminate harmonics , provide two signals outputting on lines 106 and 108 which carry the phase information of the reference sweep signal and the baseplate output signal . these two signals on leads 106 and 108 go to a polarity detector 110 where they are converted to square waves , and the times of zero crossing of the two signals are compared to determine what the relative phase of the signals is at the moment . one signal outputs on line 62 , and by its polarity indicates , by a logical 1 or a logical 0 , whether the reference signal leads the baseplate signal or vice versa . the other output of the polarity detector 110 on lead 64 provides a logical 1 during the time between the zero crossings , and is a measure of the lag of the baseplate signal behind the reference signal . the pulses on line 22 , of a frequency which corresponds to the digitizing interval of the digital signals on the output line 28 to the reference sweep are carried by line 56 to control the analog - to - digital converter 54 over lead 58 , and over lead 57 and leads 103 and 104 to control the shifting of the digital values on the input of the filters 100 and 102 , through the filters and into the polarity detector 110 . referring to the frequency ratio control box 30 , this is a complex circuit controlled by the polarity detector 110 to drive the second address counter 32 and cause a signal to be outputted on line 34 to provide the drive sweep signal 40 . the pulses leaving the cassette reader 18 on line 140 go through a divide - by - 8 counter 152 to line 22 , line 25 , and the reference address counter 24 . there are two other counters connected to reader 18 by leads 140a and 140b , namely a divide - by - 6 counter 154 , and a divide - by - 10 counter 156 . the divide - by - 8 counter goes by leads 22 and 25 to the reference address counter 24 . it also goes by lead 29 to an and gate 136 , the output of which goes through lead 31 to the drive address counter 32 . the divide - by - 6 counter 154 goes by lead 29a to the and gate 138 , and counter 156 goes by lead 29b to and gate 140 . the outputs of all three gates to go the lead 31 and the drive address counter 32 . there are other inputs to the three gates , but mainly the pulses which go to the drive counter 32 will be identical to those going to the reference address counter 24 if the gate 136 is enabled . the pulses to 32 will be faster if the gate 138 is enabled , and they will be slower if the gate 140 is enabled . the control of which gate is enabled is responsive to the output of the polarity detector on the leads 62 and 64 . lead 62 , which is labeled reference lead signal , puts out a logical 0 when the reference signal leads the sensor signal , and in that case , going by lead 62b and the inverter 144 , there is a logical 1 signal on lead 142 which enables the gate 138 to put a more rapid pulse drive on the address counter 32 , and therefore cause the drive sweep to advance in phase with respect to the reference sweep . on the other hand , if the reference sweep lags , the opposite is true and a logical 1 on leads 62 and 62a enables the gate 140 and causes the phase of the drive sweep to decrease . a further control of the gates 136 , 138 , 140 comes from the up - down counter 120 , the output of which on leads 128 goes to an or gate 130 which connects through leads 132 , 132b and 132c to the gates 138 and 140 respectively , and by lead 132a to an inverter 134 and to the gate 136 . the control on lead 64 goes to enable one or the other of gates 126 or 121 . gate 121 carries a drive signal from the clock 19 to the up terminal of the up - down counter 120 , while gate 126 carries the clock signal divided by 4 ( in the counter 122 , and lead 123 ) to the down terminal of the up - down counter . the signal on line 64 is in the form of a logical 1 that measures the amount of lag between the reference sweep and the sensor signal , and this then controls the up or the down count of the counter 120 . the output of the counter is on a plurality of leads , some of which are logical 0 and some of which are logical 1 at any instant . if the counter is in the middle of its count , the center lead will be a logical 0 and , consequently , the output of the or gate 130 on lead 132 will be a logical 0 and the signal out of the inverter 134 will be a logical 1 which will enable gate 136 and will cause the drive address counter to receive the same pulse rate that the reference address counter 24 receives , and so the two digital signals outputted on leads 28 and 34 will advance in phase at an equal rate . this is the condition that applies during most of the operation . on the other hand , if the counter is down or up from the nominal value , then a positive or logical 1 signal will be outputted on lead 132 and will enable both gates 138 and 140 , and depending on whether the reference leads or lags the sensor signal , one or the other of gates 138 or 140 will be further enabled to apply a faster or a slower pulse rate to the address counter . in this way , the phases of the reference signal on lead 28 and of the sensor signal on lead 59 are compared in phase and the drive address counter 32 is controlled in such a way that the drive sweep signal on 34 will be varied in phase to a greater or a lesser angle with respect to the phase of the reference signal on 28 to bring the comparison of the reference and sensor signals back to the selected phase angle of 0 . the box labeled 42 includes a monostable multivibrator 148 which controls the up - down counter 150 to read up , or to read down . the rate at which the counter operates depends on the signal to it on the lead 41b , which is derived from the signal on lead 41 from the cassette reader 18 . in other words , at the start of the sweep the counter is set at its minimum value , or maximum down count , and at the time the cassette starts and pulses are applied to the counters , the multivibrator 148 is switched on . that starts the count up , and the pulses that follow increment the counter up . its output in digital numbers goes continuously by lead 44 to the digital multiplier 36 . these numbers which are fractional numbers , multiply the digital values which have been derived from the read - only memory . after the digital signals are converted to analog in the box 38 , the drive sweep will be a sinusoidal signal of increasing amplitude at the beginning of the sweep , to a maximum value , at which time the counter 150 will be in its maximum point and thereafter the pulses in line 41 will stop . near the end of the sweep , when it is desired to taper the amplitude downward , the monostable multivibrator 148 having been reset by itself , will now control the counter to count down . as the pulses start , the counter will count down from 1 to 0 , and the corresponding amplitudes of the drive sweep will be reduced correspondingly to zero . referring now to fig4 consider the dashed outline 42 which includes apparatus which in effect duplicates that of box 42 of fig3 and provides an electronic means for generating the digital fractional numbers which are supplied to the digital multiplier 36 by the lead 44 in order to taper the amplitude of the drive sweep at the beginning and end of the sweep . there are three counters 170 , 172 , 174 . the first counter 170 is preset by a control 162 which is t d the time duration of the sweep . the third counter 174 is preset by a control 164 labeled t l which is the time duration of the length of the taper . these outputs on lead 166 to the counter 170 and on lead 168 to the counter 174 , also go by leads 166b and 168b to the third counter 172 which is preset to a value of count or time equal to the total duration of the sweep minus the duration of the taper . the three counters have output leads . the outputs of counter 172 on lead 187 goes to and gate 176 and the output of counter 174 goes by lead 188 to and gate 178 . the master clock 184 puts out a signal on lead 186 that goes to each of the three counters and to each of the two and gates . the outputs of the and gates go by lead 181 to read - down control on a read - only memory 180 , and the gate 178 has an output on lead 182 that goes to the read - up control of read - only memory 180 . at the start , the clock pulses going by lead 186b to counter 174 go out on lead 188 to the gate 178 . also the clock output on 186d goes to the gate 178 so that each pulse of the clock then has an output on lead 182 to the read - up control . thus the read - only memory 180 will read up from its minimum position to successively higher values . at each successive value a digital word is outputted on line 44 which represents a fraction between 0 and 1 , which goes to the digital multiplier 36 which has been previously described . by this means , the counter 174 will continue the read - up operation until it reaches its maximum preset value and stops counting . consequently , the gate 178 is disabled and thereafter there is no output on lead 182 . at the same time , the clock pulses go to the counter 170 which runs for the complete duration of the sweep , and that puts the clock pulses on an output line 190 which goes into box 18 , which will be described presently . when the count reaches the total duration of the sweep minus the taper length , then the counter 172 begins to operate and puts out clock pulses on lead 187 while the clock itself puts out pulses on lead 186f to the gate 176 , and the read - only memory then starts to read down , due to the pulses on lead 181 . these corresponding digital words in storage are then carried by lead 44 to the digital multiplier as before . in this way the proper digital control of the taper of the sweep is effected . referring now to the fig4 and the large box enclosed by the dashed line 18 , this apparatus comprises a digital means for generating a series of pulses of a selected frequency , or period between each pulse , which is outputted on lead 22 , which corresponds to that which is the output of the cassette reader 18 on lead 22 . consider an adder 216 that has three inputs . one input on lead 198 comes from an input control 192 which represents a certain constant digital number , a . the control 194 represents a second constant number , b , and the control 196 represents a third constant number , c . there are multipliers 204 , 206 and 208 , and the manner of connection which will be described is set to mechanize an equation of the form : frequency = a + bt + ct 2 . in this way , a frequency will be generated which can vary in a preselected manner as a function of time . the clock signal on lead 190 goes to a multiplier 204 on lead 190a , the other input of which is a digital word outputted from the control 194 by lead 200 . the output of the multiplier 204 on lead 210 then provides a continually changing digital word which is equal to the product bt . the clock output on leads 190b and 190c go as two inputs to a multiplier 206 , the output of which on lead 212 is proportional to t 2 , and this goes as one input to multiplier 208 , the other input of which is the digital word from control 196 over line 202 representing the constant c . the output on lead 214 then is a digital word equal to ct 2 . the total count of adder 216 is then proportional to the frequency , as given by the previous equation . the master clock 184 puts out its signal also on lead 186a , which goes to a phase detector 224 . the output of the phase detector is filtered in the low - pass filter 226 and a dc voltage output of the filter controls the voltage - controlled oscillator ( vco ) 228 to put out a frequency on lead 230 which is proportional to the voltage input . there is feedback from line 230 , by means of line 232 , to a ÷ n counter 222 which has an output lead 234 which goes to the phase detector . consequently , the phase detector creates a voltage output which is a function of the phase difference between its two input signals on 186a from the clock , and 234 from the counter 222 . in other words , when the frequency on line 230 reaches a value of n times the frequency of the clock on lead 186a , there will be phase lock in that loop and the frequency output on line 230 will be constant , and n times the input frequency from the clock . by changing the value of n , it is possible to vary the frequency at the line 230 in proportion to n . beyond the line 230 there is a second counter 236 which is arranged to divide by a factor m , to output a frequency on line 22 which is a function of n divided by m , times the clock frequency . by choosing selected values of n and m , it is possible to provide any desired frequency at lead 22 in terms of the constant clock frequency on line 186a . the values of n and m are derived from the adder 216 , and these values change proportional to the total count in the adder , so that as a function of time the frequency of the signal on line 22 will be proportional to the total output of the adder at any time which is proportional to the frequency in accordance with the equation previously stated . in review , a frequency function is decided on and is mechanized by means of three constants a , b and c and a continuously increasing pulse count , representing time . all of these are added in an adder , the total count of which is proportional to the desired frequency . there is a phase locked loop comprising the phase detector 224 , the voltage controlled oscillator 228 , and the counter 222 in feedback , and a further countdown by counter 236 , to provide a frequency signal on the line 22 which is a function of the clock frequency times n / m . the numbers n and m are derived as a function of the total count of the adder 216 and therefore control the output of the phase - locked loop on lead 22 as a function of the defined frequency . what has been shown is a novel system for digitally creating two sweep signals which are sinusoidal signals of varying frequency . the phase of the drive sweep is modified in terms of the phase of the reference sweep by choosing the particular rates of frequency signals applied to two counters , one of which is a constant frequency and the other is a variable frequency , the value of which is obtained from the constant frequency by ratio modification , controlled by a phase comparator , the output of which is a function of the phase angle between a reference sweep and the phase of the displacement of the baseplate motion . the computation of the sinusoidal signals is by digital read - only memory , and the frequency of the output is responsive to the frequency at which impulses are provided to counters which control the readout from the memory . in one embodiment , the pulses which control the read - only memory are derived from a prerecorded magnetic tape . in another embodiment , they are obtained from a logic circuit that calculates frequency in response to an equation a + bt + ct 2 . the total count of the adder then is proportional to the frequency selected . the counter then provides signals to a ÷ n counter and a ÷ m counter , which control a phaselocked loop to provide an output frequency which is a function of the equation . this frequency then can be substituted for the recorded pulse train in the cassette , and can go to operate the first and second counters which control the readout from the read - only memory . also , means are provided for tapering the beginning and terminal ends of the drive sweep , and this is done by means of a digital multiplier and a series of digital words provided by a counter which is constantly incremented or by a read - only memory which is read out progressively as a function of time . while this invention has been described in terms of a specific driven system , namely an electrohydraulic vibrator such as is used in seismic exploration , this is done simply for convenience and provides no limitation as to the application of the apparatus described . this is solely for convenience and provides an ideal application for the apparatus . this apparatus is novel in a number of respects , particularly in the use of a read - only memory which , by addressing from two separate counters , provides simultaneously two digital sweep signals . it also is novel in the manner of generating the digital sweep signal by the use of a pulse train of varying frequency , the pulse train being derived either from a prerecorded tape or by a digital logic circuit as described . it is novel also in the use of digital filters in each of the two lines , namely , the lines carrying the reference sweep signal and the sensor signal , to insure that the two signals are free of extraneous harmonics which might affect the phase comparison . it is novel also in the manner in which the phase comparison controls the rate of the second counter which produces the drive sweep , by the use of a circuit which in effect provides a variable frequency ratio control . while there have been a number of elements in the circuits which have been described in terms of their character , such as a read - only memory , adders , multipliers , clocks , preset counters , voltage - controlled oscillator , phase detector , dividing counters , etc ., all of these are commercial devices which are available on the market and are fully described in catalogs and in textbooks , and therefore require no further detailed explanations . while the invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity , it is manifest that many changes may be made in the details of construction and the arrangement of components . it is understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific language used or the specific embodiment set forth herein by way of exemplifying the invention , but the invention is to be limited only by the scope of the attached claim or claims , including the full range of equivalency to which each element or step thereof is entitled .	6
fig1 through 5 , discussed below , and the various embodiments set forth in this patent document to describe the principles of the apparatus and method of the present invention are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the invention : those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present invention may be implemented in any suitably arranged video processing system , including , without limitation , television receivers , television broadcast systems , personal computers ( pcs ) containing advanced video processing circuits and related video processing software , and the like . in the descriptions that follow , a video image sharpening apparatus according to the present invention is implemented in a television set for illustration purposes only . fig1 is a block diagram of television set 100 , which contains an apparatus for improving the sharpness of a video image according to principles of the present invention . television set 100 comprises antenna 105 , television receiver 110 , and display unit 115 . antenna 105 receives incoming radio frequency ( rf ) television signals that are processed by television receiver 110 . display unit 115 may be , for example , a cathode ray tube , a flat panel display , or any other type of equipment for displaying video images . television receiver 110 comprises tuner 120 , intermediate frequency ( if ) processor 125 , optional mpeg decoder 130 , and post - processing circuitry 140 . mpeg decoder 130 ( shown in dotted lines ) is optional in the exemplary embodiment because television receiver 110 may be an analog television receiver that does not contain an mpeg decoder . in such an embodiment , the output of if processor 125 is used directly by post - processing circuitry 140 . tuner 120 down - converts the incoming rf signal to produce an intermediate frequency ( if ) signal . the if output of tuner 120 is further down - converted by if processor 125 to produce a baseband signal that may be , for example a transport stream . mpeg decoder 130 may comprise a demultiplexer circuit that extracts from the transport stream at least one elementary stream , such as an mpeg - encoded data stream . mpeg decoder 130 then converts the encoded mpeg data stream and generates a standard video signal capable of being displayed by display unit 115 . however , in order to further improve the quality of the video signal generated by mpeg decoder 130 , the output of mpeg decoder 130 is transferred to post - processing circuitry 140 for additional processing . the improved video signal at the output of post - processing circuitry 140 is then transmitted to display unit 115 . post - processing circuitry 140 is capable of carrying out several different types of video signal processing . exemplary video signal processing functions performed by post - processing circuitry 140 may include : noise reduction algorithms , color correction , scaling , scan - rate conversion , adaptive feature enhancement , and other adaptive object based algorithms . in an advantageous embodiment , post - processing circuitry 140 further comprises image sharpening circuitry capable of performing noise level adaptive sharpness enhancement according to the principles of the present invention . it was noted above that the present invention may be implemented in any suitably arranged video processing system , including personal computers containing advanced video processing circuits and related video processing software . this being the case , the present invention may be implemented as computer - executable instructions and data stored on the hard disk drive of a pc or on removable storage medium 145 , which may be for example , a cd - rom disk , a dvd disk , a 3 . 5 inch floppy disk , or the like . in an alternate advantageous embodiment of the present invention , removable storage medium 145 may be inserted into a disk drive attached to or embedded in television receiver 100 . in such an embodiment , post - processing circuitry 140 is capable of downloading and storing the computer - executable instructions in an internal memory , such as a random access memory ( ram ). post - processing circuitry 140 enhances ( or steepens ) edge transitions by implementing a luminance transient improvement ( lti ) algorithm according to the principles of the present invention . as noted above , two basic techniques are used to steepen an edge in a video image : 1 ) increasing or decreasing pixel values on either side of the edge center ; and 2 ) replacing pixels close to the edge center with pixels away from the edge center . fig2 illustrates the principles of the lti algorithm . fig2 depicts original pixel intensity curve 205 , indicated by a dashed line , and enhanced ( or steepened ) pixel intensity curve 210 , indicated by a solid line . the center of the edge is indicated by center line 215 , indicated by a vertical dashed line . the first technique for steepening an edge in a video image , namely increasing or decreasing pixel values on either side of the edge center , is indicated by the up and down directional arrows in fig2 . on the left side of center line 215 , the down arrow indicates that the pixel values located to the left of center line 215 in original pixel intensity curve 205 are decreased to generate enhanced pixel intensity curve 210 . on the right side of center line 215 , the up arrow indicates that the pixel values located to the right of center line 215 in original pixel intensity curve 205 are increased to generate enhanced pixel intensity curve 210 . the second technique for steepening an edge in a video image , namely replacing pixels close to the edge center with pixels away from the edge center , is indicated by the left and right directional arrows in fig2 . on the left side of center line 215 , the right arrow indicates that pixel values located to the left of center line 215 in original pixel intensity curve 205 are shifted rightward toward center line 215 to generate enhanced pixel intensity curve 210 . on the right side of center line 215 , the left arrow indicates that pixel values located to the right of center line 215 in original pixel intensity curve 205 are shifted leftward toward center line 215 to generate enhanced pixel intensity curve 210 . there are two drawbacks for the existing algorithms . first , due to the discrete time sampling , the edge center does not necessarily fall on the pixel lattice . if the uncertainty in the exact location becomes too large , jitter becomes visible after enhancement . secondly , the over - enhancement of soft edges results in an “ unnatural ” image . according to the principles of the present invention , the lti algorithm implemented by post - processing circuitry 140 solves the problem of jitter caused by uncertainty in the location of an edge by locating the edge center with subpixel accuracy . post - processing circuitry 140 solves the second problem by detecting soft edges in advance and adaptively controls the gain factor based on the edge frequency . pixel level accuracy is not sufficient to produce high quality video . the lti algorithm of the present invention locates the edge center with subpixel accuracy by linearly interpolating the second derivative between the two adjacent pixels which are the detected edge on the pixel level . the subpixel that has the minimum absolute value is regarded as the edge center . fig3 illustrates a subpixel level edge center detection algorithm performed by post - processing circuitry 140 according to one embodiment of the present invention . in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , post - processing circuitry 140 uses one - eighth of a pixel as a subpixel size . assume l ( x ) is the luminance value at pixel x . the lti algorithm is explained as follows : 1 . first , post - processing circuitry 140 calculates the low - passed second order derivative for two neighboring pixels : d ( x )=− l ( x − n )+ 2 * l ( x )− l ( x + n ) d ( x − 1 )+− l ( x −( n + 1 ))+ 2 * l ( x − 1 )− l ( x +( n − 1 )) the frequency characteristic of the low - passed second order derivative filter is controlled by the value of n . for the best performance , n should be local adaptive . 2 . second , post - processing circuitry 140 calculates the low - passed second order derivative on subpixel positions by linear interpolation : d ( x − 1 + n / n )=( 1 − n / n )* d ( x − 1 )+ n / n * d ( x ). n = 8 in the example ( i . e ., subpixel is one - eighth of a pixel ). 3 . next , post - processing circuitry 140 locates the edge center by searching for the subpixel position , m , which has a second order derivative having the minimum absolute value : d ( x − 1 + m / n )= min { d ( x − 1 + n / n ), n = 0 , . . . , n } m = 5 in the example in fig3 . in an alternate embodiment of the present invention , post - processing circuitry 140 may calculate the second order derivatives on subpixel positions using interpolation based on polynomials . the resulting quality is about the same as the linear interpolation described above . however , the complexity of the circuitry in post - processing circuitry 140 increases dramatically . it is assumed that all candidate edges for lti improvement originally had similar sharpness . these are sharp edges in reality . the sharp edges are blurred due to limited transmission bandwidth , upscaling , or other reasons . the frequency of these edges is indicated by the ratio of the third order derivative and the first order derivative of the video signal . once the original edge frequency and the desired high frequency are determined , post - processing circuitry 140 may calculate the amount of the pixel shift . fig4 illustrates an lti operation performed by exemplary post processing circuitry 140 according to one embodiment of the present invention . in this example , the original high frequency and desired high frequency are ⅛f sample and ¼f sample , respectively . therefore , postprocessing circuitry 140 shifts pixels that originally are two pixels away from the edge center one pixel towards the edge center . if ½f sample is desired , post - processing circuitry 140 shifts the original pixels one and a half pixels towards the edge center . after detecting the edge center on the sub - pixel level , there are three steps for the sub - pixel level lti : 1 . calculate signal value on the shifted sampling latices by using a linear interpolation filter . 2 . shift pixels on each side of the edge center towards the edge center on the shifted sampling lattices . 3 . calculate edge corrected signal values on the original sampling lattices by using the linear interpolation filter . since it is unlikely that the edge center coincides with the pixel position , the required neighboring pixels for the shifting process may not originate from the fixed pixel grid either . therefore , in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , post - processing circuitry 140 comprises a six - tap polyphase filter that performs linear interpolation of the video signals at the sib - pixel locations . however , the interpolation filter is not limited to the use of a six - tap polyphase filter . in other embodiments , the present invention may also be implemented using a four - tap polyphase filter or others . in some lti algorithms , the original values of the pixels are kept . however , according to an advantageous embodiment of the present invention , post - processing circuitry 140 calculates new pixel value values by applying an additional filter . one advantage of this is that post - processing circuitry 140 can combine this filter with additional peaking . if the edge center is not on a pixel lattice , the final step of the lti algorithm according to present invention is to calculate the pixel values on the original pixel lattice . once again , this may be done by using a six tap polyphase filter , but is not limited to this kind of filter . in an advantageous embodiment of the present invention , the gain control unit executes the algorithm shown in fig6 to prevent picture artifacts . one type of lit artifact is caused by the “ over - the - hill problem .” it occurs when pixels of another edge are shifted . in an advantageous embodiment of the present invention , post - processing circuitry 140 eliminates the over - the - hill problem by controlling the gain in pixel shifting when there is another edge in the close neighboring pixels . accordingly , post - processing circuitry 140 performs partial edge enhancement when the distance to the neighboring edge is three pixels , no edge enhancement when the distance is less than three pixels , and full edge enhancement when the distance is large r than three pixels . to increase the quality performance on various types of edges , post - processing circuitry 140 uses two thresholds on the edge frequency . detected edges are classified into three groups : soft edges , semi - soft edges and edges . for semi - soft edges , post - processing circuitry 140 performs a partial lti algorithm . the threshold for identifying soft edges is fixed . the threshold for semi - soft edges can be set as fixed or calculated from the input video content . however , the classification of detect edges is not limited to only three classes . the number of classes is determined by the complexity of the processing and the expected quality . the three steps described above show the basic principles of sub - pixel lti . however , in many consumer products , it may be too complex to go through these steps for every edge . in an advantageous embodiment , the present invention may be implemented using a look - up table ( lut ) to calculate the amount of the updating caused by the lti . the lut stores groups of position - varied fir coefficients . a group of fir coefficients is selected according to the detected sub - pixel position . fig5 is a block diagram of selected portions of post - processing circuitry 140 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . post - processing circuitry 140 comprises sub - pixel edge center detector 505 , look - up table 510 , gain controller 515 , position varied finite impulse response ( fir ) filter 520 , and adder 525 . sub - pixel edge center detector 505 receives the original video input signal and edge information from a previous stage identifying the location of an edge at the pixel level . sub - pixel edge center detector 505 then identifies the location of the edge center at the sub - pixel level according to the algorithm described above in fig3 . lut 510 receives the sub - pixel index information identifying the location of the edge center and outputs a selected one of the position - varied fir coefficients stored in lut 510 , according to the detected sub - pixel position . gain controller 515 also receives the edge information identifying the location of an edge at the pixel level and generates a gain factor according to the algorithm described in fig6 . position varied fir filter 520 receives the original video input signal , the fir coefficients generated by lut 510 , and the gain factor generated by gain controller 515 , and generates therefrom a correction signal that sharpens a detected edge at the subpixel level . adder 525 receives the original video input signal and the correction signal from position varied fir filter 520 and generates the final video output signal in which the edges have been sharpened . fig6 is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of the exemplary gain controller 515 according to one embodiment of the present invention . gain controller 515 receives edge information identifying whether a selected pixel [ x ] being processed occurs on an edge . if pixel [ x ] is not an edge pixel , then gain controller 515 sets the gain factor to zero , so that no correction signal is applied by position varied fir filter 520 ( process steps 605 and 610 ). if pixel [ x ] is an edge pixel , the gain controller 515 determines if there is an edge pixel in the two preceding or two following pixels ( i . e ., [ x − 2 ], [ x − 1 ], [ x + 1 ], and [ x + 2 ]). if there is an edge pixel located in [ x − 2 ], [ x − 1 ], [ x + 1 ], or [ x + 2 ], then gain controller 515 sets the gain factor to zero , so that no correction signal is applied by position varied fir filter 520 ( process steps 615 and 610 ). if there is no edge pixel located in [ x − 2 ], [ x − 1 ], [ x + 1 ], or [ x + 2 ], then gain controller 515 determines if there is an edge pixel located at pixel [ x − 3 ] or pixel [ x + 3 ]. if there is an edge pixel located at [ x − 3 ] or [ x + 3 ], then gain controller 515 sets the gain factor , k , to some value between zero and one ( i . e ., 0 & lt ; k & lt ; 1 ) ( process steps 620 and 625 ). if there is no edge pixel located at either [ x − 3 ] or [ x + 3 ], then gain controller 515 determines whether the edge frequency is higher that some predetermined threshold . if the edge frequency is not higher than the predetermined threshold , then gain controller 515 again sets the gain factor , k , to some value between zero and one ( i . e ., 0 & lt ; k & lt ; 1 ) ( process steps 630 and 625 ). if the edge frequency is higher than the predetermined threshold , then gain controller 515 again sets the gain factor , k , equal to one ( i . e ., k = 1 ) ( process steps 630 and 635 ). fig7 depicts flow diagram 700 , which illustrates the overall operation of the selected portions of post - processing circuitry 140 in fig4 according to one embodiment of the present invention . post - processing circuitry 140 receives the original input video signal and edge information identifying the location of an edge at the pixel level ( process step 705 ). the location of the edge at the pixel level may be determined by any one of a number of conventional algorithms . next , post - processing circuitry 140 calculates a gain factor that is applied to the sub - pixel values around the edge center ( process step 710 ). next , post - processing circuitry 140 calculates the second order derivative of the edge pixels and uses linear interpolation to determine the second order derivative at the sub - pixel level . the sub - pixel level information is used to select the fir filter coefficients ( process step 715 ). finally , post - processing circuitry 140 uses the fir coefficients and the gain control signal to adjust the luminance values of the original input signal , thereby generating an enhanced output signal having sharpened edges ( process step 720 ). although the present invention has been described in detail , those skilled in the art should understand that they can make various changes , substitutions and alterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form .	6
in fig1 of the drawing there is depicted an embodiment of the present invention in a device that is useful in obtaining clean oblique endfaces of commercial optical fibers under field conditions . as shown , the device comprises a base member 11 and a head member 12 which is mounted on posts 13 , more readily seen in fig2 for reciprocal vertical movement . compression springs , not shown , located at the upper ends of the bores in which posts 13 are received urge head 12 away from base 11 , but allow head 12 to be moved toward base 11 upon the application of force to the upper surface of head 12 . a portion of the upper surface of base 11 is in the form of a pair of ramps 14 which meet in a centrally - located apex to define a lateral fulcrum 15 . an elongate resilient platen 16 of spring steel , or the like , is supported at its lateral axis on fulcrum 15 . studs 17 adjustably fixed in base 11 , as by screw threads , are located in ramps 14 and receive the slotted ends of platen 16 , thereby maintaining the lateral axis of platen 16 in position on fulcrum 15 . collars 18 on studs 17 bear upon the surface of platen 16 to ensure firm contact of platen 16 with fulcrum 15 . slots 19 in the upper ends of studs 17 serve a dual function of providing means for adjusting studs 17 with the aid of a screwdriver , or similar tool , and of providing fiber - orienting means , as will be described later in greater detail . a pair of studs 21 are journaled for rotation in a vertical face 22 of head 12 adjacent the ramped surface 14 and fulcrum 15 of base 11 . studs 21 are respectively located on opposite sides of fulcrum 15 and extend outwardly from face 22 to overhang surface 14 . a portion of the extending ends of studs 21 have been removed to form planar contact surfaces 23 which may optionally be faced with resilient material to ensure full contact with a positioned fiber during operation of the device . a portion 24 of head 12 extends outwardly from face 22 to overhang studs 21 and base surface 14 . a vertical bore 25 in the lower face of head portion 24 is centered above fulcrum 15 of base 11 . a piston element 26 situated in bore 25 is free to reciprocate vertically , but is restrained from rotary movement by protruding key elements 27 which engage vertical slots , not shown , in the wall of bore 25 . fixed within the lower end of piston 26 is blade 28 at least the protruding , sharpened lower edge of which comprises a material , such as diamond or metal alloy , which is considerably harder than glass . piston 26 is normally rotationally oriented by keys 27 within bore 25 , as depicted in fig2 such that the sharpened edge of blade 28 is coplanar with fulcrum 15 ; however , in a variant embodiment mentioned above , the rotation restraining function of keys 27 may be provided by detent means , thereby allowing piston 26 to be selectably rotated to either of the predetermined orientations which aligns the edge of blade 28 with fulcrum 15 or at a prescribed angle thereto . in order to protect the finely sharpened edge of blade 28 from damage by contact with platen 16 , the lower ends of keys 27 extend slightly more beyond the end surface of piston 26 than does blade 28 , thus providing a stand - off of about 100 micrometers which will not otherwise interfere with contact between blade 28 and even a stripped fiber of typical 125 micrometer diameter positioned upon platen 16 . the lower reach of the reciprocal movement of piston 26 is determined by the positioning of slot 31 in head portion 24 and retaining pin 33 affixed in piston 26 . such positioning is in turn determined by the lower reciprocal reach of head 12 with respect to fulcrum 15 and will at least allow contact of keys 27 with platen 16 . the downward movement of head 12 will proceed beyond such minimal contact , however , to allow the contact faces 23 of studs 21 to move past the plane of fulcrum 15 . in order to account for such additional movement of head 12 , piston 26 is enabled by the length of slot 31 to move upward in bore 25 . such upward movement is absorbed by compression spring 34 at the upper end of bore 25 which serves the additional purpose of ensuring that at least a minimum penetrating force of about 300 grams is applied by blade 28 , even in the event that the device is employed in an inverted position . base 11 further comprises a pair of upstanding pedestals 36 situated adjacent the respective ends of ramp surfaces 14 . the upper ends of pedestals 36 extend above fulcrum 15 and a platen 16 supported by the fulcrum . vertical slots 37 , 38 in the upper ends of pedestals 36 are disposed at about plus and minus 75 degrees , respectively , to the line of fulcrum 15 and thus provide means for orienting a fiber 39 inserted in one such slot , e . g . 37 , at about 15 degrees to the longitudinal axis of platen 16 . the presence of two such positioning slots allows an operator to use the preferred right or left hand to grasp the fiber . as earlier noted , each of platen - retaining posts 17 is slotted at 19 in its upper end . slots 19 will normally be aligned with the longitudinal axis of platen 16 and will thus provide a means for orienting along that axis a fiber inserted into both such slots . prior to the beginning of the operation of the device , base 11 normally rests upon a supporting table , bench , or the like , or the device may be held in the operator &# 39 ; s hand , substantially in the attitude shown in fig1 . head 12 is supported at its uppermost position , as depicted by solid lines in fig2 by the springs at the tops of posts 13 so that contact faces 23 of studs 21 are situated above the surface of platen 16 as it is supported by fulcrum 15 between retaining studs 17 . piston 26 with the edge of its blade 28 paralleling fulcrum 15 , in this embodiment , rests above platen 16 at its lowest reach as determined by retaining pin 33 at the bottom of guide slot 31 . the operator then begins the fiber fracturing process by laying fiber 39 across platen 16 and positioning the running portion of the fiber in slot 37 of pedestal 36 , presumably with the left hand . the natural stiffness of the fiber causes its relatively short extension 39 beyond slot 37 to follow the direction of that slot at an angle of about 15 degrees from the longitudinal axis of platen 16 , or 75 degrees from the line of fulcrum 15 and the edge of blade 28 . with the fiber thus oriented on platen 16 at the right intersection of the planes of the platen axis and the blade edge , the operator presses down on head 12 to cause it to move toward base 11 and bring faces 23 of studs 21 into contact with fiber 39 , clamping the fiber firmly to the surface of platen 16 in its 15 degree orientation . continued downward force upon head 12 is transmitted by studs 21 to fiber 39 and platen 16 , causing them to bend together over fulcrum 15 and thereby create a tensile stress in the length of fiber between stud faces 23 . further depression of head 12 increases the degree of bending and fiber tension and brings the edge of blade 28 into contact with the fiber , which for the sake of drawing clarity has been omitted from fig2 . with still further downward movement of head 12 , the force of spring 34 maintains scoring pressure of blade 28 upon the fiber while the additional platen bending increases the fiber stress . at a point where head portion 24 has moved to a position 24 &# 39 ;, the studs , now at 21 &# 39 ;, have caused the platen to bend to 16 &# 39 ; where the combination of tensile stress in the fiber and the angled penetration of blade 38 into the surface of the fiber result in the fracture of the fiber at the desired angle of about 6 to 12 degrees , intermediate the orientation angle of the fiber and the fiber perpendicular . upon fiber fracture , spring 34 continues to force blade 28 toward platen 16 ; however , key ends 27 contact the platen and arrest the blade at a position 28 &# 39 ;, short of the platen surface . the subsequent removal of downward force on head 12 allows the head to be restored to its original position by action of the internal springs on posts 13 , thereby releasing the clamping action of stud faces 23 upon platen 16 and permitting the resilient return of the platen to its position 16 against collars 18 and the removal of the prepared fiber from the device . the foregoing procedure with a fiber orientation of 15 degrees was carried out on a prototype device as shown in fig1 to obtain a series of ten oblique endfaces . as measured with a microscope and precision azimuth table , as well as by a transmitted light beam displacement method , the endfaces averaged 7 . 4 degrees . the return loss of light transmitted to these fiber endfaces in a 1300 nanometer optical time domain reflectometer ( otdr ) test instrument averaged greater than 70 db . similar processing in a second prototype device of like configuration provided a series of 15 fibers whose endface angles averaged 9 . 6 degrees and return loss exceeded the 70 db limit of the otdr instrument . a variant embodiment of the invention was carried out by applying direct longitudinal tension to a fiber in contact with an inflexible backing platen and pressing into the fiber a blade oriented at an angle of 75 degrees from the the fiber axis , i . e . 15 degrees from the transverse perpendicular . in separate tests under a tension of 100 grams , a commercial coated fiber fractured with endfaces averaging 9 . 6 and 11 . 2 degrees , respectively , which under otdr test showed maximum return loss . in the variant device , a stripped fiber produced a series of endfaces that measured an average of 8 . 2 degrees and exhibited maximum return loss . as is evident from the results of the above tests , a given scoring angle in the depicted device embodiment and variants thereof will provide consistent fiber fractures yielding endfaces within the range of oblique angles that have been shown to be useful in low insertion loss , high return loss butt - coupled , index - matched mechanical optical fiber splices . it is anticipated , however , that minor adjustments in the degree of the prescribed scoring angle may prove advantageous in accounting for the varying physical properties to be found among optical fibers from different manufacturers . for such purpose it would , of course , be advisable for the blade angle of a device to be infinitely variable within the general range described above . other embodiments of the present invention will also undoubtedly become apparent to the skilled artisan in the light of the foregoing description , and such embodiments are likewise intended to be encompassed within the scope of the invention as recited in the following claims .	8
as noted above , one of the essential ingredients of the corrosion inhibiting composition of the present invention is a benzotriazole , a tolyltriazole , a substituted benzotriazole or a substituted tolyitriazole . more particularly , useful compounds are those selected from the group consisting of compounds having the formula ## str2 ## where r is h or ch 3 ; r &# 39 ; is h , a lower alkyl of 1 - 4 carbon atoms , no 2 , nh 3 , cl , or coor &# 34 ;, where r &# 34 ; is h or a lower alkyl of 1 - 4 carbon atoms . specific examples of such triazoles useful in the practice of the present invention include tolyltriazoles , benzotriazoles , carboxybenzotriazoles , nitrotolyltriazoles , chlorobenzotriazoles , aminotolyltriazoles , and the butyltolyltriazoles . the other essential ingredient in the corrosion inhibiting composition of the present invention is a polymer formed of lower alkyl ( i . e . of 1 - 4 carbon atoms ) of organic acids selected from the group consisting of acrylic and methacrylic acids . the polymers should be water soluble , and may have average molecular weights within the range of about 500 to about 100 , 000 , and even higher , although polymers having average molecular weights within the range of about 500 to 10 , 000 are preferred . suitable species of polymers which are useful in the practice of the present invention include methyl acrylate , ethyl acrylate , and n - butylacrylate , methyl methacrylate , ethyl methacrylate , n - butyl methacrylate , and isobutyl methacrylate . it has been found that the efficacy of the corrosion inhibiting composition of the present invention depends on two factors . first , the presence of a minimum , threshold concentration of triazole . second , the observance of certain proportional ratios between triazole and polymer , as described move fully hereinafter . threshold concentration of triazole will vary over fairly wide limits depending on the nature and condition of the ferrous metal surfaces at the time treatment started , and the corrosiveness of the aqueous system to which the surfaces of the ferrous metal is exposed . in general , however , threshold concentrations within the range of about 2 to about 20 parts of million on a weight basis produces satisfactory results , with a preferred range being about 3 to about 8 parts per million on a weight basis . as to the proportions of triazole and polymer , excellent results have been achieved where the relative concentrations of the triazole and polymer on a weight basis , are such as to provide a ratio of triazole to polymer within the range of about 0 . 5 : 1 to 3 : 1 , and preferably 1 : 1 to 2 . 5 : 1 . one of the major applications of the corrosion inhibiting composition of the present invention is the protection of ferrous metal surfaces which are in continuous contact with recirculating water in water cooling systems . in treating such systems , it is conventional to inject aqueous solutions of corrosion inhibiting compositions directly into the system either on a continuous or periodic basis . to this end , a common practice is to prepare a concentrate in the form of an aqueous solution of active ingredients , and then meter the concentrate into the recirculating water system at a rate which dilutes the concentrate until the desired treating level of active ingredients is reached . it is also a common practice to proportion the active ingredients in the concentrate so that the concentrate can be metered into the system at the rate of 100 to 200 parts per million . thus for example , if it is desired to treat the system with triazole in a concentration of from 5 to 10 parts per million , then the concentrate would be prepared with a triazole concentration of 5 % by weight . then , when the concentrate is injected at the rate of 100 parts per million , this provides 5 parts per million of triazole . when the concentrate is injected in at the rate of 200 parts per million , this provides a concentration of 10 parts per million of triazole . the concentration of polymer is similarly adjusted to provide the desired ratio of triazole to polymer . the corrosion inhibiting composition of the present invention may be augmented by the addition of other conventional materials , including different corrosion inhibitors , as well as surfactants , scale inhibitors , dispersants , ph adjustors , and the like . other corrosion inhibitors which may be incorporated in the composition of the present invention include compounds based on hexavalent chromate , polyphosphates , silicates , zinc compounds , and boron nitrites . phosphonate scale inhibitors , such as aminomethyl phosphonate and hydroxyethylene diphosphonate may be included . nonionic and anionic surfactants may also be used . as noted above , the efficacy of the present invention has been established both in the laboratory and in the field . in both situations the level of corrosion protection afforded by the compositions of the invention was measured in terms of the rate of corrosion of mild steel coupons in mils ( i . e . one one - thousandth of an inch ) per year , following the procedure outlined in astm designation gl - 72 , entitled &# 34 ; standard recommended practice for preparing , cleaning , and evaluating corrosion test specimens .&# 34 ; a series of mild steel coupons measuring 178 inch by 3 inches by 1 / 16 inch in thickness were cleaned and preweighed in accordance with the procedure described in astm gl - 72 . the coupons were then immersed in a flask containing cleveland tap water in which was dissolved the corrosion inhibiting compound or admixture being tested . the solution was maintained in a mild state of agitation by the use of a magnetic stirrer . after seven days of immersion in the water solution , the coupons were removed , and cleaned and tested for corrosion rate in accordance with the procedure described in astm gl - 72 . the rates of corrosion were calculated on the basis of mils per year . the following compositions were tested for corrosion inhibition ( parts per million -- ppm -- are by weight ): example 1 poly methacylate alone ( average molecular weight 4500 ) at the rate of 2 ppm . example 2 tolyltriazole alone at the rate of 5 ppm . example 3 carboxybenzotriazole alone at the rate of 5 ppm . example 4 nitrotolyltriazole alone at the rate of 5 ppm . table 1 below summarizes the corrosion rate data generated from laboratory testing as described above in connection with examples 1 through 7 . table 1______________________________________example no . corrosion inhibitor rate ( mpy ) ______________________________________1 2ppm polymethacrylate 28 . 12 5ppm tolyltriazole 17 . 73 5ppm carboxybenzotriazole 19 . 84 5ppm nitrotolyltriazole 16 . 25 5ppm tolyltriazole 2ppm polymethacrylate 4 . 06 5ppm carboxybenzotriazole 2ppm polymethacrylate 1 . 27 5ppm nitrotolyltriazole 2ppm polymethacrylate 1 . 0______________________________________ these data show a remarkable reduction in the rate of corrosion when there is added to 5 ppm of a triazole , a proportion of a methacrylate polymer which provides a triazole to polymer ratio of 2 . 5 : 1 . ignoring the corrosion inhibiting rate of the polymer by itself ( which is virtually nil ), it will be seen that the corrosion rate of 17 . 7 mpy obtained when 5 ppm of tolyltriazole is used alone , is reduced by the addition of polymer , to 4 . 0 mpy , better than a four fold improvement . even more dramatically , a corrosion rate of 19 . 8 mpy obtained with 5 ppm of carboxybenzotriazole alone , was reduced by the addition of polymer , to a rate of 1 . 2 mpy , a better than sixteen fold improvement . finally , the corrosion rate of 16 . 2 mpy obtained with 5 ppm of nitrotolytriazole alone , was reduced by the addition of polymer , to a rate of 1 . 0 mpy , again better than a sixteen fold improvement . experience indicates that these laboratory tests results correlate well with field testing . coupons which show a rate of corrosion of 5 mpy or less are considered to be adequately protected against corrosion , and the inhibitor systems which provide such protection are deemed to be commercially acceptable . a corrosion inhibiting composition of the present invention was tested in a water cooling tower operated in conjunction with a petrochemical plant . the tower recirculates water at the rate of 1800 gpm , and the tower effects a 15 ° f . temperature change in the recirculating water . ______________________________________total dissolved solids 400 - 500ppmalkalinity ( to a methyl orangeend point with h . sub . 2 so . sub . 4 ) 120 - 200ppmcalcium hardness ( as calcium - carbonate ) 150 - 240ppmph 8 . 3______________________________________ prior to treatment with the corrosion inhibitor of the present invention , the tower was treated with a polyphosphate corrosion inhibitor . the corrosion rate of mild steel coupons placed in the tower while under treatment with the polyphosphate inhibitor , and tested in accordance with the astm gl - 72 , was about 11 . 2 mpy . the tower was treated with an admixture of tolyltriazole and a polymethacrylate polymer having an average molecular weight of 4500 in proportions to provide from 3 to 4 ppm of triazole , and a triazole to polymer ratio of 2 : 1 . within a period of three weeks , the corrosion rate of coupons placed in the system and tested in accordance with astm gl - 72 drops to 0 . 4 mpy , and this rate has remained constant . a coke plant cooling tower was treated with a corrosion inhibitor of the present invention . the tower recirculates 15 , 000 gpm with a 25 ° f . water temperature differential through the tower . the specifications of the cooling water were found to be as follows : ______________________________________total dissolved solids 220 - 400ppmalkalinity ( to a methyl orangeend of point with h . sub . 2 so . sub . 4 ) 20 - 40ppmcalcium hardness ( measured ascalcium carbonate ) 120 - 180ppmph 6 . 9 - 7 . 4 . ______________________________________ the previous treatment of the tower water consisted of a mixture of a polyphosphate corrosion inhibitor and a phosphonate scale inhibitor . the corrosion rate of mild steel coupons introduced into the tower while the previous treatment was still in effect , was in excess of 22 mpy , when measured in accordance with astm gl - 72 . the previous corrosion inhibiting system was replaced by an admixture of tolyltriazole and polymethacrylate which provided the system with a concentration of triazole within the range of 3 to 4 ppm , and a ratio of triazole to polymer of 2 : 1 . almost immediately it was found that the corrosion rate of mild steel coupons placed in the system was reduced to 2 . 2 mpy , and after a period of seven weeks , the corrosion rate was further reduced to 0 . 7 mpy , and the rate stabilized at that lower level . after eight months of monitoring , the corrosion rate has remained at the 0 . 7 mpy level .	2
the process of our invention can be applied to a wide variety of hydrocarbon streams contaminated with mercaptans . however , it can be particularly useful in the sweetening of such streams contaminated with methyl mercaptan or ethyl mercaptan . examples of such streams include straight run gasoline , natural gas liquids ( ngl ), cracked gasolines , and the like . in carrying out our invention , a liquid hydrocarbon stream containing undesired mercaptans ( sour liquid hydrocarbons ) can be preferably introduced at the bottom of a stirred reaction vessel along with a controlled volume ( preferably a slight excess ) of an oxygen containing gas such as , for example , air or oxygen enriched air . countercurrent to the resulting rising oxygenated mixture of sour liquid hydrocarbons can be introduced a stream of suitable alkanolamine . depending upon the composition of the sour liquid hydrocarbons and the alkanolamine employed , the operating conditions should be carefully selected . a catalyst such as , for example , cobalt phthalocyanine can be preferably used if a relatively fast reaction rate is desired . when the mercaptans are converted in the presence of alkanolamine and oxygen into disulfides , the latter tend to dissolve in the liquid hydrocarbons , that is , the disulfides are hydrocarbon soluble . the rich aqueous alkanolamine solution is removed from a level near the base of the contactor and sent to a regenerating unit for treatment and reuse . unlike other processes , according to the invention , there need be no alkaline inorganic substance or caustic present in the conversion medium employed . while most any of the well - known water soluble alkanolamines can be used in our process , monoethanolamine is not preferred for treatment of streams containing cos ( carbonyl sulfide ) and / or cs 2 ( carbon disulfide ) since it tends to form compounds with such substances from which the monoethanolamine is not regenerable . if cos and / or cs 2 are not present , monoethanolamine can be used . however , in most cases , we prefer to employ diethanolamine because it is more resistant to oxidation then monoethanolamine or other primary amines . this alkanolamine not only can be regenerated from the compounds it forms with cshd 2 and cos , but in most such treating systems used in natural gasoline plants , diethanolamine or an equivalent alkanolamine is employed to remove h 2 s and co 2 from the raw gas as it enters the plant . by the use of the same alkanolamine ( s ) in both the initial removal of h 2 s and co 2 and in the subsequent sweetening step for conversion of mercaptans and removal of cos and cs 2 , the use of caustic can be completely avoided and with it the necessity of additional equipment for regeneration of the caustic solution . in the process , the alkanolamine employed can form a loose salt -- a mercaptide -- with the portion of the mercaptan that is not oxidized to the disulfide . this salt which is soluble in the aqueous alkanolamine solution can be withdrawn in solution from the contactor and the alkanolamine liberated and recovered in a regeneration step . other operating conditions influential in the process include temperature , pressure , the ratio of hydrocarbon solution to aqueous alkanolamine , and the like . briefly , operating temperatures may range from about 60 ° f . to about 150 ° f ., preferably in the range of 120 ° f . to about 130 ° f . to some extent , the temperature used may depend on the pressure employed . pressures may range from about 20 psia to 300 psia preferably 30 psia to 100 psia , and can be very influential on the rate and completeness of the conversion of the mercaptans to the disulfides , as will be subsequently shown in more detail . the ratio of hydrocarbon solution to aqueous alkanolamine can vary widely , typically from about 1 : 1 to about 10 : 1 preferably , for example , about 5 : 1 . the aqueous alkanolamine generally may contain from about 5 wt % to about 70 wt % alkanolamine depending in part on the alkanolamine . in most instances , the use of an oxidation catalyst can be beneficial but is not necessarily essential , depending in general on the extent of the conversion to the disulfides desired . such catalysts are well - known and generally include metal salts of the iron group of the periodic table ( group viii ). the employed concentration of such catalysts may lie in the range normally used for such purposes . however , we usually prefer to use an amount between about 0 . 01 and 0 . 1 gram / 100 ml of alkanolamine solution employed , calculated as the free metal . the process of our invention and the results obtained therefrom are further illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which fig1 and 2 are plots showing the effect of various operating conditions on the rate and extent of conversion of methyl mercaptan and ethyl mercaptan , respectively , to their corresponding disulfides . conversion of mercaptans is indirectly shown in these figures in terms of mercaptan remaining in a pentane solution originally containing 230 ppm of the mercaptan . fig3 is a flow diagram illustrating one form of equipment that can be used in this process and typical materials used under the conditions taught herein . referring now to fig1 a quantity of pentane containing 230 ppm of methyl mercaptan is subjected to the illustrated conditions of temperature , pressure , diethanolamine concentration , and ratio of pentane to diethanolamine . the cobalt catalyst used in the last entry of the table of fig1 is cobalt acetylacetonate . the concentration of cobalt listed in the table ( in both fig1 and 2 ) is calculated as the metal but is added as the organic salt . an inspection of the curves in fig1 shows the results to be quite sensitive to pressure and , in the case of methyl mercaptan -- at least at the concentrations present -- relatively insensitive to the use of the cobalt catalyst at 30 psia . thus , in the last two runs shown in the table of fig1 it will be seen -- from the corresponding curves -- that methyl mercaptan can be substantially and completely removed , i . e ., converted to dimethyl disulfide , in the presence or absence of an oxidation catalyst within a reaction time not exceeding two minutes . in fig2 the effect of pressure on the system is similar to that shown in fig1 ; however , the significance of a catalyst is demonstrated in the case of converting ethyl mercaptan to the corresponding disulfide if substantially complete conversion of ethyl mercaptans is desired . referring now to fig3 the process of the present invention is illustrated as a simplified flow diagram with reference to pumps , valves , compressors , and other auxiliary equipment being omitted . exemplary compositions , temperatures , and flow rates are provided below to illustrate the invention but not to limit its scope . referring now to fig3 raw ngl are pumped through line 2 at a rate of 10 , 000 bbls / day and mixed with air flowing through line 4 at 880 lbs / day . the raw ngl contain 200 ppm of mercaptans having an average molecular weight of 55 . the resulting mixture of air and ngl is then introduced into contactor 6 , for example , a stirred vessel , operated at about 30 psia and the contents agitated by stirrer 8 powered by electric motor 10 . at the top of contactor 6 , a 30 wt % aqueous solution of diethanolamine is introduced through line 12 at a rate of 2000 bbls / day . the fluids within contactor 6 are thoroughly mixed at about 125 ° f . allowing oxidation of the mercaptan therein and forming the corresponding disulfides . the latter remain in the hydrocarbon phase while unconverted mercaptans form an ammonium salt with the alkanolamine , dissolve in the aqueous phase and are removed from the contactor via line 14 . the contacted hydrocarbon phase emerges from the top of the contactor through line 16 , passes to separator 18 where water vapor , air and some hydrocarbon vapors are removed therefrom through line 20 and sent to vapor recovery unit 22 where uncondensed material is withdrawn by line 24 and residual hydrocabon product is taken off through line 26 and combined with sweetened ngl in line 28 flowing from separator 10 . from the foregoing description , it will be seen that the process of our invention has a number of advantages over procedures currently in use including : the use of the same alkanolamine reagent to remove acidic components from the raw natural gas fed to the plant as is employed in sweetening the ngl . this procedure also obviates the need for the use of alkaline inorganic substance caustic in the sweetening step and the expense of additional and separate equipment for regeneration of the caustic .	2
fig1 is an embodiment of a connection testing apparatus . referring to fig1 , a kernel circuit 105 of a first substrate ( for example , an integrated circuit chip 101 ) and a kernel circuit 106 of a second substrate ( for example , another integrated circuit chip 102 ) are connected with each other through an output end ( for example , a pad 103 ), a connection bl 1 , and another output end ( for example , a pad 104 ). the connection bl 1 may be a weld line between the pad 103 and the pad 104 . the connection testing apparatus is used to test the connection bl 1 between the chip 101 and the chip 102 . in this embodiment , the chip 101 finishes the test of the connection bl 1 by using a built - in test circuit . the built - in test circuit includes a charge source vc 1 and a comparator comp 1 . the chip 102 includes a first charge draining unit d 101 and a second charge draining unit d 102 . the charge draining unit d 101 and the charge draining unit d 102 are both coupled to the second end ( i . e ., the pad 104 ) of the connection bl 1 . the charge draining unit d 101 is further coupled to a system power wire vdd_b of the chip 102 , and the charge draining unit d 102 is further coupled to a system ground wire vss_b of the chip 102 . the charge draining units d 101 and d 102 are diode circuits and each can be formed with diode - connected transistor . in another embodiment , the charge draining units d 101 and d 102 may also be electrostatic discharge ( esd ) protection elements disposed on the chip 102 . one end of the charge source vc 1 is coupled to a system power wire vdd_a of the chip 101 . the charge source vc 1 can be realized by any means , for example , the charge source vc 1 may be a pull - up resistor or a transistor . in addition , in the connection testing apparatus , a first input end of the comparator comp 1 receives a reference voltage vref 1 , and a second input end x is coupled to a first end ( i . e ., the pad 103 ) of the connection bl 1 . in the present invention , the reference voltage vref 1 may be set upon actual requirements , for example , the reference voltage vref 1 may be set to be a value equal to a turn - on voltage of the first charge draining unit d 101 . during a testing period , the system power wire vdd_a of the chip 101 is coupled to a system voltage , and the system power wire vdd_b of the chip 102 is grounded . therefore , in the connection testing apparatus , if the connection bl 1 is a correct connection , the charge source vc 1 disposed on the chip 101 and the charge draining unit d 101 disposed on the chip 102 form a current path . that is , the first charge draining unit d 101 is turned on as a forward bias thereof is larger than the turn - on voltage , so the charge source vc 1 may output charges , and the charges are drained by the first charge draining unit d 101 . therefore , a potential at the first end ( or the second end ) of the connection bl 1 is similar to the turn - on voltage of the first charge draining unit d 101 . if the connection bl 1 is incorrect ( for example , disconnected ), the current path between the charge source vc 1 and the charge draining unit d 101 suffers a large impedance , and the potential at the first end of the connection bl 1 is much larger than the turn - on voltage of the first charge draining unit d 101 . in this embodiment of the present invention , the potential at the first end of the connection bl 1 may substantially equal to the system voltage . in other words , during the testing period , the comparator comp 1 checks the voltage at one end of the connection bl 1 to determine whether the connection bl 1 is correct . that is , the comparator comp 1 compares the voltage at the first end ( i . e ., the pad 103 ) of the connection bl 1 with the reference voltage vref 1 . if the connection bl 1 is correct , because the voltage at the first end of the connection bl 1 is similar to the reference voltage vref 1 , an output end out 1 of the comparator comp 1 outputs a logic level representing a correct connection , and thus it can be known that the connection bl 1 is truly connected . if the connection bl 1 is an incorrect connection , the second end of the connection bl 1 will exhibit a high impedance state . at this time , the first end of the connection bl 1 is pulled up to a level approaching the voltage level of the system power due to the charge source vc 1 . since the voltage at the first end of the connection bl 1 is larger than the reference voltage vref 1 , the output end out 1 of the comparator comp 1 outputs a logic level representing an incorrect connection , and thus it can be known that the connection is not truly connected . fig2 is another embodiment of the connection testing apparatus . referring to fig2 , a kernel circuit 205 of a first substrate ( for example , an integrated circuit chip 201 ) and a kernel circuit 206 of a second substrate ( for example , another integrated circuit chip 202 ) are connected with each other through an output end ( for example , a pad 203 ), a connection bl 2 , and another output end ( for example , a pad 204 ). the connection bl 2 may be a weld line between the pad 203 and the pad 204 . the connection testing apparatus is used to test the connection bl 2 between the chip 201 and the chip 202 . in this embodiment , the chip 201 finishes the test of the connection bl 2 by using a built - in test circuit . the built - in test circuit includes a charge source vc 2 and a comparator comp 2 . the chip 202 includes a first charge draining unit d 201 and a second charge draining unit d 202 . the charge draining unit d 201 and the charge draining unit d 202 are both coupled to a second end ( i . e ., the pad 204 ) of the connection bl 2 . the charge draining unit d 201 is further coupled to a system power wire vdd_b of the chip 202 , and the charge draining unit d 202 is further coupled to a system ground wire vss_b of the chip 202 . the charge draining units d 201 and d 202 are diode circuits and each can be formed with diode - connected transistor . in another embodiment , the charge draining units d 101 and d 102 also may be esd protection elements disposed on the chip 202 . in this embodiment , one end of the charge source vc 2 is coupled to a system ground wire vss_a of the chip 201 . the charge source vc 2 can be realized by any means , for example , the charge source vc 2 may be a pull - down resistor or a transistor . in addition , in the connection testing apparatus , a first input end of the comparator comp 2 receives a reference voltage vref 2 , and a second input end x is coupled to the first end ( i . e ., the pad 203 ) of the connection bl 2 . in the present invention , the reference voltage vref 2 may be set upon actual requirements , for example , the reference voltage vref 2 may be set to be a value obtained by subtracting a turn - on voltage of the second charge draining unit d 202 from a system power supply voltage . during a testing period , the system ground wire vss_b of the chip 202 is coupled to a system voltage , and the system ground wire vss_a of the chip 201 is grounded . therefore , in the connection testing apparatus , if the connection bl 2 is a correct connection , the charge source vc 2 disposed on the chip 201 and the charge draining unit d 202 disposed on the chip 202 form a current path . that is , the second charge draining unit d 202 is turned on as a forward bias thereof is larger than the turn - on voltage , so the charge source vc 2 outputs charges , and the charges are drained by the second charge draining unit d 202 . therefore , the first or second end of the connection bl 2 will have a potential approaching a value obtained by subtracting the turn - on voltage of the second charge draining unit d 202 from a system voltage . the comparator comp 2 compares a voltage at the first end of the connection with the reference voltage vref 2 , and since the voltage at the first end of the connection bl 2 is similar to the reference voltage vref 2 , an output end out 2 of the comparator comp 2 outputs a logic level representing a correct connection , and thus it can be known that the connection bl 2 is correct . if the connection bl 2 is incorrect ( for example , disconnected ), the second end of the connection bl 2 will exhibit a high impedance state . that is , the current path between the charge source vc 2 and the charge draining unit d 202 will have a high impedance . the first end of the connection bl 2 is pulled down to a level approaching the ground level of the system due to the charge source vc 2 . the comparator comp 2 compares the voltage at the first end of the connection bl 2 with the reference voltage vref 2 , and the output end out 2 of the comparator outputs a logic level representing an incorrect connection , and thus it can be known that the connection is not truly connected . fig3 is a connection testing apparatus according to another embodiment . a kernel circuit 304 of a first substrate ( for example , an integrated circuit chip 301 ) and a kernel circuit 305 of a second substrate ( for example , an integrated circuit chip 302 ) are connected with each other through switch units ( for example , switch units mux 1 _ 1 and mux 1 _ 2 ), output ends ( for example , pads pad 1 _ 1 and pad 1 _ 2 ), connection lines ( for example , connections bl 3 and bl 4 ), and other output ends ( for example , pads pad 2 _ 1 and pad 2 _ 2 ). the connections bl 3 and bl 4 may be weld lines between the pads . for example , between the chips 301 and 302 , two ends of the first connection bl 3 are respectively welded onto the pad pad 1 _ 1 and the pad pad 2 _ 1 by means of bonding , and the two ends of the second connection bl 2 are respectively welded onto the pad pad 1 _ 2 and the pad pad 2 _ 2 . the connection testing apparatus is used to test the connection between the chip 301 and the chip 302 . in this embodiment , the chip 301 finishes the test of the connections bl 3 and bl 4 by using a built - in test circuit . the built - in test circuit includes the switch unit mux 1 _ 1 , the switch unit mux 1 _ 2 , a charge source vc 3 , and a comparator comp 3 . generally , in order to protect the kernel circuits on the chips from being damaged by esd , at least one electrostatic discharge ( esd ) element is disposed around each of the pads . in this embodiment , the esd elements esd 1 _p and esd 1 _n are coupled to the pad pad 1 _ , and the esd elements esd 2 _p and esd 2 _n are coupled to the pad pad 1 _ 2 . similarly , in the chip 302 , the esd elements esd 3 _p and esd 3 _n are coupled to the pad pad 2 _ 1 , and the esd elements esd 4 _p and esd 4 _n are coupled to the pad pad 2 _ 2 . in this embodiment , the esd elements esd 3 _p , esd 3 _n , esd 4 _p , and esd 4 _n are diodes and each can be formed with diode - connected transistor . herein , the esd elements in the chip 302 serve as charge draining units in the connection testing apparatus , and realize the connection testing apparatus together with the charge source vc 3 and the comparator comp 3 in the chip 301 . as shown in fig3 , in the first chip 301 , one end of the charge source vc 3 is coupled to a system power wire vdd_a , and the other end is coupled to a first end of the first switch unit mux 1 _ 1 and a first end of the second switch unit mux 1 _ 2 . the charge source vc 3 can be realized by any means , for example , the charge source vc 3 may be a pull - up resistor or a transistor . in addition , in the connection testing apparatus , a first input end of the comparator comp 3 receives a reference voltage vref 3 , and a second input end x is coupled to the first end of the first switch unit mux 1 _ 1 and the first end of the second switch unit mux 1 _ 2 . in the present invention , the reference voltage vref 3 may be set upon actual requirements , for example , the reference voltage vref 3 is set to be a value equal to a turn - on voltage of a charge draining unit ( for example , the esd element esd 3 _p ). a second end of the first switch unit mux 1 _ 1 and a second end of the second switch unit mux 1 _ 2 are coupled to the kernel circuit 304 . a third end of the first switch unit mux 1 _ 1 is coupled to the pad pad 1 _ 1 . a third end of the second switch unit mux 1 _ 2 is coupled to the pad pad 1 _ 2 . in each switch unit , during the testing period , the third end may be connected to the first end , and during normal operation , the third end is connected to the second end . therefore , when the connection bl 3 is to be tested , the switch unit mux 1 _ 1 electrically connects the charge source vc 3 and the pad pad 1 _ 1 , and other switch units ( for example , the switch unit mux 1 _ 2 ) will disconnect electrical paths between the charge source vc 3 and other pads ( such as the pad pad 1 _ 2 ). when the connection bl 4 is to be tested , the switch unit mux 1 _ 2 electrically connects the charge source vc 3 and the pad pad 1 _ 2 , and other switch units ( for example , the switch unit mux 1 _ 1 ) will disconnect the electrical paths between the charge source vc 3 and other pads ( such as the pad pad 1 _ 1 ). during the testing period , the system power wire vdd_a of the chip 301 is coupled to a system voltage , and the first charge draining unit ( i . e ., the esd element esd 3 _p ) of the chip 302 is grounded . therefore , in a first sub - period of the testing period , the first switch unit mux 1 _ 1 electrically connects the charge source vc 3 and the pad pad 1 _ 1 , and other switch units ( for example , the switch unit mux 1 _ 2 ) will disconnect the electrical paths between the charge source vc 3 and other pads ( for example , the pad pad 1 _ 2 ). at this time , if the first connection bl 3 is correct ( i . e ., favorable connection ), the charge source vc 3 sends charges to the first charge draining unit ( i . e ., the esd element esd 3 _p ) to be drained . then , the comparator comp 3 is used to compare a voltage at the first end at the first connection bl 3 with the reference voltage vref 3 , and an output end out 3 of the comparator comp 3 outputs a logic level representing a correct connection , and thus it can be known that the first connection bl 3 is truly connected . if the first connection bl 3 is an incorrect connection , the voltage at the first end ( i . e ., the pad pad 1 _ 1 ) of the first connection bl 3 will approach system voltage . therefore , after the comparator comp 3 compares the difference between the voltage at the first end ( i . e ., the pad pad 1 _ 1 ) of the first connection bl 3 and the reference voltage vref 3 , the output end out 3 outputs a logic level representing an incorrect logic level , and thus it can be known that the first connection bl 3 is not truly connected . then , in a second sub - period of the testing period , the second switch unit mux 1 _ 2 electrically connects the charge source vc 3 and the pad pad 1 _ 2 , and the switch unit ( for example , the switch unit mux 1 _ 1 ) disconnects the electrical paths between the charge source vc 3 and other pads ( for example , the pad pad 1 _ 1 ). the second charge draining unit ( i . e ., the esd element esd 4 _p ) of the chip 302 is grounded . at this point , if the second connection bl 4 is a correct connection , the charge source vc 3 sends charges to the second charge draining unit ( i . e ., the esd element esd 4 _p ) to be drained . then , the comparator comp 3 is used to compare the voltage at the first end of the second connection bl 4 with the reference voltage vref 3 , and the output end out 3 of the comparator comp 3 outputs a logic level representing a correct connection , and thus it can be known that the second connection bl 4 is truly connected . if the second connection bl 4 is an incorrect connection , the voltage at the first end ( i . e ., the pad pad 1 _ 2 ) of the second connection bl 4 will approach the system voltage . the comparator comp 3 compares the difference between the voltage at the first end ( i . e ., the pad pad 1 _ 2 ) of the second connection bl 4 and the reference voltage vref 3 , the output end out 3 outputs a logic level representing an incorrect connection , and thus it can be known that the second connection bl 4 is not truly connected . in a similar way , the testing steps are repeated , thereby finishing all connection tests between the first chip 301 and the second chip 302 . according to the records of each connection tests during the testing period , whether each connection is correct can be known , so as to finish the connection test simply and rapidly , save test cost , and instantly find the position of a poor connection when the poor connection is tested and then solve it , thereby being favorable for the improvement of mass production yield and degree of stability . in view of the above , in the present invention , the connection test of a multi - chip package may be performed only through establishing a simple test circuit without a large number of test patterns and a long test time in the conventional technology , thereby knowing the test results of each connection more clearly and being much favorable for package engineering analysis . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention . in view of the foregoing , it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents .	6
one embodiment of the invention is schematically illustrated in the optical circuit of fig3 . the portion of the optical circuit close to the multi - mode interferometer 44 is shown in more detail in the exploded view of fig4 . the optical circuit includes a mach - zehnder interferometer ( mzi ) 60 which produces a linear dispersion of a distributed wavelength signal that balances the dispersion of the phasar 40 around the wavelength of the center channel of the multi - wavelength signal λ 1 , λ 2 , . . . λ n . the mach - zehnder interferometer 60 receives the multi - wavelength signal on a single - mode fiber 62 or other optical waveguide . a y - coupler 64 or other type of 50 : 50 optical power splitter divides the signal to two single - mode waveguide arms 66 , 68 of the mzi 60 , preferably with equal intensities . the two arms 66 , 68 have different physical lengths differing by δl so that a phase difference δφ arises between signals of equal wavelength λ i as they traverse the mzi 60 . however , the phase difference depends upon the value of the wavelength , as given by equation ( 1 ) δ   φ = 2  π   δ   l    n eff  ( λ i ) λ i ( 2 ) where n ff ( λ c ) is the effective optical index of the two waveguides 66 , 68 at the central wavelength λ c of the wdm comb . it is assumed that the waveguides are of similar construction . however , an inspection of equation ( 2 ) shows that the more relevant length is the optical length including the refractive index rather than the physical length . techniques are well know for dynamically varying the refractive index in a waveguide by an electronic signal , for example , by a thermo - optic , electro - optic or piezo - electric effect , as described by nishihara et al . in optical integrated circuits , ( mcgraw - hill , 1985 , isbn 0 - 07 - 046092 - 2 ). the mzi may be designed to operate in a higher order mode in which there are extra multiples of 2π in the phase difference . the order is given by m = δ   l   n eff  ( λ c ) λ c  ( 1 - λ c n eff  ( λ c )    n eff  ( λ c )   λ ( 3 ) the free spectral range δλ fsr of an optical device is the wavelength difference over which the spectral characteristics repeat , generally corresponding to the next higher multiple of the optical wavelength . at higher orders , the free spectral range becomes increasingly narrow . for the mzi 60 operating in a high - order mode , the free spectral range is given by δ   λ fsr = λ c m . ( 4 ) according to one aspect of the invention , the free spectral range δλ fsr is made approximately equal to the inter - channel spacing δλ s with the result that the mzi 60 is designed to operate in the high order mode given by the equality need not be exact but δλ fsr should be accurate within 0 . 25 / n of the channel spacing δλ s , where n is the number of output channels for a channel spacing below 1 nm for infrared radiation of 1300 to 1550 nm , the order m is above 1000 . the result of such a design is that the spectral response of the mzi 60 is the same for each of the wdm wavelengths λ 1 , λ 2 , . . . λ n although there may be significant variations for small wavelength variations about the central values of the wdm wavelengths . the waveguide arms 64 , 68 operating with the free spectral range equal to the channel spacing are preferably designed such that signals precisely calibrated to each of the n wdm wavelengths λ 1 , λ 2 , . . . λ n traverse the mzi 60 with zero phase difference δφ . when the number n of output - channels of the phasar is even , the design may be such that a 180 ° phase difference between the two arms 64 , 68 is required the mzi waveguides 64 , 64 have ends that approach each other as they near the mmi 44 . however , their close approach does not extend over an appreciable distance , and the free space interaction length is much less the 3 db coupling length promoted by dragone . as a result , the wavelength components enter the mmi 44 with equal intensity but with a phase difference varying with wavelength . any unintended coupling during close approach can be partly eliminated by a slight reduction of the length of the mmi section 44 . as shown best in fig4 the two waveguide arms 66 , 68 are separately coupled into the multi - mode interference interferometer ( mmi ) 44 with a gap between them on one longitudinal end of the mmi 44 . the gap is preferably measured by a separation g between the centers of the mzi waveguide 66 , 68 as they enter the mmi 44 . the mzi waveguides 66 , 68 have ends that approach each other as they near the mmi 44 . however , their close approach does not extend over an appreciable distance , and the interaction length is much less the 3 db coupling length promoted by dragone . although the mzi 60 and mmi 44 are closely coupled without a clear interface between them , it can be considered that the signals at a given wavelength propagating on the two mzi waveguides 66 , 68 enter the mmi 44 with equal intensity but with a phase difference varying with wavelength of the two signals . the length l mmi of the mmi 44 is chosen to be approximately half the beat length l π between the two lowest order modes , that is , l mmi = l π 2 , ( 6 ) where the beat length is represented by l π = λ c 2  ( n 0 - n 1 ) ≈ 4  n c  w 3  λ c , ( 7 ) where n 0 and n 1 are the effective optical indices for the fundamental and next higher - order modes supported in the mmi 44 . the 2 - d engineering approximation for the beat length on the right side of equation ( 7 ) depends upon w , which is the width of the mmi - section , and n c , which is the effective index of the core region of the waveguide . it is assumed that only two non - degenerate modes are supported , but the invention is not so limited . a wide mmi supports many modes and results in nearly perfect imaging using either paired or general interference , as is described by soldano et al . in “ optical multi - mode interference devices based on self - imaging principles and applications ”, ieee journal lightwave technology , vol . 13 , no . 4 , pp . 615 - 627 , 1995 . however perfect imaging is not particularly desired in the present invention . instead , it is desired to achieve linear dispersion of a gaussian peak and low crosstalk , which is better realized with smaller mmi sections supporting only two lateral modes , and consequently introducing some excess loss of approximately 0 . 3 db . for the preferred technology of silica on silicon , with ge - doped silica waveguides with core - to - cladding index - difference of 0 . 0075 and 7 μm × 7 μm cores , the beat length l π equals approximately 750 μm and thus l mmi approximately equals 350 μm including some reduction approximately accounting for the waveguide cross coupling , where the mmi width is taken to be approximately 20 μm . it is possible that the mmi length be increased by multiples of the beat length so that acceptable lengths are approximately { fraction ( 1 / 2 , 3 / 2 , 5 / 2 )}, etc . of the beat length , but it must be remembered that the addition of a beat length to the length of the mmi changes the sign of the dispersion . the optical signals from the two inputs to the mmi 44 can be considered to propagate independently . however , the two radiation signals interfere according to the phase difference between them . at half the beat length , the intensity distribution at the port 46 between the mmi 44 and the first free space region 48 has a spatial dispersion across the port 46 that varies almost linearly with the phase difference δφ for a restricted range of phase differences , for example , between − 90 ° and 90 °. a calculation has been performed based upon an mmi having a width w mmi of 20 μm and a half - beat length of 350 μm compared to a single - mode waveguide width of 7 μm and where the separation g between the input waveguides is 10 μm . the optical intensity i measured in db was calculated over a width of ± 60 μm from the center of the mmi for phase differences δφ over the range of − 180 ° to + 135 °. the results are graphed in fig5 a through 5h . considering only fig5 c through 5g , the position of the intensity peak varied over about 10 μm as the phase difference δφ varied between − 90 ° and 90 °. furthermore , the peak position varies approximately linearly with the phase difference . because the phase difference varies with the wavelength , as is evident from equation ( 2 ), the variation in peak position may be represented by a lateral mmi dispersion dλ / dy ) mmi , the sign of which depends on whether the upper or lower branch 66 , 68 of the mzi 60 is longer , resulting in a positive or negative sign respectively . in very general terms for a simple embodiment of the invention , the mmi 44 supports a fundamental mode with one lateral peak in the center of the mmi output plane 46 and a first harmonic mode that has two lateral peaks at that position . the two mzi waveguides 66 , 68 are approximately aligned with respective ones of the two hannonic peaks . at the half - beat length , a zero phase difference produces a strong fundamental peak with small harmonic peaks ; at positive or negative phase differences , one or the other of the harmonic peaks dominate more , and the center of the peak has a lateral displacement with respect to the center . for phase differences of magnitude greater than approximately 90 °, the linear relation between lateral position and wavelength breaks down . these large phase differences correspond to wavelengths between the wdm comb . the precise value of the onset of the non - correspondence between position and wavelength is not crucial to the operation of the invention . as shown in the exploded schematic view of fig3 the phasar 40 is designed so that the first free space region 48 has a spatial dispersion dλ / dy ) wall along the wall including the port 46 between the mmi 44 and the first free space region 48 . if hypothetical waveguides carrying signals of distinctive wavelengths were coupled into the first free space region 48 at locations corresponding to wavelengths calculated to include the spatial dispersion dλ / dy ) wall , all the different wavelengths would be focused at a single spot on the output wall 56 of the second free space region 52 of fig3 . another way of viewing the optical dispersion is to consider a multi - wavelength signal entering the first free space region at a fixed position on its wall 47 and determining the wavelength dispersion of that signal on the output wall 56 of the second free space region 52 . the lateral dispersion of the mmi 44 is designed to compensate for the wavelength dispersion on the output wall 56 so that a broadened passband is presented to a single point on the output wall 56 . assuming that the phasar 40 is designed to have generally symmetric input and output geometries , the spatial dispersion is what enables a multi - wavelength signal input on the waveguide 42 to be wavelength demultiplexed into the output waveguides 54 , and similarly for multiplexing in the opposite direction , but this separation is between different wavelengths of the wdm comb . the compensation of the invention is useful when limited to a limited passband of the separate wavelengths . according to the invention , the phasar and mmi are designed such that the phasar spatial dispersion and the mmi lateral dispersion are equal ( (  λ  y ) ) mmi =  λ  y ) ) wall . ( 7 ) of course , it is important that the sign of the dispersion of the mmi and the phasar are the same at the wall 46 . the sign of the dispersion of the phasar dλ / dy ) wall depends on whether the length increments of the branches 50 is positive or negative . an implementation where the dispersion is of correct sign is shown in fig3 . it is further appreciated that the equality need not be exact and a 25 % variation between the two would still produce an advantageous result . because of the equality of the inter - channel spacing and the spectral free range , the mmi lateral dispersion can be represented by δ   λ s 2  g =  λ  y ) wall . ( 8 ) that is , half a channel spacing is spread across the separation between the mzi waveguides at their interface to the mmi . in the usual symmetric phasar design , the spatial dispersion is equal on the input and output walls . if the waveguide spacing on the output wall is d , then the input waveguide separation g should be approximately half this value . for a more conservative design utilizing less than half of the inter - channel phase spacing , g may be somewhat less than half of d , for example , 0 . 4 , while still maintaining equality of the two spatial dispersions . as mentioned above , each of the precise wdm wavelengths λ 1 , λ 2 , . . . λ n should enter the mmi 44 with zero phase difference δφ ( or 180 ° for even values of n ), and thus each will have a peak laterally positioned in the middle of port 56 between the free space region 48 and the mmi 44 of half beat length . all these precisely registered signals will be demultiplexed according to wavelength to the corresponding output waveguide 54 of fig3 . furthermore , because of the matching of dispersion , signals entering the mmi 44 from the mzi 60 with phase differences δφ between ± 90 ° will also be accurately conveyed across the phasar to be demultiplexed on the proper output waveguide 54 . this phase window of 180 ° corresponds to half the channel spacing δλ s . the result is a spectral response that is approximately flat for half the channel spacing and thus much flatter than the typical gaussian response exhibited by phasars . an example of the passband flattening achievable with the invention is presented in the graphs of fig6 which are based upon calculations . when the mmi is designed with a large width of 30 tm and the waveguide separations g is 10 μm , the spectral response of the phasar is represented by the double - peaked curve 70 of fig6 . a far better spectral response is obtained when the mmi is designed with a width of 18 . 5 μm with the same gap g of 10 μm so that the mmi supports only two modes . the resulting spectral response is represented by the flattened curve 72 . this response should be compared to the response represented by a double - peak curve 74 , shown in fig7 for the dragone phasar using a 3 db coupler between the mzi outputs rather than an mmi . each of the two peaks corresponds to the generally gaussian response of the dragone phasar . the peaks of dragone are doubled because the mzi introduces the signals at two different spots along phasar wall . if the mzi were not used , the spectral response would correspond to one of the peaks . the phasar represented in fig3 is a linear , reciprocal device . accordingly , it can be operated either as a demultiplexer as described or a multiplexer in which different wavelength signals are separately input on the respective corresponding waveguides 54 and a single wavelength multiplexed signal is output on the waveguide 62 . by a similar extension , respective mzis and mmis can be placed on each of the n output waveguides rather than a single pair on the one input waveguide . also , it is well known that a demultiplexer such as that illustrated in fig3 can be generalized to an optical splitter having more than one input waveguide 62 . in this case , each of the input waveguides has its own mzi and mmi , with the mmis positioned at precisely chosen locations on the input wall of the first free space region . the geometry of the interface between the mzi 60 and mmi 44 illustrated in fig3 is intended to be only suggestive . it is preferred that adjacent the mmi 44 , the two mzi waveguides 66 , 68 symmetrically approach the mmi 44 from different lateral sides with equally curving paths . the designs and calculations presented above have assumed a simple geometry of a rectangular mmi joined directly to symmetrically placed mzi waveguides . other designs are represented in fig8 through 13 . an fig8 the mzi waveguides 66 , 68 are asymmetrically placed on the input side of the mmi 44 . in fig9 the mmi 44 is tapered . as a result , the radiation field input from the mzi waveguides 66 , 68 is compressed to the output side . the mmi lateral dispersion then needs to be determined at the output side , not the input side . the outward tapering allows a relaxed design for the interface between the mzi and mmi . in fig1 , the mmi 44 is both tapered and angled . different configurations of multi - mode sections with comparable perfonnances , for example , butterfly and angled mmi &# 39 ; s , are described by besse et al . in “ new 1 × 2 multi - mode interference couplers with free selection of power splitting ratios ,” ecoc 94 and by besse in swiss patent application no . 03 310 / 93 - 3 , 4 . november 1993 . similar multi - mode sections are also shown in fig2 b to 2 h of u . s . pat . no . 5 , 889 , 906 to chen et al . where multi - mode sections are used for different purposes . in fig1 , taper sections 80 couple the mzi waveguides 66 , 68 to the mmi 44 . the taper sections 80 taper from single mode on the mzi side to double mode on the mmi side . this allows a more efficient coupling of the single - mode field distribution from the mzi branches into the mmi . in fig1 , the taper sections 80 couple directly into the first free space region 48 of fig3 . each tapered section itself acts as the required multi - mode section . the embodiment of fig1 is close to that of fig2 and 3 except that the waveguides 66 , 68 have slightly tapered sections 82 that are adiabatically changed in width at the entrance of the mmi section 44 . the invention thus provides a flattened passband in a phasar , thus enabling a multi - wavelength communication system to be more tolerant of wavelength drift and other forms of miscalibration between different nodes in a network . the flattening is obtained by a slight increase in the complexity of the waveguide structure of the phasar , without the need for additional materials or controls .	6
with reference first to fig1 , there is illustrated one preferred embodiment for use of the concepts of this invention . fig1 illustrates a first semiconductor substrate 2 . substrate 2 includes , in part , complementary metal oxide semiconductor ( cmos ) 6 , and through silicon interconnect plugs 8 . preferably , substrate 2 may be conventionally thinned and chemically mechanically polished ( cmp ) on the backside to prepare the plugs 8 for bonding . also , through silicon interconnect plugs can be constructed of any suitable material such as tungsten , copper , gold or the like . finally , each substrate 2 and 20 ( fig2 ) may not contain through silicon interconnect plugs 8 and the two substrates can be bonded together face - to - face . with respect to fig1 b , a detailed view of the dished surface 10 of the through silicon interconnect plug 8 is illustrated . the dished surface 10 typically results from the cmp process . it is to understood that the dished surface 10 that opposes the protruding contact point 26 ( fig2 ) does not have to be recessed , it can be recessed , flat or a released compressively stressed protruding contact , as well . with respect to fig2 , a second semiconductor substrate 20 is illustrated . substrate 20 includes , in part , substrate backside 22 , cmos 24 , and contact points 26 . the details of how contact points 26 are fabricated will be discussed in relation to fig3 - 8 . with respect to fig3 , patterned semiconductor substrate 20 is illustrated . substrate 20 includes , in part , cmos 24 , and sacrificial , film 32 . as shown in fig3 , cmos 24 and sacrificial film 32 are conventionally patterned to form a contact pad . also , sacrificial film 32 , preferably , is a silicon film . it is to be understood that the sacrificial layer can be any material that can be selectively etched and removed relative to other layers or materials in the device . with respect to fig4 , semiconductor wafer 20 is illustrated with compressive and contact films deposited . wafer 20 includes , in part , cmos 24 , sacrificial film 32 , compressive dielectric film 42 , and metallic contact film 44 . as shown in fig4 , compressive dielectric film 42 and metallic contact film 44 are conventionally deposited on top of sacrificial layer 32 and cmos 24 . also , compressive dielectric film 42 , preferably , is constructed of si 3 n 4 . it is to be understood that the compressive film 42 can also be other materials as long as it is compressively stressed in the final device . finally , metallic contact film 44 , preferably , is constructed of any suitable metallic material such as a noble metal ( for example , gold ) various solder materials , or typical multi - metal layer contact structures such as cu / au and cu / ni / au . finally , it is to be understood that the metal layer 44 could , with the proper materials set , theoretically be the compressive layer , as well . with respect to fig5 a and 5 b , semiconductor wafer 20 is illustrated . after contact layers have been deposited on semiconductor wafer 20 ( fig4 ), it is planarized according to a conventional cmp process , such as the damascene process . as can be seen in fig5 a , at this point wafer 20 includes , in part , cmos 24 , sacrificial film 32 , compressive dielectric film 42 , and metallic contact film 44 . as can be seen in fig5 b , only cmos 24 and metallic film 44 are exposed after the planarization process . with respect to fig6 a and 6 b , semiconductor wafer 20 is illustrated with patterned photoresist prior to etching to define the contacts . after semiconductor wafer 20 ( fig5 ) has been planarized , it is patterned and etched , according to conventional techniques . semiconductor wafer 20 at this point includes , in part , cmos 24 , sacrificial film 32 , compressive dielectric film 42 , metallic contact film 44 , patterning film 62 , and contact point 64 . preferably , patterning film 62 is constructed of any suitable material such as any suitable polymeric material for patterning via photo - imaging , embossing , imprinting or other common techniques . as can be seen in fig6 a , patterning film 62 is conventionally deposited on metallic film 44 . compressive dielectric film 42 and metallic film 44 are then conventionally patterned and etched to form contact point 64 . during this patterning and etching process , sacrificial film 32 is also exposed , as shown in fig6 b . it is to be understood that the contact points can be patterned in other shapes , in addition to rectangular . with respect to fig7 a and 7 b , semiconductor wafer 20 is illustrated after removal of sacrificial layer 32 . after semiconductor wafer 20 ( fig6 ) has been patterned and etched ( fig6 ), it is again etched , according to conventional techniques , such as xef 2 or sf 6 plasma etching . semiconductor wafer 20 at this point includes , in part , substrate cmos 24 , compressive dielectric film 42 , metallic contact film 44 , and released contact pad 72 . as can be seen in fig7 a , released contact pad 72 is formed after sacrificial film 32 is etched away underneath compressive dielectric film 42 and metallic contact film 44 . once the contact points are released , compressive dielectric film 42 causes released contact pad 72 to bow up slightly and protrude from the planarized surface . the patterning film 62 ( fig6 ) is then conventionally stripped . fig7 b shows a top - down view of semiconductor wafer 20 with cmos 24 and released contact pad 72 exposed . with respect to fig8 a and 8 b , completed semiconductor interconnect assembly 80 is illustrated . after semiconductor wafer 20 ( fig7 ) has been completed , it is then contacted with semiconductor substrate 2 ( fig2 ) in order to form semiconductor interconnect assembly 80 . semiconductor interconnect assembly 80 includes , in part , cmos 6 , through silicon interconnect plugs 8 , cmos 24 , and contact points 26 . as can be seen in fig8 a , semiconductor substrate 2 and semiconductor wafer 20 are conventionally plasma treated ( such as in n 2 , o 2 or ar plasma ) and bonded together . it is to be understood that interconnect assembly 80 maybe located on the top side , the back side or multiple sides of each substrate 2 ( fig1 ) and 20 ( fig2 ). with respect to fig8 b , contact pad 72 of semiconductor wafer 20 protrudes upwards towards dished surface 10 of plug 8 on semiconductor substrate 2 . in this manner , an excellent interconnect is insured even when the surfaces of the through silicon interconnect plugs 8 are slightly dished . with respect to fig9 , semiconductor 90 is illustrated . semiconductor 90 includes , in part , glass substrate 92 , cmos 93 , interconnects 94 , an optical mems or nems devices 95 , cmos 96 and released contact pads 97 . as illustrated in fig9 , a face - to - face bonding of the glass substrate and the mems device is achieved through a conventional plasma enhanced bonding process . in this manner , released contact pads 97 protrude upward towards interconnect 94 in order to form an excellent interconnect between the two devices in a similar manner as discussed above with respect to fig1 - 8 . finally , with respect to fig1 , semiconductor 100 is illustrated . semiconductor 100 includes , in part , substrate backside or lid 102 , through silicon interconnect plugs 104 , substrate backside 106 , high density circuitry devices 108 , and released contact pads 110 . high density circuitry devices 108 can be , preferably , nanotechnology devices . as illustrated in fig1 , lid 102 will not only provide a cap over substrate 106 and high density circuitry devices 108 , but also increase the number of input - output counts . while the present invention has been illustrated with respect to particular semiconductor devices , it is to be understood that the present invention can also be utilized in other devices such as , but not limited to , non - cmos devices ( jetmos , sensors , etc ), nems devices , photonics devices , various medical devices , flex circuits , pcbs ( printed circuit boards ), any type of protruding contacts to flat contacts , any type of protruding contacts to protruding contacts , and various multi - layer ( 2 or more ) substrate stacks without deviating from the scope of the present invention . also , the present invention can be embodied in any computer - readable medium for use by or in connection with an instruction - execution system , apparatus or device such as a computer / processor based system , processor - containing system or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction - execution system , apparatus or device , and execute the instructions contained therein . in the context of this disclosure , a “ computer - readable medium ” can be any means that can store , communicate , propagate or transport a program for use by or in connection with the instruction - execution system , apparatus or device . the computer - readable medium can comprise any one of many physical media such as , for example , electronic , magnetic , optical , electromagnetic , infrared , or semiconductor media . more specific examples of a suitable computer - readable medium would include , but are not limited to , a portable magnetic computer diskette such as floppy diskettes or hard drives , a random access memory ( ram ), a read - only memory ( rom ), an erasable programmable read - only memory , or a portable compact disc . it is to be understood that the computer - readable medium could even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program is printed , as the program can be electronically captured , via , for instance , optical scanning of the paper or other medium , then compiled , interpreted or otherwise processed in a single manner , if necessary , and then stored in a computer memory . those skilled in the art will understand that various embodiment of the present invention can be implemented in hardware , software , firmware or combinations thereof . separate embodiments of the present invention can be implemented using a combination of hardware and software or firmware that is stored in memory and executed by a suitable instruction - execution system . if implemented solely in hardware , as in an alternative embodiment , the present invention can be separately implemented with any or a combination of technologies which are well known in the art ( for example , discrete - logic circuits , application - specific integrated circuits ( asics ), programmable - gate arrays ( pgas ), field - programmable gate arrays ( fpgas ), and / or other later developed technologies . in preferred embodiments , the present invention can be implemented in a combination of software and data executed and stored under the control of a computing device . it will be well understood by one having ordinary skill in the art , after having become familiar with the teachings of the present invention , that software applications may be written in a number of programming languages now known or later developed . once given the above disclosure , many other features , modifications or improvements will become apparent to the skilled artisan . such features , modifications or improvements are , therefore , considered to be a part of this invention , the scope of which is to be determined by the following claims .	7
the preferred embodiment of the present invention and its advantages are best understood by referring to fig3 through 10 of the drawings , like numerals being used for like and corresponding parts of the various drawings . [ 0023 ] fig3 through 8 illustrate a surgical cassette 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention . surgical cassette 100 is especially designed for use in a combined anterior segment and posterior segment ophthalmic surgical procedure , or “ combined procedure ”. cassette 100 is preferably formed from a body 102 and a mating cover 104 made of conventional plastics . cover 104 preferably has a handle 106 for grasping cassette 100 , and a header 107 . cassette 100 also generally includes a vacuum chamber 108 , and irrigation inlet 110 , an anterior irrigation outlet 112 , a posterior irrigation outlet 114 , a general aspiration port 116 , a posterior aspiration port 118 , a first vacuum chamber port 120 , a second vacuum chamber port 122 , a third vacuum chamber port 124 , and a drainage bag port 126 . the locations of anterior irrigation outlet 112 and posterior irrigation outlet 114 may be reversed , if desired . as shown best in fig6 vacuum chamber port 120 preferably has an oval - shaped geometry that is capable of receiving two manifolds made from conventional medical grade flexible tubing . irrigation inlet 110 is for fluidly coupling to a source of a conventional ophthalmic infusion fluid ( not shown ), such as saline solution or bss plus ® intraocular irrigating solution , via conventional medical grade flexible tubing . by way of example , the source of infusion fluid is preferably a bottle disposed above cassette 100 via a conventional iv pole . referring specifically to fig8 the preferred routings of the various manifolds that define the fluidics of cassette 100 are schematically illustrated . portions of a manifold on the front side of cassette 100 are designated with solid lines , and portions of a manifold on the rear side of cassette 100 are designated with dashed lines . all of the manifolds of cassette 100 are preferably made from medical grade silicone or other conventional , flexible plastic . more specifically , a manifold 130 fluidly couples irrigation inlet 110 and anterior irrigation outlet 112 . a manifold 132 fluidly couples irrigation inlet 110 and posterior irrigation outlet 114 . manifolds 130 and 132 are preferably formed as an integral component . a manifold 134 fluidly couples general aspiration port 116 and first vacuum chamber port 120 . a manifold 136 fluidly couples posterior aspiration port 118 and first vacuum chamber port 120 . manifolds 134 and 136 are preferably formed as an integral component . a conventional vacuum source is preferably fluidly coupled to second vacuum chamber port 122 via a console connection ( not shown ). this console connection is described in greater detail in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 676 , 530 , which is incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference . the conventional vacuum source is preferably part of a conventional ophthalmic surgical system capable of performing a combined procedure , such as the accurus ® 800 cs surgical system . a manifold 138 fluidly couples third vacuum chamber port 124 with drainage bag port 126 . drainage bag port 126 is for fluidly coupling with a conventional drain bag ( not shown ) supported by flanges 140 . cassette 100 is for removably disposing in a conventional cassette receiving mechanism of a conventional ophthalmic surgical system such as the accurus ® 800 cs surgical system . the cassette receiving mechanism of the accurus ® surgical system is described in more detail in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 676 , 530 and 5 , 588 , 815 , which are incorporated herein in their entirety by this reference . when cassette 100 is disposed in the cassette receiving mechanism , second vacuum chamber port 122 is preferably fluidly coupled with a conventional source of vacuum within the surgical system . in addition , various portions of the manifolds located on the rear side of cassette 100 are positioned for operative engagement with various occluder valves and microreflux valves located in the surgical system . each of these valves is preferably a conventional plunger valve that can be actuated to “ pinch off ” and close the manifolds in response to an electrical signal generated by the surgical system . the microreflux valves preferably have a slightly larger footprint than the occluder valves . more specifically , as shown in fig8 manifold 130 is positioned for operative engagement with an occluder valve 142 . manifold 132 is positioned for operative engagement with an occluder valve 144 . manifold 134 is positioned for operative engagement with occluder valves 146 and 148 , and microreflux valves 150 and 152 . manifold 136 is positioned for operative engagement with occluder valves 146 , and 154 , and microreflux valve 150 . furthermore , manifold 138 is positioned for operative engagement with a conventional peristaltic pump ( not shown ) disposed in the surgical system . peristaltic pump opens and closes manifold 138 in order to pump aspirated ophthalmic tissue and fluid from vacuum chamber 108 , through third vacuum chamber port 124 , into manifold 138 , through drainage bag port 126 , and into the drain bag . having described the structure of the preferred embodiment of cassette 100 , the preferred method of using cassette 100 in a combined anterior segment and posterior segment ophthalmic surgical procedure in conjunction with a conventional ophthalmic surgical system will now be described in greater detail with reference to fig3 through 9 . cassette 100 is disposed in the cassette receiving mechanism of the conventional surgical system . a conventional source 160 of ophthalmic infusion fluid 30 is fluidly coupled to irrigation inlet 110 via tubing 162 . the source of ophthalmic fluid may be , by way of example , bottle 28 described hereinabove in connection with fig1 and 2 . in addition , although not shown in fig9 a tube providing pressurized air may be fluidly coupled to tubing 162 so as to provide different infusion pressures for fluid 30 without the necessity of moving source 160 to different heights above cassette 100 . one method of providing such different infusion pressures is to use a vented gas forced irrigation / infusion tubing set available from alcon laboratories , inc . as tubing 162 . a conventional drain bag is attached to cassette 100 via flanges 140 . the bag is fluidly coupled to drainage bag port 126 in the conventional manner . a conventional ultrasonic handpiece 164 is fluidly coupled to cassette 100 . ultrasonic handpiece 164 is preferably a phacoemulsification handpiece . more specifically , anterior irrigation outlet 112 of cassette 100 is fluidly coupled to irrigation inlet 166 of handpiece 164 via tubing 168 . in addition , aspiration port 170 of handpiece 164 is fluidly coupled to general aspiration port 116 of cassette 100 via tubing 172 . a conventional vitrectomy probe 174 is fluidly coupled to cassette 100 . probe 174 may be pneumatically or electrically driven , and probe 174 may be a “ guillotine style ” or a “ rotational style ” vitrectomy probe . more specifically , aspiration port 176 of probe 174 is fluidly coupled to posterior aspiration port 118 of cassette 100 via tubing 178 . a conventional infusion cannula 180 is fluidly coupled to cassette 100 . more specifically , port 182 of cannula 180 is fluidly coupled to posterior irrigation outlet 114 of cassette 100 via tubing 184 . tubing 168 , 172 , 178 , and 184 are preferably conventional medical grade flexible tubing . although not shown in fig9 ultrasonic handpiece 164 may be replaced with a conventional irrigation handpiece or a conventional irrigation / aspiration handpiece for certain anterior segment procedures . the surgeon typically then performs the anterior segment portion of the combined procedure using ultrasonic handpiece 164 . more specifically , the surgeon selects an anterior segment mode on the conventional surgical system . the anterior segment mode is utilized to control ultrasonic handpiece 164 . in the anterior segment mode , the surgical system actuates occluder valve 142 to open manifold 130 , allowing infusion fluid to flow from irrigation inlet 110 to anterior irrigation outlet 112 . during the procedure , occluder valve 142 may be actuated via the surgical system to start or stop this flow of irrigation fluid as desired . the surgical system also actuates occluder valve 144 to close manifold 132 , preventing the flow of infusion fluid from irrigation inlet 110 to posterior irrigation outlet 114 . the surgical system also actuates occluder valves 146 and 148 to open manifold 134 , providing vacuum to general aspiration port 116 . the surgical system further actuates occluder valve 154 to close manifold 136 , stopping vacuum to posterior aspiration port 118 . ultrasonic handpiece 164 may then be utilized to perform the anterior segment portion of the combined procedure . during the procedure , cassette 100 provides infusion fluid 30 to infusion inlet 166 of handpiece 164 via anterior irrigation outlet 112 and tubing 168 to cool the tip of handpiece 164 at the intraocular incision and to replace aspirated fluid and tissue . cassette 100 also provides vacuum to aspiration port 170 of handpiece 164 via general aspiration port 116 and tubing 172 . such vacuum removes ophthalmic tissue and fluid aspirated by handpiece 164 into vacuum chamber 108 via tubing 172 and manifold 134 . during the anterior segment portion of the combined procedure , a surgeon may need to perform a microreflux operation if , by way of example , portions of the posterior capsule or iris become too close to the cutting tip of ultrasonic handpiece 164 . the microreflux operation causes a small pressure wave or impulse to be sent from cassette 100 to aspiration port 170 of ultrasonic handpiece 164 by displacement of a small bolus of fluid within the manifolds of cassette 100 . this pressure wave exits the tip of ultrasonic handpiece 164 and moves the posterior capsule or iris away from the tip of handpiece 164 . more specifically , occluder valve 154 has already been actuated to close manifold 136 , and occluder valve 148 has already been actutated to open manifold 134 , at the beginning of the anterior segment mode . the surgical system actuates occluder valve 146 to close manifold 134 . the surgical system then actuates microreflux valve 150 to momentarily close manifold 134 , displacing fluid and creating a pressure wave that will exit through port 116 . once the advancing pressure wave passes microreflux valve 152 , the surgical system preferably actuates microreflux valve 152 to close manifold 134 , augmenting the pressure wave . the pressure wave exits port 116 and travels through tubing 172 and aspiration port 170 of handpiece 164 and out through the tip of the handpiece . the surgical system then closes occluder valve 148 and opens occluder valve 146 , before opening microreflux valves 150 and 152 , to prevent microaspiration . if timed correctly , this closing of occluder valve 148 may also augment the microreflux pressure wave . the surgical system reopens occluder valve 148 to continue normal anterior segment aspiration . the surgeon then typically performs the posterior segment portion of the combined procedure using vitrectomy probe 174 and infusion cannula 180 . more specifically , the surgeon selects a posterior segment mode on the conventional surgical system . the posterior segment mode is used to control probe 174 and cannula 180 . in the posterior segment mode , the surgical system actuates occluder valve 144 to open manifold 132 , allowing infusion fluid to flow from irrigation inlet 110 to posterior irrigation outlet 114 . during the procedure , occluder valve 144 may be actuated via the surgical system to start or stop this flow of irrigation fluid as desired . the surgical system also actuates occluder valve 142 to close manifold 130 , preventing the flow of infusion fluid from irrigation inlet 110 to anterior irrigation outlet 112 . the surgical system also actuates occluder valves 146 and 154 to open manifold 136 , providing vacuum to posterior aspiration port 118 . the surgical system further actuates occluder valve 152 to close manifold 134 , stopping vacuum to general aspiration port 116 . vitrectomy probe 174 and infusion cannula 180 may then be utilized to perform the posterior segment portion of the combined procedure . during the procedure , cassette 100 provides infusion fluid 30 to port 182 of cannula 180 via posterior irrigation outlet 114 and tubing 184 to maintain appropriate intraocular pressure of the eye . cassette 100 also provides vacuum to aspiration port 176 of probe 174 via posterior aspiration port 118 and tubing 178 . such vacuum removes ophthalmic tissue and fluid aspirated by probe 174 into vacuum chamber 108 via tubing 178 and manifold 136 . during the posterior segment portion of the combined procedure , a surgeon may need to perform a microreflux operation if , by way of example , portions of the retina become too close to the cutting port vitrectomy probe 174 . the microreflux operation causes a small pressure wave or impulse to be sent from cassette 100 to aspiration port 176 of vitrectomy probe 174 , by displacement of a small bolus of fluid within the manifolds of cassette 100 . this pressure wave exits the cutting port of probe 174 , and moves the retina away from the cutting port of probe 174 . more specifically , occluder valve 148 has already been actuated to close manifold 134 , and occluder valve 154 has already been actuated to open manifold 136 , and the beginning of posterior segment mode . the surgical system actuates occluder valve 146 to close manifold 136 . the surgical system then actuates microreflux valve 150 to momentarily close manifold 136 , displacing fluid and creating a pressure wave that exits through port 118 . this pressure wave travels through tubing 178 and aspiration port 176 of probe 170 and out through the cutting port of the probe . the surgical system then closes occluder valve 154 and opens occluder valve 146 , before opening microreflux valve 150 , to prevent microaspiration . if timed correctly , this closing of occluder valve 154 may augment the microreflux pressure wave . the surgical system reopens occluder valve 154 to continue normal posterior segment aspiration . in both the anterior segment portion and the posterior segment portion of the combined procedure , aspirated ophthalmic tissue and fluid is removed from vacuum chamber 108 into a drain bag via third vacuum chamber port 124 , manifold 138 , and drainage bag port 126 . this aspirated fluid is removed via the operative engagement of a peristaltic pump with manifold 138 as described hereinabove . [ 0033 ] fig1 illustrates an exemplary package 300 for housing cassette 100 and its associated consumables for distribution purposes . package 300 generally includes a body 302 and a cover 304 . body 302 has an interior 306 and an opening 308 . body 302 is preferably formed from conventional plastics in a shape to conveniently store cassette 100 and its associated consumables . cover 304 is removably coupled to body 302 and is disposed over opening 308 . cover 304 is preferably formed from a breathable , porous material , such as , by way of example , high density polyethylene . a preferred material for cover 304 is tyvek ® available from e . i . dupont de nemours and company of wilmington , del . cover 304 is preferably removably coupled to body 302 via an adhesive . package 300 is preferably suitable for sterilization via conventional gamma radiation or ethylene oxide processes . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the surgical system may actuate the occluder valves of cassette 100 to provide irrigation from anterior irrigation outlet 112 and posterior irrigation outlet 114 simultaneously , or to prevent irrigation from both irrigation outlet 112 and posterior irrigation outlet 114 , if desired . similarly , the surgical system may actuate the occluder valves of cassette 100 to provide for vacuum from general aspiration port 116 and posterior aspiration port 118 simultaneously , or to prevent vacuum to both general aspiration port 116 and posterior aspiration port 118 , if desired . from the above , it may be appreciated that the present invention provides a surgeon with a simplified method of performing a combined anterior segment and posterior segment ophthalmic surgical procedure . significantly , using the present invention , the surgeon no longer must changeover the surgical system from anterior segment consumables to posterior segment consumables in order to complete the combined procedure . it is believed that the operation and construction of the present invention will be apparent from the foregoing description . while the apparatus and methods shown or described above have been characterized as being preferred , various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims .	0
fig1 shows a first embodiment of the system 1 . the system 1 comprises a coolant container 2 of a liquid circulation cooling circuit and a hydraulic oil container 3 of a hydraulic power steering assembly , the two containers 2 , 3 each having an inlet opening 4 , 5 and an outlet opening 6 , 7 , via which the liquids , namely the coolant 10 on the one hand and the hydraulic oil 11 on the other hand , enter the containers 2 , 3 and leave them again . a filter 18 for cleaning the incoming hydraulic oil 11 is arranged in the region of the inlet opening 5 of the hydraulic oil container 3 . this filter 18 serves at the same time for calming the incoming flow . both the coolant container 2 and the hydraulic oil container 3 are equipped with a filling opening 8 , 9 , which serves for the replenishment of coolant 10 and hydraulic oil 11 respectively and via which the liquid level 12 , 13 in the container 2 , 3 can be checked or monitored . the filling openings 8 , 9 are each closed with a cap 14 , 15 . the embodiment of the system 1 illustrated in fig1 is not of monolithic design but comprises three components 16 , 17 ′, 17 ″ which have a material interconnection . the first component 16 of the system 1 is formed by a trough - shaped lower part 16 , in which all the inlet openings 4 , 5 and outlet openings 6 , 7 are fashioned . this trough - shaped lower part 16 has sufficiently high side walls to accommodate the coolant 10 and the hydraulic oil 11 completely . the hydraulic oil container 3 provided in the lower part 16 has a tubular or cylindrical basic shape and is surrounded by the coolant container 2 in such a way that the lateral surface 19 of the hydraulic oil container 3 forms a common delimiting wall 20 , that is delimits both the coolant container 2 and the hydraulic oil container 3 . coolant 10 is located on one side of the delimiting wall 20 , whereas hydraulic oil 11 is present on the other side of the delimiting wall 20 . the direct proximity of the two liquids 10 , 11 allows the temperature of the hydraulic oil 11 to be influenced with the aid of the liquid circulation cooling circuit , that is to say with the aid of the coolant 10 . in this connection , the heat transfer between the coolant 10 and the hydraulic oil 11 can — depending on the operating state of the internal combustion engine — be effected in both directions . after a cold start of the internal combustion engine , the coolant 10 , which heats up slowly , is used for the purpose of heating the hydraulic oil 11 as well . during continuous operation — after the warm - up period — on the other hand , the coolant 10 can be used for the purpose of cooling the hydraulic oil 11 . the trough - shaped lower part 16 is closed with a two - part lid - shaped upper part 17 , a first portion 17 ′ of the lid - shaped upper part closing the coolant container 2 and a second portion 17 ″ of the lid - shaped upper part closing the hydraulic oil container 3 . the two portions 17 ′, 17 ″ comprise the filling openings 8 , 9 . in this connection , the hydraulic oil container 3 integrated into the trough - shaped lower part 16 passes through the first portion of the lid - shaped upper part 17 ′. this ensures good accessibility of the weld seams 21 . furthermore , this constructional development ensures that the hydraulic oil 11 does not mix with the coolant 10 under any circumstances , in particular even when the weld seams 21 are untight and the two liquids 10 , 11 move to a greater extent in the containers 2 , 3 . alternative embodiments of the system in which the system is constructed from two components , a trough - shaped lower part forming the first component and a lid - shaped upper part forming the second component , are advantageous . this division of the system into two components affords advantages from production - related points of view . complicated shapes , in particular with undercuts , are avoided , so that the two components come within the reach of usual production methods and can be made by injection molding , for example . the upper part can also be of modular design , that is itself comprise a number of components . the material connections 21 of the three components 16 , 17 ′, 17 ″ of the system 1 are provided in regions which are not acted on permanently by either the coolant 10 or the hydraulic oil 11 , that is in regions which are located above the two liquid levels 12 , 13 . by virtue of this , the liquids 10 , 11 present in the system 1 can neither escape into the surrounding environment nor mix with one another even with untight connection locations 21 . in this way , the liquids 10 , 11 cannot attack or destroy the connection 21 either . alternative embodiments of the system in which the connection of the at least two components is provided in regions of the system which are not acted on permanently by either the coolant or the hydraulic oil are advantageous . while it is ensured that the connection locations are made tight in order to prevent both an escape of the liquids present in the system into the surrounding environment and mixing of the two liquids with one another , it is moreover advantageous if the design of the system is effected specifically in such a way that the connection locations do not come into contact with the coolant stored in the coolant container or with the hydraulic oil present in the hydraulic oil container . on the one hand , this is because the liquids could attack and damage or destroy the connection . on the other hand , however , this procedure affords advantages for a case in which the connection is not absolutely tight . this is because no liquids escape then , only gases present in the system . a liquid loss , which would have disadvantageous effects on the liquid circulation cooling or the hydraulic power steering , is not to be feared . fig2 shows diagrammatically a second embodiment of the system 1 in a side view and partly in section . only the differences from the embodiment illustrated in fig1 are to be discussed , for which reason reference is otherwise made to fig1 . the same reference numbers have been used for the same components . in contrast to the embodiment illustrated in fig1 , the system 1 illustrated in fig2 has elements 22 in the common delimiting wall 20 , which are made from a material which has a higher specific heat capacity than the material of the delimiting wall 20 . in this way , the elements 22 assist the heat transfer between the two liquids 10 , 11 . the elements 22 are of annular shape and extend from that outer surface of the delimiting wall 20 facing the coolant container 2 to that outer surface of the delimiting wall 20 facing the hydraulic oil container 3 . in principle , however , the elements 22 can also have other shapes , for example a rod - like shape . embodiments of the system in which the elements extend from that outer surface of the delimiting wall facing the coolant container to that outer surface of the delimiting wall facing the hydraulic oil container are advantageous . in this alternative embodiment , the elements serve as heat bridges , which ensure direct heat transfer between the liquids . embodiments of the system in which the hydraulic oil container has a tubular basic shape and is surrounded by the coolant container in such a way that the lateral surface of the hydraulic oil container forms the at least one common delimiting wall are advantageous . in this embodiment , the hydraulic oil container is surrounded by the coolant container . this ensures a large - surface delimiting wall , which assists or increases the heat transfer between the liquids . in an alternative embodiment of the system in which the invention is constructed essentially from plastic , the plastic preferably being polypropylene , may be advantageously used . in the alternative embodiment of the system according to the invention , in which the two containers are combined in a subassembly , however , a heat transfer takes place , which at least during normal continuous operation of the internal combustion engine , ensures that the temperature of the hydraulic oil is comparatively low , so that the hydraulic oil container can also be made of polypropylene . both containers of the system can thus be made of the same more inexpensive plastic . in this alternative embodiment , the wording is intended to express the fact that the system can also be made completely of plastic but does not imperatively have to be made completely of plastic . individual elements of the system can therefore perfectly well be manufactured from other materials . in this connection , essentially means that more than 70 % ( in mass per cent ) of the system is made of plastic .	1
referring to fig3 ( a ), there is illustrated a wafer 100 of pzt poled in a thickness direction . the upper surface 180 of the wafer is formed with several sets 210 , 220 of parallel channels in accordance with wo95 / 18717 ( incorporated herein by reference ) in order that a still greater number of individual printheads may be formed by dicing the wafer across the channels in a step discussed subsequently . electrodes ( not shown ) are formed on the walls of the channels as discussed above . wafer 100 is mounted on thermally - conductive pad 120 comprising silver - loaded silicone — as is known in the art — and is in turn mounted on a thermally - conducting ( e . g . carbon or a metal such as aluminium ) plate 130 by a thin layer of heat sink compound ( not shown ) sandwiched between the two . the dimensions of plate 130 are such that it can be clamped in conventional vacuum processing equipment ( an annular clamping ring and sealing “ o ” ring are indicated at 140 and 150 respectively ) and a cooling fluid ( generally helium contained in chamber 165 ) passed over the back of the plate as indicated at 160 . a mask 170 abuts the upper surface 180 of the wafer and is attached to the plate 130 by means that ensure accurate registration between the mask and the plate and thus accurate placement of the passivant layer on the wafer . in the example shown , the means comprise first and second dowels 175 that protrude from the plate 130 and locate with a bore and slot ( not shown ) in the mask 170 . the diameter of the bore is matched to that of the corresponding dowel to ensure accurate registration between mask and plate , whilst the slot in which the second dowel is located for thermal expansion of the mask during the passivation process . silicone pad 120 flexibly supports the lower surface 190 of the wafer , compensating for any variation in the thickness of the wafer and avoiding distortion of the wafer due to uneven clamping forces . the mask can be made of any vacuum compatible , thermally conductive material including , for example , carbon , stainless steel and aluminium . the mask in the example of fig4 a comprises aluminium of approximately 2 mm thickness where it covers the wafer . turning to fig3 ( b ), reference number 250 indicates datum features ( metal dowels in the example shown ) mounted on the plate 130 and with which the wafer is aligned . as explained in the aforementioned wo95 / 18717 , these datum features and the corresponding locations ( not shown ) on the wafer are used in the preceding manufacturing step of sawing the channels in the wafer and allow the channels formed in the wafer to correctly positioned in subsequent manufacturing steps . it will appreciated that the two datum dowels 250 shown in fig3 ( b ) register with two corresponding locations on the wafer , thereby allowing the component to be accurately positioned relative to the support ( and thus the mask ) in two mutually - perpendicular directions . in fig3 ( b ), for example , two sets of channels 210 , 220 have been formed in the wafer . in a subsequent manufacturing step , these sets of channels will be cut along lines 211 and 221 respectively to form four rows of printheads each of the kind shown in fig3 b . in order that each row of printheads might have its rearward part 42 free of passivation so as to allow electrical connection to the electrode plating , it is necessary to accurately mask the wafer not only at its edges 230 but also in the middle 240 . it will be appreciated that accurate positioning of the mask relative to the channels is facilitated by the registration means 175 between the mask 170 and plate 130 on the one hand , and by the registration means 250 between the plate 130 and the wafer 130 formed with the channels on the other hand . fig3 ( c ) shows the detail of the mask and channel as indicated at a in fig3 ( a ): as has already been mentioned , passivation of the walls of the channels of deep channel ink jet printheads is preferably carried out using a process as described in wo95 / 07820 , a characteristic of which is that the path of the passivant molecules from their source to the surface of the wafer is not linear but involves multiple scattering . as a consequence of this , the edge of the mask is advantageously angled ( typically at 60 °) as indicated at 171 so as not to obstruct the path of a molecule approaching at a non - normal angle to the substrate as shown at 203 . it is also advantageous for the apex 173 of the mask aperture chamfer 171 to be located close to or touching the surface of the wafer so as to minimise the amount of passivant ( which may be on the opposite path 204 ) making its way underneath the mask as indicated at 205 . this latter problem can be additionally compensated for , if necessary , by making the apex 173 extend — typically by an amount equal to the depth of the channel — beyond that point 202 in the channel where the passivant layer is designed to end . in addition or as an alternative to the above , sections of the channel walls may be selectively passivated prior to application of electrodes in accordance with the aforementioned pending pct application no . pct / gb97 / 01083 . as illustrated in fig4 ( a ), such a printhead has a portion ( n ) of full - depth channel which is open on one side to an ink supply window 27 ( and which therefore is not part of the “ active ” length l of the channel ) that differs from the conventional construction of fig2 ( b ) in that a layer 40 of passivant material having a lower dielectric constant than that of the piezoelectric material of the channel side walls is interposed between the electrode 34 and the piezoelectric material of the channel walls 16 . as will be evident from fig4 ( b ), which is a sectional view of the channel wall portion , the resulting total capacitance of the piezoelectric material ( capacitance c 1 ) sandwiched in series between two passivant layers ( capacitance c 2 ) will be less than that of the piezoelectric material of the wall alone since , to a first approximation , the total capacitance is given by 1 / ctotal = 1 / c 2 + 2 / c 1 . as a result , the overall capacitive load of the printhead is reduced . as can be seen from fig4 ( a ), this technique can also be applied in the region c of the connection tracks , as well as in the runout region r . it will appreciated that to be effective , the pre - passivation layer 40 must be accurately located in the channel relative to the electrodes and ink inlet . this can be achieved by use of an appropriate mask in accordance with the present invention . fig5 illustrates a further embodiment of the invention , with those features that have already been discussed with reference to fig3 ( a )-( c ) bearing the same reference numbers . wafer 100 formed with sets of channels 210 , 220 in an upper surface 180 thereof sits in a pocket 310 within an integrated mask / support structure 300 with its upper surface 180 abutting the structure 300 at some at least of the masking edges 230 . a gas - inpermeable membrane 320 extends over the wafer 100 and the rear of structure 300 — thereby to retain the wafer in the pocket 310 — and thereafter extends to the edge of the structure to seal with the “ o ” ring 150 of the conventional vacuum processing equipment ( comprising annular clamping ring 140 )— thereby isolating the entire support from the cooling gas . thereafter , it is possible to circulate cooling ( or heating ) gas 160 in the chamber 165 beneath the clamped support in the conventional manner , with significantly greater heat transfer between the wafer 100 and the cooling gas 160 being possible through the membrane 320 than is possible through the heat sink compound , silicone pad and aluminium plate of the arrangement of fig4 a , b . the present invention is particularly suitable for coating the walls of channels formed in piezoelectric material with an inorganic passivation layer in accordance with the aforementioned wo95 / 07820 . this process involves maintaining the bulk temperature of the channelled wafer at below 200 ° c . and at which not more than 30 % depolarisation of the material will occur , and exposing the surface of the channel walls to be passivated to a homogenised vapour of the coating material , the vapour having undergone multiple scattering during transport from its source to the surface of the channelled component . the arrangement of the present invention allows the surface of the wafer on which deposition is taking place to be held at a much lower temperature ( typically 40 ° c . rather than 140 ° c .) which in turn permits the use of the more active kinds of piezoelectric material — particularly kinds of pzt — which would be depoled at the higher temperatures . alternatively , the arrangement can allow existing temperature levels to be maintained with higher temperature passivation techniques e . g . the use of higher microwave power or rf biasing of the wafer . furthermore , such an arrangement helps reduce temperature variation across the wafer between those parts shaded from deposition by the mask and those parts fully exposed to deposition : without such cooling , temperature differences of the order of 60 ° c . can build up between adjacent parts of the wafer in a matter of a 30 seconds with the resulting differential expansion leading to cracking of the wafer . the membrane 320 also ensures that , in the event of the wafer cracking or the wafer material being gas permeable , cooling gas does not escape into the processing chamber . advantageously , the membrane is releasably adhered to the rear of the integrated structure 300 , thereby retaining the wafer in the integrated structure even when the latter is removed from the vacuum processing apparatus . this facilitates handling , especially of fragile wafers , and is an arrangement applicable to all vacuum processing , not merely passivation or chemical vapour deposition . membranes made of polymer — for example pvc , polyester , polyimide — and having a thickness of 50 - 100 μm have in particular proved to have sufficient strength and advantageous heat transfer characteristics . as an alternative to the membrane 320 , a self - adhesive tape made of a vacuum - compatible , gas - impermeable material such as polyimide can be used to seal the gap between the perimeter of the wafer 100 and the edge of the pocket 310 ( as indicated by dashed lines 400 in fig5 ). such an arrangement presents slightly less resistance to heat transfer than the membrane and is less likely to entrap pockets of air that might otherwise act to insulate the lower surface of the wafer from the cooling gas flow , giving rise to hotspots . tape may also be placed on the lower surface of the wafer in those areas particularaly susceptible to cracking . as with the first embodiment , abutment of the wafer 100 on one side only avoids distortion of the wafer due to uneven clamping forces attributable to uneven wafer thickness . the central portion 240 of the mask 170 of fig5 also provides a degree of support at the centre of the wafer 100 against the pressure exerted on the lower surface 190 by the cooling fluid 160 . the integrated construction of mask and support according to fig5 facilitates yet further heat transfer from the surface of the mask to the base of the support and thence to the cooling gas . as with the previous embodiment , datum points can be provided in the structure — in the example shown these are dowels mounted at the edges of the pocket 310 — against which the wafer can locate , thereby ensuring accurate alignment between the wafer and the overlying mask . it should be understood that the invention has been described by way of examples only and a wide variety of modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention . the height of the channel electrodes , for example , may be optimised for minimum power consumption ( approximately proportional to the product of the capacitance and the square of the operating voltage ) rather than minimum operating voltage . this will result in electrodes that extend only one third of the way down the channel walls rather than half way down as per the aforementioned ep - a - 0 364 136 . the top sheet which closes the open - topped channels will typically be made of similar piezoelectric material to that of the sheet in which the channels are formed so as to ensure thermal matching . although ep - a - 0 364 136 would suggest that the sheet be unpoled so as to avoid distortion by stray electric fields , use of poled material has not been found to have any significant effect on printhead performance in practice and has the advantage of reducing inventory to a single type of ( poled ) piezoelectric material . after assembly of the top sheet , the individual channels may be tested by measuring the capacitance between the two electrodes located on either side of the wall . alternatively , the resonant behaviour of the walls can be measured in accordance with ep - a - 0 376 606 . both techniques can be carried out automatically by a device having probes that touch onto the connection tracks of the two electrodes bounding a wall , perform a measurement and then index along to the next channel . the nozzle plate in which the channel nozzles are formed may be attached to the printhead in accordance with wo95 / 11131 , advantageously using a hot melt adhesive so as to allow the nozzle plate to be removed should the subsequent nozzle formation process prove unsuccessful . suitable adhesives will depend on the type of ink to be used and may include paragon hm240 / 12 , hm260 / 12 and hm 31 / 12 ; borden hm617 ; 3m 3748q and 3764q ; prodag 873 , 697 , 984 and bostik hm 5649 . the nozzle plate may also be shaped , e . g . by ablation , prior to attachment so as to vary in thickness from 40 - 50 μm at the centre of the channel array to 1 - 20 μm at the extremities of the channel array . this allows a thicker glue layer to form at the extremities of the channel array , making the nozzle plate more resistant to shear and peel stresses , particularly in the channel array direction . nozzle formation is advantageously carried out following attachment of the nozzle plate using the techniques described in wo93 / 15911 . in accordance with wo96 / 08375 , a protective tape may be applied to the non - wetting coating of the nozzle plate using pressure sensitive adhesives such as datac p7085 , swift k9250 and dpac 4427 . each feature disclosed in this specification ( which term includes the claims ) and / or shown in the drawings may be incorporated in the invention independently of other disclosed and / or illustrated features .	1
“ casino ”— a casino in the traditional sense , or other place where gambling takes place . “ gaming machine , slot machine , or slot ”— a casino electro - mechanical game of skill or chance . a slot machine is a subset of such games . “ slot machine interface board ( smib )”— a controller board for a gaming machine resident within the chassis of the gaming machine . “ dot impact printer or impact printer ”— a printer that makes an image by striking an inked ribbon overlaid on plain paper with a small pin that hammers the ink onto the paper to make a small dot . impact printers , by their electro - mechanical nature , have a number of moving parts and make a characteristic grinding sound , such as the noise made by most older receipt printers . “ thermal printer ”— a printer utilizing paper with a heat sensitive side that is imaged using a print head that applies heat in tiny dots ( typically 1 / 200th of an inch in size or smaller ) in order to turn the area black . in this manner , images are created by a series of tiny black dots . “ bill acceptor ”— a device that automatically accepts paper currency by scanning the paper currency and saving the paper currency within the gaming machine . a coin change machine usually has such a device on it , and more recently , so do many slot machines . “ ticket or voucher ”— an image created on paper stock by a process of imaging dots on the paper stock . “ paper jam ”— a condition where the normal feeding of paper through the printer is interrupted . “ gaming machine printer ”— a printer including a control module and a printing mechanism . the control module controls the operation of the printing device and communicates with a gaming machine or a host . the printing mechanism , using the features of a printing device , is capable of feeding paper and imaging dots on paper . fig1 is a block diagram of a cashless enabled gaming machine coupled to a gaming machine printer in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . a cashless gaming system includes a cashless gaming system controller 100 hosted by a system host 102 coupled 104 to one or more cashless enabled games 106 . a cashless enabled game includes a game controller 108 that controls the operation of the cashless enabled game . the game controller is coupled to a gaming machine printer 110 . the cashless enabled game uses the gaming machine printer to generate tickets and vouchers 114 . the gaming machine printer includes heating and printing algorithms 113 in conjunction with special purpose voucher paper . the voucher includes the cash - out information for a player . the gaming machine printer may also be directly coupled 112 to the host system and cashless gaming controller . the voucher may be redeemed 116 in a variety of ways . the voucher may be redeemed by a human cashier or bill acceptor 122 at a game table 124 , or a human cashier or bill acceptor 126 at a cashier &# 39 ; s cage or kiosk 128 , or by a bill acceptor 118 at another cashless enabled game 120 . redemption is only possible after the voucher passes a verification of account information 130 and validation using security signatures 132 included in the voucher . fig2 is an illustration of a voucher in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . the voucher shown is produced from commands issued by the cashless enabled game to the gaming printer in response to a player &# 39 ; s request to cash - out . the voucher 114 includes features such as a validation number , printed in both a human readable form such as a character string 200 and in a machine - readable form such as a bar code 202 , time and date stamps 204 , cash - out amount 206 , casino location information 208 , cashless enabled game identifier 210 , and an indication of an expiration date 212 . the information contained on the voucher is enough to verify that a valid cash - out request was generated at some time , but may not include enough information to detect if a voucher presented for redemption is the original voucher and not a duplicate or forgery . fig3 is a block diagram of a paper jam detector in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . a paper jam detector 324 may be included in a gaming machine printer 106 ( fig1 ). the gaming machine printer includes a gaming printer control module 312 operably coupled to a printing mechanism 314 and the paper jam detector 324 . the printing mechanism receives thermally reactive voucher paper and generates images on the paper to create a voucher 114 . the printing mechanism does so by heating a thermal element for each dot that is imaged . the printing mechanism typically creates dot images to a granularity of 8 dots per millimeter , each dot image using a separate thermal element to create a dot image . a motion detection device integrated within the paper jam detector detects the presence or absence of paper , detects the movement of paper through the gaming machine printer , and determines the speed that the paper is moving through the gaming machine printer . in slightly more detail , the gaming printer control module transmits printing mechanism control signals 316 to the printing mechanism . the printing mechanism control signals include voucher printing instructions for generation of the voucher by the printing mechanism . the printing mechanism uses the voucher printer instructions to print the voucher . the paper jam detector senses the movement of the printer paper through the printing mechanism and transmits paper movement signals 326 to the gaming printer control module . in one embodiment of a gaming printer in accordance with the present invention , a game controller 108 is operably coupled to the gaming printer control module . the gaming printer control module receives printer control instructions 330 from the game controller . the gaming printer control module generates paper jam signals 332 indicating whether or not there is a paper jam within the printing mechanism . the gaming printer control module transmits the paper jam signals to the game controller . the game controller uses the paper jam signals to determine if there is a paper jam within the printing mechanism . fig4 a - 4 d are semi - schematic views of a paper jam detector employing rollers in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . fig4 a is a semi - schematic side view of a paper jam detector in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . inside of a gaming printer , a paper voucher 114 , being printed by a thermal printing mechanism 314 , contacts a paper movement detector such as a roller 402 at a first point 404 . as the paper moves in the indicated direction 406 , the paper movement causes the roller to turn about a shaft 408 in a clockwise direction as indicated by the direction arrow 410 . the paper jam detector further includes a roller sensor 412 coupled to the roller . the roller sensor generates a paper movement signal 414 in response to movement by the roller . fig4 b is a semi - schematic diagram of an interrupter style optical device 416 that may be used as a roller sensor . an optical transmitter 418 transmits an optical signal 420 that is received by an optical receiver 422 . in operation , the optical sensor generates a signal when an object interrupts the optical signal transmitted from the optical transmitter to the optical receiver . referring again to fig4 a , the roller is optically coupled to the roller sensor by one or more shutters 424 mechanically coupled to the roller . the shutters are positioned relative to optical sensor of fig4 b such that , as the paper jam detector roller rotates , the shutter temporarily interrupts the optical signal between the optical transmitter and the optical receiver . in response to the intermittently interrupted optical signal , the sensor generates a paper movement signal indicating the movement of paper through the printing mechanism . in one paper jam detector in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the roller sensor is a quadrature encoder device , containing more that one set of shutters and optical sensors . in this embodiment , the paper movement signal generated by the sensor includes a direction component , allowing the paper jam detector to generate a paper movement signal indicating the direction of paper travel through the printing mechanism . fig4 c is a graph depicting a paper movement signal generated by a roller sensor in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . the amplitude of the paper movement signal is indicated along the y - axis 424 and passage of time is indicated along the x axis 426 . a paper movement signal 428 is characterized as a square wave pulse train indicating the rotational velocity of the paper jam detector roller . the output of the roller sensor is transmitted to a gaming machine control module for analysis . by analyzing the rate of change in the signal , the control module can determine if the paper is moving . in addition , the control module can determine the speed of the paper movement by measuring the period or frequency of the paper movement signal . fig4 d is a semi - schematic drawing of a paper jam detector that is coupled to a paper drive mechanism that is part of a printing mechanism in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . in this embodiment , a paper jam detector 438 is mechanically coupled to a platen roller 430 used in a paper drive mechanism . the platen roller may be located anywhere within the paper drive mechanism , such as opposite a printer head 432 . in other embodiments , the paper jam detector is coupled to the printing mechanism drive motor 434 or other motor driven parts inside of a printing mechanism through a mechanical coupling 436 . the paper jam detector uses this mechanical coupling to determine whether or not the printing mechanism is operating . specifically if the platen roller is rotating or the drive motor is operating . in response to the motion of the printing mechanism , the paper jam detector generates a paper drive signal that may be used to infer whether or not a paper jam has occurred within the printing mechanism . for example , the printing mechanism may be in a jammed condition as a result of a mechanical failure or an obstruction . if so , the printing mechanism prevents the movement of the paper drive mechanism , and in turn the movement of the paper . in other paper jam detectors in accordance various embodiment of the present invention , other types of sensors are used to detect movement of the roller platen or printing mechanism . other non - contacting types of sensing elements may be used with appropriate modification of the one or more shutters . for example , the sensor element may employ capacitance sensors or other types of proximity detecting sensors . in addition , reflective optical sensors may be used to detect movement of the shutters . the roller platen may be mechanically coupled to the sensor as well in which case sensors employing resistive elements or limit switches may be used to detect mechanical movement by the roller platen . in addition , sensors with resistive elements or limit switches may be used to detect movement when mechanically coupled to the paper drive or printing mechanism . fig5 a - 5 c are semi - schematic views of an articulating paper jam detector in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . the previously described paper jam detector roller 402 may be rotatably coupled to a moveable support 500 . the support is moveably coupled to a mounting base 501 by one or more elastic members , such as spring mount 502 . the elastic members urge the moveable support toward the paper path of a paper voucher 114 being printed . the roller is also urged toward the paper voucher such that the roller contacts the paper voucher as the paper voucher is being printed . the roller further includes one or more shutters 424 that are positioned so that , as the roller rotates about a shaft 408 , the shutters intermittently interrupt an optical path in an optical sensor 412 as previously described . fig5 b is a semi - schematic drawing of the paper jam roller of fig5 a in a first position . the paper jam detector roller 402 . as shown , the paper jam detector roller is urged by one or more elastic member 502 to move further away from the mounting base 501 and into the path of a paper voucher 114 that is being printed . as the paper voucher has not reached the roller yet , the paper voucher does not impede the roller and the roller occludes part of the paper path . in this first position , as indicated by dimension line 504 , the one or more shutters 424 do not occlude a previously described optical path 420 within a previously described interrupter style optical device 416 used as a roller sensor . with the roller and coupled shutter in this position , the shutter is out of the sensor path . in response , the roller sensor generates a constant signal level of a specified value indicating the amount of movement or articulation of the roller . this constant signal may be interpreted in digital terms as a logical 1 or high when the signal is received by a gaming printer control module . as noted in the discussion of fig4 c , a paper movement signal generated by a paper jam detector may include a timer varying component . the frequency of the time varying component may be used to determine the speed of paper movement within the printing mechanism . therefore , a paper movement signal without a time varying component may indicate that there is no voucher paper in the print drive . fig5 c is a semi - schematic drawing of the paper jam roller of fig5 a in a second position . as shown , the paper jam detector roller 402 is in contact at point 404 with a paper voucher 114 being printed . contact with the paper voucher prevents the one or more elastic members 502 ( of fig5 a ) from urging the paper jam detector roller into the path of the paper voucher . as such , the paper jam detector roller is pushed closer to the mounting base 501 , as indicated by dimension line 506 . dimension line 506 as illustrated is relatively shorter than dimension line 504 ( of fig5 b ) indicating that the paper jam roller is not occluding a portion of the paper voucher &# 39 ; s path . in this position , the one or more shutters 424 occlude a previously described optical path 420 within a previously described interrupter style optical device 416 used as a roller sensor . if the paper voucher is stationary , then the sensor may generate a constant signal level of a different specified value than the sensor generates in the first position illustrated in fig5 c . this different specified value indicating a reduced level of articulation by the roller may be interpreted as a logical 0 or low , when the signal is received by a gaming machine printer control module . in operation , as shown in fig5 b and fig5 c , a paper jam detector can detect the absence or presence of paper in the normal path that the paper follows as the paper moves through the printing mechanism . as illustrated , the paper jam detector can make the determination without the paper voucher actually moving within the printing mechanism . in addition , the paper jam detector , knowing that the motor in the print mechanism is commanded to move by a gaming printer &# 39 ; s control module , can detect the absence or presence of paper in the normal path that the paper follows as the paper moves through the printer . thus the paper jam detector can detect a paper jam condition if the paper movement signal from the sensor is not alternating creating a wave form as shown in fig4 c . the paper jam detector can also determine if the paper is moving at the correct speed through the paper path by analyzing the period or frequency of the paper movement signal created by the sensor . the determination of the speed of the paper moving through the printer is important in identifying the situation when a player , or other person , is pulling on the voucher prior to the completion of the printing on the voucher . pulling on the voucher will change the speed of the paper moving past the paper jam detector and change the paper movement signal output from the sensor which can be detected by a gaming printer &# 39 ; s control module . although , not technically a paper jam , this event does occur in the field and can cause the following voucher to become jammed by tearing the partially printed voucher into multiple parts . the paper jam detector can detect this event and take corrective action or announce the condition to a gaming machine or host for decision making purposes . fig6 is a semi - schematic diagram of a paper jam detector using an optical scanning device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . an optical scanning device 600 is capable of detecting individual dot images on a paper voucher 114 being printed by a printing mechanism 314 and moving under the optical scanning device . dot images may have a granularity of approximately 8 to 10 dots per millimeter . as the paper is moved under the scanner by the printing mechanism or other means , as indicated by direction of paper travel arrow 604 , the optical scanner reads index marks 602 composed of dot images generated by the printing mechanism . in response to successive index marks , the optical scanning device generates a paper movement signal 605 having a time varying component similar to the paper movement signal 428 shown in fig4 c . the paper movement signal is transmitted to a gaming printer &# 39 ; s control module 312 . the control module interprets the paper movement signal to determine the speed and direction of paper movement as previously described . fig6 b is a semi - schematic diagram depicting use of pre - printed index marks for optical scanning in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . an optical scanning device 600 is capable of detecting individual dot images on a paper voucher 114 being printed by a printing mechanism 314 and moving under the optical scanning device as previously described . as the paper is moved under the scanner by the printing mechanism or other means , as indicated by direction of paper travel arrow 604 , the optical scanner reads index marks 606 . in response to the successive index marks , the optical scanning device generates a paper movement signal 605 having a time varying component similar to the paper movement signal 428 shown in fig4 c . the paper movement signal is transmitted to a gaming printer &# 39 ; s control module 312 . the control module interprets the paper movement signal to determine the speed and direction of paper movement as previously described . in contrast to the process illustrated in fig6 a , the index marks are preprinted onto voucher paper stock before the printing mechanism prints a voucher , as indicated by pre - printed index marks 608 . fig7 is a semi - schematic perspective view of a paper jam detector as included in a gaming machine printer in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . a gaming machine printer 110 may include an internal printing mechanism 314 . the printing mechanism draws voucher paper stock 700 from an internal storage location and prints vouchers , such as voucher 114 , for presentation to gaming machine players . the direction the voucher paper takes through the gaming machine printer is indicated by paper direction arrow 604 . a paper jam detector 324 may be included in the gaming machine printer along the path taken by the voucher paper as the voucher paper passes through the gaming printer . the paper jam detector generates a paper movement signal 702 that is transmitted to the gaming printer &# 39 ; s control module 312 . fig8 is a semi - schematic perspective view of a paper jam detector as a stand alone device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . a gaming machine printer 110 may print vouchers , such as voucher 114 , for presentation to a gaming machine player . the direction the voucher paper takes through the gaming machine printer is indicated by paper direction arrow 604 . a stand alone paper jam detector 800 may be attached to the exterior of the gaming machine printer such that the voucher passes through the paper jam detector before the voucher is presented to the gaming machine user . the paper jam detector generates a paper movement signal 702 that is transmitted to the gaming printer &# 39 ; s control module 312 for further processing as previously described . fig9 is a process flow diagram of using information received from a paper jam detector in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . a paper jam detector 324 included as a component of a gaming machine printer or a stand alone paper jam detector 800 may make local decisions regarding the handling of paper jam conditions . in addition , the paper jam detectors can transmit paper jam or paper movement signals 900 to a gaming machine 902 or another host 904 . in addition , the paper jam detectors may receive directions from the gaming machine or host as to what actions to take upon detecting a paper jam . actions might include stopping the gaming machine printer , calling an attendant or technician , or other actions as dictated by the gaming machine or host . fig1 is an architecture diagram of a control module for a paper jam detector in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . as previously described , a paper jam detector may be included as a component of a gaming machine printer or may be a stand alone device . if the paper jam detector is integral to a gaming machine printer , the paper jam detector may transmit paper jam and paper movement signals to the gaming machine printer &# 39 ; s control module . otherwise , the paper jam detector may preprocess some of the signals internally and transmit only high level signals to a gaming machine printer . a control module 1000 for a paper jam detector includes a processor 1001 operatively coupled via a system bus 1002 to a main memory 1004 . the processor is also coupled to a storage device 1008 via a storage controller 1006 and the bus . the storage device includes stored program instructions 1024 and data 1026 used by the paper jam detector . in operation , program instructions implementing a paper jam detector are stored on the storage device until the processor retrieves the program instructions and stores them in the main memory . the processor then executes the computer program instructions stored in the main memory and operates on the data stored in the storage device to implement the features of a paper jam detector as described above . the processor is further coupled to sensor devices 1022 by an input device controller 1020 via the bus . example input devices include sensors that the paper jam detector uses to detect paper movement through a gaming machine printer &# 39 ; s printing mechanism as previously described . the processor receives input device signals from the sensor devices via the input device controller and the bus and uses the sensor device signals to detect the state of the paper in a gaming machine printer . the processor may be further coupled to a network device 1014 via a network device controller 1012 and the bus . the process uses the network device to communicate with other processing systems , such as a gaming machine printer , gaming machine , or other host as previously described . although this invention has been described in certain specific embodiments , many additional modifications and variations would be apparent to those skilled in the art . it is therefore to be understood that this invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described . thus , the present embodiments of the invention should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive , the scope of the invention to be determined by any claims supported by this application and the claims &# 39 ; equivalents rather than the foregoing description .	1
there is shown in fig1 - 2 a tissue dissector 10 according to the invention . the tissue dissector 10 has an elongated main body portion 12 having a proximal end 14 and a distal end 18 . a pair of dissecting arms 22 have first ends 26 and second ends 30 . the first ends 26 are pivotally mounted to the distal end 18 of the elongated main body portion 12 . the dissecting arms 22 have a first pivotal position ( fig1 ) in which the dissecting arms 22 are substantially juxtaposed . in a second pivotal position shown in fig2 , the dissecting arms 22 are separated . a flexible dissecting member such as cable 34 is connected substantially between the second ends 30 of the dissecting arms 22 . the dissecting cable 34 is in a substantially taut and extended dissecting position when the dissecting arms 22 are in the second pivotal position shown in fig2 . actuating structure can be provided for moving the dissecting arms 22 between at least the first and second pivotal positions . the actuating structure can be a squeeze grip 40 having a handle 44 and a movable grip lever 48 . suitable linkage is provided such that movement of the grip lever 48 in the direction shown by the arrow will cause the dissecting arms 22 to move from the first pivotal position to the second pivotal position . a biasing such as spring 52 can be provided to cause the dissecting arms 22 to return to the first pivotal position when the grip lever 48 is released . other actuating structure is possible . movement of the dissecting arms 22 to the second pivotal position will cause the cable 34 to extend . the dissecting cable 34 can be placed under tension by appropriate tensioning structure . in one aspect , a moveable tensioning rod 56 is provided to contact the dissecting cable 34 and place the dissecting cable 34 under tension . the tensioning rod 56 can be elongated and positioned through a suitable channel in the elongated main body portion 12 . gripping structure such as end 60 can be provided with which to manipulate the tensioning rod 56 to the extended position shown in fig2 where the dissecting cable 34 is placed under tension . the tensioning rod 56 can be retracted by movement of the end 60 away from the proximal end 14 . other tensioning structure is possible . the tissue dissector is used to form a subcutaneous pocket under the breast . the dissecting arms 22 are kept in the first pivotal position shown in fig1 to insert the distal end 18 of the tissue dissector 10 through an incision under the breast . only a small incision need be made due to the small cross - sectional area of the tissue dissector 10 when in the first pivotal position shown in fig1 . the actuating structure is then operated to open the dissecting arms 22 to the second pivotal position shown in fig2 . the tensioning structure is operated by movement of the tensioning rod 56 to the extended position , such that the dissecting cable 34 is substantially taut . the dissecting cable 34 is of a dimension such that , when taut , it will cut tissue under the breast to form a subcutaneous pocket . the open configuration shown in fig2 , while in the breast , permits the rapid formation of a subcutaneous pocket under the breast , with minimal motion of the tissue dissector . the dissecting arms 22 are then returned to the first pivotal position by a release of the grip lever 48 and return of the tensioning rod 56 to the initial positions , such that the tissue dissector 10 can easily be removed through the incision . there is shown in fig3 a - b , a microballoon 70 according to the invention . the microballoon 70 has a flexible exterior shell 74 defining an open interior that is filled by a material 78 that is either a fluid , a gel , or a gas . the microballoon 70 is thereby elastically deformable due to the flexible shell 74 and filled interior . the flexible shell 74 can be made from several suitable materials . in one embodiment , the flexible shell is made of silicone . other polymeric materials can be used . the filling material 78 can be any suitable material , such as saline solution , hydrogen gas or air , or silicone gel . additionally , solid or semi - solid microballoons 70 are possible as long as they are elastically deformable . the microballoons 70 are preferably spherical in shape , but can also be non - spherical . according to the invention , a plurality of the microballoons 70 are implanted into or under each breast and , accordingly , the dimensions of the microballoons 70 are much smaller than current breast implants . in a preferred embodiment , the microballoons have a diameter or largest dimension of between about 1 and about 50 mm . in another aspect , the microballoons have a diameter or largest dimension of between about 3 and about 30 mm . in still another aspect of the invention , the microballoons have a diameter or largest dimension of between about 5 and about 20 mm . an injector can be used to hold at least one microballoon 70 in a compressed position with a first , compressed dimension , and to release the microballoon when in the breast to permit the microballoon to expand to a second , larger dimension in the subcutaneous pocket . in this manner , the microballoon 70 can be inserted into the subcutaneous pocket through a smaller incision . one such injector 90 is shown in fig4 - 5 . the structure for holding the microballoon 70 in a first , compressed dimension can be any suitable structure , but in one aspect is a compression chamber 94 into which the microballoon 70 is inserted . the microballoon 70 when inserted in the compression chamber 94 assumes an elongated , deformed shape ( indicated by phantom lines 70 a in fig4 ). the extent of compression can vary . in the case of spherical microballoon 70 , it is preferable that the microballoon be compressed to 10 - 90 % of the expanded diameter . in one aspect , the microballoon is compressed to about 50 % of the expanded diameter . the injector 90 can be an elongated tubular member having a housing 100 and an open interior 104 . the compression chamber 94 can be formed in part by the housing 100 . the manner in which the microballoons 70 are loaded into the injector 90 can vary . a manipulator can be used to apply a mechanical force to the microballoons 70 to force them into the compression chamber 94 . in another aspect , a vacuum source is applied to a vacuum fitting 98 such that a sufficient force of vacuum is used to draw the microballoons 70 into the compression chamber 94 . suitable structure can be utilized to guide the microballoons 70 through an opening 108 in the second end 106 of the housing 100 . structure such as detachable funnel 112 can be provided to assist and direct the microballoon 70 b ( dashed lines in fig4 ) into the opening 108 . releasing structure is provided for releasing the microballoon 70 from the injector 90 into the subcutaneous pocket under a breast to permit the balloon to expand in the pocket to the second , expanded dimension . any suitable structure can be used . in one aspect , a plunger 116 is movable within the open interior 104 of the housing 100 . an actuating structure 120 such as an elongateed rod can extend through a suitable opening in the first end 102 of housing 100 . a head 124 can be provided to facilitate manipulation by hand . the microballoon is drawn into the injector 90 to the position shown by the microballoon 70 a using funnel 112 . in this position , the microballoon is in a first , compressed shape . the funnel 112 is then removed . the injector 90 is then inserted through the incision under the breast into the subcutaneous pocket 130 ( fig5 ). the releasing structure such as plunger 116 is then manipulated as by actuating structure 120 to push the microballoon 70 into the subcutaneous pocket 130 as shown in fig5 . the microballoon will then expand to the second , expanded dimension . the number of microballoons 70 that are implanted into the breast can vary . in one aspect , the number varies from about 3 to about 1000 . in another aspect , between about 50 and about 300 microballoons are implanted . the number will depend in part on the size of the patient , the amount of augmentation that is desired , and the shape and size of microballoons 70 . the microballoons 70 can be of the same size or different sizes . the plurality of microballoons 70 in the subcutaneous pocket 130 provides for a more natural shape and appearance . addtionally , because the microballoons 70 are free to move slightly within the subcutaneous pocket 130 , it is believed that the likelihood of severe scarring will be reduced . also , the microballoons 70 will more readily conform to the shape of the subcutaneous pocket 130 than does a larger implant . there is shown in fig6 - 11 , an alternative embodiment of a tissue dissector according to the invention . the tissue dissector 150 has an elongated main body portion 154 , having a proximal end 158 and a distal end 162 . a pair of dissecting arms 166 have first ends 168 and second ends 172 . the first ends 168 are pivotally mounted to the distal end 162 of the elongated main body portion 154 . the dissecting arms 166 have a first pivotal position ( fig6 ) in which the dissecting arms 166 are substantially juxtaposed . in a second pivotal position shown in fig7 , the dissecting arms 166 are separated . a flexible dissecting member 178 is connected substantially between the second ends 172 of the dissecting arms 166 . the dissecting member 178 is in an extended dissecting position when the dissecting arms 166 are in the second pivotal position shown in fig2 . actuating structure such as the squeeze grip 180 having a handle 184 and a movable grip lever 188 can be provided . suitable linkage can be provided such that movement of the grip lever 188 will cause the dissecting arms 166 to move from the first pivotal position to the second pivotal position . a biasing such as spring 192 can be provided to cause the dissecting arms 166 to return to the first pivotal position when the grip lever 188 is released . other actuating structure is possible . the dissecting member 178 can be comprised of a number of links 194 connected to junction members 196 . the links 194 are engaged to the junction members 196 through appropriate pins 198 or other suitable structure . the pins 198 permit each link 194 to pivot relative to the junction members 196 . in this manner , the dissecting member 178 is flexible and can be positioned from the position shown in fig6 to the position shown in fig7 . a distal link 200 permits the adjoining links 194 to pivot to the juxtaposed position shown in fig6 . the dissecting member 178 must not flex toward the distal end 162 of the elongated main body portion 154 during the tissue dissection operation . the junction members 196 are constructed so as to restrict inward flexing of the dissecting member 178 . the structure to prevent this flexing can take various forms and embodiments . in the embodiments shown in fig8 - 10 , the junction members 196 are provided with a stop 204 . adj acent links 194 have protrusions 208 which engage the stop 204 to prevent the inward flexing of the dissecting member 178 . similar protrusions 208 and stops 204 can be provided on other links 194 to prevent the inward flexing of the dissecting member 178 . pins 198 or other suitable structure can be provided to pivotally engage the links 194 to the junction members 196 . pins 198 can extend through suitable apertures 218 . a distal link 200 is constructed to permit positioning of the flexible member 178 in the juxtaposed and extended positions shown in fig6 - 7 . the components of the invention are preferably made of surgical grade materials such as plastics and stainless steel . various modifications will be apparent . this invention can be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof . accordingly , reference should be had to the following claims , rather than to the foregoing specification , as indicating the scope of the invention .	0
the provision of power installations at navigation dams without the need for coffer dams , excavation or new concrete structures can reduce costs by approximately half compared to conventional construction . installations of the type described herein are subject to rigorous operational criteria including weight limitations imposed by the existing crane and craneway , lifting elevations e above flood water elevations f and lifting reliability dictated by flood conditions , as well as a requirement that any new equipment which occupies the bulkhead slots must perform the emergency shut off function of the bulkheads originally intended for the bulkhead slots and rendered unusable by the presence of the new generating modules . as of the date of this patent application no movable array or matrix type turbine installations have ever been installed at the spillway of a navigation lock and dam in the united states due to the herein described challenging design criteria which this invention addresses in detail . in many locations most of the trash which cannot pass through the turbines is floating . even conventional power plants with large ( 7 or 8 meter runner diameter ) pit or bulb type turbines with coarse trash screens can lose electrical generation due to debris blockage . small turbines such as those associated with matrix or array arrangements have finer screens that are even more subject to trash blockage . the spillway gates 18 integral with the generating modules 28 disclosed herein eliminate the need to rake the floating debris , which can thus be simply passed over the top of the modules . a conventional trash rake 29 in its fully retracted position is shown in fig4 . in some cases the act of raking debris out of the water may result in a requirement that the plant operator remove the debris from the river then dispose of the debris at a land fill with certifications that it contains no hazardous waste , which could simply be pieces of pressure treated lumber . at most installations the modules must be taken out of service and raised out of the flow path due to seasonal and storm related flow increases . this may significantly impact annual power generation and project economics . the incorporation of waste gates 17 ( fig . 5 ) or spillway gates 18 allows the module to pass greater total flows and to remain in operation for a greater portion of each year . the average annual number of module lifting operations is also thereby reduced . careful configuration of the waste gate 17 and it &# 39 ; s spillway 8 b can reduce the effective tailwater elevation and increase turbine output by recovering a portion of the energy in the waste flow . referring to fig5 efficient energy recovery requires a smooth approach 8 c to the waste gate 17 followed by a smooth spillway surface 8 b and terminating at a draft tube lip 8 a . the energy benefit is derived from the conservation of momentum of the combined waste and turbine flows and from the waste stream acting as an extended diffuser surface for the underlying turbine flow . the low point 8 d of the draft tube lip 8 a provides the further benefit of allowing the draft tube to seal against air incursion under low tailwater conditions . the tailwater elevation is designated by the letter “ t .” the headwater elevation is designated by the letter “ h ”. an additional benefit of the waste gate approach surface 8 c is that it forms a portion of a horizontal cable way 9 which provides support to the turbine assemblies and facilitates electrical connection of the generators 1 . referring to fig5 there is shown a tubular structural support or column 10 extending from the cable duct 9 or from the equipment hallway 15 in fig9 . an upstream trash screen 12 and trash screen support members 11 are shown in fig5 and 9 . at the bottom of the support column 10 there may be a bearing pad 13 for transmitting loads to sill 24 which is preferably height adjustable . waste gate piers 14 provide a structural connection between draft tubes 4 , cable way 9 , and switch gear hallway 15 . a vertical columnar structure 19 is provided at each end of the module 28 to provide access to the module from each end , to provide a lifting point , and to provide access and mounting means for retractable bulkhead slot wheels or guide means 38 . a lifting lug or crane attachment means 20 is secured to each column 19 . a cable attachment or feed - through point 21 and associated recess 21 a in column 19 facilitate proper drooping of electrical cables 22 when the module 28 is raised . fig9 also shows a seal 23 across the bottom of the module 28 extending from pier to pier so as to balance the buoyancy and down - pull forces during use of the turbine module as an emergency closure device . preferably , the seal is configured so as to provide a distinct and stable flow separation edge . fig9 also shows turbine generator sets comprising generator 1 , guide vanes 2 , and runner 3 attached to a bulkhead assembly comprising access columns 19 , lifting points 20 , horizontal tubular structures 15 , 15 a , 15 b and 15 c , and draft tubes 4 . fig9 a shows the module being lowered into position as an emergency shut - off device . flow lines illustrate the manner in which water flows through the trash screen and beneath the module resulting in a stable flow separation edge at seal 23 without significant down - pull forces under the upstream portion of the module as is represented by the nearly full headwater pressure acting on module surfaces 28 a , 28 b and 28 c . air vent 39 prevents the detrimental formation of a vacuum downstream from seal edge 23 . as illustrated in fig9 the preferred method of electrical connection in the case of submerged individual generators is by means of wires 30 extending through support column 10 to circuit breaker 31 connected to bus bars 33 connected through access column 19 to cables 22 . fig1 shows a generating module in operating position incorporating a load - transfer frame 40 designed to limit deflection of the module in case of impact by a barge , for example . one or more load - transfer devices may be spaced along the length of each module . in the event of a large object striking the module , the load - transfer device 40 operates as a bumper to transfer the force to the radial gate 25 and thereby prevent damage to the module which could prevent raising the module or moving the radial gate . at some projects impact of loose uncontrolled shipping barges against the installed modules is a design consideration . a s described above in connection with fig1 , a bumper or load - transfer device 40 may be in corporated into the module structure in order to transfer loads to the radial gate at predetermined locations during such an event . such a bumper could alternatively be attached to the radial gate 25 . it should be noted that the term “ radial gate ” is used for convenience because most of the potential structures for the herein described installation utilize mostly radial gates . other types of preexisting gates downstream of the bulkhead slots may be utilized in an equivalent manner and the claims referring to radial gates are intended to be interpreted broadly to include other gates of equivalent function . a critical aspect of module hydraulic design is the elimination of any horizontal surfaces at a low elevation near the upstream end of the module . with flow under the module , such surfaces would be subject to approximately the full differential between headwater and tailwater . such a surface 12 feet long × 100 feet wide under 20 feet of head would be subject to a down pull of approximately 750 tons . this figure must be added to a module weight of perhaps 400 tons . the crane loads could be catastrophic under these conditions . referring to fig9 a , the open bottom of the trash screen enclosure permits free flow from above toward the sealing edge 23 of the module . the bottom face of the trash screen enclosure 34 may alternatively be covered with an expendable or articulated cover or with a trash screen . referring to fig9 water flow through the individual turbines may be started and stopped by means of a slide gate 29 or fixed wheel gate at the downstream end of each draft tube or vertical column of draft tubes . each such draft tube gate is preferably operated by one or more hydraulic cylinders located inside of or along side of the gate to provide an unobstructed water and debris flow path above . either the cylinder or the rod may be configured to move with the gate . referring to fig8 the sides 49 and 50 of the access column 19 are extended downward to secure the lowermost wheel assemblies 38 , while allowing water flow to the outermost turbine situated between sides 49 and 50 . access doors 52 are provided on the top and downstream faces of the module . in fig1 there is shown a module 28 in the raised position . also shown in operating position is an emergency lifting device 51 , positioned under the bulkhead service crane 16 . in fig1 there is shown an elevation view facing downstream showing the emergency lifting devices 51 in operating position with the module 28 in the fully raised position . fig1 is a detailed sectional elevation view of a module 28 in the raised position . multistrand jack 37 is mounted on jack support 40 and powered by hydraulic pump 41 . the jack support travels on rails 42 . referring to fig1 , an elevation view parallel to water flow , multi strand jack 37 sits atop jack support 40 . the device 43 for winding the strands is shown along with the hydraulic pump 41 mounted to working platform 44 which may be accessed by ladder 45 . located below the multi strand jack 37 is the connector 46 for the lifting strands 47 . the connector 46 is accessed through opening 48 . referring to fig1 , there is shown a top view of the emergency lifting device 51 , and the device 43 for winding the strands . referring to fig1 , an emergency lifting device is shown reconfigured to allow it to pass under the bulkhead service crane 16 . the multi strand jack 37 is shown adjacent to the device 43 for winding the strands 47 . the hydraulic pump 41 is shown on a separated portion of the jack support 40 . each separated portion of the support remains on rails 42 . other variants are possible without departing from the scope of this invention .	5
fig1 diagrammatically represents a decoy system 10 mounted on a supporting mast 12 , which is in turn fixed to a towing bar 14 which is attached to the front part of a vehicle 16 . as illustrated in fig2 , the supporting mast 12 can alternatively be fixed directly to the front of the vehicle 16 . the decoy system 10 is particularly suitable for making it possible , ahead of the passage of the vehicle 16 , to trip a mine or improvised explosive device laid on a road or buried . the distance separating the system 10 and the front of the vehicle 16 is sufficiently great to avoid destruction of the vehicle 16 when the mine or device explodes . as illustrated more visibly in fig3 , the decoy system 10 mainly includes a boiler 20 for the production of heat energy and an infrared radiation emission means 22 supplied with fluid by the boiler . the boiler 20 and the emission means 22 are fixed by any appropriate means to a supporting shielding 24 . the supporting shielding 24 includes clamping plates 26 and screws ( not represented ) for adjusting the position of and securing the system 10 on the mast 12 ( fig1 and 2 ). the emission means 22 is in a vertical position so as to be able to be detected by the sensor associated with the mine or explosive device . the boiler 20 is used to reheat a fluid , in this case air , and direct it to the means 22 for the purpose of the emission of radiations , in the infrared spectrum , likely to provoke the tripping of a mine or improvised explosive device . the boiler 20 is connected to a fuel tank 28 via a duct 30 . the boiler 20 includes a burner , a dosing pump and a ventilation means ( not represented ). the ventilation means sucks in air from an inlet opening 32 provided at a bottom end of the shielding 24 and expels it toward an exhaust duct 41 , after having mixed it with the fuel pumped from the tank 28 then passed through the burner . the reheated air at the outlet of the boiler 20 is conveyed by a duct 37 to feed the emission means 22 . as an indication , the boiler 20 can have a length of 550 mm , and a width and a thickness of 200 mm . in this embodiment , the boiler is of the air type . alternatively , it is , however , possible to provide a water boiler to feed the emission means 22 with heat energy . there now follows a description , with reference to fig4 , of the infrared radiation emission means 22 . the emission means 22 is represented here in cross section , the part of the emission means 22 not illustrated in the figure being identical to that which will be described . the emission means 22 includes a sealed chamber 34 provided internally with fins 36 a , 36 b arranged in the form of parallel successive rows , in this case twelve such rows . the chamber 34 is made of light alloy and here has a generally parallelepipedal shape . obviously , the chamber 34 could have a different overall shape . alternatively , it could also be possible to provide non - parallel fins . as an indication , the chamber 34 can have a height of 400 mm , a width of 800 mm and a thickness of 110 mm . the system 10 can have a weight of approximately 30 kg . the chamber 34 includes pairs of opposite edges 34 a , 34 b and 34 c , 34 d . in this figure , the emission means 22 is represented in a position that is assumed to be vertical . the edges 34 a , 34 b therefore respectively constitute top and bottom edges . the chamber 34 is fed with hot air via the duct 37 which extends from the boiler 20 and is fixedly mounted inside a feed orifice 38 provided in the top edge 34 a . as indicated previously , the horizontal internal fins 36 a , 36 b are arranged in the form of parallel successive rows . the vertical spacing provided between two immediately adjacent rows of fins is constant . the fins 36 a , 36 b extend between the edges 34 c and 34 d , being parallel to the edges 34 a and 34 b . the fins 36 a , 36 b of the first row situated in the vicinity of the duct 37 occupy substantially most of the width of the chamber 34 between the edges 34 c , 34 d . a first fin 36 a of this row extends from the edge 34 c to the vicinity of an area situated in the extension of the duct 37 , i . e . facing the feed orifice 38 . the second fin 36 b extends horizontally in the extension of the first fin 36 a while being laterally offset relative to the latter until it reaches the vicinity of the edge 34 d , while allowing a small space to remain between it and said edge . the fins 36 a , 36 b of the first row are separated from one another so as to delimit a space 40 situated facing the feed orifice 38 . the lateral dimension of the space 40 is substantially equal to the diameter of the feed orifice 38 . the space 40 allows the air inlet flow to be directed to the subsequent rows of fins 36 a , 36 b . downstream of the first row , using the direction of circulation of the air inside the chamber 34 as a reference , the second row includes a fin 36 a extending from the edge 34 c . the fin 36 a of the second row has a length slightly greater than that of the fin 36 a of the first row . the fin 36 b of the second row has a length identical to that of the first row while , however , being offset toward the fin 36 a of the second row so that the space 40 between fins of that row is slightly less than that of the first row . thus , a greater space is provided between the fin 36 b of the second row and the edge 34 d . the arrangement of each of the subsequent rows of fins relative to the immediately preceding row is similar to that of the second row with respect to the first row . thus , the space 40 between the fins 36 a , 36 b of one and the same row gradually decreases with distance away from the feed orifice 38 so that , for the last row of fins 36 a and 36 b situated in proximity to the bottom edge 34 b , the space between the two fins is almost zero . the space between the fin 36 b of this last row and the edge 34 d is substantially equal to the diameter of an outlet orifice 39 provided in the thickness of the bottom edge 34 b in the vicinity of the edge 34 d . the applicant has determined that the provision of a space 40 between fins that has a general v shape and decreases with distance away from the feed orifice 38 allows for a better distribution of the heat inside the chamber 34 . thus , a relatively uniform temperature of the chamber 34 is obtained . the fins 36 a , 36 b of the different rows are arranged perpendicularly to the direction of flow of the air at the outlet of the duct 37 so as to retain this air flow within the chamber 34 while progressively orienting it toward the outlet orifice 39 . the arrangement of the internal fins 36 a , 36 b in the chamber 34 tends to favor the concentration of heat inside the latter so as to facilitate the emission of an infrared radiation that is substantially greater than the ambient infrared radiation . the appearance of a hot area or spot that can be detected by a mine or improvised explosive device is thus obtained . obviously , it could be possible to provide a different arrangement of the fins 36 a , 36 b also tending to favor the concentration of heat . furthermore , so as to limit the heat dissipation by the emission means 22 , the outer walls of the chamber 34 are substantially smooth , i . e . without any fins or other means favoring the evacuation of heat . to adjust the hot air flow rate at the outlet from the chamber 34 , the latter includes a valve 42 , the position of which can be modified manually or mechanically , for example as a function of the outside temperature , so as to vary the degree of opening of the outlet orifice 39 . alternatively , it is possible not to provide such a valve . in a variant embodiment , it is also possible to provide a closed circuit mode of operation of the system . to this end , the chamber 34 includes , instead of the outlet orifice 39 or in association with said orifice and its closing valve 42 , a recirculation duct communicating with the inside of the chamber and reinjecting the hot air , or water , obtained from the chamber inside the boiler . such a closed circuit mode of operation is possible by virtue of the use of an air or water boiler . the exhaust duct 41 for the gases from the boiler 20 snakes up and down inside the chamber 34 . the exhaust duct 41 extends through the top edge 34 a in the vicinity of the duct 37 and discharges through the bottom edge 34 b in proximity to the outlet orifice 39 . the exhaust duct 41 participates in the raising of the temperature of the chamber 34 when the system 10 is started up , thus helping to reduce the time needed for the emission of the desired infrared radiation . referring once again to fig3 , the decoy system 10 also includes a control unit 46 fixed to the shielding 24 and controlling the operation of the boiler 20 as a function of the infrared radiation to be emitted . to this end , the system 10 includes a temperature sensor 48 mounted in the duct 37 and able to measure the temperature of the hot air at the outlet of the boiler 20 which is conveyed to the chamber 34 . the system 10 also includes a temperature sensor 50 mounted on the shielding 24 between the inlet opening 32 and the inlet of the boiler 20 so as to measure the temperature of the outside air that is directed toward said boiler . the temperature sensors 48 , 50 are connected to the control unit 46 via connections 52 , 54 that are diagrammatically illustrated as dotted lines . the control unit 46 includes , stored in memory , all the hardware and software means that make it possible to control the operation of the boiler 20 on the basis of measurements made by the sensors 48 , 50 . in this respect , the control unit 46 determines the difference between the temperature of the hot air entering into the chamber 34 and the outside temperature , and compares it to a predetermined threshold value . if the temperature difference is below the threshold value , an alarm signal that can be visual or audible is triggered by the control unit 46 to signal a failure of the operation of the boiler 20 . as a variant , the control unit 46 can drive the operation of the boiler 20 so as to maintain the difference between the temperature of the hot air entering into the chamber 34 and the outside temperature at a fixed value . in the embodiment described , the operation of the boiler is controlled and / or driven on the basis of the temperature measurements of the hot air introduced into the chamber 34 and of the outside air . it will be understood that it is also possible , without departing from the framework of the invention , to provide for the mounting of one or more temperature sensors directly inside the chamber 34 replacing the temperature sensor of the hot air mounted in the duct 37 . in the case of a plurality of temperature sensors mounted in the chamber 34 in different places , it is possible to provide for the control unit 46 to calculate an average of the measured temperatures in order to obtain a value representative of the temperature of the walls of the chamber 34 . in a variant embodiment , it is also possible to determine the temperature of the chamber 34 by means of charts or maps stored in the control unit 46 and obtained from previous trials on the basis of temperature measurements on the hot air introduced inside the latter , of the temperature of the outside air , and of the speed of the vehicle 16 to which the system 10 is attached . alternatively , it is also possible to provide for the control unit 46 to drive the operation of the boiler 20 , and therefore that of the emission means 22 , only as a function of the temperature of the chamber 34 determined by the sensor or sensors , i . e ., without considering the temperature of the outside air . in the embodiments described , the sensor or sensors provided for measuring the temperature of the hot air in the duct 37 or in the chamber 34 are temperature sensors . alternatively , to measure the temperature of the chamber 34 or of the air inside the duct 37 , it could be possible to provide a thermal analysis infrared sensor able to detect the infrared radiation emitted and convert it into an electrical signal in order for the control unit 46 to determine the temperature of the chamber 34 or of the air inside the duct 37 . when the system 10 is intended for use at altitude , for example above 1500 meters , it is possible to provide , in addition , an atmospheric pressure sensor ( not represented ) mounted on the shielding 24 and directly connected to the boiler so as to be able to regulate its combustion according to the density of the air to be burned , which reduces with altitude . the means 22 makes it possible to obtain , continuously , at the level of the chamber 34 , a temperature substantially greater than that which can be obtained with other technologies with comparable supplied energy , which makes it possible to generate a significant temperature difference with the outside temperature so as to be able to be detected equally by a mine arranged at the roadside and by an improvised explosive device , and to do so even when the speed of displacement of the vehicle 16 is relatively high , of the order of 50 kilometers per hour . furthermore , with the system 10 , a relatively short temperature rise time of the chamber 34 is obtained and the system can operate autonomously for several tens of hours at a stretch . it is , moreover , relatively compact and lightweight . in the application described , the system 10 is pushed by a following vehicle 16 . it will easily be understood that this vehicle 16 can be a transport vehicle or else a remotely - operated vehicle . as indicated previously , the system 10 is particularly suitable for the decoying of mines or improvised explosive devices . the system can , however , be used for other applications , for example for decoying infrared airborne missiles . further modifications and alternative embodiments of various aspects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this description . accordingly , this description is to be construed as illustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the general manner of carrying out the invention . it is to be understood that the forms of the invention shown and described herein are to be taken as examples of embodiments . elements and materials may be substituted for those illustrated and described herein , parts and processes may be reversed , and certain features of the invention may be utilized independently , all as would be apparent to one skilled in the art after having the benefit of this description of the invention . changes may be made in the elements described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the following claims .	5
referring to the figures , fig2 shows a cross - section of a fishing reel with a friction drag means which , in general configuration and many component parts , is known in the prior art . see , for example , fig2 of the f . s . griste pat . no . 3 , 425 , 644 . however , in this device , i have replaced the preset drag mechanism shown in the griste patent with a cartridge - type preset drag mechanism . both in the prior art and this application , there is a drag washer shown in fig2 at 10 mounted on the left with a space of approximately 0 . 030 inch between the drag washer 10 and the drag plate 12 ( which is fixedly attached to the left end of the spool 14 ). the spool is mounted on a main shaft 16 supported by bearings 18 and 20 . the whole spool and shaft mechanism can be moved to the left to close the gap between the drag washer and drag plate in order to impose a resistance to the turning of the spool , and thus the playing out of the line from the spool . in the condition shown in fig2 the drag mechanism is in the free spool condition , that is , there is no drag imposed between the drag washer and drag plate . this condition can be changed by rotating or &# 34 ; throwing &# 34 ; the drag lever ( such as that shown in the prior art fig2 at 75 ). as shown in fig3 thereof , the drag lever engages lugs 72 on the end plate of the cam 68 . as the cam rotates about the shaft , the pins 65 ride out of the notches 69 and continue to ride on the cam surfaces 70 , thus forcing the bearing carrier 61 axially to the left . as the bearing carrier moves , it moves the bearing positioning head 63 and bearing 60 and moves them to the left , thus causing the entire mechanism to move to the left and impose the drag . in addition , the adjusting knob 92 ( which has a tab 95 positioned in the slot 64 of the bearing positioning head 63 ), can be rotated so that the bearing positioning head 63 pushes upon the bearing 60 and moves it to the left as aforesaid . this is accomplished because the bearing positioning head is in threaded engagement with one end of the bearing carrier 61 and thus as the bearining positioning head is rotated , the bearing carrier will translate axially . by so doing , the drag can be preset . however , in this prior art device , you cannot pre - load the belleville springs 40 fig2 that are positioned ahead of the bearing 34 . furthermore , there are no springs ahead of the bearing 60 , fig2 . in my invention , the drag knob tab 95 engages a preset screw 22 in a cartridge 24 . in the preferred embodiment , it is not necessary to have the bearing / spring cup 26 as described more fully herein after . rather , that cup can be dispensed with and the bearing 60 fig5 can be mounted within the cartridge 24 . the retaining ring 28 extends radially inwardly beyond the opening in the cartridge 24 to retain the bearing 60 within the cartridge 24 . the belleville springs 30 impinge directly upon the bearing surface as shown . in an alternate embodiment , within the cartridge 24 , i provide a cylindrical bearing / spring retaining cup 26 . it is retained within the cartridge 24 by a retaining ring 28 which is fixedly attached to cartridge 24 and extends beyond the opening in the cartridge to interfere with the bearing / spring cup 26 and extends radially inwardly as aforesaid to prevent the cup 26 from exiting from the cartridge ( as shown in fig2 ). the left end of the bearing / spring cup comprises a holder for retaining the outer race of the bearing 60 . the inner shoulder of the bearing / spring cup impinges upon the radial surface of the bearing 60 ( as clearly shown ) such that when the bearing / spring cup moves to the left , it will move the bearing . this is an optional arrangement . the other axial portion of the bearing / spring cup 26 comprises a cylindrical well in which washers or belleville springs 30 are positioned . the right most one of these springs impinges upon a shoulder on the preset screw 22 . since the preset screw 22 is axially threaded in the cartridge 24 , rotation of the drag knob 92 will cause axial movement of the preset screw 22 . if that movement is to the left , when viewed as in fig2 the belleville springs 30 will be partially collapsed . thus , it will be seen that no matter how much the preset screw is turned and force is applied to the belleville springs , free spool cannot be lost when the device is in the free spool position . by placing the springs in a separate housing which retains the springs , the springs are directly preloaded by the preset screw 22 . whereas , in a prior art lever drag preset reel adjustment in drag range is made by varying the initial clearances between the drag members . this is shown in the griste &# 39 ; 644 patent wherein that initial clearance can be varied by turning the preset knob and thereby advancing the bearing from right to left . my design does not change this initial clearance , as it does not advance the bearing to close the drag gap . rather , in operation as the preset screw is tightened , it squeezes the belleville springs , but does not move the bearing 60 . when the drag lever is thrown the cam follower moves towards the left . the cartridge and the bearing 60 also move to the left ; until the gap between the drag plates is closed . at this point , the bearing and bearing cup stop axial movement . the cartridge housing 24 and preset screw 22 may continue to move axially . the bearing cup 26 is free to move within the cartridge housing 24 . this may cause the belleville springs to be even further compressed , thus increasing the drag force . the cartridge is keyed to the right side plate to prevent rotation in the event that the bearing freezes - up . one will always lose free spool by moving the drag lever , but not by turning the preset knob . thus , one can set drag at strike to a certain amount , and then tighten the preset knob to increase it . in that event , the force of the shaft and bearings is against the belleville springs and would affect the position of bearing 60 within the cartridge . there are several benefits to this . first , clearance between the drag washer and drag plate can be minimized , thus minimizing spool movement . second , main shaft movement is also minimized , thus allowing for thinner gears ; which are lighter and cheaper to make . third , the &# 34 ; click &# 34 ; operation is more consistent . this is due to less spool movement , i . e ., the distance from the click plate and the click pin changes less .	0
before the description of the preferred embodiment , a prior art impurity diffusion simulation method will be explained with reference to fig1 , 3a , 3b , 3c , 3d , 3e , 4a , 4b , 5a , 5b and 6 . in fig1 which illustrates a prior art simulation system , the simulation system is comprised of a simulation performing apparatus 1 such as a computer , an input unit 2 for inputting simulation initial values such as the thickness of a natural silicon oxide layer , a kind of impurity and so on , and an output unit 3 for outputting a simulation result and so on . the simulation performing apparatus 1 is comprised of a central processing unit ( cpu ), a read - only memory ( rom ), a random access memory ( ram ), and the like , fig2 is a flowchart showing a prior art impurity diffusion simulating method carried out by the simulation performing apparatus 1 of fig1 ( see the d . a antoniadis document ). in fig2 boron as impurity is implanted into silicon with oxidation , and a one - dimensional mesh is provided within a simulation region in this case , note that each element of the one - dimensional mesh is defined by a mesh point and a control region of the mesh point . also , a boundary between two control regions is defined by a middle point of two mesh points of the two control regions . also , in fig3 a through 3e , the abscissa designates a depth , and the ordinate designates a boron concentration c . further , as shown in fig3 a through 3e , the positions indicated by the mesh points p 1 , p 2 , . . . in the ordinate are discretely representative of boron concentrations of their respective control regions . first , at step 201 , an initial state as shown in fig3 a is set . that is , mesh points p 1 , p 2 and p 3 are set within a s i o 2 layer which is , in this case , a natural silicon oxide layer , and mesh points p 11 , p 12 , p 13 , p 14 , . . . are set within a si substrate . in this case , the mesh point p 1 is located on the surface of the sio 2 layer , and the mesh point p 3 is located at an interface if between the sio 2 layer and the si substrate . also , the mesh point p 11 , is located at the interface if . in fig3 a , note that the boron concentration at the mesh point p 3 having a control region in the sio 2 layer is different from the boron concentration at the mesh point p 11 having a control region in the si layer , due to the segregation of impurity at the interface if created due to the difference in chemical potential between sio 2 and si . next , at step 202 , when assuming that the si substrate is oxidized by oxygen , so that a part of the si layer become silicon oxide , i . e ., the sio 2 layer grows , the interface between the sio 2 layer and the si substrate is moved to a location as indicated by if &# 39 ; in fig3 b . the distance d1 between the old interface if and the new interface if &# 39 ; can be calculated by an analytical formula using the thickness and temperature of the sio 2 layer and the oxygen concentration of oxygen atmosphere , or by a diffusion equation of oxygen within the sio 2 layer and a reaction equation of oxygen and silicon at an interface therebetween . then , the mesh p 11 on the side of si is converted into a mesh p 3 &# 39 ; on the side of sio 2 . also , mesh points p 4 and p 11 &# 39 ; are set at the new interface if &# 39 ;. in this case , the mesh point p 4 has a control region in the sio 2 layer , and the mesh point p 11 has a control region in the si substrate . in this case , since segregation of impurity has not been generated at the new interface if &# 39 ; yet , the impurity concentration at the mesh point p 4 is the same as that at the mesh point p 11 &# 39 ;. next , at step 203 , when silicon is converted into silicon oxide , the volume of the device is expanded that is , the old interface if is retarded toward the surface of the device indicated by a distance d2 in fig3 c . in this case , it is assumed that no impurity flows through the interfaces if and if &# 39 ;. therefore , since the amount of impurities between the interfaces if and if &# 39 ; as indicated by a right - handed shaded portion in fig3 c is the amount of impurities between the interfaces if and if &# 39 ; as indicated by a right - handed shaded portion in fig3 b , the impurity concentration at the mesh point p 3 &# 39 ; and the impurity concentration at the mesh point p 4 are both reduced . next , at step 204 , the old interface if is abolished . that is , as shown in fig3 d , the mesh point p 3 &# 39 ; is abolished , and the impurity concentration at the mesh point p 3 is reduced . in this case , the amount of impurities of the control region belonging to the mesh point p 3 indicated by a left - handed shaded portion in fig3 c and the control region belonging to the mesh point p 3 &# 39 ; indicated by a cross - hatched portion in fig3 c are the same as that indicated by a left - handed shaded portion in fig3 d . next , at step 205 , an impurity concentration c is calculated by the following diffusion equation : d is a diffusion constant of impurities . concretely , each impurity concentration of the mesh points is calculated with reference to fig3 e . in fig . 3e , note that the mesh point p 11 &# 39 ; of fig3 d is denoted simply by p 11 , and &# 34 ; n &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; n - 1 &# 34 ; for showing times are omitted to simplify the description . δx i is a length of the control region belonging to the mesh point p i ; c ox , i ( n ) is an impurity concentration of the mesh point p i within the sio 2 layer at the current time ( t = nδt ); c ox , i ( n - 1 ) is an impurity concentration of the mesh point p i within the sio 2 layer at a previous time ( t =( n - 1 ) δt ); c s1 , i ( n ) is an impurity concentration of the mesh point p i within the si substrate at the current time ; c s1 , i ( n - 1 ) is an impurity concentration of the mesh point p i within the si substrate at the previous time ; f a ( n ) is an impurity transport flux at the surface of the sio 2 layer from the atmosphere to the sio 2 layer at the current time and is represented by where h a is an impurity transport coefficient from the oxygen atmosphere to the control region belonging to the mesh point p 1 ; f d , ox , i , i + 1 ( n ) is an impurity transport flux from the control region belonging to the mesh point p i to the control region belonging to the mesh point p i + 1 within the sio 2 layer and is represented by where d ox is an impurity diffusion coefficient within the s i o 2 layer ; f d , si , i , i + 1 ( n ) is an impurity transport flux from the control region belonging to the mesh point p i to the control region belonging to the mesh point p i + 1 within the s i substrate and is represented by f . sub . d , si , i , i + 1 ( n )= 2d . sub . si ( c . sub . si , i ( n )- c . sub . si , i + 1 ( n ))/( δx . sub . i + δx . sub . i + 1 ) ( 4 ) where d si is an impurity diffusion coefficient within the si substrate ; f b ( n ) is an impurity transport flux by the motion of the sio 2 / si interface and is represented by where v ox is a motion speed of the sio 2 / si interface , δt b is a time from a timing when he sio 2 / si interface enters into the control region belonging to the mesh point p x1 to the current time , and f s ( n ) is an impurity transport flux by impurity segregation at the sio 2 / si interface at the current time and is represented by where h s is an impurity transport coefficient from the sio 2 layer to the si substrate , and m is a segregation coefficient at the si0 2 / si interface . for the mesh point p 1 at the surface of the sio 2 layer , the diffusion equation ( 1 ) is represented by ( c . sub . ox , 1 ( n )- c . sub . ox , 1 ( n - 1 ))/ δt =( f . sub . a ( n )- f . sub . d , ox 1 , 2 ( n ))/ δx . sub . 1 ( 7 ) for the mesh point p 2 within the sio 2 layer , the diffusion equation ( 1 ) is represented by for the mesh point p 3 within the sio 2 layer , the diffusion equation ( 1 ) is represented by for the mesh point p 4 at the interface of the sio 2 layer and the si substrate on the side of the sio 2 layer , the diffusion equation ( 1 ) is represented by for the mesh point p 11 at the interface of the sio 2 layer and the si substrate on the side of the si substrate , the diffusion equation ( 1 ) is represented by for the mesh point p 12 within the si substrate , the diffusion equation ( 1 ) is represented by for the mesh point p 13 within the si substrate , the diffusion equation ( 1 ) is represented by for the mesh point p 14 within the si substrate , the diffusion equation ( 1 ) is represented by the simultaneous linear equations ( 7 ) through ( 14 ) including the linear equations ( 2 ) through ( 6 ) can be easily solved to obtain the impurity concentrations c ox , 1 ( n ), c ox , 2 ( n ), . . . , c si , 11 ( n ), c si , 12 ( n ), . . . next , at step 206 , a time period t is incremented by next , at step 207 , it is determined whether or not the total time period n - δt reaches a predetermined time period . as a result , if the predetermined time period has passed , the control proceeds to step 208 . otherwise , the control returns to step 202 , thus repeating the above - mentioned operations at steps 202 to 206 . at step 208 , a simulation result is outputted to the output unit 3 . then , the routine of fig2 is completed by step 209 . in the above - described prior art impurity diffusion simulation method , the impurity transport flux f b by the motion of the s i o 2 / si interface is introduced , so that the effect of the impurity segregation at the sio 2 / si interface can extend over a region where silicon oxide grows , thus enhancing the transport of impurities within this region . that is , if the impurity diffusion simulation method is carried out without introducing the impurity transport flux f b , since the fluxes f s and f b are larger than the flux f d , ox , 3 , 4 , the segregation effect of impurities such as borons generates only at the sio 2 / si interface , so that the impurity concentration is spiked at the sio 2 / si interface as shown in fig4 a and 4b , which is not close to a practical impurity concentration distribution . in this case , note that the simulation result is further away from the practical impurity concentration distribution as the simulation is advanced . contrary to this , if the impurity diffusion simulation method is carried out with introduction of the impurity transport flux f b , the impurity concentration can be obtained as shown in fig5 a and 5b which is close to the practical impurity concentration distribution . in the above - described prior art impurity diffusion simulation method , however , since the impurity transport flux f b is defined only between the mesh point p 4 at the new sio 2 / si interface if &# 39 ; and the mesh point p 3 within the sio 2 layer adjacent to the mesh point p 4 , the distance d1 between the old sio 2 / si interface if and the new sio 2 / si interface if &# 39 ; determined by the time period δt is limited , since no additional mesh point is set between the old sio 2 / si interface if and the new sio 2 / si interface if &# 39 ;. note that , if a mesh point is set between the old sio 2 / si interface if and the new sio 2 / si interface if &# 39 ;, since no impurity transport flux f b is introduced between this set mesh point and the mesh point on the new sio 2 / si interface if &# 39 ;, adjacent to this set mesh point , a similar spike as shown in fig4 b also appears in the impurity concentration . also , if the distance d1 between the old sio 2 / si interface if and the new sio 2 / si interface if &# 39 ; is sufficiently small , no problem occurs , which , however , increases the simulation time . contrary to this , if the spacing between the mesh points is increased to enlarge the distance d1 between the old sio 2 / si interface if and the new sio 2 / si interface if &# 39 ;, the accuracy of the impurity concentration distribution is reduced . in addition , the above - described prior art impurity diffusion simulation method cannot be applied to a two - dimensional or three - dimensional impurity diffusion case . that is , each impurity transport flux f b by the interface motion is defined along one branch linking two mesh points . therefore , in a one - dimensional impurity diffusion case , a direction of each impurity transport flux f b always coincides with a direction of a row of mesh points , i . e ., a motion direction of the sio 2 / si interface . contrary to this , in a two - dimensional impurity diffusion case as shown in fig6 since a triangular mesh configuration is adopted , a direction of each impurity transport flux f b along one mesh branch does not always coincide with a motion direction of the sio 2 / si interface . therefore , an adequate approximation technique has to be adopted to define each impurity transport flux f b . otherwise , the simulation result becomes inaccurate . in fig7 which illustrates a first embodiment of the present invention , step 205 of fig2 is modified into step 205 &# 39 ; where each impurity concentration of the mesh - points is calculated with reference to fig8 . note that fig8 corresponds to fig3 e . in fig8 a transition region tr is set between the old sio 2 / si interface if and the new sio 2 / si interface if &# 39 ;, and impurity concentrations at the boundary and within the transition region tr are denoted by c tr , 3 and c tr , 4 , for example . note that the number of control regions within the transition region tr can be more than 2 . also , in fig8 instead of the impurity transport flux f d , ox , 3 , 4 ( n ) and the impurity transport flux f b ( n ) of fig3 e , an impurity tremsport flux f d , tr , 3 , 4 ( n ) is introduced between the control region belonging to the mesh point p 3 and the control region belonging to the mesh point p 4 within the transition region tr and is generally represented by where d tr is an impurity diffusion coefficient within the transition region tr , which will be explained later . in this case , note that , if the number of control regions within the transition region tr is more than 2 , more than one impurity transport flux f d , tr , i , i + 1 ( n ) is introduced into the transition region tr . also , the equation ( 6 ) is replaced by at step 205 &# 39 ; of fig7 for the mesh points p 1 , p 2 , p 11 , p 12 , p 13 and p 14 , the diffusion equation ( 1 ) is represented by the equations ( 7 ), ( 8 ), ( 11 ), ( 12 ), ( 13 ) and ( 14 ), respectively , in the same way as at step 205 of fig2 . also , for the mesh point p 3 at the boundary between the sio 2 layer and the transition region tr , the diffusion equation ( 1 ) is represented by further , for the mesh point p 4 within the transition region tr adjacent to the si substrate , the diffusion equation ( 1 ) is represented by note that , for a mesh point p i within the transition region tr which is not adjacent to the sio 2 layer and the si substrate , the diffusion equation ( 1 ) can be represented by the impurity diffusion coefficient d tr is preset to satisfy a condition that the magnitude of the impurity transport flux f d , tr , i , i + 1 ( n ) such as f d , tr , 3 , 4 ( n ) is close to be the magnitude of the impurity transport flux f b ( n ) of fig3 e . for example , the impurity diffusion coefficient d tr defined by the equation ( 16 ) can satisfy the equations ( 17 ) and ( 18 ). the impurity diffusion coefficient d tr can be preset to satisfy a condition that the magnitude of the impurity transport flux f d , tr , i , i + 1 ( n ) such as f d , tr , 3 , 4 ( n ) is close to the magnitude of the impurity transport flux f s ( n ). for example , in view of the equations ( 16 ) and ( 19 ), the impurity diffusion coefficient d tr can be defined by the simultaneous linear equations ( 7 ), ( 8 ), ( 9 )&# 39 ;, ( 10 )&# 39 ;, ( 11 ) through ( 14 ) including the linear equations ( 2 ) through ( 5 ), ( 6 )&# 39 ; and ( 15 ) can be easily solved to obtain the impurity concentrations c ox , 1 ( n ), c ox , 2 ( n ), c tr , 3 ( n ), c tr , 4 ( n ), c si , 11 ( n ), c si , 12 ( n ), . . . as explained hereinabove , according to the present invention , since additional mesh points can be set between an old interface and a new interface , the distance between the old interface and the new interface per unit time period is not limited . in addition , since impurity transport within the old interface and the new interface is defined by impurity diffusion fluxes between control regions set in the old interface and the new interface , the impurity diffusion simulation method according to the present invention can be applied to a multi - dimensional impurity diffusion case .	6
the polyhydric alcohols used for the process according to the invention are for example and desirably ethane - 1 , 2 - diol , propane - 1 , 2 - and 1 , 3 - diol , butane - 1 , 2 -, - 1 , 3 -, - 1 , 4 - and - 2 , 3 - diol , glycerine , trimethylolmethane , - ethane and - propane , neopentylglycol , erythritols , pentaerythritol , di - and polypentaerythritols , pentitols such as arabitol and xylitol , hexitols such as mannitol and sorbitol innositols , dihydroxybenzols and 2 , 3 - dimethylol - 1 , 3 - dihydroxybenzol as well as mixtures thereof . in many cases the combinations of the phosphoric acid esters or ester mixtures produced in accordance with the invention , with polyvinyl amine or polyethylene imine , are found to be advantageous in particular for further use for the production of flame - proofing finishes . melamine and guanidine salts of the phosphoric acid esters are found to be suitable , in combination with the phosphoric acid esters produced in accordance with the invention . those additives are thermally stable and can therefore be incorporated into melted - on plastic materials . methylol melamines and the precondensates thereof can also be combined with the phosphoric acid esters produced in accordance with the invention and used to produce flame - inhibiting treatments . for example phenol , melamine or urea formaldehyde resins , polyacrylate or polyvinyl acetate dispersions or epoxy resins are suitable as binding agents for the flame - proofing treatment . preferably the phosphoric acid esters or mixtures produced in accordance with the invention are used for the production of a flame - proofing treatment of or finish on laminate composite materials . laminate composite materials are used in many sectors as in the packaging sector , in the domestic , sporting , technological and building areas but also in aircraft , automobile and apparatus engineering , in cooling technology and in relation to highly stressed machine parts . the large number of possible forms and number of conceivable combinations of starting materials afford a wide spectrum in terms of areas of use . primarily wood , metals , glass as well as inorganic and organic polymers fall to be considered as constituents of such laminate composite materials . the laminate composite systems also include laminates of the most widely varying kinds , moulded laminate material , corrugated cardboard or fibreboard , packaging crepe , thermal wallpapers , roof insulations , non - woven fabric combinations involving the most widely varying kinds of stabilisation , sandwich components , lined or coated textiles , cable sheathings and many others . the binding agents used for fixing the phosphoric acid esters and mixtures produced in accordance with the invention can also be used at the same time as binding agents for the lamination of various materials . for the production of laminates the carrier or backing materials can be impregnated by dipping or lacquering or coating and hardened for example at temperatures of between 100 and 200 ° c . in presses . when using the phosphoric acid esters or mixtures produced in accordance with the invention for flame - proofing treatments desirably between 10 and 40 % of the phosphoric acid esters or mixtures is added to the binding agent system . the additional amounts of binding agent can be reduced by pre - impregnation of the carrier material . optimum flame - proofing is achieved if both the carrier material and also the cover layers of the composite material contain the phosphoric acid esters or mixtures thereof which are produced in accordance with the invention . non - woven fabrics comprising inorganic or organic fibres or mixtures thereof are desirably sprayed prior to stabilisation thereof with solutions of the phosphoric acid esters or phosphoric acid ester mixtures or with mixtures of binding agent resin and phosphoric acid ester , laid and stabilised . the flame - proofing compositions produced from the phosphoric acid esters and mixtures which are produced in accordance with the invention afford the advantages that the flammability of the composite systems is reduced , flame formation and development is inhibited , flame propagation and spread is restricted , the predetermined structures , their integrity and function are maintained in the fire situation , a protective layer is produced which protects articles or components disposed therebeneath from the effect of flame and the development of combustible gases is prevented and in a fire situation no additional gases are produced from the composition . in order that the invention may be more readily understood , reference is made to the following examples , which are intended to be illustrative of the invention but are not intended to be limiting in scope . 500 g of ethylene glycol diphosphoric acid monoester is placed in a round - bottom flask with a useful content of 1 liter , which is provided with an agitator , a thermometer , a reflux condenser and a dropping funnel . 142 g of phosphorus pentoxide is introduced therein with agitation at ambient temperature and suspended . a mixture comprising 52 g of ethylene glycol and 18 g of water can then be slowly added by dropping , with the temperature in the reaction vessel being maintained below 60 ° c . when the prescribed amount of ethylene glycol / water mixture is added , the temperature is raised to between 120 and 130 ° c . and agitation is effected at that temperature until a clear fluid is produced . after the mixture has been cooled to ambient temperature the increase in mass in terms of ethylene glycol diphosphoric acid monoester ( 222 g ) is removed before the next reaction is begun . 500 g of pentaerythritol tetraphosphoric acid monoester is disposed in the same apparatus as described in example 1 . because of the viscosity of that substance , it is firstly heated with agitation to a temperature of between 80 and 90 ° c . when that temperature is reached 142 g of phosphorus pentoxide is added and suspended with agitation . a pasty mixture comprising 68 g of pentaerythritol and 18 g of water is then added in a portion - wise manner . when everything has been added , the temperature is raised to 150 ° c . and agitation is effected at that temperature until a clear fluid is produced . after cooling to about 80 ° c . the resulting amount of pentaerythritol tetraphosphoric acid monoester ( 228 g ) is removed . a fresh reaction can thereafter be begun . an installation comprising a steam - heated vessel of a capacity of 350 l , of high - quality steel , which is equipped with an agitator , is filled with 220 kg of phosphoric acid partially mixed ester . the mixed ester involved is heated to between 80 and 90 ° c . and then 105 kg of phosphorus pentoxide is added and suspended in the mixed ester . a suspension of 78 kg of pentaerythritol in 47 kg of ethylene glycol is then slowly added to the ester / phosphorus pentoxide mixture . in that operation the temperature rises to between about 105 and 110 ° c . after everything has been added the temperature is raised to 130 ° c . after an agitation time of 3 hours , a clear fluid has been formed . the mass is now cooled to about 80 ° c . and the increase of mass of 230 kg of phosphoric acid partially mixed ester is removed . the mixed ester removed comprises primary and secondary esters of orthophosphoric acid . a fresh esterification operation can then be begun . a carrier material comprising a plurality of layers of paper and two cover sheets of glass fibre cloth is impregnated with a 1 : 1 - mixture comprising a 30 % melamine resin solution and a 70 % phosphoric acid ester solution , produced from phosphorus pentoxide , glycol and pentaerythritol in accordance with example 3 and pressed out by way of a squeeze roller in such a way that there is a dressing coating of around 130 %. the material is dried in a circulating air drying cabinet at 40 ° c . hardening is then effected in a heating press at 140 ° c . and at between 40 and 60 bars . the pressed laminate material obtained in that way satisfies the vo - conditions in the combustion test in accordance with ul94 . a honeycomb panel of nomex paper is dipped into a mixture comprising a 25 % solution of a melamine resin with a 75 % phosphoric acid ester solution ( mixing ration of 5 : 2 ), and excess resin solution is removed by centrifuging so that a finishing coating of around 100 % remains behind . drying is then effected followed by hardening for 30 minutes at between 100 and 120 ° c . the patterns satisfy the requirements of the osu - test in regard to heat development and the conditions of the mil - std 401 b - test . a loose mixed non - woven fabric of cellulose and acrylonitrile fibres , which is between 5 and 10 mm in thickness , is sprayed with a 1 : 1 mixture comprising a urea solution and a phosphoric acid ester solution ( 40 % in each case ), produced from phosphorus pentoxide , neopentyl glycol and pentaerythritol in a mixing ratio of 1 : 2 . 0 : 0 . 75 so as to involve a degree of absorption of around 80 %. the material is laid upon itself five times and hardened in a heating press at 145 ° c . and 5 bars for 20 minutes . a 30 mm thick pmi - foam plate is impregnated with a mixture comprising respectively a 25 % solution of a melamine pre - condensate and a phosphoric acid ester consisting of phosphorus pentoxide , pentaerythritol and trimethylol propane with a content of 2 % boric acid , wherein after dripping off the degree of bath absorption is 135 %. the dried foam plate is covered on both sides with a laminate from example 4 and hardened in a heating plate at 160 ° c . it satisfies the conditions of the edge flaming test . while representative embodiments and certain details have been shown for purposes of illustrating the invention , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in the methods and apparatus disclosed herein may be made without departing from the scope of the invention , which is defined in the appended claims .	2
referring to the drawings , and in particular to fig1 a conveying means 1 has a plurality of carriages 3 which serve as transport mechanisms and on which workpiece parts 4 hang . the carriages 3 are moved by means of an endless circulating chain 2 . even though only three carriages 3 are shown in this case , it is obvious that the chain is equipped with carriages 3 spaced at regular distances . the chain 2 travels along an endless path around a wheel 6 driven by a motor 5 and a deflecting wheel 7 arranged at a spaced location from it . a scanning and aligning station 10 is located in the travel path of the chain 2 . a sewing robot 8 is located downstream of the scanning and aligning station when viewed in the direction of movement of the chain 2 . it should be noted that only one conveying means , whose transport path extends through the scanning and aligning station 10 , is shown in fig1 . however , to carry out the process according to the present invention , at least two of the conveying means are needed . of the two conveying means , the second also has a track section that extends through the scanning and aligning station 10 . for clarity &# 39 ; s sake , the second conveying means is not shown in fig1 . however , it is recognizable in fig2 . fig2 shows a front view of the scanning and aligning station 10 . two guide rails 11 and 111 , which are fastened to a common support frame 9 , extend through this scanning and aligning station in parallel to one another . the guide rails 11 and 111 carry carriages 3 and 103 , which belong to two separate conveying means , designated in their entirety by 1 and 101 , respectively . each carriage 3 and 103 is provided with runners 12 and 112 , respectively , which guide the carriages 3 and 103 , respectively , on the respective guide rail 11 and 111 . only one of the carriages and the elements associated with it will be described below . since the other carriage and the elements associated with it are completely comparable , they are designated by reference numerals increased by 100 . a holding plate 13 is fastened to the carriage 3 , and the holding plate 3 carries a permanent carriage magnet 14 . the permanent carriage magnet 14 is surrounded by a coil which is not recognizable in fig2 . by means of the coil a magnetic field is generated which opposes the magnetic field of the permanent carriage magnet 14 . this opposing magnetic field is generated in order to cancel the magnetic effect of the permanent carriage magnet 14 . two bus bars 26 , which are arranged stationarily on a bracket 25 cooperate with two sliding contacts 27 that are arranged on the holding plate 13 . the sliding contacts 27 are in electrical connection with the coil , are used to supply the coil with power . the permanent carriage magnet 14 carries , due to the magnetic holding force it generates , a magnetizable support 15 made of a plate of ferromagnetic material , to which a clamp 16 with a displaceable clamping body 17 is fastened . the clamp 16 with the displaceable clamping body 17 is able to clamp between it and the support plate 15 a flaccid workpiece layer 4 , which hangs down from the support plate 15 . the workpiece layer hanging down now extends in a vertical plane at a closely spaced location from and in parallel to the intermediate plate 18 . the intermediate plate 18 also extends vertically and is fastened to the support frame 9 . intermediate plate 18 is designed at least partially as an optically reflecting intermediate plate . a pneumatic cylinder 19 is fastened at the side to the guide rail 11 , and the pneumatic cylinder 19 has a thrust piece 20 that can be pushed forward toward the carriage 3 in order to fix it in the scanning and aligning station 10 . the pneumatic cylinder 19 is connected to a prior - art control device , which is therefore not shown . reflected light photocells 21 , 22 , and 23 , which cooperate with the intermediate plate 18 , are also fastened to the guide rail 11 in an area that is adjacent to the area that is occupied by a workpiece layer 4 when it is located in the scanning and aligning station 10 . the reflected light photocells 21 , 22 , and 23 are thus able to detect the alignment of the workpiece layer 4 and to send corresponding signals . the reflected light photocells 21 , 22 , and 23 are also connected to the above - mentioned control device . a reflected light photocell 24 , which serves to recognize the carriage 3 , is arranged in the vicinity of the position which carriage 3 assumes in the scanning and aligning station 10 . this reflected light photocell 24 is also connected to the above - mentioned control device . an aligning device , designated in its entirety by 30 , is arranged on the support frame 9 in the scanning and aligning station 10 . the aligning device 30 comprises an aligning electromagnet 31 which generates a magnetic field that is able to carry the support plate 15 with the workpiece layer 4 hanging on it . when carriage 3 is fixed by the thrust piece 20 of the pneumatic cylinder 19 in the scanning and aligning station 10 , the aligning electromagnet 31 is located on the scanning and aligning station 10 at a site that is opposite the support plate 15 . the aligning electromagnet 31 will hereinafter be characterized essentially as a stationary electromagnet in order to clearly distinguish it from the permanent magnet that is carried by the carriage 3 which is consequently a &# 34 ; movable &# 34 ; permanent magnet . the aligning electromagnet 31 is fastened to a holder 32 , which can be adjusted by an electric motor in a plurality of directions in a plane that extends in parallel to the plane defined by the workpiece layer 4 . as is shown in fig3 the holder 32 is guided longitudinally displaceably in a first rail 33 that extends essentially vertically - a first electric motor 34 ( cf . fig2 ), is fastened to the rail 33 and by means of the first electric motor 34 , the holder 32 can be adjusted in the vertical direction via a threaded spindle 35 . the first rail 33 is guided displaceably on a second rail 36 in an essentially horizontal direction . the first rail 33 is displaced in relation to the second rail 36 by means of an second electric motor 37 , fastened to the second rail 36 , and a threaded spindle 38 . the aligning electromagnet 31 is consequently movable in two mutually substantially perpendicular directions in the manner of a cross slide guide . the second rail 36 is pivotably mounted on the support frame 9 by means of a pivot pin , and the plane of pivoting is located in a plane containing the two mutually substantially perpendicular directions in which the aligning electromagnet 31 is moved by the spindles 35 and 38 . pivoting movement of the second rail 36 can be brought about by means of a third electric motor 40 , which is hinged to the support frame 9 and drives a third threaded spindle 41 . the third threaded spindle passes through a threaded block 42 that is hinged to the second rail 36 . the electric motors 34 , 37 , and 40 are preferably stepping motors , because such motors can be set very accurately and are particularly suitable , especially for digital energization . these electric motors are also connected to the above - mentioned control device and are adjusted by the control device depending on the signals sent by the reflected light photocells 21 , 22 , and 23 . the following movements of the electric magnet 31 can thus be brought about : a ) up and down movement in the direction determined by the first threaded spindle 35 by means of the first electric motor 34 ; b ) a movement essentially in parallel to the path of movement of the carriage 3 in the direction determined by the second threaded spindle 38 by means of the second electric motor 37 ; and c ) a pivoting movement around the pivot pin 39 by means of the third electric motor 40 and the third threaded spindle 41 driven by it . in the normal state of transport of the workpiece layers 4 , as shown in fig1 the coils on the permanent magnets 14 , which are carried by the carriages 3 , are not energized , so that the permanent magnets 14 hold the support plates 15 with the workpiece layers 4 hanging on them . the aligning electromagnet 31 is not energized . when a carriage 3 has arrived in the scanning and aligning station 10 , the chain 2 of the conveying means is temporarily stopped , so that all the carriages 3 carried by it will come to a stop . the carriage 3 located in the scanning and aligning station 10 is fixed in the stopped position in the scanning and aligning station 10 . the magnetic field of the permanent carriage magnet 14 is then neutralized by energizing the coil belonging to the permanent carriage magnet 14 . the aligning electromagnet 31 is energized at the same time , so that aligning electromagnet 31 will now hold the support plate 15 with the workpiece layer 4 hanging on it , while the permanent carriage magnet 14 is released from the support plate 15 . the workpiece layer 104 , which is to be processed together with the workpiece layer 4 , is simultaneously delivered by the other conveying means , which is designated in its entirety by the reference numeral 101 in fig2 . the workpiece layer 104 is delivered into the scanning and aligning station 10 , and is stopped in the scanning and aligning station 10 . the reflected light photocells 21 , 22 , 23 , and 121 , 122 , and 123 now detect the positions of the workpiece layers 4 and 104 and send corresponding measurement signals to the control device ( not shown ). the control device generates control commands necessary for the alignment of the two workpiece layers 4 and 104 according to predetermined specifications . these control commands are sent as signals to the electric motors 34 , 37 , and 40 of the aligning device 30 . the angular position of the front edge of the workpiece layers 4 , 104 , which extend in the downward direction , is first determined by the reflected light photocells 22 , 23 and 122 , 123 . angular alignment of the workpiece layers 4 and 104 is performed by energizing the electric motor 40 and / or 140 in the case of deviations from the desired aligned position . the relative vertical position of the two workpiece layers 4 and 104 , on the one hand , and , on the other hand , the relative horizontal position of the two workpiece layers 4 and 104 are then determined by means of the reflected light photocells 21 , 23 and 121 , 123 . mutual alignment of the workpiece layers 4 and 104 is performed by energizing the corresponding electric motors 34 ; 37 ; 134 ; 137 in the case of a difference . the vertical and horizontal alignments are performed by simultaneously energizing the corresponding electric motors 34 , 134 and 37 , 137 , respectively , of the two aligning devices 30 , 130 in opposite directions , as a result of which the time needed for alignment is reduced to a minimum . the alignment of the workpiece layers 4 and 104 may be performed without appreciable frictional forces between the respective support plate 15 ; 115 and the corresponding permanent magnets 14 ; 114 . this occurs because the magnetic field of the permanent magnets 14 : 114 is canceled by that of the surrounding current - carrying coils . once the necessary alignment has been accomplished , energization of the coil is abolished , so that the permanent magnets 14 ; 114 will again develop its attracting force , and the energization of the opposing electromagnets 31 , 131 is turned off , so that the support plates 15 ; 115 will again be transferred to the permanent magnets 14 ; 114 . as was mentioned above , the holding force of the permanent magnets 14 ; 114 selected to be sufficient so that the position of the support plate 15 ; 115 on the permanent magnets 14 : 114 cannot change . the two conveying means 1 , 101 are then again put into operation , so that the two workpiece layers 4 and 104 will leave the scanning and aligning station 10 together and in a mutually aligned position . it should be pointed out that it is sufficient for alignment purposes to move only one of the workpiece layers 4 or 104 with the corresponding aligning device 30 or 130 shown in fig3 to bring about mutual alignment . it is not necessary for the other conveying means also to be designed in the above - described manner . it is consequently possible , for example , to abandon the permanent magnets 114 on the carriage 103 of the other conveying device 101 . the support plates 115 may be permanently , i . e ., nondetachably , connected to the carriages 103 there , and the aligning device 130 associated with the conveying means 101 may be absent in the scanning and aligning station 10 . however , the reflected light photocells 121 , 122 , and 123 for scanning the fabric layer 104 must always be present . the embodiment of the device shown in fig2 in which the two conveying means 1 , 101 have the same design and aligning device 30 and 130 associated with the two conveying means 1 , 101 , respectively , in the scanning and aligning station 10 , offers the above - described advantage of more rapid operation and an increased in the possibilities for correction .	1
the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the present invention , as to its structure , organization , use and method of operation , together with further objectives and advantages thereof , will be better understood from the following discussion . turning first to fig5 and 6 , simplified views of a biomass gasifier and incinerator in keeping with the present invention are shown . the biomass gasifier and incinerator is identified generally with the numeral 100 , and comprises two primary chambers 102 a and 102 b , two afterburner chamber 103 a and 103 b , two secondary chambers 104 a and 104 b , and an exhaust duct 106 . as will be described hereafter , a biomass load will be placed into primary chamber 102 a , and after a prescribed period of time another biomass load will be placed into primary chamber 102 b . typically , that prescribed period of time is one half the time that it will take the load in the first primary chamber to become totally incinerated and gasified . by alternately placing loads in the primary chambers 102 a and 102 b , it will be seen that the so - called “ continuing batch loading system ” will be operative , and that the throughput will therefore be approximately twice that which would normally be that of a single gasifier and incinerator such as that described relative to fig3 and 4 . the biomass which is intended to be gasified and incinerated in keeping with the present invention may , as noted above , comprise macerated animal bits or parts , or it may even include the entire bodies of fish and foul . for example , in the event of an outbreak of avian flu , health workers outfitted in appropriate biohazard suits would typically kill all of the foul such as by gassing , and then place the dead foul in plastic bags which would then be sealed . thus , any infected foul would be isolated from potential communication of airborne contaminants to the atmosphere ; and once they have been incinerated and gasified the contaminants will have been pyrolyzed , and therefore molecularly disassembled . the biomass waste may comprise from 5 % up to 100 % solids , with the rest being water . some biomass waste may have a high energy content . for example , ground up animal parts such as meat and bone , having a relatively high fat content , will comprise a high energy content . the gasifier and incinerator 100 may be constructed using typical refractory materials from which such devices are normally made , being structural materials that will withstand temperatures in the range of 850 ° c . to 1000 ° c . ; and in some cases , up to as high as 1300 ° c . however , particularly if the devices are such as to be mobile , so as to be hauled along roadways and the like on trailers , then the refractory material may be other lightweight material which is also capable of withstanding the temperatures to which it will be exposed . the nature of that refractory material is beyond the scope of the present invention ; but it should be noted that at least the refractory material that is used for the construction of the partitioning wall 108 between the first and second primary chambers 102 a and 102 b , and also the hearth or floor / ceiling which defines the bottoms of the first and second primary chambers 102 a and 102 b , and also the tops of the first and second secondary chambers 104 a and 104 b and the top of the exhaust duct 106 , must be such that it will conduct heat through its thickness from one chamber to the adjacent chamber above or beside it . in other words , the walls 108 and 110 will have little resistance to heat flow once they have reached their soaking temperature . the basic structure and operation of the gasifier and incinerator 100 is not unlike that of the prior art device 20 which is discussed in reference to fig3 and 4 . thus , it will be seen that the exhaust duct 106 is in fluid communication with the vertically disposed stack 114 ; and it will be understood that the gases flowing in the exhaust duct 106 are generally at a lower temperature than those which are flowing in the secondary chambers 104 a and 104 b , because the gases will have given off heat to the heat conductive hearth 110 . an auxiliary or secondary burner 118 a and 118 b is provided , together with a secondary air fan 120 a and 120 b , for each side of the incinerator and gasifier 100 , as a seen in fig5 . the purpose of the secondary burners 118 a , 118 b , is to provide an initial or start - up flame to the respective side of the incinerator and gasifier when the otherwise continuing batch load operation of the gasifier and incinerator in keeping with the present invention is initiated . fuel is provided to the secondary burners 118 a and 118 b , and the secondary air fans 120 a and 120 b are operated , so as to establish heat in the vertical portion of the afterburners 103 a and 103 b . that heat will , of course , cause gases to flow through the respective secondary chamber 104 a or 104 b , into the exhaust duct 106 , and up the stack 114 . however , as those gases become hotter , more heat is transferred to the biomass waste which is resident on the hearth 110 , in fairly short time , the biomass waste will be heated sufficiently so as to begin to emit gases including water and volatile organic compounds such as methane and the like . as more and more of these volatile organic compounds are given off , they will pass into a respective transfer vent 120 a or 120 b , and thence into the respective secondary chamber 104 a or 104 b , through the respective vertical afterburner portion 103 a or 103 b . eventually , those gases are sufficiently hot so that they require little if any additional heat input from the respective secondary burner 118 a or 118 b , which may then be turned off . of course , sufficient monitoring and control means are provided to ensure that the temperature in the secondary chambers 104 a and 104 b is high enough to transfer sufficient heat to the biomass waste overlying the secondary chambers in order that the carbon phase of the gasification and incineration process , as described above , may take place . if additional heat is required , then the respective secondary burner 118 a or 118 b will be started as necessary . turning now to fig7 and 8 , temperature versus time charts are shown for a prior art incinerator and gasifier , and an incinerator and gasifier in keeping with the present invention . in each of fig7 and 8 , a line 130 is shown at 850 ° c . the curve 132 is a typical curve showing the rise of temperature within a single primary chamber of a prior art incinerator such as that shown in fig3 and 4 . it will be seen that typically the temperature within the single primary chamber may overshoot the intended temperature by a little bit , but it will fall back . in any event , after a period of time the charge in the single primary chamber will have been entirely incinerated and gasified , and the primary chamber will be opened to place a new charge into it . the temperature will then be depressed as shown at 134 ; and it will then begin to rise again as indicated at 136 . on the other hand , it will be seen in fig8 that there will be two temperature curves 140 and 142 superimposed one on the other . a time lapse occurs between them , which is typically one half the period of time that it will take the load in either of the primary chambers to become totally incinerated and gasified . at that time lapse time , however , a new load will be placed in which ever of the primary chambers 104 a and 104 b is now empty , and the incineration and gasification cycle will begin again . however , because the temperature in the adjacent primary chambers is substantially equal after the dividing wall 108 has reached its soaking temperature , there will be very little cooling down of the opened primary chamber because of heat flow into it from the adjacent primary chamber . accordingly , the superimposed temperature curves as shown in fig8 indicate that operation of a dual chamber incinerator and gasifier in keeping with present invention will be considerably more fuel - efficient than the prior art devices . turning now to fig9 , a somewhat more specific teaching of one half of a gasifier and incinerator in keeping with the present invention is shown . it will be seen that this figure is not a dissimilar to fig3 , and for the most part the same reference numerals are employed to identify the same structural features . the functioning and operation of the gasifier and incinerator shown in fig9 is similar to that described above with respect to the prior art incinerator shown in fig3 , a secondary or auxiliary burner 118 a ( 118 b ) is shown , but from the above description it will be understood that its purpose is to provide an initial heating flame . thereafter , the secondary burner 118 a ( 118 b ) may or may not function , depending on the operation of the controller 56 communicating with a thermocouple 58 , and with other operating controls as will be understood by those skilled in the art . on the other hand , air or oxygen is provided to the secondary or afterburner chamber through the vent 49 , and will flow continuously . it will be understood that due to the nature of the operation , and particularly since it is a continuing batch operation , once both sides of the gasifier and incinerator are fully functional , the secondary burners can be turned off or modulated to minimal fire position . in other words , the fuel for continuous operation of the gasifier and incinerator is the very biomass waste which will be gasified and incinerated . accordingly , additional energy input requirements for the operation of the gasifier and incinerator in keeping with the present invention are minimal , once it is going . effectively , the only additional energy input requirements are electrical such as that for any motors or fans which may be operating . however , no additional fuel requirement is made beyond that which is required for the initial start - up flame , so there is no requirement or necessity for storage of large amounts of fuels such as diesel oil or other burner oil , propane or natural gas , and so on . other biomass waste material that may be gasified and incinerated in keeping with the present invention may include human sewage disposal effluent . this may have certain advantages in some circumstances such as the provision of portable toilets for temporary gatherings of large numbers of people — for example , a papal visit , a concert by a famous musical group , and so on — or it may have advantages in situations where there may be a long term municipal or military establishment such as those which are found in the high arctic where permafrost is found and sewage disposal is a problem . in the operation of a gasifier and incinerator in keeping with the present invention , it is possible that there may be flame present in the primary chambers at the regions thereof where the carbon stage of the incineration occurs . thus , as the biomass waste is reduced to ash in the region of the primary chamber 102 a or 102 b which overlies the respective secondary or afterburner chamber 104 a or 104 b , there may sometimes be violent flame action . however , this is precluded in the present invention due to the presence of the dividing wall 108 which separates the respective first and second primary chambers 102 a and 102 b . a typical daily load for a single , dual chamber incinerator and gasifier in keeping with the present invention may be as much as 50 , 000 lbs . when the incinerator and gasifier in keeping with present invention is designed so as to be mobile , and is therefore placed on a trailer to be hauled from one place to another in keeping with the instructions of an authority such as the department of homeland security , the armed forces , public health agencies , and the like , is necessary that the overall weight of the device including the weight of the trailer upon which is placed should be less than about 80 , 000 to 120 , 000 lbs . it is contemplated that as many as six trailers having dual chamber incinerators and gasifiers mounted on them will comprise a single biomass waste disposal system . those devices , together with a macerator machine for reducing the bodies of cattle and swine , for example , to chunks not larger then 2 cm to 10 cm , and the necessary trucks to haul them , may be placed at strategic locations throughout the country , or anywhere in the world . typically , the stack 114 will be foldable , insertable , or telescopic , in a manner which is beyond the scope of the present invention , so that the entire device can be hauled on a so - called “ low - boy ” trailer on primary and secondary roads , and be able to pass under bridges and overpasses on those roads . it is usual that a single biomass load in either primary chamber may have a weight of between 500 and 800 lbs . moreover , the load may be placed into either primary chamber through one or two openings in the top of the chamber , or through the loading or inspection doors 32 . still further , it is possible that a conveyor may be arranged to pass through the loading door 32 so that non - macerated loads such as whole or significant portions of cattle or swine , or bagged infected foul , or the like , may be placed into either of the primary chambers . indeed other kinds of biomass waste may include parts of trees that had been knocked down by such as a hurricane or tsunami . the typical airflow through either side of an incinerator and gasifier in keeping with the present invention , and up through the stack 114 , may be in the range of 6 to 10 ft . 3 per second . it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the rates of gasification will depend on the temperature in the respective primary chamber in which the biomass waste load has been placed . if the primary chamber heats up faster , then the biomass waste will be gasified faster . however , because of the adjacent primary chamber , the temperature rise in a recently loaded primary chamber will be faster , and its cool down will be less than otherwise . moreover , incinerators and gasifiers in keeping with present invention permit smaller loads then prior art incinerators , and particularly those which have been used to dispose of cattle that may have had or may have been in contact with cattle infected by mad cow disease . especially if the loads comprise macerated animal parts , then the disposal time per animal will be less than previously . moreover , significantly less fuel will be consumed on a per animal or even a per hour basis . in operation , a typical temperature differential between the temperature of the gases as they flow through the afterburner chambers 104 a or 104 b and those gases flowing through the exhaust duct 106 is about 100 ° c . moreover , while the gases which exit the gasifier and incinerator of the present invention through the stack 114 may be quite hot , they will contain very little or no hazardous gases or gasified compounds such as dioxins or other volatile organic compounds whose presence in the atmosphere may be unwanted or may be legislated against . a typical concentration of volatile organic compounds may be considerably less than 10 ppm , which is generally acceptable in most jurisdictions . other modifications and alterations may be used in the design and manufacture of the apparatus of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the accompanying claims . throughout this specification and the claims which follow , unless the context requires otherwise , the word “ comprise ”, and variations such as “ comprises ” or “ comprising ”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not to the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps .	5
[ 0030 ] fig1 depicts an automatic operator and patient identification system ( aopis ) as an example of an inventive embodiment . this aopis comprises an automatic operator identification system ( aois ) and an automatic patient identification system ( apis ) each symbolized with a frame of broken lines . in the aois an operator identification device ( oid ) 10 is coupled with an operator identification reader ( oir ) 11 for identifying a patient &# 39 ; s measuring results provided by a physiological measurement unit 12 . for clearly identifying the specific operator performing or helping to perform the measurement , the oid 10 provides an unambiguous operator identifier for the operator to the oir 11 . the oir 11 , again , checks the operator identifier from the oid 10 and sends an operator identification signal to a signal packaging unit 13 which further receives the patient &# 39 ; s measuring results from the physiological measurement unit 12 . furthermore in the apis a patient identification device ( pid ) 100 is coupled with a patient identification reader ( pir ) 110 for additionally identifying the patient &# 39 ; s measuring results provided by the physiological measurement unit 12 . for clearly identifying the specific patient performing the measurement or for which the measurement is performed , the pid 100 provides an unambiguous patient identifier for the patient to the pir 110 . the pir 110 , again , checks the patient identifier from the pid 100 and sends a patient identification signal to the signal packaging unit 13 which further receives the patient &# 39 ; s measuring results from the physiological measurement unit 12 and the operator identification signal from the oir . the signal packaging unit 13 combines the patient &# 39 ; s measuring results with the operator identification signal and with the patient identification signal to a combined measurement and id output signal 14 . [ 0033 ] fig1 shows a plurality of different solution for the oid 10 and the pid 100 , which can be applied either individually or in combination . oid 10 a and pid 10 oa represent a keypad entry for manually typing in an operator identifier or a patient identifier , respectively , such as a pin code . oid 10 b and pid 100 b represent a barcode solution for reading a barcode or the like containing an operator identifier or a patient identifier , respectively . oid 10 c and pid 100 c show a transponder concept , wherein an operator identifier and a patient identifier , respectively , is registered via an rf link between a transponder worn or otherwise held by the operator and / or by the patient and a receiving unit ( which might also be part of the oir 11 and / or pir 110 ). oids 10 d and 10 e and pids 100 d and 100 e represent identification systems based on identification by physical properties of the operator and / or patient , such as fingerprint ( 10 d and 100 d ) or voice ( 10 e and 100 e ). the oir 11 preferably comprises a reading unit 16 for reading the operator identifier from the oid 10 and an operator identifier evaluation unit 17 for validating the operator identifier . likewise the pir 110 preferably comprises a reading unit 160 for reading the patient identifier from the pid 100 and a patient identifier evaluation unit 170 for validating the patient identifier . in a preferred embodiment oir and pir are arranged in a common housing . [ 0035 ] fig2 depicts a more conceptual view of the automatic operator and patient identification system ( aopis ) as depicted in fig1 for the example of the oip 10 c and the pid 100 c . the oip 10 c comprises a transponder 20 worn e . g . at the operator &# 39 ; s arm . likewise the pid 100 c comprises a transponder 200 worn e . g . at the patient &# 39 ; s arm . oid 10 c and pid 100 c additionally comprise a common transmission unit 210 , which is preferably integrated in the oir 11 or in the pir 110 , for establishing a radio frequency communication therebetween . the transmission unit 210 is equipped with a radio frequency transmitter / receiver and an antenna . before or during a measurement , the oir 11 and the pir 110 send out a signal ( via the transmission unit 210 ) probing if the person performing the measurement is wearing an eligible transponder 20 and 200 , respectively . the low energy signal transmitted by the transmission unit 210 activates the transponder 20 and 200 , respectively , thus each of the transponders 20 and 200 does not need to be powered by itself ( e . g . by a battery ). the activation signal from the transmission unit 210 also instructs the transponder 20 and 200 , respectively , to transmit back its stored operator identifier and patient identifier , respectively , such as an operator identification number and a patient identification number , respectively . the reading unit 16 reads out the operator identifier from the transmission unit 210 . if the oir 11 comprises the operator identifier evaluation unit 17 , it will validate the operator identifier whether it is eligible . if the operator identifier is eligible , the oir 11 sends an operator identification signal derived from the operator identifier to the signal packaging unit 13 . likewise the reading unit 160 reads out the patient identifier from the transmission unit 210 . if the pir 110 comprises the patient identifier evaluation unit 170 , it will validate the patient identifier whether it is eligible . if the patient identifier is eligible , the pir 110 sends a patient identification signal derived from the patient identifier to the signal packaging unit 13 . the signal packaging unit 13 , which further receives the patient &# 39 ; s measuring results from the physiological measurement unit 12 , combines all three signals and sends the combination to a remote user 220 ( e . g . a reviewing clinician ), preferably via a modem 230 and a telecommunication system 240 . alternatively , the signal packaging unit 13 may simply package the operator identification signal , the patient identification signal and the measured signal and transmits this information to the remote user 220 .	0
in accordance with the practice of the present invention , a dry granulation apparatus a is provided as shown in the figure . variables such as the compaction pressure , roll speeds , attrition device and operation speed , and screening operations are used to control the particle densification and particle size distribution . these properties control the dissolution behavior of the polyacrylic acid when exposed to water or electrolyte solutions and its effectiveness as an additive in tablet formulations and controlled release applications . referring now to the figure , the dry granulator a is provided with an original powder feed 10 which feeds powdered polyacrylic acid into a lower hopper 12 . the powdered acrylic acid in lower hopper 12 is then fed through feed channel 14 into an upper hopper 16 . the upper hopper 16 collects the virgin powdered polyacrylic acid and recycled powder which does not meet quality controlled sizing parameters . the powdered acrylic acid in the upper hopper is then initially fed into the granulation system via a horizontal feed screw 18 . the rate of rotation of the horizontal feed screw 18 can be adjusted to permit continuous flow of the powdered polyacrylic acid into the granulation system without clogging . next , a vertical screw 20 precompresses and deaerates the powered polyacrylic acid before feeding it into compaction rollers 22 . pressure is applied to compaction rollers 22 via a hydraulic actuator 24 . the compaction rollers rotate in opposite directions so that powdered material fed from above will be pulled between the rollers , compressed and dropped into a prebreak mechanism 26 below . the prebreak mechanism 26 provides an initial breakup of the compressed polyacrylic acid into chips and flakes , which drop into attritor 28 . the attritor 28 breaks up the compressed polyacrylic acid into desired particle sizes in conjunction with screen 30 . granulated polyacrylic acid falls into a screening system 32 wherein particles are separated via various sieves 34 , the final product having the desired particle sizes being deposited into finished product hopper 36 . the oversized and undersized particles 38 are processed via a recycle feed mechanism 40 back into feed channel 14 , 42 to be reprocessed through the system . various powdered polyacrylic acids , or mixtures of polyacrylic acids , may be granulated according to the process of the present invention wherein the resulting granulated polyacrylic acid has enhanced handling and performance properties compared to the powder . the granulated polyacrylic acid prepared in accordance with the method described herein , when formulated into tablets retains an ability to slow down the release rate of an active material , compared to tablets formed from granules prepared by other known granulation processes . the granules also maintain more of their ability to thicken , emulsify , and suspend in water based formulations and formulations based on other polar solvents than prior art granules . polymeric powders which may be formed into granules that have improved handling , while retaining thickening and controlled release properties , include various acrylic acid homopolymers , copolymers , and interpolymers having a bulk density below about 0 . 3 g / cc . the term polyacrylic acid or acrylic acid polymers is used to encompass a variety of polymers having high percentages of polymerizable monomers therein with pendant carboxylic acid groups or anhydrides of polycarboxylic acid . these are described in more detail in u . s . pat . nos . 2 , 798 , 053 ; 3 , 915 , 921 ; 4 , 267 , 103 ; 5 , 288 , 814 ; and 5 , 349 , 030 hereby incorporated by reference . the term polyacrylic acid is used to include various homopolymers , copolymers , and interpolymers , wherein at least 50 or 75 mole percent of the repeating units have pendant carboxylic acid groups or anhydrides of dicarboxylic acid groups . while acrylic acid is the most common primary monomer used to form polyacrylic acid the term is not limited thereto but includes generally all α - β unsaturated monomers with carboxylic pendant groups or anhydrides of dicarboxylic acids as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 349 , 030 . the term consisting essentially of anhydrous polyacrylic acid will be used to exclude more than 3 weight percent water and to exclude more than 0 . 2 mole percent multivalent metal cations based on the moles of carboxylic acid . desirably , the amount of water is less than 1 or 2 weight percent . desirably , the amount of multivalent metal cations is less than 0 . 1 mole percent and preferably less than 0 . 01 mole percent . in particular , the process according to the present inventions is useful for granulating various powdered polycarboxylic acids including cross - linked polyacrylic acids . specific types of cross - linked polyacrylic acids include carbopol ® 971p ( polymerized in ethyl - acetate and partially neutralized with potassium ); copolymers of acrylic acid and alkyl acrylates ; copolymers of acrylic acid and alkyl vinyl ethers ; copolymers of ethylene and maleic anhydride ; and copolymers of maleic anhydride and alkyl vinyl ethers . an approved polyacrylic acid for pharmaceutical applications , described in a carbomer monograph in the u . s . pharmocopia 23 nr 18 , is a polyacrylic acid crosslinked with polyalkenyl ethers . the polymeric agents useable in the present invention are typically polymerized by precipitation polymerization in a non - aqueous medium and subsequently dried to strip off the solvent . the acrylic polymers typically have a flow index of above 30 , apparently due to their low bulk density and electrostatic charge . the acrylic polymers of interest when dispersed in water and neutralized to a ph of 7 at a concentration of 10 g / l generally can impart a viscosity of at least 500 centipoise and more desirably at least 2000 centipoise to the water solution as measured by a brookfield viscometer using 20 rpm at 25 ° c . and selecting a spindle resulting in a torque reading between 10 and 90 % of full scale . the improved handling properties of the granules prepared in accordance with the present invention are reflected by improvements over the powdered form of polyacrylic acid in areas such as powder flow rate , bulk density , percentage of fines ( i . e . particles less than 325 u . s . standard screen size ), static adherence and total dust . the granulated product desirably retains the at least 70 , 80 or 90 % of the thickening capacity of the original fine powder when dispersed in water and neutralized to a ph of 7 at a concentration of 10 g / l . thus the viscosity of such a solution is desirably at least 350 , 400 , or 450 centipoise and more desirably at least 1400 , 1600 or 1800 centipoise . with respect to powder flow rate , the granules according to the present invention may have a flow index value of less than or equal to 25 , desirably less than or equal to 20 , and preferably less than or equal to 15 . the flow index is measure by the flodex ™ equipment , which comprises a 35 - 45 mm diameter tube approximately 8 - 10 cm long . bottom caps with incrementally larger diameter apertures are used in the apparatus until an aperture is found of sufficient diameter that the contents of the tube are substantially emptied from the tube when the aperture is unblocked by the operator . a flow index value is assigned equal to the diameter of the aperture used in mm through which the material flows easily . if the aperture is too small then bridging over occurs with a substantial amount of the tube contents being retained in the tube . the bulk density of the granules is measured according to a typical bulk density method for powders . a 30 - 100 ml cup is used which can be lightly tapped one time after filling . the powder is dropped from a powder funnel which discharges about 4 to 8 cm above the rim of the cup . the excess material which accumulates above the rim of the cup can be removed by scraping with a spatula and the weight of the contents determined . the bulk density is the weight of the contents divided by their volume . a tap density can also be determined using a 100 ml graduated cylinder instead of a cup . the powder is discharged from the bottom of a powder funnel as set forth above . a tap density apparatus such as a j . engelsmann a - g tap density apparatus is used to tap the cylinder and contents 1000 times . the volume and weight of the powder after tapping is recorded and the density is calculated as the weight divided by the volume . due to the propensity of very small particles to cause dusting , it is desirable to screen the granules to remove and recycle those granules which pass through a 325 u . s . standard mesh screen . this is not to say that particles smaller than a 325 mesh screen are dust but rather that this size fraction includes more dust and / or carries more dust with it into other steps . desirably the amount of granules that pass through said 325 mesh screen are less than 10 weight percent of the total granules , more desirably less than 5 weight percent , and preferably less than 2 weight percent of the granulated product after screening . the amount of granules passing through a 325 mesh screen can be determined by screening the granules until the weight of the material passing through the 325 mesh screen appears to be constant . if a screen analysis on the polyacrylic powder ( before granulation ) is desired , small sample sizes or air filtration techniques are recommended due to the substantial amount of very small particles in the powder and static charge problems that occur during screening . static charging for polyacrylic acid is generally visually determined . powder samples in bags will exhibit a strong tendency for dust to adhere to the bag and any equipment and / or the operator . samples of polyacrylic acid powder in glass and plastic jars ( generally nonconductive ) will exhibit large amounts of dust adhered by static electricity to the walls of the jar above the samples . static charged dust particles will appear to exit the glass jar as a smoke due to static repulsion combined with browman particle diffusion . in order to achieve production of polyacrylic acid granules , which possess both the improved handling properties over the powder and retain acceptable tablet formation and controlled release properties compared to the powder , a number of adjustable parameters must be controlled . these parameters include horizontal feed screw rate of rotation , vertical screw rotation speed , pressure applied to compaction rolls , speed of compaction rolls , attritor configuration and speed , and screen size . the speeds of the horizontal and vertical screws should be set to feed powder to the compaction rollers at a rate just fast enough to cause a slight separation ( about 0 . 01 to about 0 . 2 or 0 . 5 inches , more desirably from about 0 . 02 to about 0 . 07 or 0 . 2 inch gap ) between the rollers . pressure is applied to the compaction rollers via the hydraulic actuator or other compaction device to produce a compacted material having a density of about 0 . 3 g / cc to about 1 . 5 g / cc . preferably , the density of the compacted material is from about 0 . 9 g / cc to about 1 . 1 g / cc . these densities form strong enough aggregates and / or agglomerates that the amounts of undersized particles can be reduced without removing so much of the voids , cracks , and crevices ( void volume ) within the aggregates and agglomerates to prevent them uniformly swelling in water or electrolyte solutions . the compaction rolls may have circumferiential corrugations , pocket indentations or corrugations in the axial direction across the width of the roll . applicants define the pressure via the result due to the complexity of specifying a compaction pressure applied from a curved surface to a powder . densification obviously is the result of compacting the aggregates and / or agglomerates ( particles ) present in the powder into larger particles . this reduces the void volume within the particles . it is believed that the void volume , to the extent that it is open to the surface of the particles , is a pathway for water or electrolyte solutions to enter each particle uniformly swelling the polyacrylic acid therein . thus densification usually makes the interior of the particles less accessible to water or electrolyte solutions . increased compaction also results in more interpolymer penetration between the surface polymers on aggregates and / or agglomerates , which can slow dissolution times of a particle due to the need for the interpenetrated polymers to separate and due to the possibility that the interpenetrated polymers may remain entangled and not be able to separate . it is to be noted that if the polyacrylic acid is over - densified then the resulting granules will only swell with water or electrolyte on their surfaces . this results in occlusions of nonswollen polymer ( occluded polymer ) within some or all granules . the occluded ( non - swellable ) polyacrylic acid is not available to modify the viscosity of liquid solutions and is not available to control release rates in a tablet . therefore there is an inverse relationship between the amount of occluded polyacrylic acid and the thickening and release controlling properties of the polyacrylic acid . the compaction roller speed is set to maximize productivity without exceeding the horsepower limitation of the compaction equipment . slower roller speeds allow the polyacrylic acid more time to flow and accommodate the stresses uniformly throughout the thickness of the compressed samples . faster roller speeds may force the polyacrylic acid in direct contact with the roller surface to do most of the accommodation . the speed and configuration of the attritor are chosen to provide optimal particle size distributions for a particular application . smaller particles , such as those sized between the opening of a 100 and 200 mesh screen are desirable as they maximize the number of particles and total surface area . these properties are important , as smaller polyacrylic acid particles tend to form a tablet with better integrity and slower release rates for active material . increases in the number of smaller particles decreases bulk density and decrease powder flow characteristics . it has also been observed that smaller particles form tablets with better tablet integrity in the dissolution tests . larger particles , e . g . those sized between a 20 and 80 mesh screen , maximize bulk density and flow characteristics but contribute less to tablet formation and slow release rates . in most embodiments it is desirable to minimize generation of granules smaller than 325 mesh , more desirable less than 200 mesh ( u . s . standard ) due to their contribution to dust . screen size is about 5 mesh to about 325 mesh ( u . s . standard ); more desirably from about 20 to about 250 , and preferably , screen size is from about 40 mesh to about 200 mesh . thus , granules having a particle size of less than about 5 mesh ( passing through 5 mesh ) but greater than about 325 mesh ( retained on 325 mesh ) will be discharged as product . particles which have sizes outside these parameters ( oversized and undersized ( fines )) will desirably be recycled back into the system if present in a significant amount . vacuum deaeration may be used to reduce air from becoming trapped in the powder prior to compaction . the vacuum may be adjusted to be from about 0 . 5 in . hg . to about 30 in . hg . preferably 5 to 20 . desirably this vacuum is applied around the compaction rolls and optionally within the vertical and / or horizontal screw feeds . if alternative compaction or powder conveyance means are used they could include vacuum deaeration . entrained air in the material from the initial compaction tends to expand uncontrollably as the compacted material comes out of the compaction rolls and fracture the compacted material . the controlled release tablet formulations of the present invention include granulated polyacrylic acid prepared in accordance with the process of the invention . amounts of polyacrylic acid used in tablet formulations are preferably from about 5 or 10 % w / w to about 50 % w / w . the polyacrylic acid aids in tablet formation and tablet integrity . during controlled release applications the polyacrylic acid can swell which limits the porosity of the tablet ( or application device ) by restricting the flow of the electrolyte solution into and out of the tablet . desirably the tablets made according to this disclosure have a release rate of from about 0 . 6 to about 24 hours or more for pharmaceutically active materials . longer release rates are available for non - pharmaceutical applications where the longer release rates may be desirable . other conventional tableting adjuvants , including pharmaceutically acceptable tableting adjuvants , can be included in the tablet formulations . such adjuvants include fillers , excipients , compression aids , binders , flavorings , coating agents , etc . various active materials , e . g . pharmaceuticals , may be formulated into the controlled release tablet formulations . other active materials include biocides , disinfectants , stimulants , moisturizers , aromas , scents , chemicals ( e . g . chlorine ), proteins , etc which are beneficially applied from a table or gelled or thickened liquid formulation . typically , pharmaceuticals dosages are designed to be administered in specific amounts over a broad time range to avoid toxicity problems , thus the need for controlled release formulations . pharmaceutical can include pain relievers , stimulants , muscle relaxants , antibiotics , pain blockers , and a variety of other medications . theophylline , for example , is one such agent , which is generally formulated in a controlled release tablet composition . other pharmaceutical agents typically or desirably used in controlled release form are within the scope of acceptable pharmaceutical agents useable in the present invention &# 39 ; s formulations . the following examples illustrate the processes for preparing polyacrylic acid granules , which possess the desired handling and controlled release properties . the following examples utilized a fitzpatrick model 4l × 10d chilsonator and dkas012 fitzmill system . this equipment is illustrated in fig1 . the fitzpatrick company has a compaction division in elmhurst , ill ., which sells this type of equipment . another supplier of similar equipment is alexanderwerk based in germany and having a sales office in new jersey . the chilsonator used two 4 ″ long rolls having diameters of 10 ″. vacuum was applied in the area of the vertical screw . the material granulated was carbopol ® 971p , a lightly crosslinked polyacrylic acid powder . * sgf = s imulated g astric f luid ( ph 1 . 2 ); sif = s imulated i ntestinal f luid ( ph 6 . 8 ); t 70 is time ( in minutes ) for 70 % of the active ingredient ( theophylline ) to be released in sgf or sif . tables i and ia show that drug release time can be adjusted by manipulating roll compaction pressure . the tablet from table ia release rate tests was formulated with a similar recipe to table iii , and compacted with sufficient pressure to result in a tablet with a hardness of 9 - 11 kilopounds using a standard u . s . p . crushing strength tester . viscosities measured with brookfield viscometer , 20 rpm , 25 c using a spindle for which the total torque is 10 to 90 % of full scale on the torque meter . tables i and ib show how thickening ability decreases only slightly with increasing compaction pressure . however , it should be noted that the gel surface may appear rougher with increasing compaction pressure . the following examples illustrate the physical characteristics of granules produced according to the present invention . the samples were prepared using a fitzpatrick ir - 520 chilsonator roll compactor and a m5a fitzmill attritor . carbopol ® 971p was used in the following examples . * smallest hole diameter ( mm .) in flodex ™ through which material flows easily . the following examples illustrate pharmaceutical tablet formulations comprising theophylline . examples 1 and 2 utilize carbopol granules from table ii above . comparative examples include powdered polyacrylic acid and polyacrylic acid granules produced by fluidized bed granulation . all amounts used in % w / w . table iv , below , shows properties of powder mixtures and tablets formed from granules prepared according to the present invention compared to powder mixtures and tablets formed from either powdered polyacrylic acid ( ex . 3 ) or granules produced via the fluidized bed technique ( ex . 4 ). t 70 and t 90 are time ( in minutes ) for 70 % and 90 % of active ingredient ( theophylline ) to be released in sgf / sif . * sgf ( ph 1 . 2 ) = s imulated g astric f luid ; sif ( ph 6 . 8 ) = s imulated i ntestinal f luid . table iv shows that the flowability ( flow - index ) of the tableting powder mixture prepared from various granular forms of polyacrylic acid is not fundamentally related to the drug release performance of the granules . the compressibility index is 100 times the difference between the tap density and bulk density divided by the tap density . in free flowing powders , the compressibility index is less than 15 % while values above 25 % indicate poor flow characteristics . the following tables v - vii illustrate the dramatic effect of compression pressure during compaction of the polyacrylic acid granules on the properties of the tablet blends when using the polyacrylic acid as a 10 weight percent ingredient . the polyacrylic acid of example 5 was compacted under a pressure of 10 bar on an alexanderwerk granulating machine , example 6 was compacted under a pressure of 30 bar , and example 7 was compacted under a pressure of 60 bar . the tablet blends in table v were formed in a 0 . 375 - inch diameter die with a blend loading of 300 mg for each of examples 5 - 7 . the force used for examples 5 was 300 lbs , that for example 6 was 364 lbs , and that for examples 7 was 367 lbs . these values were calculated based on the hausner ratio and the compressibility index of the tablet blend . the hausner ratio is the tap density divided by the bulk density . it is to be noted that the hardness of the tablets from examples 5 - 7 were 8 . 7 , 8 . 8 , and 8 . 4 lbs indicating that examples 6 and 7 were not compressed into harder tablets than example 5 . the above table vi illustrates what a dramatic effect 10 weight percent of polyacrylic acid , granulated under different conditions , can have on the properties of blends used to make tablets and table vii illustrates the dramatic effect on the release rate of theophylline . as is well known to the pharmaceutical industry , theophylline is a very effective medication , but it can be toxic if released in concentrations above the pharmaceutically effective amounts . therefore uniform and controlled safe dosages of theophylline are critical in preparing effective tablets . in table vi the blend before tablet making from the polyacrylic acid compacted under the lowest compaction pressure resulted in the densest blend with the highest compressibility ( facilitating tablet formation at lower pressures ). when these blends were compressed into tablets the compaction pressures used to form granules of polyacrylic acid had little effect on the disintegration times . the release time of theophylline by the tablets was dramatically decreased by increasing compaction roll pressure . as can be seen from the tables above , granules produced in accordance with the present invention have enhanced flowability compared to the control powder ( table ii ). additionally , table ii shows the importance of screening out fines to achieve increased flowability . in addition to enhanced flowability , tablets prepared from granules of polyacrylic acid made in accordance with the process of the present invention possess enhanced ( slowed down ) controlled release properties over granules of polyacrylic acid prepared by other known granulation processes ( i . e ., fluidized bed ). while the controlled release properties of tablets prepared from granulated polyacrylic acid according to the present invention are not quite as slow as tablets prepared from powdered polyacrylic acid , the undesirable handling properties of prior art powders are avoided as the granules have improved flowability , lower static adherence and lower dust compared to the powdered polyacrylic acid itself . these major advantages in pretableting handling characteristics more than compensate for the somewhat lowered thickening efficiency or slight changes in the controlled release properties . while in accordance with the patent statutes the best mode and preferred embodiment has been set forth , the scope of the invention is not limited thereto , but rather by the scope of the attached	2
referring to fig1 reference numeral 10 generally designates a rodent trap according to the present invention . the trap comprises a generally elongated rectangular housing having a top 11 , sides 12 and 13 , and a floor 14 . as shown in fig1 and 2 , the housing has a first opening at one end for receiving the hinged door 15 , and a second opening at its other end for receiving the transparent inspection panel 16 . as particularly shown in fig3 sides 12 and 13 are trapezoidal in shape , and top 11 is of lesser longitudinal dimension than floor 14 to conform to the trapezoidal shape of sides 12 , 13 . as such , the first opening and door 15 are obliquely disposed relative to the housing with the door 15 defining an obtuse angle with top 11 and an acute angle with floor 14 . door 15 is attached to the top 11 of the housing by a hinge 20 . a spring 21 is provided for normally urging the door 15 into its downward , or closed position . a spring loaded latch 22 is connected near the bottom edge of door 15 , and cooperates with a slot 23 in the floor 14 of the housing to hold the door closed . as seen in fig3 air sealing means 25 is provided around door 15 so that an air tight seal is obtained when the door is closed . the housing and door may be made of any convenient materials , such as wood , metal or plastic . referring again to fig2 and 3 , the removable transparent inspection panel 16 is slideably received by slots formed in the housing near the end thereof . further air sealing means 26 is provided in the slot to maintain the air seal of the housing . the air sealing means may be rubber or resilient plastic strips , for example . referring now to fig3 and 5 , the trip mechanism will be explained . a treadle platform 30 is provided within the housing above the floor thereof . the treadle is attached at a fulcrum or other pivot point , indicated by reference numeral 31 . this point may be a member along the floor of the housing which serves as a fulcrum or it may be a pair of pivots in the walls of the housing , engaging corresponding pivot receiving structures attached to the treadle . the end of the treadle platform closest to the inspection panel is adapted to receive the bait , as for example , by the provision of a small spike or clip at the location indicated by reference numeral 32 . as shown in fig3 and 5 , a door prop 33 is connected at one end to the door 15 . any type of mount or connection between the door prop 33 and the door 15 may be used . at its other end , door prop 33 has a shoulder portion 34 . in the preferred embodiment , this shoulder portion 34 is part of a u - shaped catch 35 formed in the end of the door prop . the shoulder 34 of the catch cooperates with a catch pin 36 , or other abutment member which is attached to the wall 12 of the housing . a trip lever 40 is positioned between the treadle platform 30 and the door prop 33 . one end of trip lever 40 is connected to the treadle platform , between the fulcrum 31 and the end closest to the hinged door . the other end of trip lever 40 is adjacent the door prop 33 . in the preferred embodiment , the other end of trip lever has an eyelet 41 formed therein , and this eyelet encircles the door prop . a slight bend or shallow notch 37 may be provided in the door prop 33 to assist in locating the trip lever 40 . fig3 and 5 show the trap in its set condition , with the spring biased door 15 held open by door prop 33 , whose shoulder 34 abuts against the catch pin , or other abutment member 36 . the treadle platform is positioned with its end nearest the door 15 down , and its end containing the bait up . the trip lever 40 rests lightly against the door prop . when a mouse or other rodent enters the trap toward the bait , once it has passed the fulcrum point 31 , its weight on the treadle platform causes the treadle to move in a clockwise direction around the fulcrum . this movement causes the trip lever 40 to move upwardly against the door prop 33 , shoving the shoulder thereof off the catch pin 36 on which it has been resting . with the support for the door removed , the spring 21 snaps the door 15 closed , and the latch 22 snaps in place to hold the door closed . with the door closed , completing the air tight seal , the rodent dies when the oxygen is used up . the user of the traps may simply look through the transparent inspection panel to see whether a rodent has been caught , and whether it is dead or still alive . if it is dead , the entire trap can be carried to a location for disposing of the body , the panel 16 can be slid open , and the housing tilted to dump the body out , all without having to touch the body with the hands . the bait can be replaced , if necessary , the inspection panel may then be closed again , and the door may then be reset . the latch 22 is slid open and the door 15 is drawn upward to the position shown in fig3 . in the preferred embodiment , the connection of door prop 33 to door 15 is selected to provide a downward spring bias to the door prop 33 . in other words , door prop 33 is normally urged in a clockwise direction around its connection point to door 15 , as seen in fig3 . this can be accomplished by a separate spring , or any other suitable means . in the preferred embodiment , door prop 33 is formed from a piece of wire , and the necessary downward spring bias is accomplished by the initial orientation of the door prop when it is attached to the door . during the door closing , door prop 33 is caused to move up and over catch pin 36 . upon reopening the door , the door prop is slid back along catch pin 36 until the spring bias causes the u - shaped catch portion 35 to fall in place on the catch pin . the final bend in the u - shaped catch portion 35 prevents over - extension of the door , which would otherwise allow the door prop to fall off the catch . of course it will be understood that the weight threshold required to trip the mechanism is function of the geometry of the various levers and mechanisms involved , including the positioning of the fulcrum . these parameters can be designed as required to give any desired tripping weight threshold . it will also be appreciated that instead of the spring 21 , the door can be activated by gravity . if necessary , an additional weight can be attached to the door 15 for this purpose . in the presently preferred embodiment , the door prop 33 and the trip lever 40 are made of wires bent into the necessary shapes . it will be appreciated , however , that the same result could be achieved by making these members from any suitable material . likewise , the catch pin 36 may be simply a a nail or staple driven into the wall 12 of the housing . or , it could be a protrusion or other abutment member molded integrally with the housing . similarly , the means of attaching the trip lever 40 to the treadle platform 30 , and of attaching the door prop 33 to the door 15 can be varied according to the materials being used to construct the trap , without departing from the scope of the present invention . while the drawing shows the presently preferred embodiment , the present invention can be made with or without the removable panel 16 . in other words , the end of the trap can be mounted to the rest of the housing in a nonremovable manner , and loading of bait and emptying of the trapped mouse can all be accomplished through the door 15 . alternatively , a separate removable panel or door could be placed in the top , bottom , or either side of the housing , as desired . similarly , it is not necessary for the transparent inspection panel to be at the end of the housing . further , even if a separate removable panel is used , that panel can be opaque and a different panel can be made transparent . if desired , the door 15 can be made transparent and thus serve a dual function , or all or part of any other portion of the housing can be made transparent , whether removable or not . the unique linkage thus provided according to the present invention takes up very little space and can advantageously be placed adjacent the inside of a wall of the housing , as shown in fig5 . this permits making the entire trap housing very small , essentially as small as the size of the rodent to be trapped will allow . this , of course , is an advantage not only in terms of lower initial cost , but also in terms of convenience and efficiency in the use of the traps . fig4 shows a multiple trap housing which may conveniently be provided for use of the trap according to the present invention . the multiple trap housing has openings 50 - 52 , each sized to receive a single trap such as trap 10 of fig1 . the handle 53 is provided for carrying the assembly to the location of use . in addition to providing greater cleanliness and sanitation than the prior art traps , the present invention also provides a greater degree of safety in the event of a small child getting his fingers in the trap . although the spring loading of the door 15 is sufficient to hold the door shut , or to insure latching of the latch 22 , it is generally not necessary that the spring be as strong as the springs used in conventional snap traps , and it is not strong enough to injure the fingers if accidentally inserted in the trap . thus , according to the present invention , we have provided an improved , sanitary rodent trap , which offers a high degree of safety and efficiency in use .	0
artemisinic acid was isolated from dichloromethane extracts of a . annua flower buds and leaves and was used to synthesize artemisinic aldehyde according to the method described by chang et al . 2000 , the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference . dihydroartemisinic acid was isolated and purified from a . annua leaf material obtained from a “ line 2 / 39 ” containing relatively high levels of the dihydroartemisinic acid using the method described for artemisinic acid in teoh et al . 2006 , the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference . dihydroartemisinic aldehyde was synthesized from the isolated dihydroartemisinic acid . the acid was converted to methyl dihydroartemisinate with excess diazomethane in diethyl ether at 0 ° c . for 5 minutes . the ether and diazomethane were removed under a stream of nitrogen and the methyl ester was reduced to ( 11r )- dihydroartemisinic alcohol with excess 1 . 5 m diisobutyl aluminum hydride in toluene at room temperature for 10 min under nitrogen . with subsequent extraction , oxidation to the aldehyde with pyridinium chlorochromate ( corey & amp ; suggs 1975 ) and purification by hplc the ( 11r )- dihydroartemisinic aldehyde was produced at an overall yield of 48 % with & gt ; 99 % purity according to gc analysis . artemisia annua l . seeds were obtained from elixir farm botanicals , brixey , mo ., usa and from pedro melillo de magalhães , state university of campinas , brazil ( line 2 / 39 ). seeds were germinated and grown in soil in a controlled environment chamber with 16 hour / 25 ° c . days and 8 hour / 20 ° c . nights . plants that had reached the height of approximately 1 . 2 m ( about 3 months ) were transferred to flowering chamber with 12 hour / 25 ° c . days and 12 hour / 20 ° c . nights . flower buds that developed after 19 - 21 days in the flowering chamber were harvested for total rna isolation . total rna was extracted and isolated from glandular trichomes and flower buds using a modified method described by logeman , et al . 1987 . cdna synthesis from 1 . 5 micrograms of total rna and construction of the trichome and flower bud cdna library were carried out with creator ™ smart ™ cdna library construction kit ( clontech ). a total of 6 , 239 clones and 2 , 208 clones for trichome and flower bud libraries , respectively were randomly picked and their dna sequences determined . sequencing was performed on an ab13700 dna sequencer using bigdye terminator cycle sequencing kit ( applied biosystems ) and the m13 reverse primer . dna sequence traces were interpreted and vector and low quality sequences were eliminated using phred ( ewing et al . 1998 ) and lucy ( chou & amp ; holmes 2001 ). clustering of the resulting est dataset was done using stackpack ( miller et al . 1999 ) and sequence similarity was identified by blast ( altschul et al . 1990 ). the open reading frame ( orf ) of a double bond reductase designated aadbr1 , encoded by the est clone pkt104 , was obtained through pcr using gene - specific primers 5 ′- caccatggaacagcaacmgaag - 3 ′ ( seq id no . : 9 ) and 5 ′- tcattcatgcgcaaccaccacca - 3 ′ ( seq id no . : 10 ) and vent polymerase ( new england biolabs , cambridge , mass ., usa ). the resulting pcr product was cloned via the gateway entry vector pentr / d / topo ( invitrogen ) into a gateway destination vector , pdest17 ( invitrogen ) to generate a bacteria expression clone pkt032 . the orf of aadbr1 was cloned in frame with the 6 × his - tag ( seq id no . : 13 ) at the n - terminal of aadbr1 . the open reading frame ( orf ) of an aldehyde dehydrogenase designated aaaldh1 , encoded by the est clone pkt150 , was obtained through pcr using gene - specific primers 5 ′- caccatgagctcaggagctaat - 3 ′ ( seq id no . : 11 ) and 5 ′- ttaaagccacggggaatcatat - 3 ′ ( seq id no . 12 ) and vent polymerase ( new england biolabs , cambridge , mass ., usa ). the resulting pcr product was cloned via the gateway entry vector pentr / d / topo ( invitrogen ) into a gateway destination vector , pdest17 ( invitrogen ) to generate a bacterial expression clone pkt041 . the orf of aaaldh1 was cloned in frame with the 6 × his - tag ( seq id no . : 13 ) at the n - terminal of aaaldh1 . the plasmid pkt032 or pkt041 was introduced into e . coli strain bl21 ( de3 ) ( novagen ) using heat shock at 42 ° c . the gus gene ( invitrogen ) was cloned into pdest17 to replace the ccdb gene and the construct pdest - gus introduced into the e . coli strain bl21 ( de3 ) was used as a control . transformants were grown on luria broth ( lb ) and selected on ampicillin ( 100 μg / ml ) at 37 ° c . for 24 hours . a single colony containing pkt032 or pkt041 was used to inoculate 5 ml of lb liquid medium with ampicillin ( lba ) and grown at 37 ° c . overnight with shaking . the overnight culture was used to inoculate 250 ml of lba liquid medium and grown at 37 ° c . with shaking to an od 600 of 0 . 6 per ml followed by induction with 1 mm iptg and grown at 30 ° c . overnight with shaking . cells were pelleted at 2 , 000g at 4 ° c . for 10 minutes . the pelleted cells were resuspended in 6 ml of lysis buffer consisting of 50 mm sodium phosphate , ph 8 . 0 , 0 . 1 m nacl , 20 mm imidazole and 1 mm phenylmethylsufonyl fluoride ( pmsf ). cells were lysed with lysozyme ( 0 . 2 mg / ml of cells ) on ice for 30 minutes followed by sonication on ice with 30s pulse ( 5 ×). protein concentration was determined by bradford assay ( bio - rad ). the aadbr1 protein was detected by silver stain on sds gel and confirmed by western blot using anti - his antibody ( invitrogen ). the aaaldh1 protein was detected by rapid stain ( bioscience , st . louis , mo .) on sds gel . cell - free extract of recombinant aaaldh1 was prepared as described above . the cell - free extract was centrifuged at 20 , 000 g at 4 ° c . for 15 minutes to remove any remaining insoluble materials before loading onto a his - trap ff column ( amersham bioscience , n . j .) equilibrated with binding buffer ( 20 mm sodium phosphate buffer containing 500 mm nacl and 20 mm imidazole at ph 7 . 5 ). the column was washed with 5 column volume of binding buffer and the recombinant aaaldh1 eluted with elution buffer ( 20 mm sodium phosphate , 500 mm nacl , ph 7 . 5 ) containing increasing concentration of imidazole in a step - wise fashion . the eluted fractions were concentrated and desalted in centrifugal filter devices ( amicon ultra — 15 ) ( millipore , mass .) following manufacturer &# 39 ; s protocol . the purity of the recombinant aaaldh1 was checked with sds gel stained with rapid stain ( biosciences , st . louis , mo .). cell - free extracts of recombinant his - tagged aadbr1 protein were assayed with artemisinic aldehyde , followed by analysis by gas chromatography / mass spectrometry . enzyme reactions were initiated by adding the substrate ( 5 μg ) to 500 μl sodium phosphate buffer ( 50 mm , ph 7 . 5 ) containing 10 % sorbitol , 1 mm nadph , 2 mm dtt and 0 . 8 μg of enzyme . negative controls were carried out with boiled proteins , without nadph and with extracts from e . coli into which the construct pdest17 - gus had been introduced . reactions were allowed to proceed for 30 minutes at 30 ° c . with shaking and immediately stopped by extracting twice with 700 μl diethyl ether . the ether extracts were pooled , evaporated and taken up in 20 μl ethyl acetate ( sigma ) followed by gc - ms analysis . cell - free extract of recombinant his - tagged aaaldh1 protein were assayed with dihydroartemisinic aldehyde and other substrates , followed by analysis by gas chromatography / mass spectrometry . enzyme reactions were initiated by adding the substrate ( 5 μg ) to 500 μl tris - hcl buffer ( 50 mm , ph 8 . 5 ) containing , 1 mm nadp , and 1 . 0 μg of enzyme . negative controls were carried out with boiled proteins , without nadp and with extracts from e . coli into which the construct pdest17 - gus had been introduced . reactions were allowed to proceed for 30 minutes at 30 ° c . with shaking and immediately stopped by extracting twice with 700 μl diethyl ether . the ether extracts were pooled , derivatized with diazomethane , evaporated and taken up in 20 μl dichloromethane ( sigma ) followed by gc - ms analysis . the linearity of the assay with respect to time and protein concentration was first established and the operational saturation of substrate and cofactor determined . the ph optimum was determined by the standard assay in 50 mm buffer ( sodium phosphate , tris - hcl and ches ) from ph 6 . 0 to 10 . 0 at 0 . 5 unit interval containing 1 mm nadp and 1 . 5 micrograms of the purified recombinant aaaldh1 . kinetic parameters were determined in 50 mm tris - hcl buffer , ph 8 . 5 by varying the concentration of the substrates . kinetic constants were determined by non - linear regression analysis using graphpad software ( graphpad software inc . san diego , calif .) and the results presented are the means of three independent experiments . substrates specificity was determined at optimum reaction conditions with substrates concentration at 10 times the estimated km value . substrates tested include artemisinic aldehyde , ( 11r )- dihydroartemisinic aldehyde , artemisinic alcohol , dihydroartemisinic alcohol , octanal , nonanal , 2 - phenyl propionaldehyde , 3 - cyclohexyl propionaldehyde , 2 - hexen - 1 - al , syringaldehyde . expressed sequence tags ( sequences of randomly picked cdna clones ) were generated from developing trichomes and flower buds of artemisia annua and analyzed . cdna clones with sequences similar to monoterpene double - bond reductases were resequenced and these sequences were assembled . these were deemed to be derived from a single artemisia annua gene which was called aadbr1 . the consensus nucleotide sequence of the aadbr1 mrna is shown in fig2 ( seq id no . : 1 ). the corresponding amino acid sequence is shown in fig3 ( seq id no . : 2 ). cdna clones with sequences similar to aldehyde dehydrogenase were resequenced and these sequences were assembled . these were deemed to be derived from a single artemisia annua gene which was called aaaldh1 . the consensus nucleotide sequence of the aaaldh1 mrna is shown in fig6 ( seq id no . : 5 ). the corresponding amino acid sequence is shown in fig7 ( seq id no . : 6 ). for initial functional studies of aadbr1 , an rt - pcr product was prepared and cloned into e . coli expression vector pdest17 to give the clone pkt032 . the nucleotide sequence of the open reading frame of the dna insert of pkt032 is given in fig4 ( seq id no . : 3 ) and the corresponding protein product including the n - terminal his tag fusion is given in fig5 ( seq id no . : 4 ). the plasmid pkt032 was introduced into the e . coli ( de3 ) strain ( novagen ) and cell - free extracts was assayed with various isoprenoid substrates followed by analysis by gas chromatography / mass spectrometry . fig1 shows the results of this analysis indicating the nadph - dependent formation of ( 11s )- dihydroartemisinic aldehyde as the major product . in a separate experiment , extracts from e . coli into which pkt032 had not been introduced did not support the production of dihydroartemisinic aldehyde in the presence of nadph . it is predicted that the wild type product of aadbr1 will have similar artemisinic aldehyde double bond reductase activity as the his tag fusion protein product of pkt032 . for initial functional studies of aaaldh1 , a pcr product was prepared and cloned into e . coli expression vector pdest17 to give the clone pkt041 . the nucleotide sequence of the open reading frame of the dna insert of pkt041 is given in fig8 ( seq id no . : 7 ) and the corresponding protein product including the n - terminal his tag fusion is given in fig9 ( seq id no . : 8 ). the plasmid pkt041 was introduced into the e . coli ( de3 ) strain ( novagen ) and cell - free extracts was assayed with ( 11r )- dihydroartemisinic aldehyde followed by analysis by gas chromatography / mass spectrometry . the recombinant aaaldh1 protein was purified from the cell - free extract and its kinetic parameters were determined . the purified recombinant aaaldh1 protein functions best at ph 8 . 5 . the recombinant protein was tested with different substrates ( see materials and methods ) at the optimum assay conditions . artemisinic aldehyde besides ( 11r )- dihydroartemisinic aldehyde was found to be a substrate for the recombinant aaaldh1 . the k m and v max values determined for dihydroartemisinic acid were 8 . 79 μm and 143 . 8 pkat / μg protein , respectively and for artemisinic aldehyde the km and v max were 2 . 62 μm and 28 . 6 pkat / μg protein , respectively . fig1 shows the results of the analysis for ( 11r )- dihydroartemisinic aldehyde indicating the nadp - dependent formation of dihydroartemisinic acid . in separate experiment , extracts from e . coli into which pkt041 had not been introduced did not support the production of dihydroartemisinic acid in the presence of nadp . it is predicted that the wild type product of aaaldh1 will have similar artemisinic / dihydroartemisinic aldehyde dehydrogenase activity as the his - tag fusion protein product of pkt041 . the disclosures of the following references are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety . altschul , s . f ., gish , w ., miller , w ., myers , e ., & amp ; lipman , d . j . 1990 , “ basic local alignment search tool ”, journal of molecular biology , vol . 215 , pp . 403 - 410 . bagge , m ., xia , x ., & amp ; lubberstedt , t . 2007 , “ functional markers in wheat ”, curr . opin . plant biol ., vol . 10 , no . 2 , pp . 211 - 216 . bertea , c . m ., freije , j . r ., van der , w . h ., verstappen , f . w ., perk , l ., marquez , v ., de kraker , j . w ., posthumus , m . a ., jansen , b . j ., de groot , a ., franssen , m . c ., & amp ; bouwmeester , h . j . 2005 , “ identification of intermediates and enzymes involved in the early steps of artemisinin biosynthesis in artemisia annua ”, planta med ., vol . 71 , no . 1 , pp . 40 - 47 . bouwmeester , h . j ., wallaart , e . t ., janssen , m . h ., van loo , b ., jansen , b . j . m ., posthumus , m . a ., schmidt , c . o ., de kraker , j .- w ., konig , w . a ., & amp ; franssen , m . c . r . 1999 , “ amorpha - 4 , 11 - diene synthase catalyses the first probable step in artemisinin biosynthesis ”, phytochemistry , vol . 52 , pp . 843 - 854 . cahoon , e . b ., carlson , t . j ., ripp , k . g ., schweiger , b . j ., cook , g . a ., hall , s . e ., & amp ; kinney , a . j . 1999 , “ biosynthetic origin of conjugated double bonds : production of fatty acid components of high - value drying oils in transgenic soybean embryos ”, proceedings of the national academy of sciences ( u . s . a . ), vol . 96 , pp . 12935 - 12940 . chang , y . j ., song , s . h ., park , s . h ., & amp ; kim , s . u . 2000 , “ amorpha - 4 , 11 - diene synthase of artemisia annua : cdna isolation and bacterial expression of a terpene synthase involved in artemisinin biosynthesis ”, archives of biochemistry and biophysics , vol . 383 , no . 2 , pp . 178 - 184 . chou , h .- h . & amp ; holmes , m . h . 2001 , “ dna sequence quality trimming and vector removal ”, bioinformatics , vol . 17 , pp . 1093 - 1104 . comai , l . & amp ; henikoff , s . 2006 , “ tilling : practical single - nucleotide mutation discovery ”, plant j ., vol . 45 , no . 4 , pp . 684 - 694 . corey , e . j ., & amp ; suggs , j . w . 1975 , “ pyridinium chlorochromate : an efficient reagent for oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols to carbonyl compounds ”, tetrehedron lett . vol . 31 , pp . 2647 - 2650 . duke , s . o . & amp ; paul , r . n . 1993 , “ development and fine structure of the glandular trichomes of artemisia annua l .”, int . j . plant sci ., vol . 154 , pp . 107 - 118 . duke , m . v ., paul , r . n ., elsohly , h . n ., sturtz , g ., & amp ; duke , s . o . 1994 , “ localization of artemisinin and artemisitene in foliar tisuues of glanded and glandless biotypes of artemisia annua ”, int . j . plant sci ., vol . 155 , pp . 365 - 372 . elferaly , f . s . 1990 , method for the isolation of artemisinin from artemisia annua , 4952603 ( patent ). ewing , b ., hillier , l ., wendl , m . c ., & amp ; green , p . 1998 , “ base - calling of automated sequencer traces using phred i . accuracy assessment ”, genome res ., vol . 8 , pp . 175 - 185 . gang , d . r ., wang , j ., dudareva , n ., nam , k . h ., simon , j . e ., lewinsohn , e ., & amp ; pichersky , e . 2001 , “ an investigation of the storage and biosynthesis of phenylpropenes in sweet basil ”, plant physiol , vol . 125 , no . 2 , pp . 539 - 555 . gupta , s . k ., singh , p ., bajpai , p ., ram , g ., singh , d ., gupta , m . m ., jain , d . c ., khanuja , s . p ., & amp ; kumar , s . 2002 , “ morphogenetic variation for artemisinin and volatile oil in atemisia annua ”, ind crops products , vol . 16 , pp . 217 - 224 . henikoff s , till b j , comai l ( 2004 ). “ tilling . traditional mutagenesis meets functional genomics ”, plant physiol 135 : 630 - 6 . jung , m ., lee , k ., & amp ; jung , h . 2001 , “ first synthesis of (+)- deoxyartemisitene and its novel c - 11 derivatives ”, tetrahedron lett , vol . 42 , pp . 3997 - 4000 . keasling et al ., 2007 , biosynthesis of isopentenyl pyrophosphate , u . s . pat . no . 7 , 172 , 886 issued feb . 6 , 2007 . konieczny , a ., ausubel , f . m . 1993 , “ a procedure for mapping arabidopsis mutations using co - dominant ecotype - specific pcr - based markers ”, the plant journal 4 ( 2 ), 403 - 410 . kumar , s . 2002 , method for maximization of artemisinin production by plant artemisisa annua , u . s . pat . no . 6 , 393 , 763 issued may 28 , 2002 . lange , b . m ., wildung , m . r ., stauber , e . j ., sanchez , c ., pouchnik , d ., & amp ; croteau , r . 2000 , “ probing essential oil biosynthesis and secretion by functional evaluation of expressed sequence tags from mint glandular trichomes ”, proc . natl . acad . sci . u . s . a , vol . 97 , no . 6 , pp . 2934 - 2939 . logemann , j ., schell , j ., & amp ; willmitzer , l . 1987 , “ improved method for the isolation of rna from plant tissues ”, analytical biochemistry , vol . 163 , pp . 16 - 20 . martin , v . j ., pitera , d . j ., withers , s . t ., newman , j . d ., & amp ; keasling , j . d . 2003 , “ engineering a mevalonate pathway in escherichia coli for production of terpenoids ”, nat . biotechnol ., vol . 21 , no . 7 , pp . 796 - 802 . miller , r . t ., christoffels , a . g ., gopalakrishnan , c ., burke , j ., ptitsyn , a . a ., broveak , t . r ., & amp ; hide , w . a . 1999 , “ a comprehensive approach to clustering of expressed human gene sequence : the sequence tag alignment and consensus knowledge base ”, genome res ., vol . 9 , no . 11 , pp . 1143 - 1155 . o &# 39 ; neill , p . m . 2005 , “ the therapeutic potential of semi - synthetic artemisinin and synthetic endoperoxide antimalarial agents ”, expert . opin . investig . drugs , vol . 14 , no . 9 , pp . 1117 - 1128 . pfaff , t . & amp ; kahl , g . 2003 , “ mapping of gene - specific markers on the genetic map of chickpea ( cicer arietinum l . )”, mol . genet . genomics , vol . 269 , no . 2 , pp . 243 - 251 . rathore , d ., mccutchan , t . f ., sullivan , m ., & amp ; kumar , s . 2005 , “ antimalarial drugs : current status and new developments ”, expert . opin . investig . drugs , vol . 14 , no . 7 , pp . 871 - 883 . ringer , k . l ., mcconkey , m . e ., davis , e . m ., rushing , g . w ., & amp ; croteau , r . 2003 , “ monoterpene double - bond reductases of the (−)- menthol biosynthetic pathway : isolation and characterization of cdnas encoding (−)- isopiperitenone reductase and (+)- pulegone reductase of peppermint ”, arch . biochem . biophys ., vol . 418 , pp . 80 - 92 . ro , d . k ., paradise , e . m ., ouellet , m ., fisher , k . j ., newman , k . l ., ndungu , j . m ., ho , k . a ., eachus , r . a ., ham , t . s ., kirby , j ., chang , m . c ., withers , s . t ., shiba , y ., sarpong , r ., & amp ; keasling , j . d . 2006 , “ production of the antimalarial drug precursor artemisinic acid in engineered yeast ”, nature , vol . 440 , no . 7086 , pp . 940 - 943 . robert , a ., coppel , y ., & amp ; meunier , b . 2002 , “ alkylation of heme by the antimalarial drug artemisinin ”, chem . commun . ( camb . ) no . 5 , pp . 414 - 415 . rotheim , p . 2002 , plant - derived drugs : products , technologies and applications , business communications co ., norwalk , b - 121 . sandal , n ., krusell , l ., radutoiu , s ., olbryt , m ., pedrosa , a ., stracke , s ., sato , s ., kato , t ., tabata , s ., parniske , m ., bachmair , a ., ketelsen , t ., & amp ; stougaard , j . 2002 , “ a genetic linkage map of the model legume lotus japonicus and strategies for fast mapping of new loci ”, genetics , vol . 161 , no . 4 , pp . 1673 - 1683 . schwikkard , s . & amp ; van heerden , f . r . 2002 , “ antimalarial activity of plant metabolites ”, natural product reports , vol . 19 , no . 6 , pp . 675 - 692 . slade , a . j . & amp ; knauf , v . c . 2005 , “ tilling moves beyond functional genomics into crop improvement ”, transgenic res ., vol . 14 , no . 2 , pp . 109 - 115 . stone , r . t ., grosse , w . m ., casas , e ., smith , t . p ., keele , j . w ., & amp ; bennett , g . l . 2002 , “ use of bovine est data and human genomic sequences to map 100 gene - specific bovine markers ”, mammalian genome , vol . 13 , no . 4 , pp . 211 - 215 . sy , l .- k . & amp ; brown , g . d . 2002 , “ the mechanism of the spontaneous autoxidation of dihydroartemisinic acid ”, tetrahedron , vol . 58 , pp . 897 - 908 . teoh , k . h ., polichuk , d . r ., reed , d . w ., nowak , g ., & amp ; covello , p . s . 2006 , “ artemisia annua l . ( asteraceae ) trichome - specific cdnas reveal cyp71av1 , a cytochrome p450 with a key role in the biosynthesis of the antimalarial sesquiterpene lactone artemisinin ”, febs letters , vol . 580 , no . 5 , pp . 1411 - 1416 . torrell , m ., garcia - jacas , n ., susanna , a ., & amp ; valles , j . 1999 , “ phylogeny in artemisia ( asteraceae , anthemideae ) inferred from nuclear ribosomeal dna ( its ) sequences ”, taxon , vol . 48 , p . 721 . van agtmael , m . a ., eggelte , t . a ., & amp ; van boxtel , c . j . 1999b , “ artemisinin drugs in the treatment of malaria : from medicinal herb to registered medication ”, trends pharmacol . sci ., vol . 20 , no . 5 , pp . 199 - 205 . van agtmael , m . a ., eggelte , t . a ., & amp ; van boxtel , c . j . 1999a , “ artemisinin drugs in the treatment of malaria : from medicinal herb to registered medication ”, trends pharmacol sci ., vol . 20 , no . 5 , pp . 199 - 205 . van de loo , f . j ., turner , s ., & amp ; somerville , c . 1995 , “ expressed sequence tags from developing castor seeds ”, plant physiology , vol . 108 , pp . 1141 - 1150 . wallaart et al ., 2006 , transgenic amorpha - 4 , 11 - diene synthesis , u . s . pat . no . 7 , 091 , 027 issued aug . 15 , 2006 . wallaart , t . e ., bouwmeester , h . j ., hille , j ., poppinga , l ., & amp ; maijers , n . c . a . 2001 , “ amorpha - 4 , 1 1 - diene synthase : cloning and functional expression of a key enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway of the novel antimalarial drug artemisinin ”, planta , vol . 212 , pp . 460 - 465 . wallaart , t . e ., van uden , w ., lubberink , h . g . m ., woerdenbag , h . j ., pras , n ., & amp ; quax , w . j . 1999 , “ isolation and identification of dihydroartemisinic acid from artemisia annua and its possible role in the biosynthesisi of artemisinin .”, j nat prod , vol . 62 , pp . 430 - 433 . watson , l . e ., evans , t . m ., & amp ; boluarte , t . 2000 , “ molecular phylogeny and biogeography of tribe anthemideae ( asteraceae ), based on chloroplast ndhf ”, mol . phylogen . evol ., vol . 15 , pp . 59 - 69 . wilairatana , p ., krudsood , s ., treeprasertsuk , s ., chalermrut , k ., & amp ; looareesuwan , s . 2002 , “ the future outlook of antimalarial drugs and recent work on the treatment of malaria ”, arch . med . res ., vol . 33 , no . 4 , pp . 416 - 421 . wu , y . 2002 , “ how might qinghaosu ( artemisinin ) and related compounds kill the intraerythrocytic malaria parasite ? a chemist &# 39 ; s view ”, acc . chem . res ., vol . 35 , no . 5 , pp . 255 - 259 . yadav , j . s ., babu , r . s ., & amp ; sabitha , g . 2003 , “ stereoselective total synthesis of (+)- artemisinin ”, tetrahedron lett , vol . 44 , pp . 387 - 389 . other advantages that are inherent to the structure are obvious to one skilled in the art . the embodiments are described herein illustratively and are not meant to limit the scope of the invention as claimed . variations of the foregoing embodiments will be evident to a person of ordinary skill and are intended by the inventor to be encompassed by the following claims .	2
[ 0014 ] fig1 through 3 show the preferred embodiment of a backlite control system employed in a convertible roof assembly 10 of an automotive vehicle 12 of the present invention . convertible roof assembly 10 includes a linkage assembly or top stack mechanism covered by a pliable fabric top covering 14 . more specifically , the linkage assembly includes a number one roof bow 16 , a number two roof bow 18 , a number three roof bow 20 , a number four roof bow 22 and a number five or rearmost roof bow 24 . four bow 22 is preferably a hollow and tubular metallic member although alternate extruded , molded or stamped shapes can be employed . convertible roof assembly 10 is movable from a raised and extended position covering the vehicle &# 39 ; s passenger compartment , as is shown in fig1 and 4 , to a fully retracted and stowed position within a boot or storage area as shown in fig6 . convertible roof assembly 10 also has a back window assembly including a backlite or back window 26 and a backlite retainer 28 . backlite 26 is attached to a rear panel of roof covering 14 by way of backlite retainer 28 preferably by insert - molded encapsulation , but alternately by sewing , stapling , adhesive bonding , sonic welding or the like . backlite 26 is preferably constructed as a three - dimensionally curved glass pane but may alternately be a pliable and transparent , polymeric sheet . retainer 28 is preferably insert molded onto a peripheral edge of backlite 26 and attached to covering 14 , and is made from a polyurethane polymer . retainer 28 also acts as an elastic weather seal or gasket . referring now to fig2 and 5 a , a backlite control link 30 is shown attached to top cover 14 and backlite retainer 28 . control link 30 is preferably injection molded from an engineering grade , polymeric material . control link 30 is comprised of a half - annular end section 32 , a central section 34 , a living hinge section 36 and an attaching section 38 . a fore - and - aft elongated slot 40 is located along the center of the half - annular end section 32 . control link 30 is rigidly fixed to top cover 14 by inserting four bow 22 into the half - annular end section 32 and then securing the control link 30 with a rivet or screw fastener 42 through slot 40 and into an aperture 44 in the four bow . fastener 42 is allowed to slide within slot 40 as a lost motion pin or structure . in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , attaching section 38 of control link 30 has a pair of apertures 46 . control link 30 is attached to backlite retainer 28 by inserting a mechanical fastener 48 , such as a screw or rivet , through the aperture 46 for securing attaching section 38 to backlite retainer 28 . in an alternative embodiment , attaching section 38 of control link 30 may be attached to backlite retainer 28 by way of optional adhesive bonding 50 and / or encapsulation within a pvc or polyurethane retainer 28 , using the process disclosed in the following u . s . pat . nos . : 6 , 341 , 810 entitled “ covering arrangement such as a softtop for a motor vehicle ” which issued to hartmann et al . on jan . 29 , 2002 ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 822 , 932 entitled “ method for making a vehicle window panel using a melt - processible gasket material ” which issued to agrawal on oct . 20 , 1998 ; and 5 , 807 , 515 entitled “ method for making vehicle panel assembly ” which issued to fisher et al . on sep . 15 , 1998 ; all of which are incorporated by reference herein . returning to the preferred embodiment , slot 40 in combination with living hinge 36 , enables control link 30 to flexibly control and move backlite 26 during both retraction and extension of convertible roof assembly 10 . the fore - and - aft size of slot 40 determines the degree of rotation of backlite 26 relative to the position of four bow 22 . specifically , the larger the slot , the greater the flexion of living hinge 36 which results in a greater degree of rotation of backlite 26 , relative to the position of four bow 22 . conversely , the smaller the slot , the smaller the flexion of living hinge 36 which results in a smaller degree of rotation of backlite 26 , relative to the position of four bow 22 . control link 30 accurately controls the position of backlite 26 , in a very direct and essentially one - piece manner , through its travel as the convertible roof assembly 10 cycles between an extended and raised position , and a fully retracted position , as shown in fig4 through 6 . fig3 and 4 show convertible roof assembly 10 in a fully extended position . as the assembly retracts , as is illustrated in fig5 and 5 a , living hinge 36 of control link 30 flexes about a generally cross - car and horizontal axis in relation to the movement of four bow 22 , guiding backlite 26 away from the rear vehicle compartment towards its final retracted position . fig6 shows convertible roof assembly 10 in its fully retracted position within the storage compartment of the vehicle . as shown , control link 30 has guided the retraction of backlite 26 so that , in its fully retracted position , backlite 26 is located below a horizontal plane defined by five bow 24 . furthermore , upon extension of convertible roof assembly 10 , control link 30 keeps backlite 26 out of the rear passenger area of the vehicle as five bow 24 cycles up . while the preferred embodiment of the convertible backlite control system has been disclosed , various alterations can be made which fall within the scope of the present invention . for example , the backlite retainer can be metallic , an injection molded polymer , a synthetic rubber gasket , or pvc . furthermore , a differing number of roof bows can be employed such that the backlite control link may attach to a three bow or a five bow . moreover , the disclosed control link can be coupled to the rear of a hard top front roof section and a backlite attached to a soft top rear roof section . the present invention can also apply to a side window in a convertible roof although some of the present advantages may not be fully realized . additionally , an alternate lost motion coupling configuration of the backlite control link to roof bow may be provided through use of a slot in the roof bow and fixed pin in the control link , camming and follower surfaces , concentric hub and sleeve constructions , an added multi - pivoting link and the like , although the presently disclosed simplicity may be sacrificed . while various materials and angles have been disclosed , others may of course be used . the description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and , thus , variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention . such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention .	1
applicants have solved the significant problem of how to identify regulatory regions affected by cellular stress such as that created to crop protection chemicals in cells growing in a specified growth phase in a liquid medium . the solution involves analyzing luminescence and changes in luminescence following stress of cells grown to a specified growth phase in liquid medium . using this method , promoters encompassing & gt ; 1000 - fold range of activity were readily found , which is far greater than the range of promoter activities found by previously used methods . for example , waterfield et al ( waterfield , et al ., gene , 165 : 9 - 15 ( 1995 )) using standard colony formation methods found promoters in lactococcus lactis encompassing only a 71 - fold range of activity . furthermore , several genetic fusions to previously uncharacterized or unknown genes of e . coli were found by this method . thus the instant method is able to detect promoters or stress responsive regulatory regions undetectable by current methods . the present invention provides a method of discovery and characterization of promoter regions using probe vectors that use a bioluminescent reporter gene complex . isolated chromosomal dna is digested with a restriction enzyme to give overlapping fragments , which are subsequently ligated upstream of the reporter genes . those dna sequences containing promoters will result in transcription and subsequent translation of the reporter gene products and hence light production from cells containing the fusion plasmid . quantitation of this bioluminescence results in identification of sequences with promoter activity . the following definitions are used herein and should be referred to for claim interpretation . the term &# 34 ; bioluminescence &# 34 ; refers to the phenomenon of light emission from any living organism . the term &# 34 ; baseline bioluminescence &# 34 ; refers to light emission of a microorganism in the absence of stress . the term &# 34 ; lux &# 34 ; refers to the lux structural genes which include luxa , luxb , luxc , luxd and luxe and which are responsible for the phenomenon of bacterial bioluminescence . a lux gene complex might include all of the independent lux genes , acting in concert , or any subset of the lux structural genes so long as luxa and luxb are part of the complex . the term &# 34 ; stress &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; cellular stress &# 34 ; refers to the condition produced in a cell as the result of exposure to a cellular insult . a &# 34 ; cellular insult &# 34 ; may be any substance or change in the cellular environment that results in an alteration of normal cellular metabolism in a bacterial cell or population of cells . such cellular insults may include , but are not limited to , chemicals ( such as herbicides , crop protection chemicals , environmental pollutants , heavy metals ), physical treatments such as changes in temperature , changes in ph , agents producing oxidative damage or dna damage ( such as from uv exposure ), anaerobiosis , biological insults such as the introduction of other life forms ( viruses , bacteria , etc .) into the bacterial culture , or changes in nutrient availability . a &# 34 ; luminescent reporter gene complex &# 34 ; means any reporter gene or genes the products of which result in light production , such as the bacterial lux genes , the firefly ( for example , photinus pyralis ), or click beetle ( for example , pyrophorus plagiophthalamus ) luciferase genes ( luc ), or the gene encoding the luciferase from the sea pansy , renilla reniformis . &# 34 ; host cell sensitivity &# 34 ; is a characteristic of a bacterial strain such that its metabolic activity is inhibited by addition of a chemical compound , biological entity , or physical treatment . the term &# 34 ; multiple cloning site &# 34 ; ( mcs ) refers to a genetic element in which multiple sites of restriction endonuclease cleavage are embedded . the terms &# 34 ; promoter &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; promoter region &# 34 ; refer to a sequence of dna , usually upstream of ( 5 &# 39 ; to ) the protein coding sequence of a structural gene , which controls the expression of the coding region by providing the recognition for rna polymerase and / or other factors required for transcription to start at the correct site . promoter sequences are necessary but not always sufficient to drive the expression of the gene . in this method , promoters are defined by their ability to result in expression of the reporter gene complex when cloned upstream of the reporter genes . furthermore , activation of the promoter by a stress is defined as an increase of activity of the reporter gene complex following application of the stress . a &# 34 ; fragment &# 34 ; constitutes a fraction of the dna sequence of the particular region . &# 34 ; gene fusion &# 34 ; is a hybrid dna fragment comprising a regulatory signal essential for transcription ( referred to as a promoter ) fused to at least one structural gene sequence coding for a specific polypeptide . the term &# 34 ; genomic segment &# 34 ; refers to a dna fragment containing a gene regulatory region . genomic segments of the present invention are typically derived from the e . coli genome and contain regulatory regions responsive to a variety of cellular insults including those produced by contact with crop protection chemicals and herbicides . the term &# 34 ; regulatory region &# 34 ; refers to a dna fragment containing any of the genetic elements responsible for directing gene transcription and translation , including promoter or initiation control regions , coding regions , open reading frames ( orf ) and transcriptional termination regions . regulatory regions may be positively activated by a variety of stimuli resulting in up - regulation of genes and an increase in transcription . &# 34 ; regulation &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; regulate &# 34 ; refer to the modulation of gene expression controlled by dna sequence elements located primarily , but not exclusively upstream of ( 5 &# 39 ; to ) the transcription start of a gene . regulation may result in an all - or - none response to a stimulation , or it may result in variations in the level of gene expression . in the context of the present invention , regulatory regions activated by or responsive to sulfometuron methyl (&# 34 ; sm - responsive &# 34 ;) were identified . for a review of regulation of bacterial genes see escherichia coli and salmonella cellular and molecular biology , ( 1225 - 1309 ), f . c . neidhardt , editor . 1996 , asm press : washington , d . c .). the term &# 34 ; coding sequence &# 34 ; refers to that portion of a gene encoding a protein , polypeptide , or a portion thereof , and usually excluding the regulatory sequences which drive the initiation of transcription . a coding sequence may be one normally found in the cell or it may be one not normally found in a cellular location , but one that is instead introduced , in which case it is termed a heterologous gene . the coding sequence may be a composite of fragments derived from different sources , naturally occurring or synthetic . the term &# 34 ; operably linked &# 34 ; refers to the fusion of two fragments of dna in a proper orientation to be transcribed into functional rna . the term &# 34 ; expression &# 34 ; refers to the transcription and translation to gene product from a gene coding for the sequence of the gene product . in the expression , a dna chain coding for the sequence of gene product is first transcribed to a complimentary rna which is often a messenger rna and , then , the thus transcribed messenger rna is translated into the above - mentioned gene product if the gene product is a protein . the term &# 34 ; plasmid &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; vector &# 34 ; as used herein refers to an extra chromosomal element often carrying genes which are not part of the central metabolism of the cell , and usually in the form of circular double - stranded dna molecules . such elements may be autonomously replicating sequences , genome integrating sequences , phage or nucleotide sequences , linear or circular , of a single - or double - stranded dna or rna , derived from any source , in which a number of nucleotide sequences have been joined or recombined into a unique construction which is capable of introducing a promoter fragment and dna sequence for a selected gene product along with appropriate 3 &# 39 ; untranslated sequence into a cell . plasmid pdew201 has the unique features of carrying the photorhabdus luminescens luxcdabe genes without a promoter , upstream of which are transcription terminator sequences and a mcs . the derivatives of pdew201 described herein contain e . coli chromosomal dna cloned into the mcs . the term &# 34 ; restriction endonuclease &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; restriction enzyme &# 34 ; refers to an enzyme which binds and cuts within a specific nucleotide sequence within double - stranded dna . &# 34 ; liquid media &# 34 ; refers to microbial growth medium that is not solidified , such as by addition of agar . &# 34 ; growth phase &# 34 ; refers to stages of bacterial cell growth of the cells in liquid medium which allows for a uniform population of cells to be produced . examples of growth phases include such as early log phase , mid log phase , late log phase or stationary phase . the term &# 34 ; log phase &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; log phase growth &# 34 ; refers to cell cultures of detector organisms growing under conditions permitting the exponential multiplication of the detector cell number . the term &# 34 ; relative light unit &# 34 ; is abbreviated &# 34 ; rlu &# 34 ; and refers to a measure of light emission as measured by a luminometer , calibrated against an internal standard unique to the luminometer being used . the term &# 34 ; crop protection chemical &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; cpc &# 34 ; refers to compounds having toxic or repellent effect on insects , plant pathogens , or crop - competing plant species known to damage crop plants . cpc includes pesticides ( paraquat , copper sulfate , metidathion ), anti - pathogenic compounds such as fungicides ( chlorothalonil ) or responsible for insect behavior modulation ( pheromones , allomones and kairomones ), and herbicides referring to compounds having specific or general toxicity to plant species . typical herbicides include but are not limited to the class of sulfonylurea herbicides and sulfonanilide herbicides ( chlorsulfuron , triasulfuron , metsulfuron - methyl ), auxin herbicides ( e . g . dicamba , 2 - methyl - 4 - chlorophenoxyacetic acid , picloram , quinclorac , quinmerac ), pre - emergence herbicides ( metribuzin ), and post - emergence herbicides ( clethodim pendimethalin , oryzalin , dithiopyr , oxadiazon , prodiamine , 2 - 4 - d ). &# 34 ; sulfonylurea herbicides &# 34 ; are defined as n -( heterocyclicaminocarbonyl )- arylsulfonamide - containing herbicidal compounds that inhibit the enzyme acetolactate synthase , such as sulfometuron methyl . the term &# 34 ; sulfometuron methyl &# 34 ; refers to 2 -[[[[( 4 , 6 - dimethyl - 2 - pyrimidinyl ) amino ] carbonyl ] amino ] sulfonyl ] benzoic acid , methyl ester ( cas registry number 74222 - 97 - 2 ), and is abbreviated as &# 34 ; sm &# 34 ;. the term &# 34 ; sulfometuron methyl inducible promoter &# 34 ; is a promoter that is activated by the presence of sulfometuron methyl . the term &# 34 ; detector organism &# 34 ; refers to an organism which contains a gene fusion consisting of a promoter fused to a structural gene and which is capable of expressing the lux gene products in response to cellular stress . typical detector organisms include but are not limited to bacteria . &# 34 ; enteric bacteria &# 34 ; are members of the family enterobacteriaceae , and include such members as escherichia , salmonella , and shigella . they are gram - negative straight rods , 0 . 3 - 1 . 0 × 1 . 0 - 6 . 0 μm , motile by peritrichous flagella , except for tatumella , or nonmotile . they grow in the presence and absence of oxygen and grow well on peptone , meat extract , and ( usually ) macconkey &# 39 ; s media . some grow on d - glucose as the sole source of carbon , whereas others require vitamins and / or mineral ( s ). they are chemoorganotrophic with respiratory and fermentative metabolism but are not halophilic . acid and often visible gas is produced during fermentation of d - glucose , other carbohydrates , and polyhydroxyl alcohols . they are oxidase negative and , with the exception of shigella dysenteriae 0 group 1 and xenorhabdus nematophilus , catalase positive . nitrate is reduced to nitrite except by some strains of erwinia and yersina . the g + c content of dna is 38 - 60 mol % ( t m , bd ). dnas from species from species within most genera are at least 20 % related to one another and to escherichia coli , the type species of the family . notable exceptions are species of yersina , proteus , providenica , hafnia and edwardsiella , whose dnas are 10 - 20 % related to those of species from other genera . except for erwinia chrysanthemi all species tested contain the enterobacterial common antigen ( bergy &# 39 ; s manual of systematic bacteriology , d . h . bergy , et al ., baltimore : williams and wilkins , 1984 ). the term &# 34 ; transformation &# 34 ; refers to the stable acquisition of new genes in a cell following incorporation of nucleic acid . the preferred reporter gene for the present invention is the lux gene complex , responsible for bacterial bioluminescence and isolated from the bacteria photorhabdus luminescens . bacterial bioluminescence is the phenomenon in which the products of 5 structural genes ( luxa , luxb , luxc , luxd and luxe ) work in concert to produce light . the luxd product generates a c 14 fatty acid from a precursor . the c 14 fatty acid is activated in an atp dependent reaction to an acyl - enzyme conjugate through the action of the luxe product which couples bacterial bioluminescence to the cellular energetic state . the acyl - enzyme ( luxe product ) serves as a transfer agent , donating the acyl group to the luxc product . the acyl - luxc binary complex is then reduced in a reaction in which nadph serves as an electron pair and proton donor reducing the acyl conjugate to the c 14 aldehyde . this reaction couples the reducing power of the cell to bacterial light emission . the light production reaction , catalyzed by luciferase ( the product of luxa and luxb ), generates light . the energy for light emission is provided by the aldehyde to fatty acid conversion and fmnh 2 oxidation , providing another couple between light production and the cellular energy state . the source of the bacterial lux complex was the pjt205 plasmid ( formerly called pcgls205 ) containing the photorhabdus luminescens luxcdabe gene complex , fully described by ( rosson , r . a ., pct international application wo 93 / 03179 ( 1993 )). other reporter genes or gene complexes could also be used . examples include but are not limited to the lux genes from marine microorganisms such as vibrio fischeri , vibrio harveyi , or photobacterium phosphoreurm , or the genes encoding luciferases from insects such as photinus pyralis or pyrophorus plagiophthalamus or the sea pansy , renilla reniformis . the invention provides a transformation vector containing a lux gene fusion , capable of transforming a bacterial host cell for the expression of the lux proteins . a variety of transformation vectors may be used , however , those capable of transforming e . coli are preferred . pdew201 is a specific example of a suitable transformation vector whose construction is given in detail in the following text . this vector represents only a sample of the total number of vectors created for the purpose of introducing promoter - lux reporter fusions into host cells . however , it will be readily apparent to one of skill in the art of molecular biology that the methods and materials used in their construction are representative of all other vectors described . transformation vectors such as these are common and construction of a suitable vector may be accomplished by means well known in the art . the preferred source of the lux genes is a pre - existing plasmid containing a promoterless lux gene complex . the present invention provides a method for creating gene fusions where a gene regulatory region ( typically comprising a promoter ) is responsive to some cellular stress , is fused to a luminescent reporter gene complex . fusions of the present invention may be created by a variety of methods in including partial restriction digests of genomic dna , pcr , lcr or strand displacement amplification of known regions of the genome or by in vitro transposition . the preferred method of generating gene fusions is isolation of chromosomal dna from a bacterial species , partial digestion of that chromosomal dna yielding overlapping fragments with a restriction enzyme such that compatible sticky ends to a site in the mcs of the plasmid vector are generated , size separation by agarose gel electrophoresis , isolation of the digested chromosomal dna in particular size ranges , and ligation into the plasmid vector which had been digested with a restriction enzyme that cuts uniquely in the mcs . any restriction enzyme or enzymes may be used that are specific to the genomic dna employed and will give fragments of suitable size and having compatible ends for cloning into the appropriate vector . restriction enzymes suitable for restriction of enteric bacterial are well known in the art ( sambrook , supra ) and include alui , avri , bali , bamhi , acii , bgli , clai , ecori , ecorv , foki , haeii , haeiii , hincii , hindiii , kpni , mboi , mboii , ncii , ncoi , ndei , nhei , noti , psti , pvui , saci , sacii , sau3ai , sau96i , sfii , smai , xbai , and xhoi . gene fusions may alternatively be generated by methods of primer directed amplification if some or all of the sequence of the desired promoter or gene is known . methods of primer directed amplification are well known in the art and include polymerase chain reaction ( pcr ), ligase chain reaction ( lcr ) or strand displacement amplification ( sda ). if pcr methodology is selected , the replication composition would include for example , nucleotide triphosphates , two primers with appropriate sequences , dna or rna polymerase and proteins . these reagents and details describing procedures for their use in amplifying nucleic acids are provided in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 683 , 202 ( 1987 , mullis et al .) and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 683 , 195 ( 1986 , mullis et al .). if lcr methodology is selected , then the nucleic acid replication compositions would comprise , for example , a thermostable ligase , e . g ., t . aquaticus ligase , two sets of adjacent oligonucleotides wherein one member of each set is complementary to each of the target strands , tris hcl buffer , kcl , edta , nad , dithiothreitol and salmon sperm dna . ( see , for example , tabor , s . and richardson , c . c . ( 1985 ) proc . acad . sci . usa 82 , 1074 - 1078 .) if the sda methodology is used , amplification may be accomplished using either one or two short primers containing a site for hincii digestion , an exonuclease deficient dna polymerase , hincii restriction enzyme and the bases dgtp , dctp , dttp and deoxyadenosine 5 &# 39 ;[ α - thio ] triphosphate ( datp [ αs ]. the sda protocol including the necessary materials is outlined in walker et al . ( proc . natl . acad . sci . usa ., 89 : 392 ( 1992 )). pcr methods could also be used to generate random segments of dna if random primers are used with bacterial chromosomal dna as the template . such randomly amplified dna segments ( rapd ) would then be ligated into the mcs of the desired plasmid vector . transposons may also be used to generate collections of gene fusions , using a process of in vivo transposition . many transposable elements are available that have reporter genes lacking promoter sequences ( berg and berg , transposable element tools for microbial genetics , in escherichia coli and salmonella cellular and molecular biology , ( 2588 - 2612 ), f . c . neidhardt , editor . 1996 , asm press : washington , d . c .). insertion of such transposons randomly throughout a bacterial chromosome will result in chromosomal promoters driving the expression of the reporter gene of the transposon . once suitable plasmids are constructed they are used to transform appropriate host cells . introduction of the plasmid into the host cell may be accomplished by known procedures such as by transformation , e . g ., using calcium - permeabilized cells , electroporation , transduction , or by transfection using a recombinant phage virus . ( sambrook et al ., supra ) in the present invention , plasmid pdew201 containing random chromosomal dna was used to transform the e . coli dpd1675 as fully described in the general methods and examples . detector organisms may include a variety of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms . prefered are enteric bacteria ; most preferred is e . coli . a suitable bacterial strain with which to test the effects of a chemical is one whose growth is affected by that chemical . hence , the chemical of interest must be able to enter the cell , be retained in the cell , and interact with target molecules of the cellular machinery . various mutations of e . coli are known to affect permeation into and accumulation within the cell . strains carrying mutant alleles of rfa ( ames et al ., proc . nat . acad . sci . usa , 70 ( 3 ): 782 - 786 ( 1973 )), enva ( young and silver , j . bacteriol ., 173 : 3609 - 3614 ( 1991 )), imp ( sampson et al ., genetics , 122 : 491 - 501 ( 1989 )), lpp ( giam et al . j . biol . chem ., ( 259 ): 5601 - 5605 ( 1984 )) or sura ( tormo et al ., j . bacteriol ., ( 172 ): 4339 - 4347 ( 1990 )) have increased sensitivity to a variety of chemicals . destruction of efflux pumps , with mutations such as emr ( ma et al ., mol . microbiol ., 16 : 45 - 55 ( 1995 )), or acrab ( paulsen et al ., mol . micro ., 19 : 1167 - 1175 ( 1996 )), or the channels they use , with mutations such as tolc ( schnaitman et al ., j . bacteriol ., 172 ( 9 ): 5511 - 5513 , ( 1990 )), also result in increased chemical sensitivity . in some instances , the target macromolecule of a chemical may be intrinsically resistant to the action of that chemical . for example , e . coli has two isozymes of the enzyme acetolactate synthase ( als ), one of which has a poor binding affinity for the sulfonylurea herbicides . mutations which destroy the function of ilvbn , encoding the resistant isozyme , result in a strain with greatly increased susceptibility to growth inhibition by sulfonylurea herbicides that target acetolactate synthase ( larossa and smulski , j . bacteriol ., 160 : 391 - 394 ( 1984 )). an appropriate host strain of e . coli or other bacteria may be constructed to carry a known mutation or combinations of mutations . furthermore , an appropriately sensitive strain may also be found by screening for growth inhibition following mutagenesis by transposon insertion or chemical or physical treatments . the present invention further provides a transformed host cell capable of increased luminescence in the presence of a cellular insult . many suitable hosts are available where e . coli is preferred and the e . coli strain dpd 1675 ( ilvb2101 ara thi δ ( pro - lac ) tolc :: minitn10 ) is most preferred . dpd1675 was derived by phage p1 mediated generalized transduction using a lysate grown on strain de112 ( strr , galk2 , lac δ74 tolc :: minitn10 ) as a donor and strain cu847 ( ilvb2101 ara thi δ ( pro - lac )) as a recipient . resultant tetracycline resistant transductants were screened for hypersensitivity to the hydrophobic compound crystal violet . the present invention provides a method for the detection of bacterial regulatory elements responsive to a variety of cellular stresses ( produced by cellular insults ) such as those produced when a cell contacts chemicals , such as herbicides , crop protection chemicals , environmental pollutants , heavy metals , changes in temperature , changes in ph , agents producing oxidative damage , insults causing dna damage , insults causing anaerobiosis , and biological insults such as the pathogenic life forms ( viruses , bacteria , etc .). preferred regulatory regions will be responsive to chemicals used in the agrochemical industry such as cpc &# 39 ; s including herbicides . the regulatory regions identified include those responsive to sulfonylurea herbicides and sulfonanilide herbicides ( chlorsulfuron , triasulfuron , metsulfuron - methyl ) and glyphosate , phosphinothricin , asulam , and quizalofop . it is contemplated that regulatory regions responsive to other agrochemicals may also be identified by the present method including but not limited to pesticides ( paraquat , copper sulfate , metidathion ), anti - pathogenic compounds such as fungicides ( chlorothalonil ), chemicals responsible for insect behavior modulation ( pheromones , allomones and kairomones ), auxin herbicides ( e . g . dicamba , 2 - methyl - 4 - chlorophenoxyacetic acid , picloram , quinclorac , quinmerac ), pre - emergence herbicides ( metribuzin ), and post - emergence herbicides ( clethodim pendimethalin , oryzalin , dithiopyr , oxadiazon , prodiamine , 2 - 4 - d ). typically cells are grown at 37 ° c . in appropriate media . preferred growth media in the present invention are common defined media such as vogel - bonner medium ( davis et al ., advanced bacterial genetics 1980 , cold spring harbor , n . y . : cold spring harbor laboratory ). other defined or synthetic growth media may also be used and the appropriate medium for growth of the particular microorganism will be known by someone skilled in the art of microbiology or fermentation science . suitable ph ranges for bacterial growth are between ph 5 . 0 to ph 9 . 0 , where ph 6 . 0 to ph 8 . 0 is preferred as the initial condition . growth of the bacterial cells in liquid medium allows a uniform population of cells to be stressed at various growth phases such as early log phase , mid log phase , late log phase or stationary phase . stress is the condition produced in a cell as the result of exposure to a cellular insult . this cellular insult may be caused by any substance or change in the cellular environment that results in an alteration of normal cellular metabolism in a bacterial cell or population of cells . the addition of chemicals such as herbicides , crop protection chemicals , environmental pollutants , or heavy metals to the growth media can cause such an insult . additionally , changes in temperature , changes in ph , agents producing oxidative damage or dna damage ( such as from uv exposure ), anaerobiosis , or changes in nitrate availability may cause insult as well . genomic segments containing regulatory regions responsive to an cellular insult are identified by screening for altered luminescence following application of the cellular insult to individual isolates of the transformed host cells containing random chromosomal dna fragments . a genomic segment is identified as containing a regulatory region if its presence upstream of the reporter gene ( s ) results in increased or decreased activity of the reporter gene ( s ) after application of the cellular insult to cells containing the genetic fusion . the genomic segment present in a particular plasmid is identified by the sequence of the ends of the chromosomal dna fragment . the regulatory region , therefore , is a genomic segment located between those ends . smaller genomic segments within that originally defined region will also likely be sufficient to function as the regulatory region . these smaller segments are identified by the altered activity of a reporter gene ( s ) following application of the environmental insult to cells containing a genetic fusion of the regulatory region to a reporter gene ( s ). the regulatory region may also be identified as the region responsible for altered messenger rna or protein synthesis from the stress gene following application of the environmental insult to cells . the application of the invention to discovery of e . coli genomic segments containing regulatory regions responsive to the herbicide sulfometuron methyl and 2 , 4 - dichlorophenoxyacetic acid are described in detail in the general methods and examples . a number of previously unidentified regulatory regions were discovered . these regulatory regions are contained within the chromosomal dna fragment cloned into the multiple cloning site of pdew201 . however , it is likely that smaller segments of chromosomal dna would be sufficient to function as the regulatory region . these are identified as the genomic segment responsible for increased transcription of the stress gene , which may be quantitated by increased activity of a reporter gene ( s ) in a genetic fusion , increased messenger rna synthesis or increased protein synthesis . genomic segments containing regulatory regions responsive to other chemicals are found by this method also . in particular , it is expected to be useful to discover such segments responsive to crop protection chemicals that are known to inhibit metabolic processes that are in common to bacteria and plants . these would include , but are not limited to , glyphosate , an inhibitor of esps synthase ( 5 - enolpyruvyl - shikimicacid - 3 - phosphate synthase ) ( biochem . biophys . res . commun . 94 : 1207 - 12 ( 1980 )), phosphinothricin , an inhibitor of glutamate synthase ( baron et al ., plant physiol . biochem . ( paris ) ( 1994 ), 32 ( 4 ): 555 - 60 ), asulam ( kidd et al ., plant sci . lett . ( 1982 ), 26 ( 2 - 3 ), 211 - 17 ), a folate biosynthesis inhibitor , and quizalofop - ethyl , an inhibitor of acetyl coa carboxylase ( dehaye et al ., eur . j . biochem . 225 : 1113 - 23 ( 1994 ). the data shown in fig2 and 3 demonstrate a key feature of this method : promoters of a wide range of activity are readily detected and quantitated by the resultant light production . an advantage of this method is that promoters of varied activities may all be measured with the same conditions at the same time . furthermore , the activity of collections of such promoters can be screened for changes following cellular stress . an example , the sm induction of a strain identified by this method , is shown in fig4 . it is not likely that this strain or others would have been identified by screening on plates , as typically done . this is shown in fig6 where the bioluminescence of several strains identified by this method was recorded following growth on plates containing sm . increases of bioluminescence on the sm - containing plates were not detected . this is may be in part because of the decreased amount of growth in the presence of the chemical . in fact , higher concentrations of sm (≧ 3 μg / ml ) that were useful for characterizing fusion - containing strains in liquid medium could not be used on the plates because little to no growth resulted . fig6 shows another aspect of this invention . various herbicidal chemicals were used to stress sm - inducible fusion containing strains identified by this method . a pattern of induction for each herbicidal chemical was observed . it was noted that two chemicals , sm and glyphosate , gave very similar patterns of induction . thus , these fusion - containing strains may be useful as screens for compounds that will be effective herbicides . furthermore , these fusion containing strains also may be useful for characterizing the modes of action of herbicides or potential herbicides . the present invention is further defined in the following examples . it should be understood that these examples , while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention , are given by way of illustration only . from the above discussion and these examples , one skilled in the art can ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention , and without departing from the spirit and scope thereof , can make various changes and modifications of the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions . procedures for phosphorylations , ligations and transformations are well known in the art . techniques suitable for use in the following examples may be found in sambrook et al ., molecular cloning : a laboratory manual , second edition , cold spring harbor laboratory press ( 1989 ). materials and methods suitable for the maintenance and growth of bacterial cultures are well known in the art . techniques suitable for use in the following examples may be found in manual of methods for general bacteriology ( phillipp gerhardt , r . g . e . murray , ralph n . costilow , eugene w . nester , willis a . wood , noel r . krieg and g . briggs phillips , eds ), american society for microbiology , washington , d . c . ( 1994 ) or thomas d . brock in biotechnology : a textbook of industrial microbiology , second edition ( 1989 ) sinauer associates , inc ., sunderland , mass . all reagents and materials used for the growth and maintenance of bacterial cells were obtained from aldrich chemicals ( milwaukee , wis . ), difco laboratories ( detroit , mich . ), gibco / brl ( gaithersburg , md . ), or sigma chemical company ( st . louis , mo .) unless otherwise specified . the meaning of abbreviations is as follows : &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; means hour ( s ), &# 34 ; min &# 34 ; means minute ( s ), &# 34 ; sec &# 34 ; means second ( s ), &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; means day ( s ), &# 34 ; ml &# 34 ; means milliliters , &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; means liters , μl means microliters , and μg means micrograms . plasmid pdew201 was made by replacing the promoterless lacz gene of prs415 ( simons et al ., gene , 53 : 85 - 96 ( 1987 )) with the promoterless photorhabdus luminescens luxcdabe from pjt205 ( rosson , pct international application wo 93 / 03179 , 57 pp ., ( 1993 )). plasmid prs415 contains an origin of replication from pbr322 , a bla gene and four tandem transcription terminators from phage t1 upstream of a multiple cloning site ( mcs ). this plasmid dna was digested with bamh i , nru i and ecor v and ligated with pjt205 dna that had been digested with bamh i , pvu ii and pst i . the ligation mixture was used to transform e . coli strain dh5 , selecting for ampicillin resistance . light production from overnight cultures of transformant colonies that had been grown in lb medium containing 150 μg / ml of ampicillin was quantitated in an ml3000 luminometer in the presence and absence of 0 . 0033 % nonanal . plasmid dna was isolated from three transformants that had very low levels of light production ( 0 . 0022 to 0 . 0029 rlu ) in the absence of nonanal and moderate light production ( 0 . 91 to 0 . 97 rlu ) in the presence of nonanal . restriction digestion analysis with various enzymes and combinations of enzymes showed that each of these three plasmids had the expected structure except that a portion ( c . a . 900 bp ) near the 3 &# 39 ; terminus of the luxcdabe operon containing an ecor i site was deleted . one of these plasmids was saved and named pdew201 . the entire luxcdabe operon is known to remain intact in pdew201 because placement of dna with promoter activity in the multiple cloning site results in light production in the absence of exogenously added aldehyde . furthermore , dna sequence analysis of the 3 &# 39 ; region of the lux operon in pdew201 showed that the join point of the sequences derived from pjt205 to sequences derived from prs415 was one nucleotide beyond the termination codon of luxe . a map of plasmid pdew201 is shown in fig1 . features of this plasmid include : ( 1 ) unique ecor i , bamh i , kpn i and sac i sites in the multiple cloning site ; ( 2 ) promoterless photorhabdus luminescence luxcdabe genes downstream of the multiple cloning site ; ( 3 ) transcription terminators upstream of the multiple cloning site resulting in a very low level of read - through transcription and hence very low light production in the absence of promoter dna cloned into the multiple cloning site from cells containing this plasmid ; ( 4 ) ampicillin resistance selection for maintenance of the plasmid ; and ( 5 ) moderate copy number due to the replication origin from pbr322 . chromosomal dna isolated from e . coli w3110 was partially digested with restriction enzyme sau3a1 and size fractionated on agarose gels . fractions of three size ranges ( average sizes of approximately 700 , 1800 or 2500 basepairs ) were ligated to pdew201 that had previously been digested with restriction enzyme bamhi and treated with calf intestinal alkaline phosphatase . the ligation products were used to transform ultracompetent e . coli xl2blue ( stratagene ) to amp r ( ampicillin resistant ). pooled transformants were cryogenically preserved and used to isolate plasmid dna . single ampicillin resistant transformants of e . coli xl2blue were toothpicked from transformation plate to wells of a white microtiter plate containing 100 μl of lb medium ( miller , experiments in molecular genetics , 1972 , cold spring harbor , n . y . : cold spring harbor laboratory ). light production was quantitated in an ml 3000 luminometer and compared with control pdew201 transformants . those with greater light production than the control were scored lux + . the results are shown in table i . table i______________________________________library approx . size of inserted dna # lux . sup .+ / total picked % lux . sup .+ ______________________________________z 500 - 2000 21 / 88 24 % a 900 - 3000 49 / 88 56 % b 1500 - 4500 60 / 88 68 % ______________________________________ as expected , there were a greater percentage of cloned fragments with promoter activity , hence light production , as the size of inserted dna was increased . light production and insert size from 16 random individual transformants of libraries a and z grown overnight in lb medium containing 150 μg / ml ampicillin was characterized . bioluminescence from two 100 μl samples was quantitated , averaged and compared with the bioluminescence of pdew201 transformants . the remaining 4 . 8 ml of the overnight culture was used to isolated plasmid dna , which was subsequently digested with restriction enzymes ecori and saci to release the fragment inserted into the mcs . table ii below summarizes the findings . table ii______________________________________ avg . range of insert size insert library lux . sup .+ / total rlu insert . sup .+ / total range , kbp size______________________________________z 9 / 16 ( 56 %) 0 . 001 - 3 . 0 16 / 16 ( 100 %) 0 . 1 - 1 . 5 0 . 7 kbp a 11 / 16 ( 69 %) 0 . 015 - 27 16 / 16 ( 100 %) 0 . 9 - 3 . 0 1 . 8 kbp______________________________________ fig2 and 3 display the light production as a function of insert size for these transformants . the large range of light production indicates that promoters of many strengths are present in the libraries . furthermore , it demonstrates the advantages of the large dynamic range of the lux reporter in that these varied plasmids containing promoters of varied activities could all be measured with the same conditions at the same time . to discover the effects of chemicals on the cell without presupposition concerning the nature of those effects , the host strain should be as close to wild type as possible . nevertheless , certain features are important . in order for the growth of e . coli to be inhibited by the sulfonylureas , such as sulfometuron methyl ( sm ), the sm - resistant als i must be eliminated by an ilvb - mutation . another desirable feature is increased sensitivity to chemicals . e . coli strains mutated in tolc lack the outer membrane channel for an hydrophobic compound efflux pump and thus are sensitive to growth inhibition at reduced chemical concentrations . the e . coli strain dpd 1675 [ ilvb2101 ara thi δ ( pro - lac ) tolc :: minitn10 ], has both an ilvb - mutation and a tolc - mutation with few other mutations . plasmid library a was used to obtain ampr transformants of e . coli dpd1675 . these transformants , each of which contained random , individual plasmids with e . coli dna fused to the lux reporter , were toothpicked to wells of a microtiter plate . each well contained 100 μl of vogel - bonner ( davis et al ., advanced bacterial genetics , ( 1980 ), cold spring harbor , n . y . : cold spring harbor laboratory ) with glucose as a carbon source and supplemented with thiamine , uracil , proline and 25 μg / ml ampicillin . following overnight growth at 37 ° c ., these pure cultures were used for both permanent storage ( menzel , anal . biochem ., 181 : 40 - 50 ( 1989 )) and dilution and regrowth to exponential phase in the same medium except containing 10 μg / ml ampicillin . these actively growing cultures were tested for the effects of sm addition by adding 50 μl to 50 μl of fresh medium lacking ampicillin but containing 4 μg / ml sm ( e . i . du pont de nemours , wilmington , del .). the final sm concentration , 2 μg / ml , resulted in partial ( 25 %) inhibition of e . coli dpd1675 growth rate . light production was quantitated in a ml3000 luminometerat 0 , 90 , and 180 min of incubation at 37 ° c . after addition of cell cultures to chemical . the criteria of table iii were used to identify putative sm - inducible fusions . table iii______________________________________rlu ( sm treated ) - rlu ( control ) rlu ( sm treated )/ rlu ( control ) ______________________________________δrlu 0 . 02 → 0 . 1 ratio ≧ 1 . 50 δrlu 0 . 1 → 1 . 0 ratio ≧ 1 . 35 δrlu 1 . 0 → 10 . 0 ratio ≧ 1 . 25 δrlu & gt ; 10 . 0 ratio ≧ 1 . 20______________________________________ putative transformants were reisolated from the appropriate wells of the duplicate cultures stored at - 80 ° c . and retested under the same conditions as above . those that showed sm - induced increased bioluminescence in the second test were tested at third time at a variety of sm concentrations and for a longer extent of time . an example of induction of bioluminescence from one of these fusions is shown in fig6 . strains that continued to show good sm induction were selected for further analysis including dna sequencing to identify the inserted dna in the plasmid . of the 8066 random fusion containing transformants that were screened , twenty were selected for dna sequence analysis . the dna sequence information from both ends of the inserted dna was analyzed by comparison with the e . coli chromosomal sequence using the ecdc database ( kroger and wahl , nucleic acids res . : 24 : 29 - 31 ( 1996 )). a summary of the identities of the twenty inducible fusions is shown in table iv . in all cases where the sequence was identified , the promoter closest to the lux reporter genes was situated such that the transcription initiated at that promoter would drive lux expression . the 17 single insert fusions represent 13 unique fusions of dna with promoter activity to luxcdabe . sequence data was obtained by automated dna sequencing . for those sequences labeled &# 34 ; upper &# 34 ; the primer , ggatcggaattcccggggat ( seq id no : 27 ), from just upsteam of the mcs of pdew201 was used . for those sequences labeled &# 34 ; lower &# 34 ;, the primer , ctggccgttaataatgaatg ( seq id no : 28 ), from the luxc region of pdew201 was used . the sequences listed are those used for comparison with the e . coli sequence database . for the upper sequences , it starts about 30 bases into the sequence and continues to the first ambiguous base ( n ). for the lower sequences , it starts immediately after the bamhi site and continues to the first ambiguous base ( n ). in some cases , a few ambiguous bases ( n ) may be included . all sequences are shown 5 &# 39 ; to 3 &# 39 ;. table iv__________________________________________________________________________dna sequence analyis of 20 sm - inducible genestotal subfusions categories other information__________________________________________________________________________3 -- double insert =& gt ; no further analysis ( 3 of 3 fusions ) 3 -- no hits to database ( 3 of 3 fusions ) unique ( 1 of 3 fusions ) identical to each other ( 2 of 3 fusions ) 4 -- hit at one end only ( 4 of 4 fusions ) ( upper primer sequence ) 51 . 49 min ( 1 of 4 fusion ) downstream of ack 52 . 31 min ( 3 or 4 fusions ) downstream of glk6 &# 34 ; unknown &# 34 ; orfs 1 ldch 4 . 5 min predicted function : lysine decarboxylase 1 ycig 28 . 2 min predicted function : unknown 2 yohf 47 . 4 min predicted function : dehydrogenase 1 yiab 80 . 3 min predicted function : unknown 1 frvx 88 . 1 min predicted function : unknown . 4 known genes 1 poxb 19 . 6 min pyruvate oxidase regulated by rpos 1 inaa 50 . 0 min function : not known induced by acid shock and other environmental insults regulated by soxrs and mar 1 soha 70 . 6 min activation of the lon protease a . k . a . prlf auto regulated 1 osmy 99 . 3 min periplasmic protein induced by hyperosmotic insult regulated by rpos , lrp , camp , and ihf__________________________________________________________________________ each of the 13 unique single insert fusion strains was characterized by testing actively growing cells in vogel - bonner medium with glucose as the carbon source supplemented with thiamine , proline and uracil challenged with final concentration of chemicals : 3 or 8 μg / ml sm or 5 mm salicylate , a weak , membrane - permeant acid . bioluminescence was quantitated for & gt ; 1000 min in an ml3000 luminometer at 37 ° c . in plates covered with acetate seals . data from plots of rlu vs . time were analyzed calculating &# 34 ; very early &# 34 ; induction ratios and &# 34 ; peak &# 34 ; response ratios . the ratio of the rlu from treated samples ( with sm 3 μg / ml or salicylate 5 mm ) at the 90 min time point to the control rlu at the 90 min time point was the &# 34 ; very early &# 34 ; induction ratio ; the fusion was considered induced if this ratio was & gt ; 1 . 3 . the ratio of the peak rlu of treated cells ( with sm 8 μg / ml or salicylate 5 mm ) at any time point in the experiment to the peak rlu at any time point of the control cells was the &# 34 ; peak &# 34 ; response ratio ; the fusion was considered induced if this ratio was & gt ; 1 . 5 . also calculated was the ratio of the rlu peak of the untreated cells to the rlu of the untreated cells at the second cycle ( 1000 sec ) of the experiment . table v shows the classes of fusions from this data . table v__________________________________________________________________________classes of fusion strains__________________________________________________________________________ &# 34 ; class 1 &# 34 ; stationary phase inducible ( and putatives ) sm salicylate overnight genomic induction induction peak / initial segment rlu ( sm )/ rlu ( sal . )/ rlu ( second bounded by strain fusion rlu control rlu control cycle ) seq id nos : __________________________________________________________________________ dpd3509 poxb &# 39 ;:: lux very early only : very early only : 17 / 0 . 5 = 34x 23 and 24 ( pyruvate oxidase ) 1 . 9 / 1 . 3 = 1 . 5x 2 . 9 / 1 . 3 = 2 . 2x dpd2090 osmy &# 39 ;:: lux very early only : very early only : 1 . 6 / 0 . 05 = 32x 13 and 14 ( outer membrane 0 . 12 / 0 . 08 = 1 . 5x 0 . 12 / 0 . 08 = 1 . 5x protein ) dpd2088 yohf &# 39 ;:: lux very early : very early only : 4 . 3 / 0 . 2 = 22x 9 and 10 ( putative dehydro - 0 . 6 / 0 . 3 = 2x 0 . 6 / 0 . 3 = 2x genase ) late ( slight ): 7 . 4 / 4 . 3 = 1 . 7x dpd3505 unmapped very early only : not induced 7 . 2 / 0 . 35 = 21x 19 and 20 ( no clues from 1 . 1 / 0 . 7 = 1 . 6x protein database ) __________________________________________________________________________ &# 34 ; class 2 &# 34 ; acid inducible ( and putatives ) overnight genomic peak / initial segment sm salicylate rlu ( second bounded by strain fusion induction induction cycle ) seq id nos : __________________________________________________________________________ dpd2087 inaa &# 39 ;:: lux very early 90 / 10 = 9x 7 and 8 ( acid inducible , ( strong ): unknown func .) moderate late : 130 / 25 = 5 . 2x 200 / 90 = 2 . 2x late : 325 / 90 = 3 . 6x dpd3507 soha &# 39 ;:: lux very early : 80 / 10 . 5 = 7 . 6x 21 and 22 ( lon activator ) 42 / 22 = 1 . 9x moderate late : late ( slight ): 160 / 80 = 2x 155 / 80 = 1 . 9x dpd3501 frvx &# 39 ;:: lux very early : 10 / 1 . 2 = 8 . 3x 17 and 18 ( unknown function ) 4 / 2 . 6 = 1 . 5x moderate late : late ( slight ): 24 / 10 = 2 . 4x 17 . 5 / 10 = 1 . 8x dpd2089 unmapped very early : very early : 18 / 6 = 3x 11 and 12 ( no clues from 11 . 0 / 7 . 5 = 1 . 5x 19 . 5 / 7 . 5 = 2 . 6x protein database ) moderate late : late ( slight ): 55 / 18 = 3 . 1x 30 / 18 = 1 . 7x dpd3512 ldch &# 39 ;:: lux very early : very early : 2 . 5 / 0 . 38 = 6 . 6x 25 and 26 ( putative lysine 1 . 2 / 0 . 6 = 2x 1 . 05 / 0 . 6 = 1 . 8x decarboxylase ) moderate late : late ( slight ): 10 . 2 / 2 . 5 = 4 . 1x 4 . 5 / 2 . 5 = 1 . 8x__________________________________________________________________________ &# 34 ; class 3 &# 34 ; stationary phase ( very strong ) and acid inducible ( putative ) overnight genomic peak / initial segment sm salicylate rlu ( second bounded by strain fusion induction induction cycle ) seq id nos : __________________________________________________________________________ dpd2092 downst . of ack very early : 15 / 0 . 06 = 250 15 and 16 ( putative 0 . 99 / 0 . 72 = 1 . 4x transmembrane late : late only : protein ) 130 / 15 = 8 . 7x 50 / 15 = 3 . 3x__________________________________________________________________________ &# 34 ; class 4 &# 34 ; possible sm - specific induction overnight genomic peak / initial segment sm salicylate rlu ( second bounded by strain fusion induction induction cycle ) seq id nos : __________________________________________________________________________ dpd2084 ycig &# 39 ;:: lux very early : not induced 0 . 7 / 0 . 09 = 7 . 8x 3 and 4 ( unknown function ) 0 . 18 / 0 . 11 = 1 . 6x moderate late : 1 . 5 / 0 . 7 = 2 . 1x dpd2086 yiab &# 39 ;:: lux very early only ( v . not induced 0 . 45 / 0 . 085 = 5 . 3x 5 and 6 ( unknown function ) slight ): 0 . 17 / 0 . 15 = 1 . 1x__________________________________________________________________________ &# 34 ; class 5 &# 34 ; generally inducible by many stresses overnight genomic peak / initial segment sm salicylate rlu ( second bounded by strain fusion induction induction cycle ) seq id nos : __________________________________________________________________________ dpd2081 downst of glk very early : early : 0 . 35 / 0 . 2 = 1 . 8x 1 and 2 ( putative fructose 0 . 5 / 0 . 2 = 2 . 5x 0 . 35 / 0 . 2 = 1 . 8x specific iic late : late : component of pts ) 3 . 6 /. 35 = 10 . 3x 1 . 5 / 0 . 35 = 4 . 3x__________________________________________________________________________ &# 34 ; control &# 34 ; non - sm inducible , heat shock promoter overnight peak / initial sm salicylate rlu ( second strain fusion induction induction cycle ) __________________________________________________________________________ dpd2077 grpe &# 39 ;:: lux none very early : 340 / 48 = 7 . 1x250 / 80 = 3 . 1xmoderate late : 700 / 340 = 2 . 1x__________________________________________________________________________ representative fusions from some of the classes above were tested for induction by other herbicidal compounds . strains dpd3509 ( poxb &# 39 ;:: luxcdabe ), dpd2087 ( inaa &# 39 ;:: lux ), and dpd2081 ( map position of fusion is downstream of glk ) were grown in vogel - bonner medium with glucose as the carbon source supplemented with thiamine , proline and uracil until mid - log phase . these cultures were challenged with sm , glyphosate ( sigma , st . louis , mo . ), phosphinothricin , asulam , or quizalofop - ethyl ( chem services , west chester , pa . 19381 ). bioluminescence was quantitated for & gt ; 1000 min in an ml3000 luminometer at 37 ° c . in plates covered with acetate seals . data from plots of rlu vs . time were analyzed calculating &# 34 ; early &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; peak &# 34 ; responses . the difference of the rlu from treated samples ( sm 8 μg / ml , glyphosate 100 μg / ml , phosphinothricin 200 μg / ml , asulam 50 μg / ml or quizalofop - ethyl 50 μg / ml ) at the 200 min time point from the control rlu at the 200 min time point was normalized by dividing by the rlu of the control sample at that time point to give the &# 34 ; early &# 34 ; response : ## equ1 ## the difference of the peak rlu of treated cells ( sm 16 μg / ml , glyphosate 100 μg / ml , phosphinothricin 200 μ / ml , asulam 50 μg / ml or quizalofop - ethyl 50 μg / ml ) at any time point in the experiment to the peak rlu at any time point of the control cells was normalized by dividing by the peak rlu of the control sample to give the &# 34 ; peak &# 34 ; response : ## equ2 ## fig5 displays the results of these calculations ; values less than zero are not shown . each herbicide gives a pattern of induction of these three fusions that is unique . however , the similarity of pattern between sm and glyphosate is noted . the described method of discovery of promoters by inducing stress in cells growing in liquid medium is more sensitive than assessing activity of the reporter genes on petri plates . this was shown by testing several of the sm - induced fusion containing strains . e . coli strains dpd2084 , dpd2081 , dpd2088 , dpd3512 , and dpd2092 were streaked for single colonies on vogel - bonner medium agar plates with glucose as the carbon source and supplemented with thiamine , proline , uracil and ampicillin ( 25 μg / ml ). six single colonies of each were transferred with a toothpick to the plates of the same composition except lacking ampicillin and containing sm at 2 μg / ml , 1 μg / ml , 0 . 5 μg / ml or 0 μg / ml . following incubation at 37 ° c . overnight , there was visible growth on all plates ; however , the growth on the plates containing sm was visibly less dense . these plates were exposed to x - ray film ( dupont reflections , wilmington , del .) at 37 ° c . for two h . the film was developed and examined visually . there was no increase in darkening of the film for any of these five strains on the plates with sm compared with those plates lacking sm . an image of the exposed and developed x - ray film was made by illuminating it on a light box , capturing an electronic image using the eagle eye ™ ii ( stratagene ) system . colors corresponding to the various exposures of the film were added to the image using a macintosh quadra 800 computer and the public domain nih image program ( written by wayne rasband at the u . s . national institutes of health and available from the internet by anonymous ftp from zippy . nimh . nih . gov or on floppy disk from ntis , 5285 port royal rd ., springfield , va . 22161 , part number pb93 - 504868 ). these version of the relative bioluminescence of these e . coli strains grown on plates is shown in fig6 . as with visual examination of the film , there is no evidence of increased bioluminescence on the plates with sm compared with those plates lacking sm . thus , it is unlikely that any of these five strains would have been scored sm - inducible by a plate assay . this method is also useful for discovery of regulatory regions modulated by other chemicals . this was shown by identification of fusion - containing strains showing bioluminescence which was inducible by the herbicidal compound 2 , 4 - dichlorophenoxyacetic acid . plasmid libraries z , a , and b were used to obtain ampicillin resistant transformants of e . coli dpd1675 . these transformants , each of which contained random , individual plasmids with e . coli dna fused to the lux reporter , were grown in wells of a microtiter plate . each well contained 100 μl of vogel - bonner medium ( davis et al ., advanced bacterial genetics , ( 1980 ), cold spring harbor , n . y . : cold spring harbor laboratory ) with glucose as a carbon source and supplemented with thiamine , uracil , proline and 25 μg / ml ampicillin . following overnight growth at 37 ° c ., these pure cultures were used for dilution and regrowth to exponential phase in the same medium except containing 10 μg / ml ampicillin . these actively growing cultures were tested by adding 50 μl to 50 μl of fresh medium lacking ampicillin but containing 100 μg / ml 2 , 4 - dichlorophenoxyacetic acid ( janssen chimica ). the final 2 , 4 - dichlorophenoxyacetic acid concentration was 50 μg / ml . light production was quantitated in a ml3000 luminometer at 0 , 1 , 2 , and 3 hours of incubation at 37 ° c . after addition of cell cultures to chemical . eighty - eight transformants from each library ( z , a , and b ) were tested . the ratio of rlu in the treated sample to rlu in the untreated sample was calculated , as was the difference in rlu of the treated sample from the untreated . fusion - containing strains which gave a ratio greater than or equal to 1 . 2 and an increase in rlu greater than 0 . 1 were scored as 2 , 4 - dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - inducible . table vi list the results of 2 , 4 - dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - inducible isolated identified . table vi______________________________________gene fusion time of library isolate # treatment ratio increase in rlu______________________________________z z1 - c4 1 h 2 . 1 2 . 5 z1 - e11 1 h 1 . 2 2 . 0 z1 - c11 2 h 1 . 5 0 . 3 a a1 - h2 1 h 1 . 3 25 . 2 a1 - f7 1 h 1 . 2 4 . 5 b b1 - d3 2 h 1 . 3 23 . 9 b1 - a8 3 h 1 . 3 0 . 3 b1 - e8 3 h 1 . 7 14 . 1 b1 - f9 2 h 1 . 4 1 . 8______________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ # sequence listing - - - - ( 1 ) general information : - - ( iii ) number of sequences : 28 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 1 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 150 bas - # e pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : dpd2081 - # upper - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 1 : - - tttggtggcg cagaaccggt cgaaggtaag cctattgcgg tttacggtgc cg -# gaacgggg 60 - - cttggggttg cgcatctggt ccatgtcgat aagcgttggg taagcttgcc ag -# gcgaaggc 120 - - ggtcacgttg attttgcgcc gaatagtgaa - # - # 150 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 2 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 95 base - # pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : dpd2081 - # lower - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 2 : - - cccattgcgt acatcagcgc gcccttctca cctgcggcag tcagcacagt ac -# ggataccg 60 - - ccgttgatcc agccaccaaa gggggtgatg acgta - #- # 95 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 3 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 414 bas - # e pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : dpd2084 - # upper - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 3 : - - attcaaaacg ccactctgcg cgcctttgcg gcaggtgtga ctccggcaca at -# gttttgaa 60 - - atgctggcac tgattcgcca gaaacacccg accattccca ttggcctgtt ga -# tgtatgcc 120 - - aatctggtgt ttaacaaagg cattgatgag ttttatgccc agtgcgaaaa ag -# tcggcgtc 180 - - gattcggtgc tggttgccga tgtgccagtt gaagagtccg cgcccttccg cc -# aggccgcg 240 - - ttgcgtcata atgtcgcacc tatcttcatc tgcccgccaa atgccgatga cg -# acctgctg 300 - - cgccagatag cctcttacgg tcgtggttac acctatttgc tgtcacgagc ag -# gcgtgacc 360 - - ggcgcagaaa accgcgccgc gttaccctca atcatctggt tgcgaactga aa - # ga 414 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 4 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 283 bas - # e pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : dpd2084 - # lower - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 4 : - - atttttaaaa ttaccgccgc tatgctgacc gcctttacgg cctgcgtcgg at -# gccttctc 60 - - acggtcttcg gcgaaatttc ctgaaccacc acgatgttcg gccatgttat tt -# ctcccgtt 120 - - gcgttgcatt gtttcattaa tatgagtgtt gtgtgtcgac actcattaaa at -# tagtcgct 180 - - aatgagaatt agtcaaatta agcgcaacga gaagatagag ggaaaatata tt -# ttgaggaa 240 - - cattctggat atattaacaa ttacctgagg aataagtgac tta - #- # 283 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 5 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 185 bas - # e pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : dpd2086 - # upper - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 5 : - - cgcgatggat acgatggcac tggcgctgaa attgcgcgcg catgattgaa at -# ggcaagct 60 - - ggaaaacgca tcgcgcacgt tattccggca tggaataacg aattgggcca cc -# aaatccga 120 - - aaggccggtg tcactggcaa tttagccaaa tatgctcagg aacatcatgt gt -# ctccggtg 180 - - catca - # - # -# 185 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 6 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 479 bas - # e pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : dpd2086 - # lower - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 6 : - - tccatatcta ccagcgatac attacgagta accaacgaaa gacaaaactg aa -# aaatgcca 60 - - ttaacaaatg attttcagaa taaattcata ctaaatatta attaattact ga -# gatatata 120 - - gatgtgaatt atcccccacc cggtcaggca ggggataacg tttacgccat ta -# atggcaga 180 - - agttgctgat agaggcgacg gaacgtttct cgtcgtggct gataagcggc at -# aacgctgc 240 - - gcatctggta gatgcgactg ttctaacggt agttgcggca acaattcaat ga -# gcgatttc 300 - - tctggattcg ccgcgatctg cgccagcctt gctgcgccca gtgctggccc ca -# catccccc 360 - - cccgtacggt aatcgagctg ctgaccgctg atatccgcca gcatctgacg cc -# agtactca 420 - - ctacgcgccc cgcccccaat caacgtaaca ctttgcggtt taataccgca gg -# catgcac 479 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 7 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 533 bas - # e pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : dpd2087 - # upper - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 7 : - - tcgttactac gcgatagatt tcacgctgga tgaaattaag tcgttgaaat tt -# accgaagg 60 - - tttcgatatt gaaaacggta aaaaagtgca gacttatccg gggcgtttcc ca -# atgggtaa 120 - - gtccgacttc cgggtgcaca cctttgaaaa agagattgaa tttgttcagg gg -# ttaaatca 180 - - ctctaccggg aaaaatatcg gtatttatcc agaaatcaaa gcgccgtggt tc -# catcatca 240 - - ggaagggaag gatattgcgg caaaaacgct ggaagtgctg aagaaatatg gt -# tacaccgg 300 - - taaagacgat aaagtttatt tgcaatgttt tgatgctgat gagctgaacg ta -# ttaagaat 360 - - gagctggaac ccaaaatggg catggagctc aatctggtac agctgattgc ct -# ataccgac 420 - - tggaatgaaa cgcagcagaa acagccggat ggaactgggt taattacact ac -# gactggat 480 - - gtttaaccgg gtgccatgaa acaggtggcg gaatatgcag atggtattgg tc - # c 533 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 8 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 183 bas - # e pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : dpd2087 - # lower - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 8 : - - ttcggcacga tgacaccggc ccgttccagt tctttaatta ccgcaacctc ac -# ggacaatc 60 - - gttggtcggc cgaacggata acgtacggaa tgaaacagat gatgcgtcat gc -# gctttaca 120 - - tacagctttt tgccgttgcg ctcgacgcat tgcaccccgc tcataccatt ac -# ggcgatag 180 - - tta - # - # - # 183 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 9 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 174 bas - # e pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : dpd2088 - # upper - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 9 : - - cagtgatgat tggtcgcggg gcgctcaata ttcccaacct gagccgggtg gt -# aaaatata 60 - - acgaaccgcg aatgccgtgg ccggaggtgg ttgctttgct gcaaaaatat ac -# ccgtctgg 120 - - aaaagcaggg cgataccggg ttatatcacg ttgcgcggat taaacagtgg tt - # ga 174 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 10 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 219 bas - # e pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : dpd2088 - # lower - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 10 : - - ccgaatcgga ggcggtaata atcgcaacct gtgccatcga gttctccact ta -# acgctgaa 60 - - taaacgttaa gtatagaagg cgcatatcat cagcgtttgt accccccgcc ca -# acgcacca 120 - - gtgagttgaa tggaggcatc cagccactgc ccttgcaata acaggccatt gg -# cccgctca 180 - - cgcagcgcgg ggattctggc ttcgctgacg cgggaacca - # - # 219 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 11 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 229 bas - # e pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : dpd2089 - # upper - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 11 : - - gatttgctat cgaaaccatt ctcatttttg tgacaggttc gtcgtcacta ta -# tggctacg 60 - - ataaataagg gtggtaagca ttaacaatcc agggtaatgg gtgaggcgag ag -# taagacgg 120 - - taacagacat atcttcttgt gtctttcttt taataccaaa acataaccgt tt -# cttacatt 180 - - gataaaaaat ggaaaaagtt gaacactagt tggcgaaaaa tcttgtata - # 229 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 12 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 205 bas - # e pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : dpd2089 - # lower - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 12 : - - taacccatta attattgagc ataatgtagg cagtacaaaa taagttaggc gg -# gatatcag 60 - - gcgtcaagaa tggaacgaga actctccatt cttgacacct gatattgcgg ac -# ataataag 120 - - aaagcataac gcctgaaatg ctcactttgc atcagcatgg tgatacagct ga -# tgtttatt 180 - - ctaaaacctt actcaagttc taaga - # - # 205 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 13 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 186 bas - # e pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : dpd2090 - # upper - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 13 : - - gctttccgaa gagggcgcgg tgcaggtgtt ccgtccaatc tccaacaacg at -# ctgatcgt 60 - - tggtgcagtt ggtgtgctgc agtttgatgt ggtggtagcg cgcctgaaga gc -# gaatacaa 120 - - cgttgaagca gtgtatgagt cagtcaacgt tgccactgcc cgctgggtag aa -# tgtgcaga 180 - - cgcgaa - # - # -# 186 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 14 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 507 bas - # e pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : dpd2090 - # lower - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 14 : - - caccagggcc gccttcactt tcgcggtgat ggcgctgtca tccatgaaat ta -# ccgacttt 60 - - attcatagag ctatcgactt tttgccctgc gctttcattg gtagtctgcg cg -# ttgttttc 120 - - cgcgtaggca gagccggtcg cgacggcaga ggtcaacatt acagccagca ga -# gttttcga 180 - - aatcttcagt cttgtcatag tcatcgattt attcctgtat gtttgctcgt aa -# tttgagcc 240 - - tggcaacacg aggttgcatt gctgaatagg gagagacttc accctctaca ga -# agtcaatg 300 - - gtcgccatca caaaagcgat gagtgatgaa taacgaccat tacagcctct ga -# atcagtta 360 - - ttaatatcgg tagaatgaca atcgacggct ttagatactg atatctacgc at -# tgaacggt 420 - - atttaacgcc gtcagaaatg tcatcacttt gttaaatata gatcacaatt tt -# gaaaccgc 480 - - tcgggatatc acgaaacata acaaaat - # - # 507 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 15 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 428 bas - # e pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : dpd2092 - # upper - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 15 : - - caagccggtt aacgacctgt cccgtggcgc actggttgac gatatcgtct ac -# accatcgc 60 - - gctgactgcg attcagtctg cacagcagca gtaatctcgc atcatccgca gc -# tttgcgct 120 - - gcggatatct gaaccggaaa taatcactat ttccggtttt ttattctctt aa -# tttgcatt 180 - - aatcctttct gattatcttg cttaactgcg ctgcatcaat gaattgcgcc at -# cccacttt 240 - - gcatacttac cactttgttt tgtgcaaggg aatatttgcg ctatgtccgc aa -# tcactgaa 300 - - tccaaaccaa caagaagatg ggcaatgccc gatacgttgg tgattatctt tt -# ttgttgct 360 - - attttaacca gccttgccac ctgggtagtt ccggtgggga tgtttgacag tc -# aggaagtg 420 - - cagtatca - # - #- # 428 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 16 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 554 bas - # e pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : dpd2092 - # lower - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 16 : - - aggccaatca gagtggcgat aacccacacc acgatgcgca acccggagcc ag -# aaagcacc 60 - - ggaacgccgg caatcccctg agcaacgacc acacaaaacg ggttcatcca cg -# aactggca 120 - - aaaccgattt gcgtggcaat ataggtcacc aggacggtgg taatactgtc at -# agcccagc 180 - - cggaccatta gcggtgcgat gataatggca aaggcgacgg cctcttctcc ca -# taccaaat 240 - - accgcgccgc caagtgaaaa cagaataaac agcgcaggaa taaagagaat tt -# cattcccg 300 - - cgggtatggc gaataagcgc caggataccg ttatcaatgg ttcctgtacg ca -# tcacaatg 360 - - ccaaacgcgc cgccaatcac cagcataaac atgatgatgc caacggctgt cc -# cgtatttc 420 - - gatcctgaag ttaatccttc aaacgggaat tcatcagccc gggcgttcat cg -# cccgtcgt 480 - - gaacagctgt acgcggtgat actcaggttc cctgcttcgt aatcaaatgc aa -# atgatttt 540 - - gatctacaat ttgc - # - # - # 554 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 17 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 87 base - # pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : dpd3501 - # upper - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 17 : - - ggtcacttac taggttatcg ggccggtgat gtccgacctc atgggcgggc tg -# ctccactt 60 - - cctgaatacc attcctccat caatgaa - # - # 87 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 18 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 134 bas - # e pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : dpd3501 - # lower - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 18 : - - acgacgtccg gtttaatgtg ttccgccgag gtttgcgccc cgcgtagccc aa -# cttcttct 60 - - tccacactgc caacgccata cagcgtaatt tcgggattat tcaccgtctg ca -# atagttca 120 - - gccatcattg cgca - # - # - # 134 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 19 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 203 bas - # e pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : dpd3505 - # upper - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 19 : - - tatggtttat cgctggtggg attcggtctg ttgatttcat cactctgttc aa -# cacaacag 60 - - caggcgttta tcggcgtgtt tgtctttatg atgcccgcca ttctcctttc cg -# gttacgtt 120 - - tctccggtgg aaaacatgcc ggtatggctg caaaacctga cgtggattaa cc -# ctattcgc 180 - - cactttacgg acattaccaa gca - # - # 203 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 20 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 410 bas - # e pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : dpd3505 - # lower - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 20 : - - ctgtccagtc gtagtagagg aaattgcacc ggaaacgtgc gcgccgggcg tc -# cgtgggcg 60 - - cgggtaaaaa tctcatccag tccggcctgc acttttaacg gatgattagc tt -# tttgccgc 120 - - cagtcattga aatcacccgc caccaatacc ggttcgccgt ccggtagctc at -# tcacccat 180 - - tcggcgagca tcgcaagctg cgcctgacgg tgcgcctcac gcaggcccag at -# gtacgcac 240 - - atcacatgaa tcgcttttcc ggtcatcggc ggcacaatgc ggcagtagag ca -# cgccgcgc 300 - - ttttccgcac catcgaccga aacatcgcga ttctcataat gttcaatggg at -# aacgcgac 360 - - agtacggcgt tgccgtgatg cccttccggg tatacggcat tgcgaccgta - # 410 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 21 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 164 bas - # e pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : dpd3507 - # upper - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 21 : - - gccgttacac acgctgccac tggcaaccaa agtcccggaa cccttaccgc cg -# ctggaagg 60 - - atacaccttt gagggctacg caatgccgat ggcagcgtgg gcaccaaaaa cc -# tgctcggt 120 - - atcaccacca gcgtccactg tgtggcaggc gtggtggact atgt - #- # 164 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 22 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 285 bas - # e pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : dpd3507 - # lower - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 22 : - - ctcctgttca tctcccagtc ggcacataaa tacttgccca ccaggcagaa tt -# tcgtaatg 60 - - aatgctgtcc tggcctggct tcagttttaa ggcctcacgc actggcgcgg gg -# atagttgt 120 - - ttgtccgcgt atcgtgacct ttgattcagt ggtcagtaca gcgtgagagc ga -# gcattagc 180 - - gggcatgatt cactgtcctt ttacagcctg ttttctgctc aaattataag ct -# tgaactaa 240 - - ggtaatgcaa atgcattatt aatggacgtg ggggctttaa acaat - # 285 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 23 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 223 bas - # e pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : dpd3509 - # upper - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 23 : - - gatggagtgg cgtaactatc cggtaacgct ggtggcagaa aataacgtta cc -# gaaggctt 60 - - tatcgctggt cgtctcactc gcgaactgct ggcaggtgta cctgacttag ct -# tcacgtac 120 - - cgtgatgacc tgcggcccgg ctccgtatat ggattgggta gagcaggaag tg -# aaagcgct 180 - - cggcgtgacg cgtttcttta aagagaaatt cttcacccca gta - #- # 223 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 24 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 260 bas - # e pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : dpd3509 - # lower - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 24 : - - tgctccgggc tggaaaccag ctcgcaatag tgactacatt cgcggaatag ct -# cttgtggg 60 - - tgggtttcct ggaaatagcc gctgccaatt tcgctggagg gaatatgagc gg -# caatcgcc 120 - - agtaccggaa cgtgattgcg gtggcaatcg aacaggccgt tgattaagtg ca -# ggttgccg 180 - - gggccgcacg atccggcgca gaccgccagt tctccgctaa gttgtgcttc ag -# cgccagcg 240 - - gcaaaggccg ccacttcttc - # - # - # 260 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 25 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 172 bas - # e pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : dpd3512 - # upper - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 25 : - - aatggagttt gactaataca ggaatactat gagtctgaat ttccttgatt tt -# gaacagcc 60 - - gattgcagag ctggaagcga aaatcgattc tctgactgcg gttagccgtc ag -# gatgagaa 120 - - actggatatt aacatcgatg aagaagtgca tcgtctgcgt gaaaaaagcg ta - # 172 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 26 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 527 bas - # e pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : dpd3512 - # lower - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 26 : - - acttttcccg caacacgctc gccgctcata ccacttttac cctggtagat cg -# gatgaaaa 60 - - tgggtgtacg gcacccaggc agaatcgaag tgaatcgacg ggacatccag cg -# tctgtttg 120 - - atccagtcgg tgttgtagag caagccatca taggtggagt tggtgatcac cg -# catgaacc 180 - - ggccattgtg cttgcgtggt agcagcgact ttctcttcga tgctgtcgcg ag -# taaattca 240 - - cggcgcggga tcccaccaag aatccccaac gcattacgcg tcggtttcag cc -# agactggc 300 - - actacatcgt tcatcatcaa cagatgcgcc agcgatttat gacaattgcg gt -# cgatcaac 360 - - agcgtactgc cggatggcgc ggcgtacata cccacaattt tgttcgacgt cg -# atgttccg 420 - - ttggtaacga tataactctg ttccgcccaa aatcccgcga ttactcttcc gc -# ttccagtg 480 - - ttgcccgtgt tgtcaacaac aacaactcgg tgaccgaaat aaaactc - # 527 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 27 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 20 base - # pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : upper p - # rimer - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 27 : - - ggatcggaat tcccggggat - # - # - # 20 - - - - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 28 : - - ( i ) sequence characteristics : ( a ) length : 20 base - # pairs ( b ) type : nucleic a - # cid ( c ) strandedness : sing - # le ( d ) topology : linear - - ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic ) - - ( vi ) original source : ( b ) strain : lower p - # rimer - - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : - # 28 : - - ctggccgtta ataatgaatg - # - # - # 20__________________________________________________________________________	2
fig1 to 3 show in combination a first embodiment of the vibration isolating apparatus according to the present invention . in this vibration isolating apparatus 22 , a base plate 24 which defines a part of a base member is rigidly secured to a vehicle body ( not shown ) which defines a vibration receiving portion by means of a mounting bolt 26 which projects from the bottom of the base plate 24 . a wall portion 24a rises from the periphery of the base plate 24 , and the upper end portion of the wall portion 24a is bent outward at right angles to define a flange portion 24b . the lower end portion of an outer tube 28 is rigidly secured to the flange portion 24b by means of caulking . the outer peripheral portion of a diaphragm 30 is rigidly clamped between the lower end portion of the outer tube 28 and the flange portion 24b when they are secured together by means of caulking , thus defining an air chamber 32 between the diaphragm 30 and the base plate 24 . the lower end portion of a bracket 34 having a u - shaped cross - section is rigidly secured to the upper end portion of the outer tube 28 . a resilient member 36 such as a rubber member is bonded to the inner side of the bracket 34 by means of vulcanization . a hollow support shaft 38 is fitted into the resilient member 36 , and the outer periphery of the shaft 38 is bonded to the resilient member 36 by means of vulcanization in such a manner that the longitudinal axis of the support shaft 38 extends perpendicularly to that of the mounting bolt 26 . an engine ( not shown ) which defines a vibration generating portion is mounted on and rigidly secured to the support shaft 38 , so that vibrations of the engine are transmitted to the resilient member 36 . the resilient member 36 is cut at a portion 40 thereof which is located inside the upper end portion of the u - shaped bracket 34 , thereby defining a thin - walled portion 36a which extends along the outer peripheral portion of the support shaft 38 . the cut portion 40 enables the support shaft 38 to move toward the upper end of the bracket 34 , and the movement of the support shaft 38 is stopped when the thin - walled portion 36a comes into contact with the inner periphery of the upper end portion of the bracket 34 , thus limiting the movement of the support shaft 38 toward the upper end of the bracket 34 . for this purpose , the upper end portion of the bracket 34 may be partially cut as shown in fig1 a , or the bracket 34 may be constituted by two plate members which are provided so as to stand on both sides , respectively , of the support shaft 38 as shown in fig1 b . a portion of the resilient member 36 on the side of the support shaft 38 which is remote from the cut portion 40 is cut as at the reference numeral 42 , thus forming a recessed undersurface having a u - shaped cross - section . a portion of the resilient member 36 which is located between the cut portion 42 and the bracket 34 defines a thick - walled portion 36c which enables any engine load applied to the support shaft 38 to be reliably supported . a liquid chamber 44 is formed between the cut portion 42 and the diaphragm 30 and filled with a liquid such as water or oil , thus defining a vibration absorbing liquid chamber . a partition 46 is disposed within the liquid chamber 44 to partition the chamber 44 into an upper small liquid chamber 44a and a lower small liquid chamber 44b . as also shown in fig3 the partition 46 has a tubular portion 48 projecting downward from the outer peripheral portion thereof in such a manner that the axis of the tubular portion 48 extends perpendicularly to the plane of the partition 46 . a flange plate 50 projects radially outward from the lower end of the tubular portion 48 . the flange plate 50 is rigidly clamped between the base plate 24 and the lower end portion of the outer tube 28 together with the outer peripheral portion of the diaphragm 30 . an abutment plate 52 is brought into contact with and rigidly secured to the undersurface of the partition 46 . the abutment plate 52 has a tubular portion 54 which is brought into close contact with the inner periphery of the tubular potion 48 and a flange portion 56 which is superposed on and rigidly secured to the flange plate 50 . the abutment plate 52 has a recess 58 at the joint between the same and the tubular portion 54 , the recess 58 having a c - shaped planar configuration . accordingly , the recess 58 cooperates with the partition 46 to define a limiting passage having a c - shaped planar configuration . the limiting passage is communicated with the upper and lower small liquid chambers 44a and 44b through small bores 60 and 62 which are respectively provided in the partition 46 and the recess 58 . accordingly , the liquid can move between the upper and lower small liquid chambers 44a and 44b through the limiting passage while encountering fluid resistance . the partition 46 and the abutment plate 52 are respectively provided with circular bores 64 and 66 which have the same diameter as each other , and a vibrating plate 68 is inserted into the bores 64 and 66 . the vibrating plate 68 has enlarged - diameter portions 68a and 68b which are located within the upper and lower small liquid chambers 44a and 44b , respectively . the length of a portion of the vibrating plate which is defined between the enlarged - diameter portions 68a and 68b is set so as to be larger than the total wall thickness of the partition 46 and the abutment plate 52 , thus allowing the vibrating plate 68 to vibrate in the direction of the thickness thereof . the base plate 24 is secured to a vehicle body ( not shown ) by means of the mounting bolt 26 , and an engine ( not shown ) is mounted on the support shaft 38 . the load of the engine is supported by the vehicle body through the base plate 24 by virtue of the deformation of the resilient member 36 . vibrations of the engine are supported by the resilient member 36 through the support shaft 38 . the vibrations can be absorbed by means of resistance generated on the basis of the internal friction of the resilient member 36 . when a vibration of relatively low frequency occurs , the liquid is moved between the upper and lower small liquid chambers 44a and 44b through the limiting passage , and the vibration is absorbed by means of fluid resistance occurring when the liquid passes through the limiting passage . when a high - frequency vibration is generated by the engine , the limiting passage may be clogged or loaded . in such case , the vibrating plate 68 vibrates with a relatively small amplitude , thereby absorbing the vibration . since the u - shaped bracket 34 is provided in this embodiment , even when the support shaft 38 is displaced to a substantial extent by means of the reaction to the vibrational torque from the engine , the support shaft 38 abuts against the bracket 34 through the thin - walled portion 36a and is thereby reliably supported . referring next to fig4 and 5 , there is shown a second embodiment of the present invention . the configuration of this embodiment is basically similar to that of the above - described embodiment . in this embodiment , however , the mounting bolt 26 is secured to the side surface of the u - shaped bracket 34 . further , an inner tube 71 is rigidly secured to the inner peripheral portion of the outer tube 28 , and a support plate 73 is connected to the upper end portion of the inner tube 71 in one unit . the outer peripheral portion of the support plate 73 has a taper surface which is contiguous to the inner tube 71 . the taper surface is provided with bores having a circular cross - section which define second limiting passages 75 . thus , the upper small liquid chamber 44a is further partitioned into two small liquid chambers by the support plate 73 so as to absorb vibrations having frequencies different from those of vibrations which are to be absorbed by means of the limiting passage defined by the partition 46 and the abutment plate 52 . the support plate 73 faces a stopper 77 which is rigidly secured to the support shaft 38 and a thin - walled portion 36b of the resilient member 36 which is extended so as to cover the lower end surface of the stopper 77 . in this embodiment , therefore , when the support shaft 38 is moved downward as viewed in fig5 to a substantial extent , the stopper 77 abuts against the support plate 73 to limit the downward movement of the support shaft 38 . it should be noted that in each of the above - described embodiments the support shaft 38 and the base plate 24 or the bracket 34 may be secured to the vehicle body and the engine , respectively , in a reverse manner to that described above . although the present invention has been described through specific terms , it should be noted here that the described embodiments are not necessarily exclusive and various changes and modifications may be imparted thereto without departing from the scope of the invention which is limited solely by the appended claims .	5
referring to fig1 - 2 , an adjustable motor vehicle steering column 10 includes a mast jacket 12 and a steering shaft 14 supported on the mast jacket for rotation about a longitudinal centerline 16 of the latter . a steering hand wheel 18 is rigidly attached to an upper end of the steering shaft 14 . the mast jacket 12 is adjustable vertically relative to a body , not shown , of the motor vehicle to adjust the vertical position of the steering hand wheel 18 between limits represented by upper and lower positions 16 &# 39 ;, 16 &# 34 ; of the centerline 16 . the mast jacket 12 is adjustable horizontally to adjust the horizontal position of the steering hand wheel 18 between inner and outer limit positions 18 &# 39 ;, 18 &# 34 ;. a position control apparatus 20 according to this invention is disposed between the mast jacket 12 and a schematically represented structural element 22 of the vehicle body for capturing the horizontal and vertical adjusted positions of the mast jacket . as seen best in fig1 - 3 , the position control apparatus 20 includes an outer bracket 24 in the shape of an inverted &# 34 ; u &# 34 ; having a pair of vertical sides 26a , 26b on opposite sides of the mast jacket 12 . a wing ,- shaped flange 28 is welded to the outer bracket and releasably attached to the structural element 22 of the vehicle body . an energy absorber , not shown is disposed between the outer bracket 24 and the vehicle body . the wing - shaped flange 28 separates from the structural element 22 to permit an energy absorbing stroke of the outer bracket as a unit with the mast jacket in the event of an impact on the steering , hand wheel 18 represented by a schematic vector force &# 34 ; f &# 34 ;, fig1 . an inner bracket 30 of the position control apparatus 20 also in the shape of an inverted &# 34 ; u &# 34 ; is disposed inside of the outer bracket 24 and is welded to the mast jacket 12 . a pair of vertical sides 32a , 32b of the inner bracket are juxtaposed the vertical sides 26a , 26b , respectively , of the outer bracket . the vertical sides 26a , 26b of the outer bracket have respective ones of a pair of substantially vertical slots 34a , 34b therein . the vertical sides 32a , 32b of the inner bracket have respective ones of a pair of horizontal slots 36a , 36b therein parallel to the longitudinal centerline 16 of the mast jacket . a control shaft 38 of the position control apparatus 20 traverses the inner and outer brackets 30 , 24 through a pair of apertures defined by the intersections of the vertical and horizontal slots 34a , 36a and 34b , 36b and through a compression tube 40 between the vertical sides 32a , 322b of the inner bracket . a plastic bushing 42 , fig2 - 3 , is rotatably coupled to the control shaft by a pair of flat sides 44a , 44b of the latter and disposed in the aperture defined at the intersection of the vertical and horizontal slots 34a , 36a . a nut 46 on a screwed threaded end 48 of the control shaft outside of the vertical side 26b of the outer bracket has a boss 50 , fig3 slidable in the vertical slot 34b . during vertical adjustment of the mast jacket , the control shaft moves up and down in the vertical slots 34a , 34b as a unit with the inner bracket and the mast jacket . during horizontal adjustment of the mast jacket , the horizontal slots 36a , 36b in the inner bracket move back and forth over the control shaft 38 which is restrained horizontally by the sides of the vertical slots 34a , 34b . the nut 46 cooperates with the plastic bushing 42 in rotatably supporting the control shaft on the inner and the outer brackets 30 , 24 . a manual control lever 52 is supported on the control shaft outside of the vertical side 26a of the outer bracket for rotation as a unit with the control shaft between a locked position and an unlocked position illustrated respectively , in solid and broken lines in fig1 . dislodgment of the control lever 52 from the control shaft 38 is prevented by an enlarged head 54 on the end of the control shaft . as seen best in fig2 - 4 , the position control apparatus 20 further includes a pair of hollow rectangular frames 56a , 56b made from multiple thin plates or as unitary structural elements . the rectangular frame 56a is welded to the outside of the vertical side 26a of the outer bracket facing the control lever 52 and around the control shaft 38 and the vertical slot 34a . the rectangular frame 56b is welded to the inside of the vertical side 32a of the inner bracket facing an end of the compression tube 40 and around the control shaft and the horizontal slot 36a . each rectangular frame 56a , 56b has an edge parallel to the corresponding one of the vertical and horizontal slots interrupted by a plurality of gear teeth 58 defining a rack gear 60 and a plain edge 62 parallel to the rack gear and on the opposite side of the control shaft from the rack gear . a pair of elastic bushings 64a , 64b on opposite sides of the plastic bushing 42 are rotatably coupled to the control shaft 38 by the flat sides 44a , 44b of the control shaft . a first pair of flat pawls 66a , 66b are supported side - by - side on the control shaft 38 inside of the rectangular frame 56a by the elastic bushing 64a for rotation as a unit with the control shaft . respective ones of a pair of flat edges 67a , 67b of an aperture in each of pawls 66a , 66b face the fiat sides 44a , 44b of the control shaft and cooperate therewith in limiting relative rotation between the pawls and the control shaft to a relatively small twist angle determined by the clearance between the flat sides of the control shaft and the flat edges 67a , 67b . relative rotation between the pawls 66a , 66b and the control shaft through the twist angle occurs against a resilient restoring force attributable to torsional flexure and / or compression of the elastic bushing 64a . a second pair of flat pawls 68a , 68b are supported side - by - side on the control shaft 38 inside of the rectangular frame 56b by the elastic bushing 64b for rotation as a unit with the control shaft . respective ones of a pair of flat edges of an aperture in each of pawls 68a , 68b face the flat sides 44a , 44b of the control shalt and cooperate therewith in limiting relative rotation between the pawls and the control shaft to a relatively small twist angle determined by the clearance between the flat sides of the control shaft and the flat edges of the apertures in the pawls . relative rotation between the pawls 68a , 68b and the control shaft through the twist angle occurs against a resilient restoring force attributable to torsional flexure and / or compression of the elastic bushing 64b . each of the pawls 66a , 66b has a plurality of gear teeth 70 along an edge thereof defining respective ones of a pair of gear sectors 72a , 72b on the pawls facing the rack gear 60 on the rectangular frame 56a . the edges of the pawls 66a , 66b generally diametrically opposite the gear sectors 72a , 72b define respective ones of a pair of lugs 74a , 74b on the pawls facing , the plain edge 62 of the rectangular frame 56a . the pawls 68a , 68b are identical to the pawls 66a , 66b and include gear sectors and lugs facing respective ones of the rack gear 60 and the plain edge 62 on the rectangular frame 56b . the elastic bushing 64a cooperates with the apertures in each of the pawls 66a , 66b in supporting the pawls on the control shaft 38 with the gear teeth 70 of the gear sector 72a angularly indexed or offset by one - half tooth pitch from the gear teeth 70 of the gear sector 72b , fig4 a . likewise , the elastic bushing 64b cooperates with the apertures in each of the pawls 68a , 68b in supporting the pawls on the control shaft with the gear teeth of their gear sectors angularly indexed or offset relative to each other by one - half tooth pitch . when the control lever 52 is in its unlocked position , the screw threaded end 48 of the control shaft is unscrewed from the nut 46 enough to release the vertical sides 26a , 32a and 26b , 32b of the outer and the inner brackets for unobstructed relative linear translation concurrent with horizontal and vertical adjustment of the mast jacket 12 . at the same time the pawls 66a , 66b and 68a , 68b are each oriented relative to the rectangular frames 56a , 56b as illustrated in fig4 a such that the gear sectors on the pawls are remote from the rack gears so that the pawls do not interfere with vertical and horizontal adjustment of the mast jacket . to capture concurrently the horizontal and vertical adjusted positions of the mast jacket 12 , an operator manually pivots the control lever 52 from its unlocked position to its locked position . the boss 50 on the nut 46 cooperates with the vertical slot 34b in preventing rotation of the nut so that the control shaft becomes tensioned between the vertical sides of the outer bracket as the screw threaded end of the control shaft threads into the nut . in the locked position of the control shaft , the vertical sides 26a , 32a and 26b , 32b of the outer and the inner brackets are clamped together against the ends of the compression tube 40 to effect friction couples therebetween which capture by friction the adjusted position of the mast jacket . as seen best in fig4 a - 4b , the pawls 66a , 66b rotate counterclockwise with the control shaft 38 as the control lever pivots from its unlocked to its locked position . because the gear sectors 72a , 72b are angularly offset by one - half tooth pitch , fig4 a , the gear teeth 70 of the gear sector 72a engage the gear teeth 58 of the rack gear 60 first . if the gear teeth of the gear sector 72a and rack gear 60 engage flank - to - flank , they become fully meshed , fig4 b , as the control shaft nears its locked position . with gear sector 72a and the rack gear 60 fully meshed , the lug 74a on the pawl 66a bears against the plain edge 62 on the rectangular frame 56a . the locked position of the control shaft is calculated to occur after the gear sector 72a and the rack gear 60 are fully meshed in order to torsionally flex and / or compress the bushing 64a and resiliently bias the gear sector 72a and the rack gear 60 together . at the same time gear sector 72b on the pawl 66b may be partially or fully meshed with the rack gear 60 depending upon whether or not the gear teeth thereof are engaged peak - to - peak . the lug 74a on the pawl 66a and the plain edge 62 on the rectangular frame 56a cooperate to positively prevent further counterclockwise rotation of the pawl 66a so that the rack gear 60 and the gear sector 72a define a meshed tooth couple between the inner and outer brackets 30 , 24 which reinforces the aforesaid friction couple therebetween against being overpowered by vertical vector components of the impact force on the steering hand wheel represented by the vector &# 34 ; f &# 34 ;. the gear sectors on the pawls 68a , 68b cooperate in identical fashion with the rack gear 60 and the plain edge 62 of the rectangular frame 56b when the control shaft 38 is in its locked position in defining a meshed tooth couple between the inner and outer brackets 30 , 24 which reinforces the aforesaid friction couple therebetween against being overpowered by horizontal vector components of the impact force on the steering hand wheel represented by the vector &# 34 ; f &# 34 ;. such horizontal and vertical reinforcement of the friction couple minimizes the likelihood of relative linear translation between the inner and the outer brackets during the aforesaid energy absorbing stroke of the outer bracket . during rotation of the control shaft 38 toward its locked position , the gear teeth 70 on the pawl 66a may engage peak - to - peak on the rack gear teeth 58 . in that circumstance , continued rotation of the control shaft to its locked position torsionally and / or compressively flexes the elastic bushing 64a between the pawl 66a and the control shaft to resiliently bias the gear sector 72a against the rack gear . at the same time , however , the gear teeth 70 of the gear sector 72b on the other pawl 66b cannot be aligned peak - to - peak with the rack gear teeth 58 because of the one - half tooth pitch offset between the gear sectors 72a , 72b . therefore , as the control shaft rotates to its locked position , the gear sector 72b on the pawl 66b is resiliently biased by torsional and / or compressive flexure of the elastic bushing 64a into full mesh with the rack gear teeth 58 with the lug 74b on the pawl 66b bearing against the plain edge 62 on the rectangular frame 56a . the lug 74b on the pawl 66b and the plain edge 62 on the rectangular frame 56a cooperate to positively prevent further clockwise rotation of the pawl 66b so that the rack gear 60 and the gear sector 72b define a meshed tooth couple between the inner and outer brackets 30 , 24 which reinforces the aforesaid friction couple therebetween against being overpowered by vertical vector components of the impact force on the steering hand wheel represented by the vector &# 34 ; f &# 34 ;. tithe gear sectors on the pawls 68a , 68b cooperate in identical fashion with the rack gear 60 and the plain edge 62 on the rectangular frame 56b to always achieve at least one meshed tooth couple when the control shaft 38 is in its locked position which reinforces the friction couple between the inner and the outer brackets against being overpowered by horizontal vector components of the impact force on the steering hand wheel represented by the vector &# 34 ; f &# 34 ;.	1
turning firstly to fig3 there is shown a circuit diagram of the preferred embodiment according to the invention . the diagram shows a bridge circuit 1 comprising two transistors 2 , 3 connected to a load 4 through an lc - filter 5 , 6 . several systems may be connected in parallel to the load . if they have the same input signal , which is the preset value of current , they will share the load current equally . the separate systems do not have to operate in synchronism . of course , several bridge transistors 2 , 3 can be connected in parallel . the bridge voltage e on the connection point between the transistors 2 , 3 and the inductance 5 is shown by the diagram of fig1 . if the lower transistor 3 is switched on and then off , there is provided a pulse during time period 7 and the bridge voltage e immediately goes to minus . when the pulse is terminated , the energy stored in the inductance must be released and forces the voltage e to the opposite polarity during time period 8 , i . e . plus , and opens the flywheel diode of the upper transistor 2 . when the energy of the inductance 5 has been terminated , the flywheel diode of the upper transistor 2 is blocked . however , the blockage cannot take place immediately but a current in the opposite direction must flow in order to charge or recover the flywheel diode ( reverse recovery current ). this opposite current induces a new but weaker magnetic field in the inductance 5 which in turn gives rise to an opening of the flywheel diode of the first - mentioned lower transistor 3 as shown at time period 9 . then , the energy oscillates between the inductance 5 and the leakage capacitances , primarily the transistor output capacitances ( not shown in fig3 ) in the system as shown to the right during time period 10 until attenuated . it is pointed out that this sequence of events takes place due to the fact that an lc - filter has been connected between the bridge and the load . it appears from fig1 that the oscilloscope diagram after the termination of the pulse is a damped oscillation , the amplitude of which being cut by the flywheel diodes a plus and minus the rail voltage . the present invention uses this sequence of events in order to avoid or circumvent the above - mentioned problem it is noted that it should be completely safe to turn on the lower transistor during the time period 9 , while the lower flywheel diode is open and the flywheel diode of the opposite transistor is closed . the transistor then takes over the conduction from the flywheel diode and a new sequence follows . in fig2 there is shown a time diagram of the method according to the invention . according to fig2 the upper transistor is initially conducting ( in fig1 the lower transistor is conducting ). the procedure is completely the same and there is no principal difference between the method using the upper or the lower transistor . for positive output current the upper transistor is turned on and the flywheel current flows through the lower diode . for negative output current the lower transistor is turned on and the flywheel current flows through the upper diode . the upper diagram 2a shows the voltage e . it should be noted that the time axis is not linear but is heavily expanded at the rise and fall times . diagram 2b shows the current i through the inductance 5 . the upper transistor is conducting and the voltage e is at plus during the time period i . the current i through the inductance 5 rises approximately linearly ( actually exponentially ). when the current i reaches a preset value i &# 39 ;, a first comparator changes its state from logic &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; to logic &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; as shown in diagram 2c . the comparator controls the transistor and turns it off and the voltage decreases according to the switching characteristics of the transistor as shown during time period ii . the voltage e passes below zero and reaches minus and the flywheel diode of the negative transistor opens at the start of the time period iii as explained with reference to fig1 . the energy of the inductance is terminated during time iii and the current through the inductance is reversed in order to turn off the flywheel diode of the negative transistor ( reverse recovery current ). when the flywheel diode of the negative transistor is turned off , the voltage e rises during time period iv until the positive flywheel diode opens . this rise of voltage is sensed by a second comparator , which turns the positive transistor on for a further sequence during time period v . the output of the second comparator is shown in 2d . when the voltage e drops below - v &# 39 ;, the comparator outputs a logical &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; as shown . when both comparators are outputting a logical &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, the positive transistor is turned on . this procedure will be further explained below in connection with fig3 . it is noted that the switch frequency is not constant but is high at low loads and decreases with increasing loads . in fig3 there is shown a circuit diagram of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention . it is contemplated that this circuit can be made at least partially as a custom designed integrated circuit or application specific integrated circuit asic and thus , the circuit solutions shown are only exemplary for explaining the invention . the bridge circuit is shown to the right in fig3 as explained above . each transistor is driven by a drive circuit 11 , 12 . the drive circuits are galvanically isolated from the remaining control circuitry by opto - couplers 13 , 14 shown as a light emitting diode and a photo transistor . each opto - coupler is connected to the output of an and gate 15 , 16 having two inputs . one of the inputs is connected to a first comparator 19 , which compares the actual current i through the inductance 5 with a preset value i &# 39 ;. when the actual current i is below the preset value i &# 39 ;, the comparator 19 outputs a logical &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; to and gate 15 . when the preset current i &# 39 ; is exceeded , the output from and gate 15 is terminated as shown at time ii in fig2 at 2c . the transistor 2 is then turned off . the output from the first comparator 19 is inverted by inverter 20 and connected to the lower and gate 16 . the second input of each and gate 15 , 16 is connected to a second comparator 17 , 18 , corresponding to the second comparator mentioned above . the comparator compares the voltage e with preset limit values - v &# 39 ; and + v &# 39 ; ( v &# 39 ; is a positive value ), respectively , as shown in fig3 . the positive comparator 17 ( the upper ) outputs a logical &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; when the voltage e is above the limit - v &# 39 ; and the negative comparator 18 outputs a logical &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; when the voltage e is below the limit + v &# 39 ;. thus , there is a window between + v &# 39 ; and - v &# 39 ; where both comparators outputs a logical &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. the purpose thereof will be explained below . in fig4 there is shown a calculating circuit and a control amplifier for calculating the actual current i and the preset current i &# 39 ;. the preset value can be any value between plus and minus the maximum bridge current . consequently , the bridge circuit is short - circuit proof . although not shown , it is possible to have an adjustable current limit . the actual current ( i ) through the inductance can be measured by conventional means , or calculated by analog or digital circuits . if the difference voltage ( e - u ) across the inductance is measured , the current ( i ) can be calculated according to the following formula : the resistance of the inductance should be as low as possible , which however creates a problem in the calculating circuit . the calculation formula can be seen as a &# 34 ; transfer function &# 34 ; for the calculating circuit . if r is small , the dc gain of the transfer function is very high . then any small but unavoidable offset in the measuring or calculating circuits will be amplified to an unacceptable value . it is possible to modify the calculating formula , by increasing r for example 10 times , which decreases the dc gain and thus the influence of possible offset voltages , and adjusting l so that the calculated value will be approximately correct during the maximum pulse time . thus , the calculating error will be significant only for times longer than the maximum pulse time , which however is outside the operation area of the calculating circuit and makes no harm . a calculation circuit for calculating according to the above - mentioned formula is shown in fig4 . the voltage u is subtracted from the voltage e in a first op - amplifier 21 . the voltage u is first inverted and scaled by inverter 22 and then connected to the summing input of the op - amplifier 21 at the negative input thereof . the voltage e is connected to the same summing input through a scaling resistance 23 . the op - amplifier is connected substantially as an integrator according to the formula above and integrates the difference between voltages e and u . the result is the inverted inductance current (- i ). the preset current i &# 39 ; can be provided or generated in any conventional manner . the actual current ( i ) and the preset current ( i &# 39 ;) are transferred to the summing input of a fast comparator 24 and the output thereof is the difference between i and i &# 39 ;. the comparator has very high gain and thus , the output thereof is either high or low . the comparator is further provided with a certain hysteres by the resistances 25 and 26 . the output from the comparator is inverted and buffered by the inverter 27 for providing i &# 39 ;- i which is the output signal provided by the first comparator 19 in fig3 . the circuitry of the entire system described above operates at a current generator delivering output current to the load . it may be used in this way with preset value of the current i &# 39 ; as the input control signal . however , it is often preferred to have a voltage generator and the present system is easily converted to a voltage generator . the output voltage u is measured and fed back to a conventional pi - regulator ( proportional integrating ), the output of which is the preset current i &# 39 ;. such an integrating regulator will automatically correct for dc - offsets in the current calculating circuit . as shown in fig4 the preset value i &# 39 ; of the current can be calculated by a control amplifier from the actual output voltage to the load u and a preset output voltage u &# 39 ;. a voltage corresponding to the negative value of the preset output voltage u &# 39 ; is fed to the negative input of a second op - amplifier 28 . the actual output voltage u is also fed to said negative input through a scaling resistor 29 . the difference between the actual output voltage and preset output voltage u - u &# 39 ; is substantially integrated by the op - amplifier 28 and the output thereof corresponds to the preset current i &# 39 ; and is fed to the negative input of the comparator 24 . the zener diodes at the output of the op - amplifier 28 limit the maximum preset current i &# 39 ;. in fig5 there is shown a current corresponding to the comparators 17 and 18 in fig3 . the comparators are made in ttl - circuits and comprises three inverters 30 , 31 and 32 . the bridge voltage e is fed to a first resistor 33 and 34 for each branch . a voltage corresponding to the desired offset from the zero voltage is fed to a second resistor 35 and 36 for each branch . zero voltage is defined as midway between the positive and the negative rail . the junction between the first and the second resistor is fed to the input of one inverter 30 or 32 , the input of which also being grounded by a third resistor 37 and 38 . the result is that when the bridge voltage drops so that e + v &# 39 ; is below zero , the upper inverter 31 outputs a logic &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; and closes the and gate 15 . when the bridge voltage rises so that e - v &# 39 ; is above zero , the lower inverter 32 outputs a logic &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; and closes the and gate 16 ( v &# 39 ; is a positive value ). the further operation should be evident from the description in connection with fig3 . if the load impedance is too high ( or the maximum output voltage is too low ) it is impossible to output the preset current to the load . in that case , the output voltage goes to maximum , and the corresponding transistor remains constantly on , which may be undesirable . the maximum pulse time can be limited by two retriggerable timers , one for each bridge transistor . in fig6 there is shown a timer circuit 39 for terminating a pulse if the duration thereof exceeds a predetermined value whereby each and gate 15 , 16 is provided with a third input , which is connected to the output of a retriggerable timer , the two trigger inputs of which being connected to the two other inputs of the corresponding and gate . if the inputs of the timer falls for a certain time duration dictated by an rc - circuit 40 , the timer outputs a logic &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, which terminates the pulse . otherwise , the timer outputs a logic &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. it is evident that the current i is approximately triangular , with the peak value twice the mean value . it is the mean value that flows to the external load . if the switch transistors are assumed to have constant on resistance , the triangular current waveform causes a power loss in the bridge transistors during conduction that is 1 / 3 greater than it would have been with rectangular current waveform . it is also noted that the switching on of the transistor takes place when the current in the bridge is zero ( or very close to zero ) this fact minimizes the power dissipation of the transistor at the switch on moment , which is an essential advantage . in the present invention , the transistors are always turned on in the right moment when the opposite flywheel diode current is zero . as mentioned above , there is a window , where both comparators 17 , 18 are outputting a logic &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. the reason for this is that when the power is turned on to the circuit , the oscillations must start . dependent on tolerances of the components 21 , 22 , 24 , 27 , 28 etc , the output of comparator 24 will be either high or low at the initiation of the system . in either cases , the corresponding and gate will be opened and the oscillations will start , since the other input to both gates are at logic &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. it is noted in fig2 f that a lower firing pulse is generated unintentionally . however , the duration of said firing pulse is very short . in a practical circuit , the influence of this firing pulse is slightly delayed and turns the lower transistor on when the lower flywheel diode is already conducting . however , when the preset current is zero , the whole system will oscillate by help of these short pulses . when one transistor is turned off , the other transistor is turned on , then the first transistor is again turned on , etc . the pulse times will be dependent on the delays in the various circuitry and the system will oscillate at a high maximum frequency , which in the present embodiment can be around 300 khz . it is also noted that the diagram in fig2 is idealized in that the time delays in the different circuitry is not taken account of . however , such delays only improve the safety of the present circuit and have no harmful influence . as an example , study fig2 c and 2d . if the rising edge in fig2 c occurs before the falling edge in fig2 d , a new very short upper firing pulse will unintentionally be generated . this is a type of electronic &# 34 ; race &# 34 ; that sometimes occurs in pulse circuits . of course , the designer must observe the possibility of such situations and take appropriate counter measures . in this system , it is noted that it is only necessary that the transistor is turned on during the time period 9 in fig1 . thus , there is sufficient time for any delays . it is also noted that the bridge system is able to operate in a generative as well as a regenerative mode , feeding energy to the load or receiving energy from the load back to the power supply rails . hereinabove , a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described in details . however , it is clear to a skilled person that many details may be modified without departing from the scope of the invention . for example , the sensing of the direction of change of the bridge voltage e can be determined by a differentiator instead of a comparator . it may be possible to replace the sensing of the voltage change by sensing when the current in the bridge or inductance is zero and firing the transistor shortly thereafter . the present embodiment has a rail voltage of about 2 × 155 v and a maximum output current of 25 a ( mean value 12 . 5 a ). the inductance is approximately 40 μh and the resistance of the inductance is about 10 mω . the capacitance is about 10 μf . it is preferred to connect the capacitances to both rails , in which case the capacitors also filters the rail voltage . the magnetic field in the inductance is about 0 . 2 t . the frequencies are from about 1 - 1000 khz , preferably from 5 - 300 khz and changes depending on the load . the above mentioned values are only given as example and can be modified within large limits when improved components are manufactured , specifically the semiconductors and the inductance core . the load can be connected between the output and ground or in any other conventional manner to other legs in the bridge system . an apparatus according to the present invention is useful for delivering output voltage and current of both polarities . if only one polarity is required , as for example in conventional dc power supply units , the invention can still be used . then , all those components , which are necessary for the opposite polarity , can be removed , resulting in a simpler circuit . further modifications should be obvious to a skilled person . the invention is only limited by the appended claims .	7
with reference to fig1 the prior art veneer lathe cross section is illustrated showing rolls 1 , 2 , and 3 and nose bar roll 6 cooperating to support a log 12 . backup rolls 1 and 2 are supported by hydraulically controlled arms 9 to compress the log against the roll 3 and the nose bar roll 6 . as the diameter of the log decreases , arm 9 is moved closer to the veneer knife 8 and arm 9 also drives the support arm for roll 3 via contact 5 to rotate on axis 4 . in order to cut a slice , the roll 1 , or both roll 1 and 2 , can be driven via motors connected via a transmission ( not shown ) to axis 20 and 22 to force the log 12 to rotate ccw for the fig1 configuration . the distance of the knife edge 8 from the nose bar 6 determines the thickness of the slice . this veneer lathe apparatus is known , as for example , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 073 , 326 where the torque to drive the log is provided entirely by the backup rolls 1 , or 1 and 2 . in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 380 , 259 , the backup rolls are powered but the end spindles also provide torque . we have made a conceptually simple change to the veneer lathe which enables us to provide a compact , relatively inexpensive machine for high rate pellet production with no waste which is able to be built in portable sizes for forest applications . we have replaced the drive rolls of fig1 with the drive rolls 1 - 1 of fig2 a and roll 1 - 2 of fig2 b . both of the rolls 1 - 1 and 1 - 2 could be drive rolls or one could be an idler roll . the rolls are machined to have sharp surface edges which will cut through the surface of the log as they are compressed into and drive the log . in the case of an idler roll , it simply supports the log but will incise the log under the compressive force accompanying the rotation . as shown , the spiral on rolls 1 - 1 and 1 - 2 in fig2 a and fig2 b are in the opposite sense so that they will cut intersecting grooves in the log . preferably the distance &# 34 ; w &# 34 ; on one roll and &# 34 ; t &# 34 ; on the other roll are equal , although this is not necessary . w and t will control two of the dimensions of the final pellet . the pitch of the groove , i . e ., number of grooves per inch , will effect the efficiency at which the rolls function as drive rolls . if both rolls are used as drive rolls then the pitch should be about 45 degrees for equal drive roll efficiency . the depth of the groove is critical for this embodiment of the invention and must be able to incise to a depth which is as deep or deeper than the depth that the veneer knife is set to cut . in the preferred embodiment , w = t = 0 . 5 inches and d = 0 . 30 - 0 . 35 inches for a depth of veneer cut of 0 . 25 inches . this procedure and apparatus will cause the pellets to be separated immediately into cubes 1 / 2 &# 34 ;× 1 / 2 &# 34 ;× 1 / 4 &# 34 ; by the veneer knife as they are cut off from the log . the length of the rolls need to be longer than the log so that the entire log is uniformly reduced in diameter by the process . the preferred veneer lathe apparatus is the backup drive roll configuration of fig1 and fig4 a because it permits cutting the log to a smaller diameter since there are no end drive spindles which need to be avoided as the diameter of the log is reduced . also , the veneer machine is reduced in weight and expense when the log drive spindles and the apparatus in support of those functions are eliminated . we have shown an inverted knife location from that in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 073 , 326 because the produced pellets will gravity feed directly away from the machine without interference problems from the pellets getting between the nose bar and the log as they would do if the veneer knife were above the nose bar as in the prior &# 39 ; 326 configuration . with reference to fig3 a and 3b , we disclose alternative embodiments for the drive - incisor roll 2 &# 39 ; and idler roll 1 &# 39 ;. these two rolls combine to produce intersecting cuts in the periphery of the log in the same way as 1 - 1 and 1 - 2 . however , if only one drive roll is used , it would be more efficient to employ this roll groove configuration since the roll of fig3 b will be the most efficient torque transfer drive roll than all the other configurations . alternatively , the idler roll of fig3 a can be replaced by a plurality of fixed spur knives to cut into the log surface . the dimensions w and t control two dimensions of the pellet and the third dimension is controlled by the veneer knife depth so long as the incising groove depth &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; is deep enough to exceed the veneer depth to ensure separation . u . s . pat . no . 4 , 790 , 360 describes rolls for incising plywood for flexibility in an incising machine and also discloses use of an incisor roll on a nose bar of a veneer lathe . these rolls are all made with intersecting grooves on a single roll . accordingly , the &# 39 ; 360 rolls could not be used for pellet incising or control of the dimensions of a pellet . the incising rolls of &# 39 ; 360 patent are not intended to create separated pellets . although the embodiments described herein include the cutter rolls on the veneer lathe for patterning the log before the lathe cut is made , it is not necessary to perform the invention in this manner . for example , the veneer could be cut from the log in a normal way and thereafter the veneer could be passed through a pair of opposed cutter rolls where one roll has right and the other left hand spiral grooves resulting in pellets which are dimensional as defined above . this process is described in fig4 b . as shown , logs 12 are fed into a standard veneer lathe 40 where it is cut to a thin veneer capable of being cut into pellets . next , the veneer sheet 41 is guided on rollers 42 to a cutter roll machine 43 . roll 44 and 45 interact with the veneer sheet 41 against a smooth backup roll 46 and 47 respectively . the rolls 44 and 45 can have any groove configuration similar to fig2 a ; fig2 b ; fig3 a and fig3 b , although fig3 a will not provide drive . cutter roll machine 43 also provides drive forces to the rolls and compressive forces to complete cut - off and separation of all the pellets . the pellets feed out of the cutter machines via gravity feed 46 to a conveyor 47 . fig5 a illustrates the pellet configuration as cut into a veneer sheet by the rolls of fig3 a and fig3 b . fig5 b illustrates the pellet configuration using rolls of fig2 a and fig2 b . since the chips produced by prior chippers are coarse and uncontrolled dimensionally , they have not been able to be used in pellet stoves . small match stick or tooth pick size splints either arch over the auger input or jam in the auger clearance . accordingly , the three dimensional chip control made possible by this method and apparatus have produced a new pellet which will work efficiently in the existing pellet stoves because of its smooth exterior surfaces . since each surface is produced by a slicing knife action , as opposed to a sawing or clipping action , the pellet so produced has favorable characteristics for this application . the rolls of this invention are preferably made of high strength bars or tubes of tool steel , and can be coated with tungsten or chrome for longer wear , or hardened by ion bombardment with nitrogen ions . this invention has been described in terms of the drawing herein . it is not the intention that our invention be restricted to the illustrated embodiment but rather the scope of the invention should be determined by the claims .	8
the invention will be further illustrated in a non - limitative manner by the more detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof , taking into account , the appropriate figures and table . fig1 a and 1b illustrate the fractionation of mrna on a sucrose gradient and the translation of these mrna fractions originating from induced cells to produce human interferon activity in xenopus laevis oocytes and to produce specifically immunoprecipitated proteins in reticulocyte lysates , a process which separates the mrna for ifn - β1 and ifn - β2 . fig2 illustrates the result of a differential hybridization procedure of the dnas of the same bacterial colonies with the two above - mentioned probes from &# 34 ; induced &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; non - induced &# 34 ; cells , respectively . fig3 illustrates a purification of interferon ifn - β2 mrna by hybridization to immobilized dna from bacterial clone a341 as demonstrated by translation in a reticulocyte lysate . fig4 a and 4b demonstrate that dna from bacterial clone a341 is complementary to a 1 , 250 - 1 , 350 long mrna which appears in human cells only after induction of interferon synthesis . table 1 demonstrates that this mrna , upon translation in xenopus laevis oocytes , yields biologically active interferon which inhibits the growth of a virus in human cells . rna was extracted from monolayer cultures of the human fibroblast line fs11 ( isolated at the weizmann institute of science ). these diploid cells grown from foreskin explants taken from a normal individual 8 days after birth , were selected among 15 separate isolates for their capacity to produce high titers of interferon . alternatively cultures of a clone of human sv80 cells were used . the cultures in eagle &# 39 ; s minimal medium with 10 % fetal calf serum were maintained in 2 . 2 liter glass roller bottles or 22 × 22 cm plastic trays in 5 % co 2 , 95 % air at 37 ° c . three days after confluency , the cultures were induced to produce interferon by exposure to poly ( ri ):( rc ) 100 μg / ml , and cycloheximide ( which blocks the synthesis of proteins by the host ) 50 μg / ml for 3 . 5 hours . actinomycin d ( which blocks the synthesis of cellular rna ) 1 μg / ml , was added and 1 hour later the cells were lysed with buffered nonidet - p40 detergent and cytoplasmic rna was extracted with a phenolcresol mixture as kirby ( 1965 ). the mrnas were isolated from total rna , by bringing into play the fact that they contain poly a , by binding to oligo - dt - cellulose . the mrna fraction was subsequently fractionated by sucrose gradient centrifugation . the fractions containing interferon mrna were identified by microinjection to xenopus laevis oocytes according to raj n . k . b and pitha p . m . ( proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 74 , 1483 - 1487 , 1977 ), and measuring 24 - 40 hours later the antiviral activity of the interferon released in the oocyte incubation medium . antiviral activity was measured by exposing fs11 cells to dilutions of the oocyte medium , infecting said cells with vesicular stomatitis virus and observing inhibition of the cytopathic effect caused by the virus . interferon titers were calculated by comparison to a known solution , according to the last effective dilution . the fractions containing interferon mrna were also identified by translation in a reticulocyte lysate followed by immunoprecipitation of the product according to the method of weissenbachet et al ., ( eur . j . biochemistry 98 , 1 - 8 , 1979 ). fig1 a shows the two peaks of interferon mrna activity detected by injection to oocytes . fig1 b is representative of the immunoprecipitation lines obtained between the translation products and anti interferon serum , the two arrows showing the two polypeptides of molecular weight of 23 , 000 ( 23k ) and 20 , 000 ( 2ok ). the sucrose gradient fractions coding for the 23k and 20k immunoprecipitated polypeptides are shown in fig1 a and can be seen to correspond to the two peaks of interferon mrna activity . interferon activity was also detected in the translation products of reticulocyte lysates by measuring induction of the ( 2 &# 39 ;- 5 &# 39 ;) oligo - isoadenylate synthetase in human cells . by both methods it was seen that the largest interferon mrna peak codes for the 23k polypeptide , while the smallest interferon mrna peak codes for the 20k polypeptide . both interferon mrnas were in this way isolated and used for cloning in e . coli . the purified mrna from induced cells was calculated to contain about 1 - 3 % of the mrna for the 23 , 000 mw polypeptide and was used as template to synthesize cdna with avian myeloblastosis virus , reverse transcriptase and oligo - dt as primer . after eliminating the rna by alkali treatment , the second strand of dna could be synthesized with reverse transcriptase or dna polymerase i . single - stranded dna was cleaved off with nuclease s1 , and the 3 &# 39 ; ends of the dna was elongated (&# 34 ; tailed &# 34 ;) with nucleotide terminal transferase using dctp as substrate . plasmid pbr322 dna was linearized with restriction endonuclease and was dg tailed with dgtp . the plasmid dna was then hybridized with the dc - tailed human cdna described above , and used to transfect e . coli dp50 . transfected bacterial colonies were identified by plating on agar plate containing luria broth , diaminopimelic acid , thymidine and tetracycline . the colonies were further tested on similar agar plates but containing ampicillin as the only antibiotic . the ampicillin sensitive , tetracycline resistant bacterial colonies were grown on a nitrocellulose filter deposited on an agar plate as above with tetracycline 10 μg / ml . over two thousands of the transformed colonies obtained were respectively transferred in part on other nitrocellulose filters , themselves on agar plates as hereabove indicated , each of the duplicate colonies being related ( particularly by common numbering ) to one of the initial colonies . after the colonies reached 3 - 5 mm in diameter , the filter ( initial cultures and duplicates ) were transferred on top of a stack of filter papers impregnated first with 0 . 5n naoh , then with 0 . 15m nacl and 0 . 1n naoh to cause release in situ of their respective dnas . the filters were neutralized and dried . to detect the bacterial colonies containing the interferon dna sequences , the filters were hybridized with two different [ 32 p ] cdna probes . one cdna probe was prepared by reverse transcriptase of the mrna from the sucrose gradient fraction from induced cells ( arrow 23k of fig1 ). the second probe was prepared identically from the similar fraction of the non - induced cell preparation . both cdna probes were synthesized using the four highly radioactive [ 32 p ]- deoxynucleoside triphosphates as substrates and fragmented calf thymus dna as primers . random representation of the mrna sequences in the cdna probes was thereby achieved . hybridization was carried out at 62 °- 64 ° c . for 18 hours in 0 . 9m nacl -- 0 . 09m na citrate buffer ph 7 . 0 , the initial colonies being hybridized with the cdna probes of the induced cells and the duplicate colonies with the cdna probes of the non - induced cells ( or conversely ) respectively . after extensive washing the filters were exposed to x - ray film and the bacterial colonies able to hybridize to the induced cdna but not to non - induced cdna were identified . in this manner 20 different bacterial colonies were isolated out of a total of over 2 , 000 transformed colonies screened . all of these 20 bacterial colonies contain multiple copies of a plasmid in which were inserted sequences of human mrna expressed only after cells have been induced to produce interferon by poly ( ri : rc ). an example illustrating this technique is shown in fig2 in connection with fifteen pairs of alkali - treated pairs of colonies ( initials and duplicates ) on their nitrocellulose filters , whose dna have been hybridized with [ 32 p ]- cdna prepared against mrna fraction 23k of fig1 from cells induced ( i ) or non - induced ( n . i .) by poly ( ri ):( rc ) for interferon production . arrows show two colonies , particularly colonies numbered 5 and 13 , which contain induced sequences . colony number 13 was designated as e . coli dp50 / a341 . clone a - 341 was deposited on jun . 2 , 1992 , at collection nationale de cultures de microorganismes , institut pasteur , 25 , rue de docteur roux , 75724 paris cedex 15 , france , and has been assigned depository accession number 1 - 1214 . isolation of interferon mrna ( and demonstration of the presence of interferon cdna sequences in the plasmid dna of clone a341 ) were obtained as follows : a 500 ml culture of this bacterial clone was used to prepare 50 μg plasmid dna . this dna ( after previous denaturation ) was covalently bound to diazobenzyloxymethyl cellulose powder according to the methods of aldwine et al . ( proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 1977 , 74 , 5350 ). in parallel , plasmid pbr322 dna ( not containing human dna sequences ) was similarly bound to cellulose . poly a - containing mrna , from human fibroblasts induced to produce interferon , was hybridized to the two dna cellulose preparations in 50 % formamide at 52 ° c . and eluted by raising the formamide concentration to 100 % at 70 ° c . the rna recovered after elution was translated in the reticulocyte cell - free system ( fig3 ). whereby the essential translation product of the mrna selected on the a341 dna - cellulose was found to be essentially the 23 , 000 mw polypeptide . in contrast , no human interferon mrna was recovered from the pbr322 dna - cellulose . in comparison to the translation products of the human mrna prior to hybridization to a341 dna - cellulose it could be ascertained that the cloned a341 dna is complementary to only little of the mrna of the mixture . the product of the mrna selected on a341 dna - cellulose was immunoprecipitated by the anti - human fibroblast interferon serum ( see fig3 ). the interferon mrna could also be isolated by a similar procedure to that above but in which plasmid a341 dna was bound to nitrocellulose filters , the rna hybridized to it , and eluted by boiling for 1 min in h 2 o . the activity of this purified mrna to code for biologically potent human interferon has shown by injection to xenopus laevis oocyte followed by measuring the inhibition of virus multiplication in human cells exposed to the oocyte incubation medium ( table 1 ). the interferon activity of the purified β2 mrna was also shown by the induction of ( 2 &# 39 ;- 5 &# 39 ;) oligo - isoadenylate synthetase in human cells by the oocyte translation products ( table 1 ). restriction enzyme mapping of a341 plasmid dna showed that it contains a human dna insert of about 900 nucleotides in the pst site . the a341 dna also hybridized to 3 fragments of the human genome digested by eco r1 nuclease . these fragments are separated by agarose gel electrophoresis . hybridization to agarose gel electrophoregrams of mrna from human fibroblast further showed that a341 dna is complementary to rna sequences that are expressed only in cells exposed to the interferon inducer poly ( ri : rc ),( fig4 a ). even a one hour exposure of the cells to poly ( ri : rc ) leads to the accumulation of a 1 , 250 - 1 , 350 nucleotide long rna hybridizing to a341 dna , which represents ifn - β2 mrna . the above data demonstrated that the bacterial clone e . coli dp50 / a341 contained in the pst site of its pbr322 plasmid an insert of about 900 nucleotides of human cdna sequences which are complementary to a human interferon mrna . several similarly prepared clones were obtained . fig4 b shows that clones for ifn - β2 hybridize to the largest 1 , 250 - 1 , 350 nucleotide long mrna while clones for ifn - β1 hybridized to the smallest 900 - 1 , 000 nucleotide long mrna . the process can be used for obtaining clones of interferon dna of different types ( α , β , γ ) from human cells . sucrose gradient of poly a + rna from human cells induced to produce interferon ( 1a ). sedimentation was from right to left . ten xenopus laevis oocytes were injected with 0 . 4 μg rna of each fraction and after 40 hours , the medium around the oocytes was assayed on fs11 cells for interferon ( left scale ). each rna fraction ( 0 . 24 μg ) was translated also in reticulocyte , lysates and the 35 s - methionine labeled products were precipitated with anti - interferon serum . the products analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis are shown in lane i of ( 1b ). lane n in ( 1b ) represents the immunoprecipitated products of unfractionated mrna from non - induced cells . at the right end of ( 1b ) are molecular weight markers ( from top to bottom , 68 , 46 , 30 , 18 and 14 daltons × 10 - 3 ). the position and intensity of the 23k and 20k protein ( arrows ) was recorded and is shown graphically in a ( right scale ). the heaviest of the two interferon mrnas is translated in the 23k protein while the smallest interferon mrna is translated in the 20k protein . detection of transformed bacterial clone containing interferon dna . fifteen alkali - treated colonies on nitrocellulose filters , were hybridized with [ 32 p ] cdna prepared against the 23k mrna fraction ( see fig1 ) from cells induced ( i ) or non - induced ( n . i .) by poly ( ri ):( rc ) for interferon production . arrows show two colonies which contain induced sequences . colony number 13 is e . coli dp50 / a341 . demonstration that clone e . coli dp50 / a341 contains interferon dna . poly a + mrna from human fibroblast induced for interferon production was hybridized to dna from a341 plasmid covalently bound to cellulose and translated . gel electrophoresis of the translation products show that mrna which codes for the interferon ( if ) polypeptide is uniquely selected from the mixture of total mrnas . pbr dna is unable to select this mrna . position of if polypeptide is shown after immunoprecipitation with anti - interferon ( ipt ). 4a ) plasmid dna of bacterial clone a341 hybridizes to a 14s ( 1 , 300 nucleotides long ) mrna found in cells induced for interferon production ( i ) but not in non - induced cells ( n ). plasmid pbr dna does not hybridize while uncloned total cdna ( tot ) hybridizes to many mrnas found also in non - induced cells . an agarose gel electrophoresis of the rna followed by hybridization to the three 32 p - dnas is shown . 4b ) plasmid dna from different clones of interferon dna were used for a similar experiment of hybridization to mrna electrophoregrams . clones containing ifn - β2 dna hybridize to the 1 , 300 nucleotide long mrna , while clones with ifn - β1 dna hybridize to the smaller 900 nucleotides long interferon mrna . table 1______________________________________hybridization - translation ofβ2 - interferon mrna expt . 1 expt . 2 v . s . v .- oligo - isoadenylate virus yield synthetase induction calcu - radio - [. sup . 32 p ]- a2 &# 39 ; p5 &# 39 ; a , cpm latedoocyte supernatant immuno - oocyte extract if ( diluted 1 : 10 ) assay , cpm . ( diluted 1 : 15 ) titer______________________________________uninjected 7445 1700with rna hybridized 1920 4700 30to if - β2 plasmid u / mlwith rna hybridized 6015 1500 0to unrelated plasmidinterferon standard 700 10 , 800100 u / ml______________________________________ * clone e474 dna was used in expt . 1 , and a pool of ifβ2 dna plasmids for expt . 2 .	2
referring to fig1 and 2 , a server 100 includes a chassis 10 , a cover 20 , and an inside plate 30 . the chassis 10 includes a motherboard 11 , a number of electronic components 12 , 13 , 14 , and a number of fans 123 . the electronic components 12 , 13 , 14 are mounted on the motherboard 11 . the fans 123 are mounted on one end of the motherboard 11 for dissipating heat . in the exemplary embodiment , the first electronic component 12 is a power supply disposed on the motherboard 11 . the second electronic component 13 is a hard disk , and the third electronic component 14 is a memory . a first clearance 15 is defined between the first electronic component 12 and the second electronic component 13 . a second clearance 16 is defined between the first electronic component 12 and the third electronic component 14 . referring to fig3 and 4 , the cover 20 includes a main plate 21 and two opposite sidewalls 22 extending from opposite sides of the main plate 21 . the cover 20 is used for covering the chassis 10 . the inside plate 30 is mounted on the main plate 21 of the cover 20 by adhesive . a first bock 24 and a second block 25 are formed on the inside plate 30 for being received in the first clearance 15 and the second clearance 16 . the first block 24 and the second block 25 each have a main face 24 a , 25 a and are made of a flexible insulating material , such as rubber . thus , the first block 24 and the second block 25 can be deformedly pushed to be easily received in the first clearance 15 and the second clearance 16 . additionally , the insulating characteristic of the first block 24 and the second block 25 may prevent the electronic components from short circuiting . the shape and the arrangement of the first block 24 and the second block 25 are similar to that of the first clearance 15 and the second clearance 16 . in this exemplary embodiment , the first block 24 and the second block 25 are rectangular strips . to assemble the first block 24 and the second block 25 to the chassis 10 , as shown in fig3 , the inside plate 30 is firstly mounted on the cover 20 by adhesive . as shown in fig1 , 5 - 6 , the cover 20 with the inside plate 30 is positioned on the chassis 10 . the first block 24 is received in the first clearance 15 , and its main face 24 a is spaced apart from the motherboard 11 . thus , a first airflow passage 18 is defined between the first electronic component 12 and the second electronic component 13 . the second block 25 is received in the second clearance 16 , and its main face 25 a is also spaced apart from the motherboard 11 . thus , a second air flow passage 19 is defined between the first electronic component 12 and the third electronic component 14 . in use , when the fans 123 are operating , the first block 24 and the second block 25 to direct airflow from the fans 123 to respectively enter the first airflow passage 18 and the second air flow passage 19 . the airflow in first air flow passage 18 and the second air flow passage 19 is further directed to the electronic components 12 , 13 and 14 for dissipating heat . during testing of a conventional server 100 , it was found that the first clearance 15 and the second clearance 16 easily get hot . however , with the current design of the first block 24 and the second block 25 , the airflow of the fans 123 can be more precisely directed to the predetermined airflow passages for dissipating heat . thus , the air flow of the fans 123 can be effectively allocated to cool the various electronic components . it is to be understood , however , that even through numerous characteristics and advantages of the disclosure have been set forth in the foregoing description , together with details of the system and function of the disclosure , 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 .	7
since it is helpful to have some understanding of the concepts of a virtual local oscillator system , we have for completeness , incorporated a brief description of the virtual local oscillator , the subject of a co - pending pct application ( wo0117122 : improved method and apparatus for up - and down - conversion of radio frequency ( rf ) signals , ling , yang ( ca ); wong , lawrence ( ca ); manku , tajinder ( ca )). the virtual local oscillator is concerned with the generation of signals used in the conversion process which have properties that solve the image - rejection problems associated with heterodyne receivers and transmitters and the lo - leakage and 1 / f noise problems associated with direct conversion receivers and transmitters . a circuit which addresses the problems outlined above , is presented as a block diagram in fig2 a . this figure presents a balanced modulator or demodulator 270 in which an input signal x ( t ) is mixed with two synthesized signals ( labelled φ 1 and φ 2 ) which are irregular and vary in the time domain , to effect the desired modulation or demodulation . the two mixers m 1 272 and m 2 274 are standard mixers known in the art , having the typical properties of an associated noise figure , linearity response , and conversion gain . the selection and design of these mixers would follow the standards known in the art , and could be , for example , double balanced mixers . although this figure implies various elements are implemented in analogue form they can be implemented in digital form . the two synthesizers 276 and 278 generate two time - varying functions φ 1 and φ 2 that mixed together within the mixer circuit comprise a virtual local oscillator ( vlo ) signal . these two functions have the properties that their product emulates a local oscillator ( lo ) signal that has significant power at the carrier frequency , but neither of the two signals has a significant level of power at the frequency of the lo being emulated . as a result , the desired modulation or demodulation is affected , but there is no lo signal to leak into the rf path . the representation in fig2 a is exemplary , as any two - stage or multiple stage mixing architecture may be used to implement the invention . as well , the synthesizer for generating the time - varying mixer signals φ 1 and φ 2 may comprise a single device , or multiple devices . in current receiver and transmitter technology , frequency translation of an rf signal to and from baseband is performed by multiplying the input signal by regular , periodic , sinusoids . if one multiplication is performed , the architecture is said to be a direct - conversion or homodyne architecture , while if more than one multiplication is performed the architecture is said to be a heterodyne or super - heterodyne architecture . direct - conversion transceivers suffer from lo leakage and 1 / f noise problems which limit their capabilities , while heterodyne transceivers require image - rejection techniques which are difficult to implement on - chip with high levels of performance . the problems of image - rejection , lo leakage and 1 / f noise in highly integrated transceivers can be overcome by using more complex signals than simple , regular , periodic , sinusoids in the frequency translation process . these signals have tolerable amounts of power at the rf band frequencies both in the signals themselves and in any other signals produced during their generation . the preferred criteria for selecting such functions φ 1 and φ 2 are : ( i ) for the signal x ( t ) to be translated to baseband , φ 1 ( t )* φ 2 ( t ) must have a frequency component at the carrier frequency of x ( t ); ( ii ) in order to minimize spurious response problems , φ 1 ( t )* φ 2 ( t ) must have less than a tolerable amount energy at frequencies other than the carrier frequency of x ( t ) or at least far enough away that these image frequencies can be significantly filtered on - chip prior to down - conversion ; ( iii ) in order to minimize lo leakage problems , the signals φ 1 and φ 2 must not have significant amounts of power in the rf output signal bandwidth . that is , the amount of power generated at the output frequency should not effect the overall system performance of the transmitter or receiver in a significant manner ; ( iv ) also to avoid lo leakage found in conventional direct conversion and directly modulated topologies , the signals required to generate φ 1 and φ 2 , or the intermediate signals which occur , should not have a significant amount of power at the output frequency ; ( v ) φ 2 * φ 2 ( sometimes written simply φ 2 φ 2 ) should not have a significant amount of power within the bandwidth of the up - converted rf ( output ) signal . this ensures that if φ 1 leaks into the input port , it does not produce a signal within the rf signal at the output . it also ensures that if φ 2 leaks into node between the two mixers , it does not produce a signal within the rf signal at the output ; and ( vi ) if x ( t ) is an rf signal , φ 1 * φ 1 * φ 2 should not have a significant amount of power within the bandwidth of the rf signal at baseband . this ensures that if φ 1 leaks into the input port , it does not produce a signal within the baseband signal at the output . these signals can , in general , be random , pseudo - random , or periodic functions of time , and may be either analogue , or digital time - varying signals or waveforms . it would be clear to one skilled in the art that virtual lo signals may be generated which provide the benefits of the invention to greater or lesser degrees . while it is possible in certain circumstances to have almost no lo leakage , it may be acceptable in other circumstances to incorporate virtual lo signals which still allow a degree of lo leakage . an exemplary set of acceptable waveforms is presented in fig2 b , plotted in amplitude versus time . five cycles of the vlo signal are presented , labelled φ 1 φ 2 . it is important to note that at no point in the operation of the circuit is an actual φ 1 φ 2 signal ever generated ; the mixers receive separate φ 1 and φ 2 signals , and mix them with the input signal using different physical components . hence , there is no lo signal which may leak into the circuit . the states of these φ 1 and φ 2 signals with respect to the hypothetical φ 1 φ 2 output are as follows : while these signals may be described as “ aperiodic ”, groups of cycles may be repeated successively . for example , the pattern of the φ 1 and φ 2 input signals presented in fig2 b which generate the φ 1 φ 2 signal , repeat with every five cycles . longer cycles could certainly be used . it would be clear to one skilled in the art that many additional pairings of signals may also be generated . the more thoroughly the above criteria ( i )-( vi ) for selection of the of the φ 1 and φ 2 signals are complied with , the more effective the invention will be in overcoming the problems in the art . the topology of the virtual local oscillator is similar to that of other two stage or multistage modulators and demodulators , but the use of irregular , time - varying mixer signal provides fundamental advantages over known transmitters and receivers , including : minimal leakage of a local oscillator ( lo ) signal into the rf output band ; removes the necessity of having a second lo and various ( often external ) filters ; and has a higher level of integration as the components it does require are easily placed on an integrated circuit . for example , no large capacitors or sophisticated filters are required . since the mixers in most transceivers act as solid state switches being turning on and off , it is preferable to drive the mixers using square time - varying signals or waveforms rather than sinusoids . square time - varying signals or waveforms with steep leading and trailing edges will switch the state of the mixers more quickly , and at a more precise moment in time than sinusoid waveforms . turning to fig3 and 5 we will now describe various preferred embodiments of the invention . note that throughout the figures and descriptions , reference is made to amplifier stages which are not balanced . those skilled in the art would recognise that this is a simplification to assist in the explanation of the invention , and that the use of balanced amplifiers would be typical . preferred embodiments of the invention comprise a ring oscillator operatively connected to a number of logical gates arranged to produced the required time - varying signals . as shown in the fig3 a first preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a series of five inverting amplifiers 300 , 302 , 304 , 306 , 308 , followed by a non - inverting amplifier 310 connected as a ring , the output of each of the first four inverting amplifiers 300 , 302 , 304 , 306 being connected to the input of the next inverting amplifier , the output of the last inverting amplifier 308 being connected to the input of the non - inverting amplifier 310 and the output of the non - inverting amplifier 310 being connected to the input of the first inverting amplifier 300 . the output of the fifth inverting amplifier 308 is also connect to a buffer amplifier 330 to produce the time - varying signal φ 1 i ( t ). the output of the non - inverting amplifier 310 is also connect to another buffer amplifier 335 to produce the time - varying signal φ 2 i ( t ). the outputs of the first inverting amplifier 300 and the third inverting amplifier 304 are connected to the two inputs of a first two - input exclusive - or gate 320 to produce a time - varying signal φ 1 q ( t ), and the outputs of the second inverting amplifier 302 and the fourth inverting amplifier 306 are connected to the two inputs of a second two - input exclusive - or gate 325 to produce a time - varying signal φ 2 q ( t ). in this case , all of the time - varying signals φ 1 i ( t ), φ 1 q ( t ), φ 2 i ( t ) and φ 2 q ( t ) are square - waves and are used as inputs to various balanced mixers in the associated receiver circuit . it will be appreciated that the input to the “ divide - by - n ” circuit 345 can alternatively be fed by the output of any one of the amplifiers 300 , 302 , 304 , 406 or 308 without substantially affecting the nature and performance of the pll subsystem . each of the five inverting amplifiers 300 , 302 , 304 , 306 , 308 , and the non - inverting amplifier 310 have a delay control input , all of which are connected together and driven by the output of a low - pass filter 360 . the input of the low - pass filter ( lpf ) 360 is driven by the output of a phase discriminator ( pd ) 350 ( or phase comparison circuit ) whose inputs are the output of a reference local oscillator 355 and the output of a ‘ divide - by - n ’ ( n ) circuit 345 driven by the output of the non - inverting amplifier 310 , thereby forming a phase locked loop . this phase locked loop ( pll ) circuitry provides frequency stability for the ring oscillator by comparing the phase of the signal generated by the ring oscillator with that provided by the local oscillator , in a manner well - understood by those skilled in the art . by appropriate selection of the outputs of the stages , and the application of simple ‘ exclusive - or ’ ( xor ) logic gates , a number of time - varying signals are generated which have the required stable relationships in frequency and phase . fig4 shows the time - varying signals as generated by the circuit of fig3 at various points in the circuit . referring to both figures , the outputs of the buffer amplifiers 300 , 302 , 304 , 306 , 308 , 310 , are shown as a φ1q ( t ) 400 , b 402 , c 404 , d 406 , e 408 and f φ1i ( t ) 410 , and those of the xor gates 320 , 325 , are shown as b ⊕ d φ2i ( t ) 420 and c ⊕ e φ2q ( t ) 430 . the time - varying signals labelled a φ1q ( t ) 400 , f φ1i ( t ) 410 , b ⊕ d φ2i ( t ) 420 and c ⊕ e φ 2q ( t ) 430 bear the necessary relationships to one another to be useful in a modulator or demodulator taking advantage of the principles of a virtual local oscillator . the delay introduced by each of the buffer amplifiers 300 , 302 , 304 , 306 , 308 , and 310 which comprise the ring oscillator is shown as ‘ d ’. variation of this delay affects the actual oscillation frequency of the ring oscillator and may be used as previously described in the provision of a phase locking arrangement , but their relative differences will affect how closely the signals φ1q ( t ) 400 , f φ1i ( t ) 410 , φ2i ( t ) 420 and φ2q ( t ) 430 emulate the lo of a direct conversion receiver when used in the virtual local oscillator concept . these differences can be minimized through the use of differential amplifier , so that the same amplifier can be used for all sections of the ring oscillator and proper integrated circuit layout techniques to match the loading of each amplifier stage . inverters 330 and 335 are also used to match the delay of the xors 320 and 325 . although the use of the phase locking loop arrangement is included here because the inherent frequency stability of the ring oscillator may not be sufficient for the vlo application , it is not a necessary element of the invention . other mechanisms may be used to provide the frequency stability required by a particular application of the invention . other embodiments of the invention use different combinations of logic to derive time - varying signals which have phase and frequency relationships useful in the implementation of virtual local oscillators for use in modulation and demodulation and like circuits or systems . embodiments with more stages within the ring of the ring oscillator may be used to derive a lesser or greater number of related time - varying signals using different logic elements arranged to combine various outputs of the stages of the ring oscillator , these logic elements may include , but are not limited to , buffers , ‘ exclusive - or ’ ( xor ), ‘ and ’, and , ‘ or ’ gates . in a second preferred embodiment illustrated in fig5 seven inverting amplifiers 500 , 502 , 504 , 506 , 508 , 510 , 512 and a non - inverting amplifier 514 form the ring oscillator , the outputs of the first 500 , third 504 and fifth 508 amplifiers are combined through an xor gate 520 to generate φ2i ( t ), and the outputs of the second 502 , fourth 506 and sixth 510 amplifiers are combined through a second xor gate 525 to generate φ2q ( t ). the outputs of the seventh 512 and eighth 514 stages are buffered 530 , 535 to produce φ 1q ( t ) and φ1i ( t ) respectively . the remaining elements , namely the low - pass filter 560 , the phase discriminator 550 , the reference local oscillator 555 and the ‘ divide - by - n ’ circuit 545 form the phase locked loop ( pll ) circuitry providing frequency stability for the ring oscillator as before . in further embodiments , i inverting amplifier stages ( where i is an odd integer , value five or more ) and a single non - inverting amplifier stage arranged as a ring oscillator may be used ; the outputs of the odd - numbered stages from 1 to ( i − 2 ) are combined using an xor gate to generate φ2i ( t ), the outputs of the even - numbered stages from 2 to ( i − 1 ) are combined using a second xor gate to generate φ2q ( t ), and the output of the ith inverting amplifier stage and the output of the non - inverting amplifier stage are buffered to generate φ 1q ( t ) and φ 1i ( t ) respectively . in cases where balanced amplifiers are used more stages can be added to the ring oscillator as long as there is an even number of stages in the oscillator . outputs - of the - odd stages must be combined to create the inphase φ signals and outputs of the even stages must combined to create to the quadrature φ signals . more than two φ signals may be generated for each of the inphase and quadrature arms if all the φ signals for each arm are added modulo - 2 to give a 50 % duty cycle square - wave at the rf frequency . any logic elements can be used to generate the φ signals as long as the delay from all the ring oscillator outputs to the φ outputs is matched well enough that spectrum of all the φ signals added together modulo - 2 has a large tone at the rf frequency and does not contain significant power at frequencies other than the rf frequency . in this context , “ significant ” means “ large enough to cause spurious response problems which degrade the overall receiver performance to unacceptable levels ”. a person skilled in that art will realise that the invention has application elsewhere , and it is the intention of the inventor that this description covers those situations and applications insofar as they are not already known and in use in the field . a person skilled in the art will realise that the embodiments described may be varied in detail without losing or detracting from the inventive concept described herein , and it is our intention to encompass such variations in design within the description and claims .	7
fig1 is a block diagram illustrating a storage system . in fig1 , storage system 100 comprises : midplane 110 , power supply 115 , controller a 120 , controller b 121 , storage device 130 , storage device 131 , and enclosure 150 . controller a 120 and optional controller b 121 ( if present ) are operatively coupled to midplane 110 . storage device 130 and optional storage device 131 ( if present ) are operatively coupled to midplane 110 . thus , controllers 120 - 121 may operatively connect or exchange information with storage devices 130 - 131 via midplane 110 . controllers 120 - 121 may operatively connect with , or exchange that information with , other devices ( not shown ) that are coupled to storage system 100 . storage system 100 may comprise additional controllers . storage system 100 may comprise additional storage devices . however , these have been omitted from fig1 for the sake of brevity . storage system 100 may be , or comprise , a system that conforms to the sbb specification . thus , controllers 120 - 121 may be , or comprise , controllers that are compatible with or described by , for example , infiniband , just a bunch of disks or just a box of drives ( jbod ), redundant array of inexpensive disks ( raid ), network attached storage ( nas ), storage array network ( san ), iscsi san , or a virtual tape library ( vtl ). thus , storage devices 130 - 131 may be , or comprise , hard disk drives . storage devices 130 - 131 may be , or comprise , other types of drives such as solid state disk drives , tape drives , and rom drives . other types of storage devices are possible . midplane 110 includes two wire interface ( twi ) # 0 140 , twi # 1 141 , and twi # 2 142 . twi # 0 operatively couples controller a 120 to controller b 121 ( if present ). twi # 1 operatively couples controller a 120 , controller b 121 ( if present ), to vital product data ( vpd ) eeprom # 1 111 . twi # 2 operatively couples controller a 120 , controller b 121 ( if present ), to vpd eeprom # 2 112 . functions and specifications for at least midplane 110 , controllers 120 - 121 , vpd eeprom # 1 111 , vpd eeprom # 2 112 , twi # 0 140 , twi # 1 141 , and twi # 2 142 are given in storage bridge bay ( sbb ) specification , version 2 . 0 , jan . 28 , 2008 available at www . sbbwg . org . in an embodiment , controller a 120 and controller b 121 ( if present ) read vpd eeprom # 1 111 and vpd eeprom # 2 112 when storage system 100 is initializing . if any of these reads fails , the controller 120 - 121 detecting the read failure marks the appropriate vpd eeprom 111 - 112 as suspect . if the reads are successful , controllers 120 - 121 compare the contents of vpd eeprom # 1 111 and vpd eeprom # 2 112 to determine if they are the same . if the contents of vpd eeprom # 1 111 and vpd eeprom # 2 112 are the same , controller a 120 and controller b 121 ( if present ) uses the contents of vpd eeprom # 1 111 . if either the contents of vpd eeprom # 1 111 and vpd eeprom # 2 112 are not the same , or at least one of the reads were are not successful , further isolation and correction is performed . the process for further isolation and correction depends on whether controller b 121 is present . in an embodiment , when controller b 121 is not present , controller a 120 locks itself down ( e . g ., halts or stops read / writes ) if the reads from both vpd eeprom # 1 111 and vpd eeprom # 2 112 failed . controller a 120 may report that either controller a 120 is faulty , or that both twi # 1 141 and twi # 2 142 are faulty . in the case where only one of the reads from vpd eeprom # 1 111 and vpd eeprom # 2 112 failed , controller a 120 uses the vpd eeprom 111 - 112 not associated with the failed read . in a case where the reads from both vpd eeprom # 1 111 and vpd eeprom # 2 112 succeeded , but the contents of vpd eeprom # 1 111 and vpd eeprom # 2 112 mismatch , controller a performs a checksum verification of vpd eeprom # 1 111 and vpd eeprom # 2 112 . if these checksum verifications both pass , controller a 120 uses the write - counter defined for vpd eeprom # 1 111 and vpd eeprom # 2 112 to select a vpd eeprom 111 - 112 . the selection of the vpd eeprom 111 - 112 may be based on which vpd eeprom 111 - 112 has a higher write - count value ( and thus , is the more recently written vpd eeprom 111 - 112 ). the selected vpd eeprom 111 - 112 may then be used to rewrite the contents of the non - selected vpd eeprom 111 - 112 . in the case that the write - counter values for vpd eeprom # 1 111 and vpd eeprom # 2 are equal , controller a 120 may use an arbitrarily selected vpd eeprom 111 - 112 ( e . g ., vpd eeprom # 1 111 ). if the checksum verifications fail on one vpd eeprom 111 - 112 , but pass on the other , controller a 120 may rewrite the contents of the vpd eeprom 111 - 112 that failed checksum verification with the contents of the vpd eeprom 111 - 112 that passed the checksum verification . if a rewrite of a vpd eeprom 111 - 112 fails , then controller a 120 uses the vpd eeprom 111 - 112 that passed the checksum verification . if the checksum verifications fail on both vpd eeproms 111 - 112 , controller a 120 locks down . in an embodiment , when controller b 121 is present , controllers 120 - 121 read the status of the reads that the other controller 120 - 121 performed . in a case where the reads from both vpd eeprom # 1 111 and vpd eeprom # 2 112 failed for both controllers 120 - 121 , both controllers 120 - 121 lock down . storage system 100 may report that both twi # 1 141 and twi # 2 142 are faulty . in a case where the reads from both vpd eeprom # 1 111 and vpd eeprom # 2 112 failed for one controller 120 - 121 , but passed for the other controller , the controller 120 - 121 with the failing reads locks down . this condition indicates that the controller 120 - 121 with the failing reads is faulty . in a case where the read from vpd eeprom # 1 111 failed for both controllers 120 - 121 , and the read from vpd eeprom # 2 112 succeeded for both controllers 120 - 121 , both controllers 120 - 121 use vpd eeprom # 2 112 . this condition indicates that twi # 1 141 is faulty . in a case where the read from vpd eeprom # 1 111 failed for one controller 120 - 121 , but succeeded for the other controller 120 - 121 , the controller 120 - 121 with the failed read uses vpd eeprom # 2 112 . this condition indicates that the controller 120 - 121 with the failed read is faulty . in a case where the read from vpd eeprom # 2 112 failed for one controller 120 - 121 , but succeeded for the other controller 120 - 121 , the controller 120 - 121 with the failed read uses vpd eeprom # 1 111 . this condition indicates that the controller 120 - 121 with the failed read is faulty . in a case where the read from vpd eeprom # 2 112 failed for both controllers 120 - 121 , both controllers 120 - 121 use vpd eeprom # 1 111 . this condition indicates that twi # 2 142 is faulty . in a case where the reads from both vpd eeprom # 1 111 and vpd eeprom # 2 112 succeeded for both controllers 120 - 121 , but the contents of vpd eeprom # 1 111 and vpd eeprom # 2 112 are detected to mismatch by at least one controller 120 - 121 , controllers 120 - 121 perform a checksum verifications of vpd eeprom # 1 111 and vpd eeprom # 2 112 . if these checksum verifications both pass , controllers 120 - 121 use the write - counter defined for vpd eeprom # 1 111 and vpd eeprom # 2 112 to select a vpd eeprom 111 - 112 . the selection of the vpd eeprom 111 - 112 may be based on which vpd eeprom 111 - 112 has a higher write - count value ( and thus , is the more recently written vpd eeprom 111 - 112 ). the selected vpd eeprom 111 - 112 may then be used to rewrite the contents of the non - selected vpd eeprom 111 - 112 . in the case that the write - counter values for vpd eeprom # 1 111 and vpd eeprom # 2 112 are equal , controllers 120 - 121 may use an arbitrarily selected vpd eeprom 111 - 112 ( e . g ., vpd eeprom # 1 111 ). in the case where a checksum verification performed by one of controllers 120 - 121 fails on one of the vpd eeproms 111 - 112 , and this failure is also detected by the other controller 120 - 121 , the contents of the vpd eeprom 111 - 112 that did not pass are rewritten from the non - corrupted vpd eeprom 111 - 112 . in the case where there is a write failure during the rewrite of the corrupted vpd eeprom 111 - 112 , or checksum verification failure is not also detected by the other controller 120 - 121 , controllers 120 - 121 use the non - corrupted vpd eeprom 111 - 112 . if checksum verification fails for both vpd eeprom # 1 111 and vpd eeprom # 2 , the controller 120 - 121 ( or both ) detecting the failure of both vpd eeprom # 1 111 and vpd eeprom # 2 locks down . fig2 is a flowchart illustrating a method of detecting an error . the steps illustrated in fig2 may be performed by one or more elements of storage system 100 . vpd eeprom # 1 111 and vpd eeprom # 2 ( hereinafter vpd # 1 and vpd # 2 , for brevity ) are read . for example , controller a 120 ( or controller b 121 , if preset ) may read vpd # 1 and vpd # 2 ( 202 ). in box 204 , it is determined if both reads were successful ( 204 ). if both reads were successful , flow proceeds to box 206 . if both reads were not successful , flow proceeds to box 210 . if both reads were successful , it is determined if the contents from vpd # 1 match the contents from vpd # 2 ( 206 ). if the contents of vpd # 1 match the contents of vpd # 2 , flow ends in box 208 . if both reads were not successful , flow proceeds to another figure via reference label a 220 . if both reads were not successful as determined in box 204 , flow proceeds to box 210 . in box 210 , it is determined if the read of vpd # 1 was successful ( 210 ). if the read of vpd # 1 was successful , flow proceeds to another figure via reference label a 220 . if the read of vpd # 1 was not successful , flow proceeds to box 212 . in box 212 , it is determined if the read of vpd # 2 was successful ( 212 ). if the read of vpd # 2 was successful , flow proceeds to another figure via reference label a 220 . if the read of vpd # 2 was not successful , flow proceeds to box 214 . in box 214 , both vpd # 1 and vpd # 2 are marked as suspect ( 214 ). flow then proceeds to another figure via reference label a 220 . fig3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of isolating and correcting an error . the steps illustrated in fig3 may be performed by one or more elements of storage system 100 . the steps illustrated in fig3 are typically performed when controller 121 is not present ( i . e ., there is not a redundant controller present in storage system 100 ). in fig3 , flow begins via reference label a 220 and proceeds to box 302 . in box 302 , it is determined whether both vpd # 1 and vpd # 2 are marked as suspect . if both vpd # 1 and vpd # 2 are marked as suspect , flow proceeds to box 316 . if both vpd # 1 and vpd # 2 are not marked as suspect , flow proceeds to box 304 . in box 316 , the controller is locked down ( 316 ). flow then ends in box 340 . if both vpd # 1 and vpd # 2 are not marked as suspect , it is determined whether vpd # 1 ( alone ) is marked suspect ( 304 ). if vpd # 1 ( alone ) is marked suspect , flow proceeds to box 318 . if vpd # 1 is not marked suspect , flow proceeds to box 306 . if vpd # 1 ( alone ) is marked suspect , twi # 1 is reported as failed and twi # 2 is used . it is determined whether vpd # 2 ( alone ) is marked suspect ( 306 ). if vpd # 2 ( alone ) is marked suspect , flow proceeds to box 320 . if vpd # 2 is not marked suspect , flow proceeds to box 308 . if vpd # 2 ( alone ) is marked suspect , twi # 2 is reported as failed and twi # 1 is used . it should be understood that at this stage it is clear that vpd # 1 and vpd # 2 can both be read , but their contents mismatch . it is determined whether both vpd # 1 and vpd # 2 checksums are correct but their contents mismatch ( 308 ). if both vpd # 1 and vpd # 2 checksums are correct , flow proceeds to box 322 . if both vpd # 1 and vpd # 2 checksums are not correct , flow proceeds to box 310 . in box 310 , it is determined if the checksum for vpd # 1 is correct ( 310 ). if the checksum for vpd # 1 is correct , flow proceeds to box 324 . if the checksum for vpd # 1 is not correct , flow proceeds to box 312 . in box 312 , it is determined if the checksum for vpd # 2 is correct ( 312 ). if the checksum for vpd # 2 is correct , flow proceeds to box 326 . if the checksum for vpd # 2 is not correct , flow proceeds to box 314 . in box 314 , the controller is locked down ( 314 ). flow then ends in box 340 . if both vpd # 1 and vpd # 2 checksums are determined to be correct in box 308 , it is determined whether the write - counter for vpd # 1 is greater than the write counter for vpd # 2 ( 322 ). if the write - counter for vpd # 1 is greater than the write counter for vpd # 2 , flow proceeds to box 324 . if the write - counter for vpd # 1 is not greater than the write counter for vpd # 2 , flow proceeds to box 330 . in box 324 , vpd # 2 is rewritten from vpd # 1 . flow then proceeds to box 328 . in box 328 , it is determined whether the rewrite was successful ( 328 ). if the rewrite was successful , flow ends in box 340 . if the write was not successful , and error is reported in box 332 and then flow ends in box 340 . if the write - counter for vpd # 1 is not greater than the write counter for vpd # 2 in box 322 , it is determined whether the write counter for vpd # 1 is equal to the write counter for vpd # 2 ( 330 ). if the write counter for vpd # 1 is equal to the write counter for vpd # 2 , flow proceeds to box 334 . if the write counter for vpd # 1 is not equal to the write counter for vpd # 2 flow proceeds to box 326 . in box 326 , vpd # 1 is rewritten from vpd # 2 . in box 334 , the controller uses vpd # 1 ( 334 ). flow then ends in box 340 . fig4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of isolating and correcting an error . the steps illustrated in fig4 may be performed by one or more elements of storage system 100 . the steps illustrated in fig4 are typically performed when controller 121 is present ( i . e ., there is a redundant controller present in storage system 100 ). in fig4 , flow begins via reference label a 220 and proceeds to box 402 . in box 402 , the read status from the alternate controller is checked ( 402 ). for example , controller a 120 may check the read status from controller b 121 . it is determined if both reads failed on both controllers ( 404 ) ( i . e ., the reads of vpd # 1 and vpd # 2 failed on both controller a 120 and controller b 121 ), flow proceeds to box 406 where both controllers are locked down and a failure of both twi # 1 and twi # 2 is reported . if both reads did not fail on both controllers , it is determined if both reads failed on this controller ( 408 ). i . e ., controller a 120 determines if the reads of both vpd # 1 and vpd # 2 failed for controller a 120 . controller b performs a similar action . if both reads failed on this controller , flow proceeds to box 410 where this controller is locked down and reported as failing . if both reads did not fail on this controller , it is determined whether the reads of vpd # 1 failed on both controllers ( 412 ). if the reads of vpd # 1 failed on both controllers , vpd # 2 is used and twi # 1 is reported as failing ( 414 ). if the reads of vpd # 1 did not fail on both controllers , it is determined if the read of vpd # 1 failed on this controller , but succeeded on the alternate controller ( 416 ). if the read of vpd # 1 failed on this controller , but succeeded on the alternate controller , vpd # 2 is used on this controller and it is reported that this controller has a failure ( 418 ). if the read of vpd # 2 failed on this controller and on the alternate controller ( 420 ), vpd # 1 is used and a failure of twi # 2 is reported ( 422 ). if the read of vpd # 2 did not fail on both controllers , it is determined whether the read of vpd # 2 failed on this controller , but succeeded on the alternate controller ( 424 ). if the read of vpd # 2 failed on this controller , but succeeded on the alternate controller , vpd # 1 is used , and a failure of this controller is reported ( 426 ). if the read of vpd # 2 did not fail on this controller and succeed on the alternate controller , the mismatch , checksum check , and rewrite procedure ( described previously ) is performed ( 428 ). the systems , engines , databases , processors , modules , and functions described above may be implemented with or executed by one or more computer systems . the methods described above may also be stored on a computer readable medium . many of the elements of storage system 100 may be , comprise , or include computers systems . this includes , but is not limited to , controller 120 , controller 121 , and midplane 110 . fig5 illustrates a block diagram of a computer system . computer system 500 includes communication interface 520 , processing system 530 , storage system 540 , and user interface 560 . processing system 530 is operatively coupled to storage system 540 . storage system 540 stores software 550 and data 570 . processing system 530 is operatively coupled to communication interface 520 and user interface 560 . computer system 500 may comprise a programmed general - purpose computer . computer system 500 may include a microprocessor . computer system 500 may comprise programmable or special purpose circuitry . computer system 500 may be distributed among multiple devices , processors , storage , and / or interfaces that together comprise elements 520 - 570 . communication interface 520 may comprise a network interface , modem , port , bus , link , transceiver , or other communication device . communication interface 520 may be distributed among multiple communication devices . processing system 530 may comprise a microprocessor , microcontroller , logic circuit , or other processing device . processing system 530 may be distributed among multiple processing devices . user interface 560 may comprise a keyboard , mouse , voice recognition interface , microphone and speakers , graphical display , touch screen , or other type of user interface device . user interface 560 may be distributed among multiple interface devices . storage system 540 may comprise a disk , tape , integrated circuit , ram , rom , network storage , server , or other memory function . storage system 540 may be a computer readable medium . storage system 540 may be distributed among multiple memory devices . processing system 530 retrieves and executes software 550 from storage system 540 . processing system may retrieve and store data 570 . processing system may also retrieve and store data via communication interface 520 . processing system 550 may create or modify software 550 or data 570 to achieve a tangible result . processing system may control communication interface 520 or user interface 570 to achieve a tangible result . processing system may retrieve and execute remotely stored software via communication interface 520 . software 550 and remotely stored software may comprise an operating system , utilities , drivers , networking software , and other software typically executed by a computer system . software 550 may comprise an application program , applet , firmware , or other form of machine - readable processing instructions typically executed by a computer system . when executed by processing system 530 , software 550 or remotely stored software may direct computer system 500 to operate as described herein . 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 .	6
a need exists for intelligence in responding to lighting needs of the users or occupants of a building , walkway , or other indoor or outdoor places that people may occupy . activities determine how bright a location may need to be . people occupying spaces where the light fixtures are installed often have unspoken social interactions and intentions . a light fixture output should respond to the needs and requirements of the occupants , their activities , and the environment . environmental factors also influence lighting needs , such as interior or exterior location , proximity to windows ( if interior ), other light sources and time of day . consider , for example , a person walking across a very large space , such as a conference room , long hallway , parking lot , or sidewalk . the person would expect good lighting conditions in the direction of travel . however , to light up an entire area equally with constant brightness would be energy inefficient . therefore an automatic adaptation of the lighting conditions in the direction of travel would conserve energy . a janitor , who cleans the offices especially during the night would need the light levels to be high to perform a good job . a person working on a computer and looking at a screen would like to have the room light level to be less then for reading a book . the room lights should not cause glare or compete with the computer monitor brightness . adjusting lights with the right level would not only save the lighting energy , it would save the computer monitor &# 39 ; s energy too . it is useful to track positions occupants relative to lights sources . light fixtures preferably will be installed in fixed locations in every room throughout a building or at regular intervals in exterior spaces . their locations preferably will be non - obstructive and strategically positioned where the occupants would use the light for carrying out their activities . most likely these fixtures would be installed above people &# 39 ; s heads and therefore provide a good planar arrangement defining the ground or floor level . staircase lightings would appear as between levels . fig1 shows selected components of one embodiment of a preferred led lighting fixture , referred to here as a “ type b ” fixture to distinguish it from other fixture types discussed further below . such a fixture may include : a light diffuser 2 , a back cover 4 , a type b connector 6 , a type b end cover 8 , a rotate block a 10 , one or more type a support brackets 12 , one or more reflectors 14 , a cable conduit 16 , a cable rotate block 18 , one or more led light strips 20 , a type a end cover 22 , a type a connector 24 , and a rotate block b 26 . fig2 shows a type b support bracket for alternate mounting of the fixture and adaptation to a choice of mounting methods . this may replace the type a bracket 12 shown in fig1 . this bracket supports the fixture from above through a hole 50 in chain bracket . such a hole 50 allows the bracket to connect via either chain or other vertical architectural structure . it has a set of angle flaps 56 which connect to a back cover 4 ( fig1 , item 4 ) of a fixture with a hooked edge at the ends that secures the fixture . the bracket first may be secured to a building support , and then the fixture may be snapped in place . when two fixtures are joined together end - to - end , a bracket may be placed across the joining ends of the fixtures . a set of cut - out slots 54 preferably grips two fixture end covers and locks them in place . fig3 shows a type c support bracket , which may be used for corner fixture mounting . this may replace the type a bracket 12 shown in fig1 . two flaps 62 are similar to type b bracket flaps 56 except for holes 60 . these holes 60 may be used for screw mounting to a corner lighting location . slots 64 may be used similarly to the two cut - out slots 54 in fig2 to join adjacent fixtures . an outer surface of the bracket flaps 62 can also serve as a surface for a double sided tape or velcro piece to secure the bracket to any surfaces . this would make mounting flexible for many surfaces . fig4 shows a type a support bracket , which may be used for mounting to a ceiling or other surface . this type of support bracket is also shown in fig1 . a hole 72 can be used to screw the fixture to any flat surface . a bracket surface 70 alternately may serve as a surface for a double - sided tape or velcro piece to secure the bracket to many surfaces . this would make mounting flexible for many surfaces . flaps 76 may be similar to flaps 56 of the type b bracket shown in fig2 , except that that they may flare outwardly 74 , to accommodate the surface 70 . the lengths of the flaps 74 , 76 may be varied to provide a desired height to the fixture . this bracket allows the fixture to be mounted within another fixture , such as within an existing fluorescent tube fixture where the tube may be absent . fig5 shows a preferred back cover ( fig1 , item 4 ) as an angled piece 80 with two , generally - flat surfaces and a protruded lip on the long edges 84 . there may be two holes 82 on each short edge to secure triangular end cover pieces ( fig1 , items 8 , 22 ) with screws . details of lips 84 are shown in fig6 . these lips may be used to secure a light diffuser 2 to a back cover 4 . a track allows a flat diffuser 2 to slide in from the ends . fig7 shows an exemplary light diffuser ( fig1 , item 2 ) having a flat form . a diffuser may be made of transparent material 90 which has patterns to diffuse any spot appearance of led lights . it preferably would be a light weight plastic , glass , or other material . the diffuser preferably lets light through efficiently but in a diffused manner . diffusers such as those used in fluorescent light fixtures may be patterned plastic material , though they might not be the most efficient . a preferred , more efficient light diffuser would be a fresnel diffuser . these diffusers may have transmission efficiencies greater than ninety - eight percent . the entire diffuser piece can be made of this fresnel type . an example is a clear acrylic material with a diff_rdn — 20_r / 20_fwhm random diffuser finish on one side from fresnel technologies , inc . wide diffusion angles of twenty degrees or more are preferred if the spotty look is to be minimized . alternately , a diffuser can have localized fresnel pattern areas , such as circular patches 92 where the fresnel random diffuser is aligned in front of each led spot on a light strip 20 . other areas beyond these patches can be either transparent or translucent . these diffusers may be fabricated from laser holography plastic cutting techniques on sheet plastic materials . fig8 shows an exemplary , curved light reflector ( fig1 , item 14 ) with a body 100 and two guide rails 104 . such a reflector has holes 102 to permit access to led light sources . guide rails 104 have fingers to secure an led light strip 20 . sandwiched between the led light strip and the reflector may be a piece of thermally conductive elastomer with holes matching holes of the reflector . this elastomer piece may be electrically insulated or insulative . the reflector front preferably has a highly reflective surface 106 which may be an electroplated or plastic plated surface with a protective coating . a reflective adhesive foil would be one of many an alternate solutions . the reflector may be made of thermally conductive material . preferably , it could be metallic or plastic material loaded with thermally conductive particles , such as barium titanate or strontium titanate . fig9 shows a first , a - type , rotate block ( fig1 , 10 ). it may be comprised of an led light strip mounting body section 110 , a round disk section 114 , a rod rotation section 118 , and a rotate coupling connector 116 . two screw holes 112 in the body section 110 may be used for mounting an led light strip ( fig1 , item 20 ). screw holes 112 may be used to rigidly secure the rotate block to an aluminum plate 206 illustrated in fig2 . this block enables an led light strip to rotate , either manually by a screw driver at the end or by an electrically controlled by a coupling stage . fig1 shows a b - type , rotate block ( fig1 item 26 ). it may be similar to an a - type rotate block , except for the absence of a rotate coupling connector 116 . fig1 shows a detailed view of elements used in adjusting an angle of a light fixture . an end cover 160 has a hole 166 for receiving a rod 138 from rotate block b 164 . a spring 162 may be placed over the rod 138 to press against a disc of rotate block b ( fig1 , item 136 ). an led light / reflector assembly 168 may attach to rotate block b by screws through holes in rotate blocks a and b ( fig9 , item 112 and / or fig1 , item 134 ). the spring tension at the disc 136 also pushes against a disc of block a ( fig9 , item 114 ). the disc 114 also presses against a geared / rough surface ring 172 in end cover 174 . the disc 114 is in engaged mode and holds an angle for the reflector assembly . by fitting a screw driver through hole 176 into a slot 178 and pushing against the spring compression , the disc disengages from the fixed ring 172 . turning the screw driver then freely rotates the reflector assembly 168 . a user may see the light corresponding to the adjusted angle in real - time . once a desired angle is achieved , the user can withdraw the screw driver , and the disc 114 will once again press against ring 172 and hold the fixture engaged in the set angle . the spring maintains a pressure to hold the disc engaged with the ring 172 . fig1 shows an exemplary , type a , end cover ( fig1 , item 22 ). this cover may be a triangular - shaped end body piece 120 with three openings . this cover may be secured within the inside back cover of a light fixture ( fig1 , item 4 ) via screw holes 126 on two sides of the cover . the back cover ( fig1 , item 4 ) preferably retains a smooth surface . a circular opening 122 allows the rotate coupling connector ( fig9 , item 116 ) of rotate block a ( fig1 , item 10 ) to fit through . a rectangular opening 128 may allow access for an electrical connector ( e . g ., fig1 , items 6 , 24 ) to the next fixture module . a rectangle opening 124 may be included as a venting hole . fig1 shows an alternate view of type a end cover 22 . the rotate block a 10 preferably fits through a circular hole 122 and stays within the front surface of the cover 22 having a lip 130 around its edge . fig1 shows an alternate , type b , end cover ( fig1 , item 8 ). this cover has a concealed circular ring 194 , which may be a support for a rod rotation section ( fig1 , item 138 ) in rotate block b and holds in place a curved reflector ( fig1 , item 14 ) in a user - adjusted angle of rotation . a circular opening 196 allows cable rotate block ( fig1 , item 18 ) to fit through from an outer surface . similar to the type a end cover , there may be screw holes 192 on two sides of the cover . a smaller rectangular opening 190 may be provided as a vent hole . fig1 shows an alternate view of type b end cover ( fig1 , item 8 ). a circular ring 194 in fig1 may be concealed from this outer view of the cover . if a hole through the circular ring 194 is opened , a rotation rod adapted to be turned with a screw driver may slide to a corresponding hole in the next module and engage with the rotation rod in the adjacent module to rotate the other module &# 39 ; s reflector assembly . fig1 shows an exemplary cable rotate block ( fig1 , item 18 ). this block has a body 180 with a power cable entrance path 182 that enters the fixture through a passage 184 . a rotate shaft 186 and a split coupler 188 preferably fit through a hole in a triangular end cover ( e . g ., fig1 , item 122 ). fig1 shows an alternate view of the cable rotate block of fig1 . a cable enters from a cable conduit ( fig1 , 16 ), goes into a cavity 182 , makes a right turn into hole 184 , and feeds into the fixture . a split coupler 188 prevents the rotate block from slipping out of an end - cover hole ( e . g ., fig1 , item 194 ). the block can rotate freely with respect to an end cover . fig1 shows a cable conduit ( fig1 , item 16 ). it may be made of a hollow rod 140 , and it can be made of any appropriate length . in this manner , the cable may be shielded by the conduit . this conduit can be made of plastic or metal . fig1 shows an exemplary led light strip ( fig1 , item 20 ). circular dots 152 represent leds mounted preferably on a flexible circuit 154 , which in turn may be mounted on aluminum bar 156 . the screw holes 150 on both ends of the bar allows rotate block a ( fig1 , item 10 ) and rotate block b ( fig1 , item 26 ) be mounted . fig2 shows an exemplary assembly of an led light strip with reflector and heat sink . leds 200 may be soldered or otherwise attached onto a copper flex circuit 202 . the flex circuit substrate may be about 25 to 75 microns thick , which would allow heat to transfer easily in the z direction orthogonal to the flexible circuit surface . the substrate material may be an insulator made preferably of one of the following materials , though other materials may be used : the flex circuit conductive traces may be two ounce copper , about 2 . 8 mils thick , for both low resistance and good thermal conductivity . control signal traces may be low current circuits . additive printed thick film technology ( ptf ), such as silver ink , can be used . conductive traces may be routed with design rule to retain most of the conductive copper . an led heat sink may be mounted on the copper pads with solder or heat sink compound to promote heat dissipation . the flexible circuit 202 may be attached to the aluminum block or plate 206 via a high temperature , double sided adhesive tape 204 . an aluminum heat sink plate may be formed into a one - dimensional parabolic shape and electroplated with a highly reflective coating to be used as the led light reflector simultaneously . an example of an adhesive tape is the 3m # 467mp tape . this tape has a thickness of approximately 50 microns and allows both surfaces come into good contact for good thermal transfer . a high temperature , thermally conductive , electrically insulative , silicone gasket 208 with holes for led components to pass through may be used between the reflector 14 and the led flexible circuit 202 . fig2 shows an exemplary circuit diagram for a six - leds strip formed in three chains a , b , c . paths a , b , c , d , e and f may be considered high current led power circuits . d , e , and f may be used for led current return . two leds 210 , 212 may be on chain a , two leds 214 , 216 may be on chain b , and two leds 218 , 220 may be on chain c . this method may be applicable for other numbers of leds in each chain . each chain preferably has an equal number of leds . three paths d , e , f may be pass - through circuits without components . additional paths g , h , i , j , k , l , m , n and 0 may be part of the led power regulation circuits . they may be low current circuits . one positive temperature coefficient thermal conductive trace ( ptc ) may be in each of three circuits g , h and i . one ptc 222 may be in a first circuit g , one ptc 224 may be in a second circuit h , and one ptc 226 may be in a third circuit i . each thermal conductive trace may be physically located in the proximity of one of the leds in each chain , such as the first leds 210 , 214 , 218 in each chain . since the second led in the same chain may be driven by the same current , it may be assumed to have a similar thermal dissipation characteristics and therefore similar temperature response . in this manner , a single ptc may be used for each circuit , which lowers the component count when compared to monitoring every led . there may be one resistance trace 228 , 230 and 232 in each of the circuits , j , k and l respectively . these ptc thermal conductive traces and resistance traces may be used to control a current through the led chains , a , b and c via a circuit shown in fig2 . this prevents the overheating of the leds and prolongs its working life . this led temperature regulation method is discussed in further detail in following sections . three circuits m , n and 0 may be without components and may be used to bring electrical connections between pins of the right connector 236 and pins of the left connector 234 . fig2 shows an exemplary powering scheme for a six - led fixture with a fifteen pin input connector 234 and a fifteen pin output connector 236 . the output connector shown has jumpers 250 , 252 , 254 for connecting each of three led chains a , b , c to each of three return paths d , e , f respectively . three other jumpers 256 , 258 and 260 each connects two ptc circuits g , h , i , j , k , l to one return path ( g and j to m ; h and k to n ; and i and l to o respectively ). input pins p 1 , p 2 , p 3 each preferably supplies current to one of the led chains a , b and c respectively and hence through jumpers 250 , 252 , 254 to three other pins p 4 , p 5 , p 6 . the input connector and the output connector are preferably of opposite gender . this choice allows the input connector of a second fixture be connected to a first fixture output connector without an intermediate piece . fig2 shows an example of such a two - fixture connection scheme . jumpers 250 , 252 , 254 , 256 , 258 and 260 may be used at the output connector 236 for the second fixture . in this example , there would be twelve leds , six thermistors and six resistors in total . the power supply connection at the first input connector 234 would remain the same as for the circuit of fig2 . this connection scheme can be extended to cascade multiple fixtures in series . six jumpers 250 , 252 , 254 , 256 , 258 and 260 may be used at the output connector 236 for the last fixture . this circuit design and connection scheme allows fixtures to be modular . a long fixture can be composed of multiple shorter fixtures connected to the right hand side and terminated with a consistent jumper design . fig2 shows an exemplary led driver circuit for a fixture for powering three chains a , b and c separately , each by a driver chip , u 1 a , u 1 b and u 1 c . an exemplary chip driver is a national semiconductor integrated circuit lm3414hv or lm3414 with pulse level modulation ( plm ). each driver circuit may have three resistors r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , one schottky diode d 1 , one inductor l 1 , one capacitor c 2 , one transistor q 1 , and one printed thermally responsive resistance trace t 1 . one resistance r 1 preferably is a printed resistance trace . the suffixes a , b and c to each of these components signify an association to a corresponding one of the three driver chips u 1 a , u 1 b , and u 1 c . the maximum input voltage ( vin ) for an lm3414hv may be 65v , and for an lm3414 it may be 42v . thermally responsive traces t 1 and printed resistance traces r 1 may be discrete components instead of printed traces . a printed thermal responsive resistance trace t 1 and a printed resistance trace r 1 also are shown as items 222 , 224 , 226 and items 228 , 230 , 232 respectively in fig2 and 22 . the example shown in fig2 may have only two fixtures , in which case a single thermal responsive trace t 1 a and resistance r 1 a ( fig2 ) may be a series of components shared across two fixtures . such a thermal responsive trace t 1 b and resistance trace r 1 b also are shown as items 224 and 230 in fig2 and 22 . a thermal responsive trace t 1 c and resistance trace r 1 c also are shown as items 226 and 232 in fig2 and 22 . where multiple fixtures may be used , multiple sets of these components may be repeated in each of the fixtures as shown in fig2 . in fig2 , five circuit elements r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , t 1 and q 1 ( on the left hand side of integrated circuits u 1 a , u 1 b u 1 c ) form a current control to an led chain ( on the right hand side of integrated circuits u 1 a , u 1 b , u 1 c ). resistances r 1 and thermal responsive traces t 1 form voltage dividers across a constant reference voltage vcc . when a ptc thermal responsive trace t 1 increases in its resistance value due to rise in temperature , a voltage increases across a base - emitter of transistors q 1 a , q 1 b , q 1 c . this results in increasing the emitter current flowing into i adj input pin of u 1 and thereby decreases the led current . a reduction of the led current will reduce the dissipation of heat . the choice of values for thermal responsive traces and resistances t 1 , r 1 , r 2 and r 3 determines an operating temperature of the led strip light . capacitors c 2 a , c 2 b c 2 c may be bypass capacitors to ground and chosen for at least 1 uf capable of withstanding 6v or more . leds 210 and 212 in fig2 , 22 and 23 are shown as led 1 a and led 1 b in fig2 respectively . leds 214 and 216 in fig2 , 22 and 23 are shown as led 2 a and led 2 b in fig2 respectively . leds 218 , and 220 in fig2 , 22 and 23 are shown as led 3 a and led 3 b in fig2 respectively . a driver circuit regulates a current supplied to the led chain and draws its power from a constant voltage source shown as + vin and ground . a resistor r 4 sets a pwm frequency . an inductor l 1 reduces ripple across the led chain . when three led chains a , b and c are powered separately , an led failure in one would not cause a failure in the other two chains . in the absence of resistances r 1 , r 2 , rt 1 and transistors q 1 , led current may be determined by equation ( 1 ) where , preferably , 0 . 35 & lt ;= i led max & lt ; 1 . 0 amps , and 3125 ohms & gt ; r 3 & gt ;= 8929 ohms incorporating elements r 1 , r 2 , rt 1 and q 1 , the led current i led may be modified to equation ( 2 ) i led =[(( 3 . 125 × 10 3 / r 3 )− i ext )× 2490 × 10 3 ] ma ( 2 ) i ext may be a current of about 400 ua through resistor r 2 , and r 2 may be chosen to satisfy equation ( 3 ) after choosing r 3 from equation ( 1 ). i ext =( vb − vbe − 1 . 255 )/ r 2 & lt ; 1 . 255 / r 3 =(˜ 400 ua ) ( 3 ) since vbe ˜ 0 . 7v for a silicon bipolar transistor , and the i adj pin of the integrated circuits u 1 may be internally biased at 1 . 255v . the emitter current i e , of transistors qi , may be the same as i ext . transistor q 1 base current i b may be approximately : i ext / β , where β is the current gain for transistor q 1 . the base voltage vb of transistor q 1 may be given by equation ( 4 ). vb =[( r t1 × r 1 )/( r t1 + r 1 )]×[( vcc / r 1 )−( i ext / β )] volts ( 4 ) since preferably vcc = 5 . 4v , and for a typical small signal bipolar transistor with v ceo & gt ; vcc and current gain β greater than 100 , the equation for the base voltage may be simplified to resistances r t1 and r 1 may be chosen to satisfy conditions ( 6 ) vb & gt ;( vbe + 1 . 255 ) volts and ( vcc /[ r t1 + r 1 ])& gt ;& gt ; 1 . 255 /(( β × r 3 ) ua ( 6 ) vb =( 5 . 4 × r 1 )/[ r t1 + r 1 ]& gt ; 1 . 955 volts and [ r t1 + r 1 ]& lt ;& lt ; 1 . 35 × 10 6 ohms r 1 /[ r t1 + r 1 ]& gt ; 0 . 362 and [ r t1 + r 1 ]& lt ;& lt ; 1 . 35 × 10 6 ohms ( 7 ) a load on vcc preferably should be less than 2 ma , and 5 . 4 /[ r t1 + r1 ]& lt ; 2 × 10 − 3 . fig2 illustrated two fixtures connected in series . for examples such as this , values of r 1 and r t1 used in equations ( 7 ) and ( 8 ) would be the series values of resistances r 1 and r t1 from fixture 1 and 2 respectively for each of the suffixes . for example : r 1 ( a )= r 1a ( fixture1 )+ r 1a ( fixture2 ) for the “ a ” suffix and r t1 ( a )= r t1a ( fixture1 )+ r t1a ( fixture2 ) r 1 ( b )= r 1b ( fixture1 )+ r 1b ( fixture2 ) for the “ b ” suffix and r t1 ( b )= r t1b ( fixture1 )+ r t1b ( fixture2 ) r 1 ( c )= r 1c ( fixture1 )+ r 1c ( fixture2 ) for the “ c ” suffix and r t1 ( c )= r t1c ( fixture1 )+ r t1c ( fixture 2 ) a design as shown in fig2 allows multiple fixtures to be cascaded without changing the voltage divider point vb . resistance values r 1 and r t1 may stay consistent for each fixture . therefore equations ( 1 ) through ( 8 ) define a range of values for components r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , rt 1 , q 1 with suffixes a , b and c in fig2 . the resistor r 4 preferably determines a switching frequency fsw , 250 khz & lt ; fsw & lt ;= 1 mhz the driver circuit preferably operates in continuous conduction mode operation ( ccm ) with led on time less than 400 ns . the minimum led switched on time preferably would satisfy resistance r 4 may be selected to satisfy this condition . an inductor l 1 may be part of the pulse level modulation circuit . a minimum inductance l 1 may be used to maintain less than 60 % of the defined average output ripple current . inductor l 1 preferably satisfies equation ( 11 ) where i led = i l average = mid point of i l 1 during t on schottky diode d 1 preferably would withstand the peak led current and 1 . 6 vin . a fixture circuit as shown in fig2 can also be powered by using only one integrated circuit driver u 1 . such a design is shown in fig2 , which is similar to that of fig2 . the component count is reduced by ⅔ . component suffices “ a ”, “ b ” and “ c ” are omitted other than for the led chain . such an led chain may be connected in series to drive all six leds all at the same time by a single integrated circuit driver u 1 . components r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , q 1 , c 2 , d 1 , l 1 still may be selected using equations ( 1 ) through ( 11 ) except that the equivalent resistance value of thermally responsive traces t 1 shown in fig2 may be the series of thermally responsive traces 228 , 230 and 232 of fixture 1 and 228 , 230 and 232 of fixture 2 . the equivalent resistance of resistance r 1 may be the series resistances of 222 , 224 and 226 of fixture 1 and 222 , 224 and 226 of fixture 2 . for a preferred embodiment as in fig2 : r 1 ( equivalent )=[ r ( 222 )+ r ( 224 )+ r ( 226 )] fixture 1 +[ r ( 222 )+ r ( 224 )+ r ( 226 )] fixture 2 ( 12 ) rt 1 ( equivalent )=[ r ( 228 )+ r ( 230 )+ r ( 232 )] fixture 1 +[ r ( 228 )+ r ( 230 )+ r ( 232 )] fixture 2 ( 13 ) such a cascade series of fixtures each having six leds is shown in fig2 . this arrangement may be achieved by having the same jumpers 250 , 252 and 254 at the last output connector 236 as in fig2 . in addition , there may be additional jumpers 270 and 272 at the first input connector 234 . the thermally responsive traces may be connected in series across the fixtures . the jumpers at the last output connector would be items 262 , 264 , 266 , 268 . the jumpers at the first input connector 234 would be items 274 , 276 and 278 . fig2 shows a circuit diagram with six leds formed in three chains a , b and c but with a lower pin count to both input connector 280 and output connector 282 when compared to the circuit of fig2 . the connector pin counts may be reduced from fifteen to ten . the circuits that form the led paths would be a , b , c , d , e and f . circuits d , e , and f would be used for the led current return path . in fig2 , paths h and j may be low current return signal paths . positive temperature coefficient ( ptc ) thermal traces 290 , 292 , 294 may be connected in series in trace g . each ptc trace may be located in proximity to one led in each chain . since the second led in the same chain may be driven by the same current , it may be assumed to have the similar thermal dissipation characteristics and therefore similar temperature response . an arrangement such as this lowers component count compared to monitoring every led . three printed resistance traces 300 , 302 , 304 may be connected in series in signal path i . both ptc traces and resistance traces may be used to control a current through the led chains a , b , c via a circuit as shown in fig2 . such current regulation prevents the leds from overheating and prolongs their working lives . fig2 shows circuit jumpers 250 , 252 , 254 for connector 282 for three led circuits which may be similar to jumpers for connector 236 in fig2 and 23 . however , other circuit jumpers 310 , 312 for connector 282 would be different from jumpers 256 , 258 , 260 , for connector 236 in fig2 and 23 . fig2 shows an alternate led driver circuit embodiment using three drivers . each of three ptc traces may be located near a first led for each respective chain . for example , a first ptc trace 290 may be located near led 210 for chain a ; ptc trace 292 may be located near led 214 for chain b ; and ptc trace 294 may be located near led 218 for chain c respectively . in this manner , the corresponding ptc trace may be used to control the temperature in each chain by controlling the current flow through the chain . three transistors q 1 a , q 1 b and q 1 c may use a common reference voltage vcc . if each driver chip u 1 a , u 1 b , u 1 c generates a separate reference , the three reference voltages may be “ diode - or ′ d ” to form the single reference voltage vcc for the three transistors . in this way , if any of the three driver chips u 1 a , u 1 b or u 1 c should fail , another of the driver chips will maintain the reference voltage vcc . fig3 shows an alternate design which uses only one integrated circuit u 1 to drive all leds using pin connections p 1 through p 10 ( connectors shown in fig2 ). the number of leds driven by this circuit may be governed by the maximum output voltage of driver , which may be 65v for lm3414hv and 42v for lm3414 . the circuit scheme in fig2 will be able to drive three times as many leds as fig3 . a light fixture regulatory circuit can also be design with negative thermal coefficient printed ( ntc ) traces . fig3 shows one such configuration that uses three ntc traces 350 , 352 , 354 . these three components may be connected in series in circuit g . similarly to the arrangement of fig2 , jumper 310 may be used across circuits g and h , and jumper 312 may be used across circuits i and j . the led driver circuit shown in fig2 can be modified to drive a fixture design as in fig3 using ntc traces . in fig2 the positive thermal coefficient traces rt 1 a , rt 1 b , rt 1 c are on the ground side of the resistances r 1 a , r 1 b , r 1 c in the voltage divider . in fig3 , the negative thermal coefficient traces rt 2 a , rt 2 b , rt 2 c are on the power side of the resistances r 1 a , r 1 b , r 1 c in the voltage divider . since these six traces may be within a fixture , a design such as shown in fig3 may be achieved by switching connected pins p 7 , p 10 at the input connector 280 . because ntc traces rt 2 , rt 2 b , rt 2 c decrease in resistance as temperature rises , a rise in temperature in a fixture increases the base voltage of transistors q 1 a , q 1 b , q 1 c . the currents through resistors r 2 a , r 2 b and r 2 c increase , and the plm currents driving the leds in each chain would be reduced accordingly . in a multiple fixture cascade mode , the equivalent values of the traces may be connected in series and would be as follows . fig3 illustrates an alternate led driver circuit embodiment that is similar to the single driver circuit design shown fig3 . the embodiment of fig3 may be modified to drive an led fixture circuit design as in fig3 but with ntc traces . ptc traces rt 1 a , rt 1 b and rt 1 c in fig3 may be replaced by ntc traces rt 2 a , rt 2 b and rt 2 c and switched in position with resistances r 1 a , r 1 b and r 1 c . the principle of led current regulation may be similar to that shown in fig3 . both ptc and ntc traces may be applied to the circuits of both fig3 and fig3 . in such cases , the resistances r 1 a , r 1 b and r 1 c in these figures may be replaced with ptc traces rt 1 a , rt 1 b , rt 1 c and leaving the ntc traces rt 2 a , rt 2 b , rt 2 c in place as shown in the figures . with this modification , the voltages at the bases of transistors p 8 or p 9 would rise at a much faster rate when led temperature rises . this can be thought of as a “ push and pull ” effect . fig3 shows a preferred , type a connector ( fig1 , item 24 ). this may be a female connector 160 with holes 162 and a connector guide 164 . the connector may be used for interconnection between fixtures . the number of pins for this connector would depend on the choice of the driver circuit selected . other connectors may be used . fig3 shows a preferred , type b connector 170 . this may be a male connector with pins 172 that mate with pins of a female connector ( e . g ., fig3 , item 160 ). other connectors may be used . fig3 shows a preferred bracket ( fig1 , item 12 ) which may support a fixture and / or secure two fixtures at their joints . other brackets may be used . fig3 shows a concept of intelligent lighting . the concept will be discussed here in the context of a building , but it may also apply to other location , including outdoor spaces , and the use of a building as a descriptive example is not intended to limit applicability . people in a lighted region would wear devices for sensing location , such as wireless rfid badges or chain tags 602 , 604 , 606 , 608 , 610 . some may carry intelligent personal devices 638 , 640 , such as cell phones , personal digital assistants , remote controls , or other devices not yet invented with capability for performing location determination functions as discussed further below . intelligent lighting fixtures 612 , 614 , 616 , 618 , 620 , 622 , 624 , 626 , 628 , 630 , 632 each preferably has a unique identifier . fixtures may be connected to one or more power distribution centers 634 , which in turn may receive power from any source , such as a utility power grid 642 or local source . local sources may include generators , photo - voltaic panels , wind turbines , batteries or other sources now in existence or not yet invented . a computer 636 may be connected to the power distribution controller 634 , such as by ethernet or other connection . the computer 636 may store and process information obtained from and / or used in the system , including but not limited to information pertaining to , or received from , lighting fixtures , badges , intelligent personal devices , power distribution centers , etc . fig3 shows elements of a room layout which will be used as an example for discussing a theory of operation for implementing intelligent lighting . ( the use of a room as an example is not intended to limit applicability of the intelligent lighting concept .) light fixtures 700 , 702 and occupants 704 , 706 , 708 form a network which collects occupant location information , such as time - stamped measurements of occupant position . in an illustrative example shown in fig3 , two lighting fixtures 700 , 702 are spaced a known distance “ r ” apart . beneath fixtures 700 , 702 , three persons 704 , 706 , 708 are shown , which for this discussion may be assumed to be on the same floor or other level . the relative distances k , 0 between light fixtures 700 , 702 and a first occupant 704 preferably are measured in real time as will be discussed further below . absolute positions of fixtures 700 , 702 preferably are known . triangle rko defines an absolute location of the first occupant 704 relative to a frame of reference of the fixtures . similarly , triangle rpq defines the absolute location of a second occupant 706 with respect to the two light fixtures 700 and 702 . in this way , positions may be determined for all occupants with direct communications to any two fixtures . for occupants that do not have direct communications with two fixtures , such as because of obstruction or interference , position may be determined with reference to any other occupant having a known location . for purposes of illustration , assume in fig3 that an obstruction blocks a direct signal path from a third occupant 708 to a lighting fixture 702 . the position of the third occupant 708 can be determined indirectly through either triangle klm or triangle mnq . when absolute positions of the first two occupants 704 , 706 are known ; the absolute position of the third occupant 708 may be also obtained . once a position determination network is established and occupants &# 39 ; locations are defined , occupant movements may be determined . one way would be to update a time - dependent network map and calculate rates of change in the triangles defined by the network map . such method of motion detection using two - way radio determination may be more accurate and useful than using traditional infra red ( ir ) detectors that only detect motion . such detectors typically “ time out ” if they do not detect motion for a period of time and shut off their light , even though an occupant may be present . a network map allows for coordination of multiple light fixtures to provide improved light coverage for all occupants . in the example above , occupant 708 does not have direct sensing path with light fixture 702 , which implies that light from this fixture might be blocked from reaching that occupant . the system may control other fixtures to achieve desired lighting levels for that occupant . for a very large space , such as a conference room or exterior space , all the lights may not turn on if only a small section of the space is occupied . for example , if a company receptionist assigns a badge to visitor and enters into the system a destination location , the badge and the lighting fixture can form part of a system for navigating the visitor to the destination , such as by raising illumination on the path ahead of the visitor , and lowering illumination along diversionary paths . in the past , traditional light sensors may have been combined with ir motion sensors with settings for a light threshold level , turn - on time for a timer , and motion sensitivity level . in such combinations , the power circuits would have been switched completely off if the ambient light exceeded a threshold or motion was not detected during the turn - on timer setting . in comparison , an improved , intelligent lighting fixture offers continuous level control of room brightness in real - time with one of the following methods : a ) brightness information on the occupant may be collected from wireless badges with photo sensors , cameras in cell phones , portable smart devices with a brightness calibration application , or other sensors . this information may be fed back to the lighting system through an information network and may be a more accurate way for measuring the light level needed by occupants rather than measuring at fixed wall sensors . the network can determine a level in lumens needed for each occupant and coordinate all lights in the vicinity to provide improved lighting . b ) wall photo sensors may be wired directly to a fixture dimming circuit or indirectly using a network , such as a power line network , to provide light level information from wall sensors to be fed back to the light fixture controller . in a scenario where no light sensors are present , the lighting system can estimate its light level by estimating a light output power required for known distances between the occupants and the light fixtures . fig3 illustrates an exemplary control algorithm for light brightness . a light fixture 720 and ambient light both may illuminate a light sensor 728 . a comparator 726 may determines one or more light threshold levels , such as a minimum and maximum level , or a desired average level . if the light level increases beyond a threshold , a light dimmer may be activated . there may be a time delay 724 between the light dimmer control 722 and the light sensor comparator 726 . fig4 shows an example of a light sensor circuit , which may use an intersil isl29001 sensor 742 sensor , which has a light sensing range of about 0 . 3 lumens to 10 , 000 lumens , with infrared filtering and 50 / 60 hz rejection . such a sensor has light measurement range from about 0 . 3 lux to about 10 , 000 lux . it also has infrared rejection and rejection of light fluctuations in the range of about 50 / 60 hz . other sensors may be used . the sensor preferably reports to a master microcontroller 740 through an i2c bidirectional serial communication port . i2c communication uses two open drain lines : a serial clock line 746 and a serial data line 744 . each line may be pulled to the line voltage vdd via resistors 750 , 752 . a microcontroller example may be the texas instrument msp430fg4619 . such a controller has 120 kb of flash ram and 4 kb of rom and has general purpose ports for driving lcd displays , i2c communication devices and switches . other devices can be used , including but not limited to a smaller capacity microcontroller msp430f2013 . in the example of fig4 , the illustrated microcontroller 740 has an output port 748 which may be optional if the light sensor is to be powered all the time . a resistor 754 may tie the power down pin pd to ground to ensure the light sensor is on . however , if the light sensor is to be turned off for power savings , then the port 748 may be pulled high . once the light chip is in an “ on ” state , the microcontroller serial clock port 746 may drive the serial clock line scl . an isl29001 &# 39 ; s i2c address may be hardwired internally as “ 1000100 ”. i2c transactions begin with the master asserting a start condition ( sda falling while scl remaining high ). the master drives the following byte to provide a slave address and read / write bit . this particular light sensor requires a minimum of 100 ms for each bit and therefore determines its fastest update time . other devices and protocols may be used . a light sensor may be used with a wide spectral response , such as from 400 nm to 1000 nm . ir rejection may be a consideration since many light sources have high presence of ir and these ir sources can give an apparent brightness to which the human eye does not respond . the isl29001 light sensor may be capable of performing ir rejection because : it has two photodiodes d 1 and d 2 . one diode d 1 may be sensitive to both visible and ir light ( 400 nm to 1000 nm ), while the other diode d 2 may be mostly sensitive to only ir light . for sensors such as this , a light measurement may be made for the visible range if the light level readings from both photodiodes are used according to the following equation : fig4 illustrates an intelligent light fixture controller system with two types of network capability : power - line network and wireless network . a power - line network links together smart devices connected to a common power line . a wireless network connects both portable and other wireless devices within its rf range or proximity . a power line network potentially has a longer range than a wireless network . since light fixtures usually draw power from a shared ac power source , power - line networking may be suitable for controlling intelligent lighting fixtures . a power - line network may be based on the concept that the power source itself is a communication channel for the network . in fig4 , a pt / ct transformer 552 may be a signaling power - line impedance matching transformer . it may be the gateway for a low power controller block 580 to communicate with another power - line network device using the same ac source . a preferred low power controller block 580 draws its power from an energy efficient ac / dc power supply 578 , which may be directly connected to an ac power source 556 that preferably is powered at all times regardless of whether the led lights of the fixture are powered . a preferred controller block 580 has a programmable microcontroller at its core with eeprom 536 storing a unique id , a program , a micro - database 598 , and a real - time clock 592 . it may have several additional functional blocks , such as : analog to digital converter ( adc ) 590 ; digital to analog converter ( dac ) 538 ; power control with output transistor 544 capable of driving a relay 558 ; digital i / o ports 596 for driving an led driver 568 ; wireless digital i / o ports for a wireless network interface 546 ; digital i / o ports for a sensor network 548 ; and ports for a 2 - way power - line network 594 . this micro - controller system preferably performs some or all of the following functions : a ) line current measurements — the micro - controller may sense the current in the ac source circuit mains 556 through an isense port 542 by measuring the voltage across a sensing resistor rsense 554 through the analog to digital converter 590 . b ) line voltage measurements — the micro - controller may sense the voltage across the ac source circuit mains 556 through an accurate voltage divider resistor network 550 and picked up by the controller &# 39 ; s vsense port 540 . c ) line power measurements — the micro - controller may sense both incoming voltage and current in real - time , which allows power consumption to be computed . in the united states , the power system frequency is 60 hz . if the sampling is performed on both current and voltage at least once every 131 us , which is faster than 4 . 32 khz , the real and apparent power can be calculated within an accuracy of 10 degree of the phase . d ) power - line communications — the micro - controller may have a bidirectional ability to communicate with other power line network devices and a central control system through two - way power - line network ports 594 . the power line network sends data via a transmit tx driver 572 , and receives commands via a receive driver rx 574 . the power line network modem may be isolated electrically and protected by blocking capacitors 576 and pt / ct transformer 552 . e ) fixture power control — the micro - controller may have an output 544 that controls a power relay 558 , which in turn controls the ac input power to drive the led fixture 570 via a rectified power bridge 564 . the rectifier in turn provides power to an led power supply 566 and a subsequent led driver 568 , which has driver controls directly controlled by controller 580 . examples of led driver integrated circuits are lm3414hv , lm3464 , lm3445 , all from national semiconductor . other drivers may be used . f ) temperature regulation — the micro - controller may have a sensor control port 548 that allows temperature sensors 582 to monitor the temperatures of the leds mounted on the led light strip 570 . g ) real - time clock — the micro - controller may have a real - time clock rtc 592 that runs independently to keep track of time . it may synchronize occasionally with a central clock through the power line - network . in addition , the power distribution center / power line network center and controller ( fig3 , item 634 ) may synchronize with an external reference clock , such as atomic clock time , time zone , daylight savings time and weather information from its internet access url sites to anticipate times for which a location may be getting ambient light . h ) wired sensors — the micro - controller may have sensor control ports 548 which allow input from wired sensors 562 , such as an ambient light sensor circuit illustrated in fig4 . the interface shown in fig4 may be serial i2c communication . these wired sensors may be programmed as slave devices , and the micro - controller may be programmed as the master device . the i2c communication architecture allows many devices to share a common bus . each device may be distinguished by a unique device address . other wired sensors , such as motion sensors , can share this bus . a temperature sensor 582 for a lighting fixture can be added to this sensor control for dimming the light with closed loop feedback . this improves the life of the lighting system . i ) wireless network controller — the micro - controller may have a wireless network port 546 which may be connected to an optional wireless module 560 that has six connections similar to those shown in fig4 and runs a program flowchart similar to the one illustrated in fig5 . such a wireless module 560 may be implemented with a wireless network stack , which allows a flexible dynamic multilink broadcast network scheme described further below . such a network scheme overcomes a limitation of end devices not being able to communicate directly with other end devices , and it has freedom to join a very large network , such as a zigbee network . such a scheme may be implemented using a modified simpliciti network stack , and this device may be assigned as an “ access point .” it preferably would be powered at all times . j ) wireless portable devices — portable wireless devices may have input buttons ( switches ) 588 , screen ( optionally a touch screen ), and input sensors 586 . a portable device can have a form factor as simple as a name tag ( mobile tag ) similar to one illustrated in fig5 , with a program flowchart such as one shown in fig4 . an exemplary circuit diagram is illustrated in fig4 . that example uses a six - connection interface that allows a portable controller 584 to communicate wirelessly with the micro - controller 580 via a wireless module 560 . there can be one or more portable wireless controllers , and they all preferably would have unique addresses and may be assigned as “ end devices ” similar to a zigbee network . they may communicate with each other automatically and establish a network by a join - network command and executing a program flowchart , such as one illustrated in fig4 . a portable controller can be larger , like a handheld remote controller , and be more sophisticated to include a large touch screen and keyboard entry . it could include a network interface with cell phones , iphones , etc . under such an arrangement , the cell phones and iphones could be used to communicate with the controller 580 running a custom application program designed for lighting control . in this case , users could use their cell phones , iphones , ipads , etc . to be their portable light controller . the ability to identify occupants and their activities allows cost - saving illumination plans , especially in large rooms with several light fixtures and open spaces . fig4 illustrates an example where an occupant 768 may be stationary under , and illuminated only by , a single light fixture 762 with an exemplary illumination light level of three hundred ( 300 ) lux in the vicinity of the occupant . the other three light fixtures 760 , 764 and 766 may not be turned on . the light level would be lower at locations away from the occupant . fig4 illustrates an alternate plan where the occupant can choose a moderate savings light illumination plan b . in this example , the two neighboring lights 780 and 784 are illuminated at light level of two hundred ( 200 ) lux , slightly dimmer than the immediate light fixture 782 above occupant 788 illuminating at light level of three hundred lux . this allows the occupant to feel not as lonely or isolated . a fixture 786 farther away may remain off to provide energy savings . fig4 illustrates an alternate plan where the occupant can choose a nominal savings light illumination plan . in this case , the two neighboring lights 800 , 804 are illuminated at light level of three hundred ( 300 ) lux , just as bright as the immediate light fixture 802 above occupant 808 illuminating . this allows the occupant to feel good . fixture 806 remains off as to provide energy savings fig4 illustrates an alternate plan where the occupant has chosen a nominal savings light illumination plan c as he / she begins to walk in a direction to the right . in this case , a neighboring light fixture 820 behind the occupant may be reduced to a two hundred ( 200 ) lux light level , and light fixtures 822 , 824 above and immediately in front of the occupant 828 may be illuminated at a light level of three hundred ( 300 ) lux . a light fixture 826 farther ahead but removed from the occupant 828 may turn on to a light level of two hundred and fifty ( 250 ) lux . this would allow the occupant to see clearly in the direction where to walk and still provide energy savings the use of two kinds of communication networks , a power line and a wireless network , allows long distance remote control and interactive response to mobile occupants of the room . fig4 illustrates elements of one exemplary embodiment using a texas instruments cc2500 wireless low power 2 . 4 ghz rf transceiver chip 902 , which operates in a frequency band 2400 - 2483 . 5 mhz ism ( industrial , scientific and medical ) and srd ( short range device ) frequency band . it allows sixty four ( 64 ) byte transmit / receive fifos and can be controlled via a 4 - wire spi interface ( si , so , sclk and csn ) serial communication protocol with spi addresses from 0x00 to 0x2e . such an interface may be used to read and write buffered data . a 16 bit risc cpu 900 from an msp430 family of microcontrollers may be used that provides two additional connections to the transceiver chip 902 gdo2 ( an optional digital output pin for clear channel indicator ), gdo0 ( atest , a digital output pin for test signals ), csn and si for the i2c . the microcontroller 900 preferably operates in a master mode while the rf transceiver chip 902 operates in a slave mode . the transceiver may use a 26 - 27 mhz crystal 904 in a parallel mode oscillation . typical values for the two crystal loading npo capacitors 906 , 908 may be 15 pf ˜ 27 pf connected one end to ground . there may be two rf balun / matching capacitors 910 , 918 with values of 1 . 0 pf +/− 0 . 25 pf respectively . there may be two rf balun / matching inductors 912 and 914 with values 1 . 2 nh +/− 0 . 3 nh . there may be one rf lc filter inductor 916 with a value 1 . 2 nh +/− 0 . 3 nh . there may be two rf lc filter / matching capacitors 922 , 924 with values 1 . 8 pf +/− 0 . 25 pf and 1 . 5 pf +/− 0 . 25 pf respectively . there may be two rf balun dc blocking npo capacitors 926 , 928 with values 100 pf +/− 5 %. a 1 % resistor 932 with typical value of 56k ohms may be used for an internal bias current reference . fig4 , 48 and 49 illustrate exemplary pin and port assignments for the circuit if fig4 . fig5 shows an exemplary flowchart for a microcontroller program in a mobile tag unit . when a tag is powered on , the tag may first initialize a radio 1000 . then it may initialize a wireless network 1002 . the wireless network may depend on the network protocol stack that is loaded . a simpliciti stack is preferred because a zigbee stack may be much larger , and eeprom memory space may be limited . all mobile tags may be assigned as end devices , and the devices at the light fixtures may be fully powered access points . once a stack is established , the mobile tag broadcasts its presence and listens for a link 1004 . the broadcast command allows all devices within the reception range to respond with a link action . if there is an access point within its range , the mobile tag will join the network 1006 . this may be a typical network join . the access point should generate a member list of all devices in the network . unlike a traditional join in a zigbee network , a broadcast may also allow a multi - link broadcast network in which end devices ( mobile tags ) can communicate with other end devices and access points . such a broadcast capability may be supported by simpliciti . an advantage would be that the network can grow to any size and dynamically be formed without all the limitations in zigbee or simpliciti . it would allow all mobile tags and all access points in lighting fixtures to form a fully functional network . it preferably would allow a network formation in the absence of an access point . mobile tags can detect each other &# 39 ; s presence when they become members of this network . each tag should exchange its unique id 1008 with each other tag and with access points . an access point preferably will record the id and the join time 1010 of a the mobile tag based on a real - time clock ( rtc ) in its local micro database and also record the same event in the tag &# 39 ; s micro database . in turn , the access point in the light fixtures may utilize received signal strength indicator ( rssi ) information to calculate new proximity (“ vector distance ”) map information with each of the mobile tags present . the access point then preferably sends this information to the central network server through either a power - line connection or a wired / wireless ethernet network . the server preferably will aggregate and consolidate new information into a global proximity map in a sql or other database . a proximity map in matrix format stored in mobile tags and global proximity map generation is described in detail in the patent u . s . pat . no . 7 , 598 , 854 . member &# 39 ; s ids , join times , and proximities may be recorded in the sever database . the server may use other databases to perform additional functionalities such as : a ) implement personalized lighting plan preferences . the ability for devices to respond is discussed in patent application usp 20090327245 . b ) maintain time clocks for hours employees worked at each location . this facilitates workflow processes and improves productivity . c ) update a program , such as microsoft outlook ( tm ) program , of the present location in the building of a tag . this could , for example , facilitate the calling of an impromptu meeting . d ) retrieve identities of individuals who come in contact with each other and allow a trace back to implement disease surveillance intervention policy especially in a flu season , such as illustrated in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 598 , 854 . e ) allow real - time asset tracking and management for items bearing a tag and prevent critical items leaving the building . lights may turn on and alarm sound if items are moved . this improves security . asset management and inventory status notification is also discussed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 816 , 074 . f ) provide building security , track visitors , and issue alerts of unauthorized movements . g ) provide automated directions for visitors or new employees with a building floor plan , which is also discussed in us patent application , usp 20090327245 . with continued reference to fig5 , a mobile tag may call upon an access point to update its light plan preference ( if selected on the buttons of the tag ) or to retrieve a preset preference in the master database 1012 . then a tag may request an access points to regulate led lights according to the chosen light plan 1014 . a light level plan may be selected based on one or more of several parameters , including but not limited to distance of the tag from a light , time of day , calendar date ( including daylight savings ), light sensor values ( fixed and / or mobile ), and positions of lights relative to one another , electricity tariffs ( which may change with time of day ), etc . other parameters may be used . distance measurements may be computed from rssi values , which may be the measured rf input signal levels in the channel based on transmission gains in the rx chain at the transceiver . in rx mode , an rssi value may be read continuously from the rssi status register until the demodulator detects a sync word . fig5 illustrates an exemplary space , such as a room , hallway , sidewalk , street , etc . where there may be two light fixtures 850 , 854 ; and a calibrating wireless unit 856 . if the distance bc between the two fixtures is known , and if the calibrating unit 856 is positioned at a known location relative to the fixtures ( i . e ., bd and cd ), then the corresponding rssi values obtained for the fixtures may be used as a reference . once the rssi values are calibrated , a person &# 39 ; s location 852 can determined from the rssi values using the geometrical relation ab 2 = bc 2 + ac 2 − 2 × bc × ac cos ( angle bca ). in addition , if there is a light sensor on the tag , the tag may report the light level to an access point ( fig5 , item 1016 ). access points may update their respective led light output levels according to the received light sensor reading 1018 . a tag may check for rssi value changes with respect to an access point 1020 . a change in rssi value would indicate motion , and an access point may determine whether the tag is still within a range , such as within the room confines 1022 or if the space is outdoors , within some other range limit . if a tag is still within range , the tag may request an access point to recalculate its lighting plan 1024 . the process of fig5 would return to step 1014 to request an updated light output according to the applicable plan . if it is determined that the tag has left the room 1030 or relevant space , then the access point may record the tag &# 39 ; s disjoin time from the network and update the database 1032 . the access point may return to a periodic broadcast mode and listen to the link 1004 for the presence of any tags . in the specific case of an indoor space , a tag &# 39 ; s leaving one room and entering another room presents another network formation event , and steps described above may be repeated at a different access point . ( the same may occur in outdoor spaces .) a network from which the tag departed may alert a network to which the tag enters as to that tags lighting plan so that the person will have continuous and agreeable light upon passing through a doorway or otherwise transitioning location . fig5 illustrates a mobile name tag , which may be an end device . a tag may be implemented with active rf technology as shown in fig4 , though other implementations may be used . a tag may bear the name of a person to whom it is assigned , such as “ amy lee ” 1202 . a light plan 1204 , such as “ p 3 ,” may be displayed on a screen 1206 , which allows user to know the current light plan . this display 1206 can be implemented using lcd technology , led technology , e - ink technology , or another technology . e - ink technology has relatively low power consumption since it consumes power only during switching . a tag may have various buttons 1208 used for selecting a light plan and other operations . a selected light plan 1204 may be called a “ light preference ”. above the screen 1206 may be an opening 1200 through which a light sensor may measure ambient light . a strip antenna 1210 may be implemented using a flexible circuit technology and may be embedded in the plastic cover film of the tag . fig5 shows a flow chart for an exemplary access point in a light fixture . in a nominal circumstance , the microcontroller and the radio preferably are switched on in a low power or occasionally a sleep mode . if the unit has never been powered up before , or after a power failure , it may go through an initialization step 1100 for the radio and an initialization step 1102 for the network . the radio may be listening 1104 for someone to enter the access point &# 39 ; s service area , such as a room , corridor , sidewalk , street way , etc . an initial condition may be for the mobile tag to be in a broadcast mode . upon detecting a tag , an access point preferably would provide a link id 1106 for the new tag to join the network . in a broadcast mode , mobile tags may communicate with each other and join into a network among themselves . each tag and access point preferably exchanges its id 1108 , captures all the ids in its vicinity , and records these events in real - time . the information may be saved in a proximity map in matrix format in one or more micro databases . another copy of the information may be sent to a network server and merged into a master database 1110 . mobile tags each may retain a condensed version of portions of the proximity map . an access point preferably then checks for any new preference selected by a mobile tag 1112 . if yes , the access point preferably updates a preference database at the network server 1118 . otherwise , the access point may retrieve a preference or a default choice from a network server database 1114 if the tag does not have an existing one . an access point may read ambient light levels from existing tags that have sensors 1120 . a fixture may then update the light output levels according to a lighting plan and optimize the output to measured light levels 1122 . this dynamic lighting control may be capable of responding to changes in the lighting due to external environment . an access point may monitor changes in rssi with the mobile tags 1124 in order to detect movement of occupants . in the absence of rssi value changes 1124 , the access point may optionally go into a low power sleep mode 1134 for a time until waking up 1136 and returning to a step 1104 of listening for new tags . but if an rssi value changes , the access point may evaluate the movement . for example , the microcontroller may determine whether a mobile tag is leaving the room 1126 or service area . if a tag did not leave the service area , then the microcontroller may continue to coordinate with other vicinity lights to output a more desirable light level for the occupant 1128 . an access point may continue to monitor for changes until the occupant leaves the service area . when a tag leaves the service area 1130 , the link id may be removed to indicate a disjoin of the network . the disjoin event may also be recorded and entered into the network server database 1132 . the access point may then return to the step for looking for a new mobile tag entering the room 1104 . if there are existing mobile tags in the room and there are no movements , an access point may check for any change in request for a light plan 1116 . in this manner , the light fixture may be controlled to respond to requests from the occupant . it should be noted that the access point also may report the energy consumption and time of usage 1110 . fig5 shows an exemplary circuit for a master network server , which draws power from ac power source 1250 . such a server may use a personal computer , a laptop , an embedded pc , or other computing machine . it may through a usb bus or other interface control lighting fixtures , and it may be used to program portable controls or wireless tags . a preferred server may communicate with all lighting fixtures through a power - line network and wireless network . such a server may maintain databases of lighting plans , lighting preferences , and proximity maps , as well as histories of network events and energy usage . one exemplary master network server may be comprised of the following components : a ) controller system 1258 . one exemplary system may be based on a texas instruments msp430 family of controllers with higher performance than controllers in lighting fixtures . it may measure its own power / energy consumption and that of an associated pc via an analog to digital converters ( adc ) 1262 with high voltage differential ports 1260 , 1264 for measuring voltages across known resistances , rsense 1 1252 and rsense 2 1254 . a power - line network 1276 may include an analog to digital converter ( adc ) to receive analog signals through receiver 1272 . it also may transmit pulse width modulation ( pwm ) signals using a digital to analog converter ( dac ) 1270 through a transmitter 1274 . a stored memory eeprom 1268 preferably is sufficiently large to maintain a micro - database , keep its unique id , store a wireless program stack , and store its program . a stable crystal may be included to provide an accurate , on - chip clock signal 1286 and timing for a usb controller 1320 . a real - time - clock program 1266 preferably maintains time for the controller and all its network members . a higher accuracy clock may be achieved via synchronization with the pc , which in turn synchronizes with an atomic clock on - line via the internet or other communication channel . in addition , the power distribution center / power line network center and controller ( fig3 , item 634 ) may collect information about the local time zone , daylight savings time and weather information from its internet access url sites to anticipate the times for which a location may be receiving ambient sun or sky light . this is beneficial for designing an appropriate lighting plan and also anticipating future power demand . if a facility uses solar panels and a battery storage system to power its lighting system , an appropriate energy savings plan can be chosen to reduce power draw during peak or other critical times . alternately , it can formulate a light plan that eliminates energy needs from the power grid by not depleting all the stored battery energy . such a controller preferably draws its power from an isolated ac / dc power supply 1256 . b ) a personal computer or laptop or an embedded pc , preferably with a usb2 . 0 or above port 1308 drawing its power from a power adapter 1306 and ac power connector 1304 . in addition , the computer usb2 . 0 serial port communicates with a usb controller 1320 via a usb receptacle type b 1296 via a transient port suppressor 1302 . c ) usb controller 1320 communicating serially with micro controller 1258 via signal lines sin , sout , brxdi and btxdi , and a uart 1284 . the usb controller 1320 and voltage regulator 1290 may be reset by a reset signal 1292 . d ) eeprom 1288 expands the size of the controller memory . the eeprom may be a catalyst part cat24fc32v1 . e ) usb port transient suppressor 1302 prevents voltage surges on the usb port . the usb port suppressor may be a texas instruments part sn75240pw . f ) voltage regulator 1290 preferably regulates the voltage from the usb bus from the computer to a voltage 1294 , vcc =+ 3 . 6 volts . it draws its power from the usb2 . 0 port via a vbus 1310 , which is connected to the usb2 . 0 receptacle 1296 . the voltage regulator may be a texas instruments part tps77301dgk . a wireless network may be constructed from a wireless network module 1280 similar to fig4 with its tx port ( fig4 item 942 ) and rx port ( fig4 item 944 ) communicating with the i / o ports 1278 on the microcontroller 1258 . fig5 shows an exemplary master network server flow chart . the server may first initialize a radio 1400 , along with a wireless network and a power - line network 1402 . initialization may involve the stack loading . next , the server preferably communicates with all the devices currently active in the network 1404 . it may then determine whether there is a discrepancy in the network devices compared to its last known database record 1406 . if there is a discrepancy , the server may determine whether the discrepancy involves portable devices 1408 . in step 1410 , the server may determine whether the current number of devices is greater than or less than the prior number recorded in the database . if the current number of portable devices is less , then the server attempts to determine to what other location the device may have moved 1412 . if the device is found in another room or other location , the server updates the network table 1416 . if the device is not found 1418 , the server attempts to determine whether the device may have left the service area through an exit at the last location where the device was detected . ( this step may be modified according to service area , e . g ., if the service area is outdoors .) if that location has an exit , the server may place device on a list of devices that have left the service area 1420 . this list is not a list of missing / failed devices , but may be a list of devices assumed to be active and awaiting return to the service area . if there was no exit from the devices last registered location , the device may be placed on a list of missing / failed devices 1422 . the missing / failed list is kept , and an alert may initiated for a service manager to check whether the battery is dead or the device is inoperative . at this point , the program may return to point “ a ”, which is found in fig5 and which is part 2 of the master network server flow chart . in step 1416 , after the network table has been updated , the process may proceed to step 1424 to check for any new requests for changes to a lighting plan . if a change has been requested , the process may proceed to step 1426 to implement the requested change . after implementing the requested change , or if no change was requested , the process may update the server database in step 1430 . ( if no request for a change was made , the server may nevertheless update the database with a time stamp and other information , such as the location of the employee , etc .) the process may return to point “ a ”, which is found in fig5 . in fig5 , point “ a ” is a real - time time synchronizing step 1450 . this synchronization preferably is carried with all non - wireless devices through the server power - line network . wireless portable devices preferably synchronize through the wireless intercommunication . in step 1452 , the server may communicate and update a measurement of energy usage for some or all of the devices on its network and store the updated information in a master database . in step 1454 , the server may update and consolidate proximity maps in the database . in step 1456 , the server may carry out any service requests made by any devices on its network list . for example in step 1458 , the server may update an energy usage chart according to a timetable . the server may update employees &# 39 ; actual time clocks and work dates for accounting purposes . ( this may be a more accurate way of recording work hours based on both location and building . sometimes , an employee may have different jobs in different buildings , and they can clock for different rates automatically by this system .) the server may analyze light preference statistics and energy consumption patterns , and the server may correlate the actual daylight of the season . this capability allows behavioral patterns to be identified and energy savings policies to be implemented . worker efficiency studies can also be performed , and lighting policies may be adjusted for productivity rather than energy savings if this should be the policy of the building operator . compromise workflow solutions can also be found with this kind of system , such as optimizing for performance during some time periods and for energy efficiency during other periods . in step 1460 , the server may update reports . upon completion , the server network may enter a low power sleep mode 1462 and wake up upon request or after a pre - determined time . wake up upon request may be initiated upon installation of a new device . step 1464 allows for installation of a new device . step 1466 allows for new device registration . in the absence of new devices , the program can return to point “ a .” in fig5 , a step 1408 labeled “ b ” identified a situation where a new device has entered the system , but the device is not a portable device . this could be , for example , a situation where a new light fixture has been installed . however , this new fixture may be added to the system according to steps illustrated in fig5 . a step 1500 may determine whether the new device is a power - line device . if it is , the device may be registered 1508 in the master database , and the server process may return to point “ a ” in fig5 . if there was no new power - line device , but if a device was removed , the server may determine whether a device is to be decommissioned 1502 . if the device is to be decommissioned , the server may remove it from the database . if the device is not to be decommissioned , then the server may identify it in the database as missing and initiate an alert to a supervisor of the building or other person for resolution . the process may then return to point “ a ” in fig5 . fig5 illustrates an alternate circuit to the one shown in fig4 . in the circuit of fig4 , a microcontroller system 580 measured both ac voltage and ac current . in contrast , fig5 shows that a circuit may use a dedicated maxim integrated circuit maxq3183 1554 for both ac voltage and current measurements and communicating measured values back to a microcontroller system 1560 . in this arrangement , the microcontroller need not directly interface to the power - line voltages and be subject to complications associated with voltage spikes and demands for isolated power and ground . the maxim ic may also provide various power measurements , such as apparent and real power , which the microcontroller system 1560 would no longer need to compute . this arrangement would free the micro - controller system to perform other functions . similar implementation can be for the master network server shown in fig5 . in the circuit of fig5 , the maxim chip 1554 measures ac line voltage 1550 through voltage dividing resistors 1558 the chip 1554 may measure current and power factor through a transformer 1556 connected to its vcomm , ion and iop pins . the chip may communicate with the microcontroller 1560 via an i2c bidirectional serial communication port . power - line communications in the circuit of fig5 preferably are the same as in the circuit of fig4 . the circuit of fig5 would increase the capacity of the microcontroller to perform other functions . the embodiments described above are intended to be illustrative but not limiting . various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention . the breadth and scope of the invention should not be limited by the description above , but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents .	8
the following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the described embodiments or the application and uses of the described embodiments . as used herein , the word “ exemplary ” or “ illustrative ” means “ serving as an example , instance , or illustration .” any implementation described herein as “ exemplary ” or “ illustrative ” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations . all of the implementations described below are exemplary implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the embodiments of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure , which is defined by the claims . for purposes of description herein , the terms “ upper ,” “ lower ,” “ left ,” “ rear ,” “ right ,” “ front ,” “ vertical ,” “ horizontal ,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in fig1 . furthermore , there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field , background , brief summary or the following detailed description . it is also to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings , and described in the following specification , are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims . specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are therefore not to be considered as limiting , unless the claims expressly state otherwise . an evaporative cooler regulation system 100 is described in fig1 through 2b . the evaporative cooler regulation system 100 is an assembly comprising : a hood portion 108 for attaching to the evaporative cooler 102 , the hood portion 108 comprising at least one aperture 116 , the at least one aperture 116 being configured to enable access to a cooler control portion 106 , the cooler control portion 106 being operable to regulate the fluid dispersion , the at least one aperture 116 further being configured to enable at least partial passage of the fluid , the hood portion 108 further comprising a hood output end 112 ; a tube coupling portion 118 for coupling the hood portion 108 to at least one tube 120 , the tube coupling portion 118 being adjustable to join with differently sized and dimensioned tubes ; and a dispersion portion 126 for dispersing the fluid , the dispersion portion 126 comprising a dispersion grill 128 for directionally funneling the fluid during dispersion , the dispersion portion 126 further comprising a dispersion tube end 204 for attaching to a distal end 124 of the at least one tube 120 , the dispersion portion 126 further comprising a dispersion coupling end 206 for attaching to at least one additional tube coupling portion 118 and at least one additional tube 120 , the additional attachments being operable to expand a range of the evaporative cooler regulation system 100 . in one embodiment of the present invention , the evaporative cooler regulation system 100 is directed to fluid transfer . the fluid may include , without limitation , evaporated air , cool air , moist air , warm air , hot air , and a vapor . the evaporative cooler regulation system 100 couples to , directionally distributes , and allows access to controls in the evaporative cooler 102 . the evaporative cooler regulation system 100 comprises adaptable connectors and tubes that couple to the evaporative cooler 102 , as referenced in fig1 . the evaporative cooler 102 may include , without limitation , a wet air cooler , a swamp cooler , a desert cooler , an evaporative cooler tower , and a mist system . however , in other embodiments , additional cooling and heating systems may be utilized . the evaporative cooler regulation system 100 couples to the evaporative cooler 102 for regulating it and distributing the expelled fluid . in some embodiments , the evaporative cooler regulation system 100 includes at least one aperture 116 that provides access to a cooler control portion 106 on the evaporative cooler 102 . the system 100 utilizes at least one tube 120 for carrying the fluid , with the capacity to expand to a multiplicity of flexible tubes to increase the dispersion range . the number and diameters of the at least one tube 120 may be expanded due to connectors between the tubes 120 . the system 100 directionally disperses the fluid through a plurality of axial slots , or a dispersion grill 128 , which may be oriented in a desired direction . suitable materials for the evaporative cooler regulation system 100 may include , without limitation , molded acrylonitrile butadiene styrene , high density polymers , aluminum , cardboard , wood , and fiberglass . in one embodiment , a hood portion 108 engages a discharge opening 104 of the evaporative cooler 102 . the hood portion 108 is adaptable to provide a custom fit to an eclectic assortment of evaporative coolers 102 . in one embodiment , the hood portion 108 comprises a substantially rectangular shape , and dimensions of 18 ″× 24 ″. however , in other embodiments , the hood portion 108 may be sized larger or smaller , depending on the size of the evaporative cooler 102 . the hood portion 108 also provides numerous functions for the evaporative cooler regulation system 100 . in some embodiments , the hood portion 108 comprises a hood mounting end 110 that forms a seal with the discharge opening 104 of the evaporative cooler 102 . the seal helps restrict fluid loss at the junction between the surfaces . the seal may include , without limitation , a rubber gasket , an insulator , an adhesive , a magnet , and a fastener . in one embodiment , the hood portion 108 comprises a flange for attaching to the evaporative cooler 102 . the flange is configured to at least partially enter slots in the discharge opening 104 and form the seal . in some embodiments , the hood portion 108 comprises at least one aperture 116 for regulating access to the evaporative cooler 102 , the cooler control portion 106 , and the fluid . the at least one aperture 116 may be sufficiently sized and dimensioned to allow a user to access and manipulate the cooler control portion 106 . in one embodiment , the at least one aperture 116 is a square opening , sufficiently sized for a hand to pass through . the cooler control portion 106 may include , without limitation , a power regulator , a temperature regulator , and a fan speed regulator . however , in other embodiments , the cooler control portion 106 may include various switches and mechanisms for controlling and performing maintenance on the evaporative cooler 102 . the at least one aperture 116 may further allow for simple maintenance of the evaporative cooler 102 without having to detach the hood portion 108 . additionally , the at least one aperture 116 may be configured to close and open through a sliding barrier . however , in other embodiments , different barriers may be utilized , including , without limitation , a hinged door , a detachable door , and a transparent barrier . the at least one aperture 116 may then be operable to enable at least partial dispersion of the fluid for cooling the ambient air . in this manner , the fluid may disperse in proximity to the evaporative cooler 102 . the hood portion 108 may further include a hood output end 112 for attaching to other components so that the system 100 may be expanded further . the hood output end 112 joins with a tube coupling portion 118 , which is sized and dimensioned to couple to the at least one tube 120 . in one embodiment , the hood output end 112 may include a circular dimension that mates with the tube coupling portion 118 . the tube coupling portion 118 includes screws to tighten the grip around the hood output end 112 . the tube coupling portion 118 may have a flat surface and a substantially similar diameter to the hood output end 112 . the tube coupling portion 118 comprises at least one tab 202 . the at least one tab 202 is configured to at least partially enter at least one slot 114 in the hood output end 112 to form a secure attachment between them . the ends of the tube coupling portion 118 may not be sized the same , since the tube coupling portion 118 may serve as an adapter between differently sized circumferences of the hood output end 112 and the at least one tube 120 . at least one tube 120 joins with the tube coupling portion 118 . the at least one tube 120 may include , without limitation , a flexible aluminum duct tube , an air conditioner duct , a polyvinyl chloride ( pvc ) pipe , and a pipe , tube , or canal that carries air or liquid from one place to another . the at least one tube 120 includes a proximal end 122 for attaching to the tube coupling portion 118 . the at least one tube 120 may include a 10 ″ diameter configured to join and form a seal with the tube coupling portion 118 . the at least one tube 120 may utilize a series of tubes joined together , and tapering into a gradually decreasing diameter . in this manner , the speed of the fluid is increased . conversely , increasing the diameter of the series of tubes 120 is efficacious for reducing the speed of the fluid . the flexible construction of the at least one tube 120 allows for fluid distribution to be regulated more efficiently . for example , without limitation , the fluid may be directed towards a first room during the morning and a second room during the evening . an insulator may position between the at least one tube 120 and the tube coupling portion 118 to help restrict the loss of cool fluid from the junction . the at least one tube 120 may be supplied by the user or be obtained off the shelf , since the system 100 is adaptable to join with an eclectic sizes and styles of tubes 120 and evaporation coolers 102 . the at least one tube 120 further includes a distal end 124 for either dispersing the fluid , or joining with additional components . in some embodiments , a dispersion portion 126 couples to the distal end 124 of the at least one tube 120 ( fig2 a and 2b ). the dispersion portion 126 serves to directionally disperse the fluid and additionally , couple two tubes 120 together , if required . the dispersion portion 126 includes a substantially l - shape that forms a rigid , terminal end for the distal end 124 of the at least one tube 120 . the substantially l - shape comprises a longitudinal portion 130 that positions along the longitudinal axis of the at least one tube 120 , and an end portion 132 that rests across the face of the distal end 124 . a flange extends form the end portion 132 . the flange can be circular and sized to mate with the distal end 124 to form a fluid - tight seal . the dispersion portion 126 further comprises a dispersion grill 128 for directionally dispersing the fluid . the dispersion grill 128 pivotally adjusts to direct the fluid towards multiple directions along a cross section of the distal end 124 . the dispersion portion 126 further comprises at least one attachment slot that is configured to receive and secure to an additional tube coupling portion 118 and tube . in this manner , a series of tubes can join together to extend the distribution range of the system 100 . suitable materials for the dispersion portion 126 may include , without limitation , molded acrylonitrile butadiene styrene , high density polymers , aluminum , cardboard , wood , and fiberglass . in one embodiment of the present invention , an evaporative cooler regulation method 300 provides a process for distributing and regulating the fluid from an evaporative cooler 102 in a first area to a dispersion portion 126 in a second area , as referenced in fig3 . the evaporative cooler regulation method 300 comprises an initial step 302 of positioning the evaporative cooler 102 to disperse the fluid from the first area to the second area . the evaporative cooler 102 generates evaporated , moist air . those skilled in the art will recognize that the evaporative cooler 102 is different than a standard air conditioner that circulates a refrigerant liquid as air passes over . the evaporative cooler 102 utilizes a constant source of water , which evaporates in response to warm ambient air passing over . the evaporative cooler 102 may include , without limitation , a wet air cooler , a swamp cooler , a desert cooler , an evaporative cooler tower , and a mist system . the method 300 may then proceed to a next step 304 , which includes joining the hood portion 108 with the evaporative cooler 102 . the hood portion 108 forms a seal with the evaporative cooler 102 to restrict fluid loss . the hood portion 108 engages a discharge opening 104 of the evaporative cooler 102 . the hood portion 108 is adaptable to provide a custom fit to an eclectic assortment of evaporative coolers 102 . in some embodiments , a next step 306 includes orienting at least one aperture 116 in the hood portion 108 to an open position . the at least one aperture 116 may be configured to close and open through a sliding barrier . a subsequent step 308 comprises accessing a cooler control portion 106 through the at least one aperture 116 to regulate the fluid . the at least one aperture 116 may be sufficiently sized and dimensioned to allow a user to access and manipulate the cooler control portion 106 . the cooler control portion 106 may include , without limitation , a power regulator , a temperature regulator , and a fan speed regulator . next , a step 310 includes enabling at least partial dispersion of the fluid through the at least one aperture 116 . the at least one aperture 116 is operable to enable at least partial dispersion of the fluid for cooling the ambient air . in this manner , the fluid disperses in proximity to the evaporative cooler 102 . in one embodiment , a step 312 comprises coupling a tube coupling portion 118 to the hood portion 108 . the hood output end 112 joins with a tube coupling portion 118 , which is sized and dimensioned to couple to the at least one tube 120 . the tube coupling portion 118 may have a flat surface and a substantially similar diameter to the hood output end 112 . the tube coupling portion 118 comprises at least one tab 202 . the at least one tab 202 is configured to at least partially enter at least one slot 114 in the hood output end 112 to form a secure attachment between them . the method 300 then proceeds with a step 314 of coupling at least one tube 120 to the tube coupling portion 118 . the ends of the tube coupling portion 118 may not be sized the same , as the tube coupling portion 118 may serve as an adapter between differently sized circumferences of the hood output end 112 and the at least one tube 120 . a next step 316 comprises attaching the at least one tube 120 to a dispersion portion 126 . the dispersion portion 126 couples to the distal end 124 of the at least one tube 120 . the dispersion portion 126 serves to directionally disperse the fluid and additionally , couple two tubes 120 together , if required . the dispersion portion 126 includes a substantially l - shape that forms a rigid , terminal end for the distal end 124 of the at least one tube 120 . the substantially l - shape comprises a longitudinal portion 130 that positions along the longitudinal axis of the at least one tube 120 , and an end portion 132 that rests across the face of the distal end 124 . a flange extends form the end portion 132 . the flange can be circular and sized to mate with the distal end 124 to form a fluid - tight seal . a step 318 includes directionally regulating the fluid dispersion with a dispersion grill 128 . the dispersion grill 128 pivotally adjusts to direct the fluid towards multiple directions along a cross section of the distal end 124 . a final step 320 entails attaching at least one additional tube coupling portion 118 and at least one additional tube 120 to the dispersion portion 126 to form a series of tubes 120 . the dispersion portion 126 further comprises at least one attachment slot that is configured to receive and secure to an additional tube coupling portion 118 and tube 120 . in this manner , a series of tubes 120 can join together to extend the distribution range of the system 100 . in one embodiment , the series of tubes 120 taper down into a gradually decreasing diameter . in this manner , the speed of the fluid is increased . conversely , increasing the diameter of the series of tubes 120 is efficacious for reducing the speed of the fluid flow . these and other advantages of the invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following written specification , claims and appended drawings . because many modifications , variations , and changes in detail can be made to the described preferred embodiments of the invention , it is intended that all matters in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense . thus , the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalence .	5
the addition of elemental iron as a dopant in aluminum for integrated circuit applications substantially increases resistance to electromigration and creep . the amount of iron utilized depends to an extent on the electrical requirements of the device , the geometry of the device , the substrate composition and the composition of any overlying layers . for example , the presence of a silicon nitride layer overlying the aluminum particularly enhances the induced tensile stress in the aluminum since there is a mismatch not only between the aluminum and the underlying substrate but also a substantial mismatch between silicon nitride and the substrate resulting in compressive stress in the silicon nitride . this compressive stress , in turn , induces an increased tensile stress in the aluminum interconnect . although possible combinations of device configurations and materials are too numerous to allow universal specification of iron concentration parameters , typically the amount of iron utilized should be less than that which causes the resistivity of the resulting iron doped aluminum to be greater than 0 . 08 ω /□. it is difficult to set the required concentration of iron for a specific circumstance because it is believed that only the portion in the grain boundaries makes a substantial contribution to the desired effect . sufficient iron should be present to enhance the tensile yield strength of the aluminum line ultimately formed by at least 15 percent relative to that obtained for al ( 0 . 5 % cu ). ( yield strength is defined as the minimum mechanical tensile stress which marks a decrease of 20 % from the extrapolated elastic response value .) again , the amount necessary to produce the desired enhancement of yield strength varies with the device configuration and the materials utilized but generally for typical devices such as 0 . 9 μm - minimum dimension cmos devices with an overlying layer of 0 . 9 μm thick silicon nitride , dopant concentrations of at least 0 . 2 atomic percent but less than 5 atomic percent are advantageously employed . ( the additional presence of other dopants such as silicon , copper and titanium are not precluded .) various methods are available for forming an iron doped aluminum layer that is ultimately patterned , or for depositing iron doped aluminum in the desired pattern through a liftoff technique . ( liftoff techniques are described by r . j . schutz in vlsi technology , s . m . sze ed ., mcgraw - hill book company , ny , second edition , 1988 , p . 197 .) one advantageous method for forming an iron doped aluminum layer involves the sputtering of both iron and aluminum from a composite target . ( sputtering from a composite target is described by l . maissel in handbook of thin film technology , l . i . maissel and r . glang , ed ., mcgraw - hill book company , ny , 1970 , p . 4 - 40 - 4 - 41 .) the exact composition of iron relative to aluminum utilized in the target to obtain the desired level of iron in the deposited aluminum layer depends on a variety of conditions such as grain size , thermal history and impurity concentrations of the deposited film . however , a control sample is easily employed to determine a desired concentration of iron dopant in the target . it is also possible to form an iron doped aluminum layer by interdiffusion . interdiffusion is accomplished by , for example , sequentially sputter depositing a thin layer ( 50 to 200 å ) of iron and a thin layer ( 0 . 5 to 1 . 0 μm ) of aluminum onto a device substrate , then heating the structure at a temperature in the range 300 ° to 450 ° c . use of iron doped aluminum is not confined to a single aluminum patterned layer , but is useful in device configurations utilizing multiple aluminum layers . ( see s . p . murarka in vlsi technology , s . m . sze ed ., mcgraw - hill book company , ny , second edition , 1988 , p . 414 - 416 , for a description of devices utilizing multilayer metallization .) indeed , the presence of a series of alternating aluminum and dielectric layers generally substantially increases the difficulties due to stress and thus makes the invention particularly advantageous . in one embodiment for making multi - layer metallization structures , tungsten metal ( for example , 90 in fig3 ), is selectively deposited on silicon only , such as the silicon present in at the source , 91 , drain , or gate . this deposit provides excellent contact to the silicon and is capable of filling the via , 95 , through the overlying dielectric , 96 . the tungsten deposition in the via is then contacted with aluminum , 97 , to form the interconnects and requires no diffusion barrier between the aluminum and the tungsten . the following examples are illustrative of the properties of iron doped aluminum . a 5 inch in diameter silicon substrate was coated by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition utilizing a tetraethoxy silane precursor with a silicon dioxide layer having a thickness of 1 μm . the sample was placed on the sample holder of an electron beam evaporation apparatus . the target ( 99 . 99 percent pure iron ) was impact with an electron beam of 0 . 2 amp at 10 kv and the resulting evaporation was continued for 5 sec to produce a layer thickness of 100 å on the major surface of the substrate . without breaking vacuum , the iron target was removed and an aluminum target ( 99 . 999 percent pure ) was substituted . an electron beam of 0 . 3 amp at 10 kv was employed for 22 sec producing a deposited aluminum layer thickness of 500 å . the sample was removed from the evaporation equipment and placed on the sample holder of a magnetron sputter deposition apparatus . the apparatus was evacuated to a pressure of approximately 2 × 10 - 7 torr and the aluminum surface on the substrate was subjected to argon ions produced in a 13 . 56 mhz plasma for sufficient time that approximately 100 å of aluminum was removed . the substrate was heated to a temperature of approximately 300 ° c . an aluminum / copper target ( 0 . 5 atomic percent copper ) was subjected to argon ions from an argon plasma developed at 13 . 56 mhz with a power of 9 kw . the resulting deposition was continued for approximately 26 sec to produce a 0 . 5 μm thick copper doped aluminum layer . the wafer was removed from the sputtering apparatus and inserted in a resistively heated oven . this oven was fitted with an optically - levered laser beam stress - measurement apparatus as described in a . k . sinha , h . j . levinstein and t . e . smith , j . appl . phys . 49 ( 4 ), 1978 , p . 2423 - 2424 . the temperature was essentially linearly increased at a rate of 20 ° c . per minute to a temperature of 400 ° c . and maintained at this temperature for approximately one hour to induce interdiffusion of the iron into the copper doped aluminum region . the temperature after the one hour period was decreased linearly at a rate of 0 . 75 ° c ./ min to room temperature . during the cooling process the curvature of the wafer was measured utilizing the optically - levered laser beam apparatus and compared to initial measurements made on the same apparatus before deposition of the iron layer . by comparison of the curvature before deposition with the values obtained after the interdiffusion procedure , average in plane stress ( shown in fig2 ) across the film was calculated . the stress at which there is a 20 percent deviation from elastic behavior was approximately 16 . 7 × 10 8 dyn / cm 2 . the procedure of example 1 was followed except various time periods for maintaining the interdiffusion temperature at 400 ° c . were employed . the use of different interdiffusion times produced a variation in the atomic percent of iron present in the aluminum layer . the level of iron present in each sample was measured by rutherford backscattering and the resistivity of the aluminum film was measured as described in l . maissel in handbook of thin film technology , l . i . maissel and r . glang , ed ., mcgraw - hill book company , ny , 1970 , p . 13 - 5 - 13 - 7 . a graph of atomic percent of iron versus change in resistivity in the aluminum layer compared to an aluminum layer with no iron is shown in fig1 .	7
the backing in pavement - marking sheet material of the invention should be made of a pliant material so that it will conform to an irregular roadway , and so that it will experience minimal forces attempting to retract it from the conformed shape . reduced - elasticity , deformable polymeric sheets such as taught in jorgensen , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 117 , 192 are preferred . such sheets typically comprise elastomer - precursors , i . e ., ingredients that may be vulcanized or cured to form an elastomer , but which are not vulcanized in the sheet and therefore permit the sheet to exhibit desired deformation properties . particularly useful elastomer - precursors are acrylonitrile - butadiene polymers , millable urethane polymers and neoprenes . deformation properties can be further promoted in these sheets by the inclusion of extender resins such as chlorinated paraffins , hydrocarbon resins , or polystyrenes , although the elastomer - precursor ingredients preferably account for at least 50 weight - percent of the polymeric ingredients in the sheet . dead - soft aluminum foil , which is sufficiently pliant that it can be folded on itself and retain the folded form , is another useful backing material , although it offers less strength to the sheet material during removal from a roadway . either a polymer - based sheet or metal foil may carry a polymeric layer 12 as shown in fig1 with glass microspheres and optionally other particulate matter partially embedded in and partially protruding above the polymeric layer . also , microspheres or other particulate material may be embedded within a polymer - based backing . the polymeric layer may comprise such polymers as vinyl - based polymers , epoxy - based polymers , polyurethanes and polyesters . the polymeric layer is also typically pigmented to provide color to the sheet material , and polymer - based sheets underlying polymeric layers are typically pigmented the same color to provide continuity of color if the polymeric layer is removed by traffic abrasion . the adhesive layer on the bottom of sheet material of the invention is preferably a pressure - sensitive adhesive such that the sheet material may be pressed against a roadway and removably adhered there . the adhesive layer should provide at least 0 . 2 kilogram adhesion per centimeter width , and preferably at least 0 . 5 kilogram adhesion per centimeter width , in a 180 ° peel test such as described in astm d1000 , paragraphs 36 - 38 . a steel panel is used in this test as a standard panel to which adhesion is measured . suitable pressure - sensitive adhesives include rubber - resin adhesives as taught in freeman , u . s . pat . no . 3 , 451 , 537 , and acrylate copolymers as taught in ulrich , u . s . pat . no . re . 24 , 906 . generally at least about one - fourth millimeter of adhesive is included to provide good adhesion to pavement surfaces , which may have large surface irregularities . the fibrous web is preferably embedded in the adhesive layer and is sufficiently porous and the fibers sufficiently separated so that the adhesive can saturate , i . e ., surround individual fibers of the web . on the other hand , if the fibers are separated on the average by more than about 5 millimeters , the backing may be pressed through the web under the pressure of road traffic ; and upon attempted lifting of the sheet material from the roadway , portions of the backing will be left adhered on the roadway . typically , the fibers are separated on the average by less than 1 millimeter . when the fibrous web is embedded in the adhesive layer , at least a large proportion of the adhesive is removed from the roadway upon removal of the tape . however , good adhesive removal can also be achieved if the fibrous web is embedded in the backing instead of in the adhesive , e . g ., by solution - impregnating the web with a polymeric material so as to leave a polymeric layer above the web in which microspheres may be embedded . the fibrous web should be sufficiently stretchable so that it may be stretched at least 20 percent and preferably at least 50 percent before rupture . preferred fibrous webs comprise spun - bonded polyester , which has good durability and weather - resistance ; spun - bonded polyester is a sheet product of continuous - filament polyester fibers that are randomly arranged , highly dispersed , and bonded at the filament junctions . crimped - fiber forms , which offer higher elongation and lower residual force upon elongation , are especially preferred . other nonwoven sheets of randomly distributed fibers and other polymeric varieties of fibers ( i . e ., polyolefins and acrylics ) are also useful . stretchable forms of woven cloths can also be used . in all of the described forms , the fibers are distributed so that fibers extend in a plurality of directions , which contributes to a multidirectional tear strength that enhances removability . as measured by the trapezoid tearing strength test ( astm d1117 , paragraph 14 : a test specimen is marked with a trapezoid having a height of 75 millimeters and parallel side ( base and top ) dimensions of 100 and 25 millimeters ; the nonparallel sides of the specimen are clamped in the jaws of a tensile testing machine , and a continuously increasing load is applied in such a way that a tear propagates across the specimen ; the absolute force measured is regarded as the trapezoid tear strength herein ), the web should have a strength of at least 2 and preferably at least 5 kilograms in any direction to provide resistance to nicks or other cuts which the sheet material may experience on the roadway and which may cause tearing of the sheet material during removal . the complete sheet material , with the fibrous web present , has a tensile strength of at least 0 . 5 kilogram per centimeter width , and preferably at least 1 kilogram per centimeter width . despite good tensile strength , the residual force exhibited by the sheet material should be low so as to allow it to remain in good conformity to the irregularities of a paved surface . since the adhesive has some stretchability , residual force can be measured after some relaxation from the stretched condition , such as 7 . 5 percent of the amount of elongation . also , to allow some equilibration of conditions , residual force is measured 30 minutes after the specimen has been stretched and relaxed . in such a test the sheet material of the invention should exhibit a residual force of about 1 . 5 kilograms or less per centimeter width . although the residual force properties just described characterize the complete sheet material , preferably the reinforcing web itself exhibits such properties independent of the other parts of the sheet material . in preparing sheet material of the invention , the fibrous web is typically impregnated with adhesive by passing the web through a solution of the adhesive . sufficient adhesive may be applied to the reinforcing web in this manner so that it may be adhered to a backing ; or the backing may be covered with a layer of adhesive prior to application of the impregnated web , and added adhesive can be applied to form the bottom portion of the adhesive layer . a backing as described in jorgensen , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 117 , 192 , columns 4 and 5 , was prepared with an approximately 0 . 45 - millimeter - thick reduced - elasticity polymer - based sheet carrying a 50 - micrometer - thick vinyl film . scattered glass microspheres averaging about 0 . 4 millimeter in diameter and sand particles of about the same dimensions were partially embedded in the vinyl film . a fibrous web comprising spun - bonded crimped continuous polyester fibers and having a weight of 80 grams per square meter , a tensile tear strength in mutually perpendicular directions of 5 . 6 and 7 . 5 kilograms , and an elongation of over 100 percent before rupture ( reemay 2431 supplied by dupont ) was passed through a solution of adhesive as described in example 5 of u . s . pat . no . 3 , 451 , 537 , placed on a release liner , and dried in an oven . a layer of the same adhesive was coated on a release liner and dried , after which one thickness of the layer was laminated to the bottom of the previously prepared backing and the release liner removed ; one thickness of the adhesive - impregnated web laminated to the exposed surface of the adhesive layer and the release liner removed ; and another thickness of the adhesive layer laminated to the exposed surface of the adhesive - impregnated web . the complete composite layer of adhesive was about 0 . 4 millimeter thick . the completed sheet material exhibited a tensile strength in excess of 4 kilograms per centimeter and a residual force as described herein of about 1 kilogram per centimeter . samples of the sheet material were slit into approximately 10 - centimeter - wide tape widths and applied to a test roadway surface traveled by a high density of vehicles . the tape remained in place as a visible marking for over one year , and at that time could be readily removed by peeling in large strips .	4
embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 shows the arrangement of a gate insulating film / gate electrode formation apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention . a transfer chamber 20 formed into a substantially octagonal shape is placed near a central portion of the gate insulating film / gate electrode formation apparatus 10 . around the transfer chamber 20 , a loading chamber 30 , unloading chamber 40 , film formation chamber 50 , nitriding chamber 60 , annealing chamber 70 , and gate insulating film / gate electrode formation chamber 80 are arranged . the loading chamber 30 loads a semiconductor substrate into the transfer chamber 20 of the gate insulating film / gate electrode formation apparatus 10 from the outside . the unloading chamber 40 unloads a semiconductor substrate to the outside from the transfer chamber 20 of the gate insulating film / gate electrode formation apparatus 10 . a transfer mechanism 90 such as an arm is placed near a central portion of the transfer chamber 20 , and transfers a semiconductor substrate between the chambers 30 to 80 . the transfer chamber 20 also has an exhausting mechanism ( not shown ), so the interior of the transfer chamber 20 can be adjusted to a desired pressure . in addition , a gas supply source ( not shown ) is connected to the transfer chamber 20 and supplies a desired gas . accordingly , by forming , e . g ., a reduced - pressure ambient at , e . g ., about 10 − 3 torr , an inert gas ambient such as argon , or a nitrogen ambient in the transfer chamber 20 , a semiconductor substrate can be transferred to a desired one of the chambers 30 to 80 without being exposed to an oxidizing ambient or the atmosphere . the film formation chamber 50 forms a hafnium silicate ( hfsio x ) film on a semiconductor substrate . the nitriding chamber 60 forms a hafnium silicon oxynitride ( hfsion ) film by nitriding the hafnium silicate ( hfsio x ) film by doping nitrogen ( n ) into it . the annealing chamber 70 performs predetermined annealing on the film formed on the semiconductor substrate . the gate insulating film / gate electrode formation chamber 80 deposits a film of a gate electrode material on the hafnium silicon oxynitride ( hfsion ) film formed on the semiconductor substrate . note that similar to the transfer chamber 20 , each of the chambers 30 to 80 has an exhausting mechanism and gas supply source ( neither is shown ). therefore , different ambients can be independently formed in the chambers 20 to 80 of the gate insulating film / gate electrode formation apparatus 10 . fig2 to 6 illustrate a method of forming a gate insulating film and gate electrode by using the gate insulating film / gate electrode formation apparatus 10 according to this embodiment . first , as shown in fig2 , element isolation insulating films 110 a and 110 b are formed on a semiconductor substrate 100 , and a natural oxide film formed on the semiconductor substrate 100 is removed by washing using dilute hydrofluoric acid . when the semiconductor substrate 100 from which the natural oxide film is thus removed is placed in the loading chamber 30 of the gate insulating film / gate electrode formation apparatus 10 , the transfer mechanism 90 of the transfer chamber 20 unloads the semiconductor substrate 100 from the loading chamber 30 . in this state , a reduced - pressure ambient at , e . g ., about 10 − 3 torr is formed in the transfer chamber 20 by the exhausting mechanism ( not shown ). it is also possible to form an inert gas ambient or nitrogen ambient in the transfer chamber 20 by supplying an inert gas such as argon or supplying nitrogen to the transfer chamber 20 from the gas supply source ( not shown ). the transfer mechanism 90 loads the semiconductor substrate 100 into the film formation chamber 50 . as shown in fig3 , tetrakisdiethylaminohafnium ( tdeah ), tetrakisdimethylaminosilicon ( tdmas ), and oxygen , for example , are supplied to the film formation chamber 50 , and the film formation chamber 50 forms a hafnium silicate ( hfsio x ) film 120 about 5 nm thick on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 100 by using mocvd ( metal organic chemical vapor deposition ). note that the hafnium silicate ( hfsio x ) film 120 may also be formed by , e . g ., sputtering or ald ( atomic layer deposition ), instead of mocvd . the transfer mechanism 90 unloads the semiconductor substrate 100 from the film formation chamber 50 , and loads the semiconductor substrate 100 into the annealing chamber 70 . the annealing chamber 70 anneals the hafnium silicate ( hfsio x ) film 120 in an oxidizing ambient at , e . g ., 600 to 800 ° c ., thereby improving the quality of the hafnium silicate ( hfsio x ) film 120 . note that this annealing may also be omitted . the transfer mechanism 90 unloads the semiconductor substrate 100 from the annealing chamber 70 , and loads the semiconductor substrate 100 into the nitriding chamber 60 . the nitriding chamber 60 nitrides the hafnium silicate ( hfsio x ) film 120 by supplying nitrogen at 10 to 25 at % by using a nitrogen - containing plasma , thereby forming a hafnium silicon oxynitride ( hfsion ) film 120 . note that at % represents an atomic composition ratio . although nitrogen is supplied by using a nitrogen - containing plasma in this embodiment , nitrogen may also be supplied to the hafnium silicate ( hfsio x ) film 120 by annealing by using a nitrogen - containing gas . the transfer mechanism 90 unloads the semiconductor substrate 100 from the nitriding chamber 60 , and loads the semiconductor substrate 100 into the annealing chamber 70 . in the hafnium silicate ( hfsio x ) film 120 , the bonding force between atoms is weak . when nitrogen ( n ) is supplied , therefore , bonding hands for bonding atoms are disconnected , and a large number of defects are formed . accordingly , the annealing chamber 70 anneals the semiconductor substrate 100 in a nitrogen ambient at , e . g ., 800 to 1 , 000 ° c ., thereby restoring a number of defects formed in the hafnium silicon oxynitride ( hfsion ) film 120 . note that if the hafnium silicon oxynitride ( hfsion ) film 120 having a large number of defects is exposed to an oxidizing ambient or the atmosphere , oxygen radicals activated by hafnium ( hf ) as a catalyst invade the hafnium silicon oxynitride ( hfsion ) film or semiconductor substrate to deteriorate the transistor characteristics . in this embodiment , however , a reduced - pressure ambient at about 10 − 3 torr , an inert gas ambient , or a nitrogen ambient is formed in the transfer chamber 20 . therefore , when the transfer mechanism 90 of the transfer chamber 20 transfers the semiconductor substrate 100 from the nitriding chamber 60 to the annealing chamber 70 , the semiconductor substrate 100 is not exposed to an oxidizing ambient or the atmosphere . this makes it possible to suppress deterioration and variations of the transistor characteristics , and thereby increase the yield . to suppress deterioration of the transistor characteristics , a reduced - pressure ambient at about 10 − 3 torr , an inert gas ambient , or a nitrogen ambient need only be formed in the transfer chamber 20 at least while the semiconductor substrate 100 is transferred from the nitriding chamber 60 to the annealing chamber 70 . the transfer mechanism 90 unloads the semiconductor substrate 100 from the annealing chamber 70 , and loads the semiconductor substrate 100 into the gate insulating film / gate electrode formation chamber 80 . as shown in fig4 , the gate insulating film / gate electrode formation chamber 80 heats the semiconductor substrate 100 to about 700 ° c ., and forms a polysilicon film 130 about 150 nm thick on the hafnium silicon oxynitride ( hfsion ) film 120 by using monosilane ( sih 4 ) gas . note that the gate electrode material is not limited to polysilicon , and it is also possible to use , e . g ., amorphous silicon , silicon germanium , or a metal . the transfer mechanism 90 unloads the semiconductor substrate 100 from the gate insulating film / gate electrode formation chamber 80 , and places the semiconductor substrate 100 in the unloading chamber 40 . the semiconductor substrate 100 is then taken out from the gate insulating film / gate electrode formation apparatus 10 , and patterned . as shown in fig5 , photolithography , rie ( reactive ion etching ), or the like is executed to form a gate insulating film 140 made of the hafnium silicon oxynitride ( hfsion ) film and a gate electrode 150 made of the polysilicon film . as shown in fig6 , a dopant is ion - implanted into the surfaces of the gate electrode 150 and semiconductor substrate 100 , and annealing is performed to form a source region 160 a and drain region 160 b . in a mosfet 200 fabricated by the above method , as shown in fig6 , the element isolation insulating films 110 a and 110 b for element isolation are formed in the surface portion of the semiconductor substrate 100 , and the gate electrode 150 made of the polysilicon film is formed , via the gate insulating film 140 formed by the hafnium silicon oxynitride ( hfsion ) film on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 100 , near a central portion of an element region isolated by the element isolation insulating films 110 a and 110 b . in this structure , the carbon concentration in the interface where the gate electrode 140 is in contact with the gate electrode 150 is 5 × 10 22 atoms / cm 3 or less . as described above , when the semiconductor substrate 100 is transferred from the nitriding chamber 60 to the annealing chamber 70 , a reduced - pressure ambient at about 10 − 3 torr , an inert gas ambient , or a nitrogen ambient is formed in the transfer chamber 20 . compared to a case in which the semiconductor substrate 100 is exposed to the atmosphere or the like , it is possible to suppress adhesion of organic materials discharged from substances in the clean room and floating , and decrease the carbon concentration in the interface where the gate insulating film 140 is in contact with the gate electrode . this makes it possible to prevent dielectric breakdown of the gate insulating film , and improve the reliability of the gate insulating film 140 . especially in devices from the 65 - nm generation , the influence of defects such as dielectric breakdown caused by carbon in the interface is large . therefore , the reliability of devices can be improved by applying this embodiment . also , a channel region 170 is formed below the gate electrode 150 and close to the surface of the semiconductor substrate 100 . the source region 160 a is formed between the channel region 170 and element isolation insulating film 110 a , and the drain region 160 b is formed between the channel region 170 and element isolation insulating film 110 b . fig7 shows the distributions of the gate threshold voltages of mosfets fabricated by cutting the semiconductor substrate 100 in this embodiment in which the semiconductor substrate 100 was not exposed to an oxidizing ambient or the atmosphere when it was transferred from the nitriding chamber 60 to the annealing chamber 70 , and in a comparative example in which the semiconductor substrate 100 was exposed to an oxidizing ambient or the atmosphere . as shown in fig7 , in the comparative example in which the substrate 100 was exposed to an oxidizing ambient or the atmosphere when it was transferred from the nitriding chamber 60 to the annealing chamber 70 , the gate threshold voltage of each mosfet fabricated from the semiconductor substrate 100 existed within the range of − 0 . 62 v to − 0 . 54 v . that is , the variation was very large , and accordingly the yield was low . by contrast , in this embodiment in which the substrate 100 was not exposed to an oxidizing ambient or the atmosphere when it was transferred from the nitriding chamber 60 to the annealing chamber 70 , it was possible to make the variation in gate threshold voltage much smaller than that in the comparative example , and greatly increase the yield accordingly . also , fig8 shows the time - dependent dielectric breakdown ( tddb ) characteristics of mosfets fabricated as they were cut from the semiconductor substrate 100 in this embodiment in which the semiconductor substrate 100 was not exposed to an oxidizing ambient or the atmosphere when it was transferred from the nitriding chamber 60 to the annealing chamber 70 , and in the comparative example in which the semiconductor substrate 100 was exposed to an oxidizing ambient or the atmosphere . more specifically , electrons were injected from the semiconductor substrate 100 to the gate insulating film 140 , and a stress electric field of 12 mv / cm was applied to the gate insulating film 140 . after that , the dielectric breakdown time of each mosfet was measured . note that the abscissa indicates the dielectric breakdown time of each mosfet , and the ordinate indicates a weibull function ( i . e ., the dielectric breakdown probability ). as shown in fig8 , in the comparative example in which the substrate 100 was exposed to an oxidizing ambient or the atmosphere when it was transferred from the nitriding chamber 60 to the annealing chamber 70 , the dielectric breakdown times of many mosfets fabricated from the semiconductor substrate 100 were short , and the life of the gate insulating film 140 was also short . in addition , the variation in dielectric breakdown time was large , so the reliability of the transistors was low . by contrast , in this embodiment in which the substrate 100 was not exposed to an oxidizing ambient or the atmosphere when it was transferred from the nitriding chamber 60 to the annealing chamber 70 , the dielectric breakdown times of many mosfets were longer than those of the comparative example , and the life of the gate insulating film 140 was long accordingly . in addition , the variation in dielectric breakdown time was smaller than that of the comparative example , so the reliability of the transistors was high . fig9 shows the arrangement of a gate insulating film / gate electrode formation apparatus 300 according to the second embodiment of the present invention . in the gate insulating film / gate electrode formation apparatus 300 , a film formation chamber 310 , nitriding chamber 320 , annealing chamber 330 , and gate insulating film / gate electrode formation chamber 340 are arranged in predetermined positions , and transfer chambers 350 , 360 , 370 , and 380 are connected to the chambers 310 , 320 , 330 , and 340 , respectively . transfer mechanisms 390 , 400 , 410 , and 420 are arranged in the transfer chambers 350 , 360 , 370 , and 380 , respectively , and load / unload a semiconductor substrate 100 into / from the chambers 310 , 320 , 330 , and 340 , respectively . the transfer chambers 350 to 380 each have an exhausting mechanism ( not shown ), so the interior of each of the transfer chambers 350 to 380 can be adjusted to a desired pressure . in addition , a gas supply source ( not shown ) is connected to each of the transfer chambers 350 to 380 , and supplies a desired gas . accordingly , by forming , e . g ., a reduced - pressure ambient at , e . g ., about 10 − 3 torr , an inert gas ambient such as argon , or a nitrogen ambient in each of the transfer chambers 350 to 380 , the semiconductor substrate 100 can be loaded / unloaded into / from each of the chambers 310 to 340 without being exposed to an oxidizing ambient or the atmosphere . a transfer box 430 transfers the semiconductor substrate 100 to a desired one of the transfer chambers 350 to 380 . similar to the transfer chambers 350 to 380 , the transfer box 430 has an exhausting mechanism ( not shown ), so the interior of the transfer box 430 can be adjusted to a desired pressure . in addition , a gas supply source ( not shown ) is connected to the transfer box 430 , and supplies a desired gas . accordingly , by forming , e . g ., a reduced - pressure ambient at , e . g ., about 10 − 3 torr , an inert gas ambient such as argon , or a nitrogen ambient in the transfer box 430 , the semiconductor substrate 100 can be transferred to a desired one of the chambers 350 to 380 without being exposed to an oxidizing ambient or the atmosphere . a method of forming a gate insulating film and gate electrode by using the gate insulating film / gate electrode formation apparatus 300 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to fig2 to 6 used in the explanation of the first embodiment . note that processes executed in the chambers 310 to 340 are the same as the processes executed in the corresponding chambers 50 to 80 of the gate insulating film / gate electrode formation apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment . first , a semiconductor substrate 100 in which element isolation insulating films 110 a and 110 b are formed and from which a natural oxide film is removed is put in the transfer box 430 , and the transfer box 430 is moved to and connected to the transfer chamber 350 . the transfer mechanism 390 of the transfer chamber 350 unloads the semiconductor substrate 100 from the transfer box 430 , and loads the semiconductor substrate 100 into the film formation chamber 310 . as shown in fig3 , the film formation chamber 310 forms a hafnium silicate ( hfsio x ) film 120 on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 100 by using , e . g ., mocvd . the transfer mechanism 390 unloads the semiconductor substrate 100 from the film formation chamber 310 , and puts the semiconductor substrate 100 in the transfer box 430 . the transfer box 430 is moved to and connected to the transfer chamber 370 . the transfer mechanism 410 of the transfer chamber 370 unloads the semiconductor substrate 100 from the transfer box 430 , and loads the semiconductor substrate 100 into the annealing chamber 330 . the annealing chamber 330 improves the quality of the hafnium silicate ( hfsio x ) film 120 by annealing it . note that this annealing may also be omitted . the transfer mechanism 410 unloads the semiconductor substrate 100 from the annealing chamber 330 , and puts the semiconductor substrate 100 in the transfer box 430 . the transfer box 430 is moved to and connected to the transfer chamber 360 . the transfer mechanism 400 of the transfer chamber 360 unloads the semiconductor substrate 100 from the transfer box 430 , and loads the semiconductor substrate 100 into the nitriding chamber 320 . the nitriding chamber 320 nitrides the hafnium silicate ( hfsio x ) film 120 by supplying nitrogen to it , thereby forming a hafnium silicon oxynitride ( hfsion ) film 120 . the transfer mechanism 400 unloads the semiconductor substrate 100 from the nitriding chamber 320 , and puts the semiconductor substrate 100 in the transfer box 430 . the transfer box 430 is moved to and connected to the transfer chamber 370 . the transfer mechanism 410 of the transfer chamber 370 unloads the semiconductor substrate 100 from the transfer box 430 , and loads the semiconductor substrate 100 into the annealing chamber 330 . in this embodiment , a reduced - pressure ambient at about 10 − 3 torr , an inert gas ambient , or a nitrogen ambient is formed in the transfer box 430 and the transfer chambers 360 and 370 . therefore , the semiconductor substrate 100 can be transferred from the nitriding chamber 320 to the annealing chamber 330 without being exposed to an oxidizing ambient or the atmosphere . this makes it possible to suppress deterioration and variations of the transistor characteristics , and thereby increase the yield . to suppress deterioration of the transistor characteristics , a reduced - pressure ambient at about 10 − 3 torr , an inert gas ambient , or a nitrogen ambient need only be formed in the transfer chamber 360 , transfer box 430 , and transfer chamber 370 at least while the semiconductor substrate 100 is transferred from the nitriding chamber 320 to the annealing chamber 330 . the annealing chamber 330 restores a large number of defects formed in the hafnium silicon oxynitride ( hfsion ) film 120 by annealing the semiconductor substrate 100 in a nitrogen ambient . the transfer mechanism 410 unloads the semiconductor substrate 100 from the annealing chamber 330 , and puts the semiconductor substrate 100 in the transfer box 430 . the transfer box 430 is moved to and connected to the transfer chamber 380 . the transfer mechanism 420 of the transfer chamber 380 unloads the semiconductor substrate 100 from the transfer box 430 , and loads the semiconductor substrate 100 into the gate insulating film / gate electrode formation chamber 340 . as shown in fig4 , the gate insulating film / gate electrode formation chamber 340 forms a polysilicon film 130 on the hafnium silicon oxynitride ( hfsion ) film 120 . the transfer mechanism 420 unloads the semiconductor substrate 100 from the gate insulating film / gate electrode formation chamber 340 , and puts the semiconductor substrate 100 in the transfer box 430 . then , the semiconductor substrate 100 is taken out from the gate insulating film / gate electrode formation apparatus 300 . as shown in fig5 , a gate insulating film 140 and gate electrode 150 are formed by patterning the polysilicon film 130 and hafnium silicon oxynitride ( hfsion ) film 120 . after that , a source region 160 a and drain region 160 b are formed as shown in fig6 , thereby fabricating a mosfet 200 . in the mosfet fabricated by the above method , as in the first embodiment , the carbon concentration in the interface where the gate insulating film 140 is in contact with the gate electrode 150 is 5 × 10 22 atoms / cm 3 or less . this achieves the same effects as in the first embodiment . the semiconductor devices and their fabrication methods of the embodiments described above can suppress variations in transistor characteristics and increase the yield . note that the above embodiments are merely examples and do not limit the present invention . for example , instead of hafnium ( hf ), another metal such as zirconium may also be used . that is , it is also possible to form an insulating film containing at least a metal and oxygen on a semiconductor substrate , and nitride this insulating film to form an insulating film containing at least the metal , oxygen , and nitrogen . also , in the above embodiments , the film formation chambers 50 and 310 and nitriding chambers 60 and 320 are different reaction chambers . however , these chambers may also be one reaction chamber .	2
the positioning system 1 shown in fig1 and 3 is composed , essentially , of a linear axis mechanism 2 , a clampable ball - and - socket joint 3 and a base 4 . in linear guide 5 of linear axis mechanism 2 , a carriage 6 is guided without play and it can be moved via a threaded spindle 7 . a rotary knob 8 is joined securely to threaded spindle 7 . the pitch of the threaded spindle 7 is designed to be self - locking , i . e . the pitch angle is smaller than the effective angle of friction , so that carriage 6 does not move automatically in linear guide 5 as a result of its weight . the path of carriage 6 moving in linear guide 5 is limited by two end stops 9 , 10 . to form the upper end stop 9 , a closing plate , with the corresponding internal threaded hole for threaded spindle 7 , is attached to the upper end of linear guide 5 . on the one hand , the closing plate forming end stop 9 guides the threaded spindle 7 parallel to linear guide 5 , and on the other hand , however , also prevents carriage 6 from sliding off of linear guide 5 by screwing spindle 7 out too far . similarly , the end stop 10 , which is used as the lower end stop on the lower end of rotary knob 8 , prevents threaded spindle 7 from being screwed in too far , and thus , carriage 6 from sliding out on the opposite end of linear guide 5 . by turning rotary knob 8 , according to the direction of the thread and the selected pitch of threaded spindle 7 , axial displacement of the carriage 6 in guide 5 of linear axis mechanism 2 is effected . carriage 6 can , thus , be moved continuously along the linear axis mechanism 2 between the two end stops 9 and 10 , and due to the self - locking of the threaded drive , maintains its instantaneous position . carriage 6 has a corresponding receiver 11 into which the desired instrument 12 can be manually inserted without play or removed therefrom . receiver 11 for instrument 12 has an opening 13 for a free , active end 14 of the instrument 12 inserted therein . the free , active end 14 of the inserted instrument 12 can , thus , be positioned parallel to the linear guide in axial direction 15 relative to destination 16 in body 17 when the rotary knob 8 is turned . linear axis mechanism 2 , together with threaded spindle 7 , rotary knob 8 , carriage 6 and the instrument 12 inserted in receiver 11 and held there , is joined securely to housing 19 of the clampable ball - and - socket joint 3 using connecting element 18 . ball - and - socket joint 3 has a ball 21 which is securely joined via a column 25 to base 4 , and which can be clamped with reference to the housing 19 by means of clamp screw 20 . when the ball - and - socket joint 3 is unclamped , the entire linear axis mechanism 2 can be turned in all three rotary degrees of freedom 22 , 23 , 24 around the center of ball 21 , which is fixedly joined to the base 4 . via base 4 , positioning system 1 can be securely joined to suitable holders . after attachment of one of these holders to the body , positioning of the system attached to the holder and subsequent clamping of clamp screw 20 , exact positioning of free , active end 14 without play relative to the destination 16 on the body , is thus possible , whereby possibly risky relative movements between the body and the free active end 14 of the instrument are prevented . by loosening clamp screw 20 of ball - and - socket joint 3 , connecting element 18 and the linear axis mechanism 2 which is attached to it , as well as instrument 12 inserted in carriage 6 , together with its free , active end 14 , can be turned around the center of ball 21 of the ball - and - socket joint 3 according to all three rotary degrees of freedom 22 , 23 , 24 . the indicated combination of clampable ball - and - socket joint 3 and linear axis mechanism 2 attached securely to it enables , in combination , four - axis positioning of the free , active end 14 of the selected instrument 12 relative to any destination 16 on the body , i . e ., in the axial direction 15 and in the three rotational degrees of freedom 22 , 23 and 24 . fig2 a and 2b illustrate how clampable ball - and - socket joint 3 works . in fig2 a , the ball - and - socket joint 3 is unclamped . the three dimensional position of the three rotational axes 22 , 23 , 24 is held by spring pretension . in fig2 b , the linear axis is swung to the side and the ball - and - socket joint is clamped . the instantaneous position is secured by a pretensioning spring force and also by the axial force of clamp screw 20 on the ball surface . through conical opening 41 on the bottom of housing 19 of ball - and - socket joint 3 , column 25 leads to base 4 . ball 21 , column 25 and base 4 , thus , form a rigid unit . clamp screw 20 acts on the outer surface of ball 21 via movable ball seat 26 . fig2 b shows how ball 21 is securely clamped when clamp screw 20 is tightened between the contact surfaces of ball seat 26 and the corresponding opposite surfaces of housing 19 . the selected three - dimensional position in the three rotational degrees of freedom 22 , 23 , 24 is thus securely fixed . when loosening the clamp screw 20 shown in fig2 a , conversely , the unclamped ball will not allow tilting of the entire positioning system , but the selected position will continue to be maintained by friction . this is done by axially prestressed spring element 42 acting on ball seat 26 , even after loosening of clamp screw 20 , and with the correspondingly preselected prestress securing the three - dimensional position of the ball - andsocket joint by frictional engagement , but still allowing manual movements of the entire system . the entire linear axis mechanism 2 , together with inserted instrument 12 and housing 19 of ball - and - socket joint 3 , thus can be swung around the center of ball 21 in all three of the rotational degrees of freedom 22 , 23 , 24 , the friction of prestressed spring element 42 on the ball surface , even with clamp screw 20 loosened , preventing tilting of the system . the primary dimensions of the entire system are , for example , an overall height above the surface of the body of roughly 100 mm and a total width of 40 mm . in fig3 a combination of the described positioning system 1 and a surgical retractor 27 for intraoperative use is shown as a first preferred embodiment . in this case , positioning system 1 , together with linear axis mechanism 2 and the clampable ball - and - socket joint 3 , is joined with its base 4 securely to any retractor 27 . after inserting retractor 27 into body opening 28 which is made , for example , by a surgical tissue incision , and subsequent spreading of retractor 27 in body opening 28 , retractor 27 , together with the positioning system 1 attached to it , is securely joined to the body . by manipulating the four axes of movement 15 , 22 , 23 and 24 , thus , intraoperatively , the free active end 14 of any instrument 12 which is clamped securely into the positioning system can be precisely guided to any destination 16 located in body 17 . if positioning is to be done on structures which are no longer visible with the naked eye , the position of the free active end in the body opening can be visually monitored , for example , by a microscope . here , positioning system 1 is located on retractor 27 such that optical axis 30 of the microscope or naked eye 29 is not hidden by positioning system 1 itself or its parts . preferred body openings 28 in which positioning system 1 can be used intraoperatively with a suitable retractor 27 are , for example , incisions in soft tissues , the external auditory canal , the mastoid antrum or openings in the skull bone for neurosurgery . accordingly , preferred destinations 16 on the body , at which free active end 14 of positionable instrument 12 is to be pointed are among others , microsurgical structures on or in the spinal column , within the skull , in the external auditory canal , on the ear drum , in the opened cavities of the middle ear ( malleus , incus , stapes ), on the bone wall between the middle and inner ear ( promontorium ), on the liquid - filled inner ear , on the auditory nerve , in the vestibular organ , or in the eye cavity . suitable instruments 12 for use in positioning system 1 in conjunction with suitable retractors 27 are , among others , piezoelectric hearing aid transducers for electromechanical vibrational stimulation of the auditory ossicle chain , exciter coils for electromagnetic stimulation of permanent magnets fixed to the chain , optical fibers for guiding surgical laser light ( for example , for cutting , drilling , coagulating or obliterating tissue or bone structures ), optical fibers for guiding measurement laser light ( laser doppler vibrometry ), a flexible miniature endoscope for inspection in the entire skull area , probe microphone , and small noise sources for intraoperative audiometry ( hearing threshold determination , measurement of otoacoustic emissions ) and electrodes for electrocochleographic derivation of body potentials , such as the sum action potential ( sap ) or microphone potential ( mp ). as a second preferred embodiment , fig4 shows a combination of positioning system 1 and a head support 31 for noninvasive , diagnostic or therapeutic use of instruments anchored to the skull . in the version shown here , the positioning system 1 is securely joined with its base 4 to a head support 31 . opening width 32 of the head support 31 is , preferably , roughly 200 mm , and width 32 can be set , optionally and without play , via a knob 33 and an interior threaded drive by moving two receiving arms 34 and 35 towards ( closing ) or away ( opening ) from one another . knob 33 for adjustment of opening width 32 , in this case , can be operated either by the wearer of head support 31 himself / herself or by a qualified specialist ( physician , nurse , assistant ) in order to attach head support 31 to the head of the patient by clamping on both sides . positioning system 1 with its base 4 is attached securely to one of two receiving arms 35 . this side is called the working side 37 of the head support . a conical retaining element 36 can be made , for example , like an ear speculum which , when necessary , can be placed on gimbals in receiving arm 35 to equalize small spatial angles . it is inserted into the external auditory canal of the wearer ( patient ) with visual monitoring , if necessary , with the aid of a microscope . conical retaining element 36 , moreover , has a conical inside opening 40 which provides space for the free , active end 14 of the instrument 12 clamped in positioning system 1 and also for visual control . on the receiving arm 34 on the opposite side 39 of head support 31 , selectively , a second conical support , similar to support 36 , or an earmuff element 38 in the form of a half shell , is attached . the second conical support or earmuff element 38 is , respectively , inserted into the auditory canal or placed over the outer part of the opposite ear . when earmuff element 38 is used , as is shown in fig4 some of the pretensioning force is transferred over a large area to the skull bone area which surrounds the outer ear by reducing the opening width 32 . this prevents compressive forces from being applied at points and the associated undesirable feeling of pressure associated with it , and the force applied for support is distributed over a large area of skin . after inserting conical retaining element 36 of working side 37 into the outer auditory canal and the subsequent placement of the earmuff element 38 on the outer ear of the opposite side 39 , by carefully reducing opening width 32 of head support 31 , the two retaining elements , i . e ., retaining element 36 and earmuff element 38 , can be caused to approach one another until the entire head support 31 is clamped on the skull of the patient . by deforming earmuff element 38 and by blocking conical retaining element 36 in the outer auditory canal , a secure filling of the entire head support 31 on the skull of the patient is ensured . by means of conical inside hole 40 in conical retaining element 36 , after clamping head support 31 on the skull of the patient , the free , active end 14 of instrument 12 , attached in positioning system 1 , can be positioned without play so as to prevent relative movements between the skull and target points 16 on the skull . the set position of the positioning system can be fixed via the already described clamping means of the positioning system ( see fig2 a and fig2 b ). one preferred body opening 28 in which positioning system 1 can be used noninvasively or with minimal invasiveness , using a suitable head support 31 , is the external auditory canal of a human . accordingly , preferred destinations 16 on the body , at which the free , active end 14 of the positionable instrument 12 is to be noninvasively pointed , among others , are microsurgical structures in the auditory canal itself , on or in the eardrum or the manubrium which is fused directly to the inside of the eardrum , and which represents the outermost point of the auditory ossicle chain which can be reached noninvasively through the auditory canal . in local , minimally invasive use of this second embodiment , after opening the eardrum , moreover , positioning of the instrument relative to the anatomical structures of the air filled middle ear ( malleus , incus , stapes ) or the bony wall between the middle and inner ear ( promontorium ) is possible . for noninvasive use of positioning system 1 in conjunction with suitable head supports 31 , all instruments described with reference to the first preferred embodiment are equally applicable . while various embodiments in accordance with the present invention have been shown and described , it is understood that the invention is not limited thereto , and is susceptible to numerous changes and modifications as known to those skilled in the art . therefore , this invention is not limited to the details shown and described herein , and includes all such changes and modifications as are encompassed by the scope of the appended claims .	0
the elastomers to which this invention is particularly applicable are all synthetic elastomeric polymers in the form of latices . representative of these polymers are styrene / butadiene rubbers , acrylonitrile / butadiene rubbers , polypropylene rubbers , polybutadiene rubbers , polyisoprene rubbers , and copolymers of dimethyl butadiene / butadiene rubbers . as previously noted the elastomers are in the form of a latex . the elastomers may be oil - extended and contain other ingredients such as antioxidants . the carbon black fillers used in this invention are generally the reinforcing type such as high abrasion furnace ( haf ), intermediate super abrasion furnace ( isaf ), and fast extrusion furnace ( fef ). the carbon black , if pelletized , must first be reduced to a powdered form from the usual pelletized form . this is done by mixing the pelletized carbon block with the water and with or without dispersant in a high speed mixer . although the carbon black can be dispersed without dispersant , a dispersant may be used . if a dispersant is employed , a purified free acid pine lignin dispersant ( indulin ™ at ) is used in 3 to 6 percent by weight concentration based on the carbon black . the lignin dispersant is solubilized with a small amount of naoh . the dispersed carbon black is then incorporated into the elastomer latex . the use of this procedure prevents the conglomeration of the dried elastomeric product and the formation of any free carbon black . the coating resins used for practicing this invention are a combination of two types . the use of two types of resins imparts a synergistic effect to the final product . these resins consist of a styrene / butadiene ( s / b ) resin with a styrene to butadiene weight ratio of 75 / 25 to 95 / 5 in combination with a styrene / α - methylstyrene ( s / m ) resin with a styrene to α - methylstyrene weight ratio of 99 / 1 to 50 / 50 . a pure polystyrene resin ( ps ) may be used instead of the s / m resin . the combination of both resins allows a higher temperature for drying and causes the s / m resin to adhere without flaking . the ratio of the sb resin to the s / m or ps resin may vary between 1 / 4 and 4 / 1 is used as a latex at a solid content of about 2 to 10 weight percent , preferably 2 to 5 percent . when equal amounts of the two coating resins are used , as little as 2 parts per hundred rubber ( phr ) will give a free flowing powder with no free resin , no conglomeration of the powders , high density and small particle size distribution . at least 4 and up to 8 parts per hundred of rubber of the mixture of resins can be used but the excess is usually unnecessary . there are added to these mixtures of partitioning resins , two surfactants , one surfactant being sodium lauryl sulfate ( sls ) and a nonionic type , isooctyl phenoxy polyethoxy ethanol containing 10 moles of ethylene oxide in the polyethoxy portion thereof ( triton ™ x - 100 ). this mixture of surfactants is added in concentrations of 4 to 8 weight percent based on the total weight of resin and are in a weight ratio of sls to triton ™ x - 100 of 2 / 1 to 1 / 2 . it has been found that this mixture of surfactants is required to prevent the resin from becoming dislodged from the resin coated polymer particles and , thus , allowing the finished product to contain free resin . the mixture of coating resins is added to the coagulated rubber latex carbon black slurry while maintaining the coagulation temperature in the 70 ° to 90 ° c . range . the use of salt / acid or alum / acid as a coagulant are known to have been used as in coagulating elastomers , each being used separately . however , in this invention the method , the amounts and the concentrations of salt / acid and alum / acid and the steps employed in the coagulation process are quite different from the known processes and are quite specific . the elastomer - filler latex mixture is coagulated by the use of a dilute acid / salt solution at a ph of 3 to 5 at various temperatures and ratio of the coagulant to elastomer . at the conclusion of the first stage salt / acid coagulation there is used the second coagulant which is composed of alum / acid . sufficient alum is added to give a concentration of 1 to 10 parts of alum per 100 parts of rubber . the desired results of this invention are obtained when a dilute resin latex coagulation on the elastomer - filler particles in the slurry . this is achieved by adding a dilute resin mixture latex , 2 to 10 , preferably 2 to 5 solids , to the dilute coagulant 0 . 01 to 2 percent by weight in the water in which the particles are slurried . the temperature should be maintained in the 70 ° to 90 ° c . range during coagulation of the resins . the coagulation temperature is not required to be within 5 ° c . of the agglomerating temperature of the coating resins . thus , less heat energy is used to produce free - flowing powders having resin coatings of high heat distortion temperatures which should exhibit better storage stability . the procedure outlined in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 813 , 259 would require temperatures at or above 100 ° c . to effectively coat the powders with resins of the styrene / α - methylstyrene copolymer type . even if one considers the case where the ratio of styrene to α - methylstyrene is 100 / 0 , which is polystyrene , the agglomeration temperature of 106 ° c . as presented in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 813 , 259 would require a resin coating step process at temperatures of about 100 ° c ., which is clearly above over temperature range 70 ° to 90 ° c . a styrene / α - methylstyrene copolymer haing a 75 / 25 weight percent monomer charge ratio would be expected to exhibit a higher agglomeration temperature than polystyrene , since it exhibits a glass transition temperature , tg , above 110 ° c . as compared to a value of about 95 ° c . for polystyrene . the tg of a resin relates to a specific temperature at which it loses its hardness or brittleness and becomes more flexible and takes on rubber - like properties . using these particular resins in a process of resin coating according to u . s . pat . no . 3 , 813 , 259 would require resin coating temperatures above 100 ° c . operating at these temperatures with an aqueous system would require closed high pressure vessels and add substantially to the cost of the resin coating process . the use of salt / acid or alum as coagulants is presently known . in this invention a two - stage coagulation process is used which requires specific amounts of salt and alum and specific ph conditions . in the first stage of coagulation a mixture of elastomer latex and carbon black is coagulated by the use of a dilute salt / acid solution at ph 3 . 5 at various temperatures and ratios of salt to elastomer . the temperature of coagulation can vary from 30 ° to 90 ° c . and the concentration of salt varies between 2 - 20 parts per hundred of rubber . the preferred temperature is 40 ° to 70 ° c . and the preferred concentration of salt is 4 - 10 parts per hundred of rubber . the concentration of the salt solution may vary between 0 . 1 and 1 . 0 percent . the elastomer - filler particles are maintained as an aqueous slurry with agitation during this first stage of coagulation . during the second stage of coagulation , which involves the resin coating process , the temperature of coagulation can vary between 60 ° to 90 ° c . at the conclusion of the first stage and prior to the addition of resin latex , sufficient alum is added to give a concentration of 1 to 10 parts of alum per hundred parts of rubber , with the preferred range being 2 to 5 parts of alum per hundred parts of rubber . after addition of alum the ph of the alum coagulant solution is adjusted to 2 - 3 ph with dilute sulfuric acid and maintained at this ph range during the entire process of resin coating . the desired results of this invention are obtained when a dilute resin latex coagulates on the elastomer - filler particles during the second stage of coagulation . this is achieved by adding a dilute resin mixture , 2 to 10 percent solids , to the coagulated particles which were formed during the first stage of coagulation . a fluid dispersion ( 10 percent by weight carbon black ) containing 6 parts indulin ™ at per hundred parts carbon black was prepared by mixing the following composition for 60 minutes in an eppenbach ™ mixer . ______________________________________ weight ( parts ) ______________________________________haf carbon black 1 . 0indulin ™ at solution . 4water 8 . 6______________________________________ the indulin ™ at solution ( 15 % by weight total solids ) was prepared by adding 10 parts sodium hydroxide to water at 50 °- 60 ° c . and slowly mixing in 100 parts indiulin ™ at . the sodium hydroxide is added to solubilize the indulin ™ at . sbr 1712 latex ( 72 / 25 butadiene / styrene monomer charge ; 23 % solids ) containing a hindered phenol antioxidant was slowly added with gentle low - shear stirring to the carbon black dispersion to give the following compound composition . ______________________________________sbr elastomer ( dry weight ) 200 gramshaf carbon black 160 gramsindulin ™ at 9 . 6 gramsantioxidant 2 . 5 grams______________________________________ several mixtures of the above sbr latex and carbon black dispersion were separately added into a vigorously stirred coagulant solution containing 2 liters of water at 50 ° c ., using the coagulants listed in table 1 . the resultant slurries of coagulated elastomer - filler particles were resin coated with 600 milliliters of a 2 % solids resin latex consisting of a 50 / 50 blend of a 90 / 10 by weight styrene / butadiene resin and a 75 / 25 by weight styrene / α - methyl styrene resin . the resin latices contained 3 parts of potassium fatty acid soap and also 6 parts each of sodium lauryl sulfate and triton ™ x - 100 per 100 parts of resin . before the slow addition of the resin latex to the coagulated particles the temperature of the water was increased to 80 ° c ., ph adjusted to 2 . 5 with sulfuric acid , and where indicated 10 grams of alum was added prior to the resin coating step . following completion of the resin coating process , the coated particles were filtered hot , washed with cold water and dried on trays in a forced draft oven at 80 ° c ., for aboat 4 hours . after removal from the drying oven , the powdered rubber samples were examined for conglomeration and the presence of free resin . the results in table 1 show that use of an acid - alum coagulant during the first stage of coagulation produces after the second stage of coagulation , a powder whose particle size is 98 percent by weight below 1000 microns . the addition of 5 to 10 grams of sodium chloride during the first stage of coagulation to produce a salt - acid - alum coagulant produces a slight increase in particle size , but still 95 percent by weight of the particles are below 1000 microns . however , the use of a two - stage coagulation process produces a dramatic increase in particle size . during the first stage of coagulation , which involves coagulation of the rubber latex / carbon black mixture a salt - acid coagulant is used . after completion of this first stage of coagulation and prior to the addition of resin latex , a small amount of alum ( 10 grams ) is added , the ph is adjusted to 2 . 5 with sulfuric acid and the water temperature is increased to 80 ° c . the results in table 1 clearly show the increase in particle size . at various ph ranges of coagulation between 2 and 7 and in the presence of 10 grams of sodium chloride ( nacl ) the particle size has increased to give 40 to 51 percent by weight above 1000 microns . at the 4 to 5 ph range , an increase in salt level from 10 to 20 grams causes a weight percent particle size increase from 51 to 92 percent above 1000 microns . using the 4 to 5 ph range and a salt level of 10 grams an attempt was made to produce a resin coated powder without the addition of alum prior to the resin coating step . the product isolated from the drying oven was completely conglomerated into one large continuous mass . thus , the particle size control is obtained by using a two - stage coagulation process . the first stage involves salt - acid coagulation of the rubber latex / carbon black mixture and the second involves the addition of alum prior to the resin coating step . table 1__________________________________________________________________________coagulation , 2000 ml h . sub . 2 o , 50 ° c . resin coating * 80 ° c . particle size , microns (% by weight ) alum nacl alum added 2000 to 1000 to 300 tocoagulant ph gms gms gms & gt ; 2000 1000 300 75__________________________________________________________________________acid - alum 2 . 5 10 0 0 0 2 51 47salt - acid - alum 2 . 5 10 5 0 0 5 69 26salt - acid - alum 2 . 5 10 10 0 0 4 64 32salt - acid 2 - 3 0 10 10 7 33 52 8salt - acid 4 - 5 0 10 10 12 39 44 5salt - acid 4 - 5 0 20 10 55 37 8 0salt - acid 6 - 7 0 10 10 14 31 53 2salt - acid 4 - 5 0 10 0 -- -- -- -- __________________________________________________________________________ * all samples gave no evidence of free resin after removal from the drying oven . a fluid dispersion ( 5 percent carbon black by weight ) was prepared by grinding haf carbon black in water for 20 minutes in a littleford mixer . the 5 percent carbon black dispersion was slowly added with gentle low - shear stirring to sbr 1712 latex ( 75 / 25 butadiene / styrene monomer charge ; 20 % solids ) containing wingstay ™ 29 antioxidant to give the following composition : ______________________________________sbr elastomer ( dry weight ) 2440 gramshaf carbon black 1952 gramswingstay 29 48 . 8 grams______________________________________ a schematic of the powdered rubber preparation unit used to prepare the described approximate 10 pound samples is shown in fig . i . eighteen liters of water was added into the coagulation vessel . live steam was added into the coagulation vessel until the temperature reached 60 ° c . the total volume of water was adjusted after heating to twenty liters . at this point the desired amount of salt ( sodium chloride ) was added and the ph adjusted to the desired range with dilute sulfuric acid . the premix of carbon black dispersion and sbr latex after stirring for 10 minutes at 175 rpm was slowly added over a period of 20 minutes into the coagulator which was stirring at 250 rpm . during the 20 minutes of premix addition the temperature was maintained at 60 ° c . and ph at the indicated range . the amounts of salt and ph ranges are indicated in table 2 . after completion of the premix addition , the temperature in the coagulation vessel was increased to 80 ° c . the amount of alum indicated in table 2 was then added and the ph adjusted to 2 . 5 with dilute sulfuric acid . a 2 percent by weight solids resin coating latex was added over a period of 10 minutes . the resin latex consisted of 3 parts 95 / 5 by weight styrene / butadiene resin and 1 part polystyrene resin per 100 parts of rubber . the resin latex also contained 3 parts of potassium fatty acid soap and 6 parts each of sodium lauryl sulfate and triton ™ x - 100 per 100 parts of resin . after completion of the resin addition , the powdered rubber slurry was filtered on a screen , drained and washed with several volumes of water . it was then placed on trays and dried for approximately 14 hours in a 70 ° c . air circulating oven . the results in table 2 indicate clearly that the amount of salt and ph range are extremely critical for obtaining a free - flowing product . in series a , the use of 100 grams of salt in the ph range of 3 . 5 to 4 . 0 during the first stage of coagulation produced a powdered rubber product which became totally conglomerated during oven drying . the use of higher levels of salt between 200 and 500 grams produced excellent free - flowing powders . the amount of salt used does not appreciably affect the particle size of the powders . this is in sharp contrast to the data presented in example 1 which showed the effect of salt on particle size when indulin ™ at was present as a dispersant in the carbon black dispersion . in the studies involving carbon black dispersions without added dispersant , it has been found that at equivalent salt levels an increase in coagulation ph range will cause an increase in particle size . in series b the use of 200 grams of salt at the higher ph range did produce a larger particle size powder than obtained when using 200 grams of salt in series a . it is also shown in series b that the use of 400 grams of salt in the ph range of 4 . 0 to 4 . 5 produced an aggomerated product in the drying oven . in series c the effect of alum level on the disposition of the powder is shown . when using a salt level of 200 grams in a ph range of 3 . 5 - 4 . 0 , the use of 60 or 90 grams of alum in the second stage of coagulation produced an excellent free - flowing powder . however , the use of 120 or 150 grams of alum produced an agglomerated product in the drying oven . table 2__________________________________________________________________________1st stage coagulation 2nd stage coagulation particle size , micronsprimary particle formation resin coating * (% by weight ) series nacl , gms ph range alum , gms & gt ; 1000 1000 - 500 & lt ; 500__________________________________________________________________________a 100 3 . 5 - 4 . 0 60 -- -- -- 200 3 . 5 - 4 . 0 60 2 38 60 300 3 . 5 - 4 . 0 60 10 40 50 500 3 . 5 - 4 . 0 60 5 31 64b 200 4 . 0 - 4 . 5 80 27 71 2 400 4 . 0 - 4 . 5 80 -- -- -- c 200 3 . 5 - 4 . 0 60 2 13 85 200 3 . 5 - 4 . 0 90 2 19 79 200 3 . 5 - 4 . 0 120 -- -- -- 200 3 . 5 - 4 . 0 150 -- -- -- __________________________________________________________________________ * ph at 2 . 5 the elastomer film particles prepared in accordance with this invention after drying , form free - flowing powders which have particle sizes up to 5 milliliters in diameter . it is preferred , however , that the majority of the free - flowing powders formed in accordance with this invention produce powders which are above 1 milliliter in diameter and not greater than 2 milliliters in diameter . this invention is also directed to the compositions prepared in accordance with the process described in the summary of the invention . attention is called to my copending application entitled , &# 34 ; free flowing sbr black masterbatch powder ,&# 34 ; filed on even date here as u . s . ser . no . 297 , 287 , whose total disclosure is incorporated herein by reference . while certain representative embodiments and details have been shown for the purpose of illustrating the invention , it will be apparent to those skilled in this art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention .	8
hereinafter , preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings . fig1 illustrates a first transfer apparatus which carries out methods according to preferred embodiments of the present invention . the transfer apparatus is provided with an intaglio plate 1 having a substantially cylindrical drum shape . the intaglio plate 1 is preferably made of a material having a uv transmittance such as transparent glass . a pattern groove 2 corresponding to a desired thick - film wiring pattern is formed on the outer surface of the intaglio plate 1 . preferably , the depth of the pattern groove 2 is at least about 20 μm , and the aspect ratio ( longitudinal length / transverse length ) is approximately 1 . preferably , the diameter of the intaglio plate 1 is in the range of about 300 mm to about 600 mm . the intaglio plate 1 is rotated at a constant speed in the direction shown by an arrow in fig1 . a feeding unit 3 for supplying the electroconductive paste p to the pattern groove 2 is provided on the periphery of the intaglio plate 1 . the electroconductive paste p includes metallic powder and reacts to uv rays irradiation by hardening . the electroconductive paste p may be a solvent type if the drying property thereof is high . however , the paste p of a non - solvent type is preferred because the volume of the paste is prevented from being reduced at drying . the feeding unit 3 includes a paste receptacle 4 in which the electroconductive paste p is stored , a coating roller 5 for coating the electroconductive paste p in the paste receptacle 4 onto the intaglio plate 1 , and a squeegee 6 for scraping off the electroconductive paste p which is coated on the part of the coating roller 5 excluding the groove . preferably , the squeegee 6 is made of a hard resin such as polyacetal or other suitable material . the electroconductive paste p can be completely filled into the pattern groove 2 by the squeegee 6 . the electroconductive paste p filled into the pattern groove 2 is moved to the position of the first roller 7 by the rotation of the intaglio plate 1 . at the position of the first roller 7 , a carrier sheet 8 , which is continuously supplied from a feeding roller 9 , contacts the intaglio plate 1 . the carrier sheet 8 receives the electroconductive paste p from the intaglio plate 1 and transfers it to a substrate 20 . that is , the carrier sheet 8 functions as an intermediate sheet . a sheet made of pet , pc , polyester , polystyrene , or other suitable material and having a certain uv - transmittance is preferably used as the carrier sheet 8 . the intaglio plate 1 and the carrier sheet 8 are rotated in contact with each other in the direction shown by an arrow . the intaglio plate 1 and the carrier sheet 8 are passed through an exposure unit 10 , in which the electroconductive paste p is hardened . the exposure unit 10 includes a light source 11 for irradiating uv rays from the inner side of the intaglio plate 1 and a light source 12 for irradiating uv rays from the back side of the carrier sheet 8 . filters 13 and 14 absorb uv rays in a wavelength range that can be absorbed by the intaglio plate 1 . as the light sources 11 and 12 , high voltage mercury lamps , metal halide lamps , and other suitable light sources are used . uv rays are irradiated in such a manner that the exposures are in the range of about 0 . 2 j / cm 2 to about 1 . 0 j / cm 2 . the uv intensity is preferably in the range of about 0 . 1 w / cm 2 to about 0 . 2 w / cm 2 , the irradiation time is preferably in the range of about 1 second to about 10 seconds , and the rotational speed of the intaglio plate 1 is preferably about 2 rpm . the carrier sheet 8 passed through the exposure unit 10 is released from the intaglio plate 1 by means of a second roller 15 . when the electroconductive paste p hardens on the intaglio plate 1 , an adhesive force is developed between the paste p and the carrier sheet 8 . thus , the electroconductive paste p is transferred onto the carrier sheet 8 by the second roller 15 . a special pressing device is not required in the area from the first roller 7 to the second roller 15 . with the tacky - adhesive force , the electroconductive paste p can be simply transferred to the carrier sheet 8 . table 1 shows results of the transferring property and the shape of a conductor pattern for different exposures . the transferring property is expressed by the ratio at which , after the hardening reaction , the electroconductive paste is transferred from the intaglio plate to the substrate . the shape of a conductor pattern which is substantially conforms to the cross - sectional shape of the pattern groove 2 is expressed as “ very good ”, and one which significantly departs from the cross - sectional shape of the pattern groove 2 is expressed as “ inferior ”. as seen in table 1 , a cohesive force with which the electroconductive paste p can be sufficiently transferred to the carrier sheet 8 is not generated when the exposure is in the range of up to approximately 0 . 1 j / cm 2 . when the exposure is larger than about 2 . 5 j / cm 2 , the electroconductive paste p sufficiently hardens . however , the bonding strength between the electroconductive paste and the intaglio plate 1 becomes excessively large , so that the releasing of the electroconductive paste p becomes insufficient . accordingly , the exposure of light irradiated from the inner side of the intaglio plate 1 ( from the back side of the electroconductive paste p ) is preferably in the range of about 0 . 2 j / cm 2 to about 1 . 5 j / cm 2 . in example 1 , to improve the transferring from the intaglio plate 1 to the carrier sheet 8 , the quantity of uv rays irradiated from the back side ( from the front side of the electroconductive paste p ) of the carrier sheet 8 is larger than the quantity of uv rays irradiated from the inner side ( from the back side of the electroconductive paste p ) of the intaglio plate 1 . for example , the irradiation time of the light source 12 arranged on the back side of the carrier sheet 8 is preferably longer than the irradiation time of the light source 11 arranged in the inner periphery of the intaglio plate 1 , or the uv ray intensity of the light source 12 is preferably larger than the uv ray intensity of the light source 11 . thereby , the adhesive force of the electroconductive paste p on the carrier sheet 8 side is higher than the adhesive force of the electroconductive paste p on the groove side . thus , the transferring of the paste p from the intaglio plate 1 to the carrier sheet 8 is improved . specifically , the quantity of uv rays irradiated from the inner side ( from the back side of the electroconductive paste p ) of the intaglio plate 1 may be in the range of about 0 . 2 j / cm 2 to about 1 . 5 j / cm 2 . the quantity of uv rays irradiated from the back side ( from the front side of the electroconductive paste p ) of the carrier sheet 8 is preferably about 1 . 5 j / cm 2 or more . the carrier sheet 8 having the electroconductive paste p passed under the second roller 15 is fed to a re - transferring unit 16 . in the re - transferring unit 16 , a pair of transferring rollers 17 and 18 is arranged . the substrate 20 and the carrier sheet 8 are contacted with and pressed against each other between the transferring rollers 17 and 18 . thus , the electroconductive paste p is re - transferred to the substrate 20 . a ceramic green sheet lined with a carrier film is preferably used as the substrate 20 . the substrate 20 is continuously supplied from a feeding roller 19 . to improve the transferring of the electroconductive paste p from the carrier sheet 8 to the substrate 20 , a compression load in the range of about 200 kg / cm to about 500 kg / cm 2 is preferably applied . moreover , heaters or other suitable means may be provided inside the transferring rollers 17 and 18 for achieving a temperature of about 60 ° c . to about 90 ° c . thus , the binder component contained in the substrate 20 becomes soft , so that the transferring is improved . even if some of the electroconductive paste p remains on the surface of the intaglio plate 1 after the electroconductive paste p is filled into the pattern groove 2 and scraped off by the squeegee 6 , the remaining electroconductive paste p is not transferred to the substrate 20 , although it is transferred to the carrier sheet 8 . this is because the remaining electroconductive paste p has a small thickness . accordingly , a fine electroconductive pattern can be formed on the surface of the substrate 20 . moreover , the transferring is more effectively carried out if the transferring rollers 17 and 18 use a rubber having a relatively high hardness . the carrier sheet 8 is recovered onto a take - up roller 21 . the substrate 20 is recovered onto a take - up roller 22 . thereafter , a predetermined number of sheets of the substrate 20 having the transferred electroconductive paste p are laminated and conveyed into a firing oven ( not shown ) where the substrate 20 is fired together with the paste p . thereby , the metallic powder contained in the electroconductive paste p is melted so that a thick - film wiring is formed , and also , the substrate 20 is converted to a ceramic substrate . the intaglio plate 1 , the substrate 20 , and the carrier sheet 8 are not restricted to continuous belt - shaped sheets and may be plural sheets . after the firing , the laminated ceramic substrate is cut into pieces , and electrodes are formed on the ends of the respective pieces . thus , a laminated electronic component is produced . referring to the second transferring step , the intaglio plate 1 , the carrier sheet 8 , the carrier sheet 8 , and the substrate 20 are provided with alignment marks and are positioned in compliance with the alignment marks , followed by the transferring . fig2 illustrates a second transfer apparatus which carries out a method according to preferred embodiments of the present invention . in this example , the electroconductive paste p is transferred directly from the intaglio plate 1 to the substrate 20 , not using the carrier sheet 8 as an intermediate piece . the components of example 2 which are the same as or equivalent to those of the example 1 are designated by the same reference numerals , and the description is not repeated . the electroconductive paste p is filled into the pattern groove 2 by the feeding unit 3 . the electroconductive paste p is irradiated by uv rays from the light source 11 and 12 arranged on the front and back sides ( inner and outer sides ) of the intaglio plate 1 . when uv rays are irradiated from the front and back sides of the intaglio plate 1 , a part of the electroconductive paste p exposed on the surface of the intaglio plate 1 is directly irradiated by the uv rays . a part of the electroconductive paste p which is in contact with the groove 2 of the intaglio plate 1 is irradiated by uv rays via the intaglio plate 1 . as a result , the overall surface of the electroconductive paste p is hardened to have a predetermined hardness ( dried ). thus , the cohesive force is enhanced . subsequently , the electroconductive paste hardened in the groove of the intaglio plate 1 is transferred to the substrate 20 . in this case , the substrate 20 is a ceramic green sheet lined with a carrier film and is continuously supplied from the feeding roller 19 . the substrate 20 is pressed against the intaglio plate 1 by the transfer roller 18 . thus , the electroconductive paste p is transferred from the intaglio plate 1 to the substrate 20 . also , to improve the transferring - property of the electroconductive paste p , a compression load of about 200 kg / cm 2 to about 500 kg / cm 2 may be applied , and a heater may be disposed inside the transfer roller 18 . fig3 illustrates a third transfer unit which carries out a method according to preferred embodiments of the present invention . in this example , the electroconductive paste p is transferred directly to the substrate 20 not using the intermediate piece . moreover , as the substrate 20 , a hard substrate such as a fired ceramic plate is used . the electroconductive paste p filled in the pattern groove 2 and hardened to have a predetermined hardness by uv lamps 11 and 12 , which are arranged on the front and back sides ( from the inner and outer sides ) of the intaglio plate 1 , is directly transferred to the substrate 20 which is being moved horizontally in contact with the lower end surface of the intaglio plate 1 . in this case , the entire periphery of the electroconductive paste p filled in the pattern groove 2 is hardened ( dried ). thus , the cohesive force of the electroconductive paste p is increased , and the transferring - property of the paste to be transferred to the substrate 20 is greatly improved . fig4 illustrates a fourth transfer unit which carries out a method according to preferred embodiments of the present invention . in the example 4 , a flat - shaped intaglio plate 30 is preferably used . the components which are the same as or equivalent to those of the example 1 are designated by the same reference numerals , and the description is not repeated . the intaglio plate 1 is preferably a hard flat plate made of transparent glass or other suitable material and has the pattern groove 2 formed on the surface thereof . the depth of the pattern groove 2 is preferably at least about 20 μm , and the aspect ratio ( longitudinal / transverse ) is preferably about 1 . the electroconductive paste p is applied to the intaglio plate 1 , and the excess electroconductive paste p is scraped off by the squeegee 6 . thus , the electroconductive paste p is filled into the pattern groove 2 . the intaglio plate 1 having the electroconductive paste p filled therein contacts the carrier sheet 8 , at the position where the first roller 7 is disposed . the carrier sheet 8 is turned around so as to move over the first roller 7 , under a guide roller 32 , over a guide roller 33 , under a guide roller 34 , and over the second roller 15 in the direction shown by the arrows in fig4 . a cleaning device 35 for removing electroconductive past p remaining on the surface of the carrier sheet 8 is provided near the guide roller 33 . even if a part of the electroconductive paste p remains on the surface of the intaglio plate 1 when the electroconductive paste p is filled in the pattern groove 2 by the squeegee 6 , the stains are removed by the cleaning device 35 . thus , the carrier sheet 8 can be repeatedly used . the intaglio plate 1 and the carrier sheet 8 are moved in the horizontal direction in the state in which they contact each other and are passed through the exposure unit 10 , where the electroconductive paste p is hardened until the overall surface of the electroconductive paste p is hardened to a predetermined hardness . in the exposure unit 10 , the light source 11 for irradiating uv rays from the lower side of the intaglio plate 1 , the light source 12 for irradiating uv rays from the upper side of the carrier sheet 8 , the filters 13 and 14 are arranged . the intaglio plate 1 and the carrier sheet 8 , passed through the exposure unit 10 , are released from each other by the second roller 15 . a bonding force is developed between the electroconductive paste p filled in the pattern groove 2 of the intaglio plate 1 and the carrier sheet 8 contacting the intaglio plate 1 , which is caused by the hardening - reaction of the electroconductive paste p . thus , the electroconductive paste p can be securely transferred to the carrier sheet 8 . also , to improve the transferring from the intaglio plate 1 to the carrier sheet 8 , the quantity of uv rays ( exposure ) irradiated from the upper side of the carrier sheet 8 is preferably larger than the quantity of uv rays irradiated from the lower side of the intaglio plate 1 . the second roller 15 also functions as a transfer roller . the substrate 20 and the carrier sheet 8 are pressed into contact with each other between the second roller 15 and a transfer roller 18 . thus , the electroconductive paste p is re - transferred to the substrate 20 . the substrate 20 is preferably a ceramic green sheet lined with a carrier film . to improve the transferring of the electroconductive paste p from the carrier sheet 8 to the substrate 20 , a compression load of about 200 kg / cm 2 to about 500 kg / cm 2 may be applied . also , heaters may be provided inside the transfer rollers 15 and 18 . fig5 illustrates a fifth transferring unit which carries out a method according to preferred embodiments of the present invention . in this example , the electroconductive paste p is transferred directly from the intaglio plate 1 to the substrate 20 , without using the carrier sheet 8 as an intermediate piece . the components of the example 5 which are the same as or equivalent to those of the example 4 are designated by the same reference numerals , and the description is not repeated . the electroconductive paste p is filled into the pattern groove 2 of the intaglio plate 1 by the feeding unit 3 . the electroconductive paste p is irradiated with uv rays from the light sources 11 and 12 arranged on the front and back sides of the intaglio plate 1 . when uv rays are irradiated from the front and back sides of the intaglio plate 1 , a part of the electroconductive paste p exposed on the surface of the intaglio plate 1 is directly irradiated by the uv rays . a part of the electroconductive paste p in contact with the groove of the intaglio plate 1 is irradiated by uv rays which are transmitted through the intaglio plate 1 . the whole surface of the electroconductive paste p is hardened ( dried ) to have a predetermined hardness . thus , the cohesive force of the electroconductive paste p is enhanced . the quantity of uv rays irradiated from the front side ( from the upper side ) of the intaglio plate 1 is preferably larger than the quantity of uv rays irradiated from the back side ( from the lower side ) of the intaglio plate 1 . thus , the tacky adhesive property or adhesive property of a part of the electroconductive paste p exposed to the surface of the pattern groove 2 can be enhanced , and the cohesive force of the electroconductive paste p can be increased . after the hardening of the electroconductive paste p is completed , the intaglio plate 1 is passed under the transfer roller 18 . thus , the electroconductive paste p hardened in the pattern groove 2 of the intaglio plate 1 is transferred to the substrate 20 . a ceramic green sheet lined with a carrier film is preferably used as the substrate 20 . the substrate 20 is continuously supplied from a feeding roller 19 and is pressed against the intaglio plate 1 by the transfer roller 18 . thus , the electroconductive paste p is transferred from the intaglio plate 1 to the substrate 20 . to improve the transferring of the electroconductive paste p , a compression load in the range of about 200 kg / cm 2 to about 500 kg / cm 2 is preferably applied . moreover , heaters or the like may be provided inside the transferring roller 18 . in the examples 1 to 5 , the intaglio plate 1 is preferably made of a hard material such as transparent glass or suitable transparent material . the intaglio plate 1 is preferably formed of a transparent resin film made of pet , pc , or other suitable material , and the pattern groove 2 is preferably formed by laser beam processing . the intaglio plate 1 is bonded to the outer surface of a transparent support 40 made of a hard material such as transparent glass or the like , as shown in fig6 a and 6b . fig6 a illustrates the intaglio plate 1 having a drum - shape . fig6 b illustrates the intaglio plate 1 having a flat plate shape . both of the intaglio plate 1 and the support 40 are preferably uv - transmissive . thus , the whole surface of the electroconductive paste p filled in the pattern groove 2 can be hardened by irradiation of uv rays from the inner side of the support 40 and from the outer side of the intaglio plate 1 . the intaglio plate 1 is preferably formed by laser - beam processing a flexible resin film . thus , the processing is easily performed . moreover , the support 40 prevents the intaglio plate 1 from being distorted . accordingly , when the electroconductive paste p is transferred from the intaglio plate 1 to the carrier sheet 8 or when the electroconductive paste p is transferred from the intaglio plate 1 to the substrate 20 , the intaglio plate 1 is prevented from being distorted . thus , advantageously , the distortion of the pattern and the degradation of the intaglio plate 1 are prevented . in the above - described examples , the electroconductive paste p which can be hardened by irradiation of uv - rays is described . electroconductive paste which can be hardened by irradiation of visible rays or infrared rays may be used . moreover , the intaglio plate 1 may be made only of a transparent resin material such as a pet film or suitable material . referring to a method of enhancing the transfer - property of the electroconductive paste , the quantity of light irradiated from the front side of the intaglio plate is preferably larger than the quantity of light irradiated from the back side . a fluororesin or suitable material as a release agent is preferably coated on the surface of the intaglio plate in advance , or a tacky - adhesive or an adhesive may be coated on the surface of a substrate ( or an intermediate piece ) in advance . referring to a method of forming a laminate using a method according to preferred embodiments of the present invention , such a method as shown in fig7 and 7b may be used . referring to fig7 a , a substrate 20 a having the electroconductive paste p transferred thereto is prepared . another substrate 20 b having the electroconductive paste p transferred thereto is arranged on the above - described substrate 20 a . as the uppermost layer , a substrate 20 not having the electroconductive paste p transferred thereto is arranged . simultaneously , the substrates are laminated to produce a laminate 23 . referring to fig7 b , the electroconductive paste p is transferred to the substrate 20 a , the substrate 20 b not having the electroconductive paste p transferred thereto is laminated , and the electroconductive paste p is laminated on the formed laminate . these processes are repeated . thereafter , the substrate 20 c not having the electroconductive paste p transferred thereto is laminated as the uppermost layer . thus , a laminate 23 is produced . thereafter , the laminate 23 and the electroconductive paste p are simultaneously fired . a laminate having a three - layer structure is described . however , a laminate having an at least four layer structure may be used . it should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the present invention . various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention . accordingly , the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives , modifications and variances which fall within the scope of the appended claims .	7
referring to fig1 , a rotisserie oven 10 includes an upper rotisserie oven 12 a stacked on top of a lower rotisserie oven 12 b . each rotisserie oven 12 a and 12 b includes a respective control interface 14 a and 14 b , which may include a variety of components , such as an informational display area 16 a and 16 b , a numeric keypad input 18 a and 18 b , on / off buttons , function specific keys and / or various indicator lights . each oven includes a vertically hinged access door 20 a and 20 b with a handle 22 a and 22 b and glass front viewing panel 24 a and 24 b for viewing the rotisserie operation . the rear side of the ovens 12 a and 12 b may also include a viewing window , which in some embodiments , is part of a rear door . a rotisserie rotor 26 a and 26 b is located within the heating chamber of each rotisserie oven 12 a and 12 b . the rotisserie rotors 26 a and 26 b are each driven by a motor , which rotates the rotisserie rotors 26 a and 26 b at desired rate . each rotisserie rotor 26 a and 26 b includes a wheel 28 that includes a number of support members 30 extending outwardly from an inwardly facing surface of the wheel . referring briefly to fig2 illustrating another embodiment of a rotisserie oven 12 located on a cabinet 13 , each of the support members 30 can be used to support a spit 32 , which are used to support a food product thereon ( e . g ., chickens 34 ) as the rotisserie rotors 26 rotate during cooking . in some embodiments , each rotisserie rotor 26 can support up to 30 chickens or more for a cooking operation . an exemplary suitable rotisserie oven is an hr or ka series rotary oven , commercial available from hobart corporation , troy , ohio . fig3 is a side , diagrammatic view of an exemplary heating chamber 36 of the rotisserie oven 12 including rotisserie rotor 26 . during a cooking operation , the rotisserie rotor 26 rotates ( see arrow 37 ) and heat is generated by heating system 38 . in the illustrated embodiment , the heating system 38 is formed by heating elements 40 located above an upper plate or shield 42 . the shield 42 includes one or more intake openings 44 with associated convection fans 46 arranged to draw air into the openings 44 from the heating chamber 36 and to push air forward and rearward across the heating elements 40 to pick up heat before the heated air is directed back into the heating chamber at forward and rearward slots 48 and 50 . the space above shield 42 may include various directional plates or baffles to produce a desired air flow . referring to fig4 , the rotisserie oven 12 includes an automatic temperature measurement acquisition system ( generally referred to as element 52 ) that is used to monitor the internal temperature of the food products . the automatic temperature measurement acquisition system 52 includes a wireless transmitter 54 ( transmitter / receiver or transponder equipped to send and receive energy at selected electromagnetic frequencies ) and temperature sensor 56 that is integrated with or located near the wireless transmitter . the wireless transmitter 54 transmits temperature indicative signals generated using the temperature sensor to a sensor communicator ( e . g ., reader 58 ). the reader includes an antenna 60 capable of receiving the wireless signal from the wireless transmitter 54 . in some embodiments , the reader 58 and antenna 60 may be incorporated within the rotisserie oven 12 , as shown . for example , the reader 58 may located in the oven housing 62 ( but outside the heating chamber 36 ) and the antenna 60 may be connected to the door 20 ( fig1 ) or elsewhere within or on the rotisserie oven 12 . in some embodiments , the reader 58 and / or antenna 60 may be separate from the rotisserie oven 12 . in one embodiment , the wireless transmitter and temperature sensor may be incorporated into a radio - frequency ( rf ) tag 64 that resonates at a frequency based on an lcr circuit built into the tag . referring to fig5 , the tag 64 including the lcr circuit includes a capacitor 66 , an inductor 68 and a thermistor 70 that varies the resonant frequency based on temperature in a fashion that correlates with food product temperature by locating the thermistor 70 ( e . g ., such as a thermistor probe ) within the food product . referring also to fig6 , energy to transmit and sense temperature is obtained by the tag 64 from an electromagnetic field 65 ( e . g ., a near - field rf signal ) generated by the reader 58 using antenna 60 at predetermined intervals , for example , or upon request from an operator . referring back to fig4 , the antenna 60 can be a square planar looped design ( e . g ., formed of copper wire ) that is tuned with a variable capacitor to a desired resonant frequency . referring to fig7 and 8 , in another embodiment , a wireless transmitter 72 is incorporated into an tag 74 ( including an active rf transmitter ) that is powered by a thermobattery 76 . the thermobattery 76 can be formed by a number of thermocouples 77 ( e . g ., formed of type e thermocouples ) connected together to develop a drive potential from the sum of the individual potentials . a temperature sensor 78 provides a signal to the tag 74 indicative of temperature within the food product . food product temperature may be sampled by the temperature sensor at any suitable rate , such as every minute , every second , 10 times a second , etc . the tag 74 can send all or only some of the temperature indicative signals generated based on input from the temperature sensor 78 to the reader 58 using power from the thermobattery 76 . in some embodiments , the tag 74 may include memory for storing a number of temperature indicative signals . the thermobattery 76 includes a cold sink 82 that is inserted into the food product 84 and a hot sink 86 that is exposed to the oven &# 39 ; s ambient temperature within the heating chamber 36 thereby creating a temperature gradient for operation of the thermobattery with an insulated portion 83 extending therebetween . the hot and cold sinks may be constructed of any suitable insulating material such as epoxy or silicone and permit the hot and cold ends of the thermopile to be coupled to the external environment . in some instances , a maximum temperature within the food product may be 185 ° f ., while a maximum temperature within the heating chamber may be 400 ° f ., thereby providing a temperature gradient for battery operation throughout the cooking cycle . additionally , placement of the tag 74 within the food product provides some insulation from the higher temperatures outside the food product within the heating chamber 36 . an outwardly extending stop 89 is provided for inhibiting the hot sink from entering the food product 84 . referring back to fig4 , the reader 58 includes an oven control system 87 including a processor 88 and a storage component 90 ( e . g ., including random access memory ). in some embodiments , the reader 58 may be part of a computer with the antenna 60 connected thereto . the processor 88 includes logic that converts the signals received from the wireless transmitter 54 ( e . g ., the tags 64 or 74 ) into a temperature value . in some embodiments , the processor 88 may also associate a timestamp with the temperature value and save the temperature value and timestamp in the storage component 90 , for example , to create a log of temperature values . the food product temperature values determined using the temperature sensor may be displayed to an operator on display 16 ( fig1 ). as another example , the food product temperature values may be conveyed to the operator using different methods and systems , such as via a text message , e - mail , phone message , remote display such as over the internet on a remotely connected computer , etc . the operator can then know when the food product has or has not reached a desired temperature and may adjust oven temperature manually , if desired , using the control interface 14 ( fig1 ), over the phone , return text message , remote computer control , etc . in some embodiments , the rotisserie oven 12 including oven control system 87 may utilize the temperature values to follow a recipe for cooking the food product saved in memory . for example , the rotisserie oven 12 including oven control system 87 may automatically adjust its cooking temperature upward or downward based on a measured food product temperature and target temperature based on recipe instructions . such a recipe may be provided to the rotisserie oven 12 by the manufacturer or the operator . as another example , a recipe may be downloaded to memory over the internet or provided to the oven by any other suitable process such as using a diskette , eprom ( such as a flash memory drive ), etc . referring to fig9 , the operator may place a wireless transmitter 54 and temperature sensor 56 in a number of food products 84 to provide an even sample distribution . the reader 58 can then obtain temperature indicative signals from each of the wireless transmitters 54 based on measurements taken by the temperature sensors 56 . in some embodiments , the wireless transmitters 54 may also transmit a unique identifier ( e . g ., using a rfid tag whether passive or active ), which can be used by the operator to identify a specific food product or transmitter / sensor . for example , the control interface 14 may allow the operator to cycle through temperature values provided by each transmitter 54 to view temperatures for each food product in which a temperature sensor 56 has been placed . an irregular temperature reading might indicate an overcooked or undercooked food product or that the particular temperature sensor / transmitter is not operating properly . in some embodiments , the oven 12 automatically monitors each temperature value and displays an average temperature value ( or some other predetermined value such as median temperature ) to the operator . if one or more of the measured values fall outside a predetermined temperature range , the oven 12 may display a message to the operator indicating this . the above - described automatic temperature measurement acquisition system 52 can provide a number of advantages . the transmitters 54 communicate wirelessly with the reader 58 which allows the rotisserie rotor 26 to rotate freely without interference with any wired connections between the temperature sensors and reader . the components forming the wireless transmitters 54 and sensors 56 can be formed of and / or encased or otherwise housed within food grade materials that can be washed and reused repeatedly and that can withstand temperatures within the heating chamber 26 during cooking operations . the automatic temperature measurement acquisition system 52 can allow real time monitoring of food product cooking temperatures which can be used to manually or automatically adjust cooking temperatures , for example , based on a programmed recipe or based on operator experience . it is to be clearly understood that the above description is intended by way of illustration and example only and is not intended to be taken by way of limitation , and that changes and modifications are possible . for example , the automatic temperature measurement acquisition system 52 may be used with other oven types . accordingly , other embodiments are contemplated and modifications and changes could be made without departing from the scope of this application .	6
with reference to the reference numerals of the figures of the accompanying drawings , the press 1 for processing preselected urban solid waste or refuse according to the present invention , comprises a press cylinder 5 inside of which is provided a movable piston 4 , which is driven , through a piston rod 6 , by a hydraulic system 7 , operatively coupled to a driving electric system , not shown . the preselected waste or refuse comprise paper in a rate from 10 % to 40 %, preferably 25 %, and plastic materials in a rate from 60 ; to 90 %, preferably 75 %. the mentioned hydraulic system 7 comprises , advantageously , a plurality of logic elements , replacing the conventional electrovalves , thereby allowing to provide a very rational and functional system which , moreover , is very compact and reliable . advantageously , said system comprises two pumps for operating the press 1 according to the invention , even in the case of a possible malfunction of one of said pumps . preferably , furthermore , on the hydraulic central unit of said press 1 holding herein the above mentioned logic elements or switches , a pressure switch , not shown , is provided , for allowing to adjust the speed of the press carriage 3 , as the pressure on the waste being processed changes . more specifically , the piston 4 is operatively coupled to said movable press carriage 3 which can slide on suitable rails 14 provided inside the press cylinder 5 , so as to substantially contact or not the mentioned piston 4 , by adjusting the displacement speed of the latter . a hopper 2 , arranged at the inlet of the preselected waste or refuse , communicates with the inside of the press cylinder 5 . in said hopper a photocell assembly , not shown , is provided , for preventing an overflow condition of said hopper during the loading operation thereof , whereas a second photocell assembly detects the time at which the waste or refuse material inside said cylinder 5 achieves a sufficient amount to start the pressing and volume reducing operations . a removable bulkhead 12 allows , in opposition to the carriage 3 and to the piston 4 coupled to said carriage , to carry out the waste volume reducing step , thereby providing a block 10 of pressed waste or refuse . a grid - like blade assembly 8 is arranged near the unloading region provided for the mentioned waste block 10 . said blade assembly comprises a plurality of blades or knives 9 , which are advantageously arranged to form a right angle to one another , the cutting edge 15 of said blades being suitably oriented transversely of the block 10 feeding direction . at the rear of said blade assembly 8 , an assembly of electrical resistances 13 , coupled to the mentioned electric system , operates on said blade 8 assembly , to bring it , as the press 1 operates , to a maximum temperature of 440 ° c . in this connection it should be apparent that the shapes and size of the elements constituting the press according to the present invention can be varied , depending on requirements , without departing from the scope of the invention . the operation of the press 1 should be apparent from the previous disclosure . in particular , the material to be processed , including portions of urban solid waste or refuse , in the above mentioned rates , is fed into the hopper 2 of the press 1 . the two above mentioned photocell assemblies will adjust or control the operation of the press 1 . more specifically , as the amount of waste supplied into the cylinder 5 by the hopper 2 achieves a value suitable for starting the pressing operations , the photocell assembly arranged near the separation region between the press cylinder 5 and hopper 2 , will drive the press carriage 3 , coupled to said piston 4 , with a high speed . as a pressure suitable for continuing the pressing operation is achieved , the pressure switch provided on the hydraulic central unit of the press 1 will drive the carriage 3 to displace it with a less speed in order to efficiently continue the mentioned pressing operation . simultaneously with the starting of the pressing operations , the other photocell assembly provided inside said hopper 2 will shut off the refuse supply to the press 1 , thereby preventing possible cloggings of said press . the waste or refuse material , formed into a waste or refuse block 10 will be driven by the same pressing means , i . e . by the carriage 3 and piston 4 , along the remaining portion of the press cylinder 5 , so as to contact the blade assembly 8 . the latter , over - heated by the electric resistances 13 , will split , in cooperation with said piston 4 and carriage 3 , said waste or refuse block 10 into a plurality of rods 11 , homogeneous and solid , under the amalgamation effect provided by the partially fused plastic material . in particular , the bars or rods 11 can be cut into individual portions or &# 34 ; bricks &# 34 ;, which can be used as a combustible material . in the case of a particularly hard material hindering a proper feeding of the carriage 3 during the cutting operation , then the pressure switch will drive the carriage 3 to move rearwardly , and then it will cause said carriage to restart with a maximum available pressure , using it as a ram member , up to the end of the cutting operation . finally , as the blades 9 become dull , then it will not be necessary to disassemble said blades , but it will be sufficient to process said blades by a flexible sharpening element in order to perfectly sharpen said blades , since the cutting edge of said blades 9 is advantageously made of a very hard material such as stellite ®. actually , if the cutting edge of said blades is broken , it will be sufficient to apply the stellite ® material , by welding , and then sharpen the newly applied stellite ® material by the mentioned flexible sharpening tool .	8
referring now to fig1 , there is shown a baler 10 having a chassis 12 and a crop supply assembly 14 . the baler 10 is configured as a large round baler , which however , is not mandatory . rather , the baler could be configured as a rectangular baler for producing large parallelepiped bales . the baler 10 is applied on the field and takes up crop deposited on the ground in wide swaths , in order to subject it to a baling process . in the case of a large round baler , a configuration with a baling chamber of fixed size as well as a chamber of variable size can be considered . the chassis 12 includes a frame 16 , an axle 18 with wheels 20 , a towbar 22 , side walls 24 and a baling arrangement 26 . the frame 16 is typical in that it consists of the principal components that are bolted or welded together for carrying the aforementioned components . the axle 18 forms the connection between the wheels 20 and the frame 16 and can be attached or configured as spring - supported or rigidly . the wheels support the frame 16 on the ground so that it can move freely and be drawn across the field by the tow bar 22 due to its connection with a towing vehicle . the side walls 24 are spaced away from each other by the width of , and define opposite sides of , the baling chamber 28 . the baling arrangement 26 may consist of belts , pulleys , bar chains or the like , and is used to take up the crop to be baled and conducted in the baling chamber 28 and to compress it . in the case of a rectangular baler , the baling arrangement would be formed by a piston guided in a housing . an inlet 30 into the baling chamber 28 is provided at the forward lower end region of the baling arrangement 26 . in a rectangular baler , the inlet into the baling chamber could be formed by a preceding pre - compression mechanism . the supply assembly 14 is composed of components that are located upstream of the inlet 30 , in particular the take - up device 32 , basically the crop processing arrangement 34 and the transverse conveyor 36 . these components are at least generally equally wide and configured remarkably wider than the baling chamber 28 . the take - up device 32 is generally characterized as a pick - up and is provided with tines or the like that raise the crop to be baled from the ground and deliver it to the rear to the crop processing arrangement 34 . the crop processing arrangement 34 is equipped with a rotor 38 and may be configured as a pure conveyor as well as a cutting device . in the latter case , knives 40 and strippers 42 are provided that engage in the circumferential circle of the rotor 38 . the knives 40 can be brought individually or together , if necessary , into various cutting positions and into a non - operating position . if the processing arrangement 34 is used , it forms a configuration unit with the take - up device 32 that can be pre - positioned in height , controlled with it or uncontrolled . the drive of the rotor 38 may be configured in an overshot as well as in an undershot manner , where the position of the knives 40 and the strippers 42 must be made to conform correspondingly . the downstream side of the take - up device 32 or the processing arrangement 34 form an interface 50 ( see fig6 ), not described in any further detail , that may provide , for example , flange connections , hooks , snap closures or the like . the transverse conveyor 36 is composed at least structurally of a first section 44 that is associated with the baling chamber 28 and is normally central and operating tangentially , and at least one second section 46 arranged to opposite sides of the central section 44 and operating so as to convey crop axially inward in the transverse direction . if the take - up device 32 and the conveyor 36 only project beyond one side of the baling chamber , then only one second section 46 need be present . the first section 44 of the transverse conveyor 36 projects into or towards the circumferential region of the baling chamber 28 and operates there upon the crop to be baled , for example , it supports the cylindrical bale in its rotational movement . for this purpose , the first section 44 is equipped with drivers 48 whose form and aggressiveness conforms to the crop to be baled and the baling conditions . normally , these drivers 48 are rails or bridges that extend axially and are bolted to the circumferential surface of the cylindrical core of the conveyor 36 . this first section corresponds more or less to the width of the baling chamber 28 and is driven to correspond in direction and rotational speed with the baling arrangement 26 . the second section or sections 46 may be arranged on an axis , fixed against rotation , with the first section 44 or may be released from this offset and / or driven separately . an outstanding configuration has been shown to be that in the form of screw conveyors . the second section or sections 46 may also be configured so as to operate in an undershot or an overshot manner which is a function of the question whether the crop to be baled can be subjected to a compression or not and in which direction a cylindrical bale rotates . in the case of a rectangular baler , the special arrangement to a pre - compression channel can provide the definition on the undershot or overshot conveying . according to fig6 , in one case , the take - up device 32 can be used upstream of the transverse conveyor 36 , as shown in phantom or in another case , the take - up device 32 can be used together with a rotor 38 of the processing arrangement 34 . in the latter case , the take - up device 32 and the processing arrangement 34 are connected to each other and mounted to the baler 10 at the interface 50 , this connection being , for example , by bolting or by plugging in , etc . in this way , the baler 10 can be manufactured with a base version that is equipped with only the take - up device 32 for an application with straw or stalk - like crop , and is equipped with the take - up device 32 and the crop processing arrangement 34 for an application in silage . thereby , the transverse conveyor 36 always remains on the baling chamber 28 , so that its supply characteristic remains unchanged . having described the preferred embodiment , it will become apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the accompanying claims .	0
referring now specifically to the drawings , an improved compressed air device is illustrated in fig1 and is shown generally at reference numeral 10 . the device 10 includes a base 12 , a motor 14 , and at least one compressor 16 , as shown in fig1 - 6 . preferably , the device 10 will include two compressors 16 that are mounted to the base 12 . the base 12 may have a plurality of sides . as illustrated in fig1 , the base has a first side 18 , a second side 20 , and a third side 22 . each side ( 18 , 20 , and 22 ) has a top portion and a bottom portion . the top portion of the sides ( 18 , 20 , and 22 ) is the exposed portion or the portion that is more easily accessible to a user when the device 10 is in the upright position . by way of example , the motor 14 is positioned on the top portion of the first side 18 , as illustrated in fig1 and the compressors 16 are positioned on the top portion of the second side 20 and third side 22 . the bottom portion of the sides ( 18 , 20 , and 22 ) is the portion opposite the top portion . the base 12 may have any form , but as illustrated in fig1 , the base has a substantially triangular form . the term substantially triangular form means that the base includes three primary sides that may be adjacent to one another . in other words , the sides may intersect . the term substantially triangular form may also mean that the three primary sides do not intersect , but the planes of the sides intersect at a point or are an asymptote . the sides ( 18 , 20 , and 22 ) of the base 12 are in a spaced apart relationship forming a void 24 within . as illustrated in fig1 , the motor 14 is positioned within the void 24 and is engaged to the top portion of the first side 18 . the motor is fastened to the top portion of the first side by a bolt , screw , weld , or the like . the second side 20 of the base 12 includes at least one pair of slots 26 . the third side 22 of the base 12 includes at least one pair of slots 26 . preferably and as illustrated in fig8 , the second side 20 and third side 22 of the base 12 includes two pairs of slots 26 disposed on each side ( 20 , 22 ). each compressor 16 preferably contains a fastener that extends from the bottom of the compressor 16 . the fastener may be a belt , screw , threaded extension or the like . in the examples , a threaded extension is utilized as a fastener and extends from the compressor 16 and is inserted into the slots 26 . by way of example only and as shown in the figures , the compressor 16 includes four ( 4 ) threaded extensions or bolts that extend downward and are inserted into the slots 26 . each bolt contains a threaded end for receiving a correspondingly threaded nut . the threaded extension also receives a correspondingly threaded nut . the compressors 16 are slidingly engaged to the top portion of the second side 20 and the top portion of the third side 22 of the base 12 with the use of an adjusting plate 28 . as illustrated in fig8 and 10 , the adjusting plate 28 comprises a face 30 , a lip 32 , and a rib 34 . the face 30 of the adjusting plate 28 contains at least a pair of bores 36 for receiving the fastener that extends from the bottom of the compressor 16 . preferably , the face 30 of the adjusting plate 28 contains two pairs of bores 36 for receiving the fastener that extends from the bottom of the compressor 16 . the lip 32 is positioned about 90 ° with respect to the face 30 . the lip 32 contains at least one threaded bore 38 . preferably , the lip 32 contains two threaded bores 38 . the rib 34 of the adjusting plate 28 is optional , but can be added to provide strength and stability to the adjusting plate 28 . during use , an adjusting plate 28 is positioned on the bottom side of the second side 20 of the base 12 , and an adjusting plate 28 is positioned on the bottom of the third side 22 of the base 12 , as shown in fig8 . the bores 36 of the adjusting plate 28 are aligned with the slots 26 of the second side 20 and third side 22 of the base 12 . the fastener disposed on the bottom of the compressor 16 is received within the slot 26 of the sides ( 20 , 22 ) and the bore 36 of the adjusting plate 28 . as set forth above and by way of example only , the fastener is a threaded fastener engaged to the bottom side of the compressor 16 and when the threaded fastener is inserted through the slot 26 and bore 36 ; a nut may be selectively secured to the threaded fastener , thus allowing the compressor 16 to be selectively secured or engaged to the adjusting plate 28 . the second side 20 and third side 22 of the base 12 contain a hole 40 positioned in close proximity to the area where the second side 20 and third side 22 are engaged , as shown in fig7 . a threaded fastener 42 is received within the hole 40 . the threaded fastener may be a bolt , screw , or the like . as illustrated in fig3 - 8 , the threaded fastener 42 is designed to be inserted into the threaded bore 38 positioned on the lip 32 of the adjusting plate 28 . the threaded fastener 42 received within the hole 40 positioned on the second side 20 is received within the threaded bore 38 of an adjusting plate 28 positioned beneath the bottom side of the third side 22 . likewise , the threaded fastener 42 received within the hole 40 positioned on the third side 22 is received within the threaded bore 38 of an adjusting plate 28 positioned beneath the bottom side of the second side 20 . during use , the threaded fastener 42 is rotated , causing the adjusting plate 28 to translate or adjust along the side ( 20 , 22 ) of the base 12 . preferably , the device 10 will include a pair of threaded fasteners 42 that are received within a pair of threaded bores 38 disposed on the lip 32 of the adjusting plate 28 . therefore , when both of the threaded fasteners 42 are rotated , the adjusting plate 28 translates or adjusts along the side ( 20 , 22 ) of the base 12 , as illustrated in fig4 and 5 . it should be noted that the term translates or adjust means that the adjusting plate 28 moves relative to the side ( 20 , 22 ). by way of example only , as shown in fig5 , the adjusting plate 28 moves a distance “ d ”, causing the center point of the compressor to move a distance “ x ” from the motor 14 . the side ( 20 , 22 ) is stationary and the adjusting plate 28 moves relative to the side ( 20 , 22 ). in one embodiment , as the threaded fasteners 42 are rotated in the clockwise position , the adjusting plate 28 moves upwards or towards the juncture where the second side 20 and third side 22 are engaged . as the threaded fasteners 42 are rotated counterclockwise , the adjusting plate 28 moves downward or toward the first side 18 . since the compressors 16 are engaged to the adjusting plates 28 , the position of the compressors 16 are adjusted by the movement of the adjusting plate 28 . as illustrated in fig6 , the motor 14 includes a drive wheel 44 and each compressor 16 includes a slave wheel 46 . a belt 48 , as shown in fig2 and 3 , is positioned on the drive wheel 44 and the slave wheel 46 , allowing the motor 14 to supply rotational energy to the compressor 16 for operating the compressor 16 . for the device 10 to run efficiently , economically , and smoothly , the belts 48 must contain the optimum amount of tension . during the rotation of the threaded fasteners 42 , the compressors 16 are adjusted for providing the optimum amount of tension in the belts 48 , as illustrated in fig4 and 5 . additionally , a protection shield may be positioned over the drive wheel 44 , slave wheel 46 , and the belts 48 to protect the safety of user of the device from getting limbs , hair , or clothing tangled with the gears ( 44 , 46 ) and belts 48 . the protection shield also reduces the amount of dirt or debris that enters the wheel ( 44 , 46 ) and belts 48 . as illustrated in fig1 , a mounting foot 52 may be engaged to the device 10 for selectively securing the device 10 to a structure . the mounting foot 52 may be selectively secured to the device 10 by fasteners , such as a bolt , and the mounting foot 52 may be selectively secured to the structure by a fastener , such as a bolt . as illustrated , the mounting foot 52 may be selectively secured to the first side 18 , second side 20 , or third side 22 of the base 12 . in another alternative embodiment of the present invention as shown in fig1 , the base 112 may have a generally trapezoidal shape . in other words , the base 112 may have four sides . the only difference between this embodiment and the embodiment described above is the fourth side 154 . the motor may be positioned on the fourth side 154 or within the cavity . although the present invention has been illustrated and described herein with reference to preferred embodiments and specific examples thereof , it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments and examples may perform similar functions and / or achieve like results . all such equivalent embodiments and examples are within the spirit and scope of the present invention and are intended to be covered by the following claims .	5
fig3 is a flowchart of a denitrification process with biomass oxidation in a sideline zone with reducing conditions . this embodiment is operated as follows . the system is charged with a recuperable oxidation - reduction mediator species having variable oxidation state , for example , with iron salt , whereby iron can change between the higher valence ions ( trivalent ferric ions ) and lower valence ions ( divalent ferrous ions ). wastewater loaded with organics and nitrites and / or nitrates is fed via line 1 in the denitrification zone 2 . in this zone , organics are biologically oxidized to carbon dioxide and water and a new biomass is formed . simultaneously , nitrites and / or nitrates are partially reduced to molecular nitrogen and nitrous and nitric oxides ( gaseous nitrogen forms ), and the remaining nitrites and nitrates oxidize ferrous ions to ferric with the conversion to gaseous nitrogen forms . a portion of the mixed liquor from zone 2 is directed via line 3 to the final sludge separator 4 ( a clarifier or other means ), the clarified treated wastewater is evacuated via line 5 and the separated sludge is recycled to zone 2 via line 9 . the other portion of the mixed liquor is directed via line 7 in the biomass oxidation zone 6 and returned back in zone 2 via line 8 . in zone 6 , ferric ions oxidize biomass and revert to ferrous ions ; the latter are recycled in zone 2 to be used in denitrification process . biomass oxidation causes a dramatic excess sludge reduction . iron ions form insoluble phosphates which particles become enmeshed in the sludge and are removed from the system with the excess sludge . at ph range of biological treatment , virtually insoluble ferric hydroxide and sparingly soluble ferrous hydroxide are formed . accordingly , iron ions charged in the system circulate between zones 2 and 6 and the sludge separator 4 . the advantages of this process over the prior art are as follows . nitrites and nitrates are removed by oxidizing ferrous ions to ferric . in prior art , methanol or other purchased organics are used instead . moreover , ferric ions are further used to oxidize biomass thus reducing the excess sludge . this is an unexpected benefit of the present invention . because iron ions are used for denitrification and biomass oxidation , there is always an excess iron insuring complete phosphorus removal . in contrast to conventional phosphorus removal methods with metal salt additions , losses of the charged iron are very low . accordingly , iron ions and other similar species are called herein the recuperable abiotic species . the iron losses are due to binding phosphorus , and due to some loss of iron hydroxides with a small quantity of waste sludge . however , the iron lost with sludge is a coagulant that would be added to the sludge later in the sludge treatment processes . therefore , all charged iron is beneficially used in the system . moreover , sludge oxidized in the present process is well mineralized and easy to dewater . it will not need stabilization in a dedicated sludge treatment process . optionally , the waste sludge can by hydrolyzed by using chemical , thermal , or anaerobic biological hydrolysis , and the said recuperable oxidation - reduction mediator species can be almost completely recovered for the use in the present process . the remaining residue is largely an insoluble mineral material that can be used , for example , as a fill in construction projects . fig4 is a flowchart of a process of fig1 with an added aerobic process step 10 following the denitrification stage 2 . a recycle line 15 can also be provided . this embodiment can be used for removal of the influent nitrogen in forms different from nitrites and nitrates . for example , wastewater influent can include organic and / or ammonia nitrogen . in this embodiment , nitrogen is converted into nitrates and nitrites in the aerobic zone 10 and recycled in the denitrification zone 2 via line 15 . the rest of the operations are the same as previously described and will not be repeated . due to oxidation to ferric ions , loss of iron with the effluent will be virtually eliminated . fig5 is a flowchart of a process of fig4 with an added aerobic process step 12 preceding the denitrification step 2 . this figure also shows a mixed liquor recycle line 15 between zones 2 and 12 , a mixed liquor recycle line 16 between zones 19 and 6 , and a line 14 for feeding a portion of the influent to zone 6 . in zone 12 , organics are converted to new biomass , carbon dioxide , and water , and nitrogen is largely converted into nitrites and nitrates . zones 2 and 6 are operated as previously described . the aerobic zone 10 serves as a zone of thorough organics removal and iron oxidation . additional nitrification can also occur in this zone . recycle line 15 is optional and should preferably be used when treating wastewater with high nitrogen content . recycling denitrified flow to zone 12 reduces concentration of nitrites and nitrates and ph swings in the system . recycle line 16 can be used to deliver ferric ions directly to the biomass oxidation zone 6 to oxidize more biomass . additionally , recycles via lines 15 and 16 equalize the influent organics and nitrogen concentrations . line 14 provides direct feed of organics with a portion of the influent to the biomass oxidation zone 6 for consumption of excess ferric ions in the system . fig6 is a flow chart of a portion of a treatment system with two sequential aerobic - denitrification zones 12 and 2a and 17 and 2b and a single dedicated biomass oxidation zone 6 . such arrangement can be combined with additional aerobic and sludge separation zones and recycle lines as previously described . this arrangement can be used for thorough nitrogen removal . the single biomass oxidation zone in this embodiment is one more illustration of possible modifications that can be easily designed by a skillful in art based on the present teaching . fig7 is a flowchart of a denitrification process with the dedicated biomass oxidation zone in the sludge recycle line . in this embodiment , the wastewater influent is fed via line 1 in the aerobic zone 12 where organics are converted to new biomass , carbon dioxide and water , and nitrogen species are oxidized to nitrites and nitrates . from zone 12 , the mixed liquor is directed via line 13 into zone 2 for denitrification with ferrous ions . further , mixed liquor goes via line 3 to an aerobic zone 10 for thorough removal of organics and oxidation of ferrous ions to ferric , which form ferric hydroxide . a mixed liquor carrying biomass and flocculated ferric hydroxide enter the sludge separator 4 . upon separation , the clarified treated wastewater is discharged via line 5 . the separated sludge comprising biomass , ferric hydroxide , and the accumulated inert constituents is evacuated via line 9 . it is further directed in part to the aerobic zone 12 , while the balance of the sludge is fed through line 19 to the biomass oxidation zone 20 and further via line 21 to zone 2 . optionally , a portion of sludge from zone 20 can be fed via line 22 in zone 12 . biomass is partially oxidized in zone 20 by ferric ions becoming ferrous ions . fig8 is a layout of a race track system with an aerobic , denitrification and sludge oxidation zones . this embodiment comprises an influent line 1 , a circular aerobic zone 12 embracing a circular denitrification zone 2 , the central biomass oxidation zone 6 , and the line 3 leading to the sludge separator . the sludge separator and sludge return means are not shown . brush aerators 23 are aerating and propelling mixed liquor in zone 12 . propeller mixers 24 and 25 propel and mix mixed liquor in zones 2 and 6 respectively . zones 12 , 2 , and 6 communicate hydraulically with the use of gates 13 , 7 and 8 . this layout corresponds to the flow chart shown in fig4 and is operated as previously described . other modification of racetrack layouts and equipment can be used as known to skillful in art at the time of design . present teachings are sufficient for designing the process variants not shown in this specification . fig9 is a cross section of a denitrification - aeration - biomass oxidation unit . this system comprises a reservoir 28 accommodating functional zones 2 , 6 and 10 as described in fig4 . accordingly , the system is operated as previously described . only specific features related to this particular layout are discussed . in this system , zone 2 is exposed above zone 6 and the sludge comprising the biomass and iron hydroxides is densified in zone 6 . this reduces the volume of the biomass oxidation zone 6 . the sludge can be lifted from zone 6 to zone 2 via standpipe 7 , which can be fitted with an airlift , a pump , a jet pump , or other lifting means . aerators 26 and clarifiers 4 are shown in zone 10 . this embodiment does not have well defined borders separating zones 2 , 6 , and 10 , and many lines shown in fig4 for connecting these zones are absent . other modifications of combined layouts and equipment can be used as known to skillful in art at the time of design . present teachings are sufficient for designing the process variants not shown in this specification . fig1 is a modified biolac system with added denitrification - biomass oxidation zones . biolac is described in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 287 , 062 , 4 , 797 , 212 , and 5 , 472 , 611 . this system comprises a reservoir 28 accommodating functional zones 12 , 2 , 6 , and 10 as described in fig5 . accordingly , the system is operated as previously described . only specific features related to this particular layout are discussed . in this system , zone 2 is exposed above zone 6 and the sludge comprising the biomass and iron hydroxides is densified in zone 6 . this reduces the volume of the biomass oxidation zone 6 . the sludge can be lifted from zone 6 to zone 2 via standpipe 7 , which can be fitted with an airlift , a pump , a jet pump , or other lifting means . floating aerators 26 are shown in aerobic zones 12 and 10 . floating clarifiers ( not shown ) can also be installed within the reservoir 28 . in contrast to other described systems , this embodiment has floating and moving aerators 26 and a floating and moving sludge transfer means 7 . aerators 26 and the sludge transfer means 7 are connected to and suspended from a floating air pipe 27 , which is connected to an air conduit 29 . structural support for the floating assembly including elements 7 , 26 , and 27 is provided by a cable 30 and anchors 31 . optional curtains 32 can be provided for a better separation of the denitrification zone 2 from the aerobic zones 12 and 10 . this embodiment also does not have well defined borders separating zones 2 , 6 , and 10 , and many lines shown in fig3 for connecting these zones are absent . other modifications of combined layouts and equipment can be used as known to skillful in art at the time of design . for example , zones 2 and 6 can be accommodated over a flat bottom using partitions , walls of the reservoir 28 can be vertical , and a conventional clarifier for sludge separation can be installed within or beyond the reservoir 28 . addition of calcium , for example lime , to the present system is also beneficial . in aerobic zones , such as zones 10 and 12 , carbon dioxide is stripped and insoluble calcium carbonate is formed . this insoluble compound is retained in the system and transferred in the denitrification zones 2 and further in biomass oxidation zones 6 . in zones 2 and 6 , carbon dioxide is formed and not well stripped and some volatile fatty acids can also be formed , thus producing acidification of the media in these zones . under such conditions calcium carbonate will convert to calcium bicarbonate thus buffering ph . it is possible to maintain near optimal ph values in all zones in this system for nitrification , denitrification , and iron oxidation . addition of small quantities of catalysts , for example , manganese or copper salts , further increases the rate and efficiency of iron oxidation in the system . powdered ( pulverized ) activated carbon ( pac ), and or powdered or fine - crushed coal can also be used to increase the rate and efficiency of oxidation - reduction processes in the present system . similarly to iron and calcium , losses of pac are very small . therefore , it can be charged once and small losses can be periodically replenished . the pool of recuperable oxidation - reduction species in biological treatment systems with fluctuating flows and concentrations helps to smooth the dynamic variations in the output parameters ( effluent quality ) and in demands for aeration and other operating conditions . for example , during a low organics loading rate in a biological treatment of bod ( cod ) with or without nutrients removal the oxidized forms of the recuperable oxidation - reduction species accumulate in the system . during the period of greater than average loading rate , the previously accumulated oxidized species are reduced thus minimizing the peak oxygen demand . respectively , the aeration system does not need to be designed for the maximum bod and ammonia nitrogen loading rates . it can correspond to a somewhat prudently greater than the average loading rate . such a dynamic behavior of the present system is a significant unexpected benefit for the cost reduction and simplicity of operation . fig1 and 2 define significant properties of recuperable oxidation - reduction mediator species . these figures also clearly show that the boundaries between oxidation and reduction domains are different for the selected species . moreover , some species can divide the total oxidation - reduction domain of biological processes into more than two oxidation and reduction domains . accordingly , definition of oxidizing and reducing biological steps should be coordinated with the properties of selected recuperable oxidation - reduction mediator specie . biological processes can be graded from oxidizing to reducing as follows : high purity oxygen systems , air aerated systems including nitrification , denitrification systems , ferric iron reduction systems , sulfate reduction systems , carbonate reduction ( methanation ) systems . corresponding primary oxidizers , or primary electron acceptors , are oxygen , oxygen of air , nitrites and nitrates , ferric iron , sulfates , and carbonates . some organics , particularly , halogenated compounds , can also be oxidizers . hydrocarbons ( admixtures in the wastewater ) and biomass ( ultimately a product derived from the hydrocarbons ) constitute terminal reducing agents , or terminal electron donors . the recuperable oxidation - reduction species are the secondary oxidizing species ( electron acceptors ) in their oxidation reactions of the terminal reducing agents and they are the secondary reducing agents ( electron donors ) in their reduction reactions with the primary oxidizers . high purity oxygen systems and carbon dioxide reduction systems are always oxidation and reducing steps in the context of this method . however , all other steps in the oxidation - reduction scale can be either oxidation or reduction steps depending on the position of the boundary line ( or lines ) in the ph - orp diagram for the selected recuperable oxidation - reduction mediator specie , or a combination of such species . it is understood that a combination of several recuperable oxidation - reduction mediator species can be used simultaneously . these species can perform as described in this method , and also react with each other as known to skillful in art . for example , nickel and cobalt can cement on zero - valence iron , various oxidation - reduction or other processes known from fundamental sciences and engineering applications can occur . these interactions can produce synergistic beneficial effects in the present method . for example , cementation of a more electropositive specie on the a less electropositive one accelerates the target process rate and efficiency . accordingly , the present invention meets the objectives : to provide a simple , reliable , efficient and economical system for removal of organics and nutrients with low generation of sludges . it will therefore be understood by those skilled in the art that particular embodiments of the invention here presented are by way of illustration only , and are meant to be in no way restrictive ; therefore numerous changes and modifications may be made , and the full use of equivalents resorted to , without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as outlined in the appended claims .	8
referring therefore to fig1 , a wind turbine generally indicated 10 includes a base 12 , a mast 14 , and a generator assembly 16 . the generator assembly 16 is mounted as a self contained assembly on a flange 18 at the upper end of mast 14 and has a blades 20 that rotate about a horizontal axis to generate power in a conventional manner . the mast 14 is formed from a number of sections , namely , lower section 22 , middle section 24 and upper section 26 , that are bolted to one another at flanges 28 , 30 respectively to form a unitary construction . alternatively the tower can also be formed by different types of construction such as a slip fit design where there are no bolts or flanges . this alternate design is boltless and the sections secure themselves via compression between the sections to hold them together . the overall length of the mast may be 16 to 30 metres in typical applications to support a generator 16 having blades 20 of an overall length of 2 metres to 8 meters . it will be appreciated that the dimensions , including the overall height of the mast may vary to suit particular applications and the loads that may be imposed on the mast . the lower section 22 of the mast 14 is provided with a flange 32 that abuts against a flange 34 provided on the upper side of the base 12 . the flanges 32 , 34 are connected by a hinge 36 formed between ears 38 , 40 extending from the flanges 32 , 34 respectively . a pin 42 passes between the ears 38 , 40 to define a pivot axis between the mast 14 and base 12 that is offset to one side of the mast 14 . the mast 14 is therefore able to pivot from a generally horizontal position , as shown in dashed outline in fig2 , to an upright , generally vertical position as shown in solid lines in fig2 . a linear actuator 44 which is conveniently in the form of a double acting hydraulic motor , extends between the base 12 and the mast 14 to effect pivotal movement about the pin 42 . the actuator 44 has a piston rod 46 that is secured to a clevis 48 defined between a pair of plates 50 , 52 welded to the lower section 22 of mast 14 . a bolt 54 passes between the plates 50 , 52 and through boss 55 on the rod 46 to pivotally connect the rod to the mast . the rod 46 slides within a cylinder 56 that is located between a pair of walls 58 , 60 that form part of the base 12 . each of the walls 58 , 60 has a cam track indicated at 62 formed in it that controls relative movement between the cylinder 56 and base 12 . a connector in the form of a bolt 64 is connected to the cylinder and extends to either side into the cam track 62 . the cam track 62 has a lower closed end 65 and pair of notches 66 , 68 respectively formed in the lower edge of the track . the end 65 and notches 66 , 68 form apertures to receive the bolt 64 at different pivotal positions of the mast on the base . the notch 66 is located at the mid point of the cam track 62 and is dimensioned to be able to receive the bolt 64 and maintain it in a stable position . the notch 68 is located at the upper end of the cam track 62 and similarly is dimensioned to receive the bolt 64 in a stable location . the end 65 and notches 66 , 68 provide three abutments for transferring load from the actuator 44 to the base 12 . a strut 70 is connected to the mast 14 through a clevis 72 located immediately above the clevis 48 . the strut 70 is connected to the clevis 72 by a pin 74 and the lower end of the strut 70 has a pair of cylindrical knobs 76 that project to opposite sides of the strut 70 . the strut 70 is formed from a tube and has sufficient buckling strength to be able to support the load imposed by the mast 14 when in a horizontal or inclined position . the outer vertical edge of the walls 58 , 60 is formed with a pair of notches 78 , 80 that are dimensioned to received the knobs 76 and hold them in a stable position . the walls 58 , 60 are reinforced by reinforcing strips 82 so as to resist buckling when loads are imposed by the strut on the walls . in order to erect the mast 14 , it is initially connected by the pin 42 to the base 12 and extends in a horizontal direction as shown in fig2 . in that position , the generator assembly 16 may be attached to the mast and the necessary commissioning and servicing performed prior to the mast 14 being erected . when the mast is ready to be erected , the actuator 44 is connected to the clevis 48 by the bolt 54 and the lower end of the cylinder 56 connected to the cam track 62 by the bolt 64 . initially , the actuator 44 is fully retracted and the bolt 64 abuts against the closed end 65 of the track 62 . the strut 70 is also connected to the clevis 72 through the pin 74 and rests against the base 12 . the actuator 44 is connected to a hydraulic power pack to supply hydraulic fluid to the cylinder 56 and extend the rod 46 from the cylinder . preferably , the power pack is located in the base 12 and includes a reservoir and an electrically driven pump to supply the pressurised fluid . the cylinder 56 and rod 46 are dimensioned to have sufficient diameter so that the vertical loads imposed by the mast can be overcome . as shown in fig4 , as the actuator 44 extends , the mast 14 pivots about the pin 42 and moves from a horizontal towards an upright position . during this movement , the bolt 54 abuts the end 65 of the cam track 62 and the lower end of the strut 70 moves along the outer edge of the plates 50 , 52 toward the notch 66 . as the actuator 44 reaches the limit of its stroke , the knobs 76 drop into the notch 78 . the hydraulic supply to the actuator 44 can then be reversed to retract the rod into the cylinder . the strut 70 supports the mast in a stable inclined position and retraction of the rod 46 causes the bolt 54 to move along the cam track 62 towards the notch 66 . as the actuator 44 reaches the minimum length , the bolt 64 drops into the notch 66 to provide a further stable connection between the base 12 and the mast 14 . thereafter , the actuator 44 may again be extended to continue pivotal movement of the mast 14 relative to the base 12 and to pull the strut 70 along the outer surface toward the notch 80 . extension of the actuator 44 continues until the knobs 76 are aligned with the notches 80 at which time the actuator 44 can again be retracted to move the bolt 64 into the notch 68 . continued extension of the actuator 44 completes the pivotal movement of the mast whilst carrying the strut 70 out of the notch 80 . in this manner , the actuator 44 can be stepped along the cam track 62 to supply successive lifting forces . the strut 70 is operable to maintain the mast in a stable position whilst the actuator 44 is being repositioned . once in an upright position , the flanges 32 , 34 are bolted to one another to provide a rigid connection and the actuator 44 may be removed or it can stay attached to the tower for local storage . it will of course be appreciated that if it becomes necessary to lower the mast for servicing or changing of components , the reverse operation may be completed to provide a controlled lowering through the alternate use of the strut and the actuator . it will also be appreciated that the cam track 62 can be located on the mast with a fixed pivot connection to the base and that the number of notches along the cam track may be increased or decreased to suit a particular application . the actuator 44 may be a mechanical actuator , such as a re - circulating ball , screw jack , if preferred . it is also possible to provide the abutments between the actuator and the base as individual holes , rather than notches connected by the cam track 62 . with this arrangement , which enhances the stability of the walls 58 , 60 , the bolt 64 is formed as a removable pin that is inserted through the holes and a bearing on the actuator to connect the actuator and base . when the mast is supported by the strut , the pin is withdrawn and the actuator reposition so as to be aligned with the adjacent hole . similarly , the connection between the strut and base can be formed as individual holes with a removable pin if preferred . although the invention has been described with reference to certain specific embodiments , various modifications thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as outlined in the claims appended hereto . although the mast assembly has been described in the context of supporting a wind turbine , it will be appreciated that other equipment may be supported in the mast , such as lights , antennas , and signs . the entire disclosures of all references recited above are incorporated herein by reference .	5

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